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The Night Nobody Slept Msg 1120 - Pastor Chuck Swindoll Insight for Living · INSIGHT FOR LIVING: Biblical Wisdom For Everyday Living

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  Speaker 1: It was a Ralph Waldo Emerson who said there is
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  Speaker 1: properly no history, only biography. Thomas Carlyle, his contemporary, added
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  Speaker 1: this word back to him. The study of history is
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  Speaker 1: nothing more than the study of great men and women.
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  Speaker 1: Our history is biography. You know, that's true of the Bible.
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  Speaker 1: Take away the people and it's almost impossible to think
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  Speaker 1: your way through the scriptures. Genesis, for example, is nothing
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  Speaker 1: more than the biography of 12 men wrapped up in
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  Speaker 1: a historical account of God's movement on this earth. Think
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  Speaker 1: about the men, Adam and his three sons, Cain, Abel,
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  Speaker 1: and Seth. That brings you to Noah and his three sons, Shem, Ham,
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  Speaker 1: and Japheth. And that brings you to Abraham and his
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  Speaker 1: son Isaac, followed by his son Jacob, followed by his
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  Speaker 1: son Joseph, and you've just outlined the book of Genesis.
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  Speaker 1: When you get to Exodus, it's the biography of one man. Suddenly,
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  Speaker 1: the telescopic lens of the Holy Spirit centers upon one person,
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  Speaker 1: and stays there through the next four books, Exodus through Deuteronomy.
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  Speaker 1: The biography of Moses, God's personal servant. Now, when I
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  Speaker 1: give you these names, more than likely you feel a
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  Speaker 1: little bit like, who am I to feel that I
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  Speaker 1: am in the classification or the image of someone that
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  Speaker 1: can be used of God? Maybe you have the same
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  Speaker 1: feeling when you think of making history. You know, God's
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  Speaker 1: hard-pressed to make history without people. You don't make history
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  Speaker 1: without people. And His plan hasn't finished with Moses. His
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  Speaker 1: plan is still going on, and so He is still
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  Speaker 1: using people. What are you doing with your life the
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  Speaker 1: rest of your days? Huh? Huh? Well, I'm trying to
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  Speaker 1: get through school and I'm trying to get into business. Oh, really?
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  Speaker 1: What are you doing with it with regard to eternity? Well,
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  Speaker 1: I've received Jesus Christ. That's wonderful. That's the most important
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  Speaker 1: decision in all of life. And never you forget it.
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  Speaker 1: But what are you going to do with Jesus Christ
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  Speaker 1: in your life as far as your vocation is concerned?
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  Speaker 1: You say, well, he isn't calling everybody to the mission
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  Speaker 1: field outside America. That's true. He's not. But he's calling
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  Speaker 1: some of you. And that's the whole point of tonight's message.
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  Speaker 1: Strange as it may seem from a passage that talks
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  Speaker 1: about the Passover. Actually, this passage we're looking at talks
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  Speaker 1: about obedience. And the Passover just happens to be the
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  Speaker 1: historic climate. But the main punch, the point of chapters
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  Speaker 1: 11 and 12 of Exodus is obedience. God spoke. Some
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  Speaker 1: people heard. And they did what God said. And as
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  Speaker 1: a result, God used them in his plan of history.
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  Speaker 1: That's missions. That's being used of God in his world plan.
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  Speaker 1: Hearing what he says... responding in obedience, and leaving the
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  Speaker 1: results with him. That's what it's all about. Let me
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  Speaker 1: show you. Exodus chapter 11. Turn to the first verse
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  Speaker 1: of this chapter with me, where God makes an announcement
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  Speaker 1: to Moses. And to make it clear and even more
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  Speaker 1: accurate than it might appear, just add the word had
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  Speaker 1: in verse 1. Now the Lord had said to Moses...
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  Speaker 1: In other words, what God says to Moses in chapter 11,
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  Speaker 1: he has already said to him earlier, but it fits
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  Speaker 1: into the flow of thought now that we are into
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  Speaker 1: this subject of the Passover. And so we're getting in
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  Speaker 1: chapter 11 what the Lord has already told Moses, but
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  Speaker 1: now in the journal that Moses is keeping called the
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  Speaker 1: book of Exodus, it fits into the scheme of things.
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  Speaker 1: So the Lord had said this, One more plague I
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  Speaker 1: will bring on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that, he
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  Speaker 1: will let you go from here. When he lets you go,
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  Speaker 1: he will surely drive you out from here completely. Speak
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  Speaker 1: now in the hearing of the people that each man
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  Speaker 1: ask from his neighbor and each woman ask from her
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  Speaker 1: neighbor for articles of silver and articles of gold. Now
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  Speaker 1: that's a strange thing, isn't it? The people of Israel
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  Speaker 1: were to ask of silver and gold from their neighbors
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  Speaker 1: in Egypt. You see, they were preparing to make a
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  Speaker 1: trip and they didn't know it. The people of Israel
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  Speaker 1: didn't know it. The silver and gold would serve a
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  Speaker 1: very real purpose when they got to Mount Sinai. And
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  Speaker 1: there's no reason to have a medium of exchange in
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  Speaker 1: the middle of the desert without But when you get
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  Speaker 1: ready to build a tabernacle and you need certain qualities
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  Speaker 1: such as silver and gold to put into them, you
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  Speaker 1: got to have them ready. And God didn't tell them
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  Speaker 1: why they needed to get the silver and gold. He
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  Speaker 1: just said, get it. And they did. They were obedient. Now,
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  Speaker 1: verse 3. Just a parenthesis. And it's a good one.
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  Speaker 1: The Lord gave the people favor in the sight of
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  Speaker 1: the Egyptians, meaning they gave them the gold and silver. Furthermore,
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  Speaker 1: the man Moses himself was greatly esteemed. The Hebrew word
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  Speaker 1: is heavy. He was heavy in the eyes of the people,
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  Speaker 1: both Egypt and the sight of Pharaoh's servant and the
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  Speaker 1: sight of the Hebrew people. Now, I make a point
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  Speaker 1: of this because you remember recently we saw Moses when
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  Speaker 1: he was under the gun. Moses, when he was resented
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  Speaker 1: by the people of the Hebrews, remember? He stood before
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  Speaker 1: Pharaoh and said, Let my people go. And Pharaoh said, No. Furthermore,
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  Speaker 1: I'll make their work harder. And he did. And the
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  Speaker 1: Hebrews responded to Moses and said, Look at what you
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  Speaker 1: have caused, the misery you have brought into our lives.
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  Speaker 1: And they resented him, but no longer. All of a sudden,
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  Speaker 1: he's heavy in their sight. He's esteemed. You know why? Why?
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  Speaker 1: Because Moses stood all alone and trusted God, and the
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  Speaker 1: Lord gave him favor in their eyes. He always will.
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  Speaker 1: When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even
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  Speaker 1: his enemies to be at peace with him. Proverbs 16, 7.
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  Speaker 1: And you can claim that. It may very well be
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  Speaker 1: that right now in your work, You have come to
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  Speaker 1: an impasse where there is an issue at stake and
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  Speaker 1: you're not going to compromise. And you are resented because
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  Speaker 1: of your stand for Christ. I want to assure you
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  Speaker 1: that if you handle that wisely and tactfully, God will
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  Speaker 1: see to it that in the eyes of those who
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  Speaker 1: are now your enemy, you will one day be esteemed.
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  Speaker 1: They will respect your stand because you're standing alone. There's
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  Speaker 1: something about the process of making a leader. that demands
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  Speaker 1: a period of time where he or she stands all alone,
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  Speaker 1: even when you are being misunderstood. That's a good word,
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  Speaker 1: by the way. One of the most serious things and
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  Speaker 1: difficult things for us to endure is the problem of
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  Speaker 1: being misunderstood. But oh, it is so important in the
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  Speaker 1: making of men and women of God. Moses was misunderstood,
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  Speaker 1: but now finally understood. He was highly esteemed. Now, after
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  Speaker 1: God spoke to Moses and told him what to say,
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  Speaker 1: and after Moses was told, you have favor in the
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  Speaker 1: eyes of the people, he made his way to Pharaoh
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  Speaker 1: and gave him his final word. That's in verses 4
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  Speaker 1: through 10. Look at the verses with me. There are
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  Speaker 1: five truths that Moses announced to Pharaoh and Pharaoh rejected.
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  Speaker 1: Just quickly now, verse 4. He told him something is
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  Speaker 1: going to happen at midnight. Moses said, thus says the Lord.
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  Speaker 1: By the way, from verse 4 through verse 8, he
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  Speaker 1: is standing before Pharaoh. So he says to Pharaoh first,
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  Speaker 1: about midnight I'm going out into the midst of Egypt.
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  Speaker 1: So Pharaoh, the first thing you're to remember is something
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  Speaker 1: is going to happen about midnight. Now secondly, verse 5.
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  Speaker 1: All the firstborn in the land of Egypt will die.
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  Speaker 1: And he even tells Pharaoh, it includes you. Your own firstborn,
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  Speaker 1: the firstborn of the slave girl, even the firstborn of
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  Speaker 1: the cattle in the field. At midnight, death is going
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  Speaker 1: to invade and it's going to touch the firstborn. Now
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  Speaker 1: the third truth, verse 6. There will be a national
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  Speaker 1: sorrow distress. A great cry shall come in the land
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  Speaker 1: of Egypt such as there has not been before and
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  Speaker 1: such as shall never be again. there will be a
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  Speaker 1: national warning. Verse 7. The fourth truth. Israel will be protected.
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  Speaker 1: Against any of the sons of Israel, a dog shall
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  Speaker 1: not even bark. They will have no death, not even
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  Speaker 1: the barking of a dog, either against man or beast.
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  Speaker 1: that you may understand how the Lord makes a distinction
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  Speaker 1: between Egypt and Israel. And then he told him the
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  Speaker 1: final truth in verse 8. There will be an exodus.
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  Speaker 1: All these your servants will come down to me, bow
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  Speaker 1: themselves before me, saying, Go out, you and all the
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  Speaker 1: people who follow you. And after that, I will go out.
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  Speaker 1: And what is interesting to me is that right after
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  Speaker 1: he made this declaration of judgment, Moses left in hot anger.
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  Speaker 1: He didn't apologize. He had God's message and it was harsh.
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  Speaker 1: It wasn't even stated with a great deal of love.
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  Speaker 1: It was a message of judgment as if to say, Pharaoh,
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  Speaker 1: you have withstood God long enough. This is the final straw.
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  Speaker 1: And verse 8 concludes, he went out from Pharaoh in
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  Speaker 1: hot anger. Now, Moses left the presence of Pharaoh and
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  Speaker 1: came to the people of the Hebrews. And when he
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  Speaker 1: stood before the Israelites, he began to prepare them for
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  Speaker 1: what God had told him to say. So they began
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  Speaker 1: to set up a memorial. So the subject changes from
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  Speaker 1: a prediction to a fulfillment. Look at chapter 12 with me.
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  Speaker 1: To begin with, they were to establish a memorial. Let
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  Speaker 1: me just read the verses, several of them. The Lord
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  Speaker 1: said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,
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  Speaker 1: This month shall be the beginning of months for you.
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  Speaker 1: It is to be the first month of the year
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  Speaker 1: to you. So they were to establish their calendar on
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  Speaker 1: the basis of this memorial. Verse 3. Speak to the congregation, saying,
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  Speaker 1: On the tenth of this month, they are each one
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  Speaker 1: to take a lamb for themselves according to their father's household.
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  Speaker 1: A lamb for each household. And if the household is
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  Speaker 1: too small for a lamb, then he and his neighbor
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  Speaker 1: nearest to his house are to take one according to
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  Speaker 1: the number of persons in them, according to what each
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  Speaker 1: man should eat, and you are to divide the lamb.
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  Speaker 1: Your lamb shall be an unblemished male, a year old.
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  Speaker 1: He's very careful with his instructions. Verse 6. You shall
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  Speaker 1: keep it until the fourteenth day. of the same month,
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  Speaker 1: then it says the whole congregation, the whole assembly of
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  Speaker 1: Israel is to kill it at twilight. Now he tells
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  Speaker 1: them what they're to do with the blood that drains
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  Speaker 1: from the carcass. You're to take some of the blood
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  Speaker 1: and put it on the two doorposts and on the
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  Speaker 1: lentil of the houses in which you eat it. Now
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  Speaker 1: let's stop right there. Very specific instructions. You know, one
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  Speaker 1: of our problems with reading the Bible is we're too
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  Speaker 1: familiar with it. And we have read it so many
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  Speaker 1: times that when we read it, it's just ho-hum. So
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  Speaker 1: here we are again reading about the Passover. Let's go
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  Speaker 1: on to some deeper truth. Put yourself in the shoes
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  Speaker 1: of those that never heard of a Passover. Think of
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  Speaker 1: it as though for the very first time you're getting
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  Speaker 1: the instructions from God. The Hebrews had never done this.
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  Speaker 1: They had never taken a lamb and roasted it a
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  Speaker 1: certain way. They had never gathered its blood in a
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  Speaker 1: pan for a certain purpose, such as the doorway. They
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  Speaker 1: had never smeared blood on the door of their home before.
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  Speaker 1: They had never heard of such a thing as an exodus.
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  Speaker 1: And we've heard it all our Christian lives, but they
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  Speaker 1: had never heard of it. So picture this godly family
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  Speaker 1: as they hear Moses tell the story. You're to take
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  Speaker 1: a lamb, one per family. And after cutting the throat
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  Speaker 1: of that lamb and draining the blood out of it,
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  Speaker 1: you're to keep some of that blood. And with a
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  Speaker 1: branch of hyssop, as he tells them later on, you're
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  Speaker 1: to dip in that pan of blood and you're to
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  Speaker 1: smear it on the doorpost on each side. If you're
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  Speaker 1: to stand in the doorway of the opening of your
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  Speaker 1: home and put your hand on both sides, that's the doorpost.
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  Speaker 1: And right outside, you're to smear blood from that lamb.
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  Speaker 1: And the lentil is that horizontal beam just above the doorway.
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  Speaker 1: You're to smear blood up there. You're not to smear
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  Speaker 1: it down here. You're not to smear it around the house.
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  Speaker 1: Just on the doorpost and just above the door. That's
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  Speaker 1: where I want you to put the blood. Now stop
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  Speaker 1: and think about that. What logical reason was there for
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  Speaker 1: doing that with lamb's blood? You say, well, God told
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  Speaker 1: them to. That's right. That's the only reason they were
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  Speaker 1: to do it. There is no power in dried blood.
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  Speaker 1: There's no power in a lamb. God, in the genius
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  Speaker 1: of his mind, designed a plan that required one thing, obedience.
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  Speaker 1: They weren't to rethink the Passover. They weren't even to
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  Speaker 1: dialogue about it. They were to get the message and
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  Speaker 1: get a lamb and wait till the 14th day at twilight,
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  Speaker 1: slay that lamb and put the blood on the doorpost
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  Speaker 1: and shut that door. Why? Why? Look at the reason.
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  Speaker 1: Verse 12. I will go through the land of Egypt
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  Speaker 1: on that night, and I will strike down all of
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  Speaker 1: the firstborn in the land of Egypt, man and beast.
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  Speaker 1: I am the Lord. Verse 13. And the blood shall
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  Speaker 1: be a sign for you on the houses where you live.
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  Speaker 1: And when I see the blood, I will pass over you.
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  Speaker 1: God says, I'm going to visit Egypt, and my death
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  Speaker 1: angel is going to invade every dwelling where there is
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  Speaker 1: not blood on the door. That's my plan. Period.
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  Speaker 2: Do it.
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  Speaker 1: Well, how are they to eat this lamb? Look up
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  Speaker 1: a little bit before that verse we read. Look up
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  Speaker 1: at verse 11. Very interesting directions. You shall eat it
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  Speaker 1: in this manner, with your loins girded. That means the
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  Speaker 1: garments ready for travel. You're not to be in your pajamas.
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  Speaker 1: You're not to sit around in your casual clothes as
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  Speaker 1: though you're going to spend the night. You be ready
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  Speaker 1: to march. Have on your garments, your tunics for walking
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  Speaker 1: in this desert. In fact, you're going to have on
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  Speaker 1: your own sandals. sandals in an oriental home? That's out
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  Speaker 1: of place. No, not in the Passover. Put on your sandals.
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  Speaker 1: And so they'll have their shoes on. Furthermore, he says,
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  Speaker 1: you eat it with the staff in your hand and
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  Speaker 1: you shall eat it in haste. Remember the last time
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  Speaker 1: you and your family were in a hurry to make
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  Speaker 1: some assignment somewhere, some appointment, or maybe you all alone,
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  Speaker 1: you grabbed a sandwich and you were on the way
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  Speaker 1: out the door just choking down the food. That seems
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  Speaker 1: to be the idea. In other words, you're to eat
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  Speaker 1: this meal, not lingering over it and taking your time
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  Speaker 1: as though you have all evening, but you're to eat
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  Speaker 1: that lamb and you're to eat those things regarding this
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  Speaker 1: lamb in a certain way, ready to march. Why? God says,
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  Speaker 1: I'm making history. I'm going to use your lives in
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  Speaker 1: the midst of this history of Passover and you're going
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  Speaker 1: to make your way out of that home and you'll
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  Speaker 1: never look back. You're going to be free Free indeed.
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  Speaker 1: And so verse 14 says, This day will be a
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  Speaker 1: memorial for you, and you shall celebrate it as a
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  Speaker 1: feast to the Lord throughout your generations. You are to
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  Speaker 1: celebrate it as a permanent ordinance. Then he goes on
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  Speaker 1: and gives even more details. Look at verse 25. After
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  Speaker 1: those details, he told them something that they were to remember. Twenty-five.
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  Speaker 1: It will come about when you enter the land which
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  Speaker 1: the Lord will give you, as He has promised. That's
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  Speaker 1: the land of promise, the land of Canaan. When you
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  Speaker 1: get there, that you shall observe this rite. What rite? Passover.
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  Speaker 1: Every year, you're to keep this Passover. And it will
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  Speaker 1: come about when your children say to you, what does
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  Speaker 1: this rite mean to you? You know, I love that
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  Speaker 1: passage right there. I guess it's the nostalgia in me
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  Speaker 1: that captures my attention at this point. But I think
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  Speaker 1: we parents have such an assignment of helping our offspring
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  Speaker 1: Know the meaning of what we do. Ever have a
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  Speaker 1: child ask you, Daddy, Mom, why do we pray when
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  Speaker 1: we eat? A lot of people I'm with don't pray.
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  Speaker 1: Do you have a meaningful answer to give them? Mom,
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  Speaker 1: why do we go to church? What's the significance of
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  Speaker 1: the Lord's table? How does that girl know that she's
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  Speaker 1: supposed to go to the mission field? And you know,
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  Speaker 1: those are very choice moments. God says, now when your
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  Speaker 1: children ask those searching questions, you have an answer. You
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  Speaker 1: set the record straight. Help them to know why. You
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  Speaker 1: clear it up. As a matter of fact, after Moses
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  Speaker 1: gave them that instruction, it says that they bowed and
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  Speaker 1: they worshiped. Then the sons of Israel went and did so.
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  Speaker 1: That's obedience. Just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron,
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  Speaker 1: so they did. That's obedience. See why I say that's
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  Speaker 1: the theme of the message tonight? The theme is not
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  Speaker 1: the Passover. The theme is obedience. The theme of this
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  Speaker 1: emphasis on this Sunday is not missions, it's obedience. And
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  Speaker 1: I want to apply it in the light of that
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  Speaker 1: before we go any further. I am of the personal
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  Speaker 1: conviction that our greatest struggle is not in the realm
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  Speaker 1: of understanding the will of God. It's in the realm
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  Speaker 1: of obeying the will of God. Most of us, when
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  Speaker 1: we look back, do not find ourselves that puzzled. We
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  Speaker 1: find ourselves stubborn. Our problem is not that we didn't
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  Speaker 1: know most often. There are times where we didn't, but
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  Speaker 1: most often it isn't that we didn't know. It's that
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  Speaker 1: we weren't willing to do what we knew should be done.
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  Speaker 1: That's basically the struggle of the Christian life. The clear
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  Speaker 1: truth of God's word is set before us. It's available
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  Speaker 1: to us and we read it. In fact, it is
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  Speaker 1: explained to us and we hear what he says. But
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  Speaker 1: when the chips are down, our tendency, in fact, our
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  Speaker 1: habit is, but I've got a way I'd rather do it.
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  Speaker 1: I've got it planned another way. Let me ask you
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  Speaker 1: a different kind of question that relates to missionary involvement.
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  Speaker 1: The normal question is, how do I know that God
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  Speaker 1: wants me on the mission field? Here's a better question.
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  Speaker 1: How do you know he doesn't? Honestly. And there are
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  Speaker 1: some of you at that juncture in life where you
• 22:53
  Speaker 1: really need to be asking yourself that question. Now your
• 22:57
  Speaker 1: answer perhaps is, well, he's not calling everybody. I know that.
• 23:01
  Speaker 1: That's not the question. The question is, how do you
• 23:05
  Speaker 1: know in your heart that the place he wants to
• 23:08
  Speaker 1: make history with your life is not outside the land
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: of America? That's a searching question. We have a tendency
• 23:23
  Speaker 1: to think in terms of hocus-pocus. When I was in
• 23:27
  Speaker 1: the midst of a search for the will of God
• 23:29
  Speaker 1: concerning the ministry, which to me is the mission field
• 23:33
  Speaker 1: in my life, happens to be where I presently am.
• 23:37
  Speaker 1: But for a long period of time, it wasn't. I
• 23:40
  Speaker 1: was out to lunch, honestly. I was 16 years old
• 23:44
  Speaker 1: and going my own way, my own direction. I never
• 23:48
  Speaker 1: even gave the foggiest thought. The last thought of my
• 23:51
  Speaker 1: day was not even in the area of how God
• 23:54
  Speaker 1: wanted to use my life. I didn't care. But a
• 23:58
  Speaker 1: number of years later, in the midst of a context
• 24:01
  Speaker 1: of total depravity among mankind in the military, God began
• 24:07
  Speaker 1: to nail me. He began to touch me. He first
• 24:12
  Speaker 1: of all showed me this, and I want to explain
• 24:13
  Speaker 1: it so that you don't think there's any hocus-pocus to
• 24:15
  Speaker 1: finding it out. First, there was a great need. I
• 24:19
  Speaker 1: was surrounded by people who didn't know the truth, and
• 24:23
  Speaker 1: they were living in the scum and disease of sin.
• 24:28
  Speaker 1: And I thought, man, somebody needs to be giving them
• 24:32
  Speaker 1: the scoop. So I began doing that in my own
• 24:36
  Speaker 1: sphere of influence. And you know what? Some people responded.
• 24:41
  Speaker 1: I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe that when I
• 24:44
  Speaker 1: told somebody about some answers, they would take that and
• 24:49
  Speaker 1: believe it, and their lives began to be changed. So
• 24:52
  Speaker 1: step two, I reached out in my sphere of influence
• 24:55
  Speaker 1: and discovered, well, I can be used. You know what?
• 25:00
  Speaker 1: It was fun. It wasn't hard work at all. I
• 25:05
  Speaker 1: couldn't believe it was so delightful. Step three, I got
• 25:10
  Speaker 1: serious about doing it before God as a full-time job.
• 25:14
  Speaker 1: I said, Lord, if you can do this along with
• 25:18
  Speaker 1: my other work and I get such delight and pleasant
• 25:20
  Speaker 1: blessing out of it and obviously you're working by your grace,
• 25:26
  Speaker 1: maybe you'd like for me to do this In my career,
• 25:31
  Speaker 1: which would be a whole change for me, but fourth,
• 25:35
  Speaker 1: I'm available. You know, in the whole period of months
• 25:39
  Speaker 1: where this went on, never once did I have a
• 25:41
  Speaker 1: hocus-pocus experience. Never once did the zapping clouds break open
• 25:46
  Speaker 1: and lightning and big clouds say, go preach. Never once.
• 25:52
  Speaker 1: It didn't work like that. It was just a quiet,
• 25:54
  Speaker 1: calm assurance that God said, I want to use you.
• 25:59
  Speaker 1: Now you plan accordingly. You adapt your life and your
• 26:02
  Speaker 1: whole marriage, your whole family plans to my approach. And
• 26:07
  Speaker 1: I said, okay. And you know what? He began to
• 26:09
  Speaker 1: open doors. Another door opened. I never had to force
• 26:12
  Speaker 1: a door. That door opened. The next door opened. And
• 26:15
  Speaker 1: another door opened. And here I am. You know, just here.
• 26:24
  Speaker 1: Nothing to prove, just something to live. It's the most
• 26:29
  Speaker 1: normal process in the world, but the hardest part is
• 26:32
  Speaker 1: the first. The first part that says, you know, I
• 26:38
  Speaker 1: don't have a reason to give to God saying, I
• 26:42
  Speaker 1: know you don't want to use me in your service.
• 26:49
  Speaker 1: It was a matter of obedience. There's an interesting book
• 26:54
  Speaker 1: written by Don Hillis called, I Don't Feel Called Parenthesis,
• 27:00
  Speaker 1: thank the Lord. Parenthesis closed. It's sort of a jab
• 27:04
  Speaker 1: on the whole concept of how do I know God
• 27:10
  Speaker 1: wants a person in the mission field? How do I
• 27:12
  Speaker 1: know he wants me? And it's very interesting. In fact,
• 27:15
  Speaker 1: before most of the chapters, there's a little caricature. It's
• 27:18
  Speaker 1: so real. Here's a fellow with a mic, and he's
• 27:20
  Speaker 1: talking to a high school student. Says, is there someone
• 27:24
  Speaker 1: you'd like to help overseas, son? And the student says, yeah,
• 27:28
  Speaker 1: my chemistry professor. I'd like to get him overseas. That's
• 27:31
  Speaker 1: one guy. Would you be interested in going overseas? He
• 27:34
  Speaker 1: asked this kid that's underneath the sun umbrella down at
• 27:37
  Speaker 1: the beach with the radio playing. Would you be interested
• 27:40
  Speaker 1: in going overseas? And the kid says, yeah, when school starts.
• 27:43
  Speaker 1: I'd like to take off about that time. That's sort
• 27:46
  Speaker 1: of the attitude. Yeah, I'd love to take off just
• 27:48
  Speaker 1: to get away from the bad stuff around here. That's
• 27:51
  Speaker 1: not it at all. As a matter of fact, the
• 27:56
  Speaker 1: whole idea of obedience is, Lord, wherever. You want me
• 28:01
  Speaker 1: to spread blood on the door? I'll spread it. You
• 28:04
  Speaker 1: want me to close the door and get on my garments,
• 28:07
  Speaker 1: ready to march and eat with the staff in my hand?
• 28:09
  Speaker 1: I'm ready. You want to visit this whole area with
• 28:15
  Speaker 1: death and preserve me? I'm going to trust you. And
• 28:19
  Speaker 1: so that night came. And they did exactly what God
• 28:23
  Speaker 1: had said. And look at what happened. Verse 29. About midnight,
• 28:28
  Speaker 1: the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt.
• 28:33
  Speaker 1: Does that sound familiar? Yeah, that's exactly what he said
• 28:35
  Speaker 1: he would do. At the very time he said he
• 28:38
  Speaker 1: would do it. Midnight. God keeps his word. And he
• 28:43
  Speaker 1: struck the firstborn from Pharaoh who sat on the throne
• 28:46
  Speaker 1: to the captive who was in the dungeon and the
• 28:49
  Speaker 1: firstborn of the cattle. Does that sound familiar? Yes, that's
• 28:52
  Speaker 1: exactly what God said. He keeps his word. He's serious.
• 28:58
  Speaker 1: And now notice what happened to Pharaoh. He arose in
• 29:01
  Speaker 1: the night. He and all his servants and all the Egyptians.
• 29:07
  Speaker 1: And there was a great cry in Egypt. You better
• 29:10
  Speaker 1: believe it. Can you hear it? Just listen. In your
• 29:15
  Speaker 1: mind's eye, picture it. Egypt is filled with death. And
• 29:22
  Speaker 1: here are the Israelites eating roasted lamb and the other
• 29:28
  Speaker 1: accoutrements that are a part of that Passover meal, and
• 29:31
  Speaker 1: there's not a dying one in the group because they
• 29:36
  Speaker 1: did it God's way. Death invaded like a plague. but
• 29:41
  Speaker 1: it didn't touch an Israelite surrounded by God's protection and
• 29:45
  Speaker 1: promise if you're obedient he'll take care of you and
• 29:51
  Speaker 1: says there was no home where there was not someone
• 29:54
  Speaker 1: dead oh my there's a lot of feeling in that
• 29:57
  Speaker 1: verse Not a home where somebody wasn't killed. Think of it.
• 30:03
  Speaker 1: Now verse 31. He called for Moses and Aaron. Oh,
• 30:08
  Speaker 1: can't you picture him? Get Moses and Aaron in here now.
• 30:14
  Speaker 1: Let those people go. And he says, rise up, get
• 30:20
  Speaker 1: out from among my people. both you and the sons
• 30:23
  Speaker 1: of Israel, and go, worship the Lord as you have said,
• 30:27
  Speaker 1: and take everything. Boy, he's letting them go now with
• 30:32
  Speaker 1: everything they wanted. And in fact, verse 33 says, the
• 30:35
  Speaker 1: Egyptians urged the people to send them out of the
• 30:39
  Speaker 1: land in haste, for they said, we'll all be dead. Boy,
• 30:44
  Speaker 1: nobody ever had more help in getting their bags packed
• 30:47
  Speaker 1: than those Israelites that night. They packed them up and
• 30:50
  Speaker 1: sent them on their way. Sort of like when you
• 30:52
  Speaker 1: hear your relatives say in your home, hey, I think
• 30:54
  Speaker 1: we better leave. You just get their bags packed and
• 30:55
  Speaker 1: get them right on out. That's the way it was
• 30:58
  Speaker 1: that night. You got them out and they took off.
• 31:01
  Speaker 1: And you know what? They never stopped going. God was
• 31:05
  Speaker 1: making history. And as a matter of fact, there was
• 31:12
  Speaker 1: a lot of them. Look at how many. Verse 40.
• 31:25
  Speaker 1: Verse 37, now the sons of Israel journeyed from Ramses
• 31:30
  Speaker 1: to Succoth, about 600,000 men on foot. Now that doesn't
• 31:37
  Speaker 1: include the children or the wives. Old Testament scholars believe
• 31:42
  Speaker 1: the group numbered about 2 million.
• 31:48
  Speaker 2: Whew, is right.
• 31:49
  Speaker 1: 2 million people. Just think of the logistics. And nobody
• 31:56
  Speaker 1: had any plans for catering the next meal. Just think,
• 32:02
  Speaker 1: if I could be so honest and earthy, just think
• 32:07
  Speaker 1: of the sanitation problems. Huh? Just think of the dietary problems.
• 32:14
  Speaker 1: Think of the protection from the elements that was needed.
• 32:18
  Speaker 1: They didn't know any of that. They just took off.
• 32:24
  Speaker 1: They felt if God can preserve us from death when
• 32:27
  Speaker 1: it's all around us in Egypt, He can take care
• 32:30
  Speaker 1: of us when we walk out of the doors of
• 32:32
  Speaker 1: our homes and never look back. And you know what?
• 32:37
  Speaker 1: They had never read about the Exodus. There had never
• 32:41
  Speaker 1: been one. It was the first time around. Think of it.
• 32:47
  Speaker 1: No map. No contract. No contract. Nothing guaranteed except the
• 32:54
  Speaker 1: presence of God and a man named Moses who led him.
• 33:02
  Speaker 1: He was making history. Look at the time. Verse 40.
• 33:09
  Speaker 1: Now the time that the sons of Israel lived in
• 33:11
  Speaker 1: Egypt was 430 years. That's a long time. It came
• 33:16
  Speaker 1: about at the end of 430 years to the very
• 33:20
  Speaker 1: day all the host of the Lord went out from
• 33:23
  Speaker 1: the land of Egypt. It is a night to be observed.
• 33:27
  Speaker 1: It's a historic moment for the Lord for having brought
• 33:32
  Speaker 1: them out from the land of Egypt. This night is
• 33:35
  Speaker 1: for the Lord to be observed by all the sons
• 33:38
  Speaker 1: of Israel throughout their generations. He made history. What was
• 33:43
  Speaker 1: it like when they left Turn, if you will, finally
• 33:47
  Speaker 1: to Psalm 105. And I'll show you the spirit in
• 33:50
  Speaker 1: which they departed. Some of you might have the idea that, my,
• 33:56
  Speaker 1: if I just really say yes to His plan and
• 33:58
  Speaker 1: I agree with it and I become available, it's going
• 34:01
  Speaker 1: to be hard. It's going to be harsh. It's going
• 34:04
  Speaker 1: to be difficult. I'm leaving all the things that are
• 34:09
  Speaker 1: just so comfortable and nice. Psalm 105 says, Oh, look
• 34:14
  Speaker 1: at verse 37 it is. The psalmist gets some insight
• 34:19
  Speaker 1: that Moses didn't take the time to put into his journal. 105, 37.
• 34:24
  Speaker 1: Then he, that's God, brought them out with silver and gold.
• 34:31
  Speaker 1: And among his tribes there was not one who stumbled.
• 34:34
  Speaker 1: Look at that. There wasn't a weak one. There wasn't
• 34:38
  Speaker 1: a cripple among the group. They were all ready for
• 34:41
  Speaker 1: the trip. God had preserved them. given them health. Egypt
• 34:46
  Speaker 1: was glad when they had departed, for the dread of
• 34:49
  Speaker 1: them had fallen upon them. He spread a cloud for
• 34:53
  Speaker 1: a covering and fire to illumine by night. He took
• 34:57
  Speaker 1: care of them. Verse 43, He brought forth His people
• 35:02
  Speaker 1: with joy, His chosen ones with a joyful shout. You
• 35:09
  Speaker 1: know what we love to sing? Oh, for a thousand
• 35:12
  Speaker 1: tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise. How about, oh,
• 35:16
  Speaker 1: for two million tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise. Well,
• 35:21
  Speaker 1: you could hear those voices echo down through the chambers
• 35:24
  Speaker 1: of the desert as Moses sent his way in front
• 35:28
  Speaker 1: of the people and the people came behind him. Great
• 35:31
  Speaker 1: clouds of dust built up as they shouted for joy
• 35:34
  Speaker 1: when they walked out of Egypt. Man, I can just
• 35:36
  Speaker 1: picture it. Just think of that night when you came
• 35:39
  Speaker 1: to know the Lord Jesus. You've already forgotten about that?
• 35:43
  Speaker 1: Remember that night when someone gave you the good news
• 35:46
  Speaker 1: of Christ, or you read that tract, or got a
• 35:48
  Speaker 1: hold of that piece of scripture, or your parents sat
• 35:51
  Speaker 1: down and told you the truth about God and eternity,
• 35:54
  Speaker 1: and you said, tonight's the night. Was that harsh? Was
• 35:58
  Speaker 1: that hard? You left all the familiar things of Egypt,
• 36:04
  Speaker 1: but what did you take on? Oh, what life is
• 36:06
  Speaker 1: all about. You know, God made history that night in
• 36:10
  Speaker 1: your life. And it's not over. He's got a plan
• 36:16
  Speaker 1: a lot deeper than that. Getting you into His family
• 36:20
  Speaker 1: was plan A. Getting you into His will for your
• 36:25
  Speaker 1: whole life, that's plan B. That's where some of you
• 36:30
  Speaker 1: are right now. This past Friday and Saturday, Many of
• 36:36
  Speaker 1: you may not know, but some of you do know,
• 36:39
  Speaker 1: I was up at Forest Home for an in-depth study conference.
• 36:45
  Speaker 1: High school juniors and seniors and collegiate first and second
• 36:49
  Speaker 1: year students. That's all. They didn't come to party. They
• 36:53
  Speaker 1: didn't come just to be entertained. They didn't come just
• 36:55
  Speaker 1: to have fun, though all of that was part of it.
• 36:58
  Speaker 1: They came to study. They brought a notebook, brought a Bible,
• 37:04
  Speaker 1: a couple of pencils. And a good mind ready to
• 37:09
  Speaker 1: dig in. And for about a 24-hour period, I spoke
• 37:13
  Speaker 1: four times, an hour each time. It's just almost good
• 37:16
  Speaker 1: enough to be to heaven. You know, just so great
• 37:19
  Speaker 1: being able to speak to those kids, and they just
• 37:21
  Speaker 1: drank it in. You know, I never once mentioned missions.
• 37:24
  Speaker 1: It occurred to me when I left. But I talked
• 37:26
  Speaker 1: a whole lot about leadership and obedience to God. Friday night,
• 37:32
  Speaker 1: there was a young fellow sat right down in the
• 37:33
  Speaker 1: front row. He just was drinking it in. We were
• 37:37
  Speaker 1: digging our way through Nehemiah, some principles of leadership and
• 37:40
  Speaker 1: obedience to Christ. And afterwards, he said to me, Pastor Chuck,
• 37:44
  Speaker 1: I've got to talk to you about something. He says,
• 37:49
  Speaker 1: God's saying something to me tonight, and I don't know
• 37:51
  Speaker 1: what it is.
• 37:51
  Speaker 2: I said, really?
• 37:55
  Speaker 1: Yeah, he says, I have a funny feeling. It's almost
• 37:59
  Speaker 1: weird that God wants my life. I said, do you
• 38:05
  Speaker 1: know the Lord personally? Oh, yes, he said. In fact,
• 38:07
  Speaker 1: I have plans to become a medical doctor.
• 38:12
  Speaker 2: I said, really?
• 38:13
  Speaker 1: He said, you know, I've got to know what his
• 38:17
  Speaker 1: plan is. Then he began to sob. He was really moved.
• 38:21
  Speaker 1: I just reached around, put my arm around him, and
• 38:22
  Speaker 1: I said, listen, you don't come to the question and
• 38:24
  Speaker 1: answer session tonight. You take off. You get alone. He says, well,
• 38:29
  Speaker 1: what do I do? I said, well, you tell God
• 38:32
  Speaker 1: just what you're telling me. Tell him to help you
• 38:34
  Speaker 1: know in your thought life what his plan is for
• 38:37
  Speaker 1: your life. What's he saying to you? I said, okay.
• 38:41
  Speaker 1: So last I saw of him Friday night, he was
• 38:43
  Speaker 1: walking up the trail up to get all alone. So
• 38:47
  Speaker 1: we went ahead and had our question and answer session
• 38:48
  Speaker 1: and spent the night. Early the next morning around a fireplace,
• 38:51
  Speaker 1: he came over to me and he said, you know what?
• 38:55
  Speaker 1: God wants me to be a medical missionary. Ha ha.
• 39:01
  Speaker 1: And I just reached around and just held him close.
• 39:03
  Speaker 1: And I said, hey, that's fantastic. He said, there's nothing
• 39:05
  Speaker 1: wrong with that, is there? I said, no, man, that's
• 39:09
  Speaker 1: where it's at. Your whole career is going to take
• 39:13
  Speaker 1: on a new dimension. Now, God doesn't want every medical
• 39:16
  Speaker 1: man on the field, but he wants a lot of
• 39:18
  Speaker 1: them on the field. In fact, I'm convinced a lot
• 39:21
  Speaker 1: more than are he wants on the field. At the
• 39:24
  Speaker 1: same conference was a fellow in his 40s, completely unrelated
• 39:28
  Speaker 1: to the kids, but he came. driven by God to
• 39:31
  Speaker 1: that area because he knew it was an in-depth study
• 39:34
  Speaker 1: conference in which he'd have some time to think through
• 39:36
  Speaker 1: his life. An eminently successful insurance man who covers the
• 39:39
  Speaker 1: whole Southern California area for a company that you'd all
• 39:42
  Speaker 1: know if I called the name. And he's the major
• 39:45
  Speaker 1: superintending voice over this massive area. He said to me Saturday,
• 39:50
  Speaker 1: he said, Chuck, God's talking to me about my life.
• 39:54
  Speaker 1: I said, really? What do you mean? You mean something
• 39:56
  Speaker 1: in the area you need to give up or to
• 39:57
  Speaker 1: take on? He says, you know what? I think he's
• 40:00
  Speaker 1: turning my whole direction around. I believe he wants to
• 40:02
  Speaker 1: use me in the field. Isn't that remarkable? And I
• 40:06
  Speaker 1: never once pushed missions except obedience. And here is a
• 40:12
  Speaker 1: man grown with his family well on its way saying,
• 40:16
  Speaker 1: you know, I'm a My life's being touched. I didn't
• 40:21
  Speaker 1: have a chance to follow through on him, but just
• 40:23
  Speaker 1: before I left, a fellow who had lunch with him
• 40:25
  Speaker 1: said to me later, he said, you know what? That
• 40:29
  Speaker 1: guy's life is going in a whole new direction. I
• 40:34
  Speaker 1: thought as I drove away from that area, if God
• 40:42
  Speaker 1: can speak to people at Forrest's home, In a little
• 40:46
  Speaker 1: 24-hour period, he can speak to people in Fullerton about
• 40:50
  Speaker 1: the very same thing. And I think he's doing that tonight.
• 40:54
  Speaker 1: I really do. I think some of you are honestly
• 40:58
  Speaker 1: hard-pressed as you think about your life of obedience before
• 41:00
  Speaker 1: God to give even the first reason why he does
• 41:04
  Speaker 1: not want you in his service. So I don't apologize
• 41:09
  Speaker 1: in saying, if you don't have an answer, you better
• 41:12
  Speaker 1: pursue the question. Honestly. Honestly. You better think about your
• 41:17
  Speaker 1: whole career in light of eternity. Only two things are
• 41:24
  Speaker 1: eternal on this earth, people and God's Word. And it
• 41:29
  Speaker 1: may very well be He wants you to major in
• 41:31
  Speaker 1: both for the rest of your life. I call the message,
• 41:38
  Speaker 1: The Night Nobody Slept. And I have a very real
• 41:42
  Speaker 1: feeling some of you are going to have difficulty sleeping
• 41:46
  Speaker 1: tonight Because you're in the wrestling experience of being available
• 41:51
  Speaker 1: to God. Let's bow our heads, shall we? I think
• 41:59
  Speaker 1: God designs who ought to be here or which service.
• 42:03
  Speaker 1: It didn't just happen that you came. It didn't just
• 42:05
  Speaker 1: happen that I mentioned a high school student or a
• 42:10
  Speaker 1: man already in a full blossomed career. Nor that the
• 42:17
  Speaker 1: emphasis of this Sunday was missions. God's talking to some
• 42:22
  Speaker 1: of you about this. And before God. Before your father.
• 42:30
  Speaker 1: You must. Have an answer. I suggest you take it
• 42:37
  Speaker 1: on as a project. Just in a regular habit of
• 42:41
  Speaker 1: your prayer life.
• 42:42
  Speaker 2: Lord.
• 42:44
  Speaker 1: Is this your plan? God, do you want to use
• 42:49
  Speaker 1: me in this capacity? I am available. I'm willing to
• 42:56
  Speaker 1: have you change my whole approach to life. And then
• 43:00
  Speaker 1: as you pursue it, he may close the door and say, no,
• 43:06
  Speaker 1: I want you to be one that supports those that go.
• 43:09
  Speaker 1: I want your profession to be right here. On the
• 43:12
  Speaker 1: other hand, he may say, yes, now that I've got
• 43:15
  Speaker 1: your attention, I want to use you. You consider that
• 43:23
  Speaker 1: really serious right now, will you? You get alone. Tell
• 43:28
  Speaker 1: God to help you know in your thought life what
• 43:31
  Speaker 1: his plan is for your life. What's he saying to you?
• 43:34
  Speaker 1: You know God is still writing history. And he's still
• 43:38
  Speaker 1: using people in the process. As a matter of fact, um,
• 43:46
  Speaker 1: He may very well choose to use you.
• 43:51
  Speaker 2: Father, please forgive us for those times we've ridden the fence,
• 43:55
  Speaker 2: for the moments of indecision, yea, the months, the years.
• 44:03
  Speaker 2: May we be gripped not just emotionally with the end
• 44:07
  Speaker 2: of a service, but with the importance of responding by
• 44:11
  Speaker 2: faith in a volitional decision To serve Jesus Christ. And
• 44:20
  Speaker 2: him only. May it be more important than any friendship.
• 44:25
  Speaker 2: Any business. Or any ministry. I ask for Christ's sake.
• 44:33
  Speaker 1: Amen. The preceding message. The night nobody slept. Was copyrighted
• 44:40
  Speaker 1: in 1975. 1978. 1981. 1985. 1998. All rights are reserved worldwide.
• 44:49
  Speaker 1: Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.