Every Day Discipleship | Lucas DeVries

Well, what's up, Pando family? We are so grateful that you've decided to worship with us here at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky. My name is Derek. I'm part of our SE Online team, and I am at our Blankenbaker campus today. And again, I'm so grateful that you decided to worship with us here. And we would love nothing more this next week than for you to take the time to write us here at Southeast. We get over a dozen letters every single week from people just like you in our Pando family who share with us a little bit about their story, how we can be praying for them. And we would love to invite you to be a part of that. And so to find the address to our church where you can write your letter, all you have to do is look in the description of this video. Because those dozen or so letters that we get every single week are just a part of the around 34,000 of you that have subscribed to our Southeast Christian Church channel, where you not only get our weekly worship services just like this, but you get our podcasts, our Bible studies, and other content that we create just for you, because we wanna come alongside you in your walk with Jesus, even in this season of your life. But today you are gonna be hearing

from our Blankenbaker campus pastor, Lucas DeVries. And so if you're like, well, I don't know who that name is, I promise you, if you've been with us for a little while, you'll know exactly who that is, because he preached just a couple of weeks ago through our sermon series, Through the Life of Moses called The Unexpected Leader. He also preaches several times throughout the year and y'all are gonna love his message today as he wraps up this four week sermon series on the life of Moses. Y'all, but again, we hope that you are here and ready with your heart open and prepared to worship with us today. So let's head out and worship together. ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Can we give Him a shout of praise this morning, church?

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪ Of my soul ♪ ♪ Praise the Lord of my soul ♪ ♪ Oh I won't be quiet, my God is alive ♪ ♪ How could I keep it inside? ♪ ♪ No I won't be quiet, my God is alive ♪ ♪ So how could I keep it inside? ♪ ♪ No I won't be quiet, my God is alive ♪ ♪ How could I keep it inside? ♪ ♪ Praise the Lord of my soul ♪ ♪ Can we give Him praise? ♪ ♪ Yeah! Yeah! Are You? Are You? Are you? ♪ ♪ Oh oh oh oh ♪ ♪ I'm so grateful, Lord, today ♪ ♪ So there is no way, until You meet me in one ♪ ♪ And grace upon grace, hallelujah ♪ ♪ Even though I don't deserve it, You did it ♪ ♪ Even though I couldn't earn it, You give it ♪ Come on, let it rise, church! ♪ Who am I that You keep me on Your mind? ♪ ♪ God, I'm just grateful for You ♪ ♪ God, I'm just grateful for You ♪

♪ And all my life, You've been right here by my side ♪ ♪ So God, I'm just grateful for You ♪ ♪ God, I'm just grateful for You ♪ ♪ So holy, holy, we believe in You, Lord ♪ ♪ I give You glory for all You've done ♪ ♪ Even though I don't deserve it, You did it ♪ Yes, You did! ♪ Even though I couldn't earn it, You give it, oh ♪ ♪ Who am I that You keep me on Your mind? ♪ ♪ God, I'm just grateful for You ♪ ♪ God, I'm just grateful for You ♪ ♪ And all my life, all my life, You've been right here by my side ♪ ♪ God, I'm just grateful for You ♪ ♪ God, I'm just grateful for You ♪ ♪ Who am I, who am I that You keep me on Your mind? ♪ ♪ That You keep me on Your mind ♪ ♪ I'm really grateful, grateful, I'm just grateful ♪ ♪ All my life, all my life, You've been right here by my side ♪ ♪ God, I'm just, God, I'm just, oh yeah ♪ Whose life is a testimony of the faithfulness of God in this morning, amen. If that's your story, would you declare it today? Would you lift your hands and sing? Come on, hey! Sing, I am lifting both up because You gave me chance after chance after chance. And I am giving all that I am because You gave me chance after chance after chance. And I am giving all that I am because You gave me chance after chance after chance.

And I am giving all that I am because You gave me chance after chance after chance. And who am I? Who am I that You gave me on Your mind? You've got no chance to rule my life. Oh my, You've been right here by my side You've got no chance to rule my life. ♪ I'm just grateful for you, I'm just grateful for you ♪ ♪ Yes, He's right behind your back, I'm just grateful for you ♪ ♪ I'm just grateful for you, I'm just grateful for you ♪ ♪ You never leave my side, I'm just grateful for you ♪ ♪ I'm just grateful for you, I'm just grateful for you ♪ ♪ You're the only thing I survive, I survive, and I'm here ♪ ♪ God, I'm just grateful for you, God, I'm just grateful for you ♪ ♪ And I'm all right if they say I'm out my mind ♪ ♪ God, I'm just grateful for you, God, I'm just grateful for you ♪ ♪ God, I'm just grateful for you, God, I'm just grateful for you ♪ Thank you. ♪ I could sleep at night for all my life ♪ ♪ And I could still find more to love each time ♪ ♪ Jesus be the name ever on my lips ♪ ♪ It's sweeter every time that I call on you ♪ ♪ There's a song about your name, won't you sing it to me ♪ ♪ There's a song about your name, won't you sing it to me ♪ ♪ There is no other name I know, there is no other name ♪ ♪ There is no other name, Jesus, you're the name, yes you are ♪ ♪ You have been the friend who never left ♪ ♪ I won't forget your faithfulness ♪ ♪ Jesus be the name ever on my lips ♪ ♪ It's sweeter every time that I call on you ♪

♪ There's a song about your name, won't you sing it to me ♪ ♪ There's a song about your name, won't you sing it to me ♪ ♪ There's a song about your name, won't you sing it to me ♪ ♪ It makes me cry holy, there is no other name but yours ♪ ♪ There is no other name but yours, there is no other name ♪ ♪ There is no other name, Jesus, you're worthy ♪ ♪ There's a song about your name, there's a song about your name ♪ ♪ There's a song about your name, it makes me cry holy, cry it out ♪ ♪ It makes me cry it out, there is no other name, I know ♪ ♪ There is no other name, there is no other name ♪ ♪ Jesus, you're worthy, you are, you are worthy ♪ ♪ You can have my heart, oh you can have your way in my life ♪ ♪ You can have your way in my life, in my faith ♪ ♪ Who is like the Lord, who is like the Lord in all the earth ♪ ♪ Jesus, your name is like the morning light ♪ ♪ The one the darkness can't deny, the resurrection and the life ♪ ♪ Jesus, Jesus, your name can save, your name can heal ♪ ♪ Your name can make the storm be still, you never fail, you never will ♪ ♪ Jesus, Jesus, the bread of life, the gift for us ♪ ♪ The wounded and the worthy one, the first to last, it's true today ♪ ♪ Come on, Jesus, Jesus, the King of glory ♪ You can have it all, you can have it all. ♪ The name, the name above all other names ♪ ♪ Jesus, let Jesus be the name ♪ ♪ Let Jesus be the name, oh Jesus be the name ♪ ♪ That gets all the glory ♪ ♪ Let Jesus be the name, let Jesus be the name above it all ♪ ♪ Oh, Jesus be the name that gets all the glory ♪ ♪ Let Jesus be the name, let Jesus be the name in my life ♪ ♪ In my life, oh Jesus be the name that gets all the glory ♪

♪ Let Jesus be the name, be the name, be the name, yeah ♪ ♪ Jesus be the name, oh Jesus be the name that gets all the glory ♪ ♪ Let Jesus be the name that gets all the glory, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ You can have it all, you can have it all, come on ♪ ♪ We want your name, Jesus, you can have your way ♪ ♪ You can have your way, come on ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, Jesus ♪ ♪ There's just something about your name ♪ Let's sing together. ♪ There's just something about your name ♪ ♪ There's just something about your name that makes us cry ♪ We cried today. ♪ There is no other name, there is no other name, there is no other name, Jesus ♪ ♪ Oh Lord, you are, you're worthy God, all I have to do is seek your name, yeah ♪ ♪ Oh Lord, you are, you're worthy God, all I have to do is seek your name, yeah ♪ ♪ Who is like the Lord, who is like the Lord in all the earth? ♪ ♪ No one like the name, the Holy name of Jesus, Jesus, Jesus ♪ ♪ The name of Jesus, Jesus, no sweeter name but Jesus ♪ ♪ Oh Jesus, nothing like the name Jesus, Jesus ♪ ♪ Death could not hold you, the veil tore before you, you suffered and died for me ♪ ♪ Silence the boast of sin and, oh you sing this if you know it, the heavens are rolled ♪ Sing death could not hold you. ♪ Death could not hold you, the veil tore before you, you suffered and died for me. ♪ ♪ Silence the boast of sin and, oh you sing this if you know it, the heavens are rolled. ♪ The praise of your glory, for you are raised to life. You have no rival. You have no rival. You have no equal. Now and forever God you reign. Yours is the kingdom.

Yours is the glory. Yours is the name above all. You have no rival. You have no rival. You have no equal. Now and forever God you reign. ♪ Yours is the kingdom, Yours is the glory ♪ ♪ Yours is the name above all names ♪ ♪ What a powerful name it is, what a powerful name it is ♪ ♪ The name of Jesus Christ my King ♪ ♪ What a powerful name it is, nothing can stand against ♪ ♪ What a powerful name it is, the name, You have no rival ♪ ♪ You have no rival, You have no equal ♪ ♪ Now and forever God You reign ♪ ♪ Cause Yours is the kingdom, Yours is the glory ♪ ♪ Yours is the name above all names ♪ ♪ What a powerful name it is, what a beautiful name it is ♪ ♪ The name of Jesus Christ my King ♪ ♪ What a powerful name it is, what a beautiful name it is ♪ ♪ The name of Jesus Christ my King ♪ ♪ What a powerful name it is, what a beautiful name it is ♪ ♪ The name of Jesus Christ my King ♪ ♪ What a powerful name it is, what a beautiful name it is ♪ ♪ The name of Jesus Christ my King ♪ ♪ What a powerful name it is, what a beautiful name it is ♪ ♪ The name of Jesus Christ my King ♪ Thank you for bringing in here today, God. Lord, you hold us in the palm of your hand, God. There is no one like you, no one greater, no one higher, no one stronger, Lord.

God, you're the author and the perfecter of our faith. We come here today to worship you, God. We're expecting for what you have in store for us, God. We praise you for who you are and we thank you for what you've done in our lives, Lord. We thank you and everybody said, amen. Hey church, before you guys take a seat, go ahead and turn to a neighbor and say, I'm so glad to be sitting next to you today. Well, hey everybody. My name is Lucas Ruiz and if we haven't met yet, I get the privilege of serving on staff here at Southeast as the Blankenbaker Campus Pastor. I'm really excited because today we're gonna be jumping into the final week of our Unexpected Leader series. Over the past few weeks, we've been looking at the life of Moses and seeing how God used an ordinary, unlikely person in some pretty extraordinary ways. And today we're gonna finish that story together. You know, one of the things that I love most about our church is camp season. By the end of this summer, I'm excited to share with you, we will have taken over 6,000 kids and students to camp, which is such a wild number. But the reason we do that is simply this. We believe that life change happens at camp. If you've ever been to camp, you know exactly what I mean. For a week, students get pulled out of their normal rhythms. No school, no sports, no running from thing to thing,

no staring at a phone for six straight hours, wondering where the day went. For a few days, life slows down enough to actually pay attention to what God might be saying. And every year without fail, God does nothing short of miracles in students' hearts. My favorite night of the week is what we call decision night. It's the night that we give students an opportunity to respond to what God has been doing all week. And every year it's by far the most powerful night of the week. I actually call it the ugly cry night. You've got students crying, you've got leaders crying, everybody's crying. It really is a beautiful thing to witness. And the reason it's so powerful isn't the emotion of the moment. The reason it's powerful is because it never gets old watching students experience the grace of God in a way that becomes real to them. And while that's entirely amazing, can I tell you what rarely gets talked about? Rarely do we talk about what happens three weeks after camp. Imagine with me that you went to camp, you had an incredible week, God met you there. Maybe you surrendered your life to Christ. Maybe you finally dealt with something you've been carrying for years, but now you're home. Three weeks have gone by. Camp is over.

The worship is gone. The environment is gone. The friends who were encouraging you are back living their own lives. And now you're sitting alone in your room wondering, was that even real? Because what happened at camp felt powerful. But now you're back in your ordinary life with your ordinary responsibilities, and it just doesn't feel as exhilarating as the ugly cry night at camp. And maybe for you, it's not camp. Maybe it was after your baptism. Maybe it was after a powerful morning at church or a moment of breakthrough in your life. The reality is that these moments with God are real. They're so significant in our faith journey. They are powerful. But it's important to know that eventually, the moment ends. And the question that I want us to wrestle with today is simply this. What do you do when the mountaintop fades and you're left navigating ordinary life with God? You see, we all love the big moments with God. Now, we love the breakthrough. We love the answered prayer. We love the miracle in the mountaintop. But eventually, eventually the moment ends, and we pick back up in Moses's story. That's exactly where Moses and the Israelites

find themselves. Last week, Bryson walked us through how God used the plagues to break Pharaoh's grip on his people. It was 10 demonstrations of God's power, 10 chances for Egypt to let them go, and eventually Pharaoh relents. But the story isn't over because Pharaoh changes his mind and suddenly the most liberated people on earth are standing at the edge of the Red Sea with an army at their backs and nowhere to go. And then God does what only God can do. So we'll pick it back up in verse 21. I'll read for us. It says this. Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it to the dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground with a wall of water on their right and on their left. The Egyptians pursued them, and all of Pharaoh's horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. And many of you know how the story ends, right? Like the waters come crashing back down, and in a matter of moments, the most powerful army in the world has been wiped out. And Israel is standing safely on the other side of the sea, watching it all happen. Listen to how Exodus describes it in verse 30.

It says the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians. And so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses. Now put yourself in Moses' shoes for a second. I mean, as a leader, this is the moment that you've been waiting for. Like God has shown up in a miraculous way. The people have seen it with their own eyes. Like they are celebrating, they're worshiping. Moses finally has credibility. Everybody's bought in. In fact, the text says that the Israelites broke out in song. Some scholars actually believe that this was the first worship song recorded in all of scripture. And so think about this. The people who were slaves yesterday are singing today. Moses is a hero. God is good. Everything seems right. And if we were writing this story in scripture, this is probably where we would expect the momentum to carry them all the way to the promised land. But if you know the story, you know that that's not what happens at all.

Because almost immediately something shifts. Something happens that reveals what's really going on in their hearts. Look what happens starting in verse 22. I'll read it for us. It says, then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter. And the people grumbled against Moses saying, what shall we drink? My wife and I have four-year-old twin boys, which means our house can feel a little bit like an emotional rollercoaster. One minute they can be as sweet as can be. They're listening, they're sharing, they're getting along. And then the very next minute, they're convinced that we've ruined their lives because we told them that it was bedtime. And honestly, when you read through the book of Exodus, Israel isn't acting all that differently. Listen to what it says here. It says, then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the desert of Shur. For three days, they traveled in the desert without finding water.

When they came to Marah, they could not drink it because it was bitter. And that's why the place is called Marah. So the people grumbled against Moses saying, what are we drinking? to drink. Now I know that this is such a simple observation, but don't miss this. It only took three days to complain. Like that's it. Three days ago, God parted the Red Sea. Like three days ago, they watched the most powerful army in the world disappear beneath the water. Three days ago, they were singing songs about God's faithfulness, but now three days later, they're thirsty, now they're uncomfortable, and now they're scared. And all of a sudden, Moses goes from hero to villain in three days. And if I'm honest, one of the things nobody really tells you about following Jesus is just how quickly the big God moments can fade. You can have an incredible experience with God on Sunday and be discouraged by Wednesday. You can leave camp, maybe a retreat, a conference, or a mission trip completely on fire for Jesus. And just a few days later, find yourself struggling with the same fears and doubts that you thought that you left behind. I think for many of us, we imagine following Jesus as moving from miracle to miracle or mountaintop to mountaintop, but the Bible paints a very different picture. You see, the Christian life is often less like skipping from victory to victory and more like learning to trust in the normal everyday life of the wilderness. And that's exactly what God is teaching Israel. And so as we continue following Moses and the Israelites, they keep finding themselves in situations where they need God's help. First, there's the bitter water at Marah, and then there's hunger in the wilderness, and then there's thirst again, over and over. God allows them to face circumstances that they cannot solve on their own. And for nearly a month, God is teaching his people a lesson that they desperately need to learn. And honestly, I think it's a lesson that we need to learn too, and it's simply this. God didn't rescue Israel so they could become independent. He rescued them so that they could become dependent on him. And trust me, I know that that sounds backwards, because when we think about freedom, we usually think freedom means nobody gets to tell me what to do. Like nobody has authority over me. Nobody gets to lead me. I get to do whatever I want, but that's not how the Bible talks about freedom. Listen to how Paul

puts it in Romans chapter 6. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, and so Paul goes on to unpack what that means for Christians, but here's what I want you to notice. He doesn't say you've been set free from sin, now you belong to nobody. He says you've been set free from sin and have become slaves of God. In other words, the Exodus wasn't a move from slavery to independence. It was a move from Pharaoh's rule to God's rule. And the same is true for us. God didn't save you so that you could become self-sufficient. He didn't rescue you so that you could live however you wanted to and never need Him again. He saved you so that you could walk with Him, so that you could trust in Him, so that you could depend on Him and follow Him. You see, the Israelites were about to learn a lesson that every believer eventually has to learn. Here's what it is. Freedom isn't the absence of a master. Freedom is being led by a good master. And the good news for us is that master is Jesus. And so where we're at right now, Israel is continuing in their journey through the wilderness. God is teaching them what it means to depend on Him. One of the clearest ways we see this is when God provides manna every day in Exodus chapter 16. Let's pick up in verse 2. It says this, So yet again, the same cycle ensues. God's people complain and cynicism begins to set in. But listen to how God responds. It says this, Now, the food spoken of here was a bread-like substance that God provided for His people every morning. The name of this bread was what God called manna. Numbers 11 verse 7 says this, Now, the manna was like a coriander seed in its appearance like that of delium. The literal meaning of the word manna is essentially the phrase, what is it? Which is funny because it's exactly what they said when they saw it. Look at how scripture describes it in verse 14. And when the dew had gone up, there was on In the face of the wilderness, a fine flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground, now watch this, when the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, what is it? For they did not know what it was, and Moses said to them, it's the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.

I want you to imagine every morning you wake up and there's a gas card sitting on your kitchen table. It has enough money on it for exactly one day's worth of gas, not enough for the week, not enough for the month, just for every single day. And so you take the card, you go, you fill up your tank, you go to work, you come home, and you have just enough gas to get in the driveway. And then the next morning, to your surprise, there it is again, another gas card. I guess it's the same amount, it's the same routine, and honestly, at first, it sounds pretty awesome, right? I mean, free gas every day sounds pretty good in this market. Every morning, there's exactly what you need waiting for you. But after a while, your curiosity gets the best of you. Eventually, you start asking anxious questions like what would happen if it doesn't show up tomorrow? Like, what if I need more than I've been given? Like, what if there's an emergency and what if I have somewhere unexpected that I need to go? Like, what if tomorrow is different than today? After a few weeks, maybe a few months, you're lying in bed and you come up with what feels like the greatest idea you've ever had. You think, I know exactly how to solve this problem. So you go to Walmart, you go and buy every gas can that they have, and the next morning, instead of filling up one tank,

you fill up 25 gas cans. And with great pride, you line all 25 gas cans up in your garage. You step back, you cross your arms, you admire your work, because now you finally solved the problem and you end up having the greatest night's sleep that you've ever had in weeks. But the only problem is, is that when you wake up the next morning, you awaken to this awful smell. You can smell it even before you get out of bed. You walk over to the garage, you open the door and you realize that somehow every single gas can has gone completely bad overnight. And all the extra work that you put in has come to nothing. I know that that sounds pretty ridiculous, but this is exactly what Israel did with manna. I mean, it was the same instinct. It was the same plan and somewhat of the same result. And if we're honest, if we are God, we would probably write this story completely differently. We'd build a giant storehouse. We'd have unlimited amount of manna. We'd make rules that say you can come whenever you're hungry and take as much as you want. I think if the whole point was simply to get Israel fed, God would probably do that. That's not at all what's happening here. But listen to what God says again.

He says, I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day in this way. Watch this, I will test them. And there's the key statement. You see the manna wasn't just provision, it was a test. The question was never, can God provide? The Red Sea already answered that. The question was this, will they trust him one day at a time? I think that the same offer is on the table for us. I mean, so much of our lives are built around one question. How do I control tomorrow? Like we save for tomorrow. We plan for tomorrow. We lose sleep over it. We refresh our bank account at midnight. We run the numbers one more time. We rehearse the conversation in our head before it even happens. And the reality is none of those things are bad, but somewhere underneath all of it is this quiet fear. If I don't figure it out, nobody else will. If I don't stockpile the gas cans, we're eventually gonna run out. And what God was doing in the wilderness was exposing that fear because here's the truth. You cannot trust someone you're trying to replace. Every time Israel grabbed extra manna, they were saying, I believe in you, God.

I'm just not sure I believe you'll show up tomorrow. And I get it. Like being hungry in the wilderness probably isn't your test today, but maybe your test is your children. Maybe you keep trying to secure a future only God can guarantee. Maybe it's your finances. Maybe you fall into the trap of thinking one more raise, one more investment, or maybe then you'll finally feel safe. Maybe it's your health. Maybe you spend more time fearing what might happen than trusting the God who holds your entire life. Maybe it's a marriage. Maybe it's a diagnosis. Maybe it's a career. I don't know what your struggle is today, but here's what I do know. Every single test is an invitation to stop stockpiling and start trusting. What that looks like in real life. isn't one big dramatic moment of surrender. It's everyday discipleship. It's the quiet, unglamorous daily rhythms of actually walking with Jesus. Jesus taught his disciples exactly this. He said it this way. He said, pray like this. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done

on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And I want you to see this. It's not weekly. It's not every Christmas and Easter. It's daily bread. You see, Jesus was pointing back to Exodus and he was teaching his disciples to return to God every single day. And it's not because he's stingy. It's not because he's making you earn it. It's because daily dependence is the whole point. The details are different for all of us, but the test is always the same. You know, I love that God told Israel to go out into the morning and to gather manna. I think that there's something really intentional about that. I'm a firm believer that God's grace is opposed to earning, but I don't think that it's opposed to effort. The provision is already there. God has provided it. Like you just need to go out and gather it. So here's my challenge for you today. What if you set aside 20 to 30 minutes every morning and made that your time to gather the grace that you'll need for the day? If you're new to reading the Bible, let me give you a really simple tool that's helped a lot of people.

It's called SOAP. It stands for scripture, observation, application, and prayer. And so for scripture, just start by reading a chapter of the Bible every morning. That's it. Like maybe it's the passage that we're talking about today. Maybe it's a chapter in Proverbs. Maybe it's one of the gospels. The goal isn't to overcomplicate it. Just open God's word and read. And then move to observation. As you're reading, just ask, what stood out to me? Like what grabbed my attention? What did I learn about God today? Was there a verse that I kept coming back to? And simply write down a few things that stuck out to you. And then application. Ask yourself, okay, what am I supposed to do with this? How does this affect my life? Is there something God is asking me to start doing? Is there something he's asking me to stop doing? Or is there something that I need to trust in him for? And then the last thing is this, it's prayer. Just talk to God about what you read. Thank him for what he showed you. Ask him to help you live it out. Bring him what's on your heart and then go start your day. Now, I always tell people, like this isn't the only way to spend time with God.

Like there are a lot of ways to meet with him, but I can tell you from experience, this one works. And so I wanna challenge you to try it. In fact, I'm gonna make a pretty big ask. I wanna encourage you to try this for 30 days. Set aside 20 or 30 minutes every morning and just see what happens. Because here's what I've learned. It's usually not the big dramatic moments that change us the most. It's the ordinary ones. It's not the camps or the retreats or the big mountaintop moments. Like those are all real and they certainly have their place, but it's the random Tuesday morning when you're tired and you don't feel inspired. And honestly, you'd rather go do something else, but you open your Bible anyways. Then over time, something starts to happen. You begin to hear God's voice more clearly. You start noticing God throughout your day. Your trust grows and your faith deepens. You see the true mature faith is usually built when you keep showing up day after day after day and you discover that every time you do, God is already there waiting for you. You know, as we wrap up today, I think it's important to remember that while God's people woke up every morning to manna, miraculously provided by God,

the manna itself was never the point. It was always leading to the day when Jesus in one of the most powerful passages in scripture stands before a crowd and he makes a claim that only the Son of God could say. He said in front of everyone in attendance, I am the bread that came down from heaven. What I love is that in one statement, Jesus lets us know that manna was never about food. It was always pointing to something else or better yet, someone greater. You see, Jesus is the fulfillment of everything the wilderness was trying to teach. He's the provision that never runs out. He's the grace that's there every single morning. He's the bread that actually satisfies. And because of his life, death and resurrection, we have been given something far greater than manna in the desert. So as you go about your day today, hold on to this. The same God who showed up every single morning for a grumbling, doubting, manna hoarding people is the same God who shows up for you. He's not gonna run out. He's not gonna. good about you and he will be there tomorrow. And so trust him with your kids, trust him with your finances, trust him with your health, trust him with whatever wilderness you're walking through right now, because here's what I know, Jesus is the bread of life and he has everything you need for today.

Let's pray. Father, thank you. God, that your word is sharper than any two edged sword. God, it discerns our lives. It shows us truth. And God, today we are so thankful. God, we are thankful for the Red Sea moments. We're thankful for the extraordinary ways that you have moved in our lives. But God, I am especially grateful, Lord, for the everyday rhythms of grace. God, I'm thankful that you have placed grace in front of us, the opportunity to find it every single morning. And Lord, I just pray, God, that we would take that small step of obedience to trust you at your word. God, we believe that you have everything for us, everything that we need for life and godliness. Lord, we honor you. We love you. In Jesus name. Amen. One of my favorite things Lucas said in his message today was that God didn't rescue Israel so they could become independent of him. He rescued them so they would actually be dependent upon him. And the reason I loved that line is because that holds true for each and every one of us today. He didn't come to simply forgive us and leave us to figure out this Christian life on our own. He didn't come so that we would go through the religious motions while really only relying on ourselves. He came to save us, to change us, and to teach us to abide in him. And in John 15 five, Jesus was speaking with his disciples and he was teaching

them. He said that I am the vine and you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit. For apart from me, you can do nothing. And Israel continually forgot this truth. And if I were to be honest with you today, I forget that far too often as well. But this is why I love that we get to take Communion every single week at church together. It's a consistent reminder of our dependence and our reliance on the Lord. It's a reminder that apart from Christ, we can truly do nothing. That apart from the vine, we are a withered branch on the ground, incapable of producing fruit. But in Christ, we find that he is able to do more with our lives than we could possibly hope, dream, or imagine. So as we take the bread and the cup together, let's repent for the moments when we have tried to live apart from the vine and thank him for the new mercies that he gives us every morning as he invites us back into his presence. Oh, how guilty sin had made me how I wish I would take it all back Oh, how perfect the life of Jesus how he enjoyed it laying it down his death my death his life my life that I'd be born again ♪ It's cross my cross, it's grave my grave ♪ ♪ So I will rise with Him, thank You Jesus ♪ ♪ You died in my place, I'm not held down ♪ ♪ Cause You broke off those chains ♪

♪ And though I don't deserve it, my sin's been erased ♪ ♪ Thank You Jesus for my empty grave ♪ ♪♪ ♪ Oh how heavy the shame I carry ♪ ♪ How I wish I could leave it behind ♪ ♪ Oh what freedom to walk with Jesus ♪ ♪ No turning back, no turning back ♪ ♪ Thank You Jesus, You died in my place ♪ ♪ I'm not held down, cause You broke off those chains ♪ ♪ And though I don't deserve it, my sin's been erased ♪ ♪ Thank You Jesus for my empty grave ♪ ♪ Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh ♪ ♪ leggings Oh Thank You Lord ♪ ♪♪ ♪ Sing His death my death ♪ ♪ Sing His death my death ♪ ♪ Oh His cross my cross ♪ ♪ His grave my grave ♪ ♪ So I will rise with Him ♪ ♪ Thank You Jesus ♪ ♪ You died in my place ♪ ♪ I'm not left out ♪ ♪ Cause You broke all those chains ♪ ♪ No I don't deserve it ♪ ♪ All my sins beneath it ♪ ♪ Thank You Jesus for my empty grave ♪ ♪ Thank You Jesus ♪ ♪ Thank You for my empty grave ♪ ♪ Thank You Jesus ♪ ♪ Thank You for my empty grave ♪

♪ Thank You Jesus ♪ ♪ Thank You for my empty grave ♪ ♪ Thank You Jesus ♪ ♪ Thank You for my empty grave ♪ ♪ Thank You Lord ♪ ♪ We lift You high King Jesus ♪ ♪ When I think of the Father sending us His Son ♪ ♪ So we could all inherit the riches of His love ♪ ♪ I can't help but exult in Your glory ♪ ♪ It's all Him ♪ ♪ When I think of the power held within His hands ♪ ♪ Impossible is nothing according to His plans ♪ ♪ I can't help but it's all Him ♪ ♪ Oh, I can't help but it's all Him ♪ ♪ Now to Him is able to do so much more than we could ask or imagine ♪ ♪ Glory to Him in the bride and in Jesus ♪ ♪ Through all generations, forever and ever ♪ ♪ Glory to Him, all honor, all power, all glory is to Him ♪ ♪ When I think of the cross that has set us free ♪ ♪ From heaven to heaven for all eternity ♪ ♪ Oh, I can't help but it's all Him ♪ ♪ It will be a holy moment when we walk through heaven's door ♪ ♪ Pain will be behind us and death will be no more ♪ ♪ Oh, I can't help but it's all Him ♪ ♪ And lay my crimes down before Him, whoa ♪ ♪ Now to Him is able to do so much more than we could ask or imagine ♪ ♪ Glory to Him in the bride and in Jesus ♪ ♪ Through all generations, forever and ever ♪ ♪ Glory to Him, all honor, all power, all glory is to Him ♪ ♪ All glory to Him ♪

Let's sing of His love this morning. How deep, how high, how vast. Let it rise. How deep, how high. How vast. And I stand in awe, I'll worship forever. I give up. Oh, how deep, how high. The love of the Father. How wide. I stand in awe, I'll worship forever. I can't help but it's all Him. Oh, I can't help but it's all Him. Now to Him is able to do so much more than we could ask or imagine. Glory to Him in the bride and in Jesus. ♪ Through all generations, forever and ever ♪ ♪ Glory to Him, all honor, all power, all glory is to Him ♪ Well, hey, Pando family. We hope that you enjoyed that worship service today. Not only did I enjoy getting to worship alongside each and every one of you, but we loved that message that Lucas brought us to wrap up this sermon series called The Unexpected Leader. And one of the things that Lucas had mentioned that I wanted to bring back to your attention is that he had said this. He said, God didn't rescue Israel so they would become independent. He rescued them. rescued them so they would be dependent upon him. And what Lucas meant by that is that he didn't, God, when he was taking Israel out of Egypt, he didn't do that so they could just run freely and do whatever they wanted to do. No, God saved Israel from the oppression

that they were going through in Egypt so that they would become his people, that he would give them a new heart, that he would give them a new way, that he would show them how they can live. And I think the same is true for us today, that when Jesus calls us out of our life of sin, he doesn't just give us grace and forgiveness so that we can go and do whatever we wanna do and not feel bad about it and then maybe ask him for forgiveness later. No, he has called us out of sin to a new life, to be new creations, where we are his servants and his children walking in his ways. And what we always learn is his way is always better. So guys, I hope that you enjoyed that sermon series through the life of Moses. And even that, I hope that you had the opportunity to hear not only from Lucas and from Bryson Cook over the last several weeks in our Panda exclusive podcast. We had an opportunity to talk to them, Brandon and I on our team both did, talking about the sermon series, how you can apply it deeper to your life. If you didn't get a chance to check that out, I would encourage you to go back and check that out. But we drop podcasts every single Thursday, talking about what the previous sermon was, how you can apply it to your life

in the hope that it will better help you follow Jesus. Guys, but before we wrap up, I want to offer just a quick prayer. And the reason we do this is we wanna bless you guys with specific language on how you can specifically be praying each and every week. And so if you have an opportunity to pause the video, grab a pen, piece of paper, you could write this down or you can just close your eyes and pray this with me. Jesus, thank you for being a great redeemer. Even when life doesn't look the way I planned it, you are good. I trust your promises. I feel your provision. I love your word. Please protect me from temptation. Please restore what I've lost. Please fill me with your Holy Spirit. I am not in control. I am waiting on you. In chaos, I need your peace. In loss, I need your comfort. In confusion, I need your truth. I trust you with everything. I love you, Jesus. In your name we pray, amen. Well, Pando family, we love you. We're grateful for you and have a great week and we'll see you next time.