The Faith of the Red Sea Crossing

[0:00] So if you've got your Bible, let's get into Hebrews chapter 11. We are going through these examples of faith from the Old Testament.! We are going through these examples of faith from the Old Testament. And we got to verse 28 last week.

[0:12] And we just looked at that one verse that had to do with the Passover. And we studied and saw the faith involved in that occurrence.

[0:24] And today we're going to move forward, but we're only going to move once again just one verse. And so I'd like you to find Hebrews chapter 11. And let's look at verse number 29 again for the first time.

[0:36] Verse number 29. By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, which the Egyptians, a saying to do, were drowned.

[0:47] A saying means attempted. They tried to get through there just like the Jews did, but God drowned them out, as you recall the story. By faith they passed through the Red Sea. They made it to the other side.

[1:00] God provided a way for his people to get to the other side. The enemy of God's people, the Egyptians, they sought to kill and to destroy and to bring them back into bondage. They ended up dead, washing up on the seashore.

[1:12] Now tonight I want to analyze this. This story is the basis of what's become a popular cliche, and I already said it whether you caught it or not, that God can make a way.

[1:24] God can make a way. And here in Hebrews 11, it references this story, and it puts the spotlight upon their faith. That's what the whole chapter is about, their faith.

[1:36] As you're reading through Exodus, you probably are more kind of catching their fear in the story. But the spotlight's put upon their faith, and so there's a lesson to be learned about faith involved here.

[1:47] And I think this is a real testament to what God can do when his people obey him in faith. When they just trust their maker and their savior and their God and allow his word to be what guides them, and they walk by faith, this is a testament to what God can do.

[2:05] When we don't fight him, we don't say, well, show me, well, prove it to me, well, I need to see it before I believe it. The Lord expects us, too, to walk by faith. Isaiah 59 in verse 1 says, Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save.

[2:22] Neither his ear heavy that it cannot hear. And even today, the Lord's hand continues to amaze the children of God as they obey him and follow him, and then see him do things they look back upon and say, I never saw that coming.

[2:38] I didn't understand that that's what God was doing, and there it is. And he's so good, and they rejoice, as we'll see at the end of this. So, God made a way. The story we're reading about here in Leviticus, in Hebrews 11, is based back in Exodus 14.

[2:55] So, flip back there with me, and let's spend some time in Exodus 14, looking at this angle of faith and how God made a way when his people obeyed him.

[3:07] Exodus chapter 14. There's been many a Christian, many a person, myself included, that gets themselves into a bad place, backed into a corner, or just messes up, makes bad decisions, has to be faced with something in front of them, and the decision or the counsel is this, is God can make a way.

[3:36] If you'll seek the Lord, God can make a way. And I've given that counsel, and I've received that counsel, and I believe that stuff. And I want that to be something that comes across every one of your hearts and spirits tonight, is understanding that God can make a way.

[3:52] When you're backed into a corner, he can make a way. Now, let's revisit this story here, Exodus 14, and point out a few things the Lord did here. First thing I want to say is from this passage is that God made a way that was an unseeable way.

[4:07] From everybody's point of view, like, I mean, everybody's point of view, there was no way of escape. None. From Pharaoh's point of view, look at the verse 3 in the chapter.

[4:18] This is what God said Pharaoh's going to believe. Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, they are entangled in the land. The wilderness hath shut them in. When Pharaoh assessed the situation, Pharaoh determined, they're trapped now.

[4:33] I've got them. When the Israelites assessed the situation, they determined, we're dead. They said it two times. Look at verse number 11 and 12.

[4:46] Verse 11 and 12, they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? Verse 12, is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians?

[4:56] For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians than we should die in the wilderness. From their point of view, they're dead meat. Literally, this is a dead end, figuratively and literally.

[5:11] They can't continue forward. There's nothing but wasteland ahead, a wilderness with mountains. There's a sea that they've camped beside. They cannot outrun this army.

[5:21] They've already caught up to them. It's over. From their perspective. And they had no idea that there was actually a way out of this.

[5:32] But they didn't see it. They didn't believe it. And they needed to trust God. Because there was a way. But what they saw with their eyes was scary.

[5:47] Was a threatening enemy that's coming for blood and going to tie them up and take them back as servants again. What they saw was something that's impossible to overcome.

[5:59] And what they saw in themselves was we are helpless. We are weak. We are feeble. We cannot. We will be overcome by these Egyptians.

[6:11] We are defeated. But then, Christian, let's bring faith into this. Because faith sees things differently. Faith sees that the things which are impossible with man are possible with God.

[6:29] And faith doesn't focus upon the threat of the enemy in front of them. But rather, they focus upon the great God that delivered them from that enemy already. Why should they fear?

[6:40] Has not God proven himself to be stronger than all the Egyptians? Has not he already shown his mighty hand and power upon the land? Has it not been heavy upon them? And here they are again, coming with one last try?

[6:55] Why are they melting in fear? Faith doesn't fear. Faith casts out fear. And faith believes in God. God's already shown who the most high God is.

[7:10] And faith knows that God can make a way even when you don't see it. Even when there's nothing viable, nothing possible, faith sees that God is able. Turn over to a story here I want to point out.

[7:23] Look at 2 Kings chapter 6. 2 Kings chapter 6. And I'll just, I'll save the time reading and tell you kind of what's happening here.

[7:35] Israel is at war with Syria. And the Syrian king is getting so frustrated because Israel is one step ahead of him. Every move he makes. And he says, somebody is for them.

[7:49] Show me who it is. And they say, no, it's none of your guys that's doing anything here. It's actually, they have a prophet. A man of God, Elisha. And he knows what you're saying.

[7:59] He's telling the king all of your battle plans that you have in secret. And so that king of Assyria says, find him. And they go find him in Dothan in verse number 13.

[8:12] They find the prophet of God in a small city called Dothan. And he sends horses. He sends chariots. Verse 14. And a great host. And they come past the city at nighttime.

[8:25] Totally surround this little town of Dothan. The servant, verse 15. When the servant of the man of God was risen early and gone forth. Behold, an host come past the city both with horses and chariots.

[8:38] And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master. How shall we do? What are we going to do? His eyes sees overpowering enemy.

[8:50] His eyes don't see a way. And so Elisha prays. Lord, open his eyes in verse number 17. But let me back up. First he said this.

[9:01] He answered him saying, fear not. For they that be with us are more than they that be with them. Now this doesn't make any sense to the servant until his eyes are opened. Because for now, the way that God has for him is unseen.

[9:14] And Elisha prayed and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man and noticed he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

[9:31] Elisha's got protection that the servant didn't know about. He's got protection from God. God had a plan to keep his prophets safe from the king of Assyria's host.

[9:43] He made a way. And it was at the time, it was an unseeable way. When Israel looked at Egypt, they were afraid. But look at what God sees when he looks at Egypt.

[9:56] Flip over to Isaiah chapter 40. When you get in your Bible, the Bible corrects things in your thinking and in your logic.

[10:07] It actually renews your mind. That's what the holy text does. It changes how you think and perceive situations. When Israel looked at Egypt coming after them, they were full of fear.

[10:22] Did not see a way. When God looks down from heaven upon that Egyptian army, verse number 15 gives a little indicator of what he sees.

[10:33] Just a little indicator. Isaiah 40 verse 15. Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket and are counted as the small dust of the balance.

[10:47] When you weigh out your spice, your something you're buying in the market, and he dumps that into the bag, on that balance is still a little residue.

[10:59] You could, and some of it's still there. You could wipe with your finger and just see that small dust that still stays. When God looks out of heaven and sees the Egyptian army coming after his people, he sees the small dust of the balance that he could, that he could just take his finger and just wipe right away.

[11:21] Look at verse number 22. It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers. What God sees from his point of view, the point of view that we need to adopt by faith, is nothing to fear, and nothing to be concerned with.

[11:41] But Israel feared. When you and I learn to look through the eyes of our God, the eyes of faith reassures us that we can remain confident in our God, even when we can't see a way out.

[11:54] He commanded Israel to camp by that seaside, didn't he? He told them right there, that's where I want you to pitch your tents. Right where they're going to come and trap us. Yeah, that's exactly what I want.

[12:05] Look over at chapter 43. At chapter 43 of Isaiah. So these charging Egyptians come with their horsemen and their chariots.

[12:16] And they're coming after the people of God. But do you know, as we know the story, they're the ones that should be afraid. They're attacking. They're falling into a trap of God himself.

[12:30] They're the ones that should be afraid. Chapter 43 and verse number, I'll start in 13. Yea, before the day was, I am he, and there is none that can deliver out of my hand. I will work, and who shall let it?

[12:43] Thus saith the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. For your sake I sent to Babylon, and have brought down all their nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships. I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.

[12:57] Thus saith the Lord, which maketh a way in the sea. What? There's no way in the sea? There's no way that we can see with our eyes.

[13:09] We're stuck, we're trapped, we're tangled in the wilderness, but the Bible says God makes a way in the sea. And a path in the mighty waters, which bringeth forth the chariot, and the horse, the army, and the power, and they shall lie down together.

[13:26] They shall not rise. This is God's plan. God's bringing them in. Little did his people understand this, the mind of God, who hath known the mind of the Lord.

[13:39] But when you exercise faith, Christian, you can just walk and trust and rest in God, that he's got it under control. I can't see the way he sees, but he sees one, because he can make a path in a place I can't even see.

[13:55] And then finally on this thought, think though, that Israel didn't know in the moment that by tomorrow morning, they are going to be breaking forth in song and dance, glorifying their most high God.

[14:09] But they don't know that now, as the sun is going to set, and the Pharaoh and the Egyptian army is right on their heels. Tomorrow morning, they're going to be singing the praises of God.

[14:20] So God made a way that was an unseeable way. Come back to Exodus 14. It was unseeable from everybody's point of view. Every single one of them.

[14:32] Nobody saw what God saw. And Christian, just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Doesn't mean that God's not at work.

[14:44] Doesn't mean that he isn't already moving in a situation. That he hasn't already hardened Pharaoh's heart to come after you, because he's going to put him under water. So learn to trust God.

[14:54] Take this story and exercise your faith in it. Now, secondly, God made a way that was an unpredictable way. You say, what do you mean by that?

[15:04] Well, look at verse 13. Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show you today.

[15:17] For the Egyptians, Moses waxing strong and eloquent, the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever. The Lord shall fight for you and ye shall hold your peace.

[15:31] What's Moses telling them? Moses thought that God was going to fight a battle right there. Right there on the seashore. Right there at the wilderness surrounding them. He sees the Egyptians coming.

[15:43] He knows God planted them right here. He believes the Lord's not going to wipe us out. So in his mind, that pillar of cloud, that pillar of fire is going to come down and do something.

[15:57] It's going to wreak havoc. It's going to devour those Egyptians as they pursue. Moses said, Stand still and watch. Watch what God does.

[16:08] Because you're not going to, he's going to fight for you right here and now. And he was excited and he had faith. He expected that something would happen. God would destroy that army but he didn't understand what God had planned.

[16:21] God didn't want them to stand still and see. Matter of fact, look at verse 15. After Moses says this to these people, he turns to the Lord and begins crying, O great God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, come and destroy this army and deliver thy people for thy great name's sake.

[16:41] And the Lord says, Wherefore criest thou unto me? Speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward. But I just told them to stand still and watch your power.

[16:54] I didn't tell them to stand still. Move! Looks like Moses was predicting it to come out a different way. But God's way was completely unpredictable.

[17:07] By faith, they passed through the Red Sea and nobody saw that coming. Nobody saw that coming.

[17:18] That was an unpredictable way of God. Peter and his disciples believed that Jesus was their king and that he was their Messiah. Those men followed him and believed him.

[17:30] And they believed that he was going to reign over the house of Israel and subdue their enemies. Never did they imagine that God's way for their salvation and the redemption of their people was for that man to be mocked and to be marred and to be murdered upon a tree.

[17:51] And Peter said, This shall not be unto thee, Lord. And Peter even pulled a sword out to resist the way that God had prepared for his son.

[18:03] It was unexpected. That way that God had planned and prepared for his son was unpredictable to these men and therefore they resisted it. And I think Christians are guilty of something here too.

[18:17] When we believe God can help us, when we believe God can make a way, often times it's in our temptation, in our flesh really, it's in our fear that we're trying to disguise as something that's not flesh, is we try to figure out a way to get involved.

[18:32] Yes, God's going to take care of this. Now, I need to do a few things here. I need to make a few phone calls. I need to line up a few things and figure out, yeah, God can do it. But then I need to locate the avenue of God's deliverance so that I can get ahead of the game.

[18:49] And I think, No, no. This is something that you need to learn to leave at the throne of grace. You need to learn to lay it there or like Sunday, lay it on the altar and walk away.

[19:03] Put it in God's hands and walk away. And as you do that, rest with faith that He'll make a way. That He understands and sees and He careth for you and He'll make a way.

[19:17] God is capable of speaking to you. He's capable of informing you whether you should stand still and see or whether you should go forward. The Lord is capable of dealing and leading His people and we don't need to busy ourselves searching for the way of escape and fretting and bringing on panic attacks.

[19:37] That's not the mark of a Christian that's abiding in Christ. In God's way, though, it was not the way you expected it. And so we want to know how is it going to work out?

[19:50] How is it going to work? That's what we want to know. Why? Because we want to have, we want to rest in that. When we have the understanding, when we see it with our eyes, then we can rest assured.

[20:02] Then we have confidence in God. And that's not the way the Lord's hand's working. He's going to work in a way that's completely unpredictable. And something we need to learn from this is that the way that God makes is not the way you imagined it would be.

[20:21] As a matter of fact, sometimes in the Gospels, Jesus says some things like, he's like, no, no, no. Actually, the last shall be first. And we think, no, wait a minute.

[20:32] That's never been that way. And Christ says things like, you want to find your life? Well, you need to lose your life. And then you'll find your life. And to apply that thought to this very lesson here of faith, then we need to find God's way.

[20:49] But we can only do it after we lose and let it go and drop it of trying to figure it out ourselves. We need to learn to abandon our own understanding and in all thy ways acknowledge him.

[21:05] We could probably save ourselves heartaches and frustrations. I know with this. I've been there. we could learn to temper our expectations of what we think God's going to do in this Christian life because we said, I'll obey you, Lord.

[21:19] And then we get this presumption that it's just going to be this. And it's not. It's never that. And so we need to learn how to be content, take up our cross, follow him, because his way is going to be unpredictable.

[21:35] Now, thirdly, the thought here, I don't know if you're in Exodus still, in Hebrews, we read that they, by faith, they passed through the Red Sea as by dry ground or dry land.

[21:47] In Exodus 14, in verse 22, the children of Israel went in the midst of the sea upon the dry ground and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand and on their left.

[22:01] So God made a way, a way that was unseeable to them, a way they didn't expect, a way that was unpredictable. But there's something about that way that God made that there's a big, big lesson, a very important lesson in this, and that is, they went through on dry ground.

[22:21] That is, that God made a way that was a stable way. Now, when they, what was unseeable to them, what was unpredictable to them, but when it opened up, it became very clear that this is God's hand, this is His doing, and He wants us to go this way.

[22:42] There was no questioning like, well, I don't know, Moses, I've never been that way before. I've never walked through walls of water and had actually dry ground below my feet.

[22:54] Nobody ever stopped and questioned God then. When God made the way, it was very clear and obvious, they didn't have to question. They didn't have to worry anymore.

[23:06] It was just, let's go. We're getting through. God made a way for us to get away from this maniac and His army, and off they went. When God opened it up, God made a way that was a secure and stable way for the entire nation to escape their enemy.

[23:26] The point is here, Christian, is that they weren't rolling the dice with this as a nation. They weren't taking a chance because they're desperate and they need to do something, don't we?

[23:39] So they, let's go through the sea. God provided a safe and secure way. Walking between those walls of water under the cover of night with the cloud above them, they disappeared from view.

[23:56] Completely disappeared. And their feet walked upon firm, dry ground. They never slipped one time. This was not an act of desperation.

[24:06] It was not an act of despair. This was the way that God provided. Do you get it? When God makes a way, it's a stable way.

[24:18] It's a strong, firm, secure way. It makes sense. It's right. You have, the word of God confirms it. And you don't have to make some leap of faith into the darkness like some people pretend that the walk of faith is.

[24:34] That's not what it is. That's not in the Bible of just leap off into the darkness. darkness. That's something the devil tried to get Jesus Christ to do off the temple. And he didn't have the word of God on it, did he?

[24:47] So he didn't do it. And the devil tried to give him the word of God and he misapplied it. When you react too quickly to situations and when you respond to pressure without faith, just fear, just flesh, how often is there peace in your heart about it?

[25:07] How much safety is there and stability is there in those decisions? But when God opens up the waters and dries the land and says, this is the way, it's so obvious.

[25:22] It's so glorious. Only God could do this. And there's nothing to do but walk and go by faith. So don't react to situations in your life feeling that I have to do something and fix this right now.

[25:38] Don't respond to pressure when you can't see a way out. Trust that God can make a way and his way will be safe, his way will be secure, his way will be stable and you will have peace.

[25:56] And something else, a greater end of this is that your faith will grow because of it. Because you got backed into a corner and God made a way and you trusted him the whole time and you look back and say, his hand was able, God is so good and you'll start to glorify him which reminds me, I mentioned this earlier, look at chapter 15.

[26:18] Take a listen to the end result of taking God's way and walking by faith. Chapter 15, I'm not going to read the whole chapter but verse 1 says, Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord and spake saying, I will sing unto the Lord for he hath triumphed gloriously.

[26:39] The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. And here's the response. When you walk by faith and God comes through and you begin to grow and trust him more, you say things like this in verse 2, The Lord is my strength and song.

[26:58] He is become my salvation. He is my God and I will prepare him in habitation.

[27:08] My Father's God and I will exalt him. You'll begin to burst out in such a praise and glory for the goodness of God. He will be your strength.

[27:19] He'll be your power and your salvation just the same. God makes a way for his people. Exodus chapter 11 spotlights the faith in this chapter when they trusted God and he made a way.

[27:37] And Christian, to close this, the road can get tough today. You can get backed into the corner. You can have no escape in sight.

[27:50] You can understand nothing or very little about what God is doing and how this is going to work out. That's the time to look to God in faith.

[28:02] Don't give up hope. Read the story again. Know that he careth for you just as he cared for these people and he can make a way. When you can't see one, he can make a way.

[28:14] When you imagine it'll probably end up this way, no, he'll make a way you didn't predict just to show you that his ways are higher than yours. That you don't know the mind of the Lord. That you're required to trust him.

[28:26] Just lay your heart out and trust him by faith. This example of faith is a perfect fit for your Christian life because we walk by faith.

[28:41] And we walk blindly in this life. Sometimes it's as if we see through a veil darkly. We don't get to see what God's at work doing behind the scenes.

[28:52] He doesn't need to show us that. We can trust that he knows what he's doing. Can you trust him? Will you trust him? Because you'll get put to the test somewhere.

[29:06] Somewhere. You'll find yourself backed into a corner with no answer and no understanding. And God, what should I do? The answer is in Proverbs 3.

[29:19] Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not to thine own understanding. Exercise faith, Christian.

[29:30] Another lesson. The variety in Hebrews 11 is amazing to me. It's so wonderful. There's so much for us. And here's another case. When you get stuck, God can make a way.

[29:42] You mess up, God can make a way. You can't figure it out? Start to trust our Savior. Father, please instill this into each heart tonight. For the one or for many that are struggling or are going to face something nearly down the road, I pray that you'll prepare our hearts and teach and train us up to be soldiers that will trust you, that will not falter when the enemy comes.

[30:05] When things don't seem to make sense to us, help us then to trust. Completely trust. God, grow our faith as Christians, as individuals in this place.

[30:17] May it grow to another level to where we can please you. We need that faith to please you. We want to please you. So help us to respond to these situations in faith so that we can, in fact, fulfill our purpose and calling.

[30:33] Father, tonight we love you. Thank you for the chance to get together once again. Please be with our brother Abe as he goes on his way and makes this move. Please make it profitable. Please give him direction. Take care of his needs that he has and just may there be some fruit in the ministry that he's involved in and may there be joy in his marriage and in his life and just looking forward already to the time we can get together again and hear the work that you're doing.

[30:58] Just please be with him. I pray you'll be with Ashley as well and the baby as it comes in time and that the delivery will go well. We ask for our brothers and sisters that aren't here tonight that you'll grant them safety, be close to them and Lord may you bless as only you can.

[31:11] We close by saying we love you. Thank you for Calvary. Thank you for the word of God and thank you for Bible Baptist Church. It's in Jesus' name we thank you. Amen. Amen.