Our Red Sea Crossing
Notes
Transcript
Handout
1 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
2 “Speak to the children of Israel, that they turn and camp before Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal Zephon; you shall camp before it by the sea.
3 For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, ‘They are bewildered by the land; the wilderness has closed them in.’
4 Then I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.
5 Now it was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled, and the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people; and they said, “Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?”
6 So he made ready his chariot and took his people with him.
7 Also, he took six hundred choice chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt with captains over every one of them.
8 And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; and the children of Israel went out with boldness.
9 So the Egyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon.
10 And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord.
11 Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt?
12 Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.”
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.”
15 And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.
16 But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.
17 And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen.
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.”
19 And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them.
20 So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.
21 Then 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 into dry land, and the waters were divided.
22 So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
23 And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.
24 Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the Lord looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians.
25 And He took off their chariot wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the face of 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 waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.”
27 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.
28 Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained.
29 But the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
30 So the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.
31 Thus Israel saw the great work which the Lord had done in Egypt; so the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord and His servant Moses.
Prayer
Prayer
Introduction
Introduction
God had led Moses back to Egypt to free His people after the burning bush.
Following the 10 plagues of Egypt, Pharaoh had finally relented.
God instituted the Passover (another picture of Christ) and the people of Israel were now in the wilderness.
I. GOD IS SOVEREIGN EVEN IN THE BAD TIMES.
I. GOD IS SOVEREIGN EVEN IN THE BAD TIMES.
God uses bad people and bad circumstances to bring about His Sovereign will.
God orchestrated the Israelites to be in this position.
God led them into the wilderness following the Passover.
God told Moses where to put them.
God hardened Pharaoh’s heart.
Three times Yahweh declares that he will harden Pharaoh’s heart (Ex. 4:21; 7:3; 14:4).
Six times Yahweh actually hardens Pharaoh’s heart (Ex. 9:12; 10:1; 10:20; 10:27; 11:10; 14:8).
Seven times the hardening is expressed as a divine passive with Yahweh as the implied subject, i.e., Pharaoh’s heart “was hardened” by Yahweh (Ex. 7:13; 7:14; 7:22; 8:19; 9:7; 9:35; 14:5).
And three times we are told that Pharaoh hardened his own heart (Ex. 8:15; 8:32; 9:34).
How many times in my life that this is true!!
Those bad circumstances and encounters with bad people shaped who I am today.
Were it not for these people and those things I’v been through, I wouldn’t be the man I am here today.
b. God does this so that we will rely on Him and Him alone.
The Israelites had only God to protect them.
Isn’t this true of us.
When you hit rock bottom, and the only way to look is up, isn’t it God that pulls you through?!?!
2. The Israelites feared for their lives.
Isn’t this like us?
We’ve seen what God can do, but we still fear.
God puts a hedge of protection around us.
Praying parents.
Supernatural protection.
Even when we aren’t following Jesus.
We, like the Israelites, still doubt.
II. THE RED SEA CROSSING FORESHADOWS OUR SALVATION IN CHRIST.
II. THE RED SEA CROSSING FORESHADOWS OUR SALVATION IN CHRIST.
Biblical prophecy is not always prediction/fulfillment.
Jewish mindset is more of patterns.
Matthew, (Hosea 11:1) “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”
Truly spoke of the Exodus from Egypt.
Fully filled (Fulfilled) in Christ.
Mathew also quoting Jeremiah 31:15 said:
18 “A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, Refusing to be comforted, Because they are no more.”
Lament of mothers who grieved over sons who were sent into exile
Matthew applied this to imply that Israel was again in exile, estranged form God, and in need of redemption.
Calling into mind the Massacre of the innocents as a fulfillment of the OT pattern.
Moses is a Type of Christ.
Promised in Deuteronomy.
15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear,
10 But since then there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face,
ii. Jesus is our PROPHET, Priest, and King.
iii. Jesus identifies Himself as the topic of all of Moses writings.
46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.
47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”
Jesus saves us from our sins like YHWH saved the Israelites from Egypt.
Israel was in Bondage to Slavery.
They wanted to stay in bondage.
It was what they knew and were comfortable with.
How often are we, as sinners, more comfortable in our sins?
It is comforting in the moment, but just like slavery it leads to pain, and suffering and depression and death.
They feared the life depending on God.
We are in Bondage to sin.
How often do we want to stay in our sin.
We fear a life dedicated to Christ.
We want to live in the lies of the Devil rather than the truth of Jesus Christ.
We follow the author of lies, rather than the author of LIFE!!
We reject the truth that is Jesus Christ.
The truth shall set us free.
The passage through of the Israelites through the Red Sea symbolizes our baptism into newness of life.
3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,
5 … according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
III. WE ARE CALLED TO FEAR AND BELIEVE!
III. WE ARE CALLED TO FEAR AND BELIEVE!
To fear God means to revere Him as Holy.
A profound respect and a recognition of His power and holiness.
It involves a deep reverence and commitment to God's commandments and will.
We have lost that awe of God.
Isn’t God the one that formed the universe with His Word?
8 Let all the earth fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
Isn’t God the one that knitted us our mother’s womb?
Isn’t God the one that saved us from the bondage of Sin and the flames of hell?
Shouldn’t that make us stand in awe of a mighty and Holy God who has the power to bring life and the power to take it away.
28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
The fear of God is the basis of Obedience!
Jesus says:
15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.
ii. Moses told the people that they should fear and follow the His Commandments.
12 “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,
The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.
The difference between knowledge and wisdom is that knowledge is about facts, but wisdom is about how you apply you gifts from God.
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.
13 The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverse mouth I hate.
28 … ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding.’ ”
4. The fear of God comforts us and suppresses our anxiety.
10 Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
23 The fear of the Lord leads to life, And he who has it will abide in satisfaction; He will not be visited with evil.
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
5. Everything about our lives should change when we give ourselves to Christ.
5 [Jesus] said, “Behold, I make all things new.”
20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,
19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.
21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Parting question: If God has done all that for the people of the world, what is your response going to be?
Parting question: If God has done all that for the people of the world, what is your response going to be?
Closing Prayer and Invitation
Closing Prayer and Invitation
