WEBVTT 00:00:00.239 --> 00:00:02.399 Let's pray quickly, we'll jump into the sermon. 00:00:06.719 --> 00:00:09.199 God, thank you for your grace and mercy to us. 00:00:09.359 --> 00:00:19.519 Thank you for those little ones that they remind us of how we need to have childlike faith just to be able to receive so easily. 00:00:20.800 --> 00:00:29.359 That you are with us and you're for us, how easily we try to overcomplicate it and try to prove ourselves to you with our religious commitment. 00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:35.840 Forgive us for all the ways that we rely on ourselves instead of you. 00:00:36.159 --> 00:00:44.320 As we look at this story in the book of Judges, help us to see something that would be incredibly helpful for our hearts. 00:00:44.960 --> 00:00:56.399 Help us this morning to be chief repenters, freely admitting all the ways we fall short, and help us to be chief rejoicers, rejoicing in your goodness and forgiveness for us. 00:00:56.640 --> 00:01:00.159 Have mercy on us, especially the one who speaks. 00:01:00.320 --> 00:01:01.520 In Jesus' name we pray. 00:01:01.759 --> 00:01:02.399 Amen. 00:01:03.119 --> 00:01:10.400 So back before we study 1 Thessalonians in the summer, a good portion of that I was gone on sabbatical. 00:01:10.719 --> 00:01:12.640 Before that, we were in the book of Judges. 00:01:12.799 --> 00:01:20.799 And my hope was we were gonna have all that kind of neatly packed up before I left, but that's not what happened, and it just ran longer than I thought it might and my outline. 00:01:21.040 --> 00:01:25.120 So we had this one big, great story left at the end of the book of Judges. 00:01:25.200 --> 00:01:26.879 So we're gonna take a few weeks to look at it. 00:01:27.040 --> 00:01:30.159 It's the book, it's the story of Samson. 00:01:30.319 --> 00:01:31.920 So we're gonna work our way through these verses. 00:01:32.079 --> 00:01:33.120 Judges 13, 1. 00:01:33.200 --> 00:01:36.560 And the people of Israel again did what was evil on the side of the Lord. 00:01:36.799 --> 00:01:40.719 So the Lord gave them into the hand of the Philistines for 40 years. 00:01:40.879 --> 00:01:48.560 So if you remember the pattern in the book of Judges, it might be a pattern that you kind of feel like you know personally, I do. 00:01:49.280 --> 00:01:59.760 Israel keeps running away from God, and then again and again God would raise up a leader, a judge, to pull them back and woo them back, lead them back to him. 00:02:00.079 --> 00:02:02.319 So that's the pattern, Judges 13. 00:02:02.480 --> 00:02:07.120 It's actually the pattern of the Old Testament, and it's actually the pattern of humanity. 00:02:07.760 --> 00:02:09.280 And then we get verses two and three. 00:02:09.360 --> 00:02:17.840 And there was a certain man of Zorah of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Manoah, and his wife was barren and had no children. 00:02:18.080 --> 00:02:26.400 And the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, Behold, you are barren and have not born children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. 00:02:26.639 --> 00:02:28.240 So, verse one's the bad news. 00:02:28.400 --> 00:02:30.560 I mean, it's it's a it's a diagnosis, right? 00:02:30.719 --> 00:02:32.719 Like it's true, but it's still bad news. 00:02:32.800 --> 00:02:35.439 It's not something that we enjoy hearing all the time. 00:02:35.759 --> 00:02:40.560 That these Israelites ran away, did their own thing again, away from God. 00:02:40.960 --> 00:02:45.759 But then verses two and three, a baby, a baby is coming. 00:02:46.000 --> 00:02:51.280 It was almost 15 years ago when Christy and I first began to try to have children. 00:02:51.439 --> 00:02:57.360 And so that was a particular set of activities that's none of your business, and then waiting, right? 00:02:57.439 --> 00:02:58.319 This is how this works. 00:02:58.479 --> 00:03:01.680 Activities, waiting, activities, waiting. 00:03:01.840 --> 00:03:07.680 And in that waiting, that waiting can be at first not a big deal. 00:03:07.919 --> 00:03:12.560 And then that waiting, if it goes on long enough, it you get anxious. 00:03:12.800 --> 00:03:19.360 And then that waiting can actually, if months become years, it can become incredibly, incredibly painful and filled with pain. 00:03:19.520 --> 00:03:20.800 Here's what we do know. 00:03:21.120 --> 00:03:30.000 When the waiting's over, whether it's been for you or for a friend, and you hear, and we hear, you are pregnant. 00:03:30.319 --> 00:03:33.360 Man, that that's it's like relief and joy, right? 00:03:33.439 --> 00:03:36.400 Because a baby, a baby's coming. 00:03:37.120 --> 00:03:38.639 We've had four babies. 00:03:38.800 --> 00:03:44.719 We lost our first baby before we met her, and then our three daughters arrived. 00:03:44.879 --> 00:03:49.199 Here are pictures of our three daughters as little babies. 00:03:49.439 --> 00:03:54.879 There's one, and here's two, and then here's three. 00:03:55.840 --> 00:03:59.919 Uh, pretty much we reproduce reproduced the same child over and over again. 00:04:00.719 --> 00:04:07.439 Like, don't shuffle the pictures up and ask me to to uh to interpret which child is who, which picture of it. 00:04:08.159 --> 00:04:08.960 That's hard for me. 00:04:09.120 --> 00:04:10.960 They they look so much the same. 00:04:11.120 --> 00:04:21.519 Now, when these babies came, when they arrived, I can tell you, and if you had a baby, you know it's true, maybe you've just been around a baby, you've just seen a baby, right? 00:04:21.600 --> 00:04:23.680 Like you don't have to just saw a baby. 00:04:23.839 --> 00:04:27.519 If a baby shows up, a baby changes things, right? 00:04:27.600 --> 00:04:31.519 Like it just things change when a baby comes. 00:04:31.839 --> 00:04:40.800 So hold on to that, and then point number one is this even when there is no cry for help, this is point number one, even when there's no cry for help, God helps. 00:04:41.120 --> 00:04:46.639 So in other places in judges, sometimes the people cry out and God helps. 00:04:47.199 --> 00:04:48.959 Now, here's the situation. 00:04:49.439 --> 00:04:52.720 The people are in apathy in their slavery. 00:04:52.879 --> 00:04:56.240 They don't even care that they're enslaved. 00:04:56.399 --> 00:04:58.399 They have accepted that this is their lives. 00:04:58.560 --> 00:05:04.079 They don't even realize how free they can be in relationship with God. 00:05:04.639 --> 00:05:07.439 And yet, in these verses, God helps. 00:05:07.839 --> 00:05:08.959 Anyways. 00:05:09.839 --> 00:05:11.680 Man, that's right that's fresh air to me. 00:05:11.839 --> 00:05:13.759 Like, I need that. 00:05:14.000 --> 00:05:16.879 Like, that's a message I need to hear. 00:05:17.040 --> 00:05:23.920 I love that God helps when I cry out, but man, it's fresh air to hear that even when I don't cry out. 00:05:24.079 --> 00:05:25.680 How many times is that? 00:05:26.000 --> 00:05:26.319 Right? 00:05:26.480 --> 00:05:35.279 How many times is it that we are unable to realize how free we could be in the gospel because we're so busy and distracted? 00:05:36.240 --> 00:05:39.600 Or maybe we're just pursuing things that we shouldn't pursue? 00:05:39.839 --> 00:05:52.800 And even in my lack, even in my lack of concern for God, lack of crying out that He is with me and for me. 00:05:53.759 --> 00:06:00.000 Point number two is this God loves to begin in our helplessness and humility. 00:06:00.959 --> 00:06:03.839 So back to thinking about babies. 00:06:04.480 --> 00:06:07.600 This use of a baby arriving to a barren woman. 00:06:07.680 --> 00:06:10.399 This is a repeated biblical storyline. 00:06:10.480 --> 00:06:12.639 It's not new in Judges 13. 00:06:12.879 --> 00:06:22.560 In Genesis 11, all the way through chapters 21, we have the story of Sarah, anguishes over her lack of child, and then Isaac arrives. 00:06:22.720 --> 00:06:27.600 Genesis 25, Rebecca experiences 25 years without child, then Joseph arrives. 00:06:27.759 --> 00:06:30.319 1 Samuel 1 is the story of Hannah, same story. 00:06:30.480 --> 00:06:33.439 Luke 1, story of Elizabeth, same story. 00:06:35.040 --> 00:06:39.839 Now, sadly, this doesn't mean that if you haven't been able to have a baby, that you will miraculously have a baby. 00:06:40.079 --> 00:06:41.040 I wish it meant that for you. 00:06:41.120 --> 00:06:41.839 It doesn't mean that. 00:06:42.000 --> 00:06:45.519 Now, maybe that's sad news to you, maybe that's like really good news because you don't want a baby. 00:06:45.839 --> 00:06:48.720 You're like a baby in my life right now would not be good. 00:06:48.959 --> 00:06:50.720 What this is, is this is a lesson. 00:06:50.879 --> 00:06:56.560 This is God, this is God teaching something in the biblical story. 00:06:57.120 --> 00:07:04.160 That He brings salvation for our hearts, that He's the one who brings it. 00:07:04.720 --> 00:07:08.399 And it comes into our nothingness, into our barrenness. 00:07:09.680 --> 00:07:20.240 See, whatever you are hoping for God to do in your life, most likely it will begin in your helplessness. 00:07:20.720 --> 00:07:22.560 Most likely that's where it's going to start. 00:07:22.639 --> 00:07:24.560 And that's really good news. 00:07:24.879 --> 00:07:29.839 Because when we need God to do something in our lives, usually we're helpless. 00:07:30.720 --> 00:07:33.920 I've been watching the Olympics, we've been watching the Olympics, right? 00:07:34.000 --> 00:07:36.800 And sometimes you turn it on and you're watching Badminton for a while. 00:07:36.959 --> 00:07:38.240 Anybody get into badminton? 00:07:38.319 --> 00:07:39.759 They're swinging so hard, right? 00:07:39.839 --> 00:07:41.279 I mean, did you see how hard they swing? 00:07:41.439 --> 00:07:42.720 A little thing didn't go anywhere. 00:07:42.959 --> 00:07:44.160 A lot of effort. 00:07:44.639 --> 00:07:49.360 And then you feel bad for them because you're like you're swinging so hard and the thing goes like five feet. 00:07:49.600 --> 00:07:50.800 I love swimming though. 00:07:50.959 --> 00:07:52.079 That's the thing I like to watch. 00:07:52.240 --> 00:07:54.959 Most of us like swimming, it's a lot of TV airtime, right? 00:07:55.040 --> 00:08:04.560 Because we get the hero stories, we get the narratives, we get the little media packages about how hard they train, and then we get to see them race, and then they win by like one one hundredth of a second. 00:08:04.720 --> 00:08:06.160 Like, like we love that. 00:08:06.240 --> 00:08:14.399 So I was watching, I think it was last week, I was watching Katie Ledecki swim a race, and like I'm all into it, and I think she won it, I'm all into it. 00:08:14.560 --> 00:08:19.199 They go to commercial break, and then I see this commercial, and I've seen this scene before. 00:08:19.360 --> 00:08:22.079 I think the commercial was a PG commercial, but I'm not positive. 00:08:22.160 --> 00:08:24.000 Actually, I don't even remember what the commercial is for. 00:08:24.240 --> 00:08:29.279 Um it's this from 2016 Rio Olympics. 00:08:29.920 --> 00:08:33.279 And a New Zealand runner, she stumbles. 00:08:34.320 --> 00:08:35.519 Do you remember this? 00:08:35.759 --> 00:08:39.600 The American runner falls over her to the ground. 00:08:39.919 --> 00:08:47.120 The New Zealand runner stops her race and says to the American runner, hey, get up. 00:08:47.360 --> 00:08:48.480 We have to finish. 00:08:48.720 --> 00:08:51.200 The American runner goes on and stumbles again. 00:08:51.360 --> 00:08:59.840 And the New Zealand runner helps her up, and then the New Zealand runner waits at the finish line to hug her. 00:09:01.600 --> 00:09:07.679 I've seen this probably 20 times, like in the last four years, several times in this Olympics. 00:09:09.279 --> 00:09:11.360 I have no idea who won that race. 00:09:12.159 --> 00:09:13.759 You have no idea who won that race. 00:09:13.919 --> 00:09:15.519 Like, unless it's like your sister, right? 00:09:15.600 --> 00:09:19.279 Like, other than that, you're like, that was my cousin. 00:09:19.440 --> 00:09:20.240 I do know who won. 00:09:21.200 --> 00:09:22.559 You have no idea. 00:09:24.080 --> 00:09:25.279 You remember that. 00:09:26.240 --> 00:09:36.480 And the reason why we remember that is seeing help arrive from outside of our resources, like into our nothingness and our barrenness. 00:09:37.440 --> 00:09:38.960 Man, that's powerful. 00:09:40.320 --> 00:09:43.200 And if you're like me, you need that. 00:09:43.919 --> 00:09:44.720 It's our story. 00:09:44.799 --> 00:09:46.320 This is the story of Judges 13. 00:09:46.480 --> 00:09:48.480 The Israelites in slavery, they don't even care. 00:09:48.639 --> 00:09:49.759 They don't even care. 00:09:50.799 --> 00:09:52.320 It's the story of the gospel. 00:09:52.480 --> 00:09:58.240 We have nothing to offer but our beautiful and broken selves. 00:09:59.440 --> 00:10:01.600 We're down on the track with nothing. 00:10:02.480 --> 00:10:03.600 And God shows up. 00:10:03.759 --> 00:10:08.159 Here's what theologian Dale Ralph Davis writes about Judges 13. 00:10:08.240 --> 00:10:09.600 I think he puts it together pretty well. 00:10:09.759 --> 00:10:17.519 He, God, brings help, his salvation, or relieves their distress in the face of impossible human odds. 00:10:17.759 --> 00:10:23.840 He displays his power precisely when and where they can contribute nothing. 00:10:24.000 --> 00:10:35.279 And all in order, here's why, to lift our eyes to himself so that we will have no illusions or delusions about where our help is found. 00:10:36.639 --> 00:10:45.360 That's why in the days when the Philistines ruled, the angel of Yahweh paid a visit to a nameless, childless woman. 00:10:45.919 --> 00:10:48.000 So this woman's gonna have a baby. 00:10:48.320 --> 00:10:49.120 Baby's coming. 00:10:49.279 --> 00:10:50.639 Babies change things. 00:10:50.960 --> 00:10:52.240 Verses four and five. 00:10:52.399 --> 00:11:08.320 Therefore be careful and drink no wine or strong drink and eat nothing unclean, for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son, no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the wound, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines. 00:11:08.480 --> 00:11:09.679 Now, this is where things get interesting. 00:11:09.759 --> 00:11:20.080 We could just read over that, but if we want to nerd out, Bible nerd out for just a little bit, we go to Numbers 6, verses 1 through 4, because this explains what does that mean that Samson would be a Nazirite. 00:11:20.559 --> 00:11:24.240 And the Lord spoke to Moses, Numbers 6, 1 through 4. 00:11:24.320 --> 00:11:57.919 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, when either a man or a woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazarite, to separate himself, so that means to consecrate himself to the Lord, he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, he shall drink no vinegar made from wine or strong drink, and shall not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes, fresh or dried, all the days of his separation, he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, not even the seeds or the skins. 00:11:58.080 --> 00:12:01.440 All right, so to be the Nazarite was to take a special vow. 00:12:07.279 --> 00:12:10.480 And the Nazarite vow was to separate oneself. 00:12:10.559 --> 00:12:14.320 It meant to consecrate, to dedicate oneself to God alone. 00:12:14.480 --> 00:12:19.679 So this person probably had some, felt some calling to do this. 00:12:20.000 --> 00:12:27.360 Maybe something's going on in their lives for them to feel that they want to go through this spiritual journey. 00:12:27.840 --> 00:12:31.519 Maybe something's incredibly difficult in their lives. 00:12:32.480 --> 00:12:35.120 Maybe they're in a helpless state. 00:12:35.679 --> 00:12:43.759 They need to rearrange everything in their life to get right with God or what's possible with life with Him. 00:12:44.080 --> 00:12:48.399 When we look at what the vow is, Numbers 6.4 says, no wine. 00:12:48.559 --> 00:12:52.080 It's already some of you are like, not interested. 00:12:52.399 --> 00:12:53.039 Good. 00:12:54.240 --> 00:12:58.639 6.5 says, no razor shall touch their head. 00:12:59.200 --> 00:13:02.879 Verse 6, can't go near a dead body, not even for family. 00:13:03.120 --> 00:13:23.279 Verses 13 through 15, you need to bring one male lamb without blemish, a one-year lamb without blemish, one ram without blemish, a basket of unleavened bread, unleavened wafers, grain offerings, drink offerings to the temple for offering, and then verse 18 says, shave your head in the temple and burn it as a sacrifice. 00:13:23.440 --> 00:13:24.559 Now that's an odd list, right? 00:13:24.639 --> 00:13:25.200 Let me read that. 00:13:25.279 --> 00:13:30.879 We're like, this is odd, this is crazy stuff, Old Testament, weird. 00:13:31.440 --> 00:13:47.440 But to them, to them, this list would have signaled when they read it, they would have understood that this meant you were reorienting your entire life into your faith commitment to God. 00:13:47.679 --> 00:13:51.600 No wine meant that your entire social life just rearranged. 00:13:52.000 --> 00:13:56.159 No razor meant everyone would know you've made a special vow. 00:13:56.799 --> 00:14:00.960 Now there's no funeral homes, there's no hospice, there's no extended care. 00:14:01.200 --> 00:14:04.240 So the older generation lived with the younger generation. 00:14:05.759 --> 00:14:14.240 So if somebody's made this vow and their older generation lives in their home with them, maybe they have to move out. 00:14:15.039 --> 00:14:19.679 Because they can't risk that person dying and them being there. 00:14:20.080 --> 00:14:26.960 And if somebody did die in their family, they can't even go and be a part of preparing the body and the funeral. 00:14:27.279 --> 00:14:29.600 They're rearranging their entire life. 00:14:29.759 --> 00:14:31.679 All these animals, all this sacrifice. 00:14:31.759 --> 00:14:32.879 I mean, they would have read this. 00:14:33.039 --> 00:14:35.600 This was a major financial sacrifice. 00:14:35.840 --> 00:14:39.519 See, they're giving up everything for this vow. 00:14:40.159 --> 00:14:54.799 And then we get that verse 18, number 6, 18, and the Nazirite shall shave his consecrated head at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and then shall take the hair from his consecrated head and put it on the fire that is under the sacrifice of the peace offering. 00:14:55.120 --> 00:15:06.799 So this person goes into the presence of God one way and comes out looking completely different. 00:15:08.639 --> 00:15:23.759 Have you ever been so desperate, so worn out, burned out, beaten up at the end of yourself, that you want to walk in one way, and you want to come out like a different person. 00:15:27.120 --> 00:15:33.759 And then imagine that you lived thousands of years ago and you hear there's a vow that you could take. 00:15:35.919 --> 00:15:39.679 A special vow to be consecrated to God. 00:15:40.720 --> 00:15:44.159 Now, before we all go and do something crazy like that, point number three. 00:15:44.480 --> 00:15:53.039 All of our up and down commitment to God is inside his enduring commitment to us. 00:15:53.279 --> 00:15:55.679 So the Nazarite vow was built upon the law. 00:15:55.840 --> 00:16:00.480 I mean, when we read that list in number six, it's built upon the law. 00:16:00.639 --> 00:16:11.440 What it meant to be a faith person by your behaviors, what you should eat and shouldn't eat, what you should bring as the sacrifice, not God bringing sacrifice to you, what you should bring as a sacrifice. 00:16:12.000 --> 00:16:19.039 It's Old Testament laws and rules meant for us to see what a committed and pure person of faith might be. 00:16:19.600 --> 00:16:21.440 A lot of times it's weird stuff for us. 00:16:21.600 --> 00:16:27.840 But it's created for us to understand that we're sinners in need of God's grace to us. 00:16:28.639 --> 00:16:31.840 His covenant love, his acceptance, his commitment to us. 00:16:32.000 --> 00:16:35.360 Hebrews 10, always a good chapter to put all this together. 00:16:35.440 --> 00:16:38.320 This old covenant, new covenant, old testament, new testament. 00:16:38.480 --> 00:16:41.279 Hebrews 10, here's verses 6, 7, and 13. 00:16:41.679 --> 00:16:52.080 But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old, as the old covenant he mediates is better. 00:16:53.200 --> 00:16:58.480 The covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. 00:16:58.720 --> 00:17:06.400 For if that first covenant had been faultless, I was talking about the law, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. 00:17:06.720 --> 00:17:08.480 Skipping to verse 13. 00:17:08.720 --> 00:17:10.720 And speaking of the new covenant. 00:17:10.960 --> 00:17:13.119 So this is life in Jesus. 00:17:13.440 --> 00:17:15.839 He makes the first one obsolete. 00:17:16.000 --> 00:17:18.240 That's because he fulfills the law. 00:17:18.480 --> 00:17:22.480 It's what he does for us, not what we do for him. 00:17:22.880 --> 00:17:28.079 And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. 00:17:28.880 --> 00:17:35.200 See, the Nazarite vow reveals how we should be surrendered and committed to the Lord. 00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:42.640 We need God's limitless grace to us. 00:17:42.720 --> 00:17:44.000 That's the actuality of it. 00:17:44.079 --> 00:17:47.279 Because the external behaviors that we see in the Nazarite vow, it's not enough. 00:17:47.359 --> 00:17:50.240 A performance-based faith is never enough. 00:17:50.480 --> 00:17:52.720 Samson actually, that's what we're going to see in coming weeks. 00:17:52.799 --> 00:17:55.759 He actually goes on to break every one of the vows. 00:17:56.000 --> 00:17:56.640 Why? 00:17:57.839 --> 00:18:00.559 Because a performance-based faith is not enough. 00:18:00.960 --> 00:18:02.640 There's nothing wrong with the law. 00:18:02.799 --> 00:18:05.119 What's wrong is us unto the law. 00:18:07.599 --> 00:18:09.680 We need God toward us. 00:18:10.079 --> 00:18:11.599 One last takeaway point. 00:18:11.839 --> 00:18:13.119 Point number four. 00:18:13.599 --> 00:18:17.839 Relationship with God is open to ordinary people. 00:18:19.759 --> 00:18:26.160 And here's what I mean by like this is at this time there's all this religious hierarchy. 00:18:27.279 --> 00:18:31.680 And the Nazarite vow was open to just anybody. 00:18:31.920 --> 00:18:36.160 Any man, any woman who wanted to give their life to God. 00:18:36.880 --> 00:18:38.720 It's a beautiful picture. 00:18:39.279 --> 00:18:47.039 Where often it's so easy for us to begin to think that, like, oh, a really close relationship with God is reserved for somebody other than me. 00:18:47.759 --> 00:18:48.799 I'm too broken for that. 00:18:48.880 --> 00:18:49.599 I'm too messed up. 00:18:50.000 --> 00:18:51.680 I have too much doubt for that. 00:18:52.000 --> 00:18:57.200 It's for somebody else, like somebody who knows the right Christian words or has the right upbringing. 00:19:00.240 --> 00:19:02.640 Rich relationship with God's for you. 00:19:04.079 --> 00:19:05.359 It's for you. 00:19:05.680 --> 00:19:11.359 A few weeks ago, I was watching TV, I was nerding out watching Rick Steves Tours, France. 00:19:11.519 --> 00:19:12.640 You ever watch Rick Steves? 00:19:12.880 --> 00:19:17.200 I mean, we're we're really nerding out when we're watching Rick Steves travel stuff. 00:19:17.279 --> 00:19:18.480 And so I was watching that. 00:19:18.559 --> 00:19:29.759 And he he takes a train up from Chamonet, France, up into the French Alps, over these glaciers, over Mount Blanc, into uh into Italy on the other side. 00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:36.160 So if you're on this gondola, going up out of Chamonet, here's a few pictures of this gondola. 00:19:36.400 --> 00:19:40.799 These are like the stops on the gondola that you are on. 00:19:41.839 --> 00:19:46.000 And you're on this gondola going over these massive glaciers. 00:19:46.400 --> 00:19:54.480 At one point, the length of the cable run between mountain peak to mountain peak is 3.1 miles long without a structure. 00:19:54.640 --> 00:19:56.000 It's all cable. 00:19:57.680 --> 00:19:59.440 You're just floating. 00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:02.880 Like you are floating over beauty. 00:20:04.079 --> 00:20:05.519 Can you imagine? 00:20:06.160 --> 00:20:10.480 Can you imagine sitting on that gondola, looking out? 00:20:10.640 --> 00:20:17.759 Can you imagine how easy it would be to enjoy all that beauty and forget that you're being held by a cable? 00:20:19.839 --> 00:20:26.480 Like probably at some point in 3.1 miles, it's about a 40-minute ride, and you'd forget. 00:20:28.400 --> 00:20:31.119 But the whole time you're being held. 00:20:32.079 --> 00:20:32.799 The whole time. 00:20:33.039 --> 00:20:35.039 And now you may be inside, you may never forget. 00:20:35.119 --> 00:20:37.279 Like you might be the kind of person who's like, I ain't forgetting. 00:20:37.440 --> 00:20:38.880 This is one long cable. 00:20:39.039 --> 00:20:40.799 Like, I'm not gonna overenjoy this. 00:20:40.960 --> 00:20:42.960 And you're tight gripping, right? 00:20:43.599 --> 00:20:44.559 Because that's who you are. 00:20:44.640 --> 00:20:46.960 You're the tight gripper, you're tight gripping. 00:20:48.559 --> 00:20:50.720 But even your grip, right? 00:20:50.880 --> 00:20:56.960 Like even your grip is inside the fact that you're being held. 00:20:58.000 --> 00:21:02.640 See, our faith commitment is inside God's commitment to us. 00:21:04.240 --> 00:21:07.920 The Israelites are in slavery, but God's committed to them. 00:21:09.359 --> 00:21:13.440 The Israelites don't care that they're in slavery, but God's committed to them. 00:21:13.759 --> 00:21:15.119 He's gonna bring Samson. 00:21:15.599 --> 00:21:17.039 He's gonna bring a leader. 00:21:17.359 --> 00:21:18.559 He's gonna pursue them. 00:21:18.799 --> 00:21:20.960 See, sometimes we're the Israelites, right? 00:21:21.359 --> 00:21:27.359 Sometimes we're the ones who run away and wander, and we don't care. 00:21:28.079 --> 00:21:36.319 Sometimes we're a Nazirite and we are committed, we are all in, and we are full on for God. 00:21:37.359 --> 00:21:41.839 And what this story gives us is the reality of ourselves. 00:21:42.240 --> 00:21:45.039 That's sometimes we're either of these. 00:21:46.319 --> 00:21:49.200 In either way, we need God's grace to us. 00:21:50.160 --> 00:21:55.759 That we exist inside his hold of us, his pursuit of our hearts. 00:21:56.160 --> 00:22:01.920 See, this is why while we were still sinners, Christ comes and dies for us. 00:22:02.160 --> 00:22:09.680 Our sin is put upon the cross, his righteousness is given to us, so we're forever God's beloved children. 00:22:10.240 --> 00:22:16.480 And all of our faith and all of our surrender, which is so important and needed, is our expression of relationship with God. 00:22:16.640 --> 00:22:21.680 That is being held inside of God's commitment, the pursuit of us. 00:22:21.920 --> 00:22:22.799 Let's pray together. 00:22:24.240 --> 00:22:30.160 God, thank you that you tenaciously pursue us as we wander. 00:22:31.519 --> 00:22:36.000 And you pursue us as we are faithfully committed to you. 00:22:38.160 --> 00:22:41.680 Thank you that you pursue us in our greatest moments and in our worst moments. 00:22:41.839 --> 00:22:49.039 Thank you that you love us and accept us, not because of what we bring to you or what we do, but because of what you have done for us in Jesus. 00:22:49.279 --> 00:23:13.839 May that be the birthplace inside of our hearts of a new life, of a surrender to you that is filled with grace and freedom and a transformation that comes not from external behaviors of enough religious commitment and pull up our uh pull up our bootstraps, but may it be from the heart outward, a changed heart by your grace. 00:23:15.119 --> 00:23:23.119 And that all of our transformation and effort and faith would come with such gratitude and love for you. 00:23:23.599 --> 00:23:26.640 Because you hold loyal love for us. 00:23:26.960 --> 00:23:28.559 In Jesus' name we pray. 00:23:28.880 --> 00:23:29.440 Amen.