Exodus: What's Up With That?

This sermon addresses the "why" behind the Ten Plagues, asking "What's up with that?" regarding God's harsh judgment. The plagues are a revelation (Who is God?), a rescue (fulfilling His promises), and a recompense (judging oppression). They show God rules over humanity, nature, and all other gods. These were supernatural acts, and this message tackles the "why" of their severity.

Scripture References

• Acts 17:25
• Psalm 50:12
• Galatians 6:7-8
• Matthew 7:2
• Proverbs 1:24-33
• Exodus 34:6-7
• 2 Peter 3:9
• Ezekiel 33:11
• Exodus 8:25, 8:28, 10:11, 10:24

Key Points

1. God Is Not Insecure; His Glory Is Our Good God's commitment to His own glory isn't neediness; it's love. He seeks our worship not because it meets His need, but because it meets our need. When God exalts Himself, He draws us to the only thing that can satisfy our souls. We were designed to worship. Non-worship is not an option; you will worship something. God, in His kindness, offers Himself as the only object that leads to life.
2. God Will Not Be Mocked (Reaping What You Sow) The plagues are a terrifying picture of justice. Egypt is reaping what it has sown. Long before God turned the Nile red, the Egyptians turned it red with the blood of Hebrew infants. Long before God struck the firstborn son, Pharaoh had been killing Israel's sons. This principle is meant to drive us to the Gospel, to flee to God for mercy rather than face the just consequences of our own actions.
3. God's Patience Precedes His Judgment God is "slow to anger" (Ex. 34:6). He is not a short-fused, raging deity. These plagues come after centuries of oppression. He warns repeatedly because He is patient, "not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). His warnings are an act of love.
4. God Will Not Compromise on Freedom Pharaoh tries to negotiate, offering four compromises that are still schemes of the enemy today:
   • Deal 1: "Worship, but stay my slaves." (A faith with chains on).
   • Deal 2: "Worship, but don't go too far." (A private, comfortable faith).
   • Deal 3: "Let the men go, but leave the families." (A faith that doesn't include your household).
   • Deal 4: "Go, but leave your flocks." (A faith that costs you nothing). God refuses every deal. He is committed to total, costly, all-encompassing freedom.

Conclusion

God will not settle for a people who worship with chains on. He has not called us to a compromised faith. He is committed to our total freedom, and He paid the ultimate price for it. We must refuse to "play church" and settle for anything less than the complete freedom Christ has purchased for us.

Calls to Action

1. Refuse to Worship with Chains On: Renounce any bondage you've accepted as normal.
2. Reject Compromised Faith: Don't take the enemy's deals. Go as far as God calls.
3. Take Your Family With You: Commit to leading your entire household in worship.
4. Make Your Worship Costly: Refuse to offer God a faith that costs you nothing.

Transcript

Erik said we do baptisms really well. I say we meet and greet pretty well. You guys are hard to reign in. Hey, for the last two weeks, we've been unpacking ten plagues. These plagues were sent upon Egypt about 3500 years ago. And these famous plagues achieved many things. Yeah. Glenn's been teaching us about the revelation of God that came as a result of these plagues.

So God is through these plagues, answering the question, who is the Lord? And it's not just the Egyptians who don't know who the Lord is. The Israelites also don't know who the Lord is. So God is answering the question, who are you? It's a revelation of who he is also. It's a rescue God stepping in to save and redeem his people and to fulfill promises made to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.

He's making good on those promises. He's making a people, and he's going to give them a land. And this is also a recompense. So God is punishing the Egyptians for centuries of oppression. So the Israelites have been in Egypt for 400 years. Much of that they've been a slave labor force. So we don't know exactly how the pyramids were constructed, but we kind of do know exactly how the pyramids were made.

They're made the way every other empire makes something through oppression and slavery. So also in these plagues, I'm going to set this down. I feel weird.

Because also in these plagues, in these last few chapters, if you zoom out on these plagues, you need to know God is revealing that he rules over humanity. So he's sovereign over humans, including humans who think they're gods. Pharaoh. He's just moving them around like a pawn on a chessboard. And you also need to know through the plagues that God rules over nature.

He's sovereign over even the silly things like frogs. And you also need to know that he rules over other gods. Every one of these plagues is an act of war on an Egyptian god. They aren't just random. You're like, where did he come up with gnats? You know what's up with that? These aren't just random. He's declaring war on Egyptian god.

So as we read this story, we know God rules over human beings. He rules over nature and he rules over other gods. He is Yahweh, right? So much of the conversation around these plagues can surround how how this is possible, how these happened. Everybody's seen a National Geographic special trying to explain away how these plagues took place. Glenn touched on it, but it's like, well, that the Nile didn't turn red with blood.

It was red with red algae. This killed the fish. The dead fish brought the flies. The flies killed the livestock. You know, this is kind of the the rationale that surrounds it, right? They crossed the Red sea on this sandbar. If you look, there's this sandbar. There's this shallow spot. The Bible, as Glenn said weeks ago, knows nothing of this.

These are supernatural acts. These can't be logically explained. And we we struggle with that. So there's a big how conversation. How did these happen? But there's also a why conversation. Why did these plagues happen. And if you haven't had this happen yet, this will happen as you study the book of Exodus. At some point you're going to read this and go.

She's harsh. At some point, you're going to be reading the book of Exodus and you're going to go, what's up with that? What's going on here? I know God to be a God of mercy. I know God to be a God of love. I know God to be a God of second chances. Why is he killing people? Why is he killing the firstborn males in every home?

I used to read that and think like, sweet. I would have got out of that deal. I have five daughters and I'm like, yeah, man, I don't actually even need the blood over my doorpost. I don't have any because I think children, it's the firstborn males. Guess who's the firstborn male in their house? Me. That's funny. Right? Me like, not marking my door.

I'm like, I don't have any daughters. I'm glad we can laugh. Back to the seriousness. How can a loving God kill people? You know, this is. Listen, if you're not asking these questions, you're not even. You're not paying attention. These are difficult things to handle. So much blood. Such high stakes. What's happening here? Long before Jason Sudeikis appeared in a tracksuit as Ted Lasso, he appeared as a backup dancer on an SNL skit called What's Up With that?

And in this skit, Kenan Thompson while Fred Armisen plays saxophone behind him. This is good. I want this to play the whole time I preach. Just leave this up.

This is a parody, a skit that Kenan Thompson does called. What's up with that? And and he just keeps singing. Who we. What's up with that? What's up with that? And the name of my sermon is what's up with that? What is up with that? And I want to just mention a few things and move through the plagues to help you better understand your Bible.

So the first thing, and again, maybe you've not allowed yourself to think this, but I'm guessing maybe you have at some point. But you've never been able to say it in church. I didn't mean it. You can take it to oh no.

Thanks for calling my bluff and exposing me as a liar. Take it down.

The first thing I want to say to you this morning is that God is not insecure. And the temptation when we read the Bible is to think at times. Why is God so obsessed with his own name and glory? Is God needy of worship? Is God a megalomaniac? Why is God so into God? God is very into and very committed to his glory.

And I think it causes many of us to wonder, why is God so into God? He almost seems self centered. Throughout the plagues he keeps saying, and you will know my name. And so often we've heard the villain in a story say, and you're all going to bow to me one day. We've heard needy, insecure people crave the, honor and the recognition that comes from the people around them.

What's up with that? How is a God who is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in a steadfast love? How is he into his own worship? Well, the answer is fairly, fairly simple is that God's glory is also our good. They're not at odds with one another. So God seeks our worship not because it meets his need, but because it meets our need.

And Gunnar actually mentioned that earlier. Acts 17 says, And God is not served by human hands as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything he is that well that never runs dry. He's not a vacuum saying recognize me or else. So don't read it that way. I love this psalm.

Psalm 50. God says, if I were hungry, I wouldn't tell you the world is mine, and all that's in it. It doesn't sound like he needs much. So you need to understand this. God pursuing his glory and God pursuing his worship. He's doing what is most loving for us in doing that. His commitment to himself is not at the expense of his commitment to us.

The most loving thing he can do for us is exalt himself. John Piper says it this way. This is not megalomania because unlike our self exaltation, God's self exaltation draws attention to what gives the greatest and longest joy, namely himself. When you exalt yourself or we exalt ourselves, we lure people away from the one thing that can satisfy their souls.

The infinite beauty of God. When God exalts himself, he manifests the one thing that can satisfy our souls, namely, God. So when a villain screams, you're all going to know my name. And when a villain screams, you're all going to bow to me. It's never a good thing for the population, is it? It's always at the expense. It never causes them to flourish.

But when God says worship me, it causes us to flourish. It's in our best interest. So it's loving towards us. For God to exalt himself and to draw attention to himself. It's life giving because it was what you were created to do. You were designed to do this. I think we celebrated Kathleen Kennedy's life and it came up over and over again.

She's one of our pastor's wives. And to Larry and a mother in this house as well. And we celebrated her life yesterday. And it came up over and over again that she lived a life of worship, and it led to flourishing in her relationships and her family. Her exaltation of God wasn't at an expense, right? It brought about life for her.

It's like when we worship, when we exalt him, it's like we're going with the grain. We're doing what we were designed to do. So you've been in a conversation with a friend, or maybe you've seen a film where someone goes and is in a conversation with a spouse or a or a friend, and that friend is giving up on what they're designed to do.

That person is dejected, that person saying, well, I'm giving up on this dream. I'm giving up on this commitment. I'm giving up on this destiny. They're questioning their purpose. They're questioning their call. And then they sit with a trusted friend or a spouse, and they don't know why they got themselves into this in the first place. And they're thinking, maybe I should just quit.

Maybe I should just throw in the towel on what I thought it was designed to do. And that trusted friend, you know, says, no, you were made for this. You were made for each other. You're going to get up and you're going to ask that girl to the dance. And there's this rise right? And it's like, no, you were made to run, Forrest.

You were made to fight Rocky, right? You were designed for this. You were made to break the color barrier. Jackie, press on. You were made to teach. You were designed to teach. So you you get back in there, white woman, and you teach those inner city kids. You know, this is the message of these movies. You were made to dance.

You were made to run. You were made for each other. So you go out there and you run till your shoes fall apart, right? And you win her heart. And you don't give up on what you were made to do. You were made to praise the greatness of God. You were designed to do it. It is your highest call, your greatest call to sit and say before God, what a God, what a god.

And I know you're probably sitting here thinking I was made to sing songs. I show up late so I don't have to sing songs. I can't even get through the three that you give me. One time a week. You're trying to tell me I was made to sit on some cloud and pluck some harp? I don't think so.

No. You were made to see wondrous things in heaven and earth. You were made to experience transcendent beauty. You were made to be caught up in something way bigger than yourself and your little world. You were made to give your whole life away and surrender to what is worthy. You were made for this. And even as I talk, your heart's going.

That's true. I want that, and I'm giving it away to one week in Kent. King, whom? What about the God who created King Kund and created your longings? What about him? He's worthy. By the way, you should also know that non worship is not an option. You will worship someone or something. You will make a golden calf. So God in his mercy is going.

Yeah, I think I'm the best option for you. I'm not trying to put myself forward and say that there's nothing better, but it's like, hey, everything else is going to lead to death. This is going to lead to life.

This is going to save you from a lifetime of despair. If you continue to honor things that can't bear the weight of his glory. You will glory in something. You will make someone or something the weightiest thing in your life. You will. And then you'll revolve around it, and then you'll make sacrifices for it. You'll do it. It'll be someone or something.

And none of those someones or some things can bear the weight of that. So God in his kindness is saying, pick me, not in his neediness. Pick me. The second thing you need to know, and I don't know if you've heard it from a pulpit yet, is that God will not be mocked. This is in the New Testament, not in the book of Exodus.

Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. He cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh from the flesh will reap destruction. Whoever sows to please the spirit from the spirit will reap eternal life. Jesus himself would say, do not judge, or you two will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

You need to know that long before God turned the Nile River red, the Egyptians turned it red with the blood of Israelite infants. You need to know in some sense that Egypt is reaping what they've sown. This doesn't come out of nowhere. Long before God struck down the firstborn sons of Egypt, Egypt had been killing the firstborn sons of Israel.

So in some sense, when we read the plagues, Israel's getting a taste of their own medicine. They're sleeping in a bed that they made, and they're reaping according to what they've sown. Proverbs is a book that often many of us turn to in the mornings with a cup of coffee, to kind of gain wisdom for our day. Proverbs one I've always thought this is a horrifying passage, and I wanted to share it with you today.

This this is this is disturbing. What's up with that? But since you refuse to listen when I call and no one pays attention when I stretch out my hand, this is wisdom calling. 6 a.m.. But since you refuse to listen when I call. And no one pays attention when I stretch out my hand. Since you disregard all my advice and do not accept my rebuke, I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you.

I will mock when calamity overtakes you. When calamity overtakes you like a storm. When disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind. When distress and trouble overwhelm you, then you will call to me. But I will not answer. They will look for me, but will not find me. Since they hated knowledge and they did not choose the fear of the Lord, since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke.

They will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes. For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them. But whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease without a fear of harm. It's so interesting that the fear of the Lord leads to living without a fear of harm.

But a lack of the fear of the Lord means you're going to live with a fear of harm. The fear of the Lord is a reverent obedience. It leads to us taking refuge in him, not running from him. It's a fear of going without him.

So you just need to know this as you read this story, that you don't throw babies into the Nile without having your entire army swallowed by the Red sea. It's interesting. I was thinking, because this is hard for us. This idea that God's a God who judges. I think it's because our modern notions of love are simply tolerance.

So when we hear love, God loves us. We think God tolerates anything and everything. And it's just cool with that. Abraham Lincoln I was, reading his second inaugural address. It's Thanksgiving. That's why I feel like I need to explain that. Everyone's like, is that what you read on the toilet? No.

Abraham Lincoln believed that the the Civil War that the US, the US was experiencing was reaping what they had sown. And in his second inaugural address, it wasn't a time to party. He had won the presidential election and the North had won the Civil War. But it was no time to celebrate because of the over 600,000 American lives that had been lost.

And this is what Abraham Lincoln says in his speech. The Almighty has his own purposes. Woe unto the world because of offenses. For it must be that offenses come. But woe to that man by whom the offense cometh. If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses which, in the providence of God must needs come, but which, having continued through his appointed time, he now wills to remove, and he gives to both the North and South this terrible war, as the woe do to those by whom the offense came.

Shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes, attributes which the believers in the living God always ascribe to him fondly? Do we hope and fervently do we pray that this mighty scourge of a war may speedily pass away? Yet if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bonds. Men's 250 years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn by the lash shall be paid by another, drawn with the sword, as was said 3000 years ago.

So still, it must be said, the judgments of the Lord are true, and the righteous altogether.

Now that speech is more complicated than reading the Bible, but what he's saying here is we're reaping what we've sown.

It's heavy stuff. There is a principle in Scripture of sowing and reaping. And I think when we hear about it, we think, well, how is that different than karma or every other religion? That was just going to say, you're going to get what you give. Where's there room for the grace of God in this? I believe this principle at play that we reap what we sow is meant to be an evangelist, and it's meant to cause us to take refuge in him.

When we experience the weather and we do, we go, oh, I want to come in. And under your mercy, I don't want to reap what I've sown, and I don't want others to reap what they've sown. I receive your mercy and your grace in my life, and I want to extend that. I no longer want to live under this law.

This law is meant to push us towards the gospel. Jesus, we no longer. We give up on fair. We don't want to reap what we've sown, and we don't want that for the people around us either. Third thing you need to know God's patience precedes his judgment. You have to see this any time and every time you read the Old Testament, his patience precedes his judgment.

He never flies off the handle.

God warns, and we're like, whoa! But it's a loving thing to warn. What is the person who warns hoping will happen? If they want to fly off the handle, then why warn? He's warning because his patience precedes his judgment. God doesn't just count to ten on Egypt. We're talking about centuries of slavery. He's not like one to here come the frogs gnats.

That's not it. It's hundreds of years. And some of you know, like, you know, if you're here and you've experienced the discipline of the Lord in your life, he didn't warn you just once. You turned him out for a decade. A decade of going. I can't pay attention to that. If I stop pedaling, the bike will fall over.

Exodus 34. We'll get to this, later, as we study the book, the Lord is compassionate and gracious. He's slow to anger, and he's abounding in faithful love and truth, maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But he will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the father's iniquity on the children and the grandchildren to the third and fourth generation.

Again, this is another thing that makes us run into the gospel. This is another idea that if your sin is not transformed, it's going to be transferred to your kids. I've watched a number of people say, I don't care enough about myself to deal with this, but I care enough about my kids that I'm going to pay attention to it.

And this is another one of those laws that we're like, wait a second, I don't want that. I don't want what's going on in my life to be transferred to my children. I'm running to the blood of Christ to have my sins covered and transformed, because I don't want to be transferred to my kids. This is another one of those things that's meant to motivate us.

You're going to reap what you. So. No, no, no. I want mercy, Lord. Your sins will visit upon your children. Your kids are going to pay for the decisions that you're making. No, no, no. I want to be included in you. Christ.

It says that he's slow to anger. That's the description of God's character. And I find that easy to respect and honor. I don't think it's respectable, honorable, or worthy of worship that our God would be indifferent and experience no anger. There are some things that should get you angry. I also don't respect blow anger where you lose it and fly off the handle.

A short fuze is really hard to respect, is it not? You're like, what the heck? Rage is hard to respect. That's not love. But being slow to anger is so. Our God is not no anger and he's not blow anger. He's slow to anger. And we're talking centuries slow with these Egyptians. Why is he slow?

Peter writes us. Above all, you got to understand that in the last days scoffers are going to come and they're going to come scoffing, and they're following their evil desires, and they're going to say, oh, where's the coming that he promised. Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on. Jesus is coming back, right? Got it. You're going to have to answer to Jesus.

Got it? But do not forget this one thing, dear friends with the Lord of days, like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a day. And the Lord is not slow in keeping his promise. As some understands slowness and steady is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. Ezekiel 33.

This is the Old Testament. Say to them, as surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord. I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways. Why will you die? People of Israel. Remember that crazy proverb I read you that was basically like.

I'm going to laugh when you call my name. Look how this thing starts. How long will you who are. Simple love. Your simple ways. How long will mockers delight in mockery and fool's hate knowledge? Repent. Turn at my rebuke. I'll pour out my thoughts to you. I will make known to you my teachings. I want to lead you in paths of life.

The fourth thing you need to know as you move through the book of Exodus is that God is committed. He's unwilling to negotiate or compromise. He doesn't do deals. You may have noticed this, but about the fourth plague. Pharaoh is about to cry. Uncle. He's had it. And he starts to dabble with the idea of letting this slave labor force go because he's in so much pain.

And the deal, number one, I. The reason I want to point this out to you is the Pharaoh is forever. This example of how the enemy works in our lives. And I want you to see I want you to observe the compromises, the sort of negotiations that go on, to try to stop the Israelites to be something short of free.

Because I still feel like our adversary is continually inviting us to compromise and to stop short of all that the blood of Christ has bought for us. Deal number one, you can go ahead and worship guys, but you're going to worship as my slaves. Chapter eight, verse 25. Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron, and he said, go, sacrifice to your God.

But just stay here in the land. You don't need to leave. You ain't got to go. I'll just let you worship. But stay my slave. And God refuses the offer. Because he's purchasing a people for himself. And I find so often that we seem pretty content to worship with chains on that. We come here on Sundays, but we're still bound.

We've settled with the slavery as our lot in life. And I'm telling you that the the blood of Christ and the God you serve is here to set you completely free. You don't have to be bound by hurts. You don't have to be bound by hang ups. The enemy is going to tell you, oh, this is your lot in life.

This is who you are.

But you don't have to come here. Bound by greed. Unable to be generous. You don't have to be bound by unforgiveness. You can be free. You don't have to be bound by the fear of man. Can you lift your hands? Where are there chains on them?

I've been there to, like, really, genuinely. Can you dance or there's shackles on your feet. Does the fear of man have you so bound that you can't move?

Have you come in here today saying pornography is just always going to be a part of my life? I've tried to get free, Travis. Have you become content with worshiping as somebody else's slave? You're the Lord's, and he's jealous for you. He doesn't want the worship that comes from hands that are bound.

I don't think the enemy's scared of a people who worship with chains on.

I think he'll let you come worship as long as you keep those chains on.

Deal number two. He finally says, this is chapter eight. He's again. He's close to crying. Uncle. I'll let you go. Offer sacrifices to the Lord in the wilderness. Just don't go too far. Don't go very far. And then. This is awesome. He's like. While you're at it at your festival, pray for me at these awful boils.

And I think this is such a this is such a subtle scheme of the enemy to say, go ahead and worship. Just don't take it too far. Don't get too crazy like that one guy at work who got really into Jesus for a bit and everybody was annoyed with him. Don't get too crazy. Have a private faith. Go to church on Sundays.

But don't let this touch the rest of your week. And don't let it touch your thought life. And don't let it touch what happens at home. Just keep it here. Don't take it too far. That's crazy. Crazy people take it too far.

Deal number three.

Go ahead and go. Just don't take your family. Pharaoh's officials said to him. How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the people go, man, so that they may worship the Lord their God. Don't you yet realize that Egypt's ruined? Quit holding on to these people. Then Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh, and he says, go.

Fine. That's it. Go worship the Lord your God, as he said. But like, who's going? Moses answered, we will go with our young and our old, and with our sons and our daughters, and with our flocks, and herds, because we are going to celebrate a festival to the Lord. We are going. I'm not going alone. We are going.

And Pharaoh said, the Lord be with you. If I let you go along with your women and children, clearly you're bent on evil. So this is the fourth compromise. Let the dudes go. Leave the families behind. Leave the kids and the wives behind. You can go. Just don't take your family with you. And I don't need to spend a lot of time telling you that there's a war on spouses worshiping together.

There's a war on families worshiping together. And it's because it's so powerful. There's adversity because you're called to pray with your kids. Pray with your kids. Pray with your wife. Lead family devotions. They always go really bad and we end up really angry. I know, I totally know. Worship in the living room I can't sing. No one cares.

Especially not God. Honor him. Honor him in your home. And I love that Moses and Aaron were like, no, no, that's not how it's going to go. We're taking our families with us. And the last compromise that the Pharaoh invites him into, he says, go ahead and go. Just don't make costly sacrifices. Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, go worship the Lord.

Even your women and children may go with you. Only leave your flocks and herds behind. But Moses said, you must allow us to have sacrifices and burnt offerings to present to the Lord our livestock, to must go with us, and not a hoof is to be left behind. We have to use them in worshiping the Lord our God.

And until we get there, we will not know what we are to use to worship the Lord. Would you stand with me and worship team? Would you guys come because I want to invite us to worship without chains on.

And I just want to announce over our church, it would be a crying shame if we studied a book where a people got set free and we ourselves didn't experience that freedom. Please, let's not read the menu and not eat what's on it. Please, please, let's not talk about freedom. Let's experience it. And as a body. Because we've been bought by the precious blood of Christ.

Let's say I'm not worshiping with chains on. I'm not up for it anymore. I've been doing it for quite some time, but it's not my destiny. I was made to glorify God, and I can't do that from the position I'm in. I'm going to live free and I'm going to take it too far. Whatever whisper is going on in your head like, hey, come on.

Like just chill. Seriously? Seriously. Rein it in. You're a back row guy. Remember?

That's not the voice of God. And there's something in you that needs to rise up and say. I'm going to go as far as God calls me to go. And I won't settle, and I won't stop short of that. And I'm taking my family with me and not settling for a private faith that doesn't touch what happens at work or what happens at home.

I won't settle for that. That's the enemy inviting me to compromise. And my God doesn't take those compromises. He won't share me with another. I'll go chain free. I'll go as far as God calls me to go. I'm taking my family with me. And I'm going to do what cost me. I refuse to give a gift that cost me nothing.

I refuse to play church. I refuse to go through the motions. My life will be a life of costly obedience.

I just had this sense that we were supposed to like, maybe try. Try to wiggle. I mean, ultimately, you know this. We're not getting free with our own willpower. The reason you know this is because you tried to do it a bunch of times, not just once, 12 times. But I do feel like there's this spot to say, this is what I want.

I want chain free living.

I want to be caught up in worship. I was made to praise God, and I've given that to the freaking 40 niners. The 49th. It's a joke. I'm joking. It's a joke. I was made to be caught up in transcendent beauty. And to give my whole life for something. Everything I got. Yeah. And if that's you, I just.

I saw this picture as I was prepping. I've just people who've moved to the aisles, and they moved to the front of the church. They just moved because it was like, I can't I'm not going to sit and do the same thing I do every week. And so as we begin to worship, I want to invite you out into the aisle, into the back, onto your knees.

I don't actually even care. Just don't stand there. We're free. The blood of Christ has purchased our freedom. And God's committed to us. And so we're going to lift him up. And would you move and put yourself in a place? Put yourself in a posture you've never been in before. Try it on. I know maybe you've got chains on and the chains allow this lift of hand.

And here I am, Lord. I'm yours. I'm not to be bound by the fear of man. I'm not to come into worship settings and be obsessed with what other people think of me.