That it might invite you now to stand for the reading of God's
word this morning, I'll be reading in the book of Exodus
chapter 14 will be looking at the entire chapter together this
morning, but I will begin in verse 5 and in and verse 14 in
my reading. When the king of Egypt was told
that the people had fled the mind of pharaoh and his servants
was changed toward the people and they said, what is this?
We have done that. We have let Israel go from
serving us so we had made it raid ready his Chariot and took
his army with him and took 600 chosen chariots and all the
other Chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them and
the Lord hardened, the heart of pharaoh king of Egypt and he
pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were
going out defiantly. Why the Egyptians pursued them
all, pharaohs horses, and chariots and his Horsemen, and
his army and overtook them and camped at the Sea, by Pia
heareth and front of Bales F on when Pharaoh Drew near the
people of Israel lifted up their eyes and behold the Egyptians
were marching after them and they feared greatly and the
people of Israel cried out to the Lord, they said to Moses is
it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us
away to die in the wilderness. What have you done?
Need to bring us and bringing us out of Egypt.
Is it not what we said to you in Egypt?
Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians for it would have
been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the
wilderness. And Moses said, to the people
fear, not stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord, which he
will work for you today for the Egyptians whom you see today,
you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you.
And you have only to be silent. This is a word of the Lord.
You may be seated. The Parting of the Red Sea is
one of the most iconic stories of the entire Bible.
And for good reason, Israel's dramatic rescue from Egypt at
the Red Sea, was there climatic event of The Exodus?
And in many ways, it's the defining moment of their entire
history. It's a story that shaped their
national identity as they passed it down from generation to
generation to generation and it's a story.
That's so incredible that it's become popularized for us.
At this point found its way into documentaries and books and
movies. And the problem with a story
like this is that it becomes so familiar to us that we become
distracted by the miracle, we fail to release, see why it
matters what God might say to us through this ancient and yet
true story. So the question I want you to
begin to ask this morning is, why does the particle Ting of
the Red Sea matter. What does it have to do with us
and what might God say to us through this true story?
Well, I believe that there is something that we need to hear.
They're in the middle of Exodus chapter 14 just before God,
parted the Red Sea. Moses said this to the people of
Israel. Fear not.
Stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord.
I believe, we need to hear these words this morning, because we
need to see the salvation of the Lord.
Once again, it is so easy for us to lose sight of him, to forget
who he really is, and what he has done for us.
And this morning, The Parting of the Red Sea stands, as a
reminder, that God is who he says, he is, he is faithful.
He fought for us, he is fighting for us and he will fight for us
until he comes again. And so this morning, the first
thing I want you to know, once you know that The Parting of the
Red Sea shows us that we have nothing to fear.
I want you look with me at verse 5, Exodus, 14 verse 5, we're
told that when the king of Egypt was told that the people had
fled the mind of pharaoh and his servants was changed towards the
people. And they said, what is this that
we've done that we have let Israel go from serving us?
Now last week we looked at Exodus chapter 12 and how God
sent great acts of judgment to rescue his people.
Ten plagues ten plagues that culminated with the death of the
firstborn son and every house of Egypt.
And God commanded, his people to kill a sacrificial lamb, and
take its blood, and to spread it over their doorposts.
So that judgment would pass over them.
Then in Exodus chapter 13 we read how the people of God then
fled out of Egypt after the Passover they fled out of Egypt
with 600,000 men along with women and children and their
livestock. I want you to imagine the scene.
Over 600,000 refugees. All making their way out of
Egypt. Men, women and children. and now
we're reading in Exodus 14 verse 5, The just as soon as they had
left Egypt and Pharaoh had let them go.
He had changed his mind. Even after all that Pharaoh in
Egypt, endured with these ten plagues, Pharaoh still did not
want to let them go without a fight.
Why I want you to look with me. 46.
So we made ready his Chariot and took his army with them and took
600 chosen chariots and all the other Chariots of Egypt with
officers over all of them. Now the Hebrew is hard to
translate here for us, to really know how many were in Pharaoh's
Army, but as one translator, put it Pharaoh, went after Israel,
with all the king's horses and All the King's Men.
So we don't know exactly how many they had but we do know
this they were outnumbered. But they were not outmatched.
Pharaoh took his best soldiers, has best army, has best
chariots, has best Horsemen. And he hunted Egypt down all the
way to the Red Sea. Why would he do that?
After all, that he had seen the Lord do.
Why would have the audacity to go after his people?
Again, we're told in verse 8, look with me.
And the Lord hardened, the heart of pharaoh king of Egypt and he
pursued the people of Egypt, while the people of Israel were
going out defiantly. Why did pharaoh go after the
people of Israel? Why did he chase them to the Red
Sea? Even after the 10 plagues?
This is what I want you to wrestle with Pharaoh went after
the people of Israel because God wanted him to Pharaoh chased
God's people to the Red Sea because that's exactly what God
wanted to happen. In fact, in Exodus 13 were told
that the people of Israel could have taken a shorter way but
God, specifically LED them towards the Red Sea.
Why? Why?
Perhaps a better question is not, why would Pharaoh do this?
But a better question is why would God do this?
Why would God send 10 plagues? Rescue his people through the
Passover, only to lead them, to the Waters of the Red Sea and
have them surrounded by Pharaoh's Army.
Why would God do it? Won't you look with me?
Exodus 14 verse 4, you'll find it in your Bible.
If you don't have a Bible, you can use the blue Pew Bible in
front of you, Exodus 14 verse 4, notice what it says, and I will
harden Pharaoh's heart and he will pursue them, and I will get
Glory over Pharaoh. Now, look at verse 17, and I
will harden the hearts of the Egyptian so that they will go
after them and I will get Glory over.
Pharaoh, why did God hardened Pharaoh's?
Pharaoh's heart. Why did he send his people
towards the Red Sea only to have them?
Surrounded So that he would get the glory.
You see our God sovereignly works all things together for
his glory, and for the good of those who love him.
The problem with that is that when we are in the middle of it,
we can't see it. Can we and neither, could they?
Look with me now at verse 10. when Pharaoh Drew near the
people of Israel lifted up their eyes and behold the Egyptians
were marching after them and they feared greatly and the
people of Israel cried out to the Lord They were afraid and if
we're honest, who could blame them, I want you to put yourself
in their shoes. Imagine what has just happened
in their lives. Ten plagues ten, great acts of
judgment in their midst. The death of the firstborn and
every Egyptian household and the Passover now, they're fleeing
for their very lives, all 600,000 of them, think of how
chaotic it was. Imagine mother's holding crying
babies. Children, not sure where their
parents are. Men chasing down livestock as
they wandered along off Moses. And Aaron trying to keep this
group together and they make it all the way to the Red Sea.
And now they are boxed in. They have nowhere to go.
And so they turn around and what do they see?
Well, they're in their eyes and their vision.
They see Pharaoh and his army. Can you imagine how frustrated
they must have been? Can you imagine Their Fear?
You see Pete fear is a powerful thing.
And when we are afraid, we lose sight of who God is, we forget
what he is done. And all we can see is right in
front of us. And that's exactly what happened
for them. They said to Moses verse 11 is
it because there are no graves in Egypt, the you've taken us
away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us and
bringing us out of Egypt. Notice, the questions are asking
their fear has now become bitterness and accusation.
They're not just afraid they're saying, how could you let this
happen? Isn't that true of us too?
I wonder, what are you afraid of this morning?
What fills you with fear? The quietness of the night.
As you there lying in your beds, what?
Occupies your heart. What are you afraid of?
What's the first thought that comes rushing in in the morning?
I asked this question to a small group of people a couple weeks
ago and I want you to hear their answers because I think they
were honest and I think us they help us begin to name the fears
that you and I have as well. One person said, I'm afraid of
death. Not just afraid of dying.
I'm afraid of my loved one dying.
Another person said, I'm afraid of sickness.
Afraid of Growing Old, not being able to take care of myself.
Another person said, I'm afraid of being found out. of people
discovering that deep down the honest truth is I'm not who I
present myself to be Another person said I'm afraid of
failing. Afraid of not being able to
accomplish the things that I want to do.
Somebody has said, I'm afraid for our children fraid of the
future and what's going to happen?
I wonder what are you afraid of this morning?
What fills you with fear? Because whatever that thing is,
it is directly tied to the thing that matters most to you.
You see, fear is directly tied to our worship.
And not only do our fears exposed the things that we
worship. But our fears also expose, just
how little we worship God. And how small our vision is of
him. So it was with the people of
Israel. Because all they could see was
this Army and the Sea, they lost sight of the Lord.
Verse 12 is not this. What we said to you in Egypt,
leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians.
So it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than
die in the wilderness. This will become Israel's chorus
throughout the Book of Exodus over and over and over again.
They will find themselves at the end of themselves, they will be
hungry and tired and weary and Afraid and every time they will
say, it would have been better for us.
Us to stay in Egypt. Can you imagine that?
You hear that? And think that's crazy.
I am back in Egypt. They were underneath the the
authority of a terrible madman. A dictator who oppressed them
and forced them into manual labor.
Who killed the death of all of their son's.
Why would they want to go back to Egypt?
But are you? And I know different?
See, this is what fear does for us.
When we are afraid, we lose sight of the Lord and all we can
see is the things were afraid of when we try to cast out these
fears, by looking to the things that we left behind.
And so, just like the people of Israel, he say, would want to be
better for us to serve a different King than God.
What are you better for us to go back?
Back to our slavery, back to our Idols, back to our sin.
All the while trying to calm our own fears with lesser things.
C.s. Lewis, put it this way.
He said, perfect love. We know casts out fear but soda
several other things. Ignorance, alcohol, passion,
presumption and stupidity. It's very desirable that we
should all advance that Perfection of love and which we
shall fear no longer but it is very undesirable that we should
allow any inferior agent to cast out our fear.
How quick we are to turn to inferior.
Things to cast out the fears that we have in this life.
And so, another question I have for you is not just what are you
afraid of, but what are you using to conquer your fear?
For the people of Israel, as they were afraid, they were
using their own control and their own Pride.
They didn't just Express fear to Moses, but they accused him.
And they said, what are you doing?
Why have you allowed this to happen?
Fear is a powerful thing. and when we allow the fears of this
Earth to rule our hearts, we are no longer bow and down to the
fear of the Lord that should be on the throne of our hearts.
And this is why God and his sovereignty, LED his people to
the Red Sea. This is why God and his
sovereignty, hardened Pharaoh's heart, that Israel becomes
surrounded. So that they would see.
The Grandeur majesty and sovereignty of God and in seeing
him for who he really is. See that there is nothing to
fear. So, the second thing I want you
to know, not only does the Red Sea show us that there's nothing
to fear. But that the Red Sea also calls
us to stand firm. Look with me at verse 13.
And Moses said to the people fear, not stand firm and see the
salvation of the Lord. These are the words that I want
us to hear this morning. Fear, not stand firm, and see
the salvation of the Lord. Now, what's so amazing about
Moses's call to stand firm? Is that it's a military term.
Staying firm. It means Hold the Line.
Don't retreat, don't fall back. And so this is what I want you
to picture. I want you to picture two armies
and a great Battlefield. And you have each Army on either
side of falling into their ranks and you have a general barking
out orders to his arm and he's saying, stand firm, don't
retreat, Hold the Line. But now, I want you to picture
pharaoh and all of his chariots. Against a bunch of men women and
children in a few cows. And here's Moses barking out
orders to his people saying, don't retreat.
Don't fall back. Stand firm.
And what's so amazing about this command is not simply because
Israel was outmatched. Now, what's so amazing is
because of what Moses says? Next look with me at verse 14
Moses said, the Lord will fight for you and you have only to be
silent. Now, if you were, I were writing
this story. Into a, some kind of work of
fiction. We would write it like this.
Here's Pharaoh's Army a gun up against God's people, and here's
Moses the hero, and he looks at his people and he says, stand
firm, don't retreat. Hold the Line, don't fall back
and let's fight for the Lord. But that's not what he says.
Moses says, stand firm, don't retreat, don't fall back because
the Lord is fighting for you. How quick we are to think that
it's his kingdom that we must Advance on our own terms.
That it's up to us to fight against our own fears and our
own sin. It's up to us to hold the line
up to us to not fall. Back up to us, not to retreat up
to us to stand firm. And here's Moses saying, The
Lord will fight for you and then get this.
You have only to be silent. Then IV translated.
You have only to be still. In other words.
I know Pharaoh's Army is coming but don't retreat, stand firm,
and be still and know that the Lord is God.
You and I are so quick to take matters into our own hands but
God is working every single detail to show us this that
salvation belongs to him. And him alone, there is nothing
that you or I can do to save ourselves and though we try
every single day, The truth is that he is the only one who can
rescue us. And so many of us, I think know
that to be true in concept. That we have this idea of God
yeah I know he's supposed to be Sovereign and in control but we
live every day as functional atheists as if it were up to us.
The Parting of the Red Sea. Reminds us that God is
sovereign. That he works all things
together for his glory and for the good of those who love him.
And so verse 21, we see Moses and he stretches out his hand
over the sea, and the lower drove the sea back by a strong
East, Wind all night and made the sea dry land and the waters
were divided. I want you to picture it.
Here's the people of Israel. They're stuck between the Red
Sea and Pharaohs Army, and God calls, Moses to lift up his
staff and the waters are parted into.
So that God's people. People can walk on dry land and
cross the sea bed. It's an iconic image.
An event that people for centuries, have tried to explain
Away by some kind of natural phenomenon.
Some pointing to the word read and Hebrew is similar to the
word read. And so maybe this was just kind
of a Marshland shallow water. They could walk across or others
saying. Well, maybe this is about the
tide and as the tide went out and the winds blew that they
could walk through Dry Land safely, But we're told in the
next verse doesn't allow for any kind of natural phenomena.
Look at verse 22. And the people of Israel went
into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters, being a wall
to them on their right hand and on their left.
The idea here is the waters were so high, it looks like the wall
of a fortress. In other words, God parted the
depths so that his people could walk through.
He did so. So that no one could deny that
he is the savior. This was a miracle.
And this is what miracles do for us.
They help us to see that salvation is beyond ourselves.
You see because just as much as this moment was a miracle and
Israel's history at points to an even greater miracle, that was
yet to come when God would part the Waters of sins so that we
could pass through into salvation and sending
miraculously his son, Jesus Christ, born of a virgin.
We believe this as Christians. He died for us.
I'm a third day. He rose again for us.
And one day he will come again. All to show us that he and he
alone is our savior. So, the third and final thing I
want you to know this morning, not only does the story of the
Red Sea show us that there's nothing to fear and call us to
stand firm. The story of the Red Sea and
invites us to see the salvation of the Lord.
Look with me in verse 26. The Lord said to Moses, stretch
out your hand over the sea. That the water may come back
upon the Egyptians upon their chariots and upon their
Horsemen. After God's people passed
through Dry Land. We're told that Pharaoh's Army
went in after them and what was once their power and their
chariots became their downfall because we're told that their
chariots began to get stuck in the mud and as they got stuck,
they began to panic. And as they Panic, they
recognize to where they were fighting against.
They weren't fighting against Israel.
No evening, Egyptians recognize, there are fighting against the
Lord. And then Moses verse 26,
stretches out his hand and all of the waters come crashing down
on Pharaohs Army. This moment became the defining
moment in Israel's history. They would tell it to their
children. They would sing about it.
They would remember it over and over and over again.
Why? Because it was so easy for them
to forget, not simply to forget that it happened but to forget
that God is who he says he is and just as he fought for them
at the Red Sea. He would fight for them again
and again, and again, and again. So the people of Israel
remembered what happened at the Red Sea and in so many ways, it
was their baptism. What do I mean by that?
What do I mean by saying that this was their baptism.
Well, for us as Christians, we believe that baptism is a mark.
A moment where we remember that God is who he says he is, that
he is the faithful one that he is the savior and that he will
stop at nothing to save his people.
And just, as much as Israel needed to remember what God did
for them, at the Red Sea, we need to remember our baptisms to
remember that God is who he says he is.
Because we're so prone to forget.
Martin Luther put it this way. It sounds subtle but I want you
to hear how powerful this really is.
Martin, Luther used to say not. I was baptized.
But Luther everyday would say, I am baptized, do you see the
difference? You see Luther recognized that
he needed to remember who he is. So easy to forget.
And so each and every day as he faced Temptation and sin and
fear and doubt, he would remind himself in some would say he
even wrote it on his desk. I am baptized and other words,
God is who he says he is. And I am who he says I am.
That's why the Apostle Paul put it this way in First Corinthians
chapter 10 for. I do not want you to be unaware
brothers, that our fathers were all baptized into Moses and in
the cloud and in the sea and all ate the same spiritual food, and
drink the same spiritual drink for, they drank from the
spiritual rock, that followed them, and The Rock was Christ.
When we are afraid. We no longer see God for who, he
really is NE things of this world become so big to us.
And we forget the story of the Red Sea reminds us.
That not only is our God Sovereign but he is also good.
I want you to hear what happened to Israel.
Next, Exodus 14 verse 30, Thus the Lord saved Israel that day
from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians
dead on the seashore. Israel saw the great power that
the Lord used against the Egyptians They saw they saw God
for who he really is. They saw what he could do.
They saw that. He was the one who saved them
and notice what happens next. It says they saw the great power
that the Lord used against the Egyptians.
So the people feared the Lord They were no longer afraid of
pharaoh. Now, they were afraid of God.
And you say, well why do I want to be afraid of God?
Because when we see God for who he really is, just how big and
Sovereign and mighty, we no longer fear the things of this
world, but we fear him instead. We know that perfect love cast
out fear. I think c.s.
Lewis is, right? It's so easy for us to try to
cast out, fear with lesser things.
The only thing that can cast out fear, as fear of our Sovereign,
God, our Sovereign God, who loved us so much that he sent
his only son to die on the cross for our salvation.
The Red Sea. Invites us to see the salvation
of the Lord, because it is so easy, and this cultural moment
to lose our sight. and to forget that he fought for us, then He
is fighting for us now. And he will fight for us until
he comes again. The same God, who parted the Red
Sea? Is the same God who sent Jesus
to die to rise again for you it's the same God that the
Apostle Paul says now dwells in Us by the power of the Holy
Spirit and the same God, who one day will send his son to fight
for us once and for all To conquer our every fear and make
all things new. Let's pray.
Father in heaven. Help Us to see the Salvation
that you have given for us. Help us to not lose sight of Who
You Are. and so we pray that you would help us this morning, to
be honest with our fears, To be honest, with the things that we
turn to try to calm our fears and instead, would you give us a
holy fear for you Lord? God.
And then fearing, you help us to worship you to be an awe of you
in to see the Salvation that you've given us by grace.
Help us to see that you are fighting our every battle and
that you will fight for us until you come again.
We ask this in Jesus name. Amen.
Let's stand. Let's sing together.