Lively Living in Song

Introduction

Ill. I know its hard to believe that I was young once. Got out of school on Friday or like Garrett’s recent experience of graduation, you completed the final exam, the final assignments, you’ve completed the Graduation walk and its just a formality on that last day to complete school.

Some of my friends, guys and girls were heading to Fort Walton Beach, FL to celebrate graduation and we all met up in the parking lot with luggage loaded and in my car I cranked up the song, Celebration by Kool and the Gang and would sing at full volume going down the highway, celebrating the completion of that chapter of my life, the anticipation of an exciting summer, and going to college in the fall.

Yahoo! Celebration Yahoo! This is your celebration Celebrate good times, come on! (Let's celebrate) Celebrate good times, come on! (Let's celebrate) There's a party goin' on right here A celebration to last throughout the years So bring your good times and your laughter too We gonna celebrate your party with you Come on now, celebration Let's all celebrate and have a good time Celebration We gonna celebrate and have a good time It's time to come together It's up to you, what's your pleasure? Everyone around the world come on!

Should we not we celebrate all the more over the Lord’s victories in our lives?

This morning, we continue to examine that amazing scene of the great escape. God’s providential hand in causing the Israelites to escape across the Red Sea on dry ground. Wow!

On that glorious day, the Lord guiding the staff of Moses ceased the wind from holding the water back and allowed the waters to come over the Egyptians and annihilate Pharaoh's army.

We learn a valuable lesson this morning. We see the example in Moses and the Israelites as to how we respond when God brings victory in our lives. We must Celebrate in our worship. We must sing a new song of His goodness in our lives. Oh dear brother and sister, it is God for everything you were, you are, or ever will be. God is life itself. Amen!

Turn in your bibles this morning to:

Exodus 15:1-10

Exodus 15:1–5 “1 Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the Lord, and spoke, saying: “I will sing to the Lord, For He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea! 2 The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will exalt Him. 3 The Lord is a man of war; The Lord is His name. 4 Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has cast into the sea; His chosen captains also are drowned in the Red Sea. 5 The depths have covered them; They sank to the bottom like a stone.”

Exodus 15:6–10 “6 “Your right hand, O Lord, has become glorious in power; Your right hand, O Lord, has dashed the enemy in pieces. 7 And in the greatness of Your excellence You have overthrown those who rose against You; You sent forth Your wrath; It consumed them like stubble. 8 And with the blast of Your nostrils The waters were gathered together; The floods stood upright like a heap; The depths congealed in the heart of the sea. 9 The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; My desire shall be satisfied on them. I will draw my sword, My hand shall destroy them.’ 10 You blew with Your wind, The sea covered them; They sank like lead in the mighty waters.”

Prayer

Message:

In Exodus 15:1-18, the text speaks of God’s past provision for the people of Israel as well as His future provision in their lives. This morning we reflect upon the first part of the Song of Moses relating to God’s past provisions, vv. 1-10.

Exodus 14:13–14 “13 And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.””

God told Moses to tell the people to “hold their peace” while the Lord delivered victory over the Egyptians. He basically told them to stand back and watch His mighty hand at work. And that they did.

The question could be asked: is this text a song or a poem? Is this a hymn? Is this a victory song? Is this an anthem of thanksgiving? Nowhere else in the Psalms does a song follow such a pattern. The Jews refer to this as the “Song by the Sea”. The reason: the people of Israel had such a mixed bag of emotions around such a heightened mountaintop experience in their lives. They had seen God at work in such a glorious and mysterious way that they could not fathom what had just happened.

For those of you that have not been here in recent days, God through His appointed leader, Moses, had brought the ten plagues on Egypt and the tenth plague was a death blow on Egypt. It was literally a death blow. God plagued Egypt with the death of the first born of every household of everyone in Egypt including Pharaoh who lost his son.

Always remember:

When you want to be vindictive or vengeful that God in due time will bring His judgment.

The Bible states:

Deuteronomy 32:35 “35 Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; Their foot shall slip in due time; For the day of their calamity is at hand, And the things to come hasten upon them.’”

Romans 12:19 “19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.”

Why did God bring death to the first born of all Egypt? Let’s remember what happened in the beginning that we read in Exodus.

Pharaoh asked the midwives to kill the sons and allow the daughters to live. Scripture states that the midwives were fearful of God in obeying such a command from Pharaoh.

Consider for a moment the emotions of those moms that were on that journey and one moment their hearts are racing with fear from death as the Egyptians were pursuing with a violent rage and then to be spared. Can you imagine all the built up emotion of wonder as to when Egypt would pay for the murder of her baby boy.

Exodus 1:19 “19 And the midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are lively and give birth before the midwives come to them.””

I pray that the midwives comments to Pharaoh were prophetic in nature.

Exodus 1:22–2:5 “22 So Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.” 1 And a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi. 2 So the woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months. 3 But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river’s bank. 4 And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him. 5 Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river. And her maidens walked along the riverside; and when she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it.”

You will remember that Pharaoh brought his own destiny. Moses as a child was going to be killed when Pharaoh ordered the first-born males of all Israel be killed. Moses was placed in a basket and floated down to Pharaoh’s daughter and she kept and raised Moses.

There are two important considerations when reflecting upon this background.

If there is one here this morning that has never asked Christ to save you from your sins, we see there is an accounting for our wrong doings. The Lord keeps records of our sins. IN God’s time He will bring His judgment on sin.

Even the more to celebrate, if you are saved, God has erased our sin debt for our wrongdoings past, present, and future and that fact should place a song in our heart. When we see God’s handiwork in our lives, when He saves us from the calamities of this life it should cause us to be lively in our expressions of worship to the Lord. Amen!

Once we’ve received Christ there is no more payment for our sin with the Lord for our wrongdoing as it relates to our eternal life. Do not confuse that here on earth we may have to pay a price for our wrongdoings, but not by eternally separated from God Amen.

You will remember that Pharaoh told the people to go and they packed up and began their journey of leaving Egypt and they journeyed toward Canaan, the Promised Land.

God changed the heart of Pharaoh and the Egyptian military pursued Israel to bring them back to Egypt for enslavement. All of this was God’s divine plan as recorded in the Scriptures. He foretold to Moses what was going to transpire.

Exodus 14:18 “18 Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.””

By all appearances to everyone involved, it looked as if Israel had become confused in the wilderness because they appeared trapped, backed up to the Red Sea. This was God’s divine plan. The Egyptian army was pursuing from the front, the Red Sea was at their backs, and the whole time God had His plan and He was working that plan.

Have you ever stopped to consider that God may allow something to happen in your life to see how you will respond to His salvation, His protection, His provision, your escape from struggles in your life?

When He saves the day, how do you respond to Him?

Do you take it for granted? Maybe you acknowledge that God providentially responded but it stops at that. Do you break out in worship? Are you a walking billboard to the goodness of God in your life? Do you use those opportunities as testimony as to how God has been working in your life? How He has blessed you.

James 1:17 “17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”

As Moses and the Israelites demonstrated, when we come in here on Sunday, our worship should be an expression of how God has provided during our week. Sunday and every day for that matter should be an outflow of the influence of God’s goodness through our week.

The Lord saved the day as He created an east wind to blow and wall up the sea where Israel could pass across on dry land. Furthermore, the Scriptures teaches us that God confused the Egyptians as they pursued and caused the wheels of the chariots to fall off. The Egyptians became entrapped between the walls of water and when the Lord released the held back water the pursuing Egyptian army was annihilated. The Lord brought a great victory in the lives of the Israelites that glorious day. And Moses responded with song of jubilation.

Israel, out from under the enslavement and the chains of life, experienced real transformation and they wanted to express their heart for what Jehovah God had done in their lives.

Do you express your real heart-felt emotion in song as you worship Him?

King Solomon reminds us that there are seasons of response in life.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NKJV) 1 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:

Later, 3 verses down, He states:

Ecclesiastes 3:4 (NKJV) 4 A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance;

There is a time to celebrate and have a song in your heart. Let’s look this morning as to when this should occur.

Do you have a song in your heart? Moses uses the word “sing” or “song 4 times in the first two verses.

1. We are to Rejoice and Offer Adoration to the Lord

We understand by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that Moses pinned this song. Yet, this song reflected the hearts of where the people of Israel found themselves post God’s mighty hand of mercy in their lives.

V. 1 “I will sing to the Lord.”

V. 2 “The Lord is my strength and song.”

In the first two verses, Moses reminds us where our worship is directed. Our worship is not to each other in here this morning. My concern is not how you might receive my worship. Each of our concerns this morning should be:

Lord, how do you receive my worship?

Have you ever experienced a Senior Adult that possibly had an awesome voice of yesteryear, yet when they sang they brought you to tears? You might think of a man like George Beverly Shea. They make us cry because their heart is so exposed as they are lost in the worship to our Heavenly Father.

The Lord spoke directly to Samuel the prophet as he was directing him to go to Jesse’s home to seek the next King of Israel.

1 Samuel 16:7 (NKJV) 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

In fact, Moses made excuses about his speech and his ability to communicate and the Lord responded:

Exodus 4:10-12 (NKJV) 10 Then Moses said to the LORD, "O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue." 11 So the LORD said to him, "Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD? 12 Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say."

Listen to me dear brother and sister. The Lord is not so caught up in how you sound as He is that we SING!! You need a song in your heart.

Two reasons quickly to sing:

A. We Sing Out of Obedience

Singing isn’t an option in Scripture. It’s a command.

Colossians 3:16: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

In Revelation 2, the church at Ephesus was told by the Lord that they had “left their first love.”

Listen to what Paul wrote to the church of Ephesus:

Ephesians 5:18-19: “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart…”.

I believe we can deduce from those words of Paul that having a song of worship in our hearts for the Lord and His goodness is a great recipe to keep Him the first love of our lives.

God’s people are more than just invited to sing – we are commanded to sing. When we sing, we’re doing what God asks of us!

B. We Sing to Grow in His Word

“Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly…singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs…” Colossians 3:16

Hymn, psalms, spiritual songs deepen our theology and teach us the Word of God through song. Song is a great way to have God’s Word embedded in your heart.

Ill. Grandmother jingle, “Whan that April” Barney song

Just as I am, without one plea But that Thy blood was shed for me And that Thou bid'st me come to Thee Oh, Lamb of God, I come, I come Mm

The memorization of hymns are theologically, biblically rich.

The Apostle Paul lays out this exhortation to let God’s Word dwell in us richly, and then, he tells us how to live out that command. The first, of course, is teaching. But the second, is singing!

Singing is one of the two chief ways that the Word of God dwells in us richly.

And, as we observed in the last point singing is a command. But also, that this command comes with a promise: as we sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs together, we are promised that the Word of Christ will dwell in us richly – which is what we should crave as believers!

Our singing is more than a warm-up for the sermon or a filler in the service. Colossians 3:16 is clearly laying out for us that: Singing stands alongside of preaching as one of the two great ways that God has ordained for His Word to dwell RICHLY in each one of us!

V. 2 “He is my God, and I will praise Him.”

V. 2 “My Father’s God, and I will exalt Him.”

When we are called to praise Him, the word “Praise” is the Hebrew word nawa.

Nawa connotes the idea of our worship with the Lord should be as we are at rest at home with Him. He has come to habitat with us. When you and I praise the Lord, we are lost in the informality of the den at home with the warmth and intimacy of letting our hair down with the Lord.

Ill. People watcher. At granddaughter’s basketball game yesterday. Two ladies dancing to the tunes on the sound system.

-Pulling up beside someone in the car with the windows rolled up and they are lost in the song on the radio. It’s them and their song concert. God wants you to become lost in the worship of the one person audience of Jesus as if you and Jesus are the only one in this room.

We want to emotionally and spiritually develop that let down, with the Lord as He moves from Jehovah God to Abba Father in our minds and hearts in worship.

Moreover, we are to exalt the Lord. Exalt is the Hebrew word, raman.

Think in these terms of the Hebrew Word Raman.

Raman is lifting up, raising up, it is the manifestation of pride exhibited. “Those Hebrew women were lively.”

The idea of Raman is when the National Championship is won and the team goes to the center of the field and they are on an elevated platform, and the coach or a few key players raise the trophy up. That group is exalted for their accomplishments.

When we come to worship we are to lift up the Lord, not ourselves. Our aim is not to bring attention to ourselves, but to the Lord.

-we have a beautiful vision from the prophet, Isaiah, as He saw a vision of the Lord:

Isaiah 6:1 (NKJV) 1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.

The center of Israel’s world at that moment was Yahweh God.

Psalm 18:3 (NKJV) 3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.

2. Reflect on the Accomplishments of the Lord

Why were they so ecstatic? What motivated Israel’s worship in song? What had caused this change of heart in the lives of the people?

The same things that caused your change of heart for the Lord. God had done a great work in your life and God did a great work in the lives of the Israelites.

Exodus 15:1 (NKJV) 1 Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the LORD, and spoke, saying: "I will sing to the LORD, For He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea!

You and I need to understand where the triumphs in our lives originate.

This song was pinned by the Holy Spirit through Moses, but it reflected the hearts of the people.

This song is referred to as “The Song of the Sea”. The Jews to this day sing this song during their synagogue worship as a daily practice.

The people were specific in recognizing God’s hand in their lives.

It was God and not them that annihilated the Egyptian charioteers, horses, and He overcame the Captains leadership. The Israelites were frightened to death. They knew they were no match for the Egyptians by resources or training. They gave God all the glory.

V. 1 “The horse and its rider, He threw into the sea.”

Exodus 15:4 (NKJV) 4 Pharaoh's chariots and his army He has cast into the sea; His chosen captains also are drowned in the Red Sea.

V. 6 “The Lord has dashed the enemy to pieces.”

V. 8 “The blast of your nostrils, the waters gathered together.”

-Do you recant the great report to others as the Doctor’s handiwork or the Great Physician? When you tell of the accomplishments in your marriage, your family, your job, do you share those in such a way as that God gets the credit for His goodness in your life?

When you pray or when you have opportunity to give testimony to the things of God at work in your lives, do you recant your salvation experience of maybe years ago, OR, do you share what He has done in your life today?

Maybe, just maybe you do not share because you aren’t even aware of His daily providential hand at work in even the little things on a day in day out basis.

Listen to me dear brother and sister: He is alive and well and working in your lives daily. How do I know? I see it. I see growth in God’s people. I see His hand of healing. I see His hand on a week by week basis as we pray for you and then we can offer prayers of thanksgiving for His provision.

My question to you is: do you recognize His mighty hand of watch care over you?

God caused this miracle in the lives of Israel and they recognized it.

Ex 14:21 — And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.

Ps 78:13 — He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters to stand as an heap.

God remembered Noah and provided for he and his family.

Ge 8:1 — Then God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided.

God remembers you. The question is, do you remember Him for His blessings in your life?

I think of that great hymn, Count Your Many Blessings

1. When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

o Refrain: Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your blessings, see what God has done! Count your blessings, name them one by one, *Count your many blessings, see what God has done. [*And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.]

2. Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly, And you will keep singing as the days go by.

3. Realize His Actions and Answers in Your Life

“He has triumphed gloriously”

“He is my strength”

“He is my salvation”

“He is my God, and I will praise Him”

2 Samuel 22:4 “4 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;

Do you celebrate God’s handy work in your life daily?

When I consider Job’s journey, his praise of God inspires me.

One of the most well-known personalities who offered praise to the Lord amidst trials is Job, a figure from the Bible's Old Testament. Job's story is a testament to unwavering faith in the face of unimaginable suffering.

Job was a wealthy and righteous man, blessed with a large family and abundant possessions. However, his faith was tested when Satan challenged God, suggesting that Job's righteousness was merely a result of his prosperity. God allowed Satan to take away Job's possessions, his children, and even his health, but Job remained steadfast in his faith and steadfast in his worship of the Lord.

Despite his immense suffering, Job never wavered in his belief in God's goodness. In the midst of his trials, he famously declared, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised" (Job 1:21, NIV).

Can you praise the Lord whatever befalls you?

Isaiah 12:1-6 (NKJV) 1 And in that day you will say: "O LORD, I will praise You; Though You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me. 2 Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; 'For YAH, the LORD, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.' " 3 Therefore with joy you will draw water From the wells of salvation. 4 And in that day you will say: "Praise the LORD, call upon His name; Declare His deeds among the peoples, Make mention that His name is exalted. 5 Sing to the LORD, For He has done excellent things; This is known in all the earth. 6 Cry out and shout, O inhabitant of Zion, For great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst!"

Can you celebrate Jesus as Lord and Savior?

Maybe, that is why you have no cause for celebration? Jesus loves you and He wants you to live a life of celebration. He doesn’t want you to feel defeated from the sin that entangles you. He doesn’t want you to live a life of circumstance by your failures and mistakes.

He wants you to celebrate. He died on Calvary’s cross so that you can know victory over sin. He says in His Word, that today is a new day. You will become a new creation. All things become new. It is time to celebrate.