WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:05.919 So another aspect of Summerfest that we had was this partnership with a uh with an organization called Destiny Rescue. 00:00:06.000 --> 00:00:16.079 And Destiny Rescue is a Christian organization that seeks to rescue children from being exploited all around the world and out of human trafficking. 00:00:16.559 --> 00:00:19.359 So with us here, we have a whole rescue weekend. 00:00:19.440 --> 00:00:24.719 So something they do is call a rescue Sunday where someone will come from Destiny Rescue and actually preach at a church. 00:00:25.039 --> 00:00:25.920 So that's happening today. 00:00:26.000 --> 00:00:30.239 And so we're excited to welcome David Greve with us, and I'll just tell you a little bit about him. 00:00:30.399 --> 00:00:44.640 David Greve is an ordained minister who currently serves as a director of church engagement at Destiny Rescue, an international Christian nonprofit organization that rescues children from exploitation and human trafficking and equips them to stay free. 00:00:44.880 --> 00:00:49.679 Before joining Destiny Rescue, David served as a pat in pastoral ministry for 25 years. 00:00:49.840 --> 00:00:53.359 David has spoken at schools, churches, and conferences across the country. 00:00:53.520 --> 00:01:08.000 David is also the author of two books, Son of David and Reclaim the Crown, geared towards helping men live out their calling to be godly, kingly, noble men who will lead and serve their ladies in their lives and raise up the next generation into Father God's care. 00:01:08.319 --> 00:01:12.719 So we are super excited to hear from David this morning about Destiny Rescue. 00:01:12.799 --> 00:01:17.120 Before he comes up, I'm going to read the passage that he will be preaching out of this morning. 00:01:17.519 --> 00:01:21.840 I just want to say for myself, I love how we've been doing these more and more of these scripture readings. 00:01:21.920 --> 00:01:24.159 I think there's power in the spoken word of God. 00:01:24.239 --> 00:01:29.519 And in 1 Timothy 4, Paul actually tells Timothy to devote yourself to public readings of Scripture. 00:01:29.599 --> 00:01:32.959 So I think it is important that we do hear Scripture read out loud. 00:01:33.120 --> 00:01:40.799 So I'm going to be reading from the book of Exodus, chapter 3, verses 7 to the end, and then two verses, the first two verses in chapter 4. 00:01:40.959 --> 00:01:47.920 So if you are able, I would invite you to stand for the Word of God this morning, and I will read the passage. 00:01:52.959 --> 00:02:01.519 Then the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. 00:02:01.840 --> 00:02:20.319 I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them out of the land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 00:02:20.960 --> 00:02:28.719 And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppressed them. 00:02:29.280 --> 00:02:35.680 Come, I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt. 00:02:36.400 --> 00:02:42.080 But Moses said to God, Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt? 00:02:42.479 --> 00:02:47.599 He said, But I will be with you, and this shall be a sign for you that I have sent you. 00:02:47.840 --> 00:02:52.719 When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain. 00:02:53.199 --> 00:03:03.039 Then Moses said to God, If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they ask me what is his name, what shall I say to them? 00:03:03.680 --> 00:03:05.599 God said to Moses, I am who I am. 00:03:06.080 --> 00:03:10.639 And he said, Say this to the people of Israel, I am has sent me to you. 00:03:11.520 --> 00:03:21.919 God also said to Moses, Say this to the people of Israel, the Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob has sent me to you. 00:03:22.240 --> 00:03:26.879 This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations. 00:03:27.840 --> 00:03:54.479 Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt, and I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey. 00:03:54.719 --> 00:04:09.599 And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us, and now please let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. 00:04:09.759 --> 00:04:14.400 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand. 00:04:14.719 --> 00:04:19.120 So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it. 00:04:19.360 --> 00:04:24.720 After that he will let you go, and I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. 00:04:24.959 --> 00:04:27.439 And when you go, you shall not go empty. 00:04:27.680 --> 00:04:34.319 But each woman shall ask of her neighbor, and any woman who lives in her house, for silver and gold, jewelry, and clothing. 00:04:34.720 --> 00:04:39.439 You shall put them on your sons and on your daughters, so you shall plunder the Egyptians. 00:04:40.160 --> 00:04:47.199 Then Moses answered, But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, The Lord did not appear to you. 00:04:47.439 --> 00:04:50.319 But the Lord said to him, What is that in your hand? 00:04:50.800 --> 00:04:55.120 He said, A staff, the word of the Lord, you may be seated. 00:04:57.199 --> 00:04:58.399 Thank you, Tim. 00:04:58.639 --> 00:04:59.839 I agree with you, Tim. 00:04:59.920 --> 00:05:06.879 Um having scripture read before a message is a very uh beautiful thing. 00:05:07.040 --> 00:05:10.560 Um the church I attend in Fort Wayne, Indiana does that as well. 00:05:10.720 --> 00:05:13.519 So I think it's a beautiful thing that you guys have been doing. 00:05:14.240 --> 00:05:25.040 Say thank you to Tim, to Pastor Bob and Pastor Dave, and the staff here at Millton Baptist Church for having me here with you guys and for you guys saying yes to help rescue kids. 00:05:25.279 --> 00:05:32.319 Um it's also amazing to know that you guys are celebrating 175 years as a church. 00:05:32.560 --> 00:05:37.600 So if it's an anniversary, if it's a birthday, however you want to look at that, that's just an amazing thing. 00:05:37.680 --> 00:05:48.399 And I know the um the special value of looking back at what a church has done for its over its course of time, but then also looking towards the future. 00:05:48.560 --> 00:05:54.000 The church that I pastored in Indiana for 17 years got to celebrate the 50th and 60th anniversaries there. 00:05:54.160 --> 00:05:59.439 And the church that I grew up in in Washington State uh is right now celebrating its 100th anniversary. 00:05:59.600 --> 00:06:04.000 And uh it's awesome to watch what they're doing there and hearing the stories. 00:06:04.079 --> 00:06:07.920 And I'm like, I remember when, I remember when for the time that I was in that church. 00:06:08.000 --> 00:06:09.120 So that's a beautiful thing. 00:06:09.279 --> 00:06:12.000 I also got to see the tree that Amy made. 00:06:12.160 --> 00:06:20.639 What a beautiful uh memorial, if you will, of what uh God has done and is doing here at Millington. 00:06:20.800 --> 00:06:26.240 Uh this year's been a big year for the Greef family as well, just as a big year for you guys as a church. 00:06:26.319 --> 00:06:30.000 Um, my wife and I celebrated 30 years of marriage in May. 00:06:30.160 --> 00:06:31.279 And oh, thank you. 00:06:31.439 --> 00:06:31.759 Thank you. 00:06:31.839 --> 00:06:32.720 I got a woo-hoo. 00:06:32.959 --> 00:06:35.600 Uh second first service didn't give me a woo-hoo, so thank you. 00:06:35.680 --> 00:06:37.120 I'll I received that. 00:06:37.360 --> 00:06:44.879 So uh and also in view of marriage, my oldest daughter, Bailey, uh, she got married on August 28th. 00:06:45.040 --> 00:06:47.519 So uh she's been married for about a week. 00:06:47.680 --> 00:06:55.279 Um and I had the joy and honor of officiating the wedding, and it was a beautiful time that we got to celebrate. 00:06:55.360 --> 00:06:57.199 Uh the we did it at our house. 00:06:57.279 --> 00:07:02.879 We have a pond out back, and we have a enough uh we have about three-quarters of an acre, so enough space to have a reception. 00:07:03.120 --> 00:07:05.360 It was just an amazing, beautiful time. 00:07:05.519 --> 00:07:24.079 And not to be uh uh overlooked or anything, my youngest daughter, Savannah, she uh spent two months in Thailand this year, this summer, doing an internship, teaching English as a second language, as well as doing other things all across uh she was in northern uh Thailand as well as in Bangkok for a good chunk of her time there. 00:07:24.240 --> 00:07:31.120 And uh so it was so great to have her um come when she came back to hear all the stories and everything, and I was praying for her as she was going through. 00:07:31.360 --> 00:07:32.560 So we've had a lot going on. 00:07:32.639 --> 00:07:43.279 Uh, she's also a senior at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana, where my uh bride, uh Shamie, she works there, she's been working there for 10 years in the School of Theology and Ministry. 00:07:43.439 --> 00:07:47.759 Uh, I've already met some individuals that uh have people who go to Taylor University. 00:07:47.839 --> 00:07:52.959 And just to let you know, if you don't know what that means, they're the arch rivals of Indiana Wesley University. 00:07:53.120 --> 00:08:00.720 So uh when I was pastoring in that area for 17 years, we actually had students from Iwo and from Taylor attending our church. 00:08:00.800 --> 00:08:09.360 And uh so that's been I've always had already had connections for Iowa as well as had connections, Pastor Bob, and I realized we both he he knows where I grew up, Renton, Washington. 00:08:09.519 --> 00:08:13.439 And it's just kind of an amazing thing that when we had this conversation yesterday, that they're along those things. 00:08:13.519 --> 00:08:18.480 Anyways, that has nothing to do with preaching, it's just kind of a great thing that you find these connections and relationships that happen. 00:08:18.639 --> 00:08:30.000 Um, my pastor in Las Vegas, where I was a youth pastor for eight years, once told me, he said, ministry flows out of relationships, and that is so true even today, and with what happened with Summerfest and all that's been taking place. 00:08:30.160 --> 00:08:30.720 So thank you. 00:08:30.879 --> 00:08:37.120 Thank you for not just having a rescue Sunday, but having a rescue weekend and being able to say yes to help rescue kids. 00:08:37.200 --> 00:08:39.600 Uh, I've appreciated it so very much. 00:08:39.759 --> 00:08:41.679 Um, and even flowing out of relationships. 00:08:41.759 --> 00:08:44.480 I think Christy Gall works here at Millington Baptist. 00:08:44.720 --> 00:08:48.639 Her brother is a pastor in Union, and that's where part of the connection happened. 00:08:48.720 --> 00:08:53.120 I actually do rescue Sundays at the Crossroads Christian Fellowship in Union. 00:08:53.200 --> 00:08:56.320 Um, and I'll be back here in November to be with them as well. 00:08:56.559 --> 00:08:59.200 So um a lot of things connect us in that way. 00:08:59.360 --> 00:09:05.279 Anyways, I want to get us started with today's message, and today's message is entitled Rescued to Rescue. 00:09:05.440 --> 00:09:07.840 And I want to open it up with a question. 00:09:08.240 --> 00:09:13.600 Have you ever realized that your story is a rescue story? 00:09:13.840 --> 00:09:20.159 You see, Jesus came down to earth to set you and me free from the penalty of sin. 00:09:20.399 --> 00:09:28.240 And when he died and rose from the grave, he gave us the offer of rescue and freedom. 00:09:28.639 --> 00:09:36.960 All we need to do is say yes to the offer and begin to live our life in the freedom he has promised for all of us. 00:09:37.279 --> 00:09:38.960 So maybe that's you here today. 00:09:39.120 --> 00:09:46.480 Maybe today you can have your own rescue Sunday because today you'll say yes to Jesus and have your own rescue story. 00:09:46.720 --> 00:09:51.600 I was in a Baptist church when I was four years old in preschool and I said yes to Jesus. 00:09:51.759 --> 00:09:55.279 And then it was in 1979 when I got baptized, and so put that out. 00:09:55.440 --> 00:09:59.360 I was five years old when I got baptized at my church there at Renton First Baptist. 00:09:59.600 --> 00:10:04.240 And it's uh a treasure to be able to have that moment in our lives, right? 00:10:04.399 --> 00:10:06.000 When we say yes to Jesus. 00:10:06.240 --> 00:10:08.639 Think about that moment, your own rescue story. 00:10:08.799 --> 00:10:11.679 And maybe today some of you can have that today. 00:10:11.919 --> 00:10:17.360 See, at Destiny Rescue, we make that life of freedom possible for children all over the world. 00:10:17.519 --> 00:10:22.960 And in the pursuit of rescuing children, we have also rescued young adults and adults. 00:10:23.120 --> 00:10:26.399 And I simply reference that because of the story we'll talk about in just a moment. 00:10:26.559 --> 00:10:37.759 But what I want to let you know, the the the exciting news to tell you that in 2025, Destiny Rescue, we rescued 5,738 people. 00:10:38.080 --> 00:10:41.519 I want you to put that in perspective very simply for the what that means. 00:10:41.679 --> 00:10:46.480 It means on average, on a daily basis, we rescued 16 people every day. 00:10:46.720 --> 00:10:52.000 And of those 16 people, 10 of those would be children under the age of 18. 00:10:52.240 --> 00:10:54.399 And you can see the graphic behind me. 00:10:54.559 --> 00:10:56.879 This actually shows you what we've done since 2011. 00:10:57.120 --> 00:11:00.240 You see the exponential increase of our rescues. 00:11:00.480 --> 00:11:06.639 And we've actually rescued over 3,500 people this year so far, about mid-August is when that number came out. 00:11:06.799 --> 00:11:11.519 And we've rescued over 28,000 people since 2011. 00:11:11.759 --> 00:11:24.960 And those things happen because of churches like Millington Baptist Church, because of Pastors Bob and Pastor Dave and Tim and others saying yes to help rescue. 00:11:25.440 --> 00:11:29.039 So Daya was one of those adults that we rescued. 00:11:29.279 --> 00:11:34.159 You see, she cried out for help, having been trafficked and trapped in a brothel. 00:11:34.480 --> 00:11:44.559 And our agents were able to raid that brothel and offer rescue to Daya, but not just her, also her 11-year-old daughter. 00:11:45.039 --> 00:11:57.759 The great news is that she moved to a new community, she started a farm, and Daya is now a successful businesswoman that provides for her and her daughter. 00:11:58.000 --> 00:12:05.440 They both are still free and they no longer are facing the vulnerabilities that once put them there in the first place. 00:12:05.679 --> 00:12:22.240 Here's the interesting thing about Daya and her rescue story is that when she accepted that offer of rescue, she told our rescue agent that she promised that one day in the future she would do whatever she could to help other girls that are facing that same fate that she endured. 00:12:22.399 --> 00:12:27.360 And I want you to remember that because we're going to come back to Daya's story. 00:12:27.600 --> 00:12:33.679 The reality about human trafficking, it is one of the fastest-growing industries, crime industries in the world. 00:12:33.919 --> 00:12:38.879 And over a million children are still victims of that exploitation today. 00:12:39.200 --> 00:12:41.039 So, what does Destiny Rescue do? 00:12:41.200 --> 00:12:48.879 Tim mentioned it in my bio, but it's very simply we rescue children from exploitation and trafficking, and we equip them to stay free. 00:12:49.039 --> 00:12:52.080 And I make the point that rescue is not our end goal. 00:12:52.320 --> 00:12:53.360 Her freedom is. 00:12:53.600 --> 00:13:02.320 And if you hear me say her so many times, it's because the average rescue, uh the average age of a rescue is a 15 or 16-year-old girl. 00:13:02.480 --> 00:13:05.840 And yes, we've rescued younger and we've rescued older than that. 00:13:06.080 --> 00:13:06.960 Where do we rescue? 00:13:07.039 --> 00:13:08.480 That's a question that people would ask. 00:13:08.559 --> 00:13:15.440 And the map behind me shows you the five regions in the world in which we rescue, two in Asia, two in Africa, and in Latin America. 00:13:15.600 --> 00:13:19.919 And then honestly, then the question comes out of that is well, what about the United States? 00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:28.879 And I can tell you that it grieves our heart whenever we learn about what's taking place in the United States, in other places, whether it's right here in New Jersey or other uh areas. 00:13:29.039 --> 00:13:37.679 And in fact, a couple years ago, I live in Grant County, Indiana, and there were a few girls who were almost trafficked into another state, but our sheriff's department stopped them. 00:13:38.159 --> 00:13:43.120 And what you need to know is that we collaborate with the FBI in what's called online exploitation of children. 00:13:43.200 --> 00:13:48.000 So we have a counter-OSEC team that works with the FBI and will collaborate with them. 00:13:48.159 --> 00:13:54.320 Whenever we find users in the states viewing content that we discover in other countries, we let the FBI know. 00:13:54.399 --> 00:14:05.279 And then the vice versa, when the FBI uh finds there are traffickers that are giving content to individuals in the United States, and then they will reach out to us and say, hey, can you hunt down this trafficker? 00:14:05.360 --> 00:14:13.039 And we'll collaborate with the law enforcement in those countries, and we will help get that trafficker arrested and rescue the kids that are being exploited in that way. 00:14:13.120 --> 00:14:14.480 And so that's a lot of what we do. 00:14:14.559 --> 00:14:20.960 There's other things I can share with you uh privately at my table in regards to the United States, but that's the heart of what takes place. 00:14:21.120 --> 00:14:22.879 And so there's even ways that we rescue. 00:14:22.960 --> 00:14:24.240 And I mentioned OSEC. 00:14:24.399 --> 00:14:26.720 I mentioned the OSEC is one of the ways we rescue. 00:14:26.799 --> 00:14:32.080 We have a counter-OSEC team that does that relentlessly looking for content and helping rescue. 00:14:32.159 --> 00:14:34.879 But beyond OSEC, we also have our border rescue. 00:14:34.960 --> 00:14:36.960 Uh, our border rescue is along the border of Nepal. 00:14:37.039 --> 00:14:48.960 We have female rescue agents that have the authority to stop anyone at the border before they cross that border to be able to say, Are you going because it's a false job, it's a false shopping trip, whatever the reason, false relationship, whatever it may be. 00:14:49.120 --> 00:14:57.759 When we are able to stop them and check what's going on, whether they're in a bus, they're in a rickshaw, whether they're walking across the border, and then we'll reunite them with their mom and dad. 00:14:57.919 --> 00:15:00.080 Uh and then so the covert work is also another way. 00:15:00.159 --> 00:15:02.000 And covert work kind of looks like two different ways. 00:15:02.159 --> 00:15:21.200 One is literally we go into the brothers, bars, beer gardens, uh, often with hidden cameras, and we're going into those places to look for the girls who are being exploited, and we're gathering intel so that we can take it to the local law enforcement or national law enforcement, and they will get the warrants, and we'll go back and be able to rescue the kids and they will arrest the traffickers. 00:15:21.519 --> 00:15:34.320 Or it's as simple as we build relationships with community leaders and high-risk communities, and we can go into those places, they show us and let us know where the girls that are offering themselves simply so that they can eat tomorrow. 00:15:34.559 --> 00:15:36.879 It's that uh drastic of a situation. 00:15:37.039 --> 00:15:39.519 We can offer them rescue and they bravely say yes. 00:15:39.679 --> 00:15:46.480 And then we do raids, and that's often times where it's on multiple locations, getting hit at the same time, collaborate with law enforcement. 00:15:46.639 --> 00:15:51.759 I do want to let you guys know a couple of quotes that to kind of get to the heart of Destiny Rescue. 00:15:51.840 --> 00:16:04.159 And one of the and our collaboration, we've heard from law enforcement that say that Destiny Rescue, we work with them because they don't care about uh getting the credit, they care about getting the kids. 00:16:04.399 --> 00:16:10.799 I've met a missionary who's in Thailand and he wasn't and he actually was at a national conference of another denomination. 00:16:10.960 --> 00:16:15.759 And when we were there, he goes, I've met you guys and I've met other teams, and you guys do it the right way. 00:16:16.000 --> 00:16:25.440 And I met a young lady who graduated from Indiana Wesleyan last year, but also had the opportunity to be on our border uh on the border of Nepal and see the rescue work in action for two weeks. 00:16:25.679 --> 00:16:30.320 I asked her, What would what would you have me tell people that I meet, churches that I go to? 00:16:30.399 --> 00:16:38.799 And she said, You could tell them that it was crystal clear the gospel living out through your rescue agents because of how they were handling things. 00:16:39.039 --> 00:16:44.159 And so I want to let you know that everything we do is biblically mandated and it is gospel centered. 00:16:44.320 --> 00:16:48.320 And I can know that even because I've heard that from the front lines. 00:16:48.720 --> 00:16:54.879 But just like your story is a rescue story, my story is a rescue story. 00:16:55.200 --> 00:16:56.799 So is the story of Moses. 00:16:57.600 --> 00:16:59.120 He has a rescue story. 00:16:59.679 --> 00:17:00.399 We know it well. 00:17:00.480 --> 00:17:02.399 He was saved from death when he was a baby. 00:17:02.559 --> 00:17:05.599 He was rescued from the Nile River by Pharaoh's daughter. 00:17:05.759 --> 00:17:09.599 He was raised in the lap of luxury as the prince of Egypt. 00:17:09.839 --> 00:17:15.359 And then one day he came to realize he was not of noble birth, but simply a slave of Egypt. 00:17:15.599 --> 00:17:23.119 And he took the rescue of a slave into his own hands and he killed the taskmaster, which led him to flee into the desert. 00:17:23.359 --> 00:17:24.559 There he found a wife. 00:17:24.880 --> 00:17:31.279 He started a family, became a shepherd, and he lived in a land, in that land for 40 years. 00:17:31.599 --> 00:17:34.480 And then God showed up. 00:17:34.799 --> 00:17:37.279 And he proceeded to give Moses a mission. 00:17:37.599 --> 00:17:39.119 It was a rescue mission. 00:17:39.359 --> 00:17:44.799 God called Moses to rescue his people from the hands of Egypt and get them out of slavery. 00:17:45.039 --> 00:17:48.240 Now, the way that God showed up is a unique and noticeable way. 00:17:48.400 --> 00:17:51.599 If you've been in church for any length of time, you've heard of this story. 00:17:51.759 --> 00:17:58.640 Maybe you've read the story, and God shows up in a burning bush that's not burning up. 00:17:58.880 --> 00:18:02.000 Now, I live in Indiana and I mentioned a little bit about my home already. 00:18:02.160 --> 00:18:04.880 We have a space in our home, which we call a burn pile. 00:18:04.960 --> 00:18:13.519 And what this means is we have multiple uh trees on our property, and so when tree branches fall off, we take those branches and we put them on our burn pile. 00:18:13.680 --> 00:18:18.240 Eventually we get our burn pile to a certain size, and it's time to burn the pile. 00:18:18.480 --> 00:18:20.400 Thus it's called a burn pile. 00:18:20.799 --> 00:18:26.880 And we burn it, and I can tell you this it gets a nice flame when we're burning that up. 00:18:26.960 --> 00:18:30.000 And it is noticeable, it is unforgettable. 00:18:30.160 --> 00:18:38.319 And I will tell you that if you see a bush that's burning and it's not burning up, it will get your attention. 00:18:38.640 --> 00:18:40.799 Because our burn pile can get your attention. 00:18:40.960 --> 00:18:44.720 In fact, just real quick, uh, when I we first moved to Indiana, we're living in that home. 00:18:44.880 --> 00:18:47.359 We come home from a Sunday night service or something like that. 00:18:47.519 --> 00:18:54.640 We're pulling in and we see a flame going up high in the air, and it's dark, and there's no lights around where we're living, and we're like, something's wrong. 00:18:54.880 --> 00:18:56.960 So we call 911, someone's house is on fire. 00:18:57.039 --> 00:18:57.920 You know what it was? 00:18:58.160 --> 00:19:00.480 It was just a burn pile. 00:19:00.960 --> 00:19:02.559 And we learned quickly about that. 00:19:02.720 --> 00:19:07.359 And so I bring that up to share with you guys the reality that this would get your attention. 00:19:07.680 --> 00:19:10.079 A bush burning that is not burning up. 00:19:10.480 --> 00:19:21.039 So as this burning bush was taking taking place, there's this interaction between God and Moses and a conversation we may not have with a bush, but we definitely would have with God ourselves. 00:19:21.200 --> 00:19:24.160 In fact, I think we have this type of conversation with God all the time. 00:19:24.400 --> 00:19:25.359 Or we will. 00:19:26.240 --> 00:19:33.440 And so I want to take a quick moment before going further and simply just pray over the passage, pray over the message that God has for us today. 00:19:34.880 --> 00:19:39.200 Dear Heavenly Father, I simply ask for you to speak through me. 00:19:39.599 --> 00:19:44.240 I can give the information, only you can do the transformation. 00:19:44.480 --> 00:19:51.440 I pray that those who need to be convicted will be convicted, those who need to be comforted will be comforted, those who need to be strengthened will be strengthened. 00:19:51.599 --> 00:19:53.839 Only do only what you can do here today. 00:19:54.079 --> 00:19:55.759 I ask that in your mighty name. 00:19:56.079 --> 00:19:56.640 We say. 00:19:57.119 --> 00:19:57.759 Amen. 00:19:58.480 --> 00:20:00.160 So, what does God show us? 00:20:00.319 --> 00:20:03.440 What does he show us through this conversation with Moses? 00:20:03.839 --> 00:20:12.160 The first thing is this God shows us that what is taking place in the world around us has his attention. 00:20:12.559 --> 00:20:13.279 You need to know that. 00:20:13.440 --> 00:20:16.559 What is taking place around us has God's attention. 00:20:16.720 --> 00:20:19.519 We see this in verse 7 of Exodus 3. 00:20:19.680 --> 00:20:27.920 And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. 00:20:28.240 --> 00:20:30.160 I know their suffering. 00:20:30.480 --> 00:20:32.480 The good news is God has seen it. 00:20:32.720 --> 00:20:33.680 He has heard it. 00:20:33.920 --> 00:20:38.079 God sees you, he hears you, you have his attention. 00:20:38.240 --> 00:20:42.960 The situations around you, near or far, he knows about them right now. 00:20:43.119 --> 00:20:45.119 He sees them, he hears them. 00:20:45.440 --> 00:20:47.519 It has his attention. 00:20:48.240 --> 00:20:52.960 And so quickly, what does God want to do about what is happening in our world? 00:20:53.039 --> 00:20:56.079 And it leads us to the second thing God shows us. 00:20:56.400 --> 00:21:04.319 That God shows us that He wants to send us to deal with what is happening in the world. 00:21:04.480 --> 00:21:08.079 He wants to say, we just sing a song, here am I, send me. 00:21:08.400 --> 00:21:09.359 Do we believe it? 00:21:09.440 --> 00:21:11.519 Or did it just come out of our mouth? 00:21:11.839 --> 00:21:17.680 Because He wants to send us, and I'll show it again how He did this with Moses, starting with verse 8. 00:21:17.920 --> 00:21:21.440 Continue in God's talking, and I have come down to deliver them. 00:21:21.599 --> 00:21:22.480 Remember that point. 00:21:22.640 --> 00:21:36.240 He has come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of the land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 00:21:36.480 --> 00:21:44.240 And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppressed them. 00:21:44.400 --> 00:21:47.440 Verse 10 Come, I will send you. 00:21:47.680 --> 00:21:50.400 Top of verse 8, I have come down to deliver them. 00:21:50.559 --> 00:21:57.759 The answer is I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt. 00:21:58.240 --> 00:22:06.960 God has come and He's And just like he did with Moses, he comes to us and says, I will send you to deal with the injustice in this world. 00:22:07.200 --> 00:22:08.079 I will send you. 00:22:08.240 --> 00:22:12.640 And when God calls us to do something, you know what typically happens when God calls us to do something? 00:22:12.799 --> 00:22:14.240 We ask God questions. 00:22:14.559 --> 00:22:15.200 We do. 00:22:15.359 --> 00:22:18.000 And in this case, Moses asks God two questions. 00:22:18.079 --> 00:22:21.359 And the first question that he asks him is, Who am I? 00:22:21.519 --> 00:22:23.279 And we find it in verse 11. 00:22:23.519 --> 00:22:30.640 But Moses said to God, Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt? 00:22:30.960 --> 00:22:35.279 See, I don't know about you, but for me, in this moment, Moses is so relatable. 00:22:35.519 --> 00:22:41.279 He's so relatable because he hasn't performed a miracle in Egypt. 00:22:41.519 --> 00:22:44.160 He hasn't split the Red Sea in two. 00:22:44.400 --> 00:22:48.960 He hasn't received the Ten Commandments after spending 40 days with God on Mount Sinai. 00:22:49.039 --> 00:22:51.279 He hasn't struck the rock and water come out. 00:22:51.519 --> 00:22:55.680 He hasn't led millions of people for 40 years to their promised land. 00:22:55.839 --> 00:22:56.559 No, no. 00:22:56.880 --> 00:23:01.200 He is a man who's been hiding in the desert for 40 years. 00:23:01.440 --> 00:23:02.799 That's who he is. 00:23:03.119 --> 00:23:06.240 He has been a shepherd in the wilderness of obscurity. 00:23:06.480 --> 00:23:15.119 And like Moses, we start giving our reasons why we don't think God has the has chosen the right man or woman for the job. 00:23:15.440 --> 00:23:19.440 We say, Who am I to do something? 00:23:19.759 --> 00:23:20.799 Who am I? 00:23:21.119 --> 00:23:24.720 And the answer is simple, yet it is so powerful. 00:23:25.039 --> 00:23:27.759 We find it in verse 12. 00:23:29.359 --> 00:23:33.519 He said, But I will be with you. 00:23:34.079 --> 00:23:36.799 And this shall be the sign for you that I have sent you. 00:23:36.960 --> 00:23:41.680 When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain. 00:23:41.839 --> 00:23:45.359 And it reveals to us the third thing that God shows us. 00:23:45.599 --> 00:23:49.599 That when God calls you, it's not about you. 00:23:50.400 --> 00:23:51.759 It's about him. 00:23:52.880 --> 00:23:54.400 It's not about you, it's about him. 00:23:54.559 --> 00:23:58.400 We need to realize whose we are more than who we are. 00:23:58.640 --> 00:24:01.119 Because our identity matters first. 00:24:01.680 --> 00:24:03.920 Our activity follows. 00:24:07.279 --> 00:24:10.160 We are his sons and we are his daughters. 00:24:10.319 --> 00:24:13.119 And we've been adopted into the family of God. 00:24:13.200 --> 00:24:15.839 We've been grafted in, as Scripture tells us. 00:24:16.000 --> 00:24:19.359 That's the answer to the question: who am I? 00:24:19.759 --> 00:24:20.880 Who are you? 00:24:21.359 --> 00:24:23.279 You are his. 00:24:24.640 --> 00:24:29.279 And let that reality soak into every crevice of your heart, mind, and soul. 00:24:29.440 --> 00:24:38.799 And if you let it soak in, then you will become the biggest threat to the enemy and his plans for darkness and injustice in this world. 00:24:39.519 --> 00:24:42.079 So then Moses, he asks his second question. 00:24:42.319 --> 00:24:43.359 First one, who am I? 00:24:43.599 --> 00:24:46.880 Third one, or I'm sorry, second one, what shall I say? 00:24:47.119 --> 00:24:47.920 Verse 13. 00:24:48.079 --> 00:24:56.319 Then Moses said to God, If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they ask me, What is his name? 00:24:56.559 --> 00:24:58.079 What shall I say to them? 00:24:58.240 --> 00:25:03.119 And God quickly responds in verse 14, God said to Moses, I am who I am. 00:25:03.279 --> 00:25:07.039 And he said, Say this to the people of Israel. 00:25:07.359 --> 00:25:10.480 I am has sent me to you. 00:25:11.279 --> 00:25:13.440 Please remember the third point. 00:25:14.000 --> 00:25:19.279 Why God shows that he shows us when God calls you, it's not about you, it's about him. 00:25:19.680 --> 00:25:25.680 It's less about what you are supposed to say, and it's more about what God wants you to say. 00:25:27.200 --> 00:25:29.359 Even if you have no idea what to say. 00:25:29.680 --> 00:25:30.400 And I love that. 00:25:30.480 --> 00:25:32.319 That's that's such a normal response as well, right? 00:25:32.400 --> 00:25:33.680 I don't know what should I say? 00:25:33.839 --> 00:25:36.319 God sends you somewhere, what should I say in the situation? 00:25:36.559 --> 00:25:42.319 Like Moses, that's one of our biggest fears is knowing what to say in a situation that God puts us in. 00:25:42.400 --> 00:25:46.799 And I can tell you that Jesus gives us an answer in Luke 12, 12, of that. 00:25:46.880 --> 00:25:54.400 And it's this for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say. 00:25:54.799 --> 00:25:59.119 The Holy Spirit will give you what to say when it's time to say it. 00:25:59.279 --> 00:26:03.039 The only question is, do you believe those words of Jesus? 00:26:03.440 --> 00:26:07.440 I was uh with a friend of mine from Lancaster, Pennsylvania area. 00:26:07.680 --> 00:26:21.279 He actually uh was came to Marion to Indiana Wesleyan for a conference that was taking place, and so I took him out to eat, and we have this uh authentic British uh food place called Paynes, and like, hey, this is where I gotta take you because the fish and chips is good here. 00:26:21.440 --> 00:26:26.799 So we went there, and as we're having our time there at Paynes, we're having a great conversation and interacting. 00:26:26.880 --> 00:26:37.440 Our server Jonathan uh comes and we just recognize something's different with Jonathan, something's going on in his life, and and we just simply had that sense that God wanted us to say something. 00:26:37.599 --> 00:26:40.880 And it was simply like, Jonathan, is there anything we pray with you about? 00:26:41.039 --> 00:26:45.200 And what we learned is that his friend had just committed suicide. 00:26:45.359 --> 00:26:47.200 And he was struggling with that situation. 00:26:47.359 --> 00:26:50.000 So we prayed over Jonathan and then we spoke into his life. 00:26:50.079 --> 00:26:55.839 And because I live in the area, I gave Jonathan my phone number and said, anytime you need anything, give me a call. 00:26:55.920 --> 00:26:58.000 I am here, I will come your way. 00:26:58.400 --> 00:27:04.319 Simply, we were used by God, and we said what we felt like God was guiding us to say. 00:27:04.480 --> 00:27:06.640 It is really that simple. 00:27:06.960 --> 00:27:11.119 So now we have a third question that follows the second question, but now it doesn't come from Moses. 00:27:11.519 --> 00:27:14.079 The third question actually comes from God. 00:27:14.480 --> 00:27:18.640 And that third question is found in Exodus 4, verse 1 and 2. 00:27:18.960 --> 00:27:26.799 Then Moses answered, uh, but behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, The Lord did not appear to you. 00:27:26.960 --> 00:27:31.279 The Lord said to him, What is that in your hand? 00:27:32.000 --> 00:27:35.119 And of course Moses answered, a staff. 00:27:35.759 --> 00:27:48.480 Moses was asking all the what ifs, and God gave him the proof that God had worked out all the what-ifs before Moses set foot on the mountain. 00:27:48.640 --> 00:27:53.920 That God had worked out all the what-ifs before God had ever set fire to the bush. 00:27:54.160 --> 00:27:56.319 And by the way, the bush was still burning. 00:27:56.640 --> 00:27:57.759 It hadn't stopped. 00:27:57.920 --> 00:28:00.400 It's still going on through this conversation. 00:28:01.039 --> 00:28:03.039 Moses is saying, Who am I? 00:28:03.119 --> 00:28:06.960 And what shall I say to a burning bush that's not burning up? 00:28:07.279 --> 00:28:11.359 He still has questions, even though it's very clear that God is showing up. 00:28:11.599 --> 00:28:17.279 So, what the question from God reveals is what we I would simply call kingdom math. 00:28:17.759 --> 00:28:23.039 Kingdom math, it defies logic, it multiplies whatever we're willing to release. 00:28:23.279 --> 00:28:28.079 See, divine multiplication often begins with human surrender. 00:28:28.799 --> 00:28:32.880 Which leads us to the final thing God shows us here. 00:28:33.119 --> 00:28:40.559 And that God shows us that He can do more with you than you can do without Him. 00:28:41.440 --> 00:28:45.920 God can do more with you than you can do without Him. 00:28:46.240 --> 00:28:48.640 Think about Moses and what was in His hand. 00:28:48.720 --> 00:28:49.759 It was a staff. 00:28:49.920 --> 00:28:56.319 And that particular staff, he would use it to lead the people of God out of Egypt. 00:28:56.559 --> 00:29:00.960 He would use it for miracles, he would use it to lift it up to part the Red Sea. 00:29:01.039 --> 00:29:03.039 He would hit the rock and all these things. 00:29:03.359 --> 00:29:05.759 God would use that staff was in his hands. 00:29:05.920 --> 00:29:07.920 Or we can think in other places in scriptures. 00:29:08.000 --> 00:29:12.480 We have the boy who had that five loaves and two fish that were in his hand. 00:29:12.559 --> 00:29:18.160 And maybe it was his lunch, maybe it was something he was going to try to sell to the crowd so he can make some money for his family. 00:29:18.240 --> 00:29:22.240 There's all different speculation of why he had that food, but it was in his hand. 00:29:22.400 --> 00:29:23.599 And he gave it to Jesus. 00:29:23.680 --> 00:29:30.480 And when he gave it to Jesus, Jesus turned that into a meal for 5,000 men and perhaps 15,000 or so people all together. 00:29:30.799 --> 00:29:32.480 That's what was in his hand. 00:29:32.720 --> 00:29:33.599 Or David. 00:29:33.759 --> 00:29:36.240 David had a sling and five stones in his hand. 00:29:36.400 --> 00:29:42.000 And he took one of those stones, put it in the sling, and he took down a giant named Goliath. 00:29:42.480 --> 00:29:47.039 And that changed the trajectory of what was taking place between the Philistines and the Israelites. 00:29:47.200 --> 00:29:51.599 And then even David himself trained others to kill another four giants. 00:29:51.759 --> 00:29:53.920 If you look in Scripture, you'll find that. 00:29:54.400 --> 00:30:02.319 The whole point is, all through Scripture and through time, we see God use what we have in our hands to change lives for the better. 00:30:02.559 --> 00:30:06.720 Moses would go on to try to convince God that he had chosen the wrong person. 00:30:06.960 --> 00:30:13.599 But God will be relentless in the pursuit of making Moses the one who would bring rescue and freedom to God's people in Egypt. 00:30:13.759 --> 00:30:20.240 Yes, God would allow Aaron to be Moses' spokesperson for the time, and he would speak for Moses. 00:30:20.559 --> 00:30:26.240 But it wasn't until Moses directly spoke to Pharaoh himself that the people of God were set free. 00:30:26.480 --> 00:30:28.880 You'll find that in Exodus 11. 00:30:29.200 --> 00:30:35.200 The one who had been rescued as a baby was now the one who God used to rescue a nation. 00:30:35.440 --> 00:30:44.799 The ripple effect of Moses' rescue so many years ago was finally felt in Egypt when he declared, Let my people go. 00:30:45.839 --> 00:30:51.039 And like Moses, we, the rescued, are called to rescue. 00:30:51.279 --> 00:30:52.400 Remember Daya. 00:30:52.559 --> 00:30:59.200 Remember Daya's story and how she was rescued from a brothel, and she promised that one day she would try to help rescue other individuals. 00:30:59.279 --> 00:31:06.160 And she has been involved single-handedly in helping rescue five individuals at least that we know of. 00:31:06.400 --> 00:31:11.039 And one of those stories, and one of those times, she helped rescue three girls in a situation. 00:31:11.200 --> 00:31:16.079 I have an image of a bus that will help you understand kind of what it would look like her situation. 00:31:16.319 --> 00:31:20.400 See, she was at a bus station with like a bus like right here. 00:31:20.480 --> 00:31:27.599 And in this bus station, she saw nearby these three young ladies, uh these teenage girls, they were traveling with a man. 00:31:27.839 --> 00:31:32.799 And as she was noticing them, she noticed the man didn't speak the same language as the three girls. 00:31:33.039 --> 00:31:37.039 But here's what what they didn't know about diet is she's bilingual. 00:31:37.200 --> 00:31:40.240 She could understand the man, and she could understand the three teenage girls. 00:31:40.319 --> 00:31:47.839 And what she heard was the man on the phone, and he was in the process of making a sale of those three girls. 00:31:48.079 --> 00:31:50.240 So she knew she needed to do something about that. 00:31:50.319 --> 00:31:52.240 So she got on that bus with them. 00:31:52.400 --> 00:32:01.440 She sat near them, and when it was the right moment, she was able to speak to those three girls and learned that all three of them came from the same village, and all three of them were hoping for a job. 00:32:01.519 --> 00:32:06.480 They were promised of a job so they could work and send money back home, but they didn't know that it was a lie. 00:32:06.799 --> 00:32:10.000 And so Daya told them about the situation. 00:32:10.160 --> 00:32:21.599 She offered them an opportunity to be rescued, and she called one of our rescue agents and told our rescue agent about the situation, and her and the rescue agent determined where they could go to get rescued and be free. 00:32:21.759 --> 00:32:24.720 All that needed to happen now is for the bus to stop. 00:32:25.039 --> 00:32:36.960 And when the bus stopped, they jumped off that bus, they ran to that location, got away from that trafficker, and got to the rescue agent, and those three girls were reunified back home with their families. 00:32:37.279 --> 00:32:43.519 All because Daya, who had been rescued, knew she was called to rescue. 00:32:46.000 --> 00:32:51.599 You and I, like Moses and like Daya, were called to rescue. 00:32:51.839 --> 00:32:56.079 Ask the worship team to start making their way up at this time. 00:32:56.720 --> 00:33:01.200 You know, we can try to come up with all the excuses as Moses did. 00:33:01.920 --> 00:33:02.720 Who am I? 00:33:02.960 --> 00:33:04.400 What am I gonna say? 00:33:05.359 --> 00:33:08.000 God wants to come back to you, say what's in your hand. 00:33:08.400 --> 00:33:13.119 And use what you have been given to help bring rescue to those who need it. 00:33:13.759 --> 00:33:16.400 We can rescue because we are his kids. 00:33:16.720 --> 00:33:17.680 He is with us. 00:33:18.000 --> 00:33:20.400 He wants us to use what is in our hands. 00:33:20.480 --> 00:33:25.519 And when we use what we have for rescue, there's always a ripple effect that takes place. 00:33:26.880 --> 00:33:33.680