Why Is Life So Hard Right Now?

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(upbeat music) Welcome to LCVC, so glad you're tuning in. My name is Dave. I'm the church online campus pastor. Here's what's about to happen. So you know what to expect. In just a moment, the band will lead us live in worship. And that is our chance. Don't waste the opportunity to worship God, to share your heart with God, to turn up the volume and sing. Maybe you haven't sung out loud in a long time or ever. Maybe this is the time to do that. And then I'll jump back up here. Share with you what's going on around LCVC Church online and say some shout outs to some of our people that we've got to say, hey, too, they've been a part of this for a while with us. We love connecting with you. And then we dive into a brand new series. Don't waste the wild. God, speak into the moments of our lives where we think we're stuck or we're not where we want to be or we're in the struggle. God can work in those moments. And that's what this series is all about. So let's lean in just as much as the last series. I believe God will speak even more through this one. So glad you're here. Here we go. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music)

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(upbeat music) (upbeat music) ♪♪ ♪ Oh, you're crazy, Jesus ♪ ♪♪ ♪ I remember ♪ ♪ When you called me loud ♪ ♪ And you sat my feet on silent ground ♪ ♪ I remember when ♪ ♪ When I hoped and prayed ♪ ♪ And you found me in that old man's place ♪ ♪ And you met me with your holy grace ♪ ♪ Oh how deep, oh how wise, oh how long ♪ ♪ Oh how high is your love for me ♪ ♪ Jesus your love for me ♪ ♪ Jesus your love for me ♪ ♪ Jesus your love for the Lord I see it now ♪ ♪ How I'm not enough for now ♪ ♪ But I fought my strength within your love ♪ ♪ Yes I do, Lord I see it now ♪ ♪ And I will again, yes I will ♪ ♪ 'Cause you're as faithful as you've always been ♪ ♪ Yes you are God ♪ ♪ 'Cause you're as faithful as you've always been ♪ ♪ And oh how deep, oh how wide, oh how long ♪ ♪ Oh how high is your love for me ♪ ♪ Jesus your love for me, yes it is ♪ ♪ Oh how deep, oh how wide, oh how long ♪ ♪ Oh how high is your love for me ♪ ♪ Jesus your love for me ♪

♪ Jesus your love for me ♪ ♪ Oh yes it is ♪ ♪ It's your love for me God ♪ ♪ It's your love for me Jesus for me ♪ ♪ I'm so thankful for you Jesus ♪ ♪ For everything you've done ♪ ♪ Because you live, I live ♪ ♪ Because you love, I love ♪ Let's take it with us. ♪ I'm so thankful for you Jesus ♪ ♪ For everything you've done ♪ ♪ Because you live, I live ♪ ♪ Because you love, I love ♪ ♪ I'm so thankful for you Jesus ♪ ♪ For everything you've done ♪ ♪ Because you live, I live ♪ ♪ Because you love, I love ♪ ♪ Because you live, I live ♪ ♪ Because you love, I love ♪ ♪ Oh how deep, oh how wide, oh how long ♪ ♪ Oh how high is your love for me ♪ ♪ Jesus your love for me ♪ ♪ Oh how deep, oh how wide, oh how long ♪ ♪ Oh how high is your love for me ♪ ♪ Jesus your love for me ♪ ♪ Jesus your love for me ♪ ♪ Oh thank you for your love ♪ ♪ Sing how we live ♪ ♪ Yeah he loves us ♪ ♪ Oh how he loves us ♪

♪ Oh how he loves us, oh how he loves us ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, we love ♪ Oh, how we love us Oh, how we love us Oh, how we love us Maybe you're here today and you, like me, need to be reminded of how much God loves you No matter what you're going through, the highs, the lows, he sees you, he loves you He knows you, and how do we know this to be true? In 1 John 4, it says, this is how God showed his love for us He sent his one and only son into the world So that through his death and resurrection, we might have new life Today you can have new life, you can have a new start, a fresh start Because of God's great love, man, let's continue to remind each other today Of the love that we have available to us through Jesus You gave your life for mine, nailed to the cross, you crucified all my sin and shame washed by your mercy And you are the treasure I find A reason for living, so let my life become an offering to the one who is worthy All praise to the Lord most hand All praise to the one who saved my life All praise to Jesus Christ My King of heaven, my King forever Only then you leave You storm the gates of my heart The veil in between was torn apart Now you hold the keys to the grave 'Cause you bring me to life, you're all stoned away All praise to the Lord most hand All praise to the one who saved my life All praise to Jesus Christ My King of heaven, my King forever All praise to the Lord most hand

All praise to the one who saved my life All praise to Jesus Christ My King of heaven, my King forever All we want to surrender to you, Jesus Come and have your way, we give it all to you, Jesus So I lift my hands up, lay my whole life down Before you, I lift my hands up, lay my whole life My whole life now is for you I lift my hands up, lay my whole life down Before you, I lift my hands up, lay my whole life down My whole life now is for you My whole life down, before you Yes, I lift my hands, I'll play my whole life down My whole life down is for you Praise to the Lord most high All praise to the One who saves my life All praise to Jesus Christ My King of heaven, my King for every praise All praise to the Lord most high All praise to the One who saves my life All praise to Jesus Christ My King of heaven, my King forever I lift my hands, I'll play my whole life down My whole life down, before you I'll lift my hands, I'll play my whole life down My whole life down is for you Sing it out all praise, in all praise to the One who saves my life All praise to Jesus Christ My King of heaven, my King forever Yes, Jesus, we thank you today

Just as we remember everything that you have done for us on the cross Jesus, that you love us so much that you would willingly sacrifice your life so that you can have a relationship with us so that we can be seen as a child of God and He can be our heavenly Father Jesus We are just so thankful for that sacrifice I'm just overwhelmed thinking about how much you truly love me that I'm so undeserving sometimes but God you are relentlessly pursuing us you are relentlessly chasing us with your love and so I pray that in light of that today that we will just lay down the things that are maybe getting in the way of our relationship with you whether it's fears, whether it's worries or maybe it's just the things that are going on in the world around us God we want to lift them up to you today knowing that you are the one that is truly in control and we can find rest knowing that you are in control thank you for being a good Father who is faithful and loving to us we give you all the glory, we give you all the praise we love you, Jesus name, amen thank you so much for singing with us you can go ahead and have a seat welcome to LCVC so glad that you're tuning in my name is Dave, I'm the church online campus pastor I want to tell you what we're about to do and get into what matters is here, some of our values then we're going to get into this new series called "Don't Waste the Wild" we'll get to that in just a moment

but I just a clarifier this whole thing of streaming online watching LCVC is not like some streaming service where they know every single thing that you watch but they don't know anything personal about you they know that you share this subscription with your brother and sister-in-law in another state because who wants to spend the money when somebody else can share it with you know who you are this isn't that LCVC is a chance for us to worship God to learn, to grow, to be a part of this together you can connect here this is personal to us, I want to make a couple shoutouts to some of our folks that have been tuning in for a week or a few weeks or months now Benjamin's watching "Tuning in from Massachusetts" Mike in Biglerville PA big town, small town, different states doesn't matter Janine's been tuning in from New Jersey Zorana all the way over in eastern Indiana Anthony in Gaithersburg, Maryland and so many others and the way that we know is because you check in and let us know you're here church online community you know whenever you tune in check in on the LCVC app let us know how we can pray for you I'll actually talk about more of that in a minute

let us know that you're here and actually fit your first time I just want to say we would love to connect with you I would love to actually text you not a bot, not some random AI thing I would love to text you here's how this works download the LCVC app tap check in and choose online and when you do I will get a notification I will text you personally send you a coffee gift card because if you were in one of our buildings we would share some coffee with you in the building I want to send some to you wherever you are check in let us know you're here alright something we value we value giving because that's what God values. And it's a chance for you right now to see ways to give on the screen or in the LCBC up to give to God through our church, so that God can keep working and growing that value of generosity and gratitude in your life. Maybe for you, it's time to trust God and step out

and give, to say, God, work through this, what you've provided for me, or to start scheduling giving, to say, God, I trust you and I want this to be a value every month of the year. That's between you and God. It's not about us. He doesn't want something from you. He wants to grow gratitude and generosity in you. You can see ways to give right there on the screen and in the LCBC app. Like I said, this is personal. It's not just personal that we know names. This is where you can lean in and grow. Alexander's been tuning in from Blythewood, South Carolina for, I'm pretty sure months now, and Alexander, I'm pretty sure I've eaten at the Lizard Ficket Restaurant in Blythewood. Some of you immediately are like, what is Lizard that hits South Carolina, okay? Just let it be. Let it be what it wants to be. It's a great spot, but Alexander's been tuning in. Kinesa texted me again last week asking for prayer. And Kinesa, I want to say to you, I love that even in the midst of this struggle, you keep showing up, worshiping God, looking to him for guidance, trusting that he will lead you through it.

And actually, that's what this next series is about, that we're about to start right now. In the middle of this struggle, the tension, I'm not where I want to be, what do I do here? God, have you forgotten me? No, God can do some of his best work in the midst of the wild. Don't waste the wild, begins right now, lean in, ask God to speak. Here we go. (dramatic music) (dramatic music) (dramatic music) (dramatic music) (dramatic music) - Well, I want to tell you, I'm so excited to have you guys here today as we jump into part one of our brand new series, Don't Waste the Wild. But before we jump into that, I actually want to tell you about a great experience we had last Sunday afternoon up in Sinking Spring. We are opening our brand new building up there in April and in preparation for that, we had a couple hundred people from our core team in Sinking Spring who were able to come and see the new space. They were able to just pray over the community there and write the names of people that we want to see know Jesus as a result of that campus and that new building. And so, we believe that God is going to do a great work

in Sinking Spring and why I'm missing in the Redding region and the new building is just an absolutely amazing space and it was real fun to be up there. And what's really, really cool to me is over the last few years, many of you have been giving to our four-the-one efforts. It's a campaign we started three years ago to just try to reach more people. And because of your giving, because of your generosity, we're now opening this beautiful new building as well as we're doubling the size of our handover campus and as well as moving Altoona into new space. And we're doing all of that debt-free with cash on hand because if you can clap for that, I hope that wakes you up a little bit because that just shows the kind of church that you are and as we go after reaching thousands of more people. And we've got lots of other items in the fire right now as we're securing property and making plans for other buildings across the state. But man, it is so much fun to see what God's up to here at this church. It is so much fun and I'm so grateful we get to do this together. I want to start by asking you a question. Did any of you have a COVID show? You know what I mean? Like a show you just really got into in COVID. You never really watched it before. Maybe you re-watched or whatever. You guys remember COVID, you all remember that?

Yeah, we're at the five year mark here and five years ago, we were all binge watching everything we could get on the screen at that point. The COVID show, it's that show that you had never really seen before, but now that you were just sitting around doing nothing for months, you decide, I'm going to pick up some of these shows. Some of you, you re-watched all of the office. Yeah, some of you just lab, right? That was you. Some of you, you watched Seinfeld for the first time. I'm going to say, I don't mean an episode, like all nine seasons. You just watched it in a night. Some of you, you caught up in all things Star Wars over that season. Some of you, you dove deep into the Marvel universe in that season. I had a couple of COVID shows. I had a couple shows I got into. I mean, I got deep into them. One of them was Lone Star Law. This is the best show you've never heard of. Fishing on private property. It's kind of like as a white I was like this is kind of like cops for hillbillies I was there for me. I loved it So I got into 10, you know Lone Star Law the other show I got into big time over COVID was the show alone You ever seen alone or maybe heard this stuff guys is this not the greatest tagline of any show you've ever seen I don't know if you can read it says if the isolation doesn't get you the grizzlies will As soon as I saw that you better believe I grab my popcorn. I'm in and by the way, I'm team grizzly as I'm watching So in the show alone You know men and women are they're thrown into this contest to see who can survive the longest in the wilderness And the show that the producers of the show they actually give them a list of 40 items that they're allowed to bring in with them but they can only choose ten of them and we take ten items with you and

You know then they're just dropped off all by themselves completely and utterly alone in the middle of nowhere And when I say the middle of nowhere, I'm not I don't mean like Clinton County Pennsylvania nowhere Where if you just walk 12 miles, you'll end up in Lockhaven and you can grab some groceries I'm talking about they were dropping them off 125 miles inside the arctic circle that kind of nowhere They actually launched a spin-off show from a loan called alone the beast. That was the tag They did this in 2020. It gets even better this spin-off show It got even crazier because now they dropped off contestants in the middle of nowhere except this time the contestants couldn't take anything with them Just to close them their back all they had was a closer their back and the and the moose that the producers had slaughtered to give them Right bad day for the moose, but that's just what it was they gave them a moose said Okay, we'll see you in 30 days, and they just left them now listen that the people who participated You know in this show they're incredibly skilled outdoors men and women and They're outfitters, you know for different outputting rigs some of them were hunters You know very skilled hunters and trappers, and they had tons of experience out in the wild and yet it never Fails every single season. They ran this it only takes a few days before the first people start tapping out I want out. I want out of here. I want out of this They get lonely they get hungry they get disoriented they got lost They got bored and it doesn't take long for something to break inside of them as they face the wilderness Now each season how to winter Every single season how to winter someone who survived the wilderness and made it the longer They made it the longest and at the end of each season Do you know what? Never happened this never happened not once and never happened when the producers of the show walked up at the campsite of the person Who lasts the longest and he said congratulations? You're the last one to make it. Here's your money Are you ready to go not once did the person say you know? I'm gonna stay here. I Think I'm good right here. I'm gonna just stay out here in the wilderness that never happened in fact the only reason the premise of the show works is Because you and I intuitively know that everyone from day one wants to get out of the wilderness not stay in it And here's why If you were to do some research go on Google and do some research about wilderness

Let me tell you the most the words that would pop up the most to describe the wilderness words like this uninhabited Empty or untraveled Uncharted territory That's the wilderness the wilderness is bearing The wilderness can be dangerous the wilderness is lonely the wilderness is a vast expanse of unknown terrain uncharted territory And you know what's interesting to me It's interesting to me that oftentimes when when we try to describe to people some of the most challenging seasons of our life We dance around metaphors and images related to the wilderness We say things like this. I don't know man. Just feel we're just in a valley right now Just feel like I'm in a low place. I'm in a valley. You ever heard someone describe something like that. I don't know I just feel lost in life right now. I Can't find my way out of the woods on this It just feels like we've got a mountain of debt in front of us And it's hard to climb out of this It just feels like I'm in a fog right now. I don't know. I just feel spiritually. I feel dry right now It's all wilderness language and the reality is that Every single one of us here we have all walked into seasons of life that feel a little bit like the wilderness Moments in our life that we feel a little bit disoriented There's no road signs pointing the way out moments in our life that we feel a little bit discouraged We can't see our way out of it moments in our life that we feel a little bit alone moments in our life that we feel Have you ever felt like you were in the wilderness? A season of life that you really don't want to be in and you definitely don't want to stay there? You know, just in the last few weeks, I'm talking like the last 14 days or so.

I've had conversations, let me tell you the conversations I've had with people. One of them was someone who, they lost a loved one tragically and unexpectedly. If I were to tell you the details of how they lost them, your heart would be broken. That's a wilderness. I talked to someone who's concerned about the choices their adult child is making. If you're a parent, you've ever felt that. You know that settles, that's a wilderness. I talked to someone who's confused about which career path they should take. It feels like they're out in the wilderness. Someone who's had, I talked to someone who's had their last few weeks completely upended because instead of going to work each day like they thought they were gonna be doing, they've actually been going to the hospital and sitting at the bedside of their child who was thrown into a sudden emergency. I talked to someone who thought that they were stepping out in faith to do something they believed God was leading to do and yet they've hit roadblock after roadblock after roadblock and pursuing that. That feels like the wilderness. I talked to someone who lost their job unexpectedly. Here's my point, all right? This is my point. If you've ever felt like you're in the wild,

if you're in the wilderness, you're not alone. You're not alone. You're surrounded by people here who know what it feels like to be dropped off in the wilderness. And sometimes this happens suddenly. Sometimes it feels like we enter into the wilderness in a split second. It's when you hear the words from your dad, maybe years ago, when you were still a kid and you were settled in and you had friends and all that and you hear your dad say, hey, we're moving. That's a wilderness. It disorients you a little bit. What do you mean? You hear the words we're getting a divorce and it throws you in the wilderness. You hear the words, I don't love you anymore and I'm leaving. You hear the words we think moms had a stroke. You hear the words we're downsizing and all of a sudden we're thrown into a wilderness of grief, a wilderness of unemployment, the wilderness of abandonment, the wilderness of being suddenly single. Sometimes it's sudden. Other times we end up in the wilderness gradually. It's small financial decisions that we made that end up digging a hole, shovel by shovel until we look up and we realize, man, we're in deep. It's a general lack of purpose in life that we fall into.

We don't really know how it happened. We just kind of drifted into an apathy that's set in over our life, it hangs over us like a weight. It's your sales at work slowly starting to go down and you trend it quarter after quarter but you really don't know how to turn it around. It feels like you're a little bit lost right now. You watch your parents slowly succumb to dementia. You cannot bear to look at one more pregnancy test that leaves your dreams for a family dashed. And there we are in the wilderness, feeling lost and afraid and confused and angry and disoriented. It's the place in life that we don't want to be and we definitely don't want to stay there. So here's the question that we're going to tackle and that we're going to grapple with over the course of these next few weeks in this series. The fundamental question is this, is it possible to walk through wilderness seasons of life and not lose hope? Is it possible to walk through wilderness seasons of life and still maintain joy and peace? Is it possible to face the reality of our fears and anxieties in the wild and yet still move forward with courage? Can we walk into the disorienting and disruptive wilderness and not only have our faith intact on the other side but actually have our faith stronger? I want you to know it's possible. I want you to know it's possible.

And in these next few weeks, we're going to discover how and we're going to discover what God can do in the wild. You know, it always strikes me that if you were to read the Bible from cover to cover, if you just opened it up and started page one and went all the way to the back, you know, it would almost be impossible to ignore the amount of times that the wilderness becomes the setting for God's transformative work in our lives. It's all over the Bible. The wilderness actually is mentioned over 300 times in the Bible. It's mentioned in the Old Testament. It's mentioned in the Psalms. It's mentioned in the prophets. It's mentioned in the gospels who write about Jesus. It's mentioned in the letters that come after that. It's mentioned all through the Bible. In fact, the wilderness is the setting for one of the most foundational stories in the scriptures. It's a story that has been referred to for centuries Now Exodus just means exit. Can I help if we remember kind of rhymes, right? So that's kind of easy, right? It means to exit or leave something behind. That's what an Exodus is. Which is, you know, fitting because this story is all about how God leads his people out of slavery to Egypt and brings them into freedom, into this new land he has for them. And so the reason I'm telling you that is

because we're gonna camp out in this story, this Exodus story throughout this series for these next few weeks. And today I wanna set us up by giving us a little bit of context. The Israelite people, the Hebrew people, they had been enslaved for over 400 years to the Egyptians. So let's go back to a little bit of ancient Near Eastern history here. Just stay with me for a second. But they had been enslaved to the Egyptians for over 400 years. And for all of those years that they cried out to God, they just poured their heart out to God. God, we want freedom. God, do something, please. In Exodus chapter three, it's a turning point. The book of Exodus, the second book of the Bible, it's a turning point as we see God responding to their cries by raising up a leader named Moses to free them. So God shows up to Moses and he says this, listen to this. Then the Lord told him, who's him, that's Moses, the Lord told Moses, he says, now pay attention to here. He says, I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. Now I just want to pause here for a second

and reflect on what is revealed about God's character here. You know, there is no cry you have ever cried that went unheard by God. He sees you. He hears you. He knows you. He understands what you are walking through. He understands what you have gone through. He understands what you're going through. When you walk through the darkest valley, he knows. When you grieve the deepest of grief, he hears, he knows. God says here that he is aware of their suffering. Some translations there say, I know their suffering. I know their suffering. And when he says, I know, he's not talking about like, I know here, he's like, I know because I'm in it with them. I've walked it with them. You know, God is so intimate. This is what I want you to see. God is so intimate, he's so personal, he's not distant. God is not detached from you. You know, every now and then I'll hear people refer to God as like the big man upstairs. There's no big man upstairs, not revealing the Bible. No, this God is completely opposite of that. This God is involved in our lives. This God is here, this God is close, this God is near. God is described as an experience as personal and real and intimate. He loves you beyond measure.

And he walks with you. He knows your hurts and your pain. He knows your joys and he knows what delights you. He knows what scares you and what makes you anxious. He knows you and he wants to walk with you in relationship towards freedom and wholeness and new life. And he says to Moses, he says, I've seen, I've heard and I'm aware and then he says, I'm gonna act. Look what he says next. He said, so because of that, I've come down to rescue them. It's time. I've come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. God is saying, I have something new. I've got something new. I have freedom for my people. I have healing for my people. I have good things for my people. And God is saying, you know how you've had to make it work in the desert for all these years? No, I'm gonna give you a fertile land now. You know how you've been cramped and how to live in those cramped spaces? No, I'm gonna give you a spacious land now. God is saying, I have the power and the strength to give you a new course for your life. Do you know that today? It is for you that God has the power and strength to give you a new course for your life,

to take you out of the land that you were living in that feels destructive, that feels hopeless, that feels barren. And he says, I have a new land I can take you into, a better place. God says, will you walk with me? I'll lead you there. And Moses hears from God and he goes to Egypt. He follows through and what God is saying. He goes to Egypt to demand that Pharaoh, Pharaoh was kind of the king of the Egyptians and he demands that Pharaoh release the Israelites. And we're not gonna have a chance to read all this, but you should really read the book of Exodus and see what happens because it's amazing story. What happens through a series of, agrees to let the people go. And so now the Israelites are free and they start making their way to the promised land that God had for them. Now they get to step into freedom but listen to this very unexpected twist in the story, this unexpected turn once they recognize and once they gain their freedom. Look what says in Exodus 13 says when Pharaoh finally let the people go, listen to this, God did not lead them along the main road that runs through Philistine territory even though that was the shortest route to the promised land. He doesn't take him that route. Let me take a quick poll, all of our locations right now, if you're watching online you can take this poll as well. How many of you when you travel, you're all about efficiency. It is all about making the best time. Do you have many people like that? All right, good. You're my people. Okay. How many of you are like just enjoy the trip, man? You know what I mean? That's how I imagine you talking. I don't know. But what's funny is those two opposites usually end up marrying each other, which is fun. Actually for this one though, Jenny and I, we're totally aligned on this. Like we both know, trips aren't made to be enjoyed. Who told you that lie? They're made to be executed with

absolute efficiency so we maximize our time. And our poor kids, man, they've had to suffer as a result. It's like, I can't tell many times like, oh, you got to go potty. We only have seven more hours. All right. Can you hold it? Those are real conversations. All right. All my efficiency people, does anybody else, does anybody else have like major trust issues with that little Google Maps person who tells you the shortest route somewhere? I don't trust them. I never listen. I'm always double, triple checking. You know what? I'm always looking. I'm like, you know what? If I just cut through this neighborhood right here, I can cut off two tenths of a mile. Google Maps didn't tell me that. I mean, guys, I've driven down like one lane farm roads. I've cut through parking lots. I've cut across people's driveways. I think a yard wants anything to just get the shortest route. You see, this is why I would have had some issues with God that day. What do you mean we're not taking the shortest route? I want out of here. I'm tired of Egypt. What do you mean we're not taking the shortest route? And see, at this point, I would have pulled out my little phone and I would have pulled up Google Maps and I would have grabbed Moses and I would have said, hey, I need to show you something. Let me show you, Matt. Let me show you, I show all of you, Matt, real quick. This is actually that there was a road that ran in the northern part of Egypt along the Sinai Peninsula up into the Promised Land. This is actually the route that would have been the shortest. It was a coastal route which was widely known at that time. It was the direct route to go where they were hoping to go. It was actually known as the Via Marie, which means the way of the sea. Take this route and in a matter of days, you're in the new land. The problem was that there were Egyptian military outposts along this route. And in addition to that, they would have had to walk through territory at one point that belonged to the Philistines. And God knew something about the Israelites. He knew that as soon as they faced opposition, they would turn back. In fact, this is what God said. He explains why he's not going to take him that route. He says, God said, here's why I'm not changing the shortest route, because if the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt. And I read that and I'm like, my change their minds about what? Freedom? Like freedom? I mean, that's a remarkable statement right there. Because see, we read this story from afar and it's easy to go, who would be so dumb to run back to slavery? Who would be so dumb to run back to Egypt? Who would be so dumb to run back to slavery? You want to answer that question? Scared people. Scared people would run back. See, Egypt, as bad as it was, it's what was

known. It might be slavery, but it's all they knew. It's familiar territory. And sometimes familiar, no matter how destructive it might be, is more comfortable than stepping out into the unknown territory of freedom that God has for us. Before we get too judgy toward the Israelites, we run back to our own Egypt's all the time. At least I do. We're always running back to our own Egypt's. God wants to free you from the chains of sin. He wants to free you from the chains of sin. He wants to free you from the chains of apathy, from the chains of addiction. He He wants to free you from there. He wants to free you from the chains of bitterness. so long, it's hard to imagine a life without them. It's our Egypt, and as compelling as freedom is, it can be scary because it means leaving behind the things that we've built our entire life on. And while we know here that they're destructive, we run back because at least they're familiar. Anybody ever run back to something you knew was destructive? See, God knows the human heart. He knows the human heart, and so He does something absolutely remarkable here as He leads His people to freedom. This is what God does. So because of that, God led them in a roundabout way. That's such a great phrase. He led them in a roundabout way where, through the wilderness, toward the Red Sea, thus the Israelites left Egypt like an army, riddle, ready for battle. God led them not around the wilderness, but through the wilderness, right into the heart of it. In fact, as historians and archeologists have pieced together some of this ancient story, this is the route that seems most likely that they took. Guys, that's a detour. That way by the sea we saw a moment ago that showed you that would have taken a matter of days as we'll see in the next coming weeks. This right here took years. The Israelites were not planning for this, and they didn't want this.

They wanted the straight path. Why? Because what they wanted most was a change of scenery. Just get us out of Egypt. Just change our circumstances. Have you ever convinced yourself that a change of scenery is all you need to be happy? I just need a change of circumstance. I just need a change of scenery. If I just had a new job, or a new spouse, or a new home, or a new title, so I could get the respect. Yet, here's what happened. So many of us, we know this story, we could tell this story. So many of us, we got those things, we thought we needed that change of scenery, we got it, and it's not too long, maybe a couple months, maybe a couple years, but at some point we're longing for something else, why? Because although the scenery might have changed, we didn't. We never did. And as God led His people into a new land of freedom and His infinite wisdom, His infinite wisdom, God is so wise, He knew that they needed something more than just a change of scenery. They needed new hearts. They had only ever known slavery, and He needs to show them that their value was not measured by how many bricks they could make in a single day. They had only ever relied on themselves, and God needs to show them that they can rely on Him and trust Him in everything. They had only ever looked out for their own self-interest. They were slaves, they had to, and God needs to open their hearts and their eyes to other people. See, we love the idea of a promised land. We want it.

God, take me there. But the wilderness is where God prepares us to live in freedom as His people. It's in the wilderness that God transforms us. You know, when we looked at those words describing wilderness earlier, I threw up three little phrases. There's actually one other word that I didn't put up that comes up again and again, if you were to research, you know, what is the wilderness? This is the word you're going to see a lot. Uncultivated. I love that word. I love this idea. Uncultivated. The wilderness is fertile ground for something new to grow. You did not get a choice. You don't get a choice over the wild that you're going to be thrust into in life. You don't get a choice over the wilderness. You don't get a choice over what you're going to come your way. But you get to choose what grows. You get to choose what grows and who you become on the other side of it. The wilderness is where pain can grow into bitterness or it can be transformed into empathy. It's uncultivated. What's going to grow? The wilderness is where fear can grow into paralyzing anxiety about the future or it can be transformed into courage. [BLANK_AUDIO] or it can be transformed into dependence. It's the wilderness is that place where failure can grow into shame or it can be transformed into humility. It was in the wild where Paul, the Apostle Paul, one of the very first Christians,

it was in the wilderness that he learned to be what he's caused content in all things. That's what grew. It was in the wild that Elijah, the prophet Elijah, discovered that he was not alone, God was with him. He was in the wild that Hagar was seen by God and given a new name in the wilderness. It was in the wild where Moses discovered purpose and mission he had never tapped into. It was in the wild where Jacob wrestled and struggled with God and was blessed as a result. And it was in the wild where Jesus, God in the flesh who stepped into our world, the ultimate expression of, I know. Because he came into our world and walked with us. The book of Hebrews says that there's no temptation you've ever faced that Jesus wasn't tempted with. There's nothing you've ever faced in your life that Jesus also didn't face in his life. He knows, he knows, he knows. And he was pulled out into the wilderness at one point. It was tested on your behalf. And what did he discover? He was strengthened by the word of God. We don't have to settle for just enduring the wilderness seasons of life. If you wanna know a bottom line really for this whole series, this is it right here. If you've checked out, just check back in for one second. You do not have to settle for just enduring

the wilderness seasons of life. We can learn to embrace them as the fertile ground for God to grow something in us that could not have been grown any other way. See, the tragedy's not the wilderness. The wilderness moments, the seasons, that's not the tragedy. You know what the tragedy is? The tragedy's wasting it. That's the tragedy. It'd be that we wasted, that we come out on the other side of it unchanged. God says, I'm going to do something in you, not in spite of the wilderness season of your life, but through it. I'll lead you. Sometimes I'll lead you in ways that feel like roundabout ways. Because I have an end in mind for you that you can't see at the moment. I have a freedom for you that is so much greater than just a change of circumstances, I'm going to change your heart. So today, if you feel like you're walking in a season of wilderness, a situation you're facing that you wish was different, I just want to encourage you today. I want to encourage you to pray a very courageous prayer. This is your take home for today, all right? This is the prayer of a person

who doesn't want to waste the while. And I'm going to just tell you right now, it's a very hard prayer to pray. You might not want to pray it yet, it's hard. It's hard to pray what I'm about to show you. I'm going to start you that upfront, but God can work in this prayer if we're courageous enough to pray it when we're in the wilderness. This is it. God, as long as you have me in it, in what, in the wild, in the wilderness, as long as you have me in it, help me to grow through it. God, as long as you have me in it, help me to grow through it. God, I don't like it. You don't have to like it. You don't have to lie to God. You don't have to be like, oh, I'm so glad I'm here. No, God, I wouldn't choose this. God, I don't like this. God, I don't want to be here. We can be honest with God. We don't have to pretend we like the wilderness we're in. This isn't a pull up your bootstraps and just suck it up. You know, the wilderness is hard. We don't have to like it. We can tell God that. We can say, God, I don't want to be in this season,

but it doesn't really matter 'cause I'm here. God, if I'm in it, help me grow through it. Do something in me. Show me what needs transform. Show me what needs made new. Show me where I lack trust because a promised land is coming. It's coming. This won't last forever. And when that day comes, God, I want to be different. I want to know you more deeply as a result of this right now. Guys, I could point you right now. I could point you to countless people here at our church who have walked through unimaginable loss. And yet I could tell you their stories. I could introduce you to them. They would tell you that while they would never choose it again, they wouldn't change it either. No, they'd never choose it. They didn't want to go back, but they wouldn't change it. Why? Because it was there in the wilderness that they discovered would have meant to walk with God in a new way. It was there that their hearts were changed and their faith expanded and their hope renewed. So I have some bad news and I have some good news. Which one do you want first? It doesn't matter. I'm going to give you the bad news first, so you don't have to answer that. Here's the bad news. You're going to have to go through it. It's coming. If you're not already in a wilderness season, it's coming. And you're going to have to go through it. I wish you could go around it. I wish you'd go around the wilderness. But the wilderness is coming if you're not already in it. So that's the bad news. Ready for the good news? Bad news, you're going to have to go through it. Here's the good news. Ready? You're going to get through it. You are going to get through it. And there's someone here right now, and you are barely hanging on. God placed you here today to hear this. You're going to get through it. Someone is here right now and you're giving

church one last shot this weekend. This was it. And you are struggling with hope. I want you to hear you're going to get through it. You're going to get through it. I'm not promising that. That's the promise of God. Look what God said. This promise in the book of Isaiah, God's word to you is, "For I am about to do something new." See? I've already begun. Do you not see it? I will make a pathway where, through the wilderness, I will create rivers in a dry wasteland. Sometimes it's hard being up here because I get to see what you guys don't see. And I see a lot of tears right now. That's why my voice cracks. And my guess is the tears are because of the wilderness that you're walking through. I don't know what wilderness you've walked through in the past or what wilderness you're walking through currently or what wilderness you will walk through in the future. I realize some of you, you're coming in today, really hurting, really feeling lost and alone. Here's what I do know. I know this because it is God's word and God's word is true. No matter how dry and barren a landscape your life might feel right now, God has never abandoned you. He has never left your side. He's with you in the wild, cutting a pathway through the wilderness, asking you today, "Will you stay with me? Just stay with me. Just stay with me." Because he tells us he's about to do something new. Can you see it? A new work, a transformative work, a healing work, a freeing work, not once you get through the wilderness but right now as he leads you through it. I want to ask all of our musicians, our bands, to come out at our different locations right now because I actually want them to sing truth over you right now. Sometimes music just engages the heart. I want them to sing these words over you. For any of you walking in the wilderness today, we want to remind you right now that God has not left you behind. We want to encourage you, no matter what season you find yourself in right now, to be strong and courageous. Don't run back to Egypt. Don't go back. Don't run back to what you've known. Don't lose heart. Don't lose hope because God has with you in the wild. You call me strong and courageous. But when I don't feel like I am, you could have turned me away, but you chose me instead. Say that I'm gonna ♪ You see the battle I'm facing, you're staring at me ♪ ♪ You're dealing with me, working through me ♪ ♪ Fighting for me, God is not against me ♪

♪ And I have a new revelation ♪ ♪ A savior who calls me strength ♪ ♪ I used to fight on my own old ♪ ♪ But never again ♪ ♪ I used to fight on my own old ♪ ♪ I used to fight on my own old ♪ ♪ I used to fight on my own old ♪ ♪ I used to fight on my own old ♪ ♪ Never again, oh no, no ♪ ♪ 'Cause I have a power that's greater ♪ ♪ Than all of the enemies alive ♪ ♪ And I know the truth of the gospel ♪ ♪ And you're on my side ♪ ♪ You're on my side ♪ ♪ You're in it with me, working through me ♪ ♪ Fighting for me, God is not against me ♪ ♪ You're in it with me, working through me ♪ ♪ Fighting for me, God is not against me ♪ ♪ You're in it with me, you're working through me ♪ ♪ Fighting for me, God is not against me ♪ ♪ You're in it with me, you're working through me ♪ ♪ Fighting for me, God is not against me ♪ ♪ God is not against me ♪ (gentle guitar music) ♪ This is not my fight, you are my defense ♪ ♪ You hold my life, this is my confidence ♪ ♪ You are by my side, you have called me friend ♪ ♪ You hold my life, this is my confidence ♪ ♪ This is not my fight, you are my defense ♪ ♪ You hold my life, this is my confidence ♪

♪ You are by my side, you have called me friend ♪ ♪ You hold my life, this is my confidence ♪ ♪ You're in it with me, working through me ♪ ♪ You're fighting for me, God is not against me ♪ ♪ You're in it with me, you're working through me ♪ ♪ You're fighting for me, God is not against me ♪ ♪ You're in it with me, you're working through me ♪ ♪ You're fighting for me, God is not against me ♪ ♪ You're in it with me, you're working through me ♪ ♪ You're fighting for me, God is not against me ♪ - So, Heavenly Father, we place our life in your hands, strong, capable hands. Even when we're walking through the wilderness, we know that you have not left us behind. We know that you are by our side. We know that you are fighting for us. We know that we have never once been abandoned by you. I pray that, God, for those of us who need to be reminded that our faith is strengthened today, that our hearts are filled up with hope. God, we don't want to waste the while. We don't have a choice over when we've been thrown into it that we can choose what grows. God, we want to choose faith, we want to choose hope, we want to choose you. So would you lead us and guide us as we move forward? And would we be courageous to pray? God, as long as you have me in it, show me what you want to grow through it. And we pray all this in the name of Jesus, amen.

Hey, I hope that we're leaving here today with a little bit more hope, that God is with us in the wild. He's going to do new things in us. And so let's be a people this week who step into the wilderness seasons of our lives, help me to grow through it, because I don't want to waste the wild. If you want to pray about anything today, we've got people down in front of all of our rooms. We'd be honored to pray with you. Just come down in front left, if you're online, you can always leave us a prayer request on our website as well. I'll just tell you, next week's gonna be a great week. We're gonna look at a very particular story in the Exodus story of God's people in the wild that has inspired, this one story has inspired multiple movies. And while this story might be familiar to a lot of people, it may have a much richer meaning for your life than you ever knew. Until then, LCBC, may the Lord bless and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace. Thanks so much for being here. We'll see you guys next week. (gentle music) (gentle music) (gentle music) (gentle music)

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