Okay, I am going to get started. Turn with me to Exodus. 14. Exodus 14. I'm going to read
verses 15 through 16. I mean 15 and 16. How about that? For now. The Lord shall fight for you
and you shall hold your peace. And the Lord said unto Moses,
wherefore Christ thou unto me, wherefore Christ thou unto me,
speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward. The children of Israel were slaves
in Egypt and now they are here in this place. having been delivered
by God by blood, when he manifests that lamb slain to every family
where the blood was applied. This is the work that allowed
the people to begin their journey. Not only did Pharaoh let them
go, but they gave them all that would be needed and more. Go back to Exodus 12 for a minute. Exodus 12, verses 35 and 36. Exodus 12, verse 35. And the children of Israel did
according to the word of Moses, and they borrowed of the Egyptians
jewels of silver and jewels of gold and raiment. And the Lord
gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that
they lent unto them such things as they required, and they spoiled
the Egyptians." They basically said, here, take
it and get out. But now is that time when Pharaoh
has had his heart hardened by God, and he changes his mind. Verse five of Exodus 14 says,
and it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled, and the
heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people.
And they said, why have we done this that we have let Israel
go from serving us? The Egyptians at one time were
asking them to go, giving them everything they needed or asked
for to get out. but now the Israelites are being
pursued. The enemy has come right where
the people of God are. This enemy we cannot escape from
on our own. They know us because we have
been in bondage to them for a long time. This bondage we know is
of ourselves. We all are, as we are born in
Adam, going about to establish our own righteousness. We have
no problem with doing, doing, doing. That is this flesh, it
eats it up. This flesh gets a half of doing,
and when it starts to come down from that, it cries for more,
more, more. In our flesh, this is where we
long to be by nature. We love it in our flesh. Even
still today, this flesh wants to do. But as we see in this
passage, there comes a time when it comes to God's people where
he will cause his people to stand still and see his salvation. When he does, God's enemies will
be gone. So let's talk about today, God
causing his people to stand still and moving forward. So what do we see when we are
made to stand still? God in his almighty wise design
causes us to be between a rock and a hard place, so to speak.
What do we see when we are made to stand still? We see that which
would destroy us behind us, that which is corrupt, that which
we are in bondage to. The Egyptians have sent the Israelites
away with all their goods. God has hardened Pharaoh's heart
once more, and Pharaoh has basically brought all of Egypt with him,
and in their mind, they're going to destroy Israel. Israel has
just left Egypt. I don't know how long it was.
I didn't try to figure that out. But the Egyptians have now overtaken
them, it says. That means they've caught up
with them. What did the Israelites see behind them? A powerful war
machine ready to destroy. They see bondage because that
is all that comes from that enemy. But then on the other hand, they
look forward and what do they see? Judgment. Water in the scripture at least
several times indicates the judgment of God. Remember Noah and the
ark? The waters came and anyone not
in the ark, that is, those outside of the ark, were destroyed. God
will put you in a place where you cannot move. Moving backward,
you will certainly see the result is going to be death. And moving
forward, you will be consumed of God. On both sides are mountains. As Robert Hawker says, you have
the mountains of your sin on the right hand and the left.
We have nowhere to go, that's where God puts us. So he causes
you to stand still. But where is God in all of this?
Where is God during this time? He is between you and the enemy
behind, verse 19. Verse 19. and the angel of God which went
before the camp of Israel removed and went behind them and the
pillar of the cloud went from before their face and stood behind
them. God will put himself between
you and the enemy of God. The enemy will not be able to
see or to know what God's doing. And because of that, the enemy
will not be able to know and see what you are doing. God protects
His people. He will keep them safe until
He ultimately reveals His salvation to us. That salvation is Himself
in the face of Jesus Christ. But until we are revealed this
salvation, all we can see is the enemy behind and the judgment
of God in front of us and our sin on both sides. God has promised
in his word that he will never leave us or forsake us. God is
eternal, so this promise is for all eternity. Eternity past,
eternity present, and eternity future, if you will. At no time
will he forsake his people. We have sinned greatly against
him, but it isn't about us. It is about him who saves such
sinners. It is all about who he is and
what he has done, is doing, and shall do. God is always between
us and the enemy, even when that enemy is ourselves. You mess with God's people, you're
messing with God. God has espoused those for whom
he chose in his son, and you will not mess with what is his. Zechariah 2.8 reads this way. For thus saith the Lord of hosts,
after the glory have he sent me unto the nations which spoiled
you. For he that toucheth you toucheth
the apple of his eye. Yes sir, amen. God will not let
any harm come to you. If it happens, it is for your
good, not to your harm. No matter how bad it might look
to you or I. Just as Joe said, he has our
names on his heart. But he will protect you and the
enemy will be destroyed. Not by you, but by him. He says,
vengeance is mine. I will repay, saith the Lord. We might not see it, but God
will take vengeance on his enemies. He places himself between his
enemies and his people. It is God that we should fear,
for it is he that can destroy both body and soul and hair.
All man can do is destroy the body, and that only if God allows. But if God fights for us, if
God has sent his son to shed his blood in your stead, who
is going to do anything to you? You all know what Romans 8, 31
through 34. What shall we say then to these
things? If God be for us, who can be
against us? He that spared not his own son,
but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also
freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies, because
he sent his only begotten son. Who is he that condemneth? It
is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who was
even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession
for us. There is no one who can be against
us and harm us, because he is God and he has done that which
is needed to save us. It is he that guides us, or we
are not guided at all. People can go on with their supposed
free will if they want to. I must go with God's will, for
there is no other will that matters other than His. So what are we
left to do? Move forward. So God tells them
to move, verse 15. Verse 15, and the Lord said unto
Moses, wherefore Christ thou unto me, speak unto the children
of Israel that they go forward. So he goes on and tells them
to go forward. We, as everybody I think here
knows, had an experience as we were going down, went down to
East Hendersonville Baptist Church in North Carolina. On our way
back, we were going this way, home, going this way. On our
way back, the car broke down, and we headed back to where we
came from. Now, we had a good time with
it, but it was not getting us home. It, in fact, took us back
to where we started, and that was not getting us home. We needed
to go forward. We are not to try to circle back
to get behind the enemy so that we might attack and get them
before they get us. We have no strength, we have
no weapons to fight against this enemy. We are not to turn back
and try to fight the enemy face to face. We will lose. He tells us to move forward,
straight forward, where God is leading us to go. When all seems
to not be going well and the enemy is right on your tail,
we are to look forward and move forward. What does Paul say in
Philippians 3? Brethren, I count not myself
to apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those
things that are behind and reaching forth unto those things which
are before Jesus Christ. We are looking forward to the
one who knows the way and will lead us in the right path. We
are told in scripture that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth,
and the life. We are to look to him, the author
and finisher of faith. What do we see moving forward?
What is it that is directly in front of us at first? We see
that there is judgment, that is judgment of God and it is
directly in front of us. We know that if God does not
do anything, we will surely be consumed. We're going to drown
in that sea. But he then directs his servant
to show us something. Here we see it as Moses lifting
up his rod and stretching it forth over the sea. The sea was
divided by one man's act. This sea that is now divided
and we are walking through protects us on both sides. With God in
the rear, rear guard. What we begin to see is this,
His work. We see His work. His work will
show us that in His rod coming down, the sea of judgment will
be parted. It will become real to us so
that the ground is dry. and it's right in front of us,
and we can walk there safely. The way to walk is His way. That is, we walk towards Jesus
Christ, the Lord, who has abated the sea of God's judgment, because
He is the way, the truth, and the life. Where is God all this
time? He is behind us, He is beside
us on both sides, and He is in front of us. He has us hedged
in. Remember Job? Job 1, 9-11, we
read, Then Satan answered the Lord and said, Doth Job fear
God for naught? Hast thou not thou made an hedge
about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on
every side? Thou hast blessed the work of
his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. but
put forth thine hand now and touch all that he hath, and he
will curse thee to thy face. God is with his people, guiding
them where they need to go. It may look to you as if there
is no hope, but if God is the one guiding you, what you will
see is his work, because he will see to it that you do. God is
in absolute sovereign and total control of all things and he
will fight for his people. He has purpose to do all things
to this end that his son might be glorified in bringing sinners
to himself. Where is God? He is right there
with us in every still moment and every step that we take.
He knows where we are because he put us there. Even in all
of our complaints and groanings, He has prepared a way for us
to move forward. He will get all the glory because
He is the one fighting for us. He is the one that has done all
the work. He will show you that you have
no way to do it yourself. He will show you that with man,
it is impossible, but with God, all things are possible. When
you read this account in Exodus, as you go back to the previous
chapter, God could have taken his people a shorter way and
fought for them against the Philistines. Exodus 13, 17, and 18 we read,
and it came to pass when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God
led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines,
although that was near, For God said, lest peradventure the people
repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt. But God
led the people about through the way of the wilderness of
the Red Sea, and the children of Israel went up harnessed out
of the land of Egypt. I know God knows all things.
So I know had they went that way, they would have returned
to Egypt. because God said they would have.
But instead, he took them away where they would be hemmed in
on all sides. The pursuing enemy behind, the
mountains on either side of them and the Red Sea right in front
of them. This is a picture of God bringing
a poor, vile sinner to himself. The way he will bring you will
be difficult. As others have said, you will
not come to God chewing your bubble gum and blowing bubbles.
You will come to Him in distress, seeing no way out, that your
end will be total destruction. But God will cause you to stand
still, and He will cause you to see His work imparting the
seed. You will, by that God-given faith,
move forward and pass through the waters of God's judgment
because of his work. You will pass through on dry
ground, and that's my title. This is what we are told in scripture
of the Israelites in Hebrews 11, 29. By faith, they passed
through the Red Sea as by dry land, which the Egyptians, a
saying to do, were drowned. God will give you what is needed
to move forward. With man, this is impossible,
but God has made a way. He has made a way that you will
escape the enemy and escape his judgment on dry land. That same
sea, which was a path to being free for his people from the
enemy, is also what will be the destruction to the enemy. We
read in 2 Corinthians 2.15, for we are unto God a sweet saver
of Christ in them that are saved and in them that perish. To the
one we are a saver of death unto death, and to the other the saver
of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these
things? Those who are God's enemies are
his enemies because of the hardness of their own heart. All anyone
has to do is believe God and the record he's given of his
son. But with man, this is impossible. God must do something for you,
to you, and in you before you will ever believe him. This is the work of God, that
you believe on him whom he hath sent. Where does that leave us? Because we are all born dead
in trespasses and in sin so that we cannot believe, it leaves
us at his mercy in whether he will deliver us or not. It's
this, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. As the leper
says, he will either save us or he will destroy us. That same
gospel that is salvation to some people's ears, is condemnation
to others. And I'm not saying that some
hear it as condemnation. I'm saying that they hear it
and do not believe God's record and so that they will die in
their sins being condemned of God already. We've read that
in John 3.18 before. He that believeth on him is not
condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already. because
he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
God is both good and severe. Romans 11, 22 we read, behold,
therefore, the goodness and severity that is abruptly decisive of
God on them which fail, severity, but toward thee, goodness. If
thou continue in his goodness, otherwise thou also shalt be
cut off. Do not think God owes you anything. You continue in unbelief, you
may be cut off. This is not a one-time thing,
folks. You will continue in His goodness
or it is not there at all. If you can take or leave Jesus
Christ the Lord, then His goodness is not with you. God's people,
when God comes to them in love, cannot and will not let Jesus
Christ the Lord go. By his grace, they will not do
this. They will say as Peter did in John 6, 67 through 69. Then said Jesus unto the 12,
all these massive numbers of people have left. Then he turns
to the 12, he says, will you also go away? Then Simon Peter
asked him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of
eternal life, and we believe and are sure that Thou art that
Christ, the Son of the living God. There is no other to go
to for salvation. It is His work that has saved
us, and He will cause us to move forward on dry ground. When we
get to the other side, the enemy will be gone. All those who are
against God's Christ will be destroyed including this flesh. What am I going to do? Nothing. God must do the fighting for
us, for we are nothing but slaves. But the good thing is, we are
his slaves. That's a good place to be. So
going back to our text, Exodus 14, starting in verse 13. And
Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not. Do not fear the enemy
because the enemy cannot touch without God's say so. Fear ye
not. Stand still. Do not do anything. Keep your feet still and do not
move. Nothing you will do will save
you. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. You will
not see his salvation by your doing. God must cause you to
stand still and see it. Which he will show you today. For the Egyptians whom ye have
seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever. That bondage that you once knew,
that bondage that keeps coming at you, will be gone. And why? Verse 14. The Lord shall fight
for you and ye shall hold your peace. The Lord shall fight for you,
in verse 14, and ye shall hold your peace. God will cause you
to shut your mouth and do nothing and say nothing and only look. And the Lord said unto Moses,
wherefore cryest thou unto me? Speak unto the children of Israel
that they go forward. Where will you walk? And where
you will walk is this place, is where God guides you to walk.
And it will be on dry ground. Judgment is gone. Because he
has parted the sea. Move forward on dry ground. Move
forward in the righteousness of Jesus Christ the Lord. Think
about it. When the enemy comes against
you, they are fighting against God. He will fight for us. Stay the course on dry ground. He has made it, so amen. Amen. Dear Lord God, thank you
for allowing us to be here, dear Lord. Serving is insufficient to even
tell the glories of Jesus Christ, dear Lord, but may you give it
to us in such a way, dear Lord, make it real to us. Be with us,
dear Lord. And be with those that preach your gospel, dear Lord,
and support your gospel, dear Lord. Just support them, comfort
them, and be with those who are out, dear Lord. And those who
are traveling, be with them. All these things we ask in Christ's
name, amen.