Go Forward
Notes
Transcript
Being in a season of transition or the in-between…Develop
It is a privilege and an honor to be appointed as you new Pastor — Develop
Thinking on the brink of a new season together I was taken to the children of Israel on the banks of the Red Sea…
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.”
15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.
16 Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.
17 I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen.
18 The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.”
This is the word of God for the people of God…
There they are standing on the banks of the Red Sea…Before and behind them
We are beginning our journey together, to cross our Red Sea
God has guided all of us, bringing us together at this moment!
And just like Israel standing before the Red Sea…
God has a Plan
God has a Plan
In fact, God always has a plan!
God had a plan in place for the children of Israel — Exodus 14:1-4
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.
All that was required of Moses and the Children of Israel was to have faith
God was and is in control, Moses was even given inside information
Look at how God’s plan for New Beginnings has started to reveal itself
I am amazed at how all of this has unfolded for all of us, God’s hand is in it all
There is a story that involves the 1831 painting called The Devil's Checkmate.
Showing the Devil playing chess with a young man for his soul, a scene widely interpreted as the man being checkmated.
The famous chess master Paul Morphy is said to have studied the painting in 1888 and discovered the young man was not checkmated, but still had "one more move" to win the game.
Morphy realized that, contrary to appearances, the young man's king still had a legal and winning move on the board, meaning the game was not over.
There is always one more move because God is always two moves ahead!
All that is required is to have faith!
A Matter of Perspective
A Matter of Perspective
Consider the perspective of Pharaoh — Exodus 14:5-9
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.
8 The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly.
9 The Egyptians—all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, horsemen and troops—pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.
In his mind Israel was trapped in front the Red Sea and he was coming behind so there was nowhere for them to go!
Pharaoh thought to himself — I’ll get them back!
Israel’s God has them just wandering around hopelessly!
Israel’s perspective — Exodus 14:10-12
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!”
Wow, even with all that God has done they were terrified!
Paralyzed by fear!
They totally ignore slavery and the task masters
They forgot God was guiding them — Develop
How about our perspective?
Do we desire things the way they were?
Do we want the good old days?
Are we paralyzed by fear in the uncertainty of the future?
Here and now God is asking us to go forward and trust Him!
Are we willing to take the step of faith together?
God’s Plan God’s Glory
God’s Plan God’s Glory
Notice how God’s plan unfolds
God provides protection — Exodus 14:19-20
19 Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them,
20 coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long
God was going before and behind them the whole time
2. God provides a way across — Exodus 14:21-22
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.
God did what only God could do!
3. God has their back — Exodus 14:24-25
24 During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion.
25 He jammed the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.”
Egypt never recovers from this night — Develop
Church, God has a plan for New Beginnings
God is already two moves ahead, He has been working this whole time to bring us together
If we are willing to trust Him, God will protect, provide, watch our front and back
He will show us the way, let Him lead!
Conclusion
God is telling us, Go forward!
Are we listening?
I am excited to see God’s plan for us unfold, are you?
As Israel before us let go forward and step out in faith on the dry path that leads to what God has in store for us at New Beginnings!
May God bless us as journey together!
