So we've eaten stuff and we're even past all the normal, normal dating, like it's okay to even like have gas in the car or something okay? [Laughter] And so we're past all that and so I'm standing on her front porch and I've got melted pizza cheese coming off of my mouth. [Laughter] I've got oregano in my teeth and there's just this moment. There's this moment at the front door and everything just feels right. Everything just feels right and my heart starts pounding - boom boom, boom boom, boom boom. I think I can say it now. I can say it, I can say it, so I look at her and I say Cecilia, lakah. [Laughter] And so then there's this moment on the front porch and she can't keep her hands off of me [laughter] and there's all this stuff. She's trying to act calm on the inside, but I just said lakah to her so she goes inside and she calls all of her girlfriends and she's like he said lakah to me! He said lakah to me! Oh my God! He said lakah to me! [Laughter] This was lakah. Lakah meant I want to make you my own. [Oh, awe.] I want to make you my own, all mine. [Laughter] How can you resist this! [Laughter] My Lord! [Laughs]
So in the Book of Exodus 6:7 there's this group of slaves and God has gotten them out of Egypt and He's moving them to freedom. So this group of people who've known nothing but for 430 years they've been slaves. Four hundred and thirty years, that's a long time. I don't know how long New Zealand's been a nation but I doubt it's 430 years. That's twice as long as America's been in existence. Four hundred and thirty years is enough time to develop a whole culture around slavery and oppression and victim. He's talking to this group of people and here's what He says in Exodus 6:7; And I will take you as My own people. If you look that word up in Strong's it's lakah, lakah. So this group of Hebrew slaves who knew this whole process, the God of the universe looks down from heaven and He says lakah. Can you imagine how they would have felt; a group of people that would have felt less than - they had been told that they're less than human. They would have been killed. They would have been tortured. The would have been all of this because they were told they were less than human.
The God of the universe is actually - can you imagine? Everybody would have been saying did He just say lakah? Did He just say what I think He said? Like did He just - does He want to marry us? Like does He want to make us His bride? Like did He say He wanted to make us My own? That is lakah - and He starts the process in Exodus 3 by getting them out of slavery. Then He starts the process again in Exodus 6 by saying lakah - so we're dating and I've said lakah and she's called all of her friends. Now how long - once she hears lakah, what is the next word she's longing to hear? Segullah. She really wants me to say segullah, and how long does the euphoria of lakah last? Maybe a month, maybe two, but after two months her girlfriends will be calling her during the day: girl, has he said segullah yet? Has he said segullah yet? He needs to - where is he? Is he scared of commitment? [Laughter] He needs to step up to the plate. It is time. He has been sitting on lakah far too long. [Laughter]
So one night we go out on a date and we eat, I don't know, fish tacos or something. [Laughter] We're in the car on the way home and there's just a moment. There's a moment and I get her to her front porch and everything feels right, and she's got a piece of that fish taco hanging off of her lip. [Laughter] I look and I think oh yeah! [Laughter] You're the one for me! [Laughter] And just the right moment I take her by the hand and I say segullah. Well now she really can't keep her hands off of me! She's trying to act calm but inside her heart's fluttering. She runs in and she calls her girlfriends and she's like he said segullah to me! He said segullah to me! Oh my God! He said segullah to me! [Laughter] Segullah meant - it took lakah one step further and it meant treasured possession. The girls love this message. [Laughter] I've been asked to preach this specific message next year at a national conference for women. They're going to go crazy. [Laughter]