Red Sea - Pt 4

They just brought us into the holy of holies, right? Yes, they may. And I'll say this. There's always room for one more. And so if you have the gift of singing, not like me, because I can't sing. But if you can, if you're able to play an instrument or sing, come and talk to Felicia myself. Just anybody in a praise band or even somebody in the tech booth, because there's always room at the table for one more.

Hey, man. Hey, man. I want to welcome our first time guest here today. If you are a first time guest, we're not going to make you stand up or we're not going to sing a song to you. We're not going to point you out or anything like that. Not yet, we won't. But what I want to do is I just want to welcome you to one church.

And we're so excited that you chose to worship with us today because we don't believe that it's an accident. We believe that it's providential that you're here today. If you found out about us online through social media of your friends, that got to come check this church out. Or maybe the Holy Spirit just turned you into the church either way that you got here, we're excited that you're here.

We want to just thank you for taking time to worship with us. And if you did not get a connection card on the way in, do that. Take take time to fill that out. And on your way out, give it to one of our connection team members. And we would love to give you a gift to say thank you for just worshiping with us today.

And last but not least, Christmas, said writing. We have a mayors retreat taking place in roughly three weeks or so. Guys, I'm so excited, pumped because I get to have a tune up with my wife. She needs it. Amen. Let me repeat it right now. In Jesus name, our city. Last week, Scott set me up. He called his wife out beautiful and in front of the stage and everybody.

So I had to do something to counteract that. After you were under the bus. I'm driving like this, sweetheart. Is your. But, guys, I'm so excited. Listen, I've been married almost 21 years, and the way that we've gotten to where we're at this year, this in the course of our marriage, we had those moments where we had to go in for a tune up.

And so it's marriage through trees like these that will allow you to just to have space, to have that fine tuning and a course correction in your marriage. And so if you have not registered, there's still time. We have almost 20 couples going, let's praise God for that. Almost 20 couples going to our first marriage retreat as one church.

And so if you have not registered, go online and just go through our social media and register. And I promise you, I promise you you will walk away encouraging man. And so the past several weeks, this entire month, we've been in a series called the Red Sea Rules. And this is the book is a very short book that I've been reading.

And it's a great book is if you don't if you need it, just Google it. Go to Amazon. And the book is called The Red Sea Rules, and there's ten rules that we begin to walk through the the journey of Exodus. And so in that I want to just give a brief recap of what we talked about over the past several weeks, and I will let the parish know if you have your children here today, thank God, because today is family Sunday and we want to allow our kids, our babies on the way up from the nursery to our high schoolers to be a part of what we call a big church.

And so if you hear some kids run around throwing Cheerios at you or whatever the case may be, it's okay, right? Because we were there at one point in time, our life. But as a recap of the past couple of weeks, I want to just give you a few rules that we've talked about on this journey called the Red Sea rules.

Rule number one, realize that God means for you to be where you are, right? And this is dumb. The children of Israel leaving Egypt, right? They're leaving Egypt. They're fleeing for their lives. And they have to understand that their God has them right where they are. And then that you need to be more concerned with God's glory than your relief.

And sometimes that's a hard pill to swallow, right? We've got to say that sometimes you need to be more concerned about his glory than what you're dealing with. I don't know about you. I don't like that type of type of language. I because I want instant relief. I want to be able to kind of go in and take a back powder for my headache or an Advil or Tylenol.

I say, you know what? Let's get this headache away. But you should be more concerned about God's glory than your relief, because last week we talked about there's a purpose, a plan, and what? Come on down. Go to star gold stars over here, this side of the church. I I'll come back for part two of the lesson. There is a purpose, a plan, and a promise in your pain.

Right? And that's what we talked about last weekend in that we that's when we begin to talk about we need to be more concerned with God's glory than our relief. And then we have to acknowledge your enemy. But keep your eyes on the Lord. That was another point. Second, pray, stay calm and confident and give Got time to work and when unsure, take the next logical step.

So as I'm looking at just our lesson for this week, you brought me back to my mother's cooking and she's here today. She's been with this for quite some time. And my mom, boy, she can throw down. She can. You know, when you say you want to slap your mama for what she cooked, I couldn't do that because my mom was slap me back.

Right. But my mama, she she can cook like my mom is always she has these recipes and these things that she can do that can only can make a dish. Now, my wife, now she makes a mean meatloaf. Y'all know I talked about my wife's meatloaf, and so. But remember how I grew up? My mom's cooking reminded me that sometimes my mom fix some things that I didn't like.

I'm not a vegetable person. I dislike vegetables. I like collard greens, green beans and corn. That's it. I don't like broccoli unless it's from Outback. I don't know what outback due to the broccoli, but it's some good broccoli there. But every now and then my mom used to give us some lima beans and me and the lamb of beans would sit in and look at each other for about an hour to wonder how they're going to disappear.

Because in my house, my mom's like, You got to sit and eat your food. And t, I don't care if we get cold, right? That was the rule in our house. And so you didn't have any options. You can go get you some chicken nuggets out of the freezer. No, you go sit your butt right there and eat those lima beans and toss that you got to the plate is clean.

But my mom always used to say you have to eat it because it's too many mommas in a house today. She said, You have to eat it because it's good for you. Every now and then you need something on your plate that you don't like but is good for you. Oh, my. Right. Yeah. Every now and then you need something on your plate that will stretch you even when you're uncomfortable.

You don't like it because it's good for you. That's why when you come to church, you need a good helping of the Red Sea rules. You need a good helping of maybe the book of Joe to understand that every now and then there are some things that you don't like is good for you, and I translate that you should be more concerned about God's glory than your comfort.

You need to be reminded that we serve a guy that may not always taste good. Yeah, now we serve a guy. Then when you begin to believe like I. Why am I walking through these struggles and trials and tribulations? Because God is trying to perfect your faith. Every now and then you need something in your life that is good for you that you don't like.

It's that stretching. It's that tension that we feel many of you may ask, Why does bad things happen to good people? I begin to understand that God's sovereignty while suffering that understanding that God is very sovereign, even while I'm suffering. Yes. See, that's that's that's good medicine for you all day long, that even in our suffering, even in what we are dealing with, that God has solved it even while we're suffering.

And as I begin to prepare this lesson, I begin to think about the exodus. Right? The children of Israel leaving Egypt in a God. Show me said this rain like this. What I want you to tell everybody today that you can't take your Egypt to the promised land, right? That you can't take your Egypt to the promised land.

In other words, that you can take what you used to be in 2022 to be rigorous. College would be in 2023. You are missing it. You're missing it. There are some things that God has designed for you, specifically that He wants you to let go. Then we just seen that, right, the fire burn away and all of that great things that, you know, take my heart, take my hands, purify my heart.

Right. There are some things that God wants for you and that he want us to walk out of 2020 to begin to walk in 2023. But you can't have the mindset of 2022. You can't have the lifestyle of 2022, You can't have the language of 2022. You can't have the posture of 2022. Think about what took place in Egypt for over 400 years.

430 years people was held captive. There were in bondage, there were enslaved. That's over 10 to 15 generations that had the mindset of being enslaved. So you can't take a slave mentality to a place where you're free. God wants you to have a new outlook. He wants you to have a new mind. He wants you to have a new way of thinking because you can't operate in Egypt, in Jerusalem.

God wants you to be better than you were last year, and sometimes that means you've got to let go of some things. That means you have to let go with some people. Because our Red Sea moment, that exodus moment that God has forth is there to teach us to fully trust God. We may not like it, but you need it.

God knows where you are. I begin to think about how how is it that a guy who loves us allow us to walk through difficulty? Right? Have you ever thought about that? Like, God, if you love me so much that you created me, why in the world do you allow me to walk through difficult times, difficult seasons? That's like my momma raised enough.

You know, I grew up where the neighborhood get to kind of raise you to. Yeah, I'm a be somewhat careful because this is only so much. I read between the lines. Spare the rod, spoil the child. See, when I grew up, everybody got you. If you did something wrong, the candy store lady got you know. Well, your neighbor got you.

And then when you got home, what happened? Yes. How in the world that a God who loves you allows you to walk through difficult times and seasons in your life? And we see this all throughout scripture, right? We see this how God used the sovereignty of who he is to allow suffering to take place. We see that a sovereign God allow a job to walk through some things that Joe was even ready for.

Joe Right. Let's just let's just go back and look at the the story of Joe. The Bible says that Joe was blameless, the Joe was upright, that he feared the Lord and he saw evil. He was blameless, upright, fair, God assured evil. Let me say that one more time, just in case you do hear me. He was blameless.

He feared God. He shunned evil. He was upright. Look at your neighbor. Say, That's not you. If that name is given, you saw it. I look at the other neighbor. Tell them that's not you either. See, Joe. Joe. Joe was blameless. He lived a righteous life before the Lord. He was holy. Joe was the man. He was He.

He was like the MJ of that time, right? He had a loving figure salaried like to do was making money. He was. He was making money. So Satan began to ask God who cannot test gas? Have you considered my servant Joe? God, I don't need you volunteering me to go through some things, right? Is that I mean, come on, guy.

Like I could get myself in trouble. I don't need no help to get in some trouble. Right? Like, God, I don't need you to volunteer me to be under a microscope. I don't. I prefer you not volunteer the enemy to have his way in my life right. But God says Joe was blameless. He was upright. He shun evil, and he feared God.

But God says, Have you consider my faithful servant? Joe in two chapters? Two chapters? Joe loses everything. This is the guy that created us, right? Job loss. His campaign, his action. There was slaughter. There's a huge cookout. All of a sheet burned up. I mean, that would have been cookout for weeks, right? All of his employees were murdered.

Not one, not two, not three, not five, nine, six. All ten of his kids died, lost his wealth, lost his family. And Joe still praised God. His wife said, don't you just curse God and die? Joe said, no. Joe said no. Maybe there's a moment in your life where you felt like this throwing in the towel. Maybe there's a moment in your walk with God.

They said, God, I'm done. Maybe you've been a point in your life to God. I am tired. Maybe you've been in a position in a in a posture as a God. I don't want to be a Christian any longer. This faith thing is the working anymore. Some of us may even say hell. All hell is breaking loose in my life.

Why do I even bother praying to God? Who's going to allow this to take place in my life If this is what it means to be a Christian, then I'm out and I believe this. God is teaching us discipline while experiencing disappointment. God is teaching us some disciplines. While we are experiencing this appointment. Do you get that? There are some things that God is trying to sculpt in kind of speaking to your life.

He's trying to cultivate. He's trying to provide disciplines for you while in the midst of being disappointed. So you have to encourage yourself to have the faith of Joe. Joe, 13, verse 15, says this, though he slay me yet will I trust him right? Though he slay me Yet our trust him though that I'm experiencing these trials and tribulations yet I would trust them though I am going through the valleys of my life, yet I would trust them.

Though I am walking through the Red Sea, yet I will trust, even though I may not go from go from paycheck to paycheck. I would trust him, though I may not have a dime in my bank account yet I would trust him though he slay me. Yet I will trust him. Yes, though he's claiming I will keep the faith.

I will stay the course. I will trust God in an exodus. I remember chapter 14, verse 15. The word of God says in the law said to Moses, Why do you cry to me? He says, Tell the children of Israel to go forward. He says, Why are you crying? Tell the children of Israel to move, to go forward.

How do you get to a place with God where you fully trust him? How do you begin to trust God in a place where you have indestructible faith? How do you get to a place where no matter what happens in my life, I would trust God, though the world is having his way with me, I will trust him.

Brings us to rule number seven. Trust God to deliver in his own unique way. Trust God to deliver in His own unique way. There's been so many stories that I've witnessed and been a testimony of, and it always amazes me how God provides. He never fails, never. And he does it in a way that we're we can't blame.

We can't we can't give ourselves credit, right? Yeah. As a young people were saying, we can give ourselves risks. No, no, is incorrect. Okay? Whatever that's for. Look, you stay on topic. We have to give God glory. God wants all of it. Like we can't take any credit. Like, just. Just the story of one church like this. We can't take any credit.

How we got this building, how moved from another building to this building, what God has been able to do over this since the course. Guys, we're not even two years old and God has blessed this church like we're still in diapers, right? It's a toddler, two years of diapers. Kind of thought of God as God has blessed us right?

I don't want to take any credit. I can't take any credit because it's all guys doing it from the beginning of time. How he even put into my wives. And that's how we moved to North Carolina and got married and I drove to L.A. To pick up my wife and come back to greensboro and I mean everything. All things work together for the good, right?

According to god's purpose. So we have to know that what is taking place in your life, God has already ordained that he knows it's going to happen, and it's just a chess piece taking one move at a time to another move by God. But we have to trust that God is going to deliver it in his own unique way.

Guys understand what the struggle is. Been there, done that. I remember times in life, in our marriage, where we were. When I say we struggle, we struggle. No food. At a pantry. I got laid off on a job. I got fired like this is I'm a golden child. I don't get fired. Right. You know, I do everything the right way.

But one time my professional career, I got I got fired because I was too aggressive and I was just going out, looking over for certain things. And he says, Right, you know, it's time for us to let you go. And I'm here like, you know how many stores I built in this net for this company or what I've done?

I started, quote my resume and they're like, no, it's it's time, of course, to let you go. And I sees in my life I never knew what I was going to do. Yeah. But during that season, in lack when we experienced lack in our house, that's when we had the most. And that's the only God's doing it. So if you're ever in a place where you may say, God, I don't have anything else to give the year and perfect candidate for God to use, you know, because your lack is God's abundance, right?

Your lack of whatever that you may think you need. God has something that he can abundantly give you time and time and time again. He says in Exodus, Tell my children of Israel to go. He says, Tell my children. Now, keep in mind they are being chased by Pharaoh. These are slaves. These are slaves for generations being chased by our army who's been trained for generations.

Okay, God, you're telling me to go. But, God, I'm scared. God, you're telling me to go. But I don't know what I need to do. God, you're telling me to go, But I feel pressed on every side. God, you are telling me to go, but I'm in danger. God, you are telling me to go. But God, I am tired.

God is See my child go. Because your promise is before you and Egypt is behind you see real faith. The job type of faith. This Red Sea faith is not rooted in what God does, but in who God is. It's not about what He does is about who He is. Exodus Chapter 14, verse 21, says this. Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea in the Lord across the sea, to go back by a strong east wind or that night and made the sea into dry land in the waters were divided.

So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea. On dry ground in the waters were a wall to them, on their right and on their left. I mean, just point this out. They're crossing the Red Sea on dry ground. That doesn't make any sense. How do you cross a sea that's dry? Only because God can do that?

Scripture says that we saw the waters that are right and waters on the left. I mean, there was a wall of waters and pretty much the children of Israel walking down this path where you can see all the fish floating through it in and stuff like that. Kids be like, Oh, mommy, was that, you know, but God is doing something amazing.

He provided a way of escape for those who were in bondage. Verse 23 says this, and the Egyptians pursued and went after them in the midst of the sea. And there horses, his chariots and his horsemen. We have to trust God to deliver in his own way. They got to the red. They began to think about what can God do now we are trapped.

Where do we go? We will be overtaken by Pharaoh's army. But God, there's something amazing. God delivers the children of Israel through the Red Sea, verse 26. As if Then Law said of Moses, Stretch out your hand over the sea that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians under chariots and under horsemen. And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea.

And when the morning appear, the sea return to its full depth. Why? The Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the lure over through the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. I believe this that God was seen. You went to a valley to teach you a victory, that God was seeing you into a valley, to teach you a victory.

So if you think that you're in a valley right now, just know this. This you're okay. That God is shaping, emoting, that he's developing you. He is discipling you to get you to a place where you're going to become victorious. See that those valley moments that we have in our life are cultivating, cultivating moments regardless, try to do something in those valley moments that you are experiencing through your job or through your spouses or your relationships, or even, you know, at home with your children.

God, to say, you know what? Just just hold on to it because I am teaching you, you're getting closer to that victory. And in doing so, we have to embrace rule number eight. Yet the view that your current crisis as a faith builder for your future, that your current crisis is designed as a failed faith builder to build you up, to build your faith up in such a way for the future.

Imagine a faith that to children it is your hand crossing this Red Sea. Imagine what and how they came out on the other side. I mean, I would have thought that the ten plagues would have been enough. But no, they needed a risky moment to even build their faith. Imagine how God has to develop your faith year after year, day after day, in such a way that you can only say, But God see everything that you've been through.

Everything that you've experienced is what God has designed for you to build your faith so that way you can fully trust Him. I'm almost wrapping up. God desires to do something new in you today. God desires that you will continue to grow your faith in such a way that you fully trust him. And in doing so, he asks you not to forget to praise him wherever you are and wherever you are.

And God is saying for you to praise me even in the midst of your storm. Don't allow the storm to take your praise as our worship team make their way back up to the stage. I want to just to kind of slow down. This did the lesson today just because the simple fact that I know our kids are with this and I know they're rambunctious, I want to just honor that time frame.

We're going to sing a song in our closing worship set today, and it's called a Stones. And this song talks about where we will not allow the rocks to cry out, that we will praise him and that I will not allow the rocks to cry out. In rule number nine is very simple. It says, Don't forget to praise God right?

And let me just back that up with Scripture just in case you don't think I'm really pushing through pushing Scripture through Psalms 115, verse six, there's this Let everything that has breath, praise the Lord, I want you do this. Go like this. You're breathing, right? Yeah. I mean, you should be praising the Lord. Let everything that has breath.

Praise the Lord as a 25 verse one says this Lord, you are my God and our exalt you and praise your name. Some 63 verse three and four says this I will praise you as long as I live and your name I will lift up with my hands. Jeremiah 1714 says that heal me, Lord, that I will be healed.

Save me and I will be saved for you alone I will praise. Second, the 22 says is therefore I will give thanks to you. Oh God among the nations and I will sing praises to your name. This whole received Ruth has taught me so much, but the one thing that I know that has taught me that no matter where I'm at, the God is with me.

I can be in a valley or I can be in a mountaintop that God is going to be there with me. And I have to trust that God knows right where I am. And I don't know what you're going through, what you may go go through the next days, weeks, months to come, or even the next year. But I want you to understand that God knows it.

He hasn't left you, nor forsaking you, but God desires that you come out on the other side better and bigger and more and with more faith. And so in doing so, we have to trust and trust our God to know that his plans are perfect for us. They may let us down.