← ArchiveSunday, June 4, 2017DateJune 4, 2017Speaker—TextJohnPassages in this sermonExodus 141:34John 913:232 Timothy 125:491 John 528:16John 1029:03Psalms 3430:00Romans 830:47John 1431:02Philippians 333:25Acts 235:33Job 4139:22Revelation 1339:26Revelation 2039:31Matthew 1239:56John 541:15TranscriptMachine transcribed. Click any line to jump there.0:00"Moses, Moses, your father has called me God, and I am you. I have made you an orphan of grace. I have sustained you in the house of the king. Now see your purpose. For I have heard the cries of my people. I have seen the weight of their oppression, and I have come down to deliver them. And I will stretch out my hand against Egypt, and guide my people to a land I have prepared. I will make you my mouthpiece. I will make you a shadow of one greater to come. I will lead you as I have led you. Now go."0:30And you will see what I will do to Pharaoh."1:00This morning we continue our look in the book of Exodus, which means the going out or the coming out of a place. And we have wrestled with this truth that God always brings us from something to bring us somewhere. God doesn't deliver us and leave us as orphans and say, "Good luck." God is bringing us somewhere, and He's bringing us into His glory and into His presence.1:07Right? That's why when the trumpet sounds one day, we don't anticipate that because we like trumpets. We anticipate that because we will finally see Christ face-to-face. So that's what God is doing. And so today we look at numbers, numbers. We look at Exodus 14.1:34With this thought, we are facing the sea, but yet we should fear the Lord. Facing the sea and fearing the Lord. Facing the sea and fearing the Lord. You see, this word here, this book that I am holding, is the living, active word of God. It's not some book. It's not some book. It's not some ancient truth that we draw wisdom. We see who God is because He has given us His word. This is God's word to you and to me. So I invite you to turn with me to God's word.2:02And as we open it up, that we would see who He is. That we see what He says to us. And that our lives would be radically changed because His word is living and active. And should be lived out actively in our lives in our lives. Exodus, Exodus, Exodus, Exodus, Exodus, Exodus, Exodus, Exodus.2:16Chapter 14. And we will read the entire chapter this morning, but we will settle on the first 10 verses to begin with.2:46Second book of the Bible, Exodus chapter 14. Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the children of Israel, that they turn and camp before Pihirath." "Between Migdol and the sea, opposite of Baal Zephon, you shall camp before it by the sea."3:13"For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, 'They are bewildered by the land.' "The wilderness has closed them in. Then I will harden Pharaoh's heart so that he will pursue them, and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all of his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord."3:28And they did so. That is a promise of God. Remember that promise. Don't forget that promise. Verse 5. "Now it was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled. And the heart of Pharaoh, his servants, was turned against the people."3:55"And he said, 'Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?'" "So he made ready his chariot and took his people with him. Also he took 600 choice chariots." "These weren't the jalopies. These were the streamlined, expedited, fast chariots."4:19"And all the chariots of Egypt with captains over and every one of them. 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." "They were joyful, they were singing." Verse 9. "So the Egyptians pursued them and all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and overtook them camping by the sea, beside Pai-hahirot, before Baal-zaphon.4:44And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes. And behold, the Egyptians marched after them, so that they were very afraid. And the children of Israel cried out to the Lord." Let's pray. Father, we admit to you this morning that your ways are so much higher than ours. Lord, that your paths are far greater than anything that we can understand.5:12So, Lord, we ask this morning that you would help us understand your word, that you would focus our minds, that you would open our ears, and that you would give sight to our hearts. Lord, may we know you more deeply. May we see the good news that you invite us to partake of.5:37And we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen and amen. We see in Numbers, we're going to look at Numbers later, obviously. But we see in Exodus, several truths here. And the first is this, we see in verse 1, that the journey of faith in our lives is not always going to be straight.5:58Right? The journey of faith is not always straight in our life. Verse 1, "The Lord said to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the children of Israel, that they may turn and camp before pi ha-hi-rot, between Magdol and the sea, opposite of Baal-zaphon, that you should camp before it by the sea.'"6:20So this is what we find God's people doing. They have left Exodus. And we learned last week that they left because of the Passover event. That God, the final plague was Pharaoh. "If you do not let my people go, I will send one final plague, and it will be the death of the firstborn male in every family." And so because of that plague, because of the stubbornness of Pharaoh and the Egyptians, that plague was enforced.6:47And the angel of death crept through the land, and anyone that did not have the lamb's blood over the frame of their house perished. And we know that this is pointing to a greater lamb that would die for the salvation of the people. And because of that, Pharaoh said, 'Leave.'"7:14And so we find God's people leaving in, what does the verse say several verses later, with boldness. They were celebratory. They were cheering. Can you imagine the triumph? We know in Scripture that not only did God's people leave, but they left with what? They had loot. Their bank accounts were filled with what? With the Egyptians' money. Basically, Pharaoh said, "Here, take anything you want, leave, and go."7:39And so life was good. And they were leaving, and they were journeying to the promised land. There was joy in the community of faith. G.K. Chesterton says this about joy. That joy is the gigantic secret of the Christian. He says, "Christianity satisfies suddenly and perfectly man's ancestral instinct for being the right way up."8:06And that by its creed, joy becomes something gigantic. I love that. That if we have put our faith in Jesus Christ, joy is now gigantic in our lives, and sadness is something special and small. Life was awesome.8:33And yet, something odd happens along the journey. See what happens here in verse 2? If you're familiar with the lay of the land, if you know where Pai, Hahirot, and Baal, Zaphon are, you understand what's going on here. Right? Between Migdol and the sea. So God commands the people to turn. Now you might be asking, "Well, Pastor, I have no clue where these places are." Actually, scholarship is debating where the locations, the present locations of these places are.9:01So you're not alone. But here's what we do know. So the people were journeying this way. They were journeying either north first, and God commanded them to stop and basically turn around. And as they turned around, now they are putting their backs towards the promised land, and they are again facing what? They are facing Egypt. And they don't know it yet, but what is now coming in their face?9:27The Egyptians. What chariots? The choice chariots. So God has commanded them, "Take a detour, face again Egypt, and now camp with your back to the sea and your face towards the enemy." And we are faced in the journey of life often with U-turns, aren't we? You know, our journey of faith is not always straight.9:54I wish it was. I wish I could say to you today, if you just put your faith in Christ, Jordan, if you just get baptized, life is going to be good. Your bank account is going to be filled up. The Egyptians are going to throw money in your bank account. And it's going to be joy and celebration all the days of your life. And that would be awesome. But the reality is that is not the world we live in.10:17There are often times in our life that we must take U-turns. And here is the gospel truth. There are often times that God asks you to take that U-turn. Sometimes U-turns are God-commanded. So God tells them, "Stop what you're doing. I know you're journeying to the promised land. Turn around." Garrett, Dwayne Garrett, a scholar, says this about the U-turn. He says, "This was doubtably strange thing to do."10:45He says, "First, it took them in the wrong direction." Have you ever felt like that? Have you ever felt sometimes in your life, "God, I just feel like I'm going in the wrong direction." And often our first instinct is, "Well, God, I'm obviously not following you because I'm going the wrong direction." What if it feels like the wrong direction, but we're still in the path of righteousness? Would not Jesus tell us that he was following the plan of God when he journeyed to the cross?11:11And if anything felt like the wrong direction, would not the suffering of the cross feel like the wrong direction? And yet Jesus said, "I will put my face to suffering and shame for the behalf of the world that needs to know deliverance." Garrett continues. He said, "It also placed them in a terrible tactical situation11:39and trapped against the sea behind and easily pinned down by military force." So what do we do when life is not expected? What happens when our journey in our lives are interrupted? And what happens when we feel like, "God, you have put me in a bad place." Anyone ever feel like that? God, I just feel like I'm in a bad place right now and I am not cool with it.12:06How do we respond in grace and truth when our lives take U-turns? I think there are several things. First, when our back is against the wall, literally when your back is against the sea, God is asking us, "Are you going to look at your situation or are you going to look through that and to my glory?" See, God gives us the option for those who put our faith in Christ.12:35Are you looking with your eyes or are you looking with your heart? Now that's hard for us, is it not? Because we see with eyes. And yet God calls us as spiritual people to trust He who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God asks us, "Look, you are not wrestling with flesh and blood, but with angels and principalities of darkness." Here's our struggle. We can't see principalities of darkness.13:04And so we say, "God, I can't see, therefore I do not believe." And I think that sometimes God asks us, "Why don't you look through your circumstance and look to the cross? Look to the deliverance." The disciples in John chapter 9 beg the same question and struggle that we have. They're walking with Jesus. Now how awesome is that, to walk with Christ?13:31And they walk upon a man who is blind. So the disciples ask a question that you and I might ask. They say, "Jesus, who sinned? This poor man who is blind or his parents?" So they throw the parents under the bus also. Because we know that someone has sinned. You don't just go blind because of no reason. And Jesus' response to them is an odd response. Jesus says, "Neither, but that the glory of God might be revealed."13:58Jesus says, "Don't look at the circumstance. Look through it and look to deliverance in Jesus Christ." And when we face turns in our lives, God is begging us and challenging us. Are you going to look at the situation? Or are you going to look to the Father, the author and perfecter of your faith?14:24When you can't go anymore and when your back is against the wall, look to Jesus Christ. Look to Christ. This world and our community desperately needs to see God's grace in the people of faith. It's one thing when we are shouting and blowing trumpets and like, "Life is good. God is good.14:53Let's celebrate." But the world needs to see that when we are going through it and we have taken a U-turn and the sea is at our back and the enemy is in our face, we look at the world and we say, "I don't understand it, but I know His grace is sufficient." Look to Christ. May we look to Christ. U-turns also afford us not only lessons to look through the circumstance, but to walk in obedience.15:22To walk in obedience. Look at verse 3. Pharaoh will say to the children of Israel, "They are bewildered by the land. They're confused. The wilderness has closed them in." Now, I would imagine there's a point in this U-turn that they realize, "Hey, we are going off course.15:45God, we know what you said. We're going to the promised land." Have you ever felt like you turned around? Have you felt like I've seen this before? And you wonder at what point does the community of faith get there? Do they say, "God, I feel like we're going the wrong way." And God is saying, "It feels like it, but turn. Continue on the path."16:12This is a lesson in obedience. I believe God is asking us, "When your life takes turns, will you still follow Christ? Will you count the cost and say, "Jesus is difficult, but it is worth it. I will make the turn. I will walk through the storm because I know that you are there."16:38U-turns afford us lessons in obedience. I know what you're saying. I don't want God to give me the chance to obey. I'd rather just celebrate. I don't want the opportunity. But yet, we celebrate a righteous and perfect Savior who sustains us by His mercy. Jesus Christ gives us the faith to believe.17:06He gives us the faith to walk. Will you turn when God says turn? Even when you feel like you're turning into the enemy. Even when you feel like you're turning into the winds. U-turns afford us that storms will either shake our faith or they will steady our resolve in the Lord. Storms will shake our faith or they will steady our resolve. And my prayer is that storms of life, the turns of life, would only make you stay on the rock of Jesus Christ.17:32We see another truth here about U-turns in our lives. I think we see that God uses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. God uses the foolish things in our life to shame the wise. Look at verse 3. Pharaoh will say, "They are bewildered by the land, and the wilderness has closed them in."17:56You ever feel like that? Have you ever felt in your life that you have done the right thing and it turns out to be the foolish thing? Or have you ever felt like God is calling you to do something that just feels stupid? You know, God, this person just cursed me in my face. And I know you're calling me to bless them, but I would rather bless them out.18:25God, it's close to obedience, but not quite. Or God, I know that someone hit me in the face, but Lord, I don't want to turn the other cheek. I want to swing the haymaker. God, this feels foolish. God, the world is saying it's foolish. God, the world is saying the cross is an image of death.18:51And Lord, your word says that the cross is life. I don't understand it. And God says in 1 Corinthians, "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. But to those who are being saved, it is the power of God." This is why to anyone who comes to faith in this church, Jordan would say he would affirm what we've already discussed.19:19I sat across from him and we talked about our faith. And we said, "Look, we are not good." You are not getting baptized because you are good. We are getting baptized. We sit in those waters and we go under because we are not good. And Jesus Christ died for us because he knew we were not good. That's why we believe in the depravity of our souls. There is nothing in me that merits salvation. It is the gift of God.19:49It is by grace we have been saved. It is the gift of God lest we do not boast. That way we can't jump in the water and say, "Look at me, world. Look how good I am. Look at what I'm bringing to the church. Look at what I'm offering." No, we say the opposite. We say that I have nothing to offer. And Jesus went to the cross. And it doesn't sound right. It sounds foolish. But he died on the cross that if I believe in him that I will not perish but I will have life.20:17This is what U-turns in our life afford. The chance to show the world that the foolish things of the world God will use for his glory and for his honor. God uses the foolish things in our life to shame the wise. If you feel like you're wise today, watch out. Watch out. Lastly, God will put us sometimes in hopeless situations to show his glory to the world.20:46Have you ever felt like you're in a hopeless situation? God, I don't know what to do. I had a conversation with a parent today and we both walked through situations this week where we've looked at our kids and we say, "I don't have the answer. God is hopeless." And God says, "You know, come to think of it, I'm glad you mentioned it. Because it's not hopeless.21:16Because I sent my son to give hope to the hopeless." Josh, point your eyes to Jesus and I will renew your hope. Remember that you stand on the solid rock. You have not built your house on sand. You built your house on rock. And when the storms of life come, the house might shake, but the rock will not move. God often puts us in hopeless situations to remind us that our hope is not in our camp.21:42The fast, quick nature of how quick that we journey. But it is that we hope in Jesus Christ, who by his grace sustains us. He is long-suffering towards us. The path is not always straight. But God is always there. To the glory of the Lord.22:10We not only see that the path is not always straight. But look at verse 10. Sometimes the journey in our lives bring fear. Sometimes the journey brings fear. Verse 10, "When Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes." Now what were they just doing? They were journeying with boldness. They were cocky. We have a new worship time on Wednesdays where we are, as a family of Christ, we're worshiping together.22:35We're praying together. We're eating together. We are playing together. And sometimes when we play baseball or kickball with the youth, you can just tell they walk a little proud. And there's just something in me that wants to say, "Lord, give me the strength to humiliate them." Right? And unfortunately, my team, two weeks ago, lost in the finals to one of our youth's team. So I was the humiliated.23:05But that was the children of Israel. They were walking with their chest out, celebrating until what? Until verse 10, they see something in the distance. And the Bible says that they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord. I believe that everyone is fearful and afraid of something. And I have seen very brave men get to the end of their lives, and they would say, "I have not been a day scared in my life until I looked death face to face."23:32And I realized, "I will not conquer death." Some of us have very legitimate fears. Some of you have very weird fears. I'll give you some of them. There is a fear of yellow called xanthophobia. I have, and some of you have crimson phobia.24:02Which is a fear of another color that will not be named. There is the fear called tourophobia, the fear of cheese. The fear of cheese. I love cheese. So if you are scared of cheese, give yours to me. There is helophobia, the fear of trees. And youth, get ready for this. There is nomophobia, the fear of being without mobile phone coverage.24:31The fear of being without mobile phone coverage. But you see, fear is very real in our lives. I wish I could tell you, "Well, if you just believe in Jesus, you will never fear anything again." But that's not reality, is it? We see here a very real and broken community because we now live in a broken world.24:56So let me just remind you that fear in our lives is natural and it is normal. But it is not spiritual. You're tracking there. Fear is normal and natural, but it is not spiritual. So if you're fearful and you say, "Well, why am I like this?" It's natural. We live in a broken world. We live in a broken world where people go to the London Tower Bridge and run a van into a community of innocent bystanders.25:23A bridge that we are planning to be in a month. Today. And you look and say, "God, we can't go on that. What if that happens to us?" And God says, "Well, what if it does?" "Even in my death, may God be glorified." Here's what God says about fear. 2 Timothy 1. You are not called to fear.25:50God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of sound mind. So if you are here today and you, if you are in your life looking at something that is fearful. Cancer. Sickness. Rebellion. Bankruptcy. Death. Those are natural fears because we live in a broken world. And God's word says those are natural and those are normal.26:20"I have not given you that spirit. I have called you to sound mind. I have called to a spirit of power." And so we, if we are fearing, we can look up as Israel did and say, "We see Pharaoh, God." And God says, "But yes, but call out to me and I will hear you." And fear in our life should draw us to the Savior. You see, I believe that Israel's fear flowed from a failure to remember God's promises.26:46Israel's fear flowed from a failure to remember the promises. What are their promises? Well, we saw in verse 4 that God reminded them. He said, "I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over his army." So five verses later.27:16Five verses. What God has already promised, the people have already forgotten. So when we forget God's promises in our life, we open the door to fear. Now, when we remember God's promises, we close the door to fear. It doesn't mean that fear does not keep knocking, but that when fear knocks, we say, "You know what? I remember God's promise." And you know what? You can keep knocking and you just stay outside.27:46Because God has not given me a spirit of fear. Fear, you stay outside the home that God has built. The lamb's blood is on the door. Fear, you can pass by, but you stay outside. Fear, you can pass by my house, but you stay outside. Because I remember the promises of God. And you say, "Well, Pastor, what are those promises to us?" Here's some of them. 1 John 5, listen with intent ears.28:16I love some of these promises. 1 John 5, the beloved apostle says, "I have written you these things that you may know of your salvation." God promises that we can know that we're saved. That we don't have to get up every morning and say, "God, I've sinned again. Am I saved or not?" God reminds us, "Josh, did you do anything to earn your salvation?" Well, no, sir. Well, can you do anything to unearn your salvation? No, sir.28:46No, sir. It is the atoning, perfected work of Christ, and we can know of our salvation. That is the beauty of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. That is a promise. John 10, 27, the promise of Jesus to us, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know him." God promises you that if you are his, he knows your voice.29:12So when you say, "God, it's me again," God says, "I know that voice. I know my sheep." And God doesn't say, "Ugh, really?" Like, God doesn't have a smart phone that he has their number blocked, or do not answer. Or I still have a Louisiana number, and I know when I call somebody, you're thinking, "As a salesman, I'm not answering it.29:41God's not, I'm going to stay with it, I'm stubborn, I'm leaving my Louisiana number." But God does not treat us the same way. That when we cry out, God says, "I hear you. I hear you, sheep." And it's a sweet voice. If Psalm 34, "This poor man cried, and the Lord answered." That's a promise, that he knows your voice. And so if you're in a difficult place today, cry out to God, he hears you.30:08If he doesn't hear you, that means you're not his, or you're not crying out. And either way, that can change right now. Another promise, verse John, "Greater is he that is in you than he that is in you." Have you ever felt just crushed and persecuted and pressed? I love that promise. We say, "God, the sea is here, and the enemy is here." And God says, "Why are you worrying?"30:38"Greater is he that is in you than is he that is in the sea and the chariots that are impending upon you." Romans 8, "There is there now no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus." We say, "Pastor, you don't know what I've done, but God does, and he still sent his son to forgive you." John 14, Jesus said, "If I go to prepare a place, I will come again and receive you."31:02You see, remembering God's promises is like geocaching for the soul. I believe God gives us daily reminders of his grace. If you're not familiar with geocaching, you can get your GPS and you can go to sites and people have hid little trinkets and things around different locations in the world, in our community.31:22But you walk around with your phone, you can be that obnoxious person, you walk around with your phone, oblivious to the world around you, and you get something that's really insignificant, but it brings you momentary joy. And it's pretty awesome. But here's the joy of following Christ. We don't have GPS, we have the Holy Spirit.31:51And God, through the Holy Spirit, gives us daily reminders of his promises. We believe that when we're struggling, the Holy Spirit says, "Here, pick up this promise." "I feel small, greater is he." "I am fearful today." Don't forget that God has not given you a spirit of fear. And when we find fear face to face, remember God's promises in your life. Because whatever God promises, he delivers on.32:21He always delivers. Let's keep going. Not only is the path not always straight, and sometimes we face fear, but seven days. In verse 14, we see this. That's chapter 12. In verse 15, "The Lord said to Moses, 'Why do you cry to me?'" The people have cried, now Moses is crying. Tell the children of Israel to go forward.32:50Tell the children of Israel to go forward. The journey of Christ is a journey forward. Right? It's a journey. He said, "Well, how can you go forward?" What is forward? What is the geographical perimeter or barrier here? To God's community, they can't go forward because of the sea. Anyone cross the sea on foot? You can't. There's a literal, physical sea.33:20We say, "Well, God, I can't go forward." Here's what Paul says in Philippians 3. "Brothers, I do not count myself to have apprehended. But one thing I do, forgetting the things which are behind and reaching forward to those which are ahead, I press towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." What does it say about our confidence in the Lord when we are always looking in the past?33:50What does it say about my trust in God today if I'm always looking to yesterday? And we come by it naturally. We are yesterday people. Look, yesterday always looks better in the past. Have you ever gone on a family vacation and you remember this great childhood memory? And you bring your children to the same location and you're like, "This is really lame." Have you ever been there?34:20We went on vacation this week and we went to the mouse world. And I just remember at points like, "Man, I just, I brought my kids who don't like to stand in line or are not patient for a two-hour wait in line." What was that? I remember it differently when I was a child. Have you ever watched a TV show that you just loved growing up and you watch it and you're thinking, "Man, the graphics are horrible. How did I enjoy this?"34:48This is what happens naturally to us. We always believe that the past is greater than it was. Right? We always say, "Well, God, if we could just get back to the way things used to be." Hey, we were still sinful back then. Right? The same temptations today. Well, if we would just go back to yesteryear, then everything would be different. No. God is the same. Today and yesterday and in the future.35:16What does it say about our confidence if we're constantly living in the past? I believe Satan wants the church to live in the past. Because if we do that, then we've lost our power today. Because if we really want to go back, look at the power of Acts 2. Where they didn't have the projection systems and the hymnals and the pews and the modern conveniences, but thousands were added to their number daily because of the Holy Spirit.35:46The quickest way for us to become spiritually weak is to relive the glory days and rest on our laurels. I believe another tool of Satan is also to make us sinners relive our past sins. We want to live behind, not towards. We say, "Well, I can't serve God because I've sinned." And God says, "Well, duh." We've already addressed that.36:15Right? You have sinned and Christ died for our sin in the past. And so you've been redeemed and you've been forgiven. So the only reason we should remember our past folly is to make us wise in the presence. Because if we've repented of that, God has forgiven us. So if I'm remembering my sin, that's not of God. It is of the enemy. God does not want us. What does he say to Moses?36:43Why do you cry out? He does tell the people move forward. May we move forward in our lives for the glory of God. Tomorrow in Christ should be greater than yesterday because I am growing in my faith and I am trusting in his spirit. Lastly, we're going to end here. Verse 16. God tells Moses, "Lift up your rod. Stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it.37:13And the children of Israel shall go out on dry ground in the midst of the sea." Verse 21, "So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. And caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all night. And made the sea into dry land and the waters were divided. So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground." What type of ground? Dry ground.37:42Dry ground. And the waters were a wall. Now the word wall here is not like a cobblestone fence. This is a wall that would be like a city gate. So you are walking along a wall that you look up and you see fish. And you say, "Well, I don't believe that could happen." It only happens through the power and the miraculous strength of God. This is the God we say, "So I don't believe that. That's something you have to deal with. I believe it because God's word says it. And I know he is that powerful."38:12It is a miracle of grace. So look at verse 30. By the way, I would have been scared just for future reference going through the wall. Verse 30. "So the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians. And Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Thus Israel saw the great work which Israel had done in Egypt. And so the people feared the Lord and believed the Lord and his servant Moses."38:40Nineteen times in this passage, the word sea is used. This is not any sea. We say, "Well, what does the Red Sea have to do with us?" This is not any sea. Listen to the words of Dwayne Garrett. He says, "The sea in biblical and Israelite thinking is an apocalyptic figure representing death and destruction.39:03It is the abyss, a watery hell from which evil things emerge and into which the wicked finally descend." In Job 41, it is the domain of the Leviathan. In Revelation 13, the beast rises out of the sea. And in Revelation 20, the sea is filled with the dead.39:31In Jonah, where does Jonah want the sailors to cast him in? "Throw me into the sea." Why? Because this is the heart of sinfulness. Jonah was saying, "I deserve death and I am sinful. Throw me in." It wasn't simply about suicide. He said, "I deserve the sea." And in Matthew 12, the sea becomes a portrait of Christ's descent into death.39:56You see, the sea in our lives represents chaos and destruction. And everyone in here will face seas in their life. Everyone will face, and if you have not, you will. And maybe that doesn't happen to the end of your life when you face death face to face. That is the reality. You will not win the fight against death.40:24Because the Bible says that the wages, the consequences of our sin is death. But listen to these words. Verse 30, "The Lord saved Israel." The word saved there is Yeshua. The Hebrew word is the proper noun, proper name would be Joshua. So Israel was Joshua that day.40:51The Greek equivalent of Yeshua would be Iesus. You might know it by this name. Jesus. It's as if God is saying to us, Israel was Jesus that day. Israel was saved that day. Jesus says this in John 5. He said, "Most assuredly I say to you, He who hears my word and believes in him who sent me has everlasting life.41:20And he shall not come into judgment, but," verse 24, "He has passed from death into life." He has crossed through death into life. It's as if Jesus is saying to us, "If you believe in me, I will part the sea." If you believe in Jesus, you will find salvation. Oh, people. If you believe in Jesus, he will Joshua you.41:50He will Jesus you. He will save you. And the only salvation that we will ever find eternally in our life is Jesus Christ. I love the picture of baptism. Because it was as if when I was baptized. And it was as if Jordan when he was baptized today said this, "Church, I deserve death.42:19Throw me in the water. I deserve to die. I deserve the Red Sea." And God says, "You do. But if you put your faith in me, that he who desires to keep his life will lose it. But he who loses his life for my sake," Jesus says, "will find it." And when we say to the Lord, "I will die to myself because I deserve death,"42:45God says, "If you trust in me, you will find salvation." And maybe that's you today. Maybe you feel like the sea is behind you and the enemy is before you and you have no way out. Jesus Christ is the one that can part the sea and say you will pass through it from death into life. It is foolishness to believe that if you die, you will find life.43:13But for those who believe, the cross is a symbol of life and life eternal. So I'm asking you today, will you believe in Jesus as your sacrifice? Oh, what a glorious Savior that we have. You said, "Pastor, you don't understand what I've done, but he does." And he, while you were still sinners, Christ Jesus died for you. Oh, that we would find salvation in him.43:41And if that is you today, I invite you to respond. Right where you sit, you can put your faith in Christ. If I am a sinner, I deserve death, and Jesus Christ died for me that I might find life. I don't understand it, but I believe it, and I will speak it, and I will say with my mouth in front of these people, "He is my Lord." And whoever calls upon the name of the Lord, oh, will find the glories of salvation.44:05Maybe you're here today, and you feel like your life has taken that U-turn. And you need to spend some time reflecting, saying, "God, wash over me. God, I'm tired of turning the wrong way. God, I need your strength. I'm tired of fearing. Help me remember the promises." We're going to have a time of invitation. And before we take the Lord's Supper, I'm going to invite you to purify your heart44:33and to prepare your life of taking communion. The Bible says, "Do not eat this without thought. Do not drink judgment upon yourself, but may we have a pure heart and clean hands." So I invite you to spend time with the Savior. Cleanse your soul that we would eat and drink for the glory of the Lord. Let's pray, Father.More sermons on John →
