Crossing

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Good morning Chapel family. Great to be with you all today! We’re taking this summer to walk through the book of Exodus, which is the historical account of how God took the Hebrew people from where they were—slavery in Egypt—to where he wanted them to be—their new homeland. So it’s this epic drama of God moving the people from here to there. Why does that matter to us? Well, because our lives are really a miniature version of the book of Exodus. Wherever you are now, there is a different and better future that God has for you. That doesn’t necessarily mean you’re supposed to physically move thousands of miles like the Israelites did; God might want you to stay in the same town for the rest of your life. But in some way, God is always moving us from here to there. That’s why following God is never boring. There’s always the next step.

So today we come to a very well-known event: the crossing of the Red Sea. I believe that in the course of our lives, every one of us experiences what I call “Red Sea situations”—where we find ourselves in a position that feels just as impossible and just as terrifying and just as confusing as what the Israelites faced on that day. Those situations tend to be very pivotal points in our lives. And there are so many ways we can handle those moments badly; this story teaches us to handle them wisely.

So remember: after 430 years of slavery and ten plagues, the Pharaoh of Egypt has finally released the Israelites from slavery. So let’s pick up the story in Exodus 13, verse 18, and once again we’ll skip a few parts but we’ll get the main flow of the story. I invite you now to hear the Word of God…

18 So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle. Skip down to verse 21: 21 By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.

Chapter 14, verse 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.

Verse 10…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.”

Verse 21: 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.

Go to verse 26: 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.

And then verse 30: 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 mighty hand of the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant. This is the Word of the Lord.

So for the first time, we find out how God would lead his people toward the Promised Land: Exodus 13:21 says that during the daytime there was this pillar-shaped cloud that went ahead of them; and then at night the pillar changed into fire. Isn’t it interesting that God first appeared to Moses in the form of…what? Fire–at the burning bush. Later, Moses would go up Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, and the whole mountain would be enveloped in…what? Cloud. So God uses these natural elements to manifest himself—to be present with the people. Can you imagine how awesome and how reassuring that must have been—to look up and see God’s very presence? So God was making his leading and his direction very clear. And he might not show up in fire and clouds anymore today, but if we’re listening, he very much still leads his people.

So in this case, he led his people to a very unexpected place. So lets’ talk about three things today: Facing the Red Sea, Crossing the Red Sea, and Changed by the Red Sea. Facing the Red Sea, Crossing the Red Sea, and Changed By the Red Sea.

So first, Facing the Red Sea. So by following the pillar of cloud and fire, and by God’s direct words to Moses, the Israelite people wind up on the shore of the Red Sea, and that’s where they set up camp for the night. Meanwhile, back in Egypt, the Egyptian people are still grieving the loss of their firstborn children from that horrific final plague. Grief counselors tell us that when people are grieving a loss, sooner or later they reach the stage of anger. And for Pharaoh and his officials, that anger phase comes really quickly. And they’re not only angry about their personal loss; they realize their whole way of life is about to change. Their entire economy has been built on the backs of Hebrew slaves, and now that economy is about to crumble…and that makes them more angry.

So Pharaoh gives the command, and the war machine is made ready. 600 of his best chariots, pulled by elite war horses, with highly trained, officers over all of them. Not to mention countless troops, all well-armed, marching with the chariots. It must have been an awesome and terrifying sight.

So from this event, let me call out four characteristics of Red Sea situations. Here we go…

First, it Seems Impossible. From the vantage points of the Israelites, this looked impossible. They’re at their camp and they look behind them. And off in the distance they see the Egyptians coming, and closing fast. They look in front of them, and they see the Red Sea. There’s no way out of this.

Have you ever been in a situation that truly looks impossible? The financial debt is too huge. The marital hurt is too deep. The grip of the addiction is too strong. The depression has been going on for too long. And it’s so easy to just collapse into despair. A friend of mine recently lost his job; later that same year his wife left him, and now his teenage kids won’t talk to him. Incredible amount of loss in a short period of time. And sometimes he wakes up and thinks about his life, and it just looks impossible. Have you ever felt like that? That’s a tough place to be.

Second characteristic of Red Sea situations: Deep Fear. Exodus 14:10 says when they saw the Egyptians coming, they were terrified. The Hebrew literally say they were “greatly afraid.” The Old King James says they were “sore afraid.” Have you ever been in a situation where fear just gripped you? It’s crippling. It keeps you up at night, thinking and worrying and playing out scenarios in your mind, right? You feel like you should be doing something to protect yourself from the disaster that’s coming, but you don’t know what to do. And that sense of helplessness is more terrifying.

Third, Irrational Thinking. Look what the people say in verse 11: 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? 12a Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? “Life wasn’t so bad in Egypt! At least we had, you know, jobs—sort of. Why did you pull us out there, Moses? It was a good life, serving those nice Egyptian slave masters.” Was life in Egypt really good? It was horrific. They had no dignity; no freedom; no autonomy. This was irrational and delusional thinking, brought on by fear. Have you ever known someone who has a family member who’s an addict? It’s heartbreaking—especially when your child or your spouse gets hooked on drugs or alcohol . And in those situations it’s common for those parents or that spouse to make excuses for the addicted person. Right? They cover up and enable. And it makes no sense—but their thinking has become irrational. The Red Sea can have that effect.

One more mark of Red Sea situations: Blame. “It’s your fault, Moses. The only reason we’re in this mess is because of you.” Now, sometimes it really is someone else’s fault. A drunk driver collides with your car and injures you—it really is their fault. In those situations, we talk about forgiveness and grace. But in this case, was this situation Moses’ fault? No! He was doing exactly what he was supposed to as a leader. So blaming Moses was a very a very unhealthy but very human response to a difficult situation. We do it all the time, don’t we? Blaming other people is so much easier than looking at ourselves. It makes us feel in control. It makes us feel like we have the moral high ground. Or sometimes we blame ourselves, don’t we? Because it has to be someone’s fault! Blaming is so much easier than trusting God, and realizing that God might be up to something mysterious and good. It’s completely unhelpful, but so easy to fall into.

So, Red Sea situations seem impossible, they produce deep fear, they lead to irrational thinking, and when they happen we tend to look around for someone to blame. Have you found yourself there? There’s no question in my mind that some of you are there right now. So before we say anything positive or optimistic, let’s just acknowledge that those situations are real and they are devastating. I can think of some good friends who are facing Red Sea situations right now—one of them involves his marriage and children, like I just mentioned to you, and one of them is a friend who’s having a really life-altering crisis with his adult daughter. And just thinking about it puts a lump in my throat and a knot in my stomach. Their entire world is turned upside down. So if that’s you right now, just know that you’re not alone, and know that part of the reason God included this in the Bible was for you.

Point number two: Crossing the Red Sea. So in response to the accusations of the people, Moses speaks—verses 13 and 14: 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.” If there ever was a time when people needed to hear from their leader, this was it. And I’m so impressed with what Moses didn’t do—he didn’t defend himself; he didn’t attack the people back. There’s such maturity and confidence to his words. This is exactly what they needed to hear, and this is what we need to hear. And he gave them three commands.

First, Do not be afraid. He’s acknowledging that fear is the obvious, instinctual response, but he says, “Don’t give in to it. Choose to not let fear take over. Fight it.”

Secondly, Stand firm. I know you feel running away and hiding somewhere, but don’t do it. Stand your ground. Just wait.

And the third command is at the end of verse 14: Be still. Take a deep breath and know that God is still in control.

But God, they have chariots, and that water is deep! Do not be afraid…Stand firm…Be still.

But God, I’ve got this pile of attorney bills for a divorce I didn’t even want! Do not be afraid…Stand firm…Be still.

But God, I haven’t seen my son in four weeks, and I’m terrified he’s using again! Do not be afraid…Stand firm…Be still.

But God…you fill in the blank. Whenever we face Red Sea situations, the voice of Moses echoes through time and says the same thing to us: Do not be afraid…Stand firm…Be still.

And the only way we can do that is if we believe what Moses says in verse 13: …you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you. You have to believe that God will deliver you—that he will rescue or save you. You have to believe that God will deliver you from that situation—get you out of it, or that God will deliver you through the situation—get you through it. You have to believe that God is with you, and that he cares, and that whether he delivers you from it or delivers you through it, it’s going to be okay.

And sure enough, God says to Moses, “Raise your staff.” Moses does it, and God miraculously parts the sea; the people of Israel walk through on dry ground to the other side; the Egyptian army comes after them, but as soon as the Israelites are on the other side, God says to Moses, “Raise up your staff again.” So he does; the sea crashes back down into its normal place, and the armies of Pharaoh are drown in the Red Sea. The deliverance of God had arrived in an unforgettable way—in fact, so unforgettable that this event—the crossing of the Red Sea, is referred to in the Bible over and over again. It becomes a defining event for the Hebrew people.

Do not be afraid…stand firm…be still. And you’ll see the deliverance the Lord will bring you.

A few years ago I was at a conference in Dallas. And I had about a two-hour break one day, so I decided to go running. And I was planning to run five miles—that was about my max at the time. So I went out; beautiful afternoon. And on the way back, I took a wrong turn, and I got lost. Really lost . And every time I thought I was going the right direction, I would go for about a mile, and realize that I was more lost than ever. And I was starting to get tired. And I had no money; no credit card; no cell phone; nothing to drink. Just nothing. Certainly not the Red Sea and the Egyptian Army, but for me, on that day, the crisis was real.

So after about an hour and a half, I realized I had been running for over ten miles, and I didn’t have much left in me. Not only that, but I found myself in a rough neighborhood. And it was starting to get

dark. So out of nowhere, a woman called me over to her house—little broken down house—and she asked if I could come and help her carry something into her truck. Just a random request. So I said, “I’ll help you carry it if you tell me how to get back to”—I told her where I needed to go. And she said, “You’re a long way from there!” And then she said, “Hey, I’m going that way right now—why don’t you hop in my truck, and I’ll take you.” So I got into the truck. And we started to talk. And I said, “I’m here for a pastors’ conference.” As soon as she heard that, she put her hands in the air, and she said, “Thank you, Jesus!! You sent me a pastor! Oh, Lord, you’re so good to me!” And I’m thinking, “Please, keep your hands on the wheel!” She was so excited! And we talked about her husband, and how she was praying for him, and her financial troubles. And every once a while she would just throw up her hands, and say, “Thank you Lord! You’re so good to me!” What a great conversation. And she drove me all the way to the place my conference was, which was a long way away—I mean, I had gotten lost bad—and before I got out I prayed for her, and thanked her, and she thanked me.

When I told Norma Jean the story, she said, “You got into a beat-up truck with an unknown woman in a scary neighborhood? What were you thinking?” And I said, “Do not be afraid…stand firm…be still.” Actually, I said, “I was desperate. I had no other options.” And I also had the sense that God was in this. And I really believe he was. I believe I needed to be helped by that woman; I believe she needed to be helped by me; I believe we both needed to be encouraged in our faith. God’s deliverance shows up in all kinds of different ways. But one way or another, he always delivers.

And when we’ve experienced it, it does something inside us. Last point: Changed by the Red Sea. Exodus 14:31 says this: And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant. When we experience the deliverance of God—whether he delivers us out of it or through it, we learn to fear him and trust him more than we did before. Let’s take those one at a time.

First, we develop A Greater Fear. Remember the people’s response when they looked behind them and saw the Egyptian chariots coming toward them? It says “they feared greatly.” And now, after that same army was drown in the sea, it says “they feared the Lord.” So they never stopped fearing—it’s the same exact Hebrew word that’s used both places—but their fear had now transferred from their enemies to their God. And that’s a really good thing.

If we want to understand the God of the Bible, we have to understand the importance of fearing God. It’s not primarily a terror kind of fear; it’s an awe and reverence and respect kind of fear, that drives our actions. Proverbs says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. This is the same Lord that Isaiah saw in a vision, seated on a throne, with the train of his robe filling the temple, with the angels around him calling out, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” And Isaiah—who was a great prophet!—says, “Woe to me—I’m an unclean man! And my eyes have seen the Lord Almighty.” That’s what it means to fear the Lord. This is the same Lord that John encounters in Revelation 1—it says The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters… His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.” And John says, “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.”

Are you learning to fear the Lord? Because when you do, all those other things that used to intimidate you don’t look so intimidating anymore. All those people who used to terrify you aren’t so terrifying anymore. Oswald Chambers said it like this: “The remarkable thing about God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.” So on that day,

the hearts of the Israelites were so filled with the fear of God, there was no room for fearing anything else.

Let God’s deliverance give you a greater fear.

And then secondly, A greater trust. It says when the Israelites saw what God did, they put their trust in him. Because just like we always fear something, we always trust something. You might trust some powerful person in your life, or you might trust your money, or your own instincts—it’s what you really lean on when life gets hard. We always trust something. And God uses Red Sea situations to transfer our trust off of everything else, and onto him, in ways that would never happen if we never went through that Red Sea.

If you think about it, every single one of us will eventually face the ultimate Red Sea. Right? Sooner or later, every one of us will stand in front of the ultimate ocean, which is death. And through the cross and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, God has shown that he’s powerful enough to get people across even that! So Jesus is the forerunner—he goes before us. And God says, “Just hang onto Jesus—trust in him—and I’ll get you across that ocean, and I’ll get you safely to the other side.” So because of Christ, we have the assurance that we’ll cross the ultimate Red Sea! And therefore, don’t you see that God will get us across all the other Red Seas that we face throughout life?

In one of his books, Max Lucado talks about a lesson he learned from the circus. There was a great trapeze artist who said, “The flyer does nothing and the catcher does everything. I simply have to reach out my arms and hands and wait for him to catch me and pull me safely over.” Then Lucado says this: “…God is the catcher, and we are the flyers. We trust. Period. We rely solely upon God’s ability to catch us. As we trust him, a wonderful thing happens: we fly! Your Father has never dropped anyone. He will not drop you. His grip is sturdy, and his hands are open. Place yourself entirely in his care.”

I know that Red Sea situations can be incredibly traumatic. But here’s the promise: God can be trusted. He’s not going to drop you. He’s right there with you—just like he was with the Israelites. So do not fear…stand firm…be still. And he will get you through it.