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[ Pause ] >> I'd like you to take a hymnal and join in in singing hymn number 355, "Lead Me, Guide Me." Everyone please stand, remain standing.

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Thank you. [MUSIC PLAYING] (upbeat music) [ Music ]

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♪ And we, and we are strengthened by ♪ ♪ To help thee all the nightly days by ♪ ♪ Let me through the darkness thy face to see ♪ ♪ Lead me, oh Lord, lead me ♪

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♪ Lead me, guide me along the way ♪ ♪ For if you lead me, I cannot stray ♪ ♪ Lord let me walk each day with Thee ♪ ♪ Lead me O Lord, lead me ♪

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♪ Help me tread in the path of righteousness ♪ ♪ Be my aid when straitened and sin oppressed ♪ ♪ I have put it all on my trust ♪ ♪ Hear me, lead me, O Lord, lead me ♪

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♪ Lead me, guide me along the way ♪ ♪ For if you lead me I can't stray ♪ ♪ Lord let me walk each day with thee ♪ ♪ Feed me, oh Lord, feed me ♪

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♪ I am lost if you take your hand from me ♪ ♪ I am blind without thy light to see ♪ ♪ Lord, just always believe ♪ ♪ I'm certain and mean ♪

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♪ Lead me, oh Lord, lead me ♪ ♪ Lead me, guide me along the way ♪ ♪ Lord if you need me I can explain ♪ ♪ Lord let me walk each day with thee ♪

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♪ Lead me O Lord lead me ♪ - Amen. We turn in your Bibles to the book of Exodus, chapter 13, verses 17 through 22.

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This is our scripture lesson for this morning. "And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near.

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For God said, "Lest, perevented 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.

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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 had straightly sworn the children of Israel,

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saying, "God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you. And they took their journey from Succoth and encamped in Ethan and the edge of the wilderness.

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The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud 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,

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nor the pillar of fire by night from before the people. >> We come now to lift up our petitions and our thanksgiving to God and as we gather around the altar, those who would choose to do so, we come singing, "It's me, it's me, oh, Lord," standing in the need of prayer.

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[MUSIC] ♪ Standing in the need of prayer ♪ ♪ It's me, it's me, oh Lord ♪ ♪ Standing in the need of prayer ♪

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♪ It's me, it's me, oh Lord ♪ ♪ Standing in the need of prayer ♪ ♪ It's me, it's me, oh Lord ♪ ♪ Standing in the need of prayer ♪

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♪ Not my father, not my father, but it's me, oh Lord ♪ ♪ Standing in the need of prayer ♪ ♪ Not my father, not my father, but it's me, oh Lord ♪ ♪ Standing in the need of prayer ♪

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♪ It's me, it's me, oh Lord ♪ ♪ Standing in the need of prayer ♪ ♪ It's me, it's me, oh Lord ♪ ♪ Standing in the need of prayer ♪

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- As we gather around here, here around the altar, are there any special requests that we'd like to lift up to the congregation at this time? If there are, we ask that you may do so at this time.

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Any special requests for prayer? For the details of this day, we ask God's special blessing upon this special day. Let us go to God in prayer.

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Truly we come celebrating thy goodness, dear Lord, this morning. - Yes. - Lord, we thank you that you've allowed us

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to see the beauty of this bright new day. - Amen. - And for waking us up, dear Lord, for guiding us all along life's way.

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Lord, we just come praising thy holy name. And we thank you, dear master, for your goodness. We truly come confessing our sins. And we thank thee for the forgiveness

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that we have in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Lord, we do come celebrating, dear master. We celebrate thee on this special day, this day in which we've seen the works of your hands.

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And Lord, we behold, we beheld the goodness, thy loving kindness, thy spirit, and we ask that you may continue to give us the spirit of celebration.

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Lord, we ask that you may be with us in this service as we lift up thy holy name and let our cups overflow with thy spirit. Lord, that we may be witnesses for thee,

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that we may be instruments of your peace. Lord, that we may be those that will go out and tell the good news of thee. For Lord, we realize that there are some today,

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there are many today who are hurting in mind, body, and spirit. We ask for your special blessings upon those who are going through a period of bereavement,

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for those who are in the hospitals behind prison walls, Lord, for those who are in despair, Lord, let them all know that you are that friend for the friendless, that you are that light

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that can penetrate the deepest darkness. Lord, we just thank you for being there for us. We do thank Thee, dear Lord, for the special work of the Ebenezer Child Development Center.

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We thank Thee, dear Lord, that they've gathered here to celebrate in this special worship service. And we ask for your continued blessings upon their work, dear Master, in developing the children

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not only in this community, but everywhere they may reach. Lord, be with us all, dear Master. Be with us all, and let us be those witnesses, those-- let us be children of thee, dear Lord,

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that we may be willing to do thy will each and every day until that great day when we shall stand in thy presence, beholding the beauty of thy face. In the name of Jesus, we pray.

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Amen. Amen. Amen. (piano music)

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♪ It's me, it's me, oh Lord ♪ ♪ Standing in the need of prayer ♪ ♪ It's me, it's me, oh Lord ♪ ♪ Standing in the need of prayer ♪

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♪ I'm the sister, not the brother, but it's me, oh Lord ♪ ♪ Standing in the need of prayer ♪ ♪ I'm a sister, I'm a brother, but it's me, oh Lord ♪ ♪ Standing in the need of prayer ♪

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♪ It's me, it's me, oh Lord ♪ ♪ Standing in the need of prayer ♪ ♪ It's me, it's me, oh Lord ♪ ♪ Standing in the need of prayer ♪

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(orchestral music) (orchestral music) (orchestral music) (orchestral music)

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(orchestral music) (dramatic music) (orchestral music) (upbeat orchestral music)

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[MUSIC] (music) (music) - I'm kind of already here.

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- Do you have, ask her if she has the balance. Do you have the balance? ♪ Bless the Lord, oh my soul ♪ ♪ And all that is within me ♪

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♪ Bless his holy name ♪ ♪ Bless the Lord, oh my soul ♪ ♪ And all that is within me ♪ ♪ Bless his holy name ♪

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♪ Bless the Lord, oh my soul ♪ ♪ And all that is within me ♪ ♪ Bless his holy name ♪ ♪ Bless the Lord, oh my soul ♪

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♪ And all that is within me ♪ ♪ Bless his holy name ♪ ♪ Bless the Lord, oh my soul ♪ ♪ And all that is within me ♪

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♪ Bless his holy name ♪ ♪ Bless the Lord, oh my soul ♪ ♪ And all that is within me ♪ ♪ Bless his holy name ♪

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♪ Bless the Lord, oh my soul ♪ ♪ He has saved ♪ ♪ Bless the Lord, O my soul ♪ ♪ I know that he is with me ♪

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♪ Bless his holy name ♪ ♪ He reigns ♪ ♪ He has done great things ♪ ♪ He has done great things ♪

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♪ He has done great things ♪ ♪ Bless his holy name ♪ ♪ He has done great things ♪ ♪ He has done great things ♪

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♪ He has done great things ♪ ♪ Bless His holy name ♪ ♪ Bless the Lord ♪ Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me.

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Bless His holy name. Jesus Christ is Lord. Jesus Christ is Lord. Bless His holy name.

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Jesus Christ is Lord. ♪ Jesus Christ is born ♪ ♪ Jesus Christ is born ♪ ♪ Bless his holy name ♪

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♪ Bless the Lord ♪ ♪ Oh my soul and all ♪ ♪ That is within thee ♪ ♪ That is within thee ♪

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♪ Bless his holy name ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Bless my Lord ♪ ♪ Bless my Lord ♪

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♪ Both my soul and all ♪ ♪ That is within thee ♪ (Singing) >> Amen. Amen. We want to take a few moments before we begin.

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[MUSIC] [MUSIC] ♪ I will rejoice and be glad in Him ♪ ♪ And be glad in Him ♪

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♪ This is the day that the Lord has made ♪ ♪ I will rejoice and be glad in Him ♪ ♪ This is the day ♪ ♪ This is the day that the Lord has made ♪

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♪ This is the day ♪ ♪ This is the day that the Lord has made ♪ ♪ That the Lord has made ♪ I will rejoice, I will rejoice and be glad in Him, and be glad in Him.

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This is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in Him. This is the day, this is the day that the Lord has made. I will enter his gates with thanksgiving in my heart. I will enter his courts with praise.

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I will say the name that the Lord has made. I will rejoice for he has made me glad. He has made me glad. He has made me glad.

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I will rejoice for he has made me glad. He has made me glad. He has made me glad. ♪ We come to glorify his name ♪

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♪ We come to glorify his name ♪ ♪ We come to glorify his name ♪ ♪ We come to glorify the name of the Lord ♪ ♪ Glorify his name ♪

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♪ We come to glorify his name ♪ ♪ We come to glorify his name ♪ ♪ We come to glorify the name of the Lord ♪ ♪ Glorify his name ♪

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♪ Praise the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ Praise the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ He is my rock, He is my fortress ♪ ♪ He is my deliverer, in Him would I trust ♪

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♪ Praise the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ Praise the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ Praise the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ He is my rock, He is my fortress ♪

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♪ He is my deliverer in the end of times ♪ ♪ Praise the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ We come to the blessed name of Jesus ♪ ♪ Bless that wonderful name of Jesus ♪

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♪ Bless that wonderful name of Jesus ♪ ♪ Oh, the name I know ♪ ♪ There's power in the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ Power in the name of Jesus ♪

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♪ Power in the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ No other name I know ♪ ♪ In the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ In the name of Jesus ♪

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♪ We have a victory ♪ ♪ In the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ In the name of Jesus, slain and you have to flee ♪ ♪ Tell me who can stand before us ♪

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♪ When we call out that great name ♪ ♪ Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus ♪ ♪ We have the victory ♪ ♪ In the name of Jesus, in the name of Jesus ♪

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♪ We have the victory ♪ ♪ In the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ In the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ Satan you have to flee ♪

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♪ Tell me who can stand before us ♪ ♪ When we call your damn great name ♪ ♪ Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus ♪ ♪ We have the victory ♪

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♪ Tell me who can stand before us ♪ ♪ When we call on that great name ♪ ♪ Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus ♪ ♪ We have the victory ♪

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- Amen. Amen. Amen. Here this word was recorded in the book of Exodus,

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chapter 13, verses 17 and 18. God led them not by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near, But God led the people about by the way of the wilderness

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of the Red Sea. The subject, why God led Israel roundabout. Some roads are roundabout. They encircle the city.

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We call them a loop. You may have Loop 610 in Houston, one loop called Loop 12 in Dallas. They provide no direct route of travel to other cities.

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And our purpose is just to encircle the city. Keep going around and around. If you stay on the loop, you come back to the same place. You end up where you started out.

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Israel has been on a journey. She has just left Egypt. And here we read that God led the people roundabout. It was sort of like the experience that we may recall of being on a merry around you get on there and you may stay for a number of minutes and it's a

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joyful ride but when you get off you get off at where you got off. It's a journey that has not covered any significant distance. So why would God put Israel on Luke 6.10, or any other Luke for that matter? Why would He lead the people round about?

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That is the probing question around which this message is woven. Why God led Israel round about? 400 years of servitude with a band of over 600,000 pilgrims, Israel was in a hurry to get where she was going. As the crow

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flies, it was no long journey from Egypt to the promised land. It appears that after a rapid march and a brief and fierce struggle, they might reach their destination and achieve their goal. No doubt this thought was in the minds of most of the

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pilgrims on that journey. From the Delta to the Nile, a few days march through the sands would bring the invaders right into the heart of Palestine. The short A short and direct course would certainly have been the route chosen by a military expert. There were well-marked signs.

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There was an established trade route from Egypt to Canaan, but they do not follow the beaten path. Although this is the easiest way, it is the shortest and quickest. Now, the shortest way and the quickest way from Egypt to Gaza, that is the way that Napoleon

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took after his conquest, he took this route. It was considered a shortcut. And you know we like to take shortcuts. Alexander the Great in advancing to Egypt from the north took this route.

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was the shortest and the quickest. Such being the case, why did God lead Israel roundabout? Why did God lead his people on a strange detour into a trackless desert? To travel in a wilderness, to travel in a barren, rocky, desolate, lonely place. Why would God do that?

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God led the people in a circuit. were just going around in circles on a loop when it seems that they ought to have been on an international highway. I remember when I was on a visit to Israel that the guide took us along what is called the "Where Maris" which is the

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Latin for the road by the sea. And this was a very popular trade route. It had been used from ancient times. It's a popular route.

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And it's right near the Mediterranean Sea. And that would have been a wonderful journey, you know, to have the cool breezes and look over and see the azure blue waters of the Mediterranean

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as you traveled along the way. That would have been wonderful. But God leads Israel into a hot, barren desert. Why? No beautiful scenery. Instead, He leads them roundabout 200 miles out of the way. God led them on a detour that stretched out into a

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journey that could have taken six or seven days, but God led them in a way that stretched it out to 40 years. 40 years. Why? Now, the direct route is not always the best. You know, when you are courting, you don't take the shortest way. When you are

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really courting and in love, you don't take the shortest route you take the long way. So God leaves Israel roundabout because he has a love affair.

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He has a love affair with his people. Now, don't take the shortcut because you see, many promising

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lives have been ruined ruined because of shortcuts. This is a quick way to make some money. This is an illicit thing to do, but I can get ahead quicker

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this way. That's a dangerous thing to take shortcuts. I remember when I was in school, in seminary, that the professor gave us an assignment in the Old Testament

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class. It was to write a book review. Well, now, if you're gonna write a book review, first of all, you've got to read the book.

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And then you've got to understand the book. You've got to be able to digest it so you can critique it. You can't criticize it and compliment it if you don't really understand it

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and have a thorough knowledge of it. So it takes some time. But a large number of us wanted to take a shortcut. We found in the library a book review

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that had already been given. It was in one of the periodicals that had been written a number of years before and we found it and we read it

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and a number of us, a large number, most of the class, either sort of rewrote that little book review Are they quoted from the book review? And so the professor failed all of them.

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And I learned, I learned a good lesson about shortcuts. Shortcuts. Don't take the shortcut. God led Israel roundabout because he has a love affair with his people.

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Well, he led Israel roundabout because he was engaged in nation building. In other words, Israel left Egypt. A large band, I said earlier, of over 600,000 people, but they were disorganized, they were untrained, and for the most part, they were ignorant in the matters of nationhood.

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So they needed time to develop. This 40-year period in the wilderness was sort of a pause that refreshes. It provides the time, the opportunity for equipping the 12 tribes in nationhood. They develop the cohesiveness and the unity of purpose, which is necessary.

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The structure, the laws, the practices. They develop the stuff out of which nations are made. God led Israel roundabout so she could become the kind of people he wanted them to be. lead her. The scripture says that he did not lead Israel by

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way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. But he didn't lead that way. That was the closest route, but he didn't lead that way. He led Israel roundabout, Now, it wouldn't have been good, even though that was a quick route, it wouldn't have been

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good for Israel to get right out of Egypt, this band of disorganized people, ignorant, untrained, and to try to fight the Philistines. Because the Philistines had an advanced civilization. They had the most modern means of warfare.

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They were schooled in military matters and to grapple with the Philistines was not something they were prepared to do. And so he didn't lead them that way. They dealt with the Philistines much later, but they weren't ready at this time to deal

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with the Philistines. It would be like a baby trying to fight an adult. They needed time to grow and develop. That's why God led Israel 200 miles out of the way on a detour that lasted 40 years to

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engage in nationhood, to build up a new people. Now, God led Israel in the third place, roundabout, in order for her to learn the discipline of the desert. Israel needed to get ready to live

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and to be able to live a courageous life courageous life, to be well trained just like an athlete needs to train in order to prepare for a great event, she needed to get ready to live in Canaan. That's what we call discipline, the discipline of the desert. You know a painter has to

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spend countless hours becoming familiar with the paint colors and developing the skill using the brush that's the discipline of the desert. The physician has to spend countless hours and study in laboratories so many years in college so many years in med school then to do an internship and then he's ready for

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practice but all of that effort is the discipline of the desert. Why? Well because they need to be trained, they need to be prepared. This is also true of the minister, this is true of the teacher, this is true of a carpenter. There needs It needs to be a time of preparation.

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So we've been like this here in Ebenezer. Here we are today celebrating an event and we started working on this back in 1991. And I really thought that we would've been through

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with it in '92. taken four years. That God has sort of led us roundabout. And if I had the time to tell you the story this morning, you could see how in every way God was leading. Because there were things that if we had done in '91, it really wouldn't have been the best thing

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for us. But as we were led roundabout, we see how God has blessings in what looks like a delay and what looks like a fruitless effort, God somehow takes it and blesses us in unusual ways. So, God let Israel round about in order that she might learn the discipline of the desert.

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You need to learn the discipline of the, in other words, you say, "Well, why would God let me have this disappointment?" Well, that's to make your life richer. You know, all sunshine and no rain makes the desert, but you need to have some difficult

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experiences. You need to have some disappointments, and you need to have some fails as well as some successes. And when God works with you, he can use even those failures to bless your life.

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He leads Israel round about. You know, the discipline of the desert is a discipline of loneliness. You know, being alone is not a bad thing. It's a good thing sometimes to just be by yourself and meditate about your life.

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Reflect on what God has done and what God is doing. It's a good thing just to be alone. desert experience, the discipline of the desert, the discipline of hardship, the discipline of loneliness, the discipline of sacrifice. Well so often we like to

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escape that. We like to have comforts. We like to have our conveniences. Nathaniel Hawthorne in the Celestial Railroad tells how he visited the Bunyan Classic Ground long after Bunyan and found that a railroad had been opened from the city of destruction to the Celestial Heights and things were made easy.

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And that's what we've attempted to do. Instead of having to climb some steep hills, we like to have a railroad so we can ride up the hills. But life isn't quite like that.

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The hill of difficulty had been leveled and the valley of humiliation had been filled with dirt. But God led them. That's the point I want to underscore with us today.

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It was God leading them. Oh, and they were so fortunate to have God as their leader because he's a mighty, mighty good leader. Oh, they came out, they came there to Mara

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where they had some bitter waters and they said we could drink the waters of Mara because they were too bitter. But God was leading them.

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And God had them to sweeten the waters. God sweetened the waters so that they could drink. You may have some bitter disappointment, but God can sweeten that disappointment

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in such a way that it enriches your life. So then after he led them to Elam, he led them from Mara to Elam. All they were out there,

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And my brothers and sisters, if you could see that desert, you could see why they murmured because it was just a rocky, barren land,

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no trees, just a hot burning sand. And that desert can get up to, when we were in it, it can get up to 120 degrees.

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You wash your clothes, you put them out there, they're dry almost, before you can get through putting them on the line.

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Hot place. God leads them from Mara through that old burning sands. He leads them to Elam where they have some palm trees and they have water in the desert

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and fruit and trees out there in the desert. God can somehow prepare a refuge for us in the midst of the desert. God leads some roundabout, but he leads home.

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He leads home roundabout. A few years ago, I was on my way to Atlanta and we were a long time getting to Atlanta. I'd been talking with a person on the plane

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and we became disturbed after so long. We were not in Atlanta and we began to wonder why. We were not in Atlanta. And the pilot told us that we couldn't land in Atlanta.

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So they were just circling. They came back to Birmingham, and they were just circling. Just kept circling. It must have circled seemingly almost 30 minutes, circling.

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And finally we were able to get on to Atlanta and to land there. Well, you see, God knows the weather conditions. God knows how much we can take.

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God knows what is best for our lives. And he's the pilot. And many times we're there on the plane, we're anxious to land, we wanna get on with it.

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But God leads roundabout. He leads roundabout, but he leads right. He leads roundabout, he leads us with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, but God leads right.

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God leads his dear children alone. Some by the water, some through flood, but all through the fire, all through the blood, God leads his dear children alone.

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As we sing now the hymn of invitation, we extend the privilege of the church for you to accept Jesus Christ as Lord of your life. One who can lead us through the waters,

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through the flood, through the fire, but all of us through the blood. We invite you to come by letter, by Christian experience. (piano music)

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(piano music) - Door of the church is open. Make a commitment for Jesus Christ to unite with the people of God here at Ebenezer.

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♪ In shady pastures ♪ ♪ So rich and so sweet ♪ ♪ God needs his dear children ♪ ♪ Oh Lord ♪

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♪ Where the wildest flowers grow ♪ ♪ Where the weary ones weep ♪ ♪ God leaves His dear children alone ♪ ♪ Some through the water ♪

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Some through the flood, some through the fire, but all through the blood. Some through great sorrow, but God gives us all. ♪ In the bright season and golden age ♪ ♪ Sometimes the clouds wear the sunshine so bright ♪

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♪ Our peace is here to keep us all ♪ Sometimes this love valley is the darkest of nights God leads His dear children home Some through the water, some through the blood

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♪ The sun through the fire ♪ ♪ Followed all through the night ♪ ♪ The sun through great sorrow ♪ ♪ But God gives us light ♪

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♪ In the night season ♪ ♪ And all the day long ♪ ♪ For sorrows befall us ♪ ♪ And Satan oppose ♪

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♪ God leaves his dear children alone ♪ ♪ Through grace we can counter ♪ ♪ In fear of foes ♪ ♪ God leaves his dear children alone ♪

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♪ Lord of all ♪ ♪ Some through the water ♪ ♪ Some through the flood ♪ ♪ Some through the fire ♪

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♪ But all through the blood ♪ ♪ Some through great sorrow ♪ ♪ And dark years will come ♪ ♪ In the life season ♪

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♪ And all the day long ♪ ♪ Away from the fire ♪ ♪ Away from the rain ♪ ♪ God feeds His dear children alone ♪

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♪ Away a victory ♪ ♪ Eternity's pain ♪ ♪ God leads His dear children on home ♪ ♪ Some grow the water ♪

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♪ Some grow the ground ♪ ♪ Some grow the fire ♪ ♪ But all through the world ♪ ♪ Some who praise the Lord ♪

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♪ I long in the song ♪ ♪ In the night season ♪ ♪ And song ♪ ♪ As it flows ♪

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- Amen. - Amen. - May God lead this people. (upbeat band music)

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[ Music ] O come, O come, the children of Israel, and the hosts of Israel, and the hosts of Israel, O come, O come, to Bethlehem, and the house of Israel, and the house of Israel. Come, O come, to Bethlehem, and the house of Israel, and the house of Israel.

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Come, O come, to Bethlehem, and the house of Israel, and the house of Israel. ♪ Jesus will make the tongues of peace ♪ ♪ And beat our sorrows cease ♪ ♪ His music will bless sinners' tears ♪

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♪ His life and health and peace ♪ ♪ His life and health and peace ♪ ♪ Here, here, he dances praising God ♪ ♪ The blue sun, stars, and flowers ♪

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♪ He bows here to hold the Savior's crown ♪ ♪ And he belays for joy ♪ ♪ And he belays for joy ♪ ♪ Glory to God in praise and love ♪

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♪ We ever, ever give ♪ ♪ Our saints, our saints ♪ ♪ We all are saints of love ♪ ♪ The church in earth, they'll give ♪

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♪ The church in earth, they'll give ♪ ♪ Rejoice ♪ ♪ Rejoice ♪ ♪ Rejoice ♪

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♪ Rejoice ♪ ♪ For I have a thousand tongues ♪ ♪ I praise the Lord with every one ♪ ♪ Rejoice ♪

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♪ Since I have a bunch of praise ♪ ♪ Then I will use the one I have to ♪ ♪ To magnify his name ♪ ♪ To magnify his name ♪

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♪ Oh, how a thousand songs you sing ♪ ♪ Our great Redeemer's name ♪ ♪ Oh, glory ♪ ♪ To our God and King ♪

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♪ The triumphs of His grace ♪ ♪ The triumphs of His grace ♪ ♪ His grace ♪ ♪ Rejoice ♪

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♪ Rejoice ♪ [ Music ] (piano music) (piano music)

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(piano music) (piano music) (gentle piano music) ♪ I am raised to joy of man's desire ♪

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♪ For your grand design ♪ ♪ Holy grail's crown ♪ ♪ On the rock's crown ♪ [MUSIC PLAYING]

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(soft piano music) ♪ On our way ♪ ♪ Oh so despairing ♪ ♪ ♪

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♪ Mary I did bow ♪ (elegant piano) ♪ And I've found a place ♪ ♪ The rest that they shall ♪

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♪ In the world of one impression ♪ ♪ I'm in tears ♪ ♪ To the Lord ♪ ♪ Sorry, darling ♪

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♪ Where are you? ♪ (gentle music) (gentle music) (gentle music)

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[MUSIC] ♪ O'er the land of the free ♪ ♪ And the home of the brave ♪ ♪ O'er the land of the free ♪

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♪ God, the greatest of heroes can be ♪ ♪ Ever one in the unkind ♪ ♪ Bring a joy from deathless grief ♪ ♪ Of deathless grief ♪

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♪ When in beauty's gladness ♪ ♪ But His breath was fresh ♪ ♪ There His wings of gold ♪ ♪ Were stretched high ♪

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♪ God has never been more lovable ♪ ♪ We will ever bow to our God ♪ ♪ Until you're gone ♪ (gentle music)

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(overlapping speaking) - Amen. (applause) This is our time of prayer together.

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We go to God in prayer, believing that God is able to hear and to answer our prayers. At this time, I'd ask that every head be bowed and every eye be closed.

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That we would forget about the cares of this day and for this moment and for this time, concentrate on our master and our father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

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Whatever it is, displace it now and concentrate on him. For where two or three are gathered in my name, touching and agreeing, whatever they ask, in my name, it shall be done.

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Let us go to God in prayer. [BLANK_AUDIO]