The reason why I say that is because we're going to look at a very familiar story in the book of Exodus chapter 3. So please turn your Bibles there. And while we're going there, you are familiar with the story, nation of Israel oppressed by the Egyptians. God calls Moses and God has a plan of deliverance.

And in so having this plan radically changes Moses' route in life, radically changes what Moses is doing. So let's go there. So we're going to, sorry give me a second here. Exodus chapter 3, I'm going to start reading from verse 7. It says, "Then the Lord said, 'I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt and I've heard their cry because of their taskmasters.

I know their sufferings and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that 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 Hittites and Jebusites.

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. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.' But Moses said to God, 'Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?' He said, 'But I will be with you and this shall be the sign for you that I have sent you.

When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.'" Let's take a moment to pray. Our Heavenly Father, we want to thank You so much for Your Word. It is truly Your light unto our path and God is Your wisdom to us. I pray, Father Lord, that every single one of us would continue to be exposed to Your Word and God, that our hearts and our minds would be transformed by it.

We want to pray, Lord, for the work of Your ministry. God, as You lay out for us the story of Moses, I do pray that You grant to us a vision of Your plan, a vision of what You are doing and God, that we would fully embrace it. Lord Father, we thank You.

It's in Christ's name we pray. Amen. Okay. So, as we take a look at this passage, again, a very familiar passage that many of you have heard and have read before, I want to highlight essentially three truths about God's plan. And the three truths that I'm going to highlight, they are obvious.

So if my title headings are like really boring, I apologize. They're just obvious truths, but need to highlight them because sometimes, although obvious, very difficult to apply, very difficult to accept. Well, as we take a look at the story, first, if I draw your attention to verse 7 through 9, you see the situation by which God comes to.

The Lord says, "I surely have seen affliction of My people who are in Egypt, heard their cry of their taskmasters, and I know their suffering." Okay? So, He describes their plight, their problem and dilemma in a kind of variety of ways, their affliction and suffering and their cry. And we know that the oppression of the Jewish people throughout their history has been intense, to say the least, right?

Well, here specifically, they have been enslaved. They have been beaten down. And when we read this, you know, previously, if you remember the story of Moses, there was a generation when the Pharaoh actually murdered all the male babies. Just think about the kind of suffering a people would go through when their children are murdered, right?

The generation of children are murdered. So their suffering is not only long, because for 400 years they've been in Egypt, it's intense and it is impossible for them to get out of. Let's make this clear. The people needed deliverance from the outside. This is not one of these like good Disney movies where it's like, "Believe in yourself.

Let's gather together." You've got these farmers or these slave people, you know, learning and training and it's like, "Let's gather together and overpower the Egyptians." Like that is not possible. Again, generation of males were killed. Think what that would do. So if I said, you know, "These slaves were weak," I mean, that would be an understatement, right?

They were intensely, intensely in need and so they absolutely needed deliverance. And I'm just trying to repeat this idea, impossible for them to do on their own, okay? Impossible for them to do on their own. So with that said, we go to the first truth about God's plan of deliverance.

Ba-dum. There's Moses. First truth of God's plan of deliverance, that in God's plan of deliverance, God uses His people to do the impossible, okay? I want you to think about this for a moment as we read. I just try to make it very clear this is an impossible task for the people.

And so when you take a look at this, look at verse 10. "Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt." Think about how Moses would have received that. When Moses hears this message from God and God saying, "I have come down," he's thinking, "Yes, great.

That's amazing. I will send you." It's like, "Wait, what? No." It was impossible for an entire people. How would it be possible for one? Impossible for many Hebrews. How is it possible for one Hebrew? It is impossible. But let's observe this, again, clear and obvious truth that's been ruled throughout history.

God has so chosen that upon endeavoring on this impossible task, He regularly uses His people to accomplish it. And that's found all over the place. For example, if we look at Matthew chapter 5, starting from verse 14 through 16, okay, Matthew chapter 5, verse 14 through 16, we know that the generation is wicked, depraved, and dark.

We're in the kingdom of darkness, right? What does He say to all that? Jesus says, "You are the light. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden, neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on a stand and it gives light to everyone in the house.

In the same way, you let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father who is in heaven." Christ's design, you know, God's plan, His program, how we should perceive the situation right now is we are to be the light. In this decaying, dark generation, you're supposed to be the light.

Here's another passage, Acts chapter 1, verse 7 through 8. The disciples are asking this question like, "Where's going to be the kingdom? How is the kingdom going to come? Is it going to be now? Are you going to do it?" And Jesus says, or here, He says, "So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, 'Lord, is it at this time you are restoring the kingdom of Israel?' And He said to them, 'It is not for you to know the times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority, but," look at this, "but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, in all Judea, Samaria, even to the remotest part of the earth." It has been a regular pattern that in God's plan of redemption overall, He uses His people.

That's an obvious, this is not like groundbreaking new stuff that you've never, ever heard before. This is stuff you've heard many times. So why am I saying this? It's because there is a problem. The problem is, although this is God's landscape for us now and then, many times we say, "Oh, not for me." We have multiple excuses.

We have times when we just don't think that's God's will for us. I don't know what it may be, but we sound a lot like Moses. Take a look at chapter 4, Exodus chapter 4, when Moses is speaking with the Lord. You know that there's a series of questions Moses asks the Lord.

"Me? Who am I? What am I going to say about you? And what am I going to do with da-da-da-da-da?" And then eventually Moses starts to disagree with God, and this is what he says. In chapter 4, let's see, passage verse 10 through 13, okay, 10 through 13, "Moses said to the Lord, 'Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since You have spoken to Your servant, but I am slow of speech and tongue.' Then the Lord said to him, 'Who made man's mouth?

Who makes him mute or deaf or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth, teach you what you shall speak.' But he said, 'Oh, Lord, my Lord, please send somebody else.'" We have plenty of excuses. I mean, even in the, "I am not eloquent," and "I can't," I mean, you're pretty eloquent when you're giving your excuses, you know, pretty much.

And I just want to say, I mean, for me too, there's so many excuses for not doing what the Lord has said. Well, you know, one of the things that I experienced out in China this year at this trip was, man, I was silenced by just seeing who was there.

We got to China just about three, four days early before the camp started, and we had training and we had a chance to go to the wall and stuff. And while we were doing the training, we met other, like, missionaries and workers who were there, other teachers. There was a 72-year-old man.

He's just like a water sanitation worker guy working for the government in Seattle, and he tells me his story. I've been here 14 years. What he does is he takes two weeks of his pay time off, and then he asks his boss, "Can I take two more weeks without pay off so I can go to China?" His boss said, "Yes." So he flies every year.

72. By the end of the trip, he was kind of wheezing and stuff, and I was like, "Oh, are you okay?" But he's up with us. He goes to dorms with us, visits at night after dinner's over. He does the whole thing. We also had two little girls. They weren't little, actually.

They were taller than me. But there were 16 and 17, youth group students. "Where are you from?" "The Netherlands." "What? I don't even know what the Netherlands—like, are you Dutch, Holland? What do I call you?" You know, but they were there, and we were engaging, and they told me that, yeah, one of them got saved, like, you know, at a youth camp.

They gave their life to the Lord. It's their second year out there. They're serving the Lord. The family that is orchestrating this whole thing—they were the facilitators, kind of the program directors of this camp—like, amazing people. His name is Wouter. It's spelled W-O-U-T-E-R, Wouter. Amazing man. Super humble, super, like, like-minded, godly.

He's got his wife. They've been out there eight years serving. Four kids—five, three, one and a half, and one six weeks old. They were at the camp the whole time. I was like, "Dude, nothing's stopping you guys." So I had, like, there were moments—I had a lot of mosquito bites, and some days I was just drowsy, and I was just, you know, the itch in me to complain, like, "Oh, no, no, no, I'm so tired.

Oh, no, no, no, itchy mosquitoes, and na, na, na, na, na, na, na," right? I look at them and just can't. You know what I mean? People around you, you just can't say anything, because if you do, you're just going to look dumb. I've been through that, and that just inspired me.

Now, I say that not to be like, like, "Every one of you, get out there!" Like, no, I don't believe that it's for every single one of us to be missionaries, because we're not. Not every single one of us is called to go out to the mission field, you know, et cetera, et cetera.

However, certain callings are absolutely clear, and we are without excuse. And although it is obvious, many times we push it afar, like, "That's nice. I'm so encouraged by that. Good for you." But we don't think it's for me. But I know every single one of us, no matter what stage of life you're in, God has called you to shed light in your environment.

God has not called you to be silent. God has called you to be vocal about His grace, about His glory, and all that He has done for you, to speak in thanksgiving, to sing songs. God I know, God has called every single one of you, even if you don't have to go all the way out to China or some remote part of the world, God has clearly called you, amen?

And we have to not just like, "That's nice." We have to buy that in. Like, we have to accept that and say, "That's for me." And so, there is a progression of thought there. Have you guys ever prayed something like this? "Lord, if it be Your will, use me to minister to my coworkers." Progress from there.

Progress from there. What do I mean by that? Let me give you an example, okay? There's a bad way to apologize to somebody, especially you men, I'm giving you a tip of advice. If your girlfriend, wife is upset, do not say, "You know, if I hurt you in any way, if you're mad, right, I'm sorry." Because what does that sound like?

"Well, if you're going to make a big deal about it, then here." You know, that's what it sounds like. Because you can't say, "If." You should know if they're mad. You should know if you did something stupid. You should know. What I'm saying there is likewise. If you come to the Lord like, "If this happens to be Your will." No, God has said.

It is absolutely crystal clear. God uses His people for His glory and His work and His kingdom and His ministry. So it's not for you to say, "If it be Your will." It's for you to say, "I know this is Your will." Now again, the practical applications of that, whether you should go out on the mission field, whether you should take initiative to do a certain kind of ministry, that's yes, for you to work out with fear and trembling, for you to pray and take the lead of God.

But when it comes to the overall ministry of God, for you to evangelize and be a light, no, that is God's program for you now. And let us not be wishy and washy about that. Here's an interesting passage I would like you to go to, John chapter 17, verse 14 through 20.

John chapter 17, verse 14 through 20. Jesus is praying before He goes to the cross. This is famously known as Jesus' high priestly prayer. And in that moment, Jesus prays for His disciples in this fashion, okay? John chapter 17, verse 14 through 20. Jesus says, "I have given them Your word and the world has hated them because they are not of the world." I want you to think about that, okay?

Current landscape, your ministry, is it always going to be successful? Jesus told you already what it's going to be like. "Just as I am not of the world, I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I'm not of the world, but sanctify them in Your truth.

Your word is truth, as you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake, I consecrate myself that they also may be sanctified in truth. I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word." So what is God's design?

I'm just talking about like current circumstance. You should have a worldview of how you fit your role in God's program. God uses His people to accomplish the impossible. That's what God does. So for us, I don't want to hear stuff like, "I don't want to do this because I..." Why am I using that voice?

I don't know. Sorry, I'm just going to use it. "I don't want to do this because God has only called me to be sender, never speaker. I don't want to do this because I know it's not going to work. I don't want to do this because..." We have so many excuses.

This is God's program for us now. Now moving forward to the next part. Point number two, let's look at... Oops, sorry. Point number two, God's plan is gold. God's plan of deliverance is absolute gold. Okay? What do I mean by that? Well, when you look at Moses' words after the Lord, God, speaks to him and tells him, "This is why I've come.

I'm going to deliver the people." And he says, "So therefore, I'm going to send you." Take a look at verse 11 and on. Moses says to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?" Okay? "Who am I?" Right?

Now, Moses receives a lot of criticism for that question and partially rightly so. When God says, "Go," it's not for you to all of a sudden be like, "Not me. I can't do it. Oh." You know, like to throw a pity party for yourself because that's not trusting in God's plan.

God's plan is gold. You should have confidence in God's plan, but you saying, "Who am I?" That just means you're way too much thinking about yourself, right? So rightly so, Moses receives a ton of criticism. You hear every commentary. He receives a ton of criticism for saying, "Who am I?" However, I was thinking about it and every single one of us would say the exact same thing if we were him.

Why? Because the story goes, Moses at this time is not a young man saying, "Yeah, let's do it," you know? He's 80. So when you see the photos where he's all gray, that's accurate. Scripture says that he spent 40 years in Egypt, 40 years in the wilderness of the Midianites.

He was just a shepherd. So here's a weathered man with lots of sorrow in his life. He calls himself the sojourner. You know, he's like, "I don't belong anywhere." And he names his son a sojourner and all this kind of stuff. He's a sad man. He's not motivated. He's like, "Yeah, I'm going to lead these people." Not only that, he can't lead these people.

Why? Because he lived his life in Egypt as an Egyptian. He was in the palace. So imagine he coming to the Hebrews and saying, "I'm going to lead you guys." The Hebrews aren't thinking, "Yes! You know, you were always faithful." No, they're thinking, "Are you kidding? You're an Egyptian.

You're like an Egyptian dropout." What's more, the Egyptians don't like him because remember, when he left Egypt, he killed the man. He killed an Egyptian soldier. So it says that Pharaoh was after his life. They wanted to kill him. So he's hated by the Egyptians, hated by the Hebrews.

He's old. He's not thinking, "Yeah, I can do it." He's thinking, "Are you serious? Who am I?" We would say the exact same thing. He's failed prince, murderer, dropout, so to speak. That being the case, there is a reality. Every time we're doing a work of God, like a ministry of the Lord, we're going to get a quick, like a really quick rush of looking at our resume and realizing, "I am not qualified for this task.

I am not qualified for this position." Now, if we stop there, that's sad, right? It's like give up, throw your hands up and like, "Yeah, this is impossible." But God expects us, knowing we're not qualified, to still have confidence. Did you know that? So first part of God's plan, in God's plan of deliverance, He uses people to do the impossible.

In that circumstance, you're going to feel like, "I'm not qualified," but He expects you to have confidence. Huh? How in the world do you have confidence when the task is impossible and you don't feel qualified? Well, the answer comes in. You have to have confidence in God's golden plan.

Take a look at this, verse 12. This is amazing to me, okay? Verse 12, "God says to Moses, 'But I will be with you, and this shall be a sign for you.'" Is this where He does the miracles of the snake and the hand and the bosom and it comes out like snow?

No, this is what He says. "This will be a sign for you, that I have sent you. When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain." That's weird to me. Is that weird to you? Moses is sitting here saying, "Who am I?

I can't do this." And God says, "I'm going to give you a sign that you can." And God doesn't say, "I raised you up in Egypt. I was there, you know? I trained you. You're trained in military arts of the Egyptians. You're trained as a prince for this purpose.

You are ready, my son." You know, like that would be a great movie, you know? Like believe in yourself. You can do it. And that would be an awesome movie. But that's not what God says at all. God says, "The proof that you are sent by me is after the fact.

When this plan is accomplished and you're going to stand on this mountain and worship." He's not even giving a sign. The sign is going to be then before the act. The sign is after. After God's golden plan works to the T, Moses is then going to know, "My goodness." What is he saying?

For us, we have to have absolute confidence in the power of God, the power of His plan, the power of His Word. There is where our confidence lies. So shaky people, all of you who are nervous, all of you who are fearful, because to tell you honestly, here is the problem.

That many of us, the reason why we don't evangelize as we ought, we don't speak up, is because we're what? We're afraid. We're afraid it's not going to work. We're afraid it's not going to bear the kind of result we want to have. Why am I so afraid of talking to my boss?

Like when I was working in the secular field, not Pastor Peter or the elders, like why am I so afraid of talking to like, you know, in your workplace environment, your managers and your coworkers, because you're afraid exactly of what's going to happen when all this goes sour. It's going to be mega awkward.

It's not going to work. They're going to reject me, and we're just afraid. The fact of the matter is when we do that, we've lost confidence in God's golden plan. Part of the reason why even those of you who are shaky in your voice, even those of you who are timid and all introverted, why you can still go and evangelize is because you can bank all of your confidence and boast on Christ and His power.

You believe the gospel to be powerful, so powerful it'll transform and save people, amen? So you bank on that and you go. You bank on that and you speak. Christians, Christians have this weird, weird balance. Absolute no confidence in the flesh or my own ability. We know we're incapable.

We know our resume is horrendous, but we have absolute boldness because of Christ. That should be our regular scenario. I want to point you to a passage, 2 Peter chapter 3. Okay, 2 Peter chapter 3. Go over to 2 Peter chapter 3, verse 1. It's a little bit lengthy passage, but in line with our theme of thinking about God's plan of deliverance, how you fit into that role, but also how much confidence we can have on God's Word, how much confidence we can have on God's plan, this passage fits perfectly.

He says this, starting from verse 1, it's a little bit of a lengthy passage, please follow along. This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved, in both of them, I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing first of all, listen to this, the scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.

They will say, "Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation." For they deliberately overlooked this fact that the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the Word of God and that by means of these, the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished.

But by the same Word of the heavens and earth that now exists are stored up for fire being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is a thousand years and a thousand years is one day.

The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient towards you not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. The day of the Lord will come like a thief and then the heavens will pass away with a roar and the heavenly bodies will be burnt up and dissolve and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you be in lives of holiness and godliness? Why do I say that passage fits perfectly? Because the scoffers all around you, the people of unbelief are going to tell you God's plan failed. God is not coming, Christ is not returning, look how long it's been.

I bet you the time of Moses, 400 years, you know people are probably saying God's plan failed. God's forgotten us, He has rejected us, He has nowhere to be found. But God's plan is golden. To the degree, Apostle Peter says, just like God through the power of His Word already judged the world with water, God will judge the world with fire.

And you know this for certain, do not, do not forget this fact, God's Word will stand true. That's the same thing for us, that's the same challenge. God's plan will work, not the way that we think, not what the kind of results that you want to see, but according to His way and His design, God's plan will work and you can bank on that.

So with that kind of encouragement, we have confidence to be witnesses for the Lord. Next and the final point, God's plan was, is, and will always be for His glory. God's plan was, is, will always be for His glory. What do I mean by that? Well, let's head back to Exodus chapter 3 and start looking from verse 13.

Okay, Exodus chapter 3, starting from verse 13. So after God encourages Moses' heart, God says this, starting from verse 13 down to verse 17, "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?

God said to Moses, 'I am who I am,' and he says, 'Say this to the people of Israel, 'I am has sent me to you.' 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, the God of Jacob has sent me to you.

This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.'" God's plan was, is, and will always be for His glory. God is saying, "Moses, earlier you asked, 'Who am I?' And I'm showing you it's not really about you. My plan is golden. Have confidence in my plan." And now He's directing the attention, Moses essentially asks, "Who do I say you are?" And God says, "I am that I am." I wish we could spend a whole lot of time there because you know that the name that God has revealed is so packed with rich theology, that He is eternal, He's self-sufficient, that He is.

But as we're talking about truths of God's plan, likewise, then God's plan serves His nature. He is the glorious One who has been working long before Moses ever entered on the scene. He is working now, and He is going to work out His plan into the future, and all of that, the whole entirety of His plan is absolutely going to be for His glory.

But here's the problem. Many of us, by subtle and maybe unintending ways, sometimes diminish or try to diminish His glory. How do we do that? By trying to play chess. Do you guys remember this? On your old computers playing chess? What do I mean Moses is trying to play chess?

What do I mean that we try to play chess? Well the fact of the matter is, Moses, when he starts to ask these questions, he says he's starting to roll his brain and saying, "Well, okay, but if I go and I say, 'God sent me to you,' they're going to be like, 'What God?

God didn't speak to you?'" Remember, you're an Egyptian dropout, so he's like anticipating their move, and then he's anticipating His move, and then he's anticipating God's move, and then God's trying to tell him, "My plan is golden. I have detailed every single part of this plan to the degree that God has said, 'This is how a Pharaoh is going to reject me.

This is how a Pharaoh is going to reject you, and this is what you're going to say, and this is going to...'" God has detailed every single part of that plan, but Moses is still doing what? He's still doubting, and he's still trying to play chess. How does that diminish glory?

Let me give you an example, okay? We have said that God has, okay, I'm just saying now, okay, there is an impossible task at hand, the deliverance of God's people. We are incapable, right? And the results, we are not sure. Imagine if you're at work, some of you guys work for engineering firms, or maybe you guys work for accounting firms, you guys work for whoever it may be, your business, okay?

Imagine that your senior CEO or president or whatever constantly assigns you tasks that are absolutely impossible, and then He assigns it to people who are incapable, and maybe you never feel like you're equipped, and you never feel like He's properly training you, and then the results are always botched.

How would you feel? You would feel all of a sudden an incredible amount of distrust for your boss. Is this the way you make decisions? Is this how you're going to treat us? Is this what we're working for? This is pointless. Da-da-da-da-da, right? See, that would all, and in everything, that would be appropriate, I guess, in the work environment, in a business environment where your objective is to produce, or your objective is to make money, your objective is to grow your business.

This is what I'm saying. Our mentality is so skewed when all of a sudden we're like, "This is impossible. This isn't effective. Look at the results." Well, that's what Moses is thinking. I know what the results are going to be. This is not going to work, and in so saying that, he diminishes the glory of God.

Why? Because God's plan, His plan of deliverance was, is, and will always be for God's glory. God has said that whether the Egyptians know Him, repent, turn around, even you guys, whether you repent, turn around, whatever you do, regardless, what's going to happen? God will be honored. Turn your Bibles to Exodus chapter 14, verse 17 through 18.

This is quite profound. It changes our paradigm of how we're interpreting success and failure. It changes our paradigm of how we're interpreting success and failure, because take a look at this. Chapter 14, verse 17 through 18. God says, "As for me, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them, and I will be what?

Honored through Pharaoh and all his army through his chariots and his horsemen. Then the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I am honored through Pharaoh, through his chariots and his horsemen." So God is being honored even in the hardness of the Egyptians. God is being honored even when the chariots are chasing the Hebrews to the sea.

Then how dare we all of a sudden be like, "This is not going to work. Boo, I'm not doing this." That's dishonoring to God. Why am I saying this? Because oftentimes we in our, I don't know what it is, but sometimes as soon as we think this is not going to work, we give up.

We live in a generation, we know that the people aren't going to listen to us. I don't know if some pastors or missionary has come after a mission ship and they come over and they're like, "The harvest is white. It's time for harvesting. Let's go reap and all we need is more workers." Right?

Well, the reality is many of you have tried going to share the gospel and you know it's slim pickings. The reality is many of you have gone out and felt like, "Oh my goodness, there's nothing out there." You see, we have the task of warning people. God has called his people throughout all generations, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, everybody.

You go and warn the people around you that wrath is coming and if you don't warn them, their blood is on your hands. Did you know that? You have this task, this crazy huge task of warning the people around you. But here's the crazy part. Here's the crazy part.

In the New Testament, there was a rich man who lived his life to the fullest. He enjoyed everything the world had to offer. There was a poor man who was poor and begging, but the rich man wouldn't even give him anything. The two die and guess what happens? The rich man is burning in hell and he looks up and he realizes the poor man is sitting next to Abraham's bosom and enjoying life.

And the rich man says, "Please, just give me a drop to quench my thirst." And Abraham says, "No. There is a chasm between you and me and I can't do that." And so the rich man says, "Please, just send me. Send me to my brothers. They're wicked and stuff.

I just need to warn them." And you remember what Abraham says? "Even if you come back from the dead, they will not turn." The scenario that we have is an interesting scenario. You and I are tasked with what is seemingly an impossible task, but please remember your motivation to go and persevere to be a light of the gospel to the people is not because you thought it was going to work.

It's because it's for the glory of God and whether people repent or don't repent, God will be glorified as the great holy God who had mercy, who sent his message to stubborn, stiff-necked people. It reveals the nature of God's glory that even though there's a mass of people who are rushing towards the wide gate, he still makes his gospel spread to his servants.

That's just one way by which God is glorified. So my challenge to you is not get discouraged because you've been out there and you're like, "Oh man, you know how hard it is and you just give up." No, whether people are hardened, whether people repent, whether people come around, whether they are pharaohs, people of high position, low position, whatever it may be, by us being faithful to the task that God's plan of deliverance is going forward through us and his plan is golden, may God be honored.

Amen? Let's pray. Lord God, we are all the more humbled that, Lord, you would reveal yourself to us. And then we're then even more exceedingly humbled that you would so choose to place such a gracious, precious gospel in our hands to carry to the lost. I pray, Father God, that every single individual here would hear this calling and God would not only just receive it but make it a part of their heart so that our hearts would be in tune with yours.

We know, Father God, that you are seeking the lost, you are seeking and pursuing sinners. And I pray, Father Lord, that you would give us the same spirit and the same desire. Lord, use this church, use every single individual, whether young or old, rich or poor, whatever life circumstances is in, that God we would truly be a light unto the dark place.

And in so doing, Lord, that we would give glory to you. We thank you, it's in Christ's name, amen.