How a Good Start Can Fall Apart

[0:00] Amen to that. Thy word is truth. Always. Alright, anybody else? If not, we're going to the book of Exodus this morning. So if you have a book, the Bible, if you don't have one, we can get one to you because I don't want you to think that I'm just telling people stuff to believe.

[0:18] We're just declaring what the Lord has already said. So look at Exodus chapter 14. And last week we finished chapter 13 and we saw that the nation of Israel had made their Exodus finally out of the land of Egypt.

[0:37] And they were on their way. And they had already moved from where they were staying to a location and then from there God was sending them forward to another location. And so we looked at them and saw that they were off to a good start.

[0:51] And the reason they were off to a good start, I gave you three points from that passage in chapter 13, was because they allowed God to choose the way that they went. And there was a way before them that would have been an easier way or a quicker way, the way of the land of the Philistines just following right up that coast.

[1:08] But the Lord said, no, I want you to turn and go about, which is mean the opposite way. And He's going to take them, today we'll see, on a different route, a much longer route, one that humanly speaking doesn't make any sense to go that way.

[1:22] It's completely opposite and farther and it's a dead end. But the Lord chose the way and He was right. And they got off to a good start by letting God choose the way they went. Secondly, we saw that after God chose the way, then they followed His leading.

[1:35] It says that the Lord led them. And it says that He went before them with the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. And the statement was that God is exactly where He's supposed to be. He's supposed to be out in front.

[1:46] He's supposed to be leading you in life. There's a song we sing in this hymnal that says, All the way my Savior leads me. And that's the way it's supposed to be. You're not supposed to be in front of Him. And if you're up front of Him, then you're going the wrong direction.

[1:59] If you're somewhere else, you've turned to the right hand or to the left and you need to get back underneath that cloud of protection and allow Him to lead you. And the third thing last week was to keep moving forward.

[2:09] Because we saw that He gave them light to, they gave them the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire to go by day and night. And initially, getting them out of Egypt, it was a day and a night trip.

[2:20] It was moving. It wasn't sitting around and resting. Getting some distance between them and Pharaoh was a good idea. Getting further away from Egypt was actually a great idea.

[2:31] And the Lord knew that. And so, it's a good idea for you to get off to a good start in your Christian life and to get some distance between you and Egypt. Between the things that oppressed you and held you bound into your sins.

[2:43] It's a good idea to get some distance between you and that. And to where you can start just following the Lord and going the way God would lead you. Now this morning, we're going to be in chapter 14. And believe it or not, I counted, this is the 33rd message coming out of this book of Exodus so far.

[2:59] I can't believe that. It's just a lot to me. But I've enjoyed it. And we're going to continue on into chapter 14. So, if you would follow along as I read the first 21 verses.

[3:10] So, from verse 1 to 21, follow the text and try to absorb as much of it as you can so that we can come back through and try to draw some truth out. Verse number 1, And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn.

[3:26] So, the direction they were originally headed, now he says, Turn, and now they're going to go south. And encamp before Pihiroth, between Migdal and the sea, over against Baal-Zephon, before it shall ye encamp by the sea.

[3:40] For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land. The wilderness hath shut them in. And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, that he shall follow after them.

[3:52] And I will be honored upon Pharaoh, and upon all his hosts, that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord. And they did so. And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled, and the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people.

[4:06] And they said, Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us? And he made ready his chariot, and took his people with him. And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them.

[4:21] And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel. And the children of Israel went out with an high hand. But the Egyptians pursued after them, and all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them, encamping by the sea, beside Pihiroth, beside Baal-Zephon.

[4:40] And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes. And behold, the Egyptians marched after them, and they were sore afraid. And the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord.

[4:51] And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? Wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?

[5:03] Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.

[5:15] And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show you today. For the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again, no more forever.

[5:29] The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward.

[5:41] But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them.

[5:56] And I will get me honor upon Pharaoh, and upon all his hosts, and upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten me honor upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.

[6:11] And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them. And the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them. And it came to pass, I'm sorry, it came between the camp of the Egyptians, and the camp of Israel.

[6:26] And it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these, so that the one came not near the other all the night. 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.

[6:48] So we're going to pause there, we'll pick it up probably next week, and finish the chapter off. But this morning, let's consider that God, from the very beginning of this passage, he sent his people to a specific location.

[7:02] Like he said, Moses, I want you to go right there, right beside that place. God said this. He set this up. And what he's doing is he's setting a trap for Pharaoh, and for Pharaoh's army.

[7:14] The people, God's people, they're just unknowing why they're going this direction. It doesn't make any sense. This is a dead end, going toward this Red Sea, and we're going through the wilderness, instead of the way straight to Canaan.

[7:28] But yet God is doing a work here, and he's actually using his people as bait, how comforting that must be, so that he could finish what he started, back in Egypt with Pharaoh.

[7:39] You may have thought that he was done, but he's not done. He's still going to get honor upon him, and he's going to finish the job once and forever. But for Israel, like I said, going the other direction, like we studied last week, is much quicker.

[7:52] The way of the Philistines, from back in chapter 13. But God chose this way. And before things were going to get better, and before it was going to be a land of milk and honey, and complete deliverance from Pharaoh, never to see him again, before that day could ever be realized, things were going to get worse, before they got better.

[8:13] And last week they got off to a good start. But this week, shortly after the good start, we find that they're in a situation that's going to test them.

[8:26] They're in a situation where things aren't looking so good, and this situation is going to motivate them to question their God, and to question his ways, and to question if he really even cares at all about them.

[8:38] Why did he send us here? Why did he even get us out of Egypt in the first place, if this is what it's going to be? We're dead meat. That's how they felt. Why are we listening to Moses?

[8:50] Why are we even following this guy in the first place, if this is where he's going to lead us? They were off to a good start, but that good start in this chapter is quickly falling apart. And so this morning, I want to preach to you how a good start can fall apart.

[9:07] And I want to look at some common mistakes that can be made in the wilderness, and may God help us to see from this event that we just read how we can avoid these mistakes as we try to follow the Lord leading us today and guiding us through this life and walking the Christian life.

[9:25] So even when we get off to a good start, it's only a matter of time where we can find ourselves in a situation that has the potential to set us back and where things can fall apart and unravel quickly.

[9:36] It takes a lot of time to build a solid foundation and to build a sturdy and a strong structure upon that foundation, but it only takes a little time for that thing to get wiped out.

[9:47] And so this morning, we want to study how a good start can fall apart, and there are mistakes that can be made during these times of pressure and of these times of testing. And so let's learn something from this passage, but before we go anywhere, let's pray again and just seek the Lord right now.

[10:04] So Father in heaven, we bow before you, seeking that you'll minister the word of God to our hearts, that this story of years past would have bearing on our situations that we find ourselves in today, and that you'd give us insight, and that you'd speak the message into the hearts, that your spirit would take these words, and that you would minister them, and that they would heal and help and strengthen, and prepare us for the battles that lie ahead, and for the uncertain times and the circumstances of life that we find ourselves in.

[10:40] Help us not to make the mistakes that your people made. And Lord, please reveal this to somebody here, that they'd see their need to follow your word, and to follow you at all costs, and to keep their eyes on you.

[10:52] Lord, if anybody's here that doesn't know the Lord Jesus Christ, may you speak and minister to their heart, and show them their need to have their sins forgiven, and eternity in heaven with you. How easy it can be.

[11:02] We ask that you'll do a work in whatever way needs to be done, in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. So, mistake number one. Mistake number one, how a good start can fall apart.

[11:14] In verse number 10, it says, When Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them.

[11:27] What did they do? Well, the cloud and the pillar was before them, like we studied last week, leading their way. But somebody, probably from the back of the camp, said, Hey!

[11:39] There's an army coming. And the voice, and the noise spread, and the news spread across the camp, and they lifted up their eyes, and they were sore afraid.

[11:51] What's the first mistake they made? They took their eyes off of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is, they took their eyes off of the Lord, and the leading of the Lord, that was before them.

[12:02] And they turned from the Lord, and fixed their eyes upon their adversary. And quickly, the Bible says, they were sore afraid. This was a mistake.

[12:15] Taking their eyes off of the Lord, it opened the door to a flood of other problems, and other issues, that quickly spread, and got worse, and worse, and worse, and it wasn't a slow spread, it was immediate.

[12:28] Look at verse 10 again, where in the middle of the verse, it says, The Egyptians marched after them, and they were sore afraid, and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord.

[12:40] So the first thing that this did, by taking their eyes off the Lord, is it led to fear. It led to fear. It was immediate. With their eyes on God, they're following Him.

[12:50] The cloud, I mean, can you explain this? There's a cloud, that is sheltering us from the heat of the day, and it's moving, and it's staying right here, isolated over this nation of Israelites, this two million people as they're moving across this wilderness, and they're following the cloud.

[13:08] You know what that is? That's faith. They're following a cloud. And then at nighttime, it's a pillar of fire to give warmth and light, and again, more direction. They're following.

[13:19] That's faith. They're not wandering to their own devices or leaning on their own understanding. They're trusting in the Lord, and they're following Him in faith that this is the right thing to do, the right way to go.

[13:29] It didn't make sense to go this direction, but we're doing it. But when they took their eyes off of the cloud and the pillar of fire, the Lord, they looked upon their adversary, the enemy, and immediately, the faith was gone.

[13:46] And immediately, upon looking on the enemy behind them, fear crept in. And I don't know if you know what it's like. I bet you do. I bet you know what it's like to have anxiety and worry.

[13:56] And when you allow fear to get in, it just starts to turn your stomach. It starts to get into your mind. It starts to consume your thoughts, certain things. How am I going to handle this?

[14:07] How am I going to fix this? How am I going to pay for this? I don't know what's going to happen in this situation. And it starts to go. You lay your head on your pillow, and it's going through your mind and through your mind, and it's taking sleep from you.

[14:17] When you allow fear to get in, the only thing to get rid of that fear, Christian, is faith. And I've learned this lesson over and over and continue to learn it, is to just cry out to God and put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and say, God, I can't fix this.

[14:33] I'm going to trust you. And there was a situation, this was very recent, very recent, that something was on my heart, and it was kind of really getting on me, and I said to myself, I've got three options here.

[14:43] This was laying in bed at night, just awake at night when I should have been snoring, just, you know, trying to out-snore my wife, and I should have been doing that, but instead, no, my mind was just racing, and I was thinking on this situation, and I was thinking, I could do this, and I don't know how that'll go.

[15:00] Or I could do this, and I think that would be, I think that's it. And I kind of made my mind up, and there was a third option I didn't like, but I thought, all right, I think that's the right thing to do, because I can see it, maybe this will happen, maybe, and I'm wrestling over this in my mind, and I felt the Lord, and I'm like, just stupid that I waited so long, but I'm just like, Lord, and as I did, as I started to pray, and cry out to the Lord about it, I felt Him say, or, you could do nothing, and let me handle it.

[15:32] And I'm telling you, immediately, that moment was, the whole thing just, I just realized, like, yes, yes, yes, I'm going to trust you, and I'm not going to lean on my own understanding, and I'm not going to try to figure this thing out, and find which way is the best, because that's going to be the one I'll choose.

[15:49] It was immediate. The peace came, and the rest came, and it just, it disappeared. It was like a spirit that was, a spirit of fear, that God had not given to us, was gone, and I could just rest at peace.

[16:04] And the first thing that happens though, when you take your eyes off the Lord, is fear comes in, when you get your eyes on the adversary, and it's very quick, it's very fast, your faith, and your trust in God, is gone, because your eyes are on your adversary, your eyes are on the problem, that seems to be coming to get you, and overtake you, and you're in trouble.

[16:26] And you stop trusting God, and you take your eyes off your heavenly father, and folks, problems are everywhere, and they're always going to be everywhere, whether small or big, they're always going to be everywhere.

[16:37] They're going to be there in life. Don't take your eyes off the Lord. If you do, it'll lead to fear. And then it didn't just stop there. In verse 11, they said to Moses, you're the one that did this.

[16:50] And they turned on the man, that God had before them, as their leader, and accused, and attacked their leader, Moses. Was it Moses' fault? Did Moses control the cloud, to guide them this way?

[17:05] Did Moses have anything to do with that? That was 100% God's will, and God's working. But they, in fear, with their eyes on their adversaries, now turned on the man, that God was using to lead them, and began accusing him.

[17:22] He didn't orchestrate this. God did. But these people, in their carnality, and in their fear, are now channeling that, against the man, that God had called, to lead them out of Egypt.

[17:33] Egypt. And by the way, Moses, we've studied Moses, in some of these messages, Moses has his own insecurities. Moses is just a man. We studied one message, that was called, the faults of the man.

[17:45] It was identifying, these specific traits, that was in Moses, even though God chose to use them, he still had problems, and flaws. And now he has to shoulder, the burden of the people, attacking him.

[17:56] That's not fair. It's not fair to him. And there's times later on, where he's going to say, God, I'm done with these people. I can't do this anymore.

[18:08] It's not easy. But the Lord gives him, the shoulders for it, and he gives him grace, and strength to deal with it. But these people, took their eyes off the Lord, began to be afraid. God hath not given to us, the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

[18:23] But that's gone, because they have fear. And now they're accusing, and attacking their leader. And then the third thing, that's happened, that showed up, was that led to some, irrational thinking, and verbs, verbiage of words, coming out of their mouth, that they should never be talking.

[18:39] It's better for us, to serve the Egyptians? Verse number 12, are you kidding me? On what planet, is it better, for you to be serving, the Egyptians?

[18:50] Have you forgotten, have you forgotten, the whips, the beatings, the oppression, and the afflictions? Have you forgotten, they murdered your babies? It had been better for us, to talk about, irrational thinking, because of the spirit of fear.

[19:08] And now they're, carnal, and attacking Moses, and they're not following, or trusting God at all. All of that's gone out the door, when they took their eyes, off of the Lord.

[19:19] Some very foolish statements, come out of Christians, that are filled with fear. Very stupid things, that they say, when they get their eyes, off of God. And I want you to understand, from this, and I want you to know this, that inside of you, Christian, the Holy Spirit of God, is inside of you, praise the Lord.

[19:38] And so is an unclean, filthy flesh, that will very quickly, adopt a spirit of fear, and very quickly, go against the preacher, or the Lord's direction, in your life, or any spiritual leader, and you'll speak, in carnal words, and not spiritual.

[19:55] Your thoughts will be, irrational, and carnal, with no evidence, of faith at all. It can happen quickly. Fear comes in, and it pushes faith out. And you so quickly, flip back, to your own understanding, and to the old nature's, way of thinking.

[20:12] And you begin, to blame others, case in point. You begin, to criticize others, and it's just not working. Look at, keep your place, I want to take you, to a verse, that you probably know. What would you find?

[20:23] 1 Corinthians chapter 10. I don't want to, compare this verse, to this situation. 1 Corinthians chapter 10. 1 Corinthians chapter 10.

[20:34] 1 Corinthians chapter 10. 1 Corinthians chapter 10. 1 Corinthians chapter 10. 1 Corinthians chapter 10. 1 Corinthians chapter 10. It's when you take your eyes, off of the Lord, that you'll be, the most tempted, to make some, irrational statements, and think like, I'm done with this life.

[20:50] I'm going to go back, to the way it was, before I decided, to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. I'll abandon God's way, and I'll just go back, to Egypt. So now, verse number 13, of 1 Corinthians 10.

[21:05] The Bible, even in this, it's a description, through the passage, of these Jews, that were in the wilderness. And it gives some, illustrations of things, that have yet to happen, in the book of Exodus.

[21:16] But you can see, the setting, what Paul is referring to, is this very body of people. And in verse 13, he continues, and he says, there hath no temptation, taken you, but such, as is common to man.

[21:29] So first of all, whatever situation, you find yourself in, whether you're in the wilderness, with the enemy attacking you, or whether you're in life, with something, that you can't seem to see past, or fix, or anything, whatever it is, it's not unique, to the human race.

[21:47] Might be your first time, dealing with it, maybe it's your first go around, with this circumstance, but it's not unique. It's not, it's common, to man. Common to the human race.

[21:58] So whatever you're feeling, it's not as big, or as bad, as you think it is. Not at all. Continue reading. It says, but, God, is, what's the next word?

[22:10] Faithful. What is God? Somebody again? Faithful. So God is faithful. God is faithful. The Bible says, God is faithful.

[22:22] God is faithful. You're in a temptation, or some trial. You're in something in life, that, it's not, it's not unique. It's common. And on top of that, God is faithful.

[22:36] God led his people, to that place. God is doing something, his people have no idea, what he's doing, and why he's doing it. It's going to be for their good. And they don't see that right now.

[22:47] What they see is an enemy, and an attack, and they see, we're dead. We're dead. He just brought us, to where we have no escape, and we're stuck. But that's not true. Continue reading.

[22:59] God is faithful, who will not suffer you, to be tempted above, that you are able. So whatever it is, you're able, to deal with this thing. Others have, and so can you.

[23:11] But will God, God will with the temptation, also make a way, to escape, although you don't see it, he will. Why? Because he's faithful, he said he was.

[23:23] That ye may be able, to bear it. There's a lot in this verse, and it applies, in this situation, that we're seeing, in this story, and in your life. God is faithful, from the beginning, to the end.

[23:36] And if you'll keep your eyes, on him, and allow him, to lead you through it, he'll make a way, to escape. He'll make a way, that you can bear this. Others have, and you can too.

[23:48] God is faithful. It's you, that's unfaithful to him. Amen. It's you, that gets afraid, and looks at the adversary, or at the problem, or the affliction, and says, we're dead.

[24:01] There's no escape. Why did this happen to me? Does God even care about me, to allow this to happen, in my life? I should have never, ever listened to him.

[24:12] I should have never followed him. I should have stayed, where I was, when things were better. And how stupid. Things were not better, in Egypt. They were never better, in Egypt.

[24:24] It's always better, with the Lord. And God is faithful. Now, they took their eyes, off the Lord. Mistake number one. They were off, to a good start.

[24:34] Allowing God, to choose the way. Following his leading. Getting away from Egypt. And mistake number one, how a good start, can fall apart, is get your eyes, off the Lord. Take your eyes, down from his leading, and start looking, at the problems, in your life, the circumstances, other people, and things, I'm telling you, they're always going to be there.

[24:54] You get past one, and you'll have another one, show up. It's just this life. It's going to happen. You better learn, to trust the Lord, with all your heart. You better learn, to keep your eyes on him.

[25:05] Mistake number two. Come back to Exodus 14, and verse number 11. Mistake number two, and I'll just say it like this, their mistake was that, they forgot, their calling.

[25:19] They forgot their calling. What do I mean by that, is well, in verses 11 and 12, they say, that Moses, you brought us out here, to die, in the wilderness, because that's what's going to happen, right here, and right now.

[25:33] We're dead. You brought us out here, to die, why didn't you leave us alone? Why didn't you leave us back, there serving them, being their slaves, because that was better, than this.

[25:45] Now what are they doing? What are they thinking? I said earlier, they're just irrational thought. It's completely irrational. They've forgotten something. What does all this talk about Egypt?

[25:57] What does all this talk about going back, or better to stay in Egypt, and serve them? Have they forgotten who they are? Have they forgotten, who their father is?

[26:10] Have they forgotten the promises, that almighty God, has made to their father Abraham? They have forgotten that, haven't they? As a matter of fact, if we went back and put, the book has told us this already, that God made a promise, to a man named Abraham.

[26:28] And that promise, 430 years after the day of that promise, to the self same day, according to Exodus chapter 12, God showed up to deliver them.

[26:41] The exact day. The timing is, of the Lord only. Now what they've forgotten, was that they are a people, from the very beginning, the literal inception, a people of America.

[26:55] God made a promise to Abraham, that he would give him a seed, that he would bless him, and make many nations come of him, and that other people, would serve them. And he made that to Abraham, before he ever even had a child, as an old man, with a wife, that's unable to have a child, Sarah.

[27:12] And the Lord makes this promise, and Abraham believes God, and it was counted to him, for righteousness. And lo and behold, Sarah, this elderly woman, brings forth a son, and they call his name Isaac.

[27:26] He's the child, or the seed of promise. The one God promised. And God makes a promise to Isaac, and says, Isaac, I'm with you, and I'm going to bless you, and I'm going to make this, all of these truths, that I promised to your father Abraham, come to pass in your life.

[27:40] And then, he has a son, and he names him Jacob. And the Lord comes to Jacob, and he says, Jacob, this land I'm going to give you, I promised it to Abraham, I promised it to Isaac, and it's yours, Jacob.

[27:51] It's yours, and your seed after you. This land, these people, are the literal people, of that promise. And God brought them, with a high hand, out of Egypt.

[28:04] And how quickly, they've forgotten, who they are. How quickly, they've forgotten, we are the children, the seed of Abraham, a chosen nation, a miracle, in the making.

[28:16] And they got their eyes, off the Lord. They've got filled, with fear, and forgot, they're a called out people. A people, of election, of a special promise, of a product, of miracles.

[28:32] They've forgotten, their calling. They've, they've forgotten, that they're the first born son, of almighty God. He said, through Moses, he was told to go to Pharaoh, and say, Israel is my son, even my first born.

[28:47] Let my son go, that he may serve me. This, this nation, is built, and made, to serve, the great I am. And now, they're saying, it's better for us, to serve, the king of Egypt.

[29:03] They forgot, their calling. They are not like, any other nation, on the planet. They're not even, to be reckoned, or counted, among the nations, according to the prophets.

[29:14] This is a special nation, called the apple, of God's eye. A very special nation, that he called, and took to himself, and made some pledges to, and some covenants with, that by the way, are still going, to come to pass.

[29:27] A hundred percent. But they've forgotten, their calling. They've forgotten, the I am, that I am, that has heard their cry, and revealed himself, to them, and delivered them, and they want to go, back to Egypt.

[29:42] If Abraham were present, to hear them talk, this talk. If Abraham could say, you're telling me, I left my home, and my father's house, and I traveled, all the way across here, to Canaan, and God said, this is your land, Abraham.

[29:58] This is the land, I'm giving you. I did all that, for nothing. You're going to go, back to Egypt? If Joseph, could hear them, talk like this, and say, you mean, that all of that, isolation, and being sold, into slavery, and mistreated, and lied about, and down into the prisons, all of that, was for nothing?

[30:17] Because you're just going, to go back to Egypt? But it's in the wilderness, it's in the adversity, they're forgetting, their calling.

[30:27] Forgetting that God, made very firm promises, to them. What should they be doing? They should be claiming, those promises, holding on, to the word of God, knowing that he said it, to them, and applying it, to their heart, and to their mind, and to their life, and never looking back.

[30:46] They're forgetting, the covenants of God, the promises of God, the ability of God, that just delivered them, from Egypt, with a high hand. How could they, how could they so quickly, dismiss, what they just witnessed, back in Egypt?

[30:59] He's the same God. Now they ought to be, remembering a few things, I'd like to show you, just a couple. Look back at chapter 4, in Exodus chapter 4, flip back there.

[31:15] Yes, Pharaoh is coming. Yes, he's overtaking them. But there's some things, they ought to be remembering, in this moment, instead of forgetting, their calling, and their God, and his promises.

[31:27] Remember back in Egypt, when Moses showed up, and he gathered the elders together, and he said, listen, God, showed up, in the wilderness to me.

[31:38] I was in Midian, and he came to me, and he spoke to me, the God of our fathers, Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob. And he said something to me. And he showed me some signs, some miracles, that to prove, that this is real.

[31:52] And he told me, to come back to Egypt, and that I'm going to lead you out. He's going to lead us out of here. And I'm going to go talk to Pharaoh. And look at chapter 4, in verse 30, I'll start in verse 29.

[32:07] And Moses and Aaron went out, and gathered together all the elders, the children of Israel. And Aaron spake all the words, which the Lord had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs, in the sight of the people. And look at this. And the people believed.

[32:19] And when they heard, the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, look what they did. And then they bowed their heads, and worshipped. They ought to be remembering, that moment when they, heard the word, for the first time, and bowed their heads.

[32:40] They believed. And they bowed their heads, and worshipped God. And the joy that flooded their hearts, and souls, and minds, that God was going to deliver them.

[32:51] And they could look back, and say, God did deliver us. And here we are, out of Egypt, just as he said. But, but all of that's gone, because, the adversary's here.

[33:02] They should be remembering, that, that first moment, of faith. And then carrying forward, and look at chapter 5, because things got a little worse, before they got better.

[33:13] This is, this is exactly, what's happening again. In chapter 5, when, when Moses went in, then Pharaoh didn't respond, very well. In verse 9, he said, let there more work, be laid upon the men.

[33:25] So, things got worse. In verse 14, if you read through there, the taskmasters, set over them, were beaten. They beat them, and demanded them, to keep on with the work. Now they're getting beat.

[33:36] This isn't going well, Moses coming back, and we had faith, and believed. Things got worse. But remember, that's just temporary, because, things started to get better, right after that.

[33:48] And I'm not going to take you, through the miracles again, we've studied them all. But, but can you remember, how many times, the Lord, put a division, between the Egyptians, and his children? Can you remember, how many times, there were no flies, or there was no dogs, darkness, in the land of Goshen?

[34:03] How their cattle, didn't die, but it was, his hand was on the Egyptians? How God, put a division? Can they not remember, how, here's these Egyptians, coming after us again, but, the Lord's already done, so much, in keeping us safe, from them.

[34:19] Why should they lose faith? Why should they forget, this is God, fulfilling their will, or his will, and his promise, to Abraham? Why should they be, forgetting their calling, they ought to be, recalling the trouble, that they're in, is only temporary, just like that little, quick little reaction, of Pharaoh, back in Egypt, when Moses, initially said, let us go, they ought to be, recalling, that God is faithful, that God is working, and just trust him, it's easier said, than done sometimes, but just be patient, and trust him, and let him bring it to pass, the Bible says, in Psalm 37, in verse 5, commit thy way, unto the Lord, trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass, he shall bring it to pass, so they made some mistakes, in the wilderness, they took their eyes, off the Lord, they forgot their calling, and there's one more thing, back in Exodus 14, another mistake I see, is that they stopped, moving forward, now last week, they got off to a good start, by moving forward, by day and night, by getting away, from Egypt quickly, but here is a mistake made, and the good starts, falling apart, because they stopped, moving forward, let me show you this, how it happened, in the passage, back in chapter 14, in verse 3, look at verses 3 and 4, the Lord has explained, something to Moses, he told him, to go to this exact location, and then he said, for Pharaoh will say, of the children of Israel, they are entangled in the land, the wilderness have shut them in, and I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he'll follow after them, so Moses knows,

[35:58] Pharaoh's coming, and I will be honored, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his hosts, that the Egyptians may know, that I am the Lord, and they did so, so Moses knows, Pharaoh's coming, God's sending us here, and God's going to do, something marvelous, it's going to happen, Moses got the word from God, now I don't know, if he conveyed this, to the people very well, except for the fact of, you know, just follow that cloud, but Moses got the word, it says in verse 1, that the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, speak unto the children of Israel, to go to this place, then he continues on, with his plans, now he didn't give them, the exact, total plan, but the general idea, was you go to that place, Pharaoh's coming, and you're going to see something, and see something they did, but we didn't get there yet, Moses doesn't know exactly, what God's going to do, so Moses says, look at verse 13 now, the people are, just getting on his case, and verse 13, Moses said to the people, fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation, of the Lord, so,

[37:03] Moses is expecting, God's word to come to pass, in the sense of, God's going to do something here, but God never said, stand still, look at verse 15, the Lord said unto Moses, wherefore cryest thou unto me, speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward, I never told you to stop moving, but now you stopped, and now you're looking at your enemy, and now you're filled with fear, and you're attacking, and you're crying, and what are you doing, I already gave you a command, get on with it, but they stopped moving forward, now what's wrong with Moses here, well his command is wrong, and I'm not attacking Moses so much, but he's wrong, tell him to stand still, God said move forward, Moses knows God's going to do something, but he doesn't know what, because God hasn't revealed that to him, but what God has revealed, is move forward, and that's what he should have been doing, leading them forward, however the accusing people, and the pressure of this people, and the enemy pursuing, and arriving, he turned to God, and Moses cried out, okay God save this people, it's a common thing for Moses, to be talking with the Lord, all through these miracles, and these plagues, it's Moses talking to God, and God hearing his voice, and doing it, so Moses turns and cries to God, and God says, what are you, why are you crying to me, go, because Moses is, he's unaware of the actual execution, of God's plan, everything's in place, the people are there, they're on the shores, of the Red Sea, and to Moses, well this is a dead end,

[38:59] God's bringing us to a place, where he's, he's using us as bait, he gets it, he's bringing us to a place, where we can't escape, oops, doesn't know that part to be true, because that's not true, but in his mind, we can't escape, he's drawing them here, we're the bait, this is a trap, watch now people, see the salvation of the Lord, and God says, no Moses, keep going forward, I didn't tell you to stop here, I didn't say I'm going to destroy him, in this way, you don't know what I'm doing, and here's a lesson, this is a valuable lesson, that you should get, and for whom it applies, advice from a man of God, is never a legitimate substitute, for a clear command, from God's word, never, ever, ever, ever, when God gives you light, I gave you the story last week, about where I had a decision, about going to Bible school, and felt like God was saying, or like I am supposed to go, and I really never consulted the Lord, about the timing, and how it became very obvious, that I was supposed to take this other way, much like these children of Israel, in that time,

[40:14] I mentioned that my dad, a great man, whom I respect, and revere, and honor highly, and he's proved, to be a very godly man, and he said, I think you should go, but if I had listened to him, I would have been wrong, and I had to get, I had to learn, to get to the voice of God, and hear his voice, and let him deal with me, to have a one-on-one relationship, that I could know his voice, I talked with a preacher, a little while ago, and he's a, he travels all over, the United States preaching, he's a very popular guy, and a good preacher, and we were talking one time, and he said, he said, I don't like to counsel people, about what they should do, what God's will for their life is, and I was like, amen, I don't want to do that either, I want them to learn, to get God to tell them, if he's God, I can hear his voice, have your own relationship with him, and he said, the reason is, is because if I tell them, they ought to do this, then, I don't want to have my phone ringing, at two in the morning, when their life is falling apart, because they did that, and they associate that decision with me, and I'm the godly man, that told them it's a good thing to do, and instead, he's like,

[41:22] I said, amen, I want God to tell them what to do, and God's the one they're crying to, at two in the morning, when things aren't working out, or when they don't know what to do, they don't want to make, don't ever make your decisions, based on the opinion of a man, when you have a command from God, or when you need to learn, how to hear God's voice, and there's something, you can learn that, right there in this passage, because Moses told them to stop, and Moses said, all right people, our backs are to the sea, obviously, we're not going this way anymore, guess who was wrong, a man of God, God didn't give them all the information, not yet, that's coming, but he told them to stop, they stopped, they were afraid, and now, see the salvation of the Lord, he's going to do something, and God said, no Moses, I'm not, not yet, my plan is, that way, go forward, and as they did, we'll see next week, how things turned, now, with all these mistakes, in view this morning, their good night, their good start, is falling apart, and yet,

[42:26] I told you, and I repeat this again, that God is faithful, and in this, before we close, I want to try to just drive, that point, a little bit harder home, and just try to give glory, to God this morning, that in all of this, God is faithful, and while they're falling aside, and they're turning on their leader, and they're just allowing their fears, to overtake them, and saying some, some stupid, and even what we'd say, offensive things, toward the Lord, that we should have stayed in Egypt, and served them, God is faithful, and I want to close, by giving him the glory, and pointing you to him, this morning, and why you should always, keep your eyes on him, the whole time, now look at verse 19, or let's read these verses again, 19, 20, and 21, the last little portion, that we read, so this is where, they're at this point, where they're, not sure what's going to happen, it says, the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them, and the pillar of the cloud, went from before their face, and stood behind them, now this is, they can't miss this, this is, obvious, it's absolutely happening, right in front of their eyes, he was always out in front, now the cloud moves, and seemingly, descends down, if it were, in between, why so, why do I say descends, well it says in verse 20, came to pass, came between the camp of the Egyptians, and the camp of Israel, and was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these, so that one came not near the other, all the night, now first of all,

[44:00] God made it, because God is faithful, God made it, in such a way, that they could no longer see the enemy, the one that they had their eyes on, the one that was causing all this fear, and all this attacking, and all this nonsense talking, and this carnality, God came into the situation, and made it so they couldn't see them anymore, they're still right there, they're as close as they've ever been, but God is standing between them, God comes in, and puts up a barrier, that the enemy, is now facing God, and they can't see them, it's, what does this do, it relieves their fear, this imminent threat, is no longer as imminent, now they're still there, but when it's out of view, what do they see, they see the presence of God now, and their eyes are back on the Lord, and the Lord's moved in between them, and he's also doing something else, he's protecting them from their enemies, we read that, one came not near the other, all the night, well if Pharaoh had his way, he'd come near them quite quickly, he was overtaking them, the passage said, but the Lord made it, so that his people are now protected, from the enemy, they're close, but they can't touch them, and as a matter of fact, they never laid one hand, on any of them, in all of this, it's the Lord's protection, was there, why, because God is faithful, in this situation, the Lord does something, that he protects his people, and he even shields them, from their very fears, and from the very presence of the enemy, and withholds their sight, and now, the final thing, in addition to that, to assist them in their escape, and to get their eyes back on him, it says in verse 20, that he gave light by night, to these, that would be his people, they had light by night, and what could they see, happening, with the light that night, verse 21, they got to see Moses, stretch 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, they got to view, with the light of that fire,

[46:18] Moses their leader, stretching out his hand, over that sea, and seeing the wind blow, and the sea part, and be divided, in front of their very eyes, well they're afraid, of their enemy, now the Lord is showing them, their way of escape, and they hadn't seen this before, they hadn't even imagined this before, but God is faithful, and God was leading them, and he knew this, and if they just trusted him, this would have all just went on, smoothly and forward, but their good start, was falling apart, the moment they took their eyes, off the Lord, and in the end, God does something, in his faithfulness, to get their eyes back on him, and to get them, to trust him once again, and to realize, it is better to follow the Lord, I don't want to go back, to Egypt actually, I do want to keep walking, this way, because this mighty God, is never ceasing, to amaze me along this way, he's powerful, has it ever been heard, that anyone, has parted the Red Sea, has this even crossed, the mind of anyone, and yet our God, is doing it right before our eyes, and so, that night, he sent them, and we'll study this next week, he sent them, into the basin, of the sea, he sent them forward, and their eyes, now are back on the Lord, and their eyes, now they're following, once again, his leading, like they were, when they got off, to a good start, and now they're remembering, who they are, and where they're headed, and what's going on, they're back on track, but not before slipping, and so there were, there were mistakes made, in the wilderness, and their good start, fell apart on them, but just for the moment, because of a faithful God, that didn't leave them, to themselves, that didn't grant their wish, of going back to Egypt, and being slaves anymore,

[48:29] God is faithful, even when we start, to turn our eyes from him, even when we fall apart, even when we say, foolish and stupid things, even when we attack, and blame others, for our problems, for the things, that are going on, even when we cry out, to God, when we're not supposed, to be crying out to him, he doesn't have an answer, for that cry, because we, stopped obeying his voice, God is faithful, and let us close, with that being, that permeating, the story, and let that be, what comes out of it all, is yes, there's mistakes, and yes, we make them, and yes, but God, he can override, he can get us back, get us back on track, to where we should be, back to that good start, back to that way of life, of following his way, allowing him to lead, and moving forward, finally, last week, I said to you, that, that moving forward, was not, that reading your Bible, and attending church, and witnessing, and doing things, that are spiritually minded, and of Christian nature, that that's not a checklist, that's not duties, of the Christian life, that's following God, that's just, putting one step, in front of the other, and following the cloud, and staying under the cloud, and the pillar of fire, that's just you, walking with God, that's all that is, and that's what you're called to do, and now, he's going to lead them, through a way, that they've never been before, and no one else has, and he's even going to draw, the enemy in behind, as we'll study, and he's going to destroy them forever, and they're going to come out, the other side, a nation, that are going to rejoice, and sing songs, that they've never sung before, and the picture, and the glory, and the glory, is just going to go forward, and I'm excited for next week, to finish this off, finally,

[50:21] I want to close, with this thought, was, I don't know everybody here, this morning, and it's a common thing, that I don't, and in that case, I don't know, if everybody here, knows the Lord Jesus Christ, as their savior, if this talk about, keeping your eyes on God, is even a reality to you, because you may not even, know who he is, that just might sound like, a church thing, follow God, read the Bible, follow God, well I want you to know, it's not a church thing, it's a relationship, with a person, God is a person, he is a person, a creator, he's the giver of life, you don't live, the Bible says, we move, in him we move, and we have our being, because of him, you didn't evolve, from some stone, or some amoeba, you are a, you are a creator, of God, and you can know him, as your creator, and as your father, and as your savior, and you can cry out to him, and he will hear your voice, and the reason you can know him, and be drawn nigh to him, is because his son Jesus Christ, came as a man, and gave up his life, and paid for our sins, as a sacrifice, by a sacrifice, that he made on the cross of Calvary, every one of you, can place your faith, in the Lord Jesus Christ, and not, in your own self, and the greatest day, of your life, will be, will be repenting, of trying to be good, or repenting, of thinking, that going to church, is good, or just dropping, all of that, and just taking, the Lord Jesus Christ, alone, as your savior, and before we close,

[52:00] I want to ask this question, just for everybody's sake, do you know for sure, that you're saved, that you, right now, that you're on your way to heaven, right now, not maybe if I keep being good, but I mean today, you're saved, you're forgiven, and you're a child of God, do you know that, like is it inside your head, and in your heart, if you're not sure, if you, if you just say, I'm not even sure, I understand what you're talking about, would you please, let me show you, from this bible, just from this book, the word of God, how you can know, would you please, let me do that, and I'm, I'm asking you politely, and, and not putting any, threats on you, like you're going to hell, it's true you are, but I, I want you, to understand, I want you to receive Christ, as your savior, I want you to have, the same, assurance, and joy, that I have, and that many here have, because they know,

[53:07] Christ as their savior, you will go to hell, without Jesus Christ, being a good moral person, you'll go straight to hell, being a religious person, confirmed, baptized, member of it, you'll go straight to hell, because those things, can't save you, they never saved one soul, but Jesus Christ can, let's bow our heads together, and if you would bow your head, everybody, nobody looking around, I just want to ask you, a simple question, nobody looking around, this is a private time, my question is, are you saved, has there ever been, a time in your life, where you've humbled yourself, before God, as a sinner, with nothing to offer him, except your sin, your sinful, helpless self, and said, God, I'm guilty, but I believe, that you gave your son, to take my place, and I believe, on the Lord Jesus Christ, that what he accomplished, on the cross, was for my sin, and that he paid for it, and that you'll forgive me, because of what he did, and have you believed, on Jesus, and received him, only him, nothing else, have you received him, as your savior, not your parents, not the savior, of the church, not the savior, of America, your savior, is he your savior, if you've never received Christ,

[54:41] I want to give you, the opportunity today, to receive him, as your savior, once and forever, God gives you, the gift of eternal life, and you know what, it's eternal, because the Bible says so, if that Bible's not true, we have no hope, that we're fools, but if that Bible's true, and I believe, every word is, then we do have a hope, because of Jesus Christ, if you've never been saved, I invite you to, to pray a simple prayer, and that prayer, is not magic words, but it's you from your heart, calling upon, the Bible says, upon the name of the Lord, to be saved, believing that Christ, died in your place, and that it's your sins, that he paid for, and God will forgive you, of those sins today, he'll forgive you, of every one, would you pray, something like this,

[55:45] God I know I'm a sinner, I believe that Jesus, died for my sins, according to the Bible, he paid for me, and right now, the best way I can, I'm believing on you, and I'm asking you, to be my savior, and forgive my sin, and I'm receiving Jesus Christ, as my savior, it's pretty simple, man, woman, whoever you are, it's pretty simple, you don't have to go to hell, being deceived, or trying to do something, but you will, unless you receive Christ, he's the only way, the Bible says, Christ said, I am the way, and he said, no man, cometh unto the father, but by me, in plainer words, you can't get to heaven, around, the Lord Jesus Christ, you'll die, and go to hell, and he'll send you there, rightfully so, you have an opportunity today, to pray that prayer, to believe in your heart, what Christ did for you, and to receive him, as your savior, if you have prayed that, for the first time,

[57:02] I'd like to invite you, to meet with me, and talk with me, after the service, and I can try to answer, any questions you have, this is not a joke, this is the greatest thing, there is, so before we're dismissed, I want to have a time, to sing a song, if you need to, come forward to the altar, and pray, please come, and spend some time, with the Lord, if you need to get back, on track, your good starts, falling apart, then get your eyes back, on the Lord Jesus Christ, and find out where it is, that you got off the way, and get back, and just spend some time, with him, John what are you playing, thank you, for the next time,