WEBVTT 00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:06.400 So I I was visiting my grandmother probably a month or so ago, and she's 92, 93. 00:00:06.480 --> 00:00:07.839 Christy's better at that than me. 00:00:08.000 --> 00:00:09.759 90, 93, okay. 00:00:10.080 --> 00:00:11.599 And uh she's been here a few times. 00:00:11.679 --> 00:00:12.240 You may have met her. 00:00:12.320 --> 00:00:13.759 She's Granny, known as Granny. 00:00:13.839 --> 00:00:19.920 Um usually when she comes here, she's she's in a wheelchair, and she's well into dementia at this point in her life. 00:00:20.000 --> 00:00:32.479 And about a month or so ago, when I went to visit her, uh went down to where she stays, and and we were visiting and we had lunch and and we started to talk, and and it just became so clear, it was so different than so many of the past visits. 00:00:32.560 --> 00:00:37.119 A lot of times in the past visit, maybe Christy's with me, the girls are with me, my mom's with me, or some other people. 00:00:37.200 --> 00:00:42.880 And this is one of the few visits recently since she's been well in a dementia where it's just me and her. 00:00:43.119 --> 00:00:48.960 And it just became so clear of that so much of what we used to talk about was no longer available. 00:00:49.119 --> 00:00:57.840 And I don't know if you've ever had a relative that went into dementia and or um where they can't remember, they just had they have no ability to remember. 00:00:58.000 --> 00:01:08.719 And the thing that we used to love to talk about is I would just I'd ask her questions like all the different places that her and my grandfather traveled to after they retired, and they for about 10 years, they just covered the globe. 00:01:08.799 --> 00:01:13.840 And and I would just ask different questions about different places and where they went, what was her favorite, and what they did. 00:01:13.920 --> 00:01:17.280 And and this is what we did, this is how we shared time together. 00:01:17.599 --> 00:01:30.319 Not to mention, you know, you talk about things like you know, the time I tripped her playing soccer, or how to always, you know, uh trick my grandfather into buying me a pair of jeans based on my report card, or I thought I was tricking him. 00:01:30.400 --> 00:01:36.319 He in fact just wanted to buy me a pair of jeans because he was a grandfather, but at the time I thought I was, you know, being so sneaky about it. 00:01:36.480 --> 00:01:39.359 And so, but none of that's available, right? 00:01:39.519 --> 00:01:42.079 None of none of that's available for conversation. 00:01:42.400 --> 00:01:49.200 And so you're it's it's like you're relearning how to talk to somebody without being able to remember. 00:01:49.840 --> 00:01:55.280 And all you can talk about is the present, and even then, there's not much there that's available. 00:01:55.439 --> 00:02:00.480 Um so what's not available is what she's done for me. 00:02:01.040 --> 00:02:01.359 Right? 00:02:01.519 --> 00:02:08.719 And this changes everything in a relationship if you can't talk about what a person has done for you or who they are. 00:02:10.560 --> 00:02:20.800 And this is where we come into this story in Exodus, because what this story in Exodus, at this point, God is starting to embed into his people remembrance. 00:02:21.199 --> 00:02:22.479 And this is where it begins. 00:02:22.560 --> 00:02:34.639 This is where it begins in the Bible, this this great practice, this principle, this thing that for the rest of the way out through the scriptures is just about remembering what God has done for us. 00:02:34.800 --> 00:02:40.159 And it's so interesting that in human relationships, when that's gone, we just feel it and we grieve. 00:02:40.319 --> 00:02:53.520 And there's so much for us to, for me at least, when I was thinking about this passage this week, and then thinking about uh conversations with my grandmother at this point, and how I'm actually grieving that we can't talk about things anymore. 00:02:53.680 --> 00:03:02.240 Um, and that that God knows that the way in which we share experience and the way that we have depth and meaning is by remembering. 00:03:02.719 --> 00:03:05.439 And so that's why he calls us to remember. 00:03:05.680 --> 00:03:10.800 He calls us to remember who he is and who he has and what he has done for us. 00:03:10.960 --> 00:03:15.680 And so, this Exodus story, we've been in this Exodus story the last six weeks or so. 00:03:15.840 --> 00:03:23.280 Uh the people of God, the Hebrews, the Israelites, they've been in slavery in Egypt for 430 years. 00:03:23.520 --> 00:03:26.719 Finally, last week we saw them get out. 00:03:26.960 --> 00:03:30.319 Finally, Pharaoh lets them go after these horrible plagues. 00:03:30.479 --> 00:03:31.840 Finally, they get out. 00:03:32.000 --> 00:03:37.039 Not only they get out, on the way out, the Egyptians are just handing their wealth to them. 00:03:37.199 --> 00:03:39.120 Like, please leave. 00:03:39.280 --> 00:03:42.719 Like, but you know, we are tired of all of these plagues. 00:03:42.879 --> 00:03:45.039 Just leave and take whatever you need. 00:03:45.199 --> 00:03:47.199 Just go, just leave. 00:03:47.280 --> 00:03:56.879 And so 600,000 men on foot leave, plus women and children, plus livestock and herds and flocks. 00:03:56.960 --> 00:04:00.800 I mean, this is a flood of people leaving. 00:04:00.960 --> 00:04:05.280 And so this day becomes embedded in Jewish history, and it's called Passover. 00:04:05.439 --> 00:04:06.560 That's what this is called. 00:04:06.639 --> 00:04:11.759 And it's a day to remember what God did for them in getting them out of Egypt. 00:04:11.919 --> 00:04:26.160 Now, here's what's great about it is that this day of remembrance, it is it is a once and for all day, meaning this, that they are remembering the finishedness of what was done for them. 00:04:28.000 --> 00:04:31.199 So I have one point this morning, and we'll break it down and talk about it. 00:04:31.279 --> 00:04:41.839 It's this God asks us to remember what has been done, because what has been done is what is true and freeing for us. 00:04:42.959 --> 00:04:49.600 God asks us to remember what has been done, because what has been done is what is true and freeing for us. 00:04:49.759 --> 00:04:51.040 So let's break that up. 00:04:51.199 --> 00:04:51.600 First part. 00:04:51.759 --> 00:04:54.879 God asks us to remember what has been done. 00:04:55.040 --> 00:04:57.839 Let me reread some of this passage as we work our way through. 00:04:58.000 --> 00:05:00.160 Exodus 13, 1 through 3. 00:05:00.399 --> 00:05:03.759 The Lord said to Moses, consecrate to me all the firstborn. 00:05:03.920 --> 00:05:10.560 Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine. 00:05:11.120 --> 00:05:23.360 Then Moses said to the people, Remember this day in which you came out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, for by a strong hand the Lord brought you out from this place. 00:05:23.600 --> 00:05:26.240 No leavened bread shall be eaten. 00:05:26.480 --> 00:05:30.160 So two things jump out here that just frankly are just a little strange, right? 00:05:30.319 --> 00:05:30.720 A little weird. 00:05:30.800 --> 00:05:36.319 Like what I mean, like last time you read in the Old Testament, you read something, you're like, what in the this has nothing to do with me. 00:05:36.560 --> 00:05:40.639 And so we dig a little, and then all of a sudden we discover it has a lot to do with us. 00:05:40.800 --> 00:05:43.360 But we have to discover what does it mean, right? 00:05:43.519 --> 00:05:47.759 Like if you just read it and you're like, firstborn, leavened bread, all right, not for me. 00:05:47.839 --> 00:05:51.680 Now, if we discover what it means, now it can mean something for you. 00:05:51.759 --> 00:05:57.199 And so we're going to discover what it means because two things in here is this this idea of the consecration of the firstborn. 00:05:57.279 --> 00:05:58.000 You're like, what is that? 00:05:58.079 --> 00:05:59.040 What could that ever mean? 00:05:59.199 --> 00:06:01.519 And then the unleavened bread. 00:06:01.759 --> 00:06:05.839 So let's figure out what this means because God is saying something. 00:06:06.000 --> 00:06:07.759 So these feasts, well, why? 00:06:07.839 --> 00:06:08.879 Why these feasts? 00:06:09.040 --> 00:06:14.639 All of a sudden, God begins to establish these feasts with the people of Israel. 00:06:15.120 --> 00:06:16.720 It's the same thing as what we have today. 00:06:16.879 --> 00:06:21.839 We have these, you know, Christian Western holidays that have become sort of a mix of secular and Christian. 00:06:22.000 --> 00:06:25.360 But they serve remembrance is what they serve. 00:06:25.680 --> 00:06:26.959 It's so that, right? 00:06:27.120 --> 00:06:35.360 I mean, the reason why you ultimately give a Christmas gift to your kid is so that your child will say, Dad, why are you giving me a gift? 00:06:35.680 --> 00:06:40.240 Or at least you earn the right to be able to say, I'm giving you this gift because. 00:06:40.879 --> 00:06:41.199 Right? 00:06:41.279 --> 00:06:52.720 So so back in this time and in this passage, I mean, this feast starts so that a little Hebrew girl will go to her daddy and say, Why are we doing this? 00:06:53.199 --> 00:06:56.319 Like, why for a week we're not eating normal bread? 00:06:56.480 --> 00:06:58.639 Well, why are we doing this? 00:06:59.199 --> 00:07:03.839 Because by a strong hand the Lord brought us out from our Egyptian slavery. 00:07:04.160 --> 00:07:05.439 Oh, oh, okay, Dad. 00:07:05.519 --> 00:07:07.199 Well, well, how did he do that? 00:07:07.680 --> 00:07:09.360 By the blood of the lamb. 00:07:09.759 --> 00:07:15.920 See, we consecrated a lamb and we smeared blood on our doorpost and and we were passed over. 00:07:16.480 --> 00:07:23.120 See, it serves remembrance and it serves the occasion that we get the ability to pass this story on. 00:07:23.279 --> 00:07:26.720 See, verse 8, you shall tell your son on that day. 00:07:26.959 --> 00:07:42.240 It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt, and it shall be to you as a sign on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth, for with a strong hand the Lord has brought you out of Egypt. 00:07:42.399 --> 00:07:48.399 You shall therefore keep this statute at its appointed time from year to year. 00:07:48.639 --> 00:07:52.959 So now this feast of unleavened bread begins the day after Passover. 00:07:53.680 --> 00:07:55.360 The feast is a week long. 00:07:56.000 --> 00:07:59.279 We're not sure of why the bread needs to be unleavened. 00:07:59.360 --> 00:08:00.480 There's some theories. 00:08:00.560 --> 00:08:06.720 Some people think, well, it's because of the manna, but then the manna happens after the establishment of the feast, so I'm not quite sure how that lines up. 00:08:06.879 --> 00:08:16.800 So there's just some theories that maybe it's just simplifying life for a period of time, just making life different so that we will remember, so they will remember. 00:08:17.199 --> 00:08:32.399 But the lesson's clear, and the lesson's this, that remembering the central acts of God's love for our freedom, the acts that our faith rests in, to remember that takes intentionality in a world that has little margin. 00:08:33.120 --> 00:08:38.879 So I've been reading this book the last few weeks, and the book's called Margin, so I was excited when I got to use that word. 00:08:39.039 --> 00:08:40.399 And here's what I've been learning. 00:08:40.720 --> 00:08:44.639 I've been learning, and I think it has a lot to do with this feast of unleavened bread. 00:08:44.799 --> 00:08:49.840 And here's what I've been learning that being busy doesn't mean that I am important. 00:08:50.559 --> 00:08:53.600 Nor is being busy anything to adore. 00:08:54.879 --> 00:09:01.279 Like a life of purpose with margin is the lesson of the feast of unleavened bread. 00:09:01.519 --> 00:09:03.600 That you would have the margin, right? 00:09:03.759 --> 00:09:05.759 Don't cook the leavened bread. 00:09:06.320 --> 00:09:07.759 Take a couple shortcuts. 00:09:08.000 --> 00:09:09.440 Just eat the unleavened bread. 00:09:09.679 --> 00:09:10.960 So you'll have some margin. 00:09:11.039 --> 00:09:13.919 And with your margin, do some remembering. 00:09:14.639 --> 00:09:21.279 See, you you will lose your security and sanity if you don't have some margin. 00:09:23.200 --> 00:09:26.480 And with the feast, with the margins where we do our remembering. 00:09:26.559 --> 00:09:29.519 Let's I'll as a pastor, I'll give you permission. 00:09:29.840 --> 00:09:39.679 Do less overall in your life so that in the evenings you can have a meal with your family or with your friends. 00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:43.840 Or you could go for a walk, or you could read a book. 00:09:45.039 --> 00:09:48.960 Do less overall so you can do more remembering. 00:09:49.360 --> 00:09:52.240 Like breathe fresh air, take a walk, take a nap. 00:09:53.360 --> 00:09:57.919 Do something that creates remembrance and be intentional in that, right? 00:09:58.000 --> 00:10:02.080 Like live purpose lives about the things that matter and refuse the other things. 00:10:02.159 --> 00:10:04.559 This is what the feasts teach us. 00:10:04.960 --> 00:10:07.279 How healthy we would be as a people. 00:10:07.360 --> 00:10:11.759 That the first thing that comes out of our mouths is not, how are you? 00:10:12.159 --> 00:10:14.240 Man, I've just been busy, just been busy. 00:10:14.399 --> 00:10:14.720 Right? 00:10:14.799 --> 00:10:16.799 I mean, that's just my normal answer. 00:10:16.879 --> 00:10:18.080 That's a horrible answer. 00:10:18.159 --> 00:10:20.320 That is not the answer of a healthy person. 00:10:20.559 --> 00:10:23.840 That's not an answer to look at and go, oh, that's so great. 00:10:23.919 --> 00:10:24.559 They're just so busy. 00:10:24.639 --> 00:10:25.600 No, that's a horrible answer. 00:10:25.679 --> 00:10:27.919 It means I'm not doing things correctly. 00:10:29.039 --> 00:10:30.799 I mean, really the answer to how are you doing? 00:10:30.960 --> 00:10:33.679 You say, we have a great pace going. 00:10:34.639 --> 00:10:36.080 I have a great pace going. 00:10:36.159 --> 00:10:38.799 You know, in the evenings, I got some, I have some margin. 00:10:39.039 --> 00:10:41.200 I go for a walk in the morning. 00:10:41.919 --> 00:10:43.840 You know, I spend time with my friends. 00:10:44.159 --> 00:10:45.279 I took a nap. 00:10:48.559 --> 00:10:49.840 This is the point. 00:10:49.919 --> 00:10:58.960 It's a little bit of my soapbox, but it's also the point of the feast is for this to begin for us to have some intentionality with it. 00:10:59.519 --> 00:11:07.759 All right, so our one point, God asks us to remember what has been done because what has been done is what is true and freeing for us. 00:11:07.919 --> 00:11:10.080 So all of this, so profound, right? 00:11:10.159 --> 00:11:15.519 That the first practice that God is starting to embed in his people is remembrance. 00:11:15.919 --> 00:11:16.960 And I just love that. 00:11:17.039 --> 00:11:19.600 Every other practice gets me a little anxious. 00:11:19.840 --> 00:11:20.879 Like, pray. 00:11:20.960 --> 00:11:24.080 I'm like, I always feel a little bit bad I'm not praying enough. 00:11:24.399 --> 00:11:25.679 Study the scriptures, okay? 00:11:25.759 --> 00:11:28.639 I'm always feeling a little bad, I'm not studying the scriptures enough. 00:11:28.879 --> 00:11:37.039 But remembering is like, well, I can kind of do that in the car, I can do that on a walk, I can do that like right before I take my nap, I can do that like when I'm working hard, I can do it when I'm cutting the grass. 00:11:37.519 --> 00:11:41.039 Like remembrance, it kind of goes into all these other things. 00:11:41.120 --> 00:11:45.679 It goes into the prayer, it goes into the study, it goes into my giving, it goes into service. 00:11:45.919 --> 00:11:50.480 All the other disciplines and all of life can serve this purpose. 00:11:50.559 --> 00:11:51.840 And it does. 00:11:52.879 --> 00:11:56.480 I think personally that's what that's why God establishes this first. 00:11:56.960 --> 00:11:57.679 Remembrance. 00:11:57.840 --> 00:11:59.679 Remember what I have done for you. 00:11:59.919 --> 00:12:03.759 So even when you're doing something for me, it really you're just remembering what I have done for you. 00:12:03.840 --> 00:12:07.840 And if you're not doing anything for me, you're still remembering what I've done for you. 00:12:09.840 --> 00:12:15.360 So usually about once a year, Christy and I we try to get away just for a night or two or something like that. 00:12:15.519 --> 00:12:17.440 And inevitably, what happens? 00:12:17.679 --> 00:12:31.440 What we discover is just sort of somewhere in that first day, you know, we don't have children anymore, and we're not doing, you know, we're not running around and we're not taking care of their needs, and all of a sudden you kind of see each other, and you're like, oh, okay. 00:12:31.600 --> 00:12:33.759 Like I I remember you. 00:12:35.759 --> 00:12:48.559 And my friend, a friend of mine who has they have they have four children that are all very little, little bitty children, and so life is very crazy for them, and they try to practice the same thing once a year, a night or two. 00:12:48.639 --> 00:12:55.120 And he said the thing that they always say to each other is all of a sudden they'll see each other and they'll say, There you are. 00:12:55.840 --> 00:12:58.000 And he said they both say it, and it's just become normal. 00:12:58.159 --> 00:12:59.120 It's like, there you are. 00:12:59.279 --> 00:13:01.279 Like I see you. 00:13:02.000 --> 00:13:03.919 I remember you. 00:13:05.039 --> 00:13:06.320 And we remember, don't we? 00:13:06.480 --> 00:13:17.759 Like we'll remember like our spouse, or maybe it'd be a sibling or a friend, but somebody we love that in the midst of life, it's just easy to forget who they are for us and to us. 00:13:17.919 --> 00:13:22.000 And all of a sudden you remember what was so good about this person. 00:13:23.600 --> 00:13:26.159 And there's power in remembering. 00:13:26.720 --> 00:13:31.279 There's power in remembering who this person has been for you or what they have done for you. 00:13:31.360 --> 00:13:34.799 And that's why you grieve when your grandmother gets dementia. 00:13:35.360 --> 00:13:37.519 It's because that's off the table. 00:13:38.240 --> 00:13:40.720 But there's power in the remembrance. 00:13:41.039 --> 00:13:43.360 Because the past doesn't stay in the past. 00:13:44.480 --> 00:13:51.200 Like a person that you love and they've done something loving to you, that has power right now. 00:13:52.240 --> 00:13:52.559 Right? 00:13:52.720 --> 00:13:56.000 That's why we tell stories over and over and over again. 00:13:56.080 --> 00:14:05.519 When somebody does something great for you and you keep telling that story over and over and over again, and then you keep telling it enough, and you're not even sure if you've told it, like you're telling it again, and the person's like, yeah, you actually already told me that. 00:14:05.759 --> 00:14:09.519 And it's because this person did something great for you. 00:14:10.799 --> 00:14:12.240 They showed up, right? 00:14:12.320 --> 00:14:16.080 Like they the friend spoke some word to you that was needed. 00:14:18.639 --> 00:14:22.960 So by remembering what has been done, we remember what is true and freeing for us. 00:14:23.039 --> 00:14:29.840 That's what this passage is teaching us with these ideas of the firstborn and the idea of this unleavened bread. 00:14:29.919 --> 00:14:33.759 But it extends larger for us than it did for the Hebrews at the time. 00:14:34.159 --> 00:14:42.240 So let's jump back in and kind of dig into this idea of the consecration of the firstborn, which just sounds weird at first, I'll be honest. 00:14:42.320 --> 00:14:44.879 It just sounds weird at first, but let's dig into it. 00:14:44.960 --> 00:14:46.159 I think it'll make some sense. 00:14:46.320 --> 00:14:52.879 Uh looking at verse 11, it says, When you come into Canaan, your land set apart the firstborn of uh the animals. 00:14:52.960 --> 00:14:54.960 And now it gets a little strange in verse 13. 00:14:55.120 --> 00:15:01.840 Every firstborn of a donkey, okay, every firstborn of a donkey, you shall redeem with a lamb. 00:15:02.080 --> 00:15:05.200 Or if you will not redeem it, you shall break its neck. 00:15:05.440 --> 00:15:09.600 Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. 00:15:09.759 --> 00:15:10.240 Now why? 00:15:10.399 --> 00:15:10.879 Why this? 00:15:11.440 --> 00:15:12.559 What is God saying? 00:15:12.799 --> 00:15:22.240 Well, see, he see, he's building a framework for us to understand him and for us to understand the work that Jesus will do for us later. 00:15:22.480 --> 00:15:30.320 He's helping us understand from the very beginning that the most important thing you can do in your spiritual life is to remember. 00:15:32.159 --> 00:15:38.720 Therefore, I sacrifice to the Lord all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem. 00:15:38.879 --> 00:15:45.360 It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontless between your eyes, for by a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt. 00:15:45.519 --> 00:15:50.480 See, the the firstborn and the families, they played some spatial special role in God's economy. 00:15:50.639 --> 00:15:52.480 Um we're not really sure. 00:15:52.639 --> 00:15:55.519 Did they did the firstborn tend to be more priests? 00:15:55.600 --> 00:16:03.360 Or we're not, we don't really know what way, but but we see this where this firstborn and the families play some special role. 00:16:03.519 --> 00:16:18.480 But now, if we dig a little bit more about what this could mean, and we we look back and we think about in Exodus 4, 22 and 23, God has claimed Israel, his people, as his firstborn of all people. 00:16:18.879 --> 00:16:26.639 Okay, so once again, what we see, and I love this, what we see is that God is establishing to the world, I am not a tribal God. 00:16:27.360 --> 00:16:28.720 I'm not a one tribe God. 00:16:28.879 --> 00:16:31.279 Every other God at the time, one tribe. 00:16:31.840 --> 00:16:34.639 The tribe creates the God, that God's for that tribe. 00:16:34.720 --> 00:16:42.480 And here God is, and he says, Oh, these people, this tribe, the Israelites, they're the firstborn of many tribes. 00:16:42.639 --> 00:16:47.919 They say, I'm the God of all different sorts and kinds of people. 00:16:51.120 --> 00:16:57.440 And the redemption of all people will come by the death of his firstborn, not the death of yours. 00:16:57.600 --> 00:17:02.960 And it's the great act of humility and love, God and to humankind to live and to die in the act of redemption. 00:17:03.120 --> 00:17:04.559 Now, look at verse 13. 00:17:04.640 --> 00:17:22.079 It's almost pretty comical this idea of redeem a donkey with a lamb, because I'm no scholar, but when I read this, I think it's safe to say that the redemption of all of us, donkeys, comes by a perfect lamb, which we know to be true throughout the scriptures as the person of Jesus. 00:17:22.240 --> 00:17:27.359 And he takes on our sin, he takes on our imperfect donkeiness. 00:17:27.759 --> 00:17:29.359 I mean, this is what the passage says. 00:17:29.440 --> 00:17:30.720 It's not me, I didn't have to make it up. 00:17:30.799 --> 00:17:39.200 And he just he takes on our imperfection upon himself, and he gives us in his grace, he gives us his righteousness. 00:17:39.359 --> 00:17:44.559 So we're made forever right with him by his word, by his sacrifice. 00:17:45.519 --> 00:17:51.440 So this week I found a few photo albums, they were on our in table, and Christy's been good every once in a while. 00:17:51.599 --> 00:17:54.000 She just throws like a whole bunch of pictures in an album. 00:17:54.079 --> 00:18:05.279 And what happens is every once in a while, we'll just I'll catch the girls just looking through the pictures, just different family members, or like us at the swimming pool, or you know, whatever, on a hike or something. 00:18:05.440 --> 00:18:10.960 And uh a lot of times they'll go to sleep and just grab one of these and they'll get in bed and they'll look through all the pictures. 00:18:11.039 --> 00:18:14.240 And and actually, yesterday, uh my four-year-old got one. 00:18:14.400 --> 00:18:26.160 She was sitting on the end of the couch and she was looking through it, and and she was just looking through it, and she was just naming the people, like naming the individuals, and like, oh, there's Granny, Izzy, Nana, Josie, granddaddy. 00:18:26.319 --> 00:18:34.720 Like she would just Christy, Gramps, Mimi, she would just work her way through all the pictures just over and over again. 00:18:34.880 --> 00:18:36.640 Why do we love to do this? 00:18:37.119 --> 00:18:37.440 Right? 00:18:37.599 --> 00:18:41.839 I mean, because we we love to remember shared experience. 00:18:42.000 --> 00:18:46.480 We love to remember people who have loved us, like moments of love and moments of family. 00:18:46.640 --> 00:18:51.920 And so these photos of love, these are photos of love that's been given to us. 00:18:52.319 --> 00:18:55.440 And whether you do a photo album or you're the doctor's office, right? 00:18:55.519 --> 00:19:01.359 You're the doctor's office and you're just looking through pictures of family or friends or places you've been. 00:19:02.079 --> 00:19:07.680 We do it because there's power in remembering what has been given to you. 00:19:08.559 --> 00:19:14.799 And so you need a little pick-me-up in the doctor's office, and you open up your photos and you look through some pictures. 00:19:15.039 --> 00:19:18.880 Because there's power in remembering what has been given to you. 00:19:19.200 --> 00:19:24.640 Tuesday morning is early in the week, and I had read and kind of studied some of this passage on Monday. 00:19:24.799 --> 00:19:35.440 And Tuesday morning, I woke up, I'm walking down my driveway to my garage where my office is, and so I'm walking down the driveway, and I found myself, I couldn't wait to get in my study to read this book. 00:19:35.519 --> 00:19:40.480 I've been reading this book called The Furious Longing of God, and I couldn't wait to get in my study to read this book. 00:19:40.640 --> 00:19:42.160 And I was kind of like, like, what is that? 00:19:42.240 --> 00:19:47.519 Like, why am I so eager to go and to get into my study to read this book? 00:19:47.680 --> 00:19:55.039 And I just realized it was because this book is about the furious longing of God, it's about God's furious love for me and for you. 00:19:55.200 --> 00:19:59.039 And I just realized, like, that's like I just need to hear it. 00:19:59.920 --> 00:20:01.519 I need to hear it again. 00:20:02.240 --> 00:20:05.440 And like tomorrow morning, I'm gonna need to hear it again. 00:20:06.880 --> 00:20:09.839 I just need to keep hearing it. 00:20:10.640 --> 00:20:13.279 That this is true and that this can be known. 00:20:13.440 --> 00:20:29.119 See, there is power in remembering the gift, God's unconditional love for you and the person of Jesus and his work, because his work puts to rest our hearts that endlessly try to justify themselves with our work. 00:20:29.279 --> 00:20:30.960 I'll repeat that because it's worth repeating. 00:20:31.119 --> 00:20:43.119 See, there's power in remembering the gift because his work puts to rest our hearts that endlessly attempt to justify themselves by our work. 00:20:43.599 --> 00:20:51.519 That's why remembering his work matters is because it puts to rest our heart that's trying to use our work. 00:20:52.319 --> 00:20:57.599 And so we remember his work and we live in his work and his sufficiency. 00:20:57.839 --> 00:21:04.640 Now, what is so good is just as God gave these people, the Hebrews back then, a tangible way to remember this, right? 00:21:04.799 --> 00:21:13.759 Like a feast, a bread, something to grab hold of, to touch and to smell, God gives us the same thing. 00:21:14.960 --> 00:21:22.000 I mean, we see the story here in Exodus, we see it is much more foreshadowing than our like our Jewish brothers and sisters do. 00:21:22.240 --> 00:21:28.960 For we see it leading to the Messiah and the work of Jesus and freeing us from the slavery of sin, not just the slavery of Egypt. 00:21:29.359 --> 00:21:34.559 And we see that Jesus says to us, for us to remember this by taking bread. 00:21:35.200 --> 00:21:40.480 I mean, how great is this that we get another tangible way for us to remember. 00:21:41.039 --> 00:21:42.160 That's why we do it every week. 00:21:42.240 --> 00:22:10.319 That's why we come to the table every week is to give us a tangible way to remember the work that was done for us, that we get to hold the bread and think about and remember the work he did for us, that he was broken for us, and that we we dip it into the wine, and we get to taste the wine or the grape juice in our mouths, and it helps us remember that his blood was shed for us, and that in that work we are set free. 00:22:10.559 --> 00:22:12.720 We've been taken out of Egypt. 00:22:14.480 --> 00:22:17.680 So, my brothers and sisters, he really loves you. 00:22:17.839 --> 00:22:22.960 Like as imperfect and tired and broken that you are. 00:22:30.799 --> 00:22:35.839 That condemnation we've been carrying around about that thing back then. 00:22:37.279 --> 00:22:39.200 Like he frees you from that. 00:22:41.440 --> 00:22:44.960 He fully accepts you as his child. 00:22:46.160 --> 00:22:49.839 Because he's the firstborn sacrifice. 00:22:51.200 --> 00:22:52.720 He's the bread of life. 00:22:54.240 --> 00:22:57.359 He's the strong hand that brings you out of Egypt. 00:22:58.000 --> 00:23:02.000 And it's for us to remember it over and over and over again. 00:23:02.480 --> 00:23:03.440 Let's pray together. 00:23:08.720 --> 00:23:12.160 God, we thank you for this great reminder for us to remember. 00:23:13.839 --> 00:23:24.240 We thank you that so early in the history of your people, you established the practice of remembrance. 00:23:26.319 --> 00:23:29.759 That our first practice is to remember what you have done. 00:23:31.440 --> 00:23:35.599 Would you help all our other practices, all our other disciplines? 00:23:38.240 --> 00:23:42.319 All of our living and moving and breathing to deserve this. 00:23:43.119 --> 00:23:45.759 Practice of remembering your work for us. 00:23:47.519 --> 00:23:53.759 Would you give us great freedom from guilt from condemnation? 00:23:55.839 --> 00:24:16.480 Would you create great fruit and our hearts and lives in your spirit because of the work you've done forgive us forgive us for moving you even forgive us?