I want to show you once again, God is eternal. We agree on that, right? And we obviously are not. How does the eternal speak into the timed and get them to understand what he's talking about? You've got to do it in a way that the timed things can understand it. So if Jesus is going to try to teach you about eternal life, why people trust and why people don't, he can't tell you about eternal things because we can't get it. So what he does, he takes parable things. He says, you know what it's like when Saurabh was out to sow seed? Did we get that? We know what it's like when Saurabh was out to sow seed, and we can relate to that. That's the way God speaks to us in terms of that. He's not writing a big theology book that you can go pull out of somebody's library someplace and read. What do we mean by eternal? That would be a book we wouldn't grasp. We're trigonometers and he's a trigonometry specialist. You understand what I'm saying? That's things we wouldn't get, but he would speak to us in terms we can understand. Especially visible things. And that's what he does. This whole miracle can be summed up as a visible instruction about the unseen things. This is a visible instruction about unseen things. And he uses repetition and cycles to show it. I was talking to Shor yesterday, and I was just trying to share with you what God has done. When we start with the, in the beginning, there's no reason for us to assume that in the beginning there was a ball called the earth. It doesn't say that. He said in the beginning created the heavens and the earth. Period. But then it talks about it being chaotic. It's just water. And it doesn't say water in any particular shape. As you know, water takes the shape of the vessel that it's in. But it's water. And the Spirit of God is hovering over all of that because there's something inside the water. But we don't know what it is. He describes it as, the earth is without form, void. So it's not livable. Which means that you and I couldn't have lived in that. That's not what he designed it for. water and life. Matter of fact, it says that he takes the water and splits it. And he puts a space in between them. So if there's water below and there's water above, in the space he said, that's heaven. Now don't try to get scientific about it and explain whether that was brass or it was metal or what it was. I've seen all kinds of descriptions of that. It doesn't say that. Just shut up. You know, listen to it and learn. He's not dealing in your physics. He's creating your physics. Okay? He's living outside of that. What he lives outside of that, I have no clue. I have no clue. Unless he tells us we're not going to get it. You follow that? So he splits the waters. Then after he splits the waters, he does something again. As a matter of fact, he already separated night from day. Now, the waters are split. I'm ordering something. And he tells the waters, you form together in the sea. So the waters form together in the sea. Now there's order coming to it again. Then once again, the old flat and dry land to appear. Now he's bringing something. Hey, it's getting closer where I may be able to live on that. So out of the dry land, he tells it, bring vegetation. Why? Because he's planning to feed everything that's following that. He is doing all this ordered thing. You follow what I'm coming from? So out of chaos, he brings order. When he's going to disorder it, when he's going to confuse it and recreate chaos, how do you suppose he's going to do it? With the same water. So he covered the whole thing up with water. And it's chaos again. Who can live in that? Well, you got four people floating on top of the whole thing there, living in the chaos. Uncertain when they're going to get out of there. Uncertain what the future is. Not knowing what anything is. And then the waters recede. There's water starting to come out of the chaos. Then what do you know? Dry land appears. Just like it had early on. Now the dry land appears. And the guy that gets off that boat gets really happy about that. He doesn't have to live anymore on a boat. There's real land out there, so he takes the 17 animals and he starts offering them up as a sacrifice. This is how I'm going to say thank you. This is how I'm going to say I'm glad to have that relationship again. I'm glad to have life again. And Earth phase two begins. So in Earth Phase 2, is there going to be chaos? Yes, he tells there's going to be chaos. Why? Because every intention of the heart of people is only always continuously evil. So there's going to be chaos. He already knows there's going to be chaos. And that chaos tries to focus itself on the tower. And once again, he creates a chaos, but it's an orderly chaos. Because there's groups of people that are going to have to move over here who speak the same language. There's groups of people who move over here who speak the same language. And groups of people who move over here, you follow? You get the whole point of it. Out of that, there's going to be more chaos with it because there's going to be people running around. He orders something. He calls Abraham. I have a plan. Here's my plan. And by the time, I'm going to skip a whole lot of history to take this up to Moses. By the time we get to Moses, He's going to do something once again. The chaos of enslavement, the chaos of death, the chaos of the ungodly gods who had held those people for that time is broken by God intervening in it. When he intervenes, he gets them right to the edge of their slavery. But they are what? So what you do, split the water, let the people walk through the water, get to the other side. Hey, I got Noah all over again. Get to the other side. And now chaos ensues. We're going to capture you. And what happens? Shades of Noah again, the enemy is lost. So I'm going to move forward in time. I'm in earth phase two, but this time with a covenant people. And I'm moving with that couple of people, trying to get them to understand. But they keep inviting the same enslavers back again and keep worshipping the same enslavers. It's not slavery again. It's chaos again. And they're trying their best to figure out some methodology that helps them live moral lives in the midst of that chaos. So Pharisees are born. The Essenes are born. There's a variety of them. I should say, into that chaos comes John the Baptist, a preacher, telling them that the kingdom of God is at hand. It's about to be at hand. And what's John, well, I forgot to tell you, when the children of Israel are leaving Egypt, their return to Egypt is shut off by water. They're now dead to Egypt. But now, instead of when they get to the promised land, going into it, their views. And they get to go into the chaos of wilderness wanderings. Will there be any order created out of that? Yes. Are you willing to cross? Yes. All right. They have to cross water, once again. And how does he get across that water? It's flooded. So he brings out the Ark of the Covenant. Are you coming to the priest step into the water? And now the water starts splitting and backing up a wall of waters there and they're crossing through on dry land. Once they cross through the waters back again. In other words, you're shut off from wilderness. You're done with wilderness. You've died to the wilderness. Now you're in the promised land. Everybody see that? So when Jesus comes, Where is John? What's he doing to help people know a new age is coming? He's baptizing them. Where? In the water. In which water? It's got to be the Jordan. The very one they crossed to say goodbye to the wilderness and hello to the promised land. And John's saying, let's die to what we were. You're dying to what you were. You follow that? So Jesus comes along, and John says, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait, wait, you should be baptizing me. Jesus said, no, I have to identify with what went on there. I've got to die to the blood. I've got to die to the wickedness. No, it's right for you to baptize me, because we're identifying with a new order of the world. So Jesus is baptized. The Holy Spirit anoints him. He is pulling down the cross. And he is going to be talking to people. As a matter of fact, he's going to say, if you believe in me, out of you will flow rivers of living water. And when you are baptized, follow this, you are dying to the world, just like when the flood hit Creation was split apart, chaos ended and order began. When you are baptized, you're dying to earth phase two. You're rising to earth phase three that will end in the new heavens and the new earth. Does that make sense? So baptism is a picture of your death to what you were. Just as crossing the Red Sea is a picture of their death to what they were. Everybody see that? He repeats these cycles over and again. So as He's repeating those cycles, we are wise if we look at Him and stop philosophizing about what those might mean, what that might mean, what this is going to do. Stop. Let God speak. This is what He's done. Every time He brings you out of an old order of things, He's bringing you into a new order of things. Alright? Fair enough? Alright. Now let me ask you this. When God called Moses, what did he tell him he was going to do? I'm glad you asked that. Let's go to Exodus chapter 3, okay? Exodus chapter 3. All right. Exodus 3, we're looking at You don't mind I'll go ahead and read it out loud and not say anything about your reading skills or whatever else. But here's what it says. Moreover, God said to Moses, thus you shall say to the children of Israel, the Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob has sent me to you. Why does he need to tell them that? Why is that important? Why does God think that's so important, Moses? We need to tell them that. This is the eternal God who is speaking into time about people who lived at least 400 years before this event. And he's letting them know these guys are alive. These are not dead folk. They're with me. I'm the God of Abraham. I was the God of Abraham. I am the God of Abraham, of Isaac, of Jacob, has sent me to you. This, my name, is my name forever. This is my memorial to all generations. This is how it's supposed to be remembered. I am remembered as, and it's the I am who I am. It's the Y-H-W-H, right? He says, verse 16, go and count the elders of Israel together and say to them, the Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me saying, I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt. And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hittites, and the Jebusites, to a land formed of milk and honey. Now, what is he telling us? Remember, this is people who have been living 400 years in an alien culture. The last time God spoke to any of them was in the days of Joseph. Joseph has been gone a while. Matter of fact, you don't have the same people who knew Joseph there now. That people got conquered by another people, and that people doesn't know who Joseph was. And the people are having to repeat an oral story about Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, as they ask themselves, what are we doing here? How did we get here? Oh, well, let me tell you the story. Now they sit down in my campfire together, and they tell the story of Isaac, and Jacob, and Joseph, and all of those things, so they could repeat it. But nobody's heard it from God for 400 years. And he's coming to tell them, you know those things that you've heard about the campfire? Oh yeah, you mean the mythologies of the world? No, no. You mean the legend? No, no. I mean, that's what actually happened. I am the God that spoke to Abraham. I am the God that spoke to Isaac. I am the God that spoke to Jacob. I am the God that spoke to children. I am Him. You could hear them say, where you been? Where you been when you separated? So to connect them with that idea, he says, I've heard your suffering. So in other words, I'm personal. I know what's going on. I live eternally. I live outside of time, and I'm looking at time, and I'm seeing you guys are in trouble. And I've heard your cries, and I've come down now to deliver you. And it isn't just to deliver you out of a certain slavery situation. He's going to take them back to the land he promised to Abraham You mean this story is not a rumor? No, I've actually given that land to Abraham, and to Isaac, and to Jacob, and now to all of you, and I'm taking you back there. That is a great promise. Now go on, let's see what it says further. 17, no 18. And they will heed your voice, and you shall come, and you shall and the elders of Israel to the king of Egypt, you shall say to him, the Lord God of the Hebrews. Hebrews means water, one who doesn't have a home yet. The Hebrews have met with us. In other words, they want to make it clear, this is not Egyptians. These people are not Egyptians, and they knew that. These are not just aimless wandering folk. These are people who actually have a home. And I'm taking them home. Look what goes on. Now at least let us go three days journey into the wilderness that we may what? the king of Egypt will not let you go, not even by a mighty hand. So I will teach out my hand, or stretch out my hand, and strike Egypt with all my waters, which I will do in its midst. And after that, he will let you go. And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, and it shall be, when you go, that you should not go empty-handed. But every woman shall ask her neighbor, namely a bird, who dwells near her house, articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing, and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters, and you shall plunder the Egyptians." Okay? So, you're going to speak to two groups of people when you get there. You're going to speak to your family, and you're going to remind your family that you are my spokesman, the God who offered Abraham this land, and told Abraham he's going to have this land. I'm coming as your spokesman, I've heard your cries, and I've come to deliver you out and into the land I have promised Abraham. So that's the first group. Second group, you're going to have one of them say, look, let them go. We're going to go into the wilderness three days, and we're going to sacrifice. How do they know about sacrifice? Yes, how do they know about sacrifices? The Egyptians are sacrificing. Have they sacrificed anything? I don't know that they have sacrificed anything. If anything, they're following the culture. Whatever the culture's doing, that's what they're doing. Yes, the Jews did have sacrifices. That much we know from their own literature. They did have sacrifices. So if there's going to be any sacrifices being done by Israel, it's going to be for those pagan gods. And the reason I know that is because by the time you get to Joshua, which is quite a while later, Joshua's telling them, put away the pagan gods you had with you in Egypt. So I know that in the gear they brought back with them from Egypt, they had in their blankets, in their boxes, in their jewelry boxes, whatever else, they had pagan items. Because that's what they had been doing. Now this new unseen God is asking them to come out, and he's telling Pharaoh, let them go so the king can have it. We know that when they left Egypt, God was leading them. Were they being influenced by those gods that they brought along with them? Yes, along the way. I mean, yes. They're bringing back... So it's not only just a metal or a piece of wood that they're bringing. It's actually the representation of those gods. And those gods are like, hey, I'm still hanging with these people. It's also the practices they did with those gods. Because with those practices, there are certain rituals you did every morning to get the sun to come up. There are certain rituals you did every morning to ask the gods to have a picture of you during your day. Okay, now as you have those methods, that's still practiced everywhere. People in the Navajo, Navajo get up, they're door faced to eat, they get up, they take corn pollen and offer the corn pollen, looking for a productive day. Who are they offering it to? They don't have to cry out a name, they just know that someone besides them is greater, and I'm offering to them corn pollen. For many of the Native Americans, what you offered was tobacco. Not the R.J. Reynolds tobacco company that's loaded up with all kinds of other things, but actual real tobacco, which often wasn't necessarily the tobacco link we had. It was a combination of a variety of white birch, different kinds of bees, that's not even important. But they would offer that for any good thing that happened, they stopped an offering. If you were going to ask somebody tobacco. Didn't have to be a lot, but that's what we were supposed to do. So they had those rituals that had been built in them. How do you break a ritual you've been doing all your life? You're being asked to follow an unseen God with a one guy who says he knows the way, and it doesn't seem he's headed the right way. The Egyptians already had a pathway that went to the promised land. They already had one that went across the top of this thing. You know, if you look up there where Jerusalem is, the Egyptians already had a pathway across the top of it that kind of went by the coastlands, through Gaza, up into that promised land. Well, where are you taking us? Well, we're taking you to the promised land. Then why did we go south? The promised land is not south. The promised land is kind of northeast. What are we going this way for? So they're going to be asked to follow a guy who says that he talked to the guy he had saved, who told him this, just follow me. They're going to say, okay, the signs were pretty good. didn't see any God doing anything, but the signs were good. They were real. They were just exactly what Moses said was going to happen. We didn't have frogs. Yes, the river did turn to blood. All those things were real, so they know there's a reality to it. But that doesn't have anything to do with every day. You're not going to get up every day Make a little offering to whoever the gods of that region are. So I've got that practice, it's in me. I'm going to now go across the Red Sea, get over to a region I don't know anything about. Moses knows something about it. He's been a shepherd in that area for a while. So he's going to take us on a journey that goes back up northeast again, after some real important thing takes place. seems to that makes a lot of sense then because you know in my mind not realizing oh they took him with them you know kind of thing you know what happened down at the bottom of the mountain of Sinai yes Moses is receiving those why would you know hey I've always envisioned that when they left Egypt, they recognized who this unseen god was because they just had their firstborn all spared, they saw all these Miracles! Now all of a sudden, okay, we believe in the one true God, you know, but then... they're at the bottom of that hill, and... lo and behold, a golden calf came up, you know. But it makes sense now. They were carrying it, and I'm just wondering, you know, is that applicable to what we do today? Isn't that strange? You should really look at that. Hang on just a second. Dang it! Okay? They follow the one true God. We don't know that yet. May I say, they don't know that yet. Why? Because there are how many gods in Egypt? And now, one bigger and powerful than them has done something. But that doesn't mean he's the one true God. You can have multiplicities of gods. That, if you understand that, you understand what he just told them as the first commandment. which we'll get to in just a minute. This is not what they were used to do. When you look at Israel, don't look at them as some innocent folk that had no gods at all, who had been abandoned by the one true God. Yeah, well, yes, you remember when When Jacob left with his two wives, he got pursued by Dad. Dad said, where are you going with my kids? Well, at least give me my gods back. I don't have your gods. Well, in fact, he did. Rachel's sitting on them. She's bringing the gods with her. So they were always plagued. This is a people who's always been plagued by Abraham leaving that behind as the first one to come away, this new God, of his family. But that God was being worshipped already in the Promised Land by a guy named Melchizedek. So it's not that he wasn't known. Melchizedek is known as the Most High God. That's what Abraham is going to come to know him as. How can you have a most high God if there are not some others that you are the most high of? You follow what I'm saying? I know evolution has affected us so much, we keep thinking that people at first were animistic. They just believed everything was God. And then they kind of congealed that a little bit to where it's polytheistic, that there's lots of gods, and a lot of the animism got shoved into a single god, a single person here, a single person there. And then they became a little more binary about things. You've got a good god, you've got a bad god. You may have just four or five gods. And then we evolved into this whole idea of monotheism. No. that was all going on at the same time. Non-evolution, and it all started right back here. That's why these are not stories you are told in the Bible. They are accounts of history. They are accounts of what happened to us and how we got to be where we are. They are the account of God redeeming people from that history back to what really is true. I am the Most High God. Yes, I have created beings that I put in charge of you that you turn to deities. I didn't say they could be deities. And they've accepted your worship as if they were deities. This is a cognitive. So, I'm bringing you out of that, out of that, what's that word I used? Chaos, into the order of things. So, here's what we can know. They were supposed to, he was given an order that those people would be let go to go into the wilderness to serve God in the wilderness. That was it from the beginning. You follow that? Now, let's skip over to another verse here. Let's go over to Exodus 12. Exodus 12. Let's come down to verse 30 and 32. And here, Exodus 12, 30 and 32, we now have the firstborn have died. It's over. Verse 30 says, so Pharaoh rose in the night. He and all his servants and all the Egyptians, there was a great cry in Egypt, but there was not a house where there was not one dead. Then he called for Moses and Aaron by night and said, rise, go out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel, and go serve the Lord as you have said. Also take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be glad. Bless thee also. Okay? So, the thing they were asked in the beginning, let me go out and serve, is now being granted to them. It took them some persuasion, but that's being granted to them now. So they're being granted this privilege of leading. And please, take your flocks, take your herds. Matter of fact, here's some other jewels. Get out of here! We're glad to see you going. And just like God had said, you will plunder the Egyptians. Now the plundering of the Egyptians... You'll hear this again this morning, I feel sure. The plundering of the Egyptians was in order to redeem what the Egyptians had stolen from God. Get this, who owns the gold? And for what purpose is it supposed to be used? He didn't declare war. Do you follow that? We put value on it. We put value on this yellow metal. But really it's just kind of pretty. It does good stuff with the electronics we have today. But it's not really, it's too soft. It doesn't make a good weapon. It doesn't even make a good pot and pan. You have to mix something with it so that it's not just pure gold. It's got something mixed with it to harden stuff a little bit. and the silver and all that stuff. Why would God want them to plunder the Egyptians? Because the Egyptians had misused that stuff. They had shaped it into idols, lucky charms, all that kind of stuff. Now, he's taking back what was his that had been abused and defiled. And they are going to melt it down, and it's now going to become the building materials of the tabernacle. Follow that? He just translated all those resources into something that would be valuable to the tabernacle itself. Everybody okay with that? Okay, so if that's what God sent them to do, and now Pharaoh's finally agreed to it, they're supposed to go out and serve them. How, after all these years of following the culture of Egypt, do you serve the unseen God, who really never even told Abraham how to serve Him? Because they really didn't know Him yet. If you don't have somebody to teach you, you're not going to get it. So He takes them out into the wilderness, away from... and He doesn't do it right away. It takes 50 days. Can you imagine camping for 50 days? Camping is a fun recreation, right? But when camping becomes a lifestyle, that takes a little bit of getting used to and a certain quality and character that you're going to have to develop. Because the conveniences are gone. You've got to create things to make things easier for you. Follow that? So 50 days of being in that wilderness, He calls them together. Now if you would, go to Exodus 19. It says, in the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day they came to the wilderness of Sinai. So they had departed from Rephidim and had come to the wilderness of Sinai, camped in the wilderness. So Israel camped there before the mountain. And Moses went up to God, and the Lord called him from the mountain, saying, Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel, You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings, and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice, and keep my covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to me above all people. For all the earth is mine, and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel. So Moses came and called the elders of the people and made before them all these words which the Lord commanded. Then all the people answered together and said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do. So Moses brought back the words to the people of the Lord. And the Lord said to Moses, Behold, I come to you in the thick cloud, and that the people may hear what I speak with you and believe you forever. So Moses told the words of the people to the Lord. Then the Lord said to Moses, Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes. Let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day, the Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. You should set bounds for all the people all around, saying, take heed to yourselves that you do not go up to the mountain or touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. Not a hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stolen or shot with an arrow. Whether man or beast, he shall not live. When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come near the mountain. So Moses goes down and explains all that. I want you to get the picture. Here you go. He's brought them to a mountain. He's got to explain to them what does it mean to serve the unseen God. I'm going to give you all the practices that it takes to serve me. So everything you know about Egyptian right now, drop it. And the symbol of doing that is just stop right here, go to the river, wash your clothes. Take the dirt of Egypt off you. Take the dirt of your wandering off of you. Don't touch your wives. Don't come near anybody. Don't do anything. Just cool it. And that's what they're supposed to do. And that's what they have to do. Now I want you to get the picture. Before God shows them what He wants, there is a prep time they're responsible for. He's not asking them to come in just as you are. Get cleaned up. Get yourself sanctified. Get yourself in a holy idea. It's going to take two days. On the third day, I'm going to come and deal with you. And it's on the third day he's going to lay out for them that which we've come to see. So let's go on further in Exodus 19. There's a whole bunch here about that he's going to say. Let's see where I'm going to... Once again in verse 21, The Lord said, Moses, go down and warn the people, lest they break through to gaze at the Lord, and many of them perish. They wanted to see what the Lord looked like. And because that natural curiosity was there, they were going to break the rules. They wanted to see what it looked like, so they were willing to break the rules. And he said, warn them. And also, let the priests who come near the Lord consecrate themselves, lest the Lord break out against them. Now, here's something significant. There are no priests. at least not coveted priests. But there are priests among them. They already had elders and people who were somehow conveying back and forth to the Lord or doing religious services for them. He's about to convert those priests into real God priests. But Moses said to the Lord, to the people, come up to Mount Sinai, and you mourn his name, set bounds. Then the Lord said, away, get down and then come up, you and Aaron with you. But do not let the people break through and come up. So, Lord. So, verse 20 then tells us what this covenant is with them. Here's where it starts, or chapter 20. And God spoke all these words, I am the Lord's God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. Now look, if there wasn't a possibility of them having other gods, how could he say to them, you shall have no other gods? It's because he knows in their tents, what do they have? All those other gods. And you don't use them as your back pocket just in case. Just in case this thing with God fails. Ah, guess what? Here is my little idol. Kids, we're all right. We'll just hold up the little idol, and the little idol will save us in this mess that we're in right now. No, there's no back pocket. You'll have no other gods before you. Put it away. And don't make an image of me. Why would he say that? Because the people were used to having images that they looked at. He's saying make no image of me. Why should they make no image of him? They are his image. Don't try to create what the unseen God looks like because what you're going to do in creating what the unseen God looks like is lie. It will be a blasphemous lie. You will create something out of your imagination and you're going to do it like you do the other gods. How do you make idols of the other gods? Isn't it peculiar that the people who were seacoast people who depended on fishing who depended on all kinds of things like that should have a God that is half fish and half man. Wow! How strange is that? It isn't! They are taking, making an image of the things they need the most. They will make images of the things that represent strength to them. That's why they're going to create the bull. That's why it's going to be the golden calf. Because in the golden calf to them, that represented them fertility. The bull was a fierce, fierce reproducer. And it was intense when he reproduced with cows. We want that kind of strength as ours. Calves would come. That's how you build your herd. So your idol is going to naturally be a bull. Stop avoiding anything. There is no image of Baal. I mean, there's no picture of Baal. Why? He also is a spirit. A shape-shifting spirit. And will be what you need him to be. Does that make sense to you? These things don't have a form of their own. Is that why it says you worship the Baals? that there's multiple? Yes, because there would be. There's Baal Peor. There's Baal, because the word Baal just means Lord. That's all that word really means. But when you have, you could have the Baal of the Syrians. You could have, like I said, Baal Peor. That was the one that Balaam tricked them into worshiping. The Baals followed him all over the place. They were lords. But often those lords took on another name. Why did they offer their children to them? Because the children represent... Why did God take the children to the Lord? The children represent the strength of the next generation. The children represent an ongoing continuity. So if I offer up my firstborn, I'm looking now that I don't have 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 9th, because I'm giving you my 1stborn. Does that make sense to you? I'm telling you by having my 1stborn, you're going to protect all my 2nd to 150th. So I'm going to offer you my 1stborn. It's going to be their children. Let's see where we can go. I'm going to have another gospel morning. Don't make an image of me. And you can start talking to me about why you should honor your mother and your father. Now, I want you to follow with me on this. Honoring your mother and father is not simply honoring the people who brought you into the world. Because they didn't just appear one day. Where did they come from? Oh, their mother and father. Which came from? Their mother and father. Which means there is a family heritage going on there, right? And what you're supposed to do is as you honor your mother and father, you're not simply honoring two people, you're honoring the past. You're honoring everything that brought you to this place right here. You wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them. So he's writing down all these things that are going to be in their covenant. And he's bringing it to them and saying, are you willing to do this? 10 things. Just 10 things. And they're saying, seems reasonable. Yep, we'll do it. Go tell them we'll do it. Now, the others that are explanations, applications, interpretations of the first 10. It's not new regulations. It's simply saying, thou shalt not steal. What does it mean if you steal? So, you're going to see some of the material there. It's all about the explanation about what stealing is. How not to steal. If it's going to be honor of the Sabbath, it's what you're supposed to do. What kind of things do honor the Sabbath? What kind of things is common work? What kind of things do you not do? What's a holy convocation look like? That's all he did was explain what all that is. Why? So God's going to take them out there and teach them how to do it. Now I'm telling you all that so you can get built up to this. He gave them the tabernacle to teach them how he wants to be worshipped and served. And that tabernacle's not something of its own. It's a model of the one that's in heaven. Okay? And he's told to make it exactly like the one you see in heaven. So that's what he's doing down here. He's making this thing. This over here. This over here. This thing is what the scriptures call a shadow of the things to come. Because it's a real tabernacle that you're going to be in one day. Does that make sense to you? That's a real tabernacle. That's the big one above. That's why he's going to tell the woman at the well, look. It's not going to be the shadows down here that are found on Mount Zion. It's not the shadows that are found on Mount Gerizim. It's not any of the shadows. You're going to worship me in spirit and truth. That's the way it's going to be. Because there is a bigger tabernacle than the shadows reveal to you. Will we get into the Holy of Holies? I'm sorry. Holy of Holies. Will we, we will be able to go in? Yes. Oh yeah. That's why he took the veil. The veil on the day that Jesus died was torn from top to bottom. If it was going to be a human doing it, it's bottom to top. It's not humans that do it. It's God that tore the veil. Indicating the invitation to come and be in His presence is now open. You don't have to be a high priest coming with blood, because the blood is already done. You accept my son, you have the blood. You accept my son, you have the sacrifice. You accept my son, you have the relationship. And I'm putting everything on him. Why? He is the tabernacle. He is the tabernacle. And that's what we want to study. of what He is. It teaches us what God wants from people who come to serve Him and worship Him. It's that that we need to have every day of our lives, not just on Sunday, but even more intensified on Sunday because I'm meeting with all the other worshipers on Sunday. And we're edifying each other and learning from each other. What is God like? What did the Eternal One teach you this week about Him? That's why there are so many testimonies, so many stories. Why? Because we don't learn the other way. He could not give us, it's not a reference book that He is. We won't get it unless we can see Him. So when we see Him, we're going to recognize Him as Yahweh, Yira. I wish I had brought one with me. John Flabel is a pyrrhic writer. 16 something to 17 something. I don't remember that. I'll bring the quote next week. Beautiful quote. Where he talks about what the Holy Spirit does to witness life in us. And he made this statement. It's a beautiful statement. You cannot know the Holy Spirit in his essence. You can only know him in his operations. only know him in his operations. If I could say it, the essence is what something is in itself. The essence of God I can't know because I'm not that essence. The Father, the Son, And Jesus invited me to be in a union with Him, but I can't be in a full essence union with Him, because I'm a created thing. And it's not my essence to be eternal. His essence is to be eternal. But He can't share that with me. He can give me eternal life, that would let me share in His life, But he can't make me God. Follow that? There's no way to share that if he did that. But we're in his presence. Yeah, but we're in his presence. Only way to be in that presence is by his operation, he's changed you to be in it. Does that make sense to you? Yes. I know it's kind of a heavy concept, but you can't know God in his essence, you can know him in his operations. I'm trying to go along with the verse, men will know him as he is. I'm an offshoot of Him, and He can give me His operations. He can cause me, as Peter says, you are partakers of the divine nature. Yep, I can enter it. I can be filled with the Spirit, but I'm not the Spirit because I'm filled with the Spirit. I can be a son of God, an offshoot of Him, because I am part me and part Him. only in its operations. Jesus said it this way, how can I tell you about what spiritual life is? The wind comes and it blows. Where does it come from? I don't know. What is the wind? I don't know, moving air. Well, be wind. I can't be wind. How do you know wind? It's operations. I know wind by what it does, but I don't know wind as it is. Does that make sense to you? Except for a lot of false preachers, they go off the bat and they say, well, because you're in love with the Holy Spirit, you are a god. There's a lot of false teaching on that in this day and age, because they misunderstand what it is. Let me share with you some of the things that we've taken off on, inadvertently, without meaning to. We say, spiritual gifts are done. Well, what do the spiritual gifts do? They were miraculous expressions of God, right? So if they don't exist, does God do anything miraculous? And we took the logical steps right away to say, there's nothing left to us but the intellect. So if you can say the right answers, you are a believer. What's meant by glorification then? If I'm not going to be like Jesus, what's the point? It's just up to me to do my own efforts to try to act as much like Jesus as I can. Folks, that's big leaf aprons. That's not truth. The truth is, look at this, go to Old Shepard Bay. Now stop just a minute. What does his son look like? Now his son is his son by essence and by operation. Does that make sense? Now watch, go a little further. We might be conformed to the image of his son. That he might be the firstborn among any brethren. So there's going to be people that are just like him, right? Moreover, whom he predestined, these he also called. Whom he called, these he also justified. And whom he justified, these he also glorified. Glorified? Yes, if we're going to be made like Jesus. 1 John says it this way. Brethren, it does not interfere what we shall be, but we know that when we see Him, we shall be like Him. So how do you think we're going to see Jesus? 2 Corinthians 3, the end of it says, we're going through a lot of struggles. Yes, but here's what we know. Though our outward man is decaying, our inward man is being renewed day by day, going from glory to glory. And may I tell you that's in the passage talking about Moses coming down from the mountain in the presence of God and glowing with God's glory. A glory he couldn't sustain. Without being in the presence of God he couldn't sustain it. Here's what I'm telling you. Glorification means you are going to be just like It's not to go to heaven as a little you washed up. It's not going to heaven with a little you getting a new set of clothes to put on to that little washed up body. No, it's you being changed into the image of Almighty God. Glowing, sharing in the same glory. When Christ with our lives shall appear, then shall we also appear with Him in glory. It is a complete change of you. You follow that? You are a new order of being. What you're going through now are the wilderness wanderings of the... If you get it, it's the same story. You have this little visible story of the children of Israel coming out of Egypt. You came to God and he said, here we're coming with you. Believe my son. Do you want to do that? Yes? OK. Here are the terms. Love me with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself. Go. Wait, whoa, whoa, whoa. Where's the other 600? Nope. That's it. Love me with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And two, love your neighbor as yourself. Go. But, but, but, I want to do something. love me with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, love your neighbor as yourself. Go! Well, how's that going to work? You get it. I promise you. I'm going to bring enough unlikable people into your life so that you'll have to love your neighbor as yourself. I'm going to bring enough suffering into your life so that you'll say, how can I do it all by myself? Welcome. Come on in. Love your neighbor with all your heart. You understand what I'm saying? The whole team. Go back and re-read all those journey travels they went through and start smiling and saying, I did that last week. Yep, I had that one two weeks ago. Oh, that was five years ago. I really fucked on that one. And you'll know why you're still wondering. You understand? Because there's nothing new in this. And there's nothing weird and peculiar about it. He already told you. Look back here. Follow these guys. This is how you can understand the eternal theme. This is how I'm going to tell you, you can seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. And the other things will be added to you. This is actually how you do it. But if you're going to keep trying to seek first how to take care of yourself, then I'm just going to have to sit here and say, OK, I'll keep your sandals good. I'll keep your clothes OK. Walk around, dude. When you get tired of walking, stop. Turn back and look at me. I'm right here. Didn't go anyplace. You ready to do it my way now? I guess. Nah, walk some more. Until you come to say, in poverty of the spirit, I can't do this. You ready to trust me? OK. And he does. Are you following what I'm going through? It's not a new thing we're looking at. He did a lesson for us. What a great lesson. About 500 years of lesson there for us that we can pick up on and start learning right away. I don't want to do that. I can see what happens if you go that direction. Nope. I can see what happens if you go that direction. God help me. Thank you. I'll go. And we don't. Fair enough? Father, thank you so much for the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you so much for a beautiful day, the Lord Jesus. Thank you so much that you have loved us so much, you've given us instruction, you've given us guidance, you've given us your word, your promises, your promise, and the Holy Spirit to make that life happen. Thank you for what you're doing in us, Lord, in Jesus' name.