Sermon, 2010-03-14, I AM Moses, We Have Got to Cross that Sea 1|P a g e
A predicament
With his request approved, the CNN News cameraman quickly used his cell phone to call the
local airport to charter a flight.
He was told a twin-engine plane would be waiting for him at the airport.
Arriving at the airfield, he spotted a plane warming up outside a hanger.
He jumped in with his bag, slammed the door shut, and shouted, "Let's go!"
The pilot taxied out, swung the plane into the wind and took off.
Once in the air, the cameraman instructed the pilot,
"Fly over the valley and make low passes so I can get shots of the fires on the hillsides."
"Why?" asked the pilot.
"Because I'm a cameraman for CNN," he responded, "and I need to get some close up shots."
The pilot was strangely silent for a moment, until he finally he stammered,
"So, what you're telling me, is ... you're NOT my flight instructor?!"
Now that‘s a predicament!
Americans use a lot of expressions to describe being in a predicament.
We say things like: ―I‘m in a pinch‖ or ―in a jam‖ or ―in a pickle.‖
One might be ―between a rock and a hard place‖ or ―up a tree‖ or ―hard pressed.‖
Some of you who might remember how in the movie O Brother Where Art Thou
George Clooney‘s character Ulysses Everett McGill was fond of saying,
―Man, we‘re in a tight spot.‖
The evil sheriff surrounds the trio sleeping in the top of the barn and McGill keeps saying
―Man, we‘re in a tight spot.‖
Someone has come up with the ultimate definition of a predicament, though. It‘s:
A predicament is when an attorney who specializes in medical malpractice lawsuits
suddenly finds himself in need of major surgery.
Now that‘s a predicament!
Blank
Today we continue our journey with Moses and the Israelites in the OT book of Exodus
to one of history‘s ultimate examples of a predicament –
the Israelites are trapped between Pharaoh and his armies and the vast Red Sea.
We‘ve been talking for about Moses and the Exodus for about six weeks now.
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We‘ve talked about protecting the sanctity of human life.
We talked about the proper view of work from the Bible.
We talked about God‘s holiness.
We talked about serving God without excuses.
We talked about how to come to believe in God and submit to his will like Pharaoh.
And last week we talked about how recent earthquakes and the plagues in Egypt and the book
Revelation all could be connected to Jesus‘ Second coming soon.
Did you notice that there was even another significant earthquake in Turkey last Sunday
night that killed 51 people?
So we have said all that we can say about the Exodus to this point.
We have only gotten to chapter 14 in these 7 weeks.
We don‘t want to be here past Easter.
So, today, We Have Got to Cross That Sea.
That‘s what we are going to do.
Today we have got to cross that Red Sea.
Look at what happens with me in the Bible in Exodus 14.
Exodus 14
1
Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 "Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth,
between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon. 3 Pharaoh
will think, 'The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.' 4 And I
will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh
and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD." So the Israelites did this.
5
When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their
minds about them and said, "What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their
services!" 6 So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. 7 He took six hundred of the
best chariots, along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them. 8 The LORD
hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out
boldly. 9 The Egyptians—all Pharaoh's horses and chariots, horsemen and troops—pursued the Israelites
and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.
10
As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them.
They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. 11 They said to Moses, "Was it because there were no
graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of
Egypt? 12 Didn't we say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians'? It would have been
better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!"
13
Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD
will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The LORD will fight for
you; you need only to be still."
15
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. 16
Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go
through the sea on dry ground. 17 I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after
them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. 18
The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his
horsemen."
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19
Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel's army, withdrew and went behind
them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, 20 coming between the armies
of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the
other side; so neither went near the other all night long.
21
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with
a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, 22 and the Israelites went through
the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.
23
The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into
the sea. 24 During the last watch of the night the LORD looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at
the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. 25 He made the wheels of their chariots come off so that
they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, "Let's get away from the Israelites! The LORD is
fighting for them against Egypt."
26
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back
over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen." 27 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at
daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the LORD swept
them into the sea. 28 The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of
Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.
29
But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their
left. 30 That day the LORD saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians
lying dead on the shore. 31 And when the Israelites saw the great power the LORD displayed against the
Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.
It must have been an amazing miracle to watch.
It is an extremely important event in the history of the people of the Bible.
And, in that it is a sacred story, filled with examples and meaning and symbol
that God intends for us to apply to ourselves,
it has some very relevant applications to our lives today.
I‘d like to suggest 3 ways we can see this as relevant to us today.
And all 3 are faithful to how God would want us to apply it.
The first one is this:
1. We have got to cross that sea ... in our spiritual journey.
This is a clear and classic picture of the spiritual life of a follower of Jesus Christ.
Where in you come to understand and believe and accept that Jesus died for you.
So, you are delivered out of your life of bondage to sin and death,
just like the Israelites are delivered out of slavery in Egypt.
Then just like the Israelites who are saved and head out on a journey to worship God,
You and I get out on a spiritual journey following Jesus and it feels great.
You begin a new life and your life is really changed.
And then, at some point, Pharaoh comes chasing after you.
At some point your old life tries to get you back.
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In some ways that could be literally.
If you have friends or family that don‘t understand why you would chose to follow Christ,
they might try to pull you back into the world that doesn‘t follow Him.
In other ways that can be the internal struggle we have
when we choose to follow Jesus in serving a Holy God
and we begin dealing with the things in our lives that are unpleasing to Him.
And our habits with pleasure and with self centered living do not want to be left behind.
Am I really going to stop getting high?
Am I really going to end this immoral relationship?
Am I going to just start sleeping in on Sunday.
Whatever the issue – your old life wants you back!
(blank)
When I was a teen and I encountered Jesus Christ when another older teenager told me about
Jesus. And I believed and I really decided to follow Jesus.
And my life changed.
A spiritual change happened inside me that was real and indisputable.
But, none of my friends had the same encounter with Jesus.
I wasn‘t shy. I told them.
But I still wanted some of them to be my friends.
I remember one time I went over to my friends house to play cards
And they had things that you drank and smoked that were illegal that we shouldn‘t have.
And while we played cards, they played the new game – let‘s try to get Tim to sin.
It was like my own personal Pharaoh was chasing after me saying, ―we want you back.‖
And eventually the old habits succeeded and for a few years I went back to my old life.
When I finally surrendered everything to God in my life in my mid twenties I had been in a rock
band for 5 years.
But many difficult things had happened in my life and my band falling apart was one of them,
so I turned back to God and gave him my life for good.
And wouldn‘t you know it two weeks into following Christ again, another band called.
A better band.
A band I had auditioned for earlier who heard I was available.
We want you to come sing for us, the guy Pauly I kind of grew up with said.
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It was a literally my old life calling on the phone to say, ―we want you back.‖
Pharaoh was chasing me down.
He did not want to let me go.
I knew, honestly, in that instant I knew,
that Pauly asking me on the phone if I would come be their singer,
that I was making a decision for Christ or against Christ for the rest of my life.
If I had said yes, I don‘t think I would be here today.
Even now, I get little greeting cards that say my old life wants me back
Things that tempt me.
Things on TV that remind me.
Thoughts
How about you?
Have you ever really been born again – you really had the Spirit of God fill you and you were
saved and you were changed?
And then sometime after, the things that were a part of your old life tried to track you down and
get back in.
It can happen to teens when you come back from a great camp or conference, right?
It can happen when you are a new believer for the first time figuring out what it means to be a
follower of Christ and what he wants to set you free from.
It can happen to you who are 20 or 30 years removed from being saved
and the old life comes knocking very softly and we let it in.
You can‘t go back.
Jesus told a parable warning about this. He said,
Matthew 12:43-45
"When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not
find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house
unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more
wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse
than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation."
We have got to cross that sea.
We have got to cross that sea.
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What do you do?
Hebrews 12:1-2
Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with
perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of
our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at
the right hand of the throne of God.
Keep your eyes on Jesus.
Follow Him.
Become like Him.
Do what his Word says to do.
Persevere.
And move on.
1. We have got to cross that sea ... in our spiritual journey.
2. We have got to cross that sea ... in life‘s predicaments.
So, we can see this event as a picture of the spiritual journey we are all on individually.
And we can see this event as an example as how God might work in our lives when we‘re in a
great challenge or predicament.
Look at what Moses tells the Israelites after Pharaoh‘s armies catch up with them
and they start crying out to God and saying we should have stayed in Egypt.
Exodus 14:13
But Moses said to the people, "Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD which
He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never
see them again forever. The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent." (NASB)
Do you know what the human response to a great challenge or predicament is?
The human response to a great challenge or predicament is
1. We fear.
2. We run.
3. We fight.
4. We tell; we blame and complain.
And look at what
Moses‘ Red Seaside predicament plan is.
1. Don‘t be afraid.
2. Stand still.
3. Watch God come through.
4. Stop talking.
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Moses plan is the perfect antidote for what we do when we get backed into a corner.
It‘s the perfect prescription for us when we are in a tight spot.
On one side the Israelites had their mortal enemy pursuing them.
On the other side they had the crocodile infested, salt marsh Red Sea of unknown chaos and
impossibility.
They were in between the proverbial irresistible force and an immovable object!
(Repeat)
And that is just where God wanted them!
Exodus 13:18 said
So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea.
Exodus 14:1-2
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth,
between Migdol and the sea.
God led them there.
God told them to back track and set up camp between the Egyptian city and the desert and the sea
God was telling Moses to set the Israelites in a dead end.
He did not do it so He could leave them there.
He did it so he could put an end to the Egyptians.
Don‘t run.
Don‘t fight.
Don‘t complain and blame.
Don‘t give up.
If you are in between the devil and the deep red sea this morning,
you need to trust God that He knows where you are.
He may have brought you to be there, so He could show his glory and faithfulness to you
and to others.
If you feel like you can‘t stand to go to school tomorrow, but you can‘t not go.
Or if you feel like you can‘t stay in your marriage, but it would be wrong to get out of it.
Or if you feel like you hate your job, but you can‘t quit
Or whatever the dead end, back against the wall predicament you are in
Remember
Exodus 14:13-14
But Moses said to the people, "Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD which
He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never
see them again forever. The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent." (NASB)
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God‘s word for you today is:
Don‘t be afraid.
Stand by.
Watch God fight for you.
And keep silent.
1. We have got to cross that sea ... in our spiritual journey.
2. We have got to cross that sea ... in life‘s predicaments.
3. We have got to cross that sea ... as a church.
The story of the Exodus is a story of a community of faith.
This is a story of a people of God and how they react and respond to these events.
And one thing that clearly happens here .... is that they do not like this change.
Exodus 14:10
As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after
them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. 11 They said to Moses, "Was it because
there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us
by bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Didn't we say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone; let us serve the
Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!"
They are a people of God that faces change
and some of them want to turn the ship around.
It happens again and again on this Exodus.
A couple days later in
Exodus 16:2-3
The whole congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the
wilderness. The sons of Israel said to them, "Would that we had died by the LORD'S hand in the
land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full; for you have
brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger."
Some of them would rather be slaves in Egypt as long as they have full bellies,
than face the possibility of dying or starving in the desert.
But on the other side of the desert is a?
Land flowing with milk and honey.
A land full of good food and prosperity.
A land God had promised to the Israelites‘ ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
A land that God had told Moses He wanted to take the Israelites back to.
But to get there, they couldn‘t stay in Egypt.
To get there they had to cross that sea!
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(blank)
Sometimes the modern community of faith, the church, has to change.
Sometimes the people of God don‘t like the change.
When it causes us to go through some loss or some challenge, we don‘t like it.
But we have to trust that God knows where He is leading us and He will help us cross that sea.
One of those times is when we have a pastor who feels called to serve God
in a new way in a new place.
Pastor Stevan is going to be leaving us in July.
This week he submitted his resignation to the leadership board of our church.
He says he feels called to be a solo pastor at this point in his life
or to possibly find a ministry position in communications and social media.
He does not feel called to continue in youth ministry at this point in his life.
He has served us well.
We love his personality and his heart and his gifts.
And we love him and his family, Jess, Ella, and Ezra.
In the life cycle of the church, sometimes we have to cross that sea.
We don‘t want things to change, but we have to say that God is good
and therefore God is doing this for our good or can use this for good.
This reminded me of a story about a king in Africa who had a close friend Joseph with whom he
grew up.
Joseph had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life, positive or
negative, and remarking, "This is good!"
One day the king and Joseph were out on a hunting expedition.
Joseph loaded and prepared the guns for the king.
Something apparently went wrong in preparing one of the guns,
because when the king fired it and his thumb was blown off.
Examining the situation, Joseph said as usual, "This is good!"
To which the king replied, "No, this is not good!" and proceeded to send his friend to jail.
About a year later, the king was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of.
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Cannibals captured him, bound him, and took him to their village.
They stacked some wood, set up a stake to burn him on,
and as they prepared to bind him to the stake,
they noticed that the king was missing a thumb.
Being superstitious, they never ate anyone who was less than whole.
So they untied the king and sent him on his way.
On his way home, he remembered the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for how he
treated Joseph.
He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend.
"You were right," he said, "it was good that my thumb was blown off."
And he proceeded to tell the friend all that had just happened.
"And so, I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad for me to do this."
"No," his friend replied, "This is good!"
"What do you mean, ‗This is good‘?
How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?"
"If I had not been in jail, I would have been with you."
So, we have to say Pastor Stevan is leaving and even though we don‘t see how and feel how,
this is good.
And we will bless God and we will ask God to bless Pastor Stevan and Jess.
Please join me in praying for Pastor Stevan and Jess ...
Also join me in praying for the teens of our church and our community ...
And for the youth pastor that God has already been preparing for joining us ...
If God can free the Israelites and lead them into their promised land,
If God can provide them all they need for their journey,
If He can make a sea turn into dry land so they can pass through and then turn it back into a
rolling sea to destroy their enemies,
then God can lead us to the person or family he has prepared to serve our families & community
And He can help lead you through whatever predicament or challenge you are facing,
even if it seems like there is no way out.
And He can help you keep your eyes fix on the race He‘s marked out for you ...