WEBVTT 00:00:01.510 --> 00:00:04.410 We turn in our Bibles today to Exodus chapter 00:00:04.410 --> 00:00:09.849 14. Thank you, Don Parker, one of our elders, 00:00:09.970 --> 00:00:13.769 for your remarks earlier in the service. As you 00:00:13.769 --> 00:00:15.550 look at him, it's hard to believe he's an elder, 00:00:15.589 --> 00:00:22.309 isn't it? He looks so non -elderly. But he is, 00:00:22.309 --> 00:00:24.690 and he's a godly man. We appreciate his leadership 00:00:24.690 --> 00:00:29.210 in our church. Exodus 14 deals with the crossing 00:00:29.210 --> 00:00:33.979 of the Red Sea. You know, occasionally an event 00:00:33.979 --> 00:00:38.340 occurs which is so significant as a piece of 00:00:38.340 --> 00:00:43.420 history, or which so touches the human psyche 00:00:43.420 --> 00:00:46.280 that it moves the heart and the hand of the poet. 00:00:49.100 --> 00:00:53.159 Tragic events even, like the assassination of 00:00:53.159 --> 00:00:58.740 John Kennedy, or Martin Luther King, or the sinking 00:00:58.740 --> 00:01:03.130 of the Titanic. These events are the kind that 00:01:03.130 --> 00:01:05.530 you remember where you were when they happened. 00:01:06.569 --> 00:01:09.849 You know, that kind of a thing. And they're often 00:01:09.849 --> 00:01:13.090 such significant things that those who are gifted 00:01:13.090 --> 00:01:19.189 that way write poems about them. These happenings 00:01:19.189 --> 00:01:22.709 capture the attention and the emotion of many 00:01:22.709 --> 00:01:26.250 people. so that they become the focal points 00:01:26.250 --> 00:01:29.650 of cultural history, if not national history 00:01:29.650 --> 00:01:34.590 and world history. Such an event was the crossing 00:01:34.590 --> 00:01:38.930 of the Red Sea. It was so significant that it 00:01:38.930 --> 00:01:43.030 captured the imagination of poets in that day. 00:01:44.049 --> 00:01:48.769 It is mentioned or alluded to in poems or psalms 00:01:48.750 --> 00:01:59.189 18, 74, 77, 78, 89, 106, and 136. So significant 00:01:59.189 --> 00:02:02.370 was the crossing of the Red Sea that it further 00:02:02.370 --> 00:02:05.909 captured the attention of the nations throughout 00:02:05.909 --> 00:02:10.550 that part of the world. And those who were confronted 00:02:10.550 --> 00:02:14.530 with the Israelites' pilgrimage as they journeyed 00:02:14.530 --> 00:02:19.460 toward Canaan were terrorized by it. Let me remind 00:02:19.460 --> 00:02:23.060 you of what Rahab the harlot had to say in the 00:02:23.060 --> 00:02:28.419 book of Joshua You just listen as I I read Remember 00:02:28.419 --> 00:02:31.400 she's speaking to the spies that were sent ahead 00:02:31.400 --> 00:02:35.460 whom she hid and she said to the men I know that 00:02:35.460 --> 00:02:39.219 the Lord has given you the land and that the 00:02:39.219 --> 00:02:42.960 terror of you Has fallen on us and that all the 00:02:42.960 --> 00:02:45.400 inhabitants of the land have melted away before 00:02:45.400 --> 00:02:49.560 you for we have heard how the Lord dried up the 00:02:49.560 --> 00:02:52.939 water of the Red Sea before you when you came 00:02:52.939 --> 00:02:58.360 out of Egypt. And so this event was one that 00:02:58.360 --> 00:03:00.520 terrorized those nations that were confronted 00:03:00.520 --> 00:03:03.500 by Israel as she journeyed up toward that place 00:03:03.500 --> 00:03:06.819 that God had called her to inhabit. The crossing 00:03:06.819 --> 00:03:10.520 of the Red Sea, I think, was the most notable 00:03:10.520 --> 00:03:14.860 miracle ever to occur in the history of Israel. 00:03:16.009 --> 00:03:20.370 Army generals and God's prophets alike pointed 00:03:20.370 --> 00:03:23.150 back to the crossing of the Red Sea when exhorting 00:03:23.150 --> 00:03:29.110 the people to follow the Lord. In Exodus chapter 00:03:29.110 --> 00:03:33.449 14, Israel was in the midst of a transition during 00:03:33.449 --> 00:03:37.129 those early days after the deliverance of the 00:03:37.129 --> 00:03:41.030 nation from Egyptian bondage. Yes, they were 00:03:41.030 --> 00:03:44.550 in transition. There was transition from serving 00:03:44.550 --> 00:03:50.939 Pharaoh to serving God, in transition from bondage 00:03:50.939 --> 00:03:55.560 to liberty, in transition from living by sight 00:03:55.560 --> 00:04:01.680 to living by faith. I think that all of us would 00:04:01.680 --> 00:04:04.819 agree that those early days after our redemption, 00:04:05.919 --> 00:04:08.460 after our conversion, were days of transition. 00:04:10.520 --> 00:04:12.699 And we have to keep that in mind for people who 00:04:12.699 --> 00:04:15.979 are newly saved. That they are in the midst of 00:04:15.979 --> 00:04:19.279 transition and we cannot expect of them some 00:04:19.279 --> 00:04:21.480 things that we might expect out of people who 00:04:21.480 --> 00:04:24.860 are more mature in the Lord, who are further 00:04:24.860 --> 00:04:28.759 along in their own pilgrimage. The newly redeemed 00:04:28.759 --> 00:04:32.680 need our understanding and our patience because 00:04:32.680 --> 00:04:36.819 they're in transition just as Israel was in transition. 00:04:38.889 --> 00:04:41.550 But then isn't it true that the Christian life 00:04:41.550 --> 00:04:44.629 or even life in general involves transition? 00:04:47.110 --> 00:04:52.470 There is transition from youth to young adulthood. 00:04:54.230 --> 00:04:56.329 There are times when you think your teenagers 00:04:56.329 --> 00:04:59.610 are not going to make that transition. They are 00:04:59.610 --> 00:05:06.110 terminally teenagers. But they do, somehow. And 00:05:06.110 --> 00:05:09.500 then there is transition from early adulthood, 00:05:10.839 --> 00:05:14.560 young adulthood to middle -aged adulthood like 00:05:14.560 --> 00:05:20.220 John Benham. And then there is transition from 00:05:20.220 --> 00:05:24.819 that to the status of being a senior citizen. 00:05:26.660 --> 00:05:29.160 Life is a transition from one stage to the other. 00:05:29.180 --> 00:05:31.800 I was reminded of that this week as I had to 00:05:31.800 --> 00:05:35.300 make a quick trip to Kansas for a funeral on 00:05:35.300 --> 00:05:39.759 Friday for an uncle who passed away. He did not 00:05:39.759 --> 00:05:44.839 know the Lord, as far as I know, nor do any of 00:05:44.839 --> 00:05:48.199 his family know the Lord, my cousins. They did 00:05:48.199 --> 00:05:52.379 not know a pastor, four boys, four wives or children, 00:05:52.500 --> 00:05:54.639 some of them grown and married. They did not 00:05:54.639 --> 00:06:00.019 know a pastor. And so they called me and asked 00:06:00.019 --> 00:06:03.550 if I would do the service. I don't relish that 00:06:03.550 --> 00:06:05.810 sort of a situation for family members. It's 00:06:05.810 --> 00:06:08.870 difficult, as you can imagine, especially in 00:06:08.870 --> 00:06:13.370 those circumstances. But I went. And it was an 00:06:13.370 --> 00:06:16.670 opportunity to be reunited with my two brothers 00:06:16.670 --> 00:06:19.430 and two sisters. And we were sitting around the 00:06:19.430 --> 00:06:21.870 table after the funeral at my sister's house, 00:06:22.990 --> 00:06:26.170 having had a bit of supper. We were talking about 00:06:26.170 --> 00:06:30.009 things. And we found ourselves talking about 00:06:31.389 --> 00:06:35.850 relatives that were distant from us, and talking 00:06:35.850 --> 00:06:38.389 about people who used to live near us in the 00:06:38.389 --> 00:06:40.829 neighborhood and where they've moved and how 00:06:40.829 --> 00:06:42.810 they were related to this person or that person, 00:06:42.850 --> 00:06:45.769 all of a sudden it just struck me. And I stopped 00:06:45.769 --> 00:06:47.490 them and I said, you know what we sound like? 00:06:48.189 --> 00:06:50.290 We sound like grandpa and grandma used to sound 00:06:50.290 --> 00:06:54.209 like when we were kids. And we hated those conversations. 00:06:55.990 --> 00:07:01.170 And now here we are talking the same way. There's 00:07:01.170 --> 00:07:06.370 transition in life. And then we make the transition 00:07:06.370 --> 00:07:09.509 from that educational part of our life to employment, 00:07:10.329 --> 00:07:14.730 hopefully. And then perhaps from one job to another 00:07:14.730 --> 00:07:16.949 we make transitions and then finally we make 00:07:16.949 --> 00:07:23.430 the transition into retirement. Life often involves 00:07:23.430 --> 00:07:28.300 a transition in living from place to place. And 00:07:28.300 --> 00:07:33.040 every transition of life involves change. What 00:07:33.040 --> 00:07:35.459 I want to plead with you today is to make Jesus 00:07:35.459 --> 00:07:38.079 Christ the Lord of every change in your life. 00:07:40.199 --> 00:07:42.300 As we look at our text today, it seems to me 00:07:42.300 --> 00:07:45.899 there are several changes that occur in Israel 00:07:45.899 --> 00:07:50.600 in this text that we look at, Exodus 14, because 00:07:50.600 --> 00:07:54.600 the nation is in transition. In the first place, 00:07:54.680 --> 00:07:57.660 in verses 1 and 2, there is a change. in the 00:07:57.660 --> 00:08:00.879 direction of the journey. The Lord spoke to Moses 00:08:00.879 --> 00:08:05.060 saying, tell the sons of Israel to turn back 00:08:05.060 --> 00:08:10.139 and camp before Pi -Harioth. And so there was 00:08:10.139 --> 00:08:12.199 a change in the direction of the journey. In 00:08:12.199 --> 00:08:15.319 fact, it was almost a reversal of their steps. 00:08:15.420 --> 00:08:18.519 God had led them down to the southeast and now 00:08:18.519 --> 00:08:20.899 they're going back basically to the north and 00:08:20.899 --> 00:08:28.339 to the west. What is God doing? Well, God is 00:08:28.339 --> 00:08:31.839 leading them to a place of vulnerability. That's 00:08:31.839 --> 00:08:36.419 right. God has led them to reverse direction 00:08:36.419 --> 00:08:39.700 and camp in the very place that would be a trap 00:08:39.700 --> 00:08:45.039 to them. God did not lead them to safety. God 00:08:45.039 --> 00:08:50.539 led them to danger. A change of direction. Now 00:08:50.539 --> 00:08:54.629 why has God done this? Well, God had a purpose 00:08:54.629 --> 00:08:56.649 in it, of course, because God wanted to teach 00:08:56.649 --> 00:09:01.870 them again of His mighty power. He wanted to 00:09:01.870 --> 00:09:04.889 perform a miracle before them that would be forever 00:09:04.889 --> 00:09:07.389 written in the annals of their nation's history 00:09:07.389 --> 00:09:10.269 and which would send a message to all of those 00:09:10.269 --> 00:09:13.950 nations to which and through which Israel would 00:09:13.950 --> 00:09:20.009 travel in days to come. God wanted to place Israel 00:09:20.009 --> 00:09:26.279 in a predicament. from which it was impossible 00:09:26.279 --> 00:09:31.179 to escape except by His divine intervention. 00:09:34.100 --> 00:09:38.159 So God changed direction. You know that God is 00:09:38.159 --> 00:09:43.799 more concerned that we learn of Him than He is 00:09:43.799 --> 00:09:47.360 that our lives be always lived in pleasant places. 00:09:50.899 --> 00:09:56.549 Character precedes comfort. in God's priorities 00:09:56.549 --> 00:10:01.850 for us. I want to repeat that. Character precedes 00:10:01.850 --> 00:10:07.750 comfort in God's priorities for us. There are 00:10:07.750 --> 00:10:10.629 times when God in our pilgrimage will lead us 00:10:10.629 --> 00:10:15.750 in a change that brings us to the point of danger 00:10:15.750 --> 00:10:22.649 where we have no way out of a situation. And 00:10:22.649 --> 00:10:24.570 God has a purpose in that. He wants to teach 00:10:24.570 --> 00:10:28.309 us something of Himself. It may be that there's 00:10:28.309 --> 00:10:30.509 someone here this morning who has sought God's 00:10:30.509 --> 00:10:33.710 direction in your life, and you followed that 00:10:33.710 --> 00:10:36.330 as much as you knew how to discern it. You say, 00:10:36.470 --> 00:10:39.230 well, how do we discern God's direction? Well, 00:10:39.230 --> 00:10:42.250 God today doesn't guide us with a cloud like 00:10:42.250 --> 00:10:46.330 He did the Israelites. Today God guides us through 00:10:46.330 --> 00:10:49.750 the counsel of His Word, through the presence 00:10:49.750 --> 00:10:53.049 of the indwelling Spirit, and through our own 00:10:53.049 --> 00:10:56.429 faith and assurance in His sovereign control 00:10:56.429 --> 00:11:01.690 of our circumstances. But I may be speaking to 00:11:01.690 --> 00:11:04.789 someone today who has utilized those and as much 00:11:04.789 --> 00:11:07.629 as you have known, you have been in God's will 00:11:07.629 --> 00:11:11.529 and yet today you find yourself trapped just 00:11:11.529 --> 00:11:14.289 as much as Israel was trapped at the Red Sea. 00:11:15.669 --> 00:11:18.149 With Egyptian border guards in one direction, 00:11:19.309 --> 00:11:23.399 a vast desert in the other, a sea in front of 00:11:23.399 --> 00:11:26.940 them, and the armies of Pharaoh coming from behind, 00:11:27.559 --> 00:11:33.720 and no way out except God. Please understand 00:11:33.720 --> 00:11:37.000 that God has you in that place, not that you 00:11:37.000 --> 00:11:41.039 may be destroyed, but that he may show himself 00:11:41.039 --> 00:11:47.740 mighty on your behalf. Trust in the Lord with 00:11:47.740 --> 00:11:51.509 all your heart. Lean not to your own understanding. 00:11:52.809 --> 00:11:55.730 In all your ways acknowledge him and he shall 00:11:55.730 --> 00:12:00.429 direct your paths. Proverbs 3, 5 and 6. A change 00:12:00.429 --> 00:12:03.629 in direction. And then I notice that there is 00:12:03.629 --> 00:12:05.549 a change in the heart of the enemy described 00:12:05.549 --> 00:12:10.750 in verses 3 through 9. Originally Pharaoh was 00:12:10.750 --> 00:12:14.330 willing to allow them to be released, but that 00:12:14.330 --> 00:12:17.029 willingness to release them turned to regret 00:12:17.029 --> 00:12:23.759 after the Egyptians had buried their dead. God 00:12:23.759 --> 00:12:26.139 says in verse 3, Pharaoh will say of the sons 00:12:26.139 --> 00:12:28.519 of Israel, they are wandering aimlessly in the 00:12:28.519 --> 00:12:30.179 land. Now why would he think that? Well here 00:12:30.179 --> 00:12:32.559 they've gone down this direction and now they've 00:12:32.559 --> 00:12:34.340 gotten so turned around they're coming right 00:12:34.340 --> 00:12:37.679 back the same direction. That's how Pharaoh would 00:12:37.679 --> 00:12:41.320 perceive it. The wilderness has shut them in. 00:12:41.340 --> 00:12:43.320 They've gotten lost out there in the desert. 00:12:43.919 --> 00:12:47.799 Thus, God says, I will harden Pharaoh's heart. 00:12:48.190 --> 00:12:51.110 and he will chase after them and I will be honored 00:12:51.110 --> 00:12:53.549 through Pharaoh and all his army and the Egyptians 00:12:53.549 --> 00:12:57.850 will know that I am the Lord." God has been saying 00:12:57.850 --> 00:12:59.970 that a few times, hasn't he, over the last year 00:12:59.970 --> 00:13:06.529 or so. God has one more miracle that is going 00:13:06.529 --> 00:13:09.129 to be absolutely devastating to the military 00:13:09.129 --> 00:13:14.490 might of Egypt. Well, and what God said came 00:13:14.490 --> 00:13:19.080 true, of course. And it says in verse 9, the 00:13:19.080 --> 00:13:22.460 Egyptians chased after them with all the horses 00:13:22.460 --> 00:13:25.460 and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his 00:13:25.460 --> 00:13:28.879 army, and they overtook them camping by the sea. 00:13:29.679 --> 00:13:32.519 So you get the picture. The guards of Israel 00:13:32.519 --> 00:13:35.480 look behind and in the distance they see the 00:13:35.480 --> 00:13:39.799 dust of many, many chariots coming and they find 00:13:39.799 --> 00:13:43.820 themselves in a trap because the heart of the 00:13:43.820 --> 00:13:47.779 enemy changed. You say, well isn't God unfair 00:13:47.779 --> 00:13:50.460 in this? After all, isn't it God's fault that 00:13:50.460 --> 00:13:53.460 Pharaoh had the attitude that he did? No. You 00:13:53.460 --> 00:13:55.799 see, God was simply responding to the heart of 00:13:55.799 --> 00:13:59.240 Pharaoh. Pharaoh had hardened his heart and hardened 00:13:59.240 --> 00:14:01.120 his heart and God had hardened it judicially. 00:14:01.179 --> 00:14:03.059 We've talked about that before and this is another 00:14:03.059 --> 00:14:06.759 example of it. Pharaoh's heart changed of its 00:14:06.759 --> 00:14:09.419 own accord, of its own evil, its own wicked motives. 00:14:11.000 --> 00:14:14.860 And God hardened his heart more. so that he would 00:14:14.860 --> 00:14:17.700 not turn back from the pursuit of the Jewish 00:14:17.700 --> 00:14:25.039 people. Pharaoh in this account is but the stand 00:14:25.039 --> 00:14:28.220 -in for the real enemy of God's people, who is 00:14:28.220 --> 00:14:34.539 whom? Of course, Satan. The devil plays with 00:14:34.539 --> 00:14:38.340 those who are in his captivity. Something like 00:14:38.340 --> 00:14:40.679 a cat and mouse. I watched a cat on the farm 00:14:40.679 --> 00:14:44.100 last summer play with a mouse. bat it around. 00:14:44.100 --> 00:14:46.539 You've seen them do that, haven't you? And they 00:14:46.539 --> 00:14:48.320 bite it and carry it a little way, but they don't 00:14:48.320 --> 00:14:51.659 bite it enough to kill it. Because they're playing 00:14:51.659 --> 00:14:53.879 with that mouse. It was a little baby mouse. 00:14:54.700 --> 00:14:57.980 Just able to get around. And it was in the dark 00:14:57.980 --> 00:14:59.940 and the cat would bat it this way and it would 00:14:59.940 --> 00:15:03.799 run a little bit and he would pounce on it. Carry 00:15:03.799 --> 00:15:05.919 it over here and play with it some more. It reminded 00:15:05.919 --> 00:15:09.159 me of the devil. That's how he does with the 00:15:09.159 --> 00:15:12.620 souls of those who are in his captive. He uses 00:15:12.620 --> 00:15:20.360 them. He deceives them. The satanic world system, 00:15:20.980 --> 00:15:23.940 or the order that now controls things in history 00:15:23.940 --> 00:15:28.179 from the human perspective, that world system 00:15:28.179 --> 00:15:32.980 provides an atmosphere of acceptance for its 00:15:32.980 --> 00:15:38.620 own citizens. That acceptance is based upon deceit 00:15:38.620 --> 00:15:43.870 and greed. hatred, self -interest, but nonetheless 00:15:43.870 --> 00:15:47.210 there is a camaraderie within the world system 00:15:47.210 --> 00:15:51.210 for its own. When you and I are saved by the 00:15:51.210 --> 00:15:56.029 grace of God, we are delivered by the power of 00:15:56.029 --> 00:15:58.769 God from Satan's bondage in the world system. 00:15:59.769 --> 00:16:04.909 We're no longer a part of that thing. Therefore, 00:16:04.929 --> 00:16:09.789 Satan loses his control over us. Although we 00:16:09.789 --> 00:16:15.129 live in the sphere where he's active, we have 00:16:15.129 --> 00:16:19.669 now become his enemies. We are not the citizens 00:16:19.669 --> 00:16:24.029 of his little kingdom, but we have become the 00:16:24.029 --> 00:16:28.929 enemy within it. And so his attitude changes 00:16:28.929 --> 00:16:35.309 toward us. Whereas once it was condescending 00:16:35.309 --> 00:16:40.120 and It was agreeable to some degree. Now he is 00:16:40.120 --> 00:16:44.580 bitterly opposed to us. And he causes the whole 00:16:44.580 --> 00:16:49.679 system that he controls to turn on us. Jesus 00:16:49.679 --> 00:16:54.500 described this, didn't he, in John 15, when he 00:16:54.500 --> 00:16:57.120 said, don't be surprised if the world, the system 00:16:57.120 --> 00:17:01.659 hates you. Know this, that it hated me before 00:17:01.659 --> 00:17:08.000 it hated you. The world system hates us with 00:17:08.000 --> 00:17:10.440 the same vehemence with which it hates Jesus 00:17:10.440 --> 00:17:14.839 Christ. Once being its citizens, we were accepted, 00:17:14.920 --> 00:17:17.839 but now we are rejected being citizens of a higher 00:17:17.839 --> 00:17:23.900 kingdom. Once we were tolerated, but now we have 00:17:23.900 --> 00:17:27.480 become unbearable to the enemy. His heart has 00:17:27.480 --> 00:17:31.990 changed toward you, my friend. Some people think 00:17:31.990 --> 00:17:33.869 that when they become Christians then they get 00:17:33.869 --> 00:17:36.430 out of the battle. No, no, no when you become 00:17:36.430 --> 00:17:41.490 a Christian you step into the battle Because 00:17:41.490 --> 00:17:44.609 Satan now desires the absolute destruction of 00:17:44.609 --> 00:17:49.130 your life if he possibly can do it Therefore 00:17:49.130 --> 00:17:51.369 it's imperative that you and I not play around 00:17:51.369 --> 00:17:55.730 with him That we not go back to the cat and let 00:17:55.730 --> 00:18:00.150 him play with us that we not play into his evil 00:18:00.150 --> 00:18:06.349 hands. That's why Peter said, be sober, be vigilant. 00:18:07.930 --> 00:18:11.809 Your adversary the devil walks around seeking 00:18:11.809 --> 00:18:16.049 whom he may devour. You see, he is an adversary 00:18:16.049 --> 00:18:22.190 to us. His attitude has changed, just as surely 00:18:22.190 --> 00:18:24.869 as Pharaoh's attitude changed toward the people 00:18:24.869 --> 00:18:30.289 of Israel. But I see a third change as we look 00:18:30.289 --> 00:18:32.789 at this time of transition. It is the change 00:18:32.789 --> 00:18:37.049 that occurs in the cry of the people, verses 00:18:37.049 --> 00:18:41.049 10 and 12 of our text. As Pharaoh drew near, 00:18:41.230 --> 00:18:44.670 the sons of Israel looked, and behold, the Egyptians 00:18:44.670 --> 00:18:47.069 were marching after them, and they became very 00:18:47.069 --> 00:18:50.130 frightened. So the sons of Israel cried out to 00:18:50.130 --> 00:18:51.930 the Lord. Now they had been crying out to the 00:18:51.930 --> 00:18:56.119 Lord before this. For years, in fact, they had 00:18:56.119 --> 00:18:59.140 cried out to the Lord, Lord, save us! Deliver 00:18:59.140 --> 00:19:03.799 us from the Egyptian oppression! But now their 00:19:03.799 --> 00:19:08.119 cry changes. It's no longer, Lord, deliver us 00:19:08.119 --> 00:19:11.460 from the Egyptian oppression. That's not the 00:19:11.460 --> 00:19:14.799 thrust of it. They cried out to the Lord, but 00:19:14.799 --> 00:19:18.700 the one to whom the crying out was directed really 00:19:18.700 --> 00:19:22.140 was to Moses, God's representative. And they 00:19:22.140 --> 00:19:25.380 said, Is it because there were no graves in Egypt 00:19:25.380 --> 00:19:28.180 that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? 00:19:28.759 --> 00:19:30.839 As I pointed out a few weeks ago, this is biting 00:19:30.839 --> 00:19:34.680 sarcasm because Egypt is famous for its graves. 00:19:37.440 --> 00:19:39.880 Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing 00:19:39.880 --> 00:19:42.900 us out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we 00:19:42.900 --> 00:19:45.779 spoke to you in Egypt saying, didn't we tell 00:19:45.779 --> 00:19:48.980 you, leave us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? 00:19:50.539 --> 00:19:52.720 For it would have been better for us to serve 00:19:52.720 --> 00:19:54.599 the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness. 00:19:54.700 --> 00:19:57.700 There's a change in the cry of the people. First 00:19:57.700 --> 00:20:00.599 it was a cry for help. Now it's a cry of complaint. 00:20:01.799 --> 00:20:05.880 Why is this? Because they're walking by sight. 00:20:06.519 --> 00:20:10.160 Notice that they saw the Egyptians. They beheld 00:20:10.160 --> 00:20:16.200 them and it changed their cry. They forgot the 00:20:16.200 --> 00:20:19.160 promises of God. They forgot the previous works 00:20:19.160 --> 00:20:25.109 of God. And here we see the real condition of 00:20:25.109 --> 00:20:28.970 their heart exposed by the words of their mouth. 00:20:29.190 --> 00:20:33.069 Isn't that always the way it is? You listen to 00:20:33.069 --> 00:20:35.329 a person long enough and he'll tell you what's 00:20:35.329 --> 00:20:40.349 inside of him. Jesus said, out of the abundance 00:20:40.349 --> 00:20:46.789 of the heart, the mouth speaks. So all you have 00:20:46.789 --> 00:20:49.009 to do is listen to what a person says, see what 00:20:49.009 --> 00:20:51.529 he talks about, see what his complaint is, and 00:20:51.529 --> 00:20:55.630 you find out what the heart is saying. And I 00:20:55.630 --> 00:20:59.529 think it's true that heart problems among God's 00:20:59.529 --> 00:21:02.109 people are often exposed by their attitude toward 00:21:02.109 --> 00:21:07.329 leadership, as it was here with Moses. When people 00:21:07.329 --> 00:21:09.910 have a spiritual problem with God, it's often 00:21:09.910 --> 00:21:12.309 sent in the same direction that it was here. 00:21:13.450 --> 00:21:18.150 When things go well, The people of Israel follow 00:21:18.150 --> 00:21:22.769 Moses without complaint. But when there is a 00:21:22.769 --> 00:21:27.170 trial, when the circumstances change at God's 00:21:27.170 --> 00:21:35.890 doing, not Moses, then their words changed. Next 00:21:35.890 --> 00:21:39.309 I notice a change in the ways of nature. This 00:21:39.309 --> 00:21:41.890 is the best part of the chapter, verses 13 through 00:21:41.890 --> 00:21:45.890 29. I want to tell you something. God will move 00:21:45.890 --> 00:21:51.970 heaven and earth to keep His Word. God is not 00:21:51.970 --> 00:22:01.349 a liar. God does not change in His oaths and 00:22:01.349 --> 00:22:06.430 His promises. God had promised to bring His people 00:22:06.430 --> 00:22:10.450 to the promised land and even though their unbelief 00:22:11.210 --> 00:22:16.509 is exposed by their cry of complaint and grumbling. 00:22:17.869 --> 00:22:22.650 God is gracious to them. Through Moses' prophet, 00:22:23.789 --> 00:22:27.730 these are the words. Do not fear, verse 13. Do 00:22:27.730 --> 00:22:32.170 not fear. Stand by and see the salvation of the 00:22:32.170 --> 00:22:34.069 Lord, which he will accomplish for you today. 00:22:35.089 --> 00:22:37.390 For the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you 00:22:37.390 --> 00:22:42.640 will never see them again forever. The Lord will 00:22:42.640 --> 00:22:47.700 fight for you while you keep silent. The Lord 00:22:47.700 --> 00:22:50.039 said to Moses, why are you crying out to me? 00:22:50.140 --> 00:22:54.940 Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. Then God 00:22:54.940 --> 00:22:58.660 tells him what to do. Lift up your staff. Stretch 00:22:58.660 --> 00:23:01.779 it over the water. Verse 17, he says, as for 00:23:01.779 --> 00:23:05.240 me, I'm going to harden the Egyptians and I'm 00:23:05.240 --> 00:23:07.039 going to cause them to do something that will 00:23:07.039 --> 00:23:11.119 bring glory to me and to my reputation. There 00:23:11.119 --> 00:23:13.319 are four commands that are given to the nation 00:23:13.319 --> 00:23:18.420 here. The first one is, fear not. How do you 00:23:18.420 --> 00:23:20.740 do that when the Egyptian army is coming on your 00:23:20.740 --> 00:23:26.240 heels? You have no place to go. What do you do 00:23:26.240 --> 00:23:29.059 when your circumstances are closing in on you? 00:23:30.500 --> 00:23:34.900 And you have nowhere to turn. What do you do 00:23:34.900 --> 00:23:37.119 at work when that happens? How do you handle 00:23:37.119 --> 00:23:40.210 it at school? What do you do in your career when 00:23:40.210 --> 00:23:48.190 things are coming to a precipice? Well, he says, 00:23:48.289 --> 00:23:52.369 fear not. I think Isaiah has a good word for 00:23:52.369 --> 00:23:57.109 us here. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, 00:23:58.430 --> 00:24:02.430 whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth 00:24:02.430 --> 00:24:06.950 in thee. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace. 00:24:07.369 --> 00:24:12.150 The Hebrew there says, thou wilt keep him in 00:24:12.150 --> 00:24:17.990 peace, peace. Shalom, shalom. It's their way 00:24:17.990 --> 00:24:22.190 of saying absolute perfect peace and security. 00:24:23.809 --> 00:24:27.549 God will keep us in perfect peace because our 00:24:27.549 --> 00:24:30.430 mind is stayed on him, because we trust in him. 00:24:30.849 --> 00:24:33.890 What do you do when the end of the world is coming? 00:24:36.180 --> 00:24:40.259 as it seems to you in your situation at home 00:24:40.259 --> 00:24:46.140 or at work. You keep your mind centered on the 00:24:46.140 --> 00:24:50.160 Lord and you trust in Him. David said, I will 00:24:50.160 --> 00:24:54.839 trust and not be afraid. In another place he 00:24:54.839 --> 00:24:57.759 said, when I am afraid I will trust in thee, 00:24:57.799 --> 00:24:59.940 but how much better to trust and not be afraid? 00:25:01.980 --> 00:25:05.440 Then God says stand by now the natural inclination 00:25:05.440 --> 00:25:08.500 is to do something I Mean if it's just to get 00:25:08.500 --> 00:25:10.500 into the Red Sea and start swimming to the other 00:25:10.500 --> 00:25:15.420 side do something But God said to the people 00:25:15.420 --> 00:25:22.039 stand by or stand still be quiet That's sometimes 00:25:22.039 --> 00:25:27.519 hard to do God says be still and know that I'm 00:25:27.519 --> 00:25:28.960 God. I want to tell you, if you're in the midst 00:25:28.960 --> 00:25:31.180 of danger today, if there's a Red Sea before 00:25:31.180 --> 00:25:35.640 you and an army behind you, there is a time to 00:25:35.640 --> 00:25:39.980 stand still, and this may be that time, just 00:25:39.980 --> 00:25:45.880 to be quiet and to wait on God. Then God says, 00:25:46.279 --> 00:25:51.660 see the salvation of the Lord. God says, I want 00:25:51.660 --> 00:25:54.549 you to see, I want you to look at what I'm going 00:25:54.549 --> 00:25:56.910 to do because I'm going to do something you can't 00:25:56.910 --> 00:26:03.769 do." Then God said, tell Israel to go forward. 00:26:05.190 --> 00:26:07.549 There was a time to stand by, there was a time 00:26:07.549 --> 00:26:12.329 to go forward. I want you to notice that God's 00:26:12.329 --> 00:26:15.490 presence separated the nation from the Egyptians. 00:26:17.210 --> 00:26:19.289 The Egyptians would have caught them had it not 00:26:19.289 --> 00:26:27.799 been for that. And by the In the cloudy pillar 00:26:27.799 --> 00:26:31.839 by day and the cloudy pillar of fire by night, 00:26:32.240 --> 00:26:35.220 God moved behind his people instead of out in 00:26:35.220 --> 00:26:37.599 front of them where he had been. And the angel 00:26:37.599 --> 00:26:40.480 of the Lord was there, and he kept the Egyptian 00:26:40.480 --> 00:26:47.039 army back while he worked. Then God employed 00:26:47.039 --> 00:26:50.730 the basic laws of creation to do his will. Verse 00:26:50.730 --> 00:26:53.769 21, Moses stretched out his hand over the sea 00:26:53.769 --> 00:26:57.930 and the Lord swept the sea back by a strong east 00:26:57.930 --> 00:27:01.349 wind all night and turned the sea into dry land 00:27:01.349 --> 00:27:07.150 so that the waters were divided. And so God caused 00:27:07.150 --> 00:27:09.470 this wind to be powerful enough and just put 00:27:09.470 --> 00:27:12.369 his hands down and put the water back. Now as 00:27:12.369 --> 00:27:14.069 you see this depicted in most of the movies, 00:27:14.130 --> 00:27:16.150 you see this water mounting up like this and 00:27:16.150 --> 00:27:18.849 it all comes down and there's about 10 feet in 00:27:18.849 --> 00:27:22.240 there. For the people to walk through, no. It 00:27:22.240 --> 00:27:24.299 was probably more like two or three or four or 00:27:24.299 --> 00:27:29.440 five miles that God pulled the water back. Because 00:27:29.440 --> 00:27:31.319 two million people have got to get across this 00:27:31.319 --> 00:27:35.599 thing in a matter of a few hours. So it was very 00:27:35.599 --> 00:27:37.859 broad the path that God made for them, and they 00:27:37.859 --> 00:27:46.339 went across. And then, after they were across, 00:27:47.420 --> 00:27:51.180 God... caused that army of the Egyptians, apparently 00:27:51.180 --> 00:27:54.099 during the night, to get down into the seabed. 00:27:54.119 --> 00:27:56.799 They didn't realize where they were. The water 00:27:56.799 --> 00:27:59.059 wasn't standing right next to them. It was miles 00:27:59.059 --> 00:28:04.180 away. And there in the night, they started, perhaps 00:28:04.180 --> 00:28:11.299 by moonlight, out through this seabed. And then 00:28:11.299 --> 00:28:15.579 God withdrew His hands. And the water came together 00:28:15.579 --> 00:28:20.490 again and covered them up. so that they were 00:28:20.490 --> 00:28:25.970 all killed. God changed the very ways of nature 00:28:25.970 --> 00:28:31.549 to keep His Word. You can count on the fact that 00:28:31.549 --> 00:28:37.349 God is going to keep His Word to you. And God 00:28:37.349 --> 00:28:40.289 will change heaven and earth, if that were necessary, 00:28:41.750 --> 00:28:45.289 to do for you what He's promised to do. That's 00:28:45.289 --> 00:28:49.019 how sure His promises are. Faithful is he who 00:28:49.019 --> 00:28:54.480 promised, who will also do it. I want you to 00:28:54.480 --> 00:28:57.380 know that you can trust God to deliver you as 00:28:57.380 --> 00:29:01.700 well. Now, it may not be the kind of deliverance 00:29:01.700 --> 00:29:06.000 that you were expecting, but you and I can trust 00:29:06.000 --> 00:29:09.339 God to deliver us, as the songwriter said. Got 00:29:09.339 --> 00:29:14.559 any rivers you think are uncrossable? Got any 00:29:14.559 --> 00:29:18.380 red seas you think are uncrossable? Got any mountains 00:29:18.380 --> 00:29:23.539 you can't tunnel through? God specializes in 00:29:23.539 --> 00:29:26.819 things thought impossible. He does the things 00:29:26.819 --> 00:29:32.819 no other can do. Will you make Him Lord of your 00:29:32.819 --> 00:29:36.059 changes? The transition that you're passing through? 00:29:37.960 --> 00:29:39.880 The final change I want you to notice is at the 00:29:39.880 --> 00:29:43.700 end of the chapter, verses 30 and 31. The Lord 00:29:43.700 --> 00:29:46.240 saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, 00:29:46.460 --> 00:29:49.960 and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 00:29:50.000 --> 00:29:53.180 And when Israel saw the great power which the 00:29:53.180 --> 00:29:55.440 Lord had used against the Egyptians, the people 00:29:55.440 --> 00:29:58.359 feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord 00:29:58.359 --> 00:30:03.079 and in His servant Moses. Their attitude changed. 00:30:04.119 --> 00:30:08.700 There was a renewed reverence for Yahweh. Their 00:30:08.700 --> 00:30:12.309 trust in Him was deepened. and also in their 00:30:12.309 --> 00:30:15.890 human leader, Moses, whom God appointed over 00:30:15.890 --> 00:30:19.849 them. Their attitude toward leadership changed. 00:30:21.549 --> 00:30:25.450 Life, for you and for me, is a series of changes, 00:30:25.630 --> 00:30:30.450 isn't it? However you look at it, beloved part 00:30:30.450 --> 00:30:35.349 of spiritual maturity is learning to grow through 00:30:35.349 --> 00:30:40.619 those changes and not groan at them. Are you 00:30:40.619 --> 00:30:44.059 growing through the changes that God is bringing 00:30:44.059 --> 00:30:50.599 into your life? God Himself is a God who does 00:30:50.599 --> 00:30:56.460 not change, but He is the God of change. And 00:30:56.460 --> 00:31:00.059 He will direct and use it in our lives to further 00:31:00.059 --> 00:31:05.619 His divine purpose for us. Now sometimes, changes 00:31:05.619 --> 00:31:12.869 involve history -making events. But most don't. 00:31:13.369 --> 00:31:18.369 Most changes are insignificant to others, but 00:31:18.369 --> 00:31:23.109 they can be big to us. My plea with you is this. 00:31:24.809 --> 00:31:28.349 Let Jesus Christ be the Lord of the transitions, 00:31:28.630 --> 00:31:30.569 the changes that you're passing through right 00:31:30.569 --> 00:31:35.769 now. Spiritual maturity on your part is learning 00:31:35.769 --> 00:31:40.119 to trust Him without complaint. in the midst 00:31:40.119 --> 00:31:46.680 of change. Will you trust Him today? Will you 00:31:46.680 --> 00:31:50.420 stop fighting and rebelling and complaining and 00:31:50.420 --> 00:31:54.799 say, Lord, You're bigger than I am. You're bigger 00:31:54.799 --> 00:32:00.559 than the changes in my life. And I sit back and 00:32:00.559 --> 00:32:06.099 I want to be still. And God says to you, you'll 00:32:06.099 --> 00:32:09.940 see the salvation of the Lord. And when it's 00:32:09.940 --> 00:32:14.259 time, he'll say to you, go forward now. But first 00:32:14.259 --> 00:32:18.500 comes the time to stand still and to be quiet 00:32:18.500 --> 00:32:21.720 and to know that he is God. He is the God of 00:32:21.720 --> 00:32:28.039 change in your life. Would you bow with me, please? 00:32:32.920 --> 00:32:35.640 Has God led you to a point of vulnerability? 00:32:38.190 --> 00:32:44.369 where you have nowhere to look except up. Praise 00:32:44.369 --> 00:32:49.690 God if that's the case, my friend. God changes 00:32:49.690 --> 00:32:55.809 direction on us sometimes to remind us who is 00:32:55.809 --> 00:33:02.990 Lord and to teach us of Himself. He is more interested 00:33:02.990 --> 00:33:06.329 that you learn that than that you live in comfort. 00:33:06.859 --> 00:33:11.400 and in pleasant places in your pilgrimage. God 00:33:11.400 --> 00:33:13.880 has so much to teach us of Himself before we 00:33:13.880 --> 00:33:21.960 get to that promised land. Will you tell Him 00:33:21.960 --> 00:33:29.940 that you make Him the Lord of your changes? Will 00:33:29.940 --> 00:33:33.759 you tell Him that you'll stand by and you'll 00:33:33.759 --> 00:33:42.299 be quiet? Will you not fear anymore or trust? 00:33:44.000 --> 00:33:52.559 Tell Him so right now. Father, I pray that each 00:33:52.559 --> 00:33:56.059 one of us who is a child of God by faith in Christ 00:33:56.059 --> 00:34:00.359 and who is therefore a pilgrim in this world 00:34:00.359 --> 00:34:06.900 may be able to adapt to and grow through the 00:34:06.900 --> 00:34:13.480 changes that you bring into our lives. May we 00:34:13.480 --> 00:34:17.480 learn to trust you, perhaps more than we ever 00:34:17.480 --> 00:34:21.400 have in the past. May we see the goodness of 00:34:21.400 --> 00:34:28.400 the Lord and the power of the Lord refresh us 00:34:28.400 --> 00:34:32.619 on our pilgrim way. Renew us, we pray, with the 00:34:32.619 --> 00:34:37.710 strength, the wisdom and the faith that we need 00:34:37.710 --> 00:34:40.929 as we march on from this camping place on this 00:34:40.929 --> 00:34:47.210 Lord's Day. With our heads bowed, I wonder if 00:34:47.210 --> 00:34:49.230 you would sing with me the simple chorus that 00:34:49.230 --> 00:35:25.760 most of us know. He cares for me. He cares for 00:35:25.760 --> 00:35:44.300 me. He cares for me. He's so good to me He's 00:35:44.300 --> 00:36:04.730 all I need He's all I need He's all He's so good 00:36:04.730 --> 00:36:11.710 to me. And remembering that we're pilgrims, let's 00:36:11.710 --> 00:36:21.610 sing it this way. He'll lead me on. He'll lead 00:36:21.610 --> 00:36:40.349 me on. He's so good to me. Lord, thank you for 00:36:40.349 --> 00:36:44.130 that truth today and for reminding us of it in 00:36:44.130 --> 00:36:59.530 a personal way. We love you. Amen. are being 00:36:59.530 --> 00:37:01.630 welcomed into the church to come forward. Now, 00:37:01.630 --> 00:37:04.269 all of these names are in the newsletter this 00:37:04.269 --> 00:37:06.889 morning. So as I call your name, would you step 00:37:06.889 --> 00:37:08.869 out, please, and come right here to the front. 00:37:09.130 --> 00:37:14.289 Barrett and Dana Brown, Steve Brown, Sandy Burns, 00:37:14.889 --> 00:37:19.070 Steve Dennis, Lois Dobos, Mike and Alice Dusan, 00:37:19.730 --> 00:37:23.130 Stephen Elias, Larry and Mary Feldhahn, Bonnie 00:37:23.130 --> 00:37:27.409 Johnson, Marge Larson, Sherry Miske. Brian Nelson, 00:37:27.670 --> 00:37:31.449 John O 'Neill Jr., Bernie Scheller, Tom and Wynn 00:37:31.449 --> 00:37:35.510 Schindle, Iris Tucker, Harold and Claudia Weins, 00:37:35.809 --> 00:37:40.190 Dan and Susan Wynia. Some of the folks are here 00:37:40.190 --> 00:37:42.030 in this service. Won't you come by, those of 00:37:42.030 --> 00:37:44.389 you who are members of the church, and join me 00:37:44.389 --> 00:37:46.889 in welcoming them into our church family today. 00:37:47.349 --> 00:37:49.130 God bless you. Thank you for being here.