On the Western Shore

You may be seated. Thank you, Brad worship team. That was beautiful. Good morning. For those who don't know me, my name is Aaron Dodds.

I'm the pastor of student ministry here at Lifeline Community. Pastor Brian is on the road. Right now, I believe, driving back. From Ecola. He taught up there this past week up in Oregon.

Therefore, the bottle was spun to me to preach this morning.

So I have the glorious burden and purpose of bringing God's word to bear this morning by the grace of God.

So go ahead and get your Bibles queued up. We have a lot of text to cover. It won't be on the screen, so be sure to get it going. In Exodus chapter 14, we're going to spend the most of our time there this morning. If you don't have a Bible, there's one perhaps in the seat around you, underneath the basket, or back next to the worship or the sound booth.

And if you don't have a Bible, keep it. You need one. We all do. But before we get into our time in the Word, I want to begin by asking a question, which is something I usually do on a Wednesday night with the students, to help get. The mind and the heart kind of greased up to where we're heading this morning.

And regrettably, I won't be able to banter. back and forth like I do on a Wednesday night. But The question is. Have you ever fervently prayed? and waited for something specific.

You received a positive answer to that prayer that you were waiting for and asking God for. And then you found yourself responding poorly in the midst of experiencing it. I know at one level that question's rhetorical. Because I think everyone can say yes. to that question.

It's also easily just unconsidered and dismissed. As well. Like in the midst of you receiving it and then go, go, go, and then just being reactionary. which is how much of our life feels at times. But think about it.

How many of you at one point in your life Prayed. to the Lord multiple times. with fervency, asking him to give you a super godly spouse. Right? It would help you strengthen your walk with Him.

Someone you could serve the kingdom with and honor Christ with in all aspects of your relationship, promising Christ you'll treat them as He would in all ways. For those that don't have the gift or calling of singleness, that is an excellent prayer request, by the way. But Then you get the spouse. They oh. Right?

In those tough moments. You say, what the heck, God, this woman you gave me? Or this baboon of a dude I'm hitched to. What the heck, God? Again, when you experience the real challenges of marriage and begin to realize just how sinful your spouse is.

And I'll maybe kind of, yeah, you're a little sinful too sometimes, I guess. I guess there's a speck of sin in my eye. I get it. Yet in your sin and my sin and my pride.

sometimes. Prefer to treat your spouse Like a return item on Amazon marking not as described. It's true. You know it's true. Or you pray for the new job.

Or the promotion. Asking that God would grant it to you so you can continue to grow in the gifts that He's given you. And be a light to the coworkers and to your new customers and so on. And then you get the new job or you get the promotion. And then no time at all, you find reason to complain.

Write about how demanding your boss is, how that one coworker is so difficult. How you're not getting the recognition you deserve. Or how that customer didn't read your emails.

So now they're blaming things on you that that and saying things that aren't true. Or You pray for patience. And for the grace of God to come to fruition in your relationships with those who are lost or even really difficult friends and family members. Then you experience the next challenging get together. Or they continue to not respond to your texts or your calls the way you hope.

They're not changing the way you're lovingly trying to coach and ask them and mentor them in. They don't appreciate how or see how much you're trying to pursue them and be there for them. And then in your woundedness in your woundedness, you think, Well all right then. Forget it. I'm done.

I'm writing them off. I've tried. They're the problem.

So for me, A major And life-changing answer to fervent prayer and waiting and waiting for a long time for God to move was being able to adopt our son. For almost 11 years, Krista and I sought to have a child. We prayed. We fasted, we asked others to pray for us, we pursued a host of different medical routes and possibilities, pursued the foster care route. Got delayed because of COVID shutdowns.

Got our license eventually only to never ever get a placement through the agency. We kept praying. We kept waiting. And right as our foster license was set to expire in the coming months. We met our future son.

Even then though, I I kept my guard up, figuring it wasn't going to work out. Because of the bureaucracy, because of the negative pushback and bad communication we received from even those in the foster system saying it wasn't going to happen either. Then we can continue to experience delays. And appeals on the court side of things kept going on and on, waiting for the appeals to be granted or denied, and so on. Then, when we were approved for him to transition into our home for a hopeful adoption, we still experienced setbacks.

And the real possibility of, oh, oh, he's in your home, but okay, just kidding, we might send him somewhere else. Yet on and on while I was often overly focused. And fixed on the mess of the emotional roller coaster that that really was in so many ways. I wasn't focusing on how God was still providing. and providentially working things out in that.

All along the way. not only in the subjectively frustrating moments, but also in gifting us with a new house in that process. Not to mention the enormous financial gifts, not a loan, but a gift from family members so we can have a down payment for the house. A community here. to pray for us, encourage us, and support us in so many ways.

Donations and gifts of various kinds for many of you to be able to provide for our new son, caregivers that God provided while we were at work. helpful resources to coach and train us as parents of a child who's experienced Trauma and neglect. Even still. After a decade of longing and praying, and seeing the hand of God move all along in that process. and Him pointing us back to Him ultimately as our Sustainer and our Savior.

I still found ways and they often Painfully sanctifying moments of experiencing the realities of being sudden parents. Happened this morning too. What the heck, God? Did you bring us out here to die? I like the parts that are easy.

And fun. Yeah, there's great things in being a parrot, for sure. But not this part, not that part. Uh uh I really don't like that. It's taking it way too much from what I want to do, what I think I should be doing right now with my time.

It's not lining up with how I thought it would go. There's joy, but man There's also the bait of Satan. lying around far more often It's not me, it's them, right? On and on. You have those excuses.

And again, in our week. and are finite, intrinsically selfish, Lack of perfect knowledge and lack of complete control cells, that's all of us. That's how we often respond. to the work of God in our lives, is it not? Even in his work of salvation.

in our lives. We respond in doubt. Out of fear, despair, ingratitude, Rather than a yes, God, hallelujah, I trust you completely, even though I don't understand what you're doing. Undo me by any means possible. If it means less of me and more of you, I will be content every step of the way.

For four hundred years, plus, four hundred plus years. The Israelites lived in the land of Egypt where they eventually found themselves as slaves. to a brutal Pharaoh who knew not the name of Joseph. their ancestor from Genesis 37 through 50. Nor likely knew of nor cared about the divine promises.

associated to the Israelites that were under his oppression now. I'm referring to the promise God made to their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and that their people would become a great nation. Which they were doing in Egypt. That's why Pharaoh was getting A little disturbed. that he would inherit Canaan as their promised land.

And that ultimately a seed. from Abraham, a coming Saviour. Would defeat Satan and and through whom would bless all nations. That promise was about to be remembered by the ultimate promise keeper, the great I am. As it says in Exodus 2:23 through 25, it says, During those many days the king of Egypt died.

And the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God, and God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel, and God knew.

So where we're going to pick up in Exodus 14. is a pivotal and central point of their deliverance, of their exodus. And it's a foretaste, it was a foretaste of ours as Christians. And that God's response to their prayers and the unfolding of His promise, the Israelites have already encountered. Moses, before we get to fourteen, they've met Moses already, many of whom they don't Trust Moses.

They don't believe in Moses, they don't even like Moses. They turn on him and blame him at the drop of a dreidel. It's like, boom, Moses, it's your fault. At this point. They've already witnessed.

The powerful hand of God. On full display through the ten plagues of Egypt, that's happened already. And have finally been declared free. Huh. Bye Pharaoh.

And as we'll see in our text this morning, at the very first onset, of said distress and distrust in God ultimately, They experienced they're on the western shore of the Red Sea. What appears to be a trap. according to their perception. And they too, like you and me, much of the time, they react out of fear. A discomfort.

out of distrust in God as they forget His promises. And they show their disbelief. and his providence and his power To make a way for deliverance according to His will and present presence. He is with them. And it's in their distress that they cry out again, and they soon find themselves as spectators.

That's important for spectators. and God's merciful work. of rescuing and redeeming an undeserving distrusting Unfaithful people.

Sound familiar? And yet they're still God's chosen people.

Now as we read it, We have the opportunity to consider when our false idols of safety, Of control, of comfort. And expectations, ooh, yeah. Are revealed through the providential and the distressing circumstances of life. Do we really believe? that our biggest problem has been solved on Christ on the cross.

The biggest problem. Do we trust him and believe that he is with us always? through his indwelling and empowering Holy Spirit. Or do we really long to live under the enslavement? of our former slave master who was actually crushed under the waters of judgment.

Let's go back there. Or should we hold fast? And cling to God even more when the realities of living in the present condition of a fallen world. In the wilderness. Remind us that we are still being saved.

in the wilderness. We are continuously being sanctified and set free from the power of sin.

So let's read it. And then afterwards, I'll share four points of application or reminders. That this text speaks to today as we reside on this side. of our great exodus or deliverance by the hand of God through the work of Christ. And by way of prelude, we're actually going to start in chapter 13, verse 17.

Whereafter God inflicted the ten plagues upon Egypt and Pharaoh, And God's sovereignty, Pharaoh has finally let the Israelites go under the leadership of Moses and the visual presence and guidance of God himself.

So let's read. Chapter 13, verse 17. When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near and much a quicker route actually to Canaan. For God said, Lest these people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt. But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea.

And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle. And in a great display of God's faithfulness, God, or Moses, took the bones of Joseph with him. For Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from there, which you can read in Genesis 50, 24 through 25.

Okay. And they moved on from Sukkoth and encamped at Etham. on the edge of the wilderness. And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud and led them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light. that they might travel by day and by night.

The pillar Of the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.

So through the pillar. of cloud and fire The Holy One was in their midst. As their constant companion and leader, From the very, very onset of their journey, he's there. As they obeyed God, He's led them around the desert road, and now He's led them straight. to what seems like a life-threatening trap.

And in a lot of senses it was. Verse 1 chapter 14. Then the LORD said to Moses, Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Piath Hiroth. in between Migdal and the sea, and in front of Baal Zaphan. You shall encamp facing it.

By the sea, for Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, they are wandering in the land. The wilderness has shut them in. Ha! Idiots. How foolish the Israelites look in following their God.

They're trapped. And I, God, will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his hosts. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord. And they did so. When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed towards the people, and they said, What is this we have done?

That we have let Israel go from serving us. Our workforce has gone, which means our economy is about to plummet.

So he made ready his chariot, and took his army with him, and took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly. The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh's horses and chariots, and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them, encamped. At the sea by Piahiroth, in front of Baal Zephon, where God directed them to go and encamp.

So when Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly, oh so not as defiantly as they thought earlier, when circumstances were a little better. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. And they said to Moses, Is this because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we have said to you in Egypt?

Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die. in the wilderness. And Moses said to the people, Fear not. Stand firm.

And see the salvation of the Lord, which He will work for you today. For the Egyptians, whom you see today, you shall never see again. And the Lord will fight for you. You only have to be silent. or still in some translations.

The Lord said to Moses, Why do you cry out to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. Lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his hosts, his chariots and his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.

Then the angel of God, who was going before the hosts of Israel via the pillar of cloud, there. moved and went behind them and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them Coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was this cloud and the darkness, and it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night. God's protecting presence in the cloud brought light for Israel and darkness for Egypt. Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night.

It made the sea dry, and the waters were divided. And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, thanks to the eastern winds. the waters being a wall to them on their right and on their left. The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. And in the morning, Watch the Lord and the pillar of fire and the cloud look down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into panic.

clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, Let us flee from before Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.

So it contrasted with the fear that the Israelites had towards the Egyptians earlier. Then the LORD said to Moses, Stretch out your hand over the sea. That the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon the chariots, upon their horsemen.

So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the Lord threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. just like he had done with the army of locusts earlier. Into the sea they go. The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen of all the hosts of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea.

Not one of them remained. But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians. And Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the sea shore, just bodies washing up. Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord.

And they believed in the Lord and his servant Moses. Amen. What a phenomenal passage of scripture. One that's been preached on in a host of different ways over the centuries. Granted, this passage is challenging.

Very challenging to preach because it could be structured and taught a thousand and one different ways. and numerous points of application. And I'm only going to touch on four. That we can derive from this text. And the first being that Exodus 14 reminds us that salvation is of the Lord.

The story of God's work in the book of Exodus. Especially on the western shore of the Red Sea, first and foremost speaks to the historical act. of God's work of salvation. Both in the Israelites' moment there on the shore, and again, as it is a foreshadowing. and a type pointing to our own salvation that we have in Christ.

The Exodus as a whole serves as a sweeping metanarrative metaphor for salvation at large throughout the Bible. and which finds its ultimate culmination in the person and the work of Jesus. As he leads us out of sin, and captivity through his perfect life death, resurrection, and ascension. And while on the western shore in verses 13. 14 God told the people through Moses to fear not Stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will work for you today.

For the Egyptians whom you see today you shall never see again. Verse 14: Again, the Lord will fight for you. You only have to be silent again, or still.

So, how are the Israelites going to see the salvation of the Lord? perform for them And without them, By faith. And watching God do it. Not by drawing the sword. Like Peter would try to do when Jesus was working out the greater Exodus.

through his coming death on a cross. Not by works. Our salvation is achieved by God alone. And through faith. And in our utter despair, When we enter into it.

And like we see in our text, as the Israelites reacted, and fear and then panic. No one ever comes to Christ. until the point of desperation has been reached. Or are you still sufficient, so you don't really need? That you your your things are good.

Or no, I I need I need God. Like the Israelites, we must realize that we cannot defeat our sin on our own or add to our deliverance. We are too weak. We are too helpless. We are defenseless.

We are dead in our sins. to do so on our own. We need someone greater. and far more powerful to enact what we are disqualified and incapable of accomplishing. We must cast ourselves in a helpless estate.

upon his mercy and power to do what we cannot. And as the Israelites on the western shore were promised, they experienced salvation the same way that we do today. Not by works. But by grace through faith alone, as we rely solely on the work of our Savior, Jesus Christ alone, as it says. In Ephesians 2, 8 through 9.

For by grace you have been saved, not through for By grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God. Not a result of works so that no one may boast. It's a gift. Gift. Not a payment.

Oh, you did enough good. Here you go. It's a gift. Pastor Brian emphasized like this on Easter Sunday, actually. In Christ's transfiguration, it's recorded in Luke 9.

We see Moses and Elijah appear. talking with Jesus about his upcoming deliverance. Or Exodus. and what he was about to accomplish for his people through his death. Resurrection and ascension, Christ alone is our Exodus.

Additionally, 1 Corinthians 10. One through two. The Apostle Paul saw Israel's march through the Red Sea as their baptism into Moses. Pointing to the baptism that we have in Christ. As the Israelites in Exodus 14, 22 went down literally and symbolically into death came up alive, it points us to the reception of resurrection life that believers today have in Christ.

Israel's journey through the water, which brought them to birth as a nation under the leadership of Moses. Buried their past and drowned the enemies in the waters of the same sea that God would use to redeem them. Paul says that Israel was baptized not just in the sea but also In the cloud. They were immersed in the water and also in the glory cloud of God's Spirit. Just like the Corinthian believers and believers today are.

And lastly, and if I'm repeating myself, good, that's the point. The ultimate fulfillment of what happened in Exodus 14. Is what Christians today enjoy because of what Jesus Christ accomplished. This is what Isaiah prophesied about in that they could forget the former things. And what happened at that Red Sea?

And place their hope. in and behold the new. Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, who brings forth chariot and horse, and army and warrior, lie down and they cannot rise, they are extinguished, quenched like a wick. Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing.

Now it springs forth. Do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness, and the rivers. In the desert. There's an expectation here.

That those who are going to be rescued in the second Exodus through the work of Christ. Will not be like the Israelites of old. Rather, those rescued in the Exodus of the new covenant as initiated by the completed work of Jesus Christ will enter into a greater rest, an eternal Rest. which we ought not to neglect. Like the Exodus generation in the Old Testament would come to neglect.

through their extended time in the wilderness. That's what Paul speaks to more in 1 Corinthians 10. uses the Exodus generation as a warning to new covenant Christians. Don't be like them. Don't harden your hearts.

You're in the wilderness. Don't harden your hearts. Same for me. Again, our salvation is of the Lord. It's the same today.

as it was in Exodus fourteen. That is what it means to be rescued by God from our enslaving sin. to stand and behold And to believe that the Lord fights for us. That Christ really has accomplished the work. and that he died on the cross for your sins.

that he is alive. That he is arisen from the grave, and that if you repent of your sins, And if you trust in him, you will be saved. When it comes to your own salvation, We can't do a thing. But be still and trust. in God.

We can't do enough good deeds. Can't read your Bible enough to curry the love of God? You can't even feel bad enough for your sins. It's by his grace alone. through faith directed at Christ alone.

that he rescues us. It is by His grace alone, again, directed At Christ alone, that he rescues us. I hope you heard that. He has fought the ultimate battle for us, and he has prevailed. Can I get a hallelujah?

The call to be still. opens up a world of peace. and relief. If we truly rest in his ability, and actually his responsibility. to rescue his people.

For instance We're responsible. for sharing the gospel with others. Yes. But we're not responsible for their salvation. We must leave that to God.

And be still. That includes the salvation of those that you love the most. Once you would just be devastated if you knew that they were spending eternity in hell. You trust God with their salvation. We're also responsible for our own sin.

But we're not responsible for achieving our own forgiveness. We must leave that to God as well. Be still and rest in Him. Amen. Moving on to our second reminder from Exodus 14.

We're reminded of God's providential purposings. The rescue on the western shore of the Red Sea was effected By a combination of the divine, wonderful, extraordinary displays and power. and the ordinary, the seemingly mundane average things. The longer wilderness route the Lord was leading them on. Rather than the quicker route through the Philistine territory.

The waters That were split by the rod of Moses and the strong wind that blew all night that made the path through the waters dry. The confusion and the panic of the Egyptians that they experienced. along with just the clogging of their chariot wheels so that they drove heavier in the mud. And the waters that stood up as walls on the left and the right. Yet the Egyptians that were drowned in those same waters when they returned back to normal.

There was never a moment when the event was simply understood as just ordinary. Nor was there a moment when the supernatural absorbed the natural. Israel witnessed the mighty work of God through the ordinary. and the supernatural. It was all providentially purposeful, and God working out His glory.

and their redemption. This reminds us that nothing Nothing. ever touches us except by God's determination. In accordance with his will. And in order to achieve his purpose, I know this is hard to hold on to if you're in the midst of intense affliction or suffering, but it's super important to grasp.

And that suffering is an indicator of where we live. This side of heaven and the wilderness. It's not an indicator of the failed love of our Savior. It's not. Don't believe the lie that it is.

If you have you have not been singled out in that sense. God hasn't turned his back on you. He's too great. And too perfect, and he loves us too much to allow us to. to experience anything that separates us from his love and care.

If you're his child, nothing will separate you. from the love of God. Maybe you're Currently under the rot of discipline. But that experience has never detached from his steadfast love and presence. This means that at every point of your life, of my life, There's an opportunity for growth.

and a deepening delight and dependence upon God. Not a dependence on your own strength. On your own control. or for your own ends. where our hearts can easily harden against God.

So, in recalling earlier how God worked out the process of us coming to adopt our son. Earlier on in the timeline when it was Clearly we'd be moving him into our home for then hopeful adoption. We expected to have that happen in late May. which would have been ideal. According to our work schedules, and that Krista would be done with school and be home for the summer break, which would give us an ideal opportunity and an ideal setting to begin bonding with him.

How does it be Present consistently rather than are you here? Are you gone? Who is this? Why am I having this? What's happening here?

It would kind of help us with that and equip us to establish some new routines with him as well. But that's not how it happened. At the time It was mid-March. And so we were told within a couple days, actually, we'd be picking him up that weekend.

So not in May. And Krista will be home and could create a more ideal welcoming environment to make it a smoother transition, according to our definition of that. Oh, in the in that weekend in March that we were told we'd pick 'em up. My back went out. Capital O U T.

It was bad. And Remy at the time was still using a crib. You need a lot of carrying around a fair amount of the time.

So? Did we worry and stress about how us not being able to be home consistently for the first month and a half might fed our bonding time with him? Might it make his transition perhaps a bit more unstable? Did that cross our mind, do you think? Uh-huh.

Every day, multiple times? Did I complain? They get frustrated about my back being at the same time we'd be moving him in. You betcha. Much like the Israelites.

And all of us. I had an expectation of how things would go. For me, in that after nearly eleven years at that point. of not having a child. The actual fulfillment of that week, and now being able to care for my child and being able to be physically engaging with him and nurture him.

would be much different. Than how I thought it would be. Instead of it quickening my faith and dependence on God, It's I strained it. I stranded. with bemoaning.

And complaining about the particular ways and how, under God's providence, And his will It was all working out contrary to how I hoped it would. Paul Tripp, he speaks well to this in a book entitled Suffering. I know it's dense. But it's worth it.

So he says If you believe that God is not only in control of the grand movements of human history, but also in control of the particular details of your life. And if you believe that what is out of your control is under his control. Then it is important to understand that there's no such thing as a purely horizontal complaint. If I am complaining about the insensitivity of my physician, about the lack of attention I'm getting from my pastor. And the fact that my friends lack sympathy and understanding.

I'm not just complaining about those people. but also about the God who ordained all of them to be in my life. And the more I am comfortable with complaint being the normal language in my life. The more likely that lifestyle of complaint will morph into direct accusations against God. And when that happens...

We've gotten beyond simply saying that life stinks. Complaining has carried us further down the road where we say, My life stinks because God is not good. Or, like the Israelites would later say in the wilderness, because the Lord hated us. He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to give us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us. What a critique of the character.

and the purpose of God, but also what a completely distorted sense of reality. Those true things that you feel when you're just in the midst of it, is that really true? Or are you experiencing a distortion? But Exodus 14 Speaks to the intense testing that all genuine faith in the Lord will undergo. Yeah.

As he saves us again, he saves us into wilderness. They were saved into wilderness. They weren't saved into the promised land, were they? They were saved in the wilderness. We're not saved right to heaven, are we?

Oh, we're saved. Here still in the here and now. into challenges. They're always deep. and providential purposes of a loving God always at work.

As he calls us to obedient faith and a reliance upon him.

So when the Israelites panicked, And they wrongly blamed Moses for bringing them out of Egypt just so they could now die on the shore. They were first and foremost complaining and distrusting God and his will. They had a distorted sense of reality. and of the character of God. Yet God still rescued them.

as he still does with his unfaithful. often kicking and screaming people, does he not? God's providential care. And his purposes are evident in him planning ahead for all of our needs, just like. the lilies of the field and the birds of the air.

And in him offering us his solutions. And his sufficiency that's only found, guess where? In him.

So while things take us by surprise, Constantly. Nothing takes God by surprise. We may be unprepared for the level of difficulty we experience in our path. But never God, never unprepared. Left to ourselves.

Our circumstances and trials would be More than we could bear. But we are never left to ourselves. And our overwhelming burden always carries a greater purpose. As Paul said in 2 Corinthians 1, 8 through 10. We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia.

For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength. That we despaired of life itself Like, is this gonna kill us? I feel like it's gonna kill us. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death.

So, why did Paul and others experience such debilitating hardships and feel like they were going to die? But that was to make us rely not on ourselves, but on God who raises the dead. That's why. He delivered us from such a deadly peril. And he will deliver us.

On Him we have set our hope that He will deliver us again.

So, if you've picked up the Christian mantra, God will never give you more than you can bear. I hope this passage In 2 Corinthians and in Exodus 14 this morning, shows you how very untrue that is. And my request of you is to please remove it from your catalog of encouraging quips. Don't say it ever again. Because it actually minimizes.

The real difficulties that we experience in the higher purposes of God in pointing us to Him. As he sustains us during our trials and afflictions, that are indeed more than we. can bear on our own and apart from his grace. God has planned the route through the wilderness that we take. and the difficulties that we incur.

He's with us every step of the way. Calling us to depend on him. And to trust him. even when we don't understand or especially don't like it. Which is our third point this morning, in that Exodus 14 reminds us to trust.

And the Lord. Because salvation is from God alone, And because he is providentially working everything out, We can we can and we should. Trust him.

So rather than give in to panic, And disbelief in the goodness and the sovereignty of God, we can live in the way of grace. And rest assured that he promises to never leave us or forsake us. He doesn't promise to remove you from certain problems and certain difficulties, that Thorn might still be there. But it's there to point you back to him. to rely on his grace.

The same presence and power of God. as visually displayed and represented by the theophany. The pillar of cloud or fire in our text, God literally there. The same pillar. And that literal presence of God that moved behind the Israelites to protect them from the Egyptians.

As it says in Isaiah 63, 11 through 12, if you're in Christ, That same divine presence is in you now. Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. As Jesus said in John 14:16 through 17, as Paul said in Romans 8:9. He's still cashing out our salvation. Still.

The salvation that He achieved for us at Calvary and is empowering us through His Spirit for His kingdom come and His will be done. and the here and now. He continues to guide us every day. Every day as we live as exiles in the wilderness. Leading us through on mission for him.

And onward to our final crossing. at the Jordan River. But we enter the promised rest. in His eternal and heavenly presence. There's another crossing.

Have you thought about that? The bookends with the crossings? From and to. It's fascinating. One thing we've been talking about in youth group lately and going through the book of Galatians is the continuing need of the Spirit, even in our sanctification.

It's easy to think that you're being sanctified because, well, I'm doing this, I'm doing this, so I'm being sanctified because I'm doing this, I'm doing these good things, I'm obeying my Bible, going to church, worshiping. That doesn't sanctify you, friends. It does not sanctify you. The Holy Spirit sanctifies you. Those good deeds, those good things, the obeying and stepping out and using the spiritual disciplines that we're called to do.

If they're apart from the gospel, what are they? Nothing. Those things sit on top of the gospel and the reliance of the Holy Spirit all along the way. The Holy Spirit is still sanctifying you, not you. That's the work of God still leading in the wilderness.

Again, he doesn't promise us a life of comfort in the here and now. Or a great health. More just incoming wealth. Relationships that never experienced strife. or a perfect local church.

Or a spouse that doesn't expect us to apologize first and who thinks our reasons are always right and better than theirs. You might think that sounds obvious, like, well yeah. But whether if you're aware of it or not We live like that a lot of the time. But that thought process, somewhere in the back. But those assumptions projected in all different directions.

We idolize and we trust the status quo. of what we think we're in control of. the preferential circumstances of life. Rather than on Christ and what He wills for our lives. That's why When we do experience difficulty, Or discomfort.

What's the first reaction? It's typically poor. or altogether sinful. We ex we experience what's called theological amnesia. If you will, we forget who God is.

and what it means to really trust him by faith. And when that happens. You lose motivation, you lose hope. You lose courage. You find ourselves not only not trusting in God, but also living in unbelief of his character.

He's not good. That he's not loving. If you forget his promises that he's with you, he's working it out.

Now he is the one willing things. He's going to work out. It's according to his will, not ours. Though he's with us always, we think that we're helpless and all alone. An unfortunate characteristic of unbelief.

Is it that it has a way of erasing from our memory all the displays of God's great power? And work in our lives, and we forget all of the instances that we truly have known or experienced: that He is faithful, that He is good, that He will never abandon us. We forget that when it's tough, don't we? That's why God kept telling them: build pillars, build this, remember. Don't forget what I've done for you.

Because we forget. All the time. As the Peer Minister John Flava put it. The spring and cause of fear is unbelief and the security of divine promises. If believers only thoroughly understood how dear they are to God, what value they are in his eyes And how well they are secured by His faithful promises and gracious presence.

they would not tremble at every noise and appearance of danger. Do you understand that to be true for you? How much God really does love, He is with constantly. No matter the affliction, no matter the duration, how long, O Lord? No matter the severity, I'm to the point of death, like Paul was saying.

of the disappointment and the sorrows. We incur. If you are a Christian, You are one of the best of people. Because He's made you his own and his inheritance through the life. the death and resurrection and ascension of his Son Christ Jesus.

Not because you're just good and special and wonderful for nobody, but because God says you're his. You're the best of people because of who God says you are. Trust in him. and delight in the promise that He is yours and you are His. In closing.

The fourth reminder that we see in Exodus 14 is that all praise and glory goes to God alone. As God had told Moses multiple times, throughout the Exodus N and 14 that we see. That everything that he was working out in the redemption of the Israelites. and in the defeat of the Egyptians was ultimately for his glory and honor. While the Israelites were still on the western shore of the Red Sea, God did not wait for them to have perfect faith.

Or to trust perfectly in him before he saved them. If you had done that first, they probably never would have been rescued.

Okay. Rather, God took the initiative. God saved them when they could not save themselves. Their praise and gratitude to God, which you can read about in the next chapter in Exodus 15. It's a huge praise of what God just did.

That's in proportion to their understanding of how dire their situation really was on the Western Shore. And how powerfully they saw God's deliverance unfold before them. How do you imagine you'd respond? Let's say here's a scenario. You're trapped in a burning building.

Smoldering beams crushed your legs now, making it impossible for you to get out. You feel that the heat of the flames is getting closer, it's getting hotter and hotter. The smoke? It's only getting thicker. clogging your lungs and blinding your eyes, you can't even see anymore, can't keep your eyes open.

In a matter of minutes, you'll be dead. Then suddenly at the last second Your rescuer comes and carries you out of the building, rises that's begin to come down on top of you. How Should you respond to the one who rescued you? To the one who's Still rescuing you. You're still being saved.

How do you respond?

Well, if you recognize the severity of what happened, you would be on your knees. thanking him. I've often wondered what would it be like If we're in a workshop setting like we were this morning, If for a moment We could see and experience the full wrath of God in hell. Like actually S boom. You whoa.

Oh my gosh, praise God for saving me. What would that do to us and how we worship him? He's still saving you from that. Still Hmm. You have been saved, you are being saved, and you will be saved.

It was in proportion to how they saw their plight and the power of God in their lives. God's power is still at work in you. The events of Exodus 14 are referenced throughout many of the Psalms. And serve as a reminder to praise God for the salvation that He alone achieved for His people. In Psalm 77, in particular, you can turn there if you'd like.

I'm not going to read it, I don't have time, but you can go there. The events of Exodus 14 served as a very needed reminder and objective truth.

Now did it yet happen? in the midst of a very difficult season of life. that our biggest problem really has been solved. That's not a trite statement like it feels when you're in the midst of it. Oh, that's just trite.

No. That's a true statement. The real problems in life that we're still experiencing are real, it's genuine. It's not discrediting any of that. But our deepest Your eternal problem, our sin and due wrath from God, and eternal separation from Him.

which we could never atone for on our own. Yeah, that problem. That's been solved by Christ alone. Amen? It's important to recall that reality when you're out of tears, you're all dried up, you can't cry anymore.

When you're numb. to the felt presence of God. You just feel apathetic being here, huh? on a Sunday. The upbeat worship songs that we sing every Sunday kind of just seem to mock you in your plight.

If that's you, if you feel that way. Then please take yourself in hand. And by the grace of God, preach the gospel to yourself. As the psalmist in 77 says, I will remember the deeds of the Lord. He doesn't say, I'll feel positively first.

I'm going to have a warm feeling first, and then I'll remember what God's done. No, he calls the true deeds of character and of God to mind, even right after acknowledging he's questioning God's love and care. And he still responds and prays all the same. As I mentioned earlier, we can look back to God's redemptive acts. But we look back.

to the cross. Until the resurrection of Christ. The ultimate deliverance that the exodus only pointed to and foreshadowed. The Exodus, the cross, and the resurrection are are objective displays in history that God is for us.

However we feel Whatever's happening. whatever our circumstances are, or as near to death as it may feel or be at times. We can, and we still should, sing of God's goodness and greatness. For we stand on the eastern side of the sea now. Rejoicing in the new covenant afforded to us by Christ Jesus alone.

So please stand with me. In prayer, as we respond, as the worship team comes out, we're going to declare. The greatness of God. Lord, I thank you for your goodness. or for your steadfast love and presence.

Well that is a gift. And a gift afforded to us only because of who you are and what you've done for us on Calvary. We thank you, we praise you. Even when it's hard, help us to thank you and to praise you. Help us to trust you, help us to sing out.

Even when we don't feel it, even when we're really struggling. Or even when we're distracted by just even the good circumstances. Help us to be fixed on you. Because you are with us, you are good, and you are working it out for your will. In your name, I pray Jesus, amen.