With me to Exodus chapter 14,
Exodus chapter 14. I like to just read the last
two verses in the chapter here because the last two verses are
a summary of what's taken place. And it's a familiar passage to
you. But verses 30 and 31 of Exodus 14, we read, Thus the
Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians.
And Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the seashore, and Israel
saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians.
And the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord and His
servant Moses." This miracle at the Red Sea is referred to
often throughout the Scripture because it is a demonstration
of God's great power and great grace. That's what's required
to save a sinner, God's great power and great grace. It's a
picture of the salvation of the redeemed. And Moses afterwards,
chapter 15, he leads the children of Israel in a song of praise
to God. Look, if you will, at verse 9
of chapter 15, referring to Pharaoh. The enemy said, I will. Now listen
to this. The enemy said, I will pursue,
I will overtake, I will divide the spoil. My lust shall be satisfied
upon them. I will draw my sword. My hand
shall destroy them. Pretty bold talk. Pretty bold
talk. But look, if you will, at verse
28 back in chapter 14. And the waters returned. This
is God's will. and the waters returned and covered
the chariots and the horsemen and all the hosts of Pharaoh
that came into the sea. After them there remained not
so much as one of them." Whose will prevailed? Whose will determined
the outcome? It wasn't Pharaoh. He was a mighty
king, was, but he was not the king of kings or lord of lords. God's will prevailed, it always
does. Look at verse 29 of chapter 14.
But, but. I love that word. So often we
find it in God's word, but. Blessed, blessed intervention
of his sovereign grace. But God. Does that matter? Does that make any difference?
Is that a factor at all? Absolutely. The only reason the
children of Israel walked on dry ground while Pharaoh was
drowned was because God. God made a difference. He told
Moses, tell them that they may know God puts a difference between
Israel and the Egyptians. Thank God for his sovereign,
distinguishing grace. Paul said, I was a blasphemer.
I was a persecutor, I was injurious, but by the grace of God I am
what I am. I dare say, and it's not a dare
after all really, pretty safe to say that all of you, like
me, on a Friday night, on a beautiful spring evening, this would be
the last place you would have been found but for the grace
of God. Any place but here. Oh, but grace
has made us to differ. As Paul said, we were once dead
in trespasses and sins in Ephesians chapter two, that very familiar
passage. Let me read a few verses to you.
Wherein in times past you walked according to the course of this
world, according to the prince of the power of the air. The
spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience among
whom also we all. every one of us, had our conversation
in times past in the lust of the flesh, fulfilling the desires
of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children
of wrath even as others. Just like everyone else. Thank
God it doesn't stop there. But God. But God. But God didn't leave this sinner
there. He didn't leave me where I wanted
to be. I loved the darkness, hated the
light, and would still be in darkness. But God, Mike, but
God. Someone asked me, why would God
save you? I don't know. I don't know. It just pleased
him to do so. But God, who is rich in mercy.
For his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were
dead in sin, hath quickened us together with Christ. For by
grace are ye saved." Yes, God makes the difference. Look at
verse 13 in Exodus 15. Included in this song of praise
to God, the children of Israel sing this. Verse 13, Thou and
thy mercy. has led forth the people which
thou hast redeemed. Thou hast guided them in thy
strength unto thy holy habitation." It doesn't speak of everyone,
does it? He led forth the same people
that he redeemed. The same ones were in the house
with the blood of the Passover lamb sprinkled upon the doorpost
and the lintel. These same people that were redeemed
are brought forth through the red See, not a different people. Redemption, unless those who
are redeemed are in time brought forth, are called by God's mighty
grace, redemption wouldn't mean a thing. Wouldn't mean a thing
otherwise. Oh, but thank God, the blood
of Jesus Christ, God's Son, was not shed in vain. Was not shed
in vain. He leads forth the people which
He had redeemed. God had highly exalted him. Why? Why? He humbled himself
and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross,
Philippians 2. And in the next verse we read,
wherefore? Wherefore? Not because Christ failed. Not because he merely attempted
to do something. Oh no, because he obtained eternal
redemption for us. Wherefore, God exalted him and
gave him a name above every name. The theme of this song in chapter
15 of Exodus is the glory of God. Look at verse 1. Then sang
Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and
spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord. Oh, don't you like
this, child of God? I will sing unto the Lord, for
he hath triumphed gloriously. He always does, doesn't he? He always does. The horse and
his rider hath he thrown into the sea. The song praises God,
not man. It gives the glory to the one
from whom they received all the grace. Not unto us, O Lord, not
unto us, but unto thy namesake give glory for thy mercy. And
for thy truth's sake, as we said, the last two verses of chapter
14 just sums up what had taken place. Some of us remember a
fellow by the name of Walter Cronkite. Remember him? Years
ago, he was an anchor on one of the evening news broadcasts. And every evening after delivering
the day's news, he would end his broadcast the same way with
the same words. He would say, and that's the
way it is, and give the day. And this is what we read here.
Thus God saved Israel. That's the way it was. The Lord
saved Israel that day. If there is a sinner, Tonight
or tomorrow or Sunday, if God Almighty is pleased, then I pray
that He is. If He's pleased to reach down
the hand of His omnipotent grace and pick some sinner up out of
the miry clay, out of that horrible pit, and set him up on the solid
rock That foundation of everlasting acceptance, Jesus Christ himself,
if that takes place, it will be because thus the Lord did
it. It won't be done any other way
because salvation is of the Lord. Someone asked me the other day,
what do you mean by that? Which part of salvation? I said
all the parts. All of them. All the parts are
of the Lord. My granddaughter. when she was
a couple years younger, and she's only seven now, but she would
get a storybook and climb up on my lap, Marvin, one of my
favorite things, and she would start to read. Pop, I'm going
to read you a story. I'd say, well, have at it. And
she'd start to read, and she'd come across the word that was
a little bit too much for her. But she wouldn't ask me to pronounce
it. She would just try and try. And then she'd look up at me
and say, Paul, Paul, that's a big word. And God's salvation, that's
a big word. It's a big work. It's a great work requiring great
grace for great sinners. I couldn't help remembering Brother
Scott Richardson, how often I heard him say he would lean over a
pulpit wherever he was preaching and say, I wonder, is there any
sinners in the house? Is there a great sinner here
tonight requiring God's great grace? Look at verse 31. And Israel saw that great work
which the Lord did upon the Egyptians. May God be pleased to allow us
to see that great work this weekend. woman under conviction of sin,
seeking God's mercy and grace, prayed, O Father, O God, if you'll
have mercy on me, if you'll forgive this undeserving sinner, you'll
never hear the end of it. You'll never hear the end of
it. I'll never quit thanking you for it. And the people, we
read in verse 31, feared the Lord. They feared the Lord. They stood
in wonder and awe before such a God as that. The hymn writer
expressed it this way. He said, and when I think that
God, His Son not sparing, sent Him to die, I scarce can take
it in. I can't either. I scarce can
take it in, that on the cross, my burden gladly bearing, he
bled and died to take away my sins, and he took them all away."
What a joy it must have been for Moses to stand on the other
side of the Red Sea and see all of their enemies destroyed, but
more than that, to see all Israel safe on the other side. What
a joy it must have been to him. What a comfort. John is on the Isle of Patmos,
and he is, it's open before him a vision
of a multitude that no man can number. And the elder asked him,
who are these, John, that are arrayed in white robes, and where
did they come from? And John said, sir, thou knowest.
And he said to me, these are they which came out of great
tribulation. and have washed their robes and
made them white in the blood of the Lamb." My soul, what an
evidence of God's amazing grace. They all came out. Has there
ever been a war, a conflict of any duration whatsoever in which
there weren't casualties? No, there are always casualties.
Not here. The great shepherd of the sheep
loses none. It will be the boast of King
Jesus in that day, Father. They're all here. They're all
here. I lost none. When these services
are over, I pray that we'll stand with
a renewed appreciation of God's mercy and grace and stand in
holy awe of Him. the captain of our salvation,
our great God and Savior, and in heartfelt worship leave here
exclaiming what they did. Who is like unto thee, O Lord,
among the gods? Who is like thee? Glorious in
holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders. Amen. Let's pray together. Heavenly
Father, Thank you.