God's Got Your Back

Intro: Let me set up the scene..

English Standard Version Chapter 14

Crossing the Red Sea

14 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea. 3 For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, ‘They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’ 4 And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD.” And they did so.

5 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?” 6 So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him, 7 and took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. 8 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. 9 The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.

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. 11 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 to us in bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Is not this 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.” 13 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. 14 The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

15 The LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. 16 Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. 17 And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”

19 Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, 20 coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night.

21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 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. 23 The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24 And in the morning watch the LORD in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, 25 clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians.”

26 Then 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.” 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the LORD threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. 28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained. 29 But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

30 Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Israel saw the great power that the LORD used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses.

PRAY!!!!

Exodus 14:1–2 “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea.”

For hundreds of years the Israelites were a slave people to the Egyptians…Now the first thing, they're led into a trap

Exodus 14:3 “For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, ‘They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’”

You can just see the smug look on pharaohs face “I gotcha now!

Exodus 14:5 “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?””

Wouldn't you think he might of learned from the plagues that he should just let them go?

Exodus 14:10 “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.”

Their first response to seeing the enemy was great fear. The KJV says “Sore afraid” Hebrew word used was “meod” (exceedingly- loader and louder) Isn't that usually how we respond also? when we don’t see a way out?

Exodus 5:2 “But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.”

Exodus 14:11 “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 to us in bringing us out of Egypt?”

Hear comes the grumbling and complaining...

But Lord help us, am I the only one who sometimes squeals when I’m hemmed in on all sides? Don’t we all?

Exodus 14:12 ‘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.”

Don’t romanticize your past, that's a trap

In verse 13 Moses tells them something I find kinda funny, he says “don't be afraid”

Exodus 14:13 “And Moses said to the people, “Fear not”

That would be about like us seeing the worlds most advanced military bearing down on us in hundreds of tanks, while we have for protection a few hunting rifles…We would be “sore afraid”

In verses 13-14 Moses gives them a 4 point plan for survival:

Exodus 14:13–14 “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.”

No Fear

Fear is the opposite of faith

2 Timothy 1:7 “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

2. Stand Firm

1 Corinthians 16:13 “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.”

That’s when we have to go back and remember all the times God has rescued us in the past. Remember all the things He’s ever done for us

3. See The Salvation Of The Lord

Many many times God just wants us to stand aside and see his awesomeness!

4. Be silent and watch the Lord fight for us

Deuteronomy 1:30 “The Lord your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes,”

Our God is all time, undisputed champion of the universe. He’s never lost and He never will

I like what God said to Moses in verse 15:

Exodus 14:15 “The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward.”

Sometimes God just wants us start moving

Jesus was there the whole time too!

Exodus 14:19–20 “Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night.”

Oh hallelujah! Jesus has your back!

Jesus moved from pathfinder, to protector. Howw many times do you suppose Jesus has moved from leading you to protecting you?

God doesn't lead you into a trap to punish you, its to prepare you for the promise

This miracle, no one could have predicted. God’s provisions are endless, He can do anything He wants

Exodus 14:21–23 “Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 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 Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.”

Can you even imagine? Sea life swimming right up to the barrier..

This undid the enemy… watch this..

Exodus 14:24–25 “And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.”

Nothing escapes the eyes of our God

Exodus 14:26–29 “Then 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.” So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the Lord threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained. But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.”

You see God didn't just protect His people from their enemy, He destroyed their enemy, right in front of them.

And that’s what He does for us. When the devil, our enemy comes bearing up behind us, Jesus switches from leading from the front, to protecting our back.

and in verse 30 it says:

Exodus 14:30 “Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.”

I wonder How many “Dead Egyptians” That chased and thought they had me cornered, that I might see, If God lifted the spiritual veil? How many “Dead Egyptians” would you see on the shore, that thought they had you trapped?

CALL UP WORSHIP TEAM!!

IN CLOSING!

What I hope you all have seen here today, is just like the Israelites, sometimes we too find great joy and comfort when we see jesus in front of us working in our life, and then suddenly His presence is removed from before us and we have a tendency to doubt about what in the world is happening. But we see that Jesus never leaves us, sometimes He just has to move from before us to rearward to protect us from our enemies!

PRAY!!