Psalmist wrote in Psalm 121, I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved. He that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper. The Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil. He shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth and even. for evermore. Let's commit our time to our God in prayer. Our most gracious and loving Heavenly Father, we bless you for the return of the Lord's day once more. We thank you, Lord, that you've kept us, you've blessed us through this past week. And at the outset of this service, we would seek your presence to be amongst us by the power of your spirit. Lord, though we be few in number, we know that you are in the midst. For you have promised where two or three shall be gathered, you shall be with your people. And so, Lord, we humbly beseech you to bless us this morning in our worship and in our meditation upon your most precious and holy word. May all things be done to your name, to your praise, and to your glory. We ask it in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Our first hymn, please, will be on the screen. Thank you. How is the world's salvation given to God and the praise of the Lord? Gladness and praise of the sons of the Lord God rest the brave and slain. Star of peace, ever rising, ever falling, guide where our efforts may dimmer. If you have a Bible, you'd like to turn to the next verse, chapter 13. Book of Exodus, chapter 13. I'm going to commence reading at verse 17. And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near, for God said, lest preadventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt. But God led the people about through the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea, and the children of Israel went up, harnessed out of the land of Egypt. And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he strictly swore on the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you. And they took their journey from Sukkoth and encamped in Ephraim in the edges of the wilderness. And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of clouds to lead them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, to go by day and night. He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, Lord, a pillar of fire by night from before the people. If you'd like to turn to the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew chapter one. Again, familiar words to us this season. Gospel of Matthew and chapter one, reading from verse 18. Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise, when as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph, her husband, being a just man, not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he fought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, but it might be fulfilled, which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God with us. May the Lord add a blessing to the reading of his word. And next hymn, please. Let us praise the Savior's name. He has washed the loaves of bread. He has washed the silence clean. He has washed us with His blood. He has brought us nigh to God. ♪ He loves when we're beneath ♪ ♪ Hold us by His legs and toes ♪ ♪ Make us understand He cries ♪ ♪ He has washed us with His blood ♪ ♪ He presents our souls to Christ ♪ Let my praises roar, let my praise roar. May you trust in him who endures, with him praises fill the sky. Thou hast washed us with thy blood. Thou art worthy, Lamb of God. of the world. We are one in Jesus' blood. Serve on us and serve Let's all come together, we pray. Let's come to our great God. Once again, our Heavenly Father, it's our privilege to come into your presence, not by our merit, not by our good works or our good deeds, but by the merit of your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Our beloved Savior, our gracious Lord and Master, We come, Lord, with lips full of praise and adoration for your goodness to your people. We come before you because you are a great God. Lord, you are the only God. The gods of this world are made in the image and by the hands of men. They are vain. They are empty. They have no eyes. They have no lips. They have no ears to hear. Lord, they are but wood and stone. Lord, men have made images of many things, materialism, the love of money and pleasure, but Father, in your grace, you've caused us to love you. By your grace, love, and mercy, by your providential dealings with us, you have brought us to a knowledge of a savior who is alive and who reigns on high. And we thank You that we have a God who is not far off, but a God who is near, a God who hears the prayers of His people. And we praise You and we adore You, for You are the Almighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. You are our God. We thank You, Lord, this morning that we as a people can call You our God. Even more so, Father, we can call You our Father who art in heaven, and that's purely by grace, and we give you thanks and praise. We thank you, Lord, for your mercy toward us through this past week. We thank you, Lord, for your kindness, for your love and your compassion, for your upholding of us, for you are mighty in word and in deed, and you are worthy to be praised. And so, Father, this morning, we pray that you would loosen our tongues and our lips our hearts and our affections as we bring our praise and worship before your throne of grace this morning. We pray, Lord, that you would bless us, for we are poor and we are a needy people. We pray, Lord, for grace, grace upon grace. And, Lord, we bless you that even through this past year you have blessed us so abundantly. Lord, we have all traveled different paths over this past year, but Lord, we can say that you have brought us to this place here this morning, that we may come to worship. Lord, we confess we are poor, we are needy, we are weak. We pray, Lord, that you'll come amongst us and strengthen us, that we may, as your people, live to your praise and to your glory. Lord, we have failed you. in thought and word and in deed. Lord, we have not taken those opportunities you have graciously given to us to speak well of our Saviour. We pray, Lord, that through the coming days we may have that courage and that boldness to speak and to administer the means of grace to those to whom we meet within our family, our friends and colleagues. We pray, Lord, that we may be those shining lights in this poor benighted world. We pray, Lord, that at this Christmas time, as many have gathered together, they've sung the hymns, they've sung the carols, And we pray, Lord, that those words, those words which are rich in meaning and depth and rich in salvation may penetrate hard hearts and minds and that the spirit of God may take hold of the word and apply it to stone-hard hearts and that hearts of flesh may develop and are turning to God Almighty. Lord, we I'm very conscious of many who are not with us here again this morning due to the circumstances of our nation and of our world. Lord, we pray for those who are fearful, fearful to come out, fearful of what they hear on the news and the media. We pray, Lord, that you would strengthen each one, that, Lord, you would give them that boldness. We thank you, Lord, that they can join with us on the livestream. We thank you, Lord, for that technology But Lord, it does not supplement the joy of meeting together as the people of God. Lord, you've instructed us to do such. And we thank you, Lord, for those of us who are able to do that. We're here. We thank you, Lord, that you've given us that desire to come into your house. We pray again, Lord, for those who are sick. particularly remember those dear ones in our fellowship, that you may come amongst them, Lord, and bless them richly. Sustain them, Lord, in their days of doubt, of pain and anguish. We pray, Lord, that you will sustain them with saving faith and the knowledge that you are with them and that you care for them, that you are their support in these dark days. Lord, we do pray for our nation. Lord, we are so sad of its condition. We lament, Lord, at the laws which have been passed, which are contrary to your word, contrary to your will and to your purpose. And Lord, we do not wonder that we are under this extreme judgment upon a nation and upon our world. And yet, Lord, we know that you are God of mercy, and your mercy is on you every morning. And we pray, Lord, that you would have mercy upon this nation, for we have sinned grievously against you. We have, as a people, have turned our backs upon your grace, love and mercy. And we pray, Lord, again, that in these days of declension within the churches, We see chapels and fellowships closing. Lord, we pray that you would raise up men to preach the full counsel of God in the power of the spirit. Lord, those things which are backslidden, those things which are weak, that you would strengthen by the might of your mighty arm, by the power of your spirit. That, Lord, you would bring reviving power amongst your people. Lord, again, we confess our weakness, and we confess that we have no other to call upon than our God. And we pray, gracious Father, be merciful to us and to hear our prayer. We pray again, Lord, for the preaching of your word up and down this nation, for pulpits, Lord, which are faithful, that they may be truthful to your word, for those who preach may preach the full counsel of your word, and that, Lord, even this day, salvation may come even to this house, to one or to another. We pray again, Lord, that your spirit would take up the word of God, that he would apply it to our hard and stubborn hearts. Lord, for those who are sad, those, Lord, who are downcast, that you'd be pleased to raise them up through the preaching of the unsearchable riches of Christ. And so, Lord, we commend the remaining time of our worship to you, that you may be gracious to us, that you'd warm our hearts, and that we may worship you in spirit and in truth, to your praise and to your glory. For we ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you, Maddie. We have our third hymn, please. If you'd like to turn to that passage we read there in Exodus chapter 13, please. Exodus 13, and commencing there, verse 17. It's good to see you all again this morning. It's good to meet together as the people of God to bring our praise and worship to him. We don't need to say it, but I will say it. We live in strange days, don't we? For some, it's been a good year. I've spoken to one brother and he says it's been a really good year. He has no complaints about it. Others have struggled with it, I know, and it's been difficult. We've been separated from families and friends. been told by the media that we're in dire danger of death. Well, dear friends, we're in dire danger of death every day. There's nothing new under the sun, is there? And probably you're like me. When all this kicked off, we was concerned. But as it's progressed, I confess I become angry. I become frustrated. And it's been difficult. But then the Lord dealt with me with this passage here. Providence. We have a God who sits on the throne, who's in command and control of all the affairs of the men and women upon earth. Even the sparrows he's concerned about. Even the hairs upon your head. Some of us have more than others. But he's concerned about the hairs of our head. He's a God who is intimate, who knows us, and he's concerned about us, and he's working his purpose out. And we're living in days where God is working His purpose out. And do we have eyes to see it? That is the question. Are we blinded by the mass media as they bombard us with the scaremongering and the death toll? Remember, God is working His purpose out. And God was working a purpose out for the people of Israel here in Exodus. and the purpose was to redeem a people to himself. But they may go, as previous chapters tell us, to go into the wilderness to worship their God. Dear friends, that is our chief end. That's why God created men and women in his image, that we may worship the true and living God. That's why we're designed, we are created in his image, and we are creatures who are designed to praise God. in all his glory, in all his aspects, in all his attributes. As we know the story, Pharaoh was reluctant to let the children of Israel go. Moses said to him, let my people go. Moses refused and the Lord sent those terrible plagues upon the nation of Egypt. He decimated, commonly, he decimated their families, the firstborn was smitten, and then finally Pharaoh lets the people go. If you were to read chapter 13, it's... I wouldn't say the word boring, but it's a bit dull, isn't it? It's all about laws, about the firstborn, etc. But in verse 17, things come alive, so to speak. And it came to pass, verse 17, and it came to pass when Pharaoh had let the people go. that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near, for God said, let's preadventure that people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt. It's got three simple headings this morning, providence, promise, and presence. And the providences of God, they're beyond my comprehension, probably yours as well. We don't understand how and why God deals with us in particular ways. And I'm sure this is how the people of Israel felt at this time. And it came to pass, it was gonna happen, God foreknew this, when Pharaoh let the people go, that God led them, not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. So what he's saying is, The land of the Philistines was the short route to the promised land. It was a easy journey. It wasn't going to be difficult. There were problems though. There were garrisons, Philistine garrisons and Egyptian garrisons on that route to the promised land. And though that way of the land of the Philistines was near, it was an easy route. God did not take them the easy way. Does that sound familiar? Does that sound familiar to your journey? God doesn't take us the easy way, does he? We make decisions, we pray about decisions, and some of our decisions are foolish and rash and irrational, but yet God can use those decisions, those circumstances to his praise and to his will, to bring out his purpose in our lives. And God's way was not the easy way for them, and God's way is not gonna be the easy way for you. As an individual, as families and as a church. It's not going to be easy, it's going to be difficult, because he wants to prove us, he wants to try us, he wants to try our faith to see if it's genuine, whether it's made of gold or silver or is it wood, hay and stubble. So God, in his wisdom, leads them through the wilderness. So where the land of Philistines, where though it was near, for God said, let's pre-adventure the people repent when they see war. We've got to see it like this. God in his providence also exercises mercy. He exercises mercy. Do you see the mercy of God in the providential dealings in your life? Where though it was near, God said, let's prevent the people to repent when they see war. When we see war, what do we want to do? We want to flee. We want to run. That's why we look around the world, places of conflict. There are refugees in myriad and myriad of places and people flee from war, from trauma, from death and destruction. It's a natural. We want to preserve our lives. And God said, if they see war, they will repent and want to return to Egypt. And God did not want that. He wanted to lead his people through. There's many, many stories of God's providence and his mercies in there. There's a lady, English lady, she went to be with her family in America many years ago, and she spent several months in America. And then she had a desire to be home. It's always nice to be home, back where the family is, back where things are familiar to us. It's good to be home. She wanted to be home, to see her family. So she went to the shipping agent, went to book a ticket, they said, sorry madam, all tickets are booked, there's no room on this particular ship. And she had to wait two weeks, she was told, for the next available ticket. back home to England. And she was bitterly disappointed. Why, God, have you allowed this to happen? You know what's going to happen, don't you? A few days later, she opens a newspaper. That very ship she wished to be on had sunk, and all lives were lost. The providence and the mercy of God. This is part of his character. This is one of God's attributes. He's a God of mercy. And when we stamp our feet and say, Why God? Why this? Why now? Remember the mercy of God. He has a plan. He has a purpose for you as one of his beloved children. But God, verse 18, led the people about through the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up, harnessed out of the land of Egypt. And they make this journey, and we know that journey was hard and difficult, and they're rebellion. God had a people after his own heart. What I find quite interesting in this account here is that, in verse 19, And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had strictly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and he shall carry up my bones away hence with you. I find that really strange. Have you ever heard a sermon on the bones of Joseph? bones of Joseph? What's this? Joseph had died generations before and I'm amazed that Moses is reminded by the people or by God that Joseph had made this promise from the children of Israel that he would carry his bones. to the promised land. And Moses took the bones of Joseph. Just imagine the organization that he had to undergo to bring his people out of Egypt, under the hand of God, with the leading and wisdom of God, and yet he remembers this small detail. And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him. Why? Why does Joseph want his bones taken with the children of Israel? because he knew the promises of God. And he strictly took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones away hence with you. And in Genesis 50, verse 24, and Joseph said unto his brethren, I die. And God will surely visit you and bring you out of this land into the land which he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from hence. So Joseph died, being a hundred and ten years old. And they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt. Where did they put him? I have no idea. They stick him in the family home? We have no idea, we're not told. But he was embalmed in the Egyptian way. But he strictly swore to the people of Israel, take my bones. Why is he asking this? Why is he asking this of the children of Israel? I suggest this. He didn't want his bones to be left in Egypt. Egypt being that symbol of the world. Egypt being that godless nation. He didn't want to be associated with the gods of Egypt and their pagan worship. He knew that God had promised that he would take the children of Israel to the Promised Land. And he wanted his bones to be in the Promised Land, just as his father Jacob. Jacob had the same promise given to him through Joseph. And Joseph, when his father died, took his bones to the Promised Land. And they buried him there in the appointed place. For he knew also the promise of God. That God would give the children of Israel a land, a possession. It was a promise. They wanted to be part of that promise. For they believed as Psalms tell us, Psalm 37, 24 and 29 speaks of the everlasting life. They believed in everlasting life. They believed that God would come and that He would raise up His people. There would be a resurrection of the dead and they wanted their bones, they wanted their dust to be there in the Promised Land, to receive that promise. Can God not raise the dead from Egypt? Yes, He can. But they had a heart for the Word of God. They had a heart for the promises of God. They had a heart for the honor of God's Word. Dear friends, do we have that heart? Do we have that passion? Do we rest upon the promises of God? Are they our stay? Are they our comfort in these evil days? Are they our consolation? Do they give us hope for the future? Joseph had a hope. Jacob had a hope. Where is your hope fixed this morning, friend? In your abilities? In what you can do? Or is your hope steadfast and sure as it is for Joseph? And Joseph acts. And he acts not out of a blind maybe, maybe chance or fate. He acts by faith. Hebrews 11, 22. By faith, Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel and gave commandment concerning his bones. It's an act of faith, friends. An act of faith. He had an eye to the future. He had an eye to the resurrection. He had faith in the word and commandment of God. Where's your faith this morning? Where is it? Look deep into your heart. Is your faith set upon the unsearchable riches of Christ? This Word which is so precious to us. They had a hope for the future. They had faith. They tell me that today, that place where Jacob and his wives and Joseph were buried is now a mosque there in the Middle East. Unexplored, but it's still there to this very day. And he's waiting, he's waiting for that call, as all the saints are, when that shout and that trump will be sounded and the dead will be raised in Christ. What a glorious prospect for the children of God. This old mortal body of ours, weak and frail as is, our pains and our aches will all be gone. We have a glorious new body in the likeness of our Saviour. And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had strictly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you. That's a lovely promise, isn't it? Isn't that a lovely promise? At this time of the year, we think of that promise. Emmanuel, we read, God with us, God with us, God will surely visit you. He shall carry, you shall carry up my bones away hence with you. And the children of Israel, they took their journey from Sukkoth and encamped at Ephraim on the edges of the wilderness. And the Lord leads them. What, in your mind, is the greatest event, particularly in the early chapters of Exodus? What conjures up the greatest event in your mind? Was it when the Lord came down on Sinai and a mountain shook and the Lord spoke and the people quaked in fear? Was it the crossing of the Red Sea? Was it the Passover night? There's so many great events, isn't there, in the book of Exodus. plagues and the way that God dealt with the paganism there in Egypt. There's so many wonderful narratives which speak of the glory and majesty of God. I think, as I considered this over the last few months, I think this is probably the greatest event. Verse 21 we read, and the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, to go by day and night. And he took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people." Dear friends, what glorious words are they. If only we understood the depth and the breadth of these words. And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar. The Lord. Who are we talking of here? We're talking of God Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. We're talking of the One who is all-powerful, all-seeing, all-knowing, all-glorious, whom angels and archangels worship in the dawn and cry, Holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. This is the Lord, the One who inhabits eternity, the throne and courts of heaven in all its glory and splendor. And this Lord, this God condescends to come to dwell amongst the children of Israel in a tent, in a tent. Do you not see the glory of that? The Majesty, Emmanuel, God with us. And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, and to go by day and night. God, this awesome, Almighty God, has a heart for a people and He wants to dwell with them. Does that blow you away? Isn't that mind-shattering? This glorious God, this Emmanuel, should want to dwell with you. with me. And I look at my mucky whole life. And you look at yours. And yet God has mercy and compassion upon us. He wants to have fellowship with us. If you can get your head around that, can you please explain it to me? Because I can't comprehend that truth. But I marvel at it. Because it's glorious. And it's true. This is our privilege. as the people of God. This is our privilege, that God should dwell with us. In Exodus 29, and verse 45, it's the same point. It says, God's speaking, and I will dwell among the children of Israel. I will dwell among the children of Israel. And I will be their God. I'll be their God. Friend, some of you have been coming here for a long time now, some not so long. But can you say with faith that God dwells with me and that He is my God? He is my God. there's no greater confession we can make in heaven and earth. You've sat sermon upon sermon, you've attended services, regular clockwork, you sit there and you receive the Word of God, but does it penetrate the hardness of your heart? Does it speak to you? Does it convict you of your sins? Does it convict you of your need? So that God may dwell with you, not only may He beat you and torment you, but He may be your Savior, be your Lord, to be your Master. Dear friends, today, today is the day of salvation, and this God, without stretched arms, beckons you, come unto me, all you that labor and heavy laden, and I will, I will give you rest for your never dying soul. Why resist this great awesome God? This one who wants to lead you and to guide you. Because when we think about it, when we seek to lead and guide ourselves, we lead ourselves up the garden path, we come into a pit of despond and a quagmire and But again, we can't speak like that, can we? This is all the providence of God, bringing us to a point of submission, a point of submission. Are you at that point of submission where you cry unto the Lord, Lord, save me, I'm just a poor, needy sinner? They're wonderful words, aren't they? And I will dwell among the children of Israel and will be their God. Who's your God this morning? Who is Lord of your life? Is it King I? Or is it King Jesus? Or maybe King Jesus. and you will fall before his feet, before his sovereign throne of grace, and receive mercy, forgiveness of sin. What greater gift can God give to a man or to a woman to know the forgiveness of their sin? And this is not just an Old Testament teaching, is it? Right there at the very end, in the book of Revelation, and Revelation 21, And verse 3, and John says, And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them. They shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. This is the teaching beginning to end of Scripture. Behold, the tabernacle, the temple, The dwelling place of God is with men. And we don't need to go to a tabernacle or to a temple, for God dwells in our hearts. We are that temple. We are that tabernacle. If you are born again, you must be born again. As we declared there at Joyce Godwin's funeral, you must, that's the imperative, time and time again, the Lord Jesus says, you must be born again. And being born again, we have that blessed spirit dwelling in our hearts, and behold, the tabernacle God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them. and be their God. We're blessed people. Can you say this morning in your heart, I'm a blessed man, and blessed woman, for God dwells in my heart. And don't think by any stretch of imagination that that will make your life easy, because it won't. To be honest with you, your life may become even more difficult. There'll be more problems. There'll be more circumstances which will cause you grief and heartache. Yet, in the midst of all that, I am with you. I will never leave you. I will never forsake you. And we can give testimony. all those who've known the Lord for so many years, that He has sustained and supported us through the darkest of valleys, the bitterest of trials. He has upheld us and has brought us to this place, to this day. Praise be to His name. May the Lord bless those simple thoughts to us this morning. We'll sing our closing hymn and then we'll turn to the Lord's table. All those who are walking in faith, and trusting and being baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ are welcome to break bread and to partake of his service with us. May the Lord bless us as we sing our final hymn, please. Let us receive the holy hymn in sacrifice, for as it is, Son, adoring be. Worthy is the gracious Son, with holiness and purity, and love that burns In thee I draw my thoughts to rise. Of all thy works we have the aim. I don't pretend. that our lives will be full of praise. Lord, we bless you for your word. We thank you, Lord, for your providential dealings of us. We thank you for your promises, which are rich, and our yea and amen in Christ Jesus. We thank you, Lord, for the presence of your spirit. Thank you, Lord, that you have chosen us to be those temples, to be those living temples, to be that expression of your grace, love and mercy to this poor world. Lord, bless us. We pray as we come around this table. May you be known in the breaking of bread, in the drinking of this cup. Lord, again, we bless you and we praise you for your great love to us and your beloved son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.