Turn to Exodus chapter 14 Exodus
chapter 14 I Will read all of our text make
a few comments as I read and then we will Look at four things
from the text this morning Exodus chapter 14 Verse 1 and the Lord
spake unto Moses saying speak unto the children of Israel that
they turn and encamp before Pi-Hi-Hi-Roth, between Migdol and the sea, over
against Baal-Ziphon, before it shall ye encamp by the sea."
Now, whether you and I today can look at a map, and even with
learned men, try to find out exactly where that was, that
don't matter. It was an exact location on the
map. Exactly. God said, take them
here. Four, Pharaoh will say of the
children of Israel, they are entangled in the land. The wilderness
has shut them in. That was Pharaoh's take. God
would move Pharaoh to have this take. But the wilderness didn't
shut him in. God did. God shut him in. And I will, oh, think about this,
and I will harden Pharaoh's heart. Joe, that's what it says. I don't
have to explain that, and God help me, I don't want to try
to explain it away. The book says he hardens whom
he will. That's what it says. And I will
harden Pharaoh's heart, that he should follow after them,
I will be honored upon Pharaoh and upon all his hosts that the
Egyptians may know that I am the Lord. And they did so. Now the Egyptians would come
to know that he was the Lord. And yet that knowledge did not
profit them spiritually at all. Think about that for a moment.
Just knowledge alone is not necessarily salvation before God. And it was told the king of Egypt
that the people fled, and the heart of Pharaoh and his servants
was turned against the people. And they said, why have we done
this that we have let Israel go from serving us? And he made
ready his chariot. So Pharaoh went too. There are
some who suggest that Pharaoh didn't really perish. Pharaoh
took his chariot. He's with this horde that left
out of Egypt, hot on the trail of the Israelites. He made ready
his chariot and took his people with him. And he took 600 chosen
chariots. And it's amazing, these must
have been something to see. But it wasn't just the 600. And
all the chariots of Egypt and captains over every one of them. We're not told the number, but
this must have been a massive horde of army. As far as we know,
the most powerful army of that area in that day, at least. And the Lord hardened the heart
of the Pharaoh king of Egypt. Why? Because he willed to. And that's all the explanation
we need. The Lord hardened the heart of
Pharaoh king of Egypt and he pursued after the children of
Israel and the children of Israel went out with a high hand. But
the Egyptians pursued after them all the horses and chariots of
Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them. Encamping
where? Right where God told them to
go. Now, the religious mind, the
natural mind of man would have thought, well, why didn't God
steer Pharaoh and his army a different way? because God Almighty has
a purpose to fulfill, both with the Egyptians and with the Israelites. You see, God is not just saving
his people in this world. He is doing that, and that's
his primary way of getting to himself glory, but he's also,
also putting rebels in his place. You thought I was gonna say their
place, didn't you? Their place is his place. Every human being
is in this world by God's sovereign, predestinating purpose. Found them camping right where
they were supposed to be camping. And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the
children of Israel lifted up their eyes and beheld the Egyptians
marched after them. And I can kind of see this dust
cloud arising. Don't you see that? This dust
cloud arising. And they were sore afraid, and
you and I would be too. You and I would be too. Remember,
these people for 400 years had been in Egypt, and for much of
that had been slaves. No weapons in their hands at
all. Yeah, pockets full of gold and
silver, beasts, but no weapons in their hands. And Pharaoh drew
nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes. Behold,
the Egyptians marched after them, and they were sore afraid. And
the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord. And that's
the place to be. That's the thing to do. And don't,
because you're a good, solid Calvinist, be afraid of talking
about doing. Don't be afraid, well, somebody
might misunderstand me. They already misunderstand you. They sent him to Moses. Now look,
here they're crying out unto the Lord, but then they talk
to Moses. Well, I don't wanna get there yet. They said unto
Moses, because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken
us away to die in the wilderness? Wherefore hast thou dealt with
us to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we
did tell thee in Egypt, saying, let us alone, that we may serve
the Egyptians? For it had been better for us
to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness. Quick spiral downhill, wasn't
it? But as often we do, we justify it because they were fussing
at Moses, not at God. Now that was tongue in cheek. And Moses said unto the people,
fear ye not. Stand still and see the salvation
of the Lord, which he will shew to you today, for the Egyptians
whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever. The Lord shall fight for you
and ye shall hold your peace. God, our God, the God of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God is absolutely sovereign or he's not sovereign at all. There is no such thing as partial
sovereignty. That's like saying water's partially
wet. God is absolutely sovereign and
our text cries this aloud, as though the sacred cannon screams
out, God is absolutely sovereign. That's my title. That's my message,
but I want to change one word. I want to talk about sovereign
mercy. You can say sovereign salvation,
that's fine, but sovereign mercy. First of all, God, not chance
nor human choice, put Israel at the Red Sea. Yes or no? God, not chance or human choice,
put Israel at the Red Sea. And each and every one of us
is where we are today because God Almighty ordained it be so. You see, this is sovereign mercy.
I'm sure the first thing the Israelites did not think about
when they seen the Egyptian hordes and that cloud of dust arising,
didn't think this is sovereign mercy. Did they? And you and I wouldn't either.
We generally don't when God hymns us in at the Red Sea. but it
was sovereign mercy nonetheless, because God was gonna kill their
enemies right in front of their eyes, and they never have to
deal with this enemy, this enemy again. Now there was another
enemy that he'd have to deal with for 40 years, even longer,
it was an enemy down in here. But they don't have to deal with
that enemy out there. He gonna lay dead on the seashores. That is God. That is God. You see, our spiritual good supersedes
our physical ease, and God knows it. God knows it. Most of religion is taught today
that if everything's going well, then God's blessing you. No,
everything going well physically, God may be damning you. You got
what you really need, and you can enjoy this, and you can go
here, and you can do that, and God may be sending you to hell. I would rather be Israel hymned
in at the Red Sea than I would be an Egyptian in his chariot
with his spears and swords marching after the Israelites. I'll use
today's language. Take your pick and choose. Take
your pick and choose which side you wanna be on. Our spiritual
good supersedes our physical ease. And Paul is clear with
that in Ephesians one and verses three and four. We've been blessed
with all What? Spiritual blessings. Now, even
money to pay your bills is a blessing, but it may not be a spiritual
blessing. It may be, it may not be, but forgiveness is always
a spiritual blessing. Justification is always a spiritual
blessing. A nice home to live in may be
a blessing, but it may not be. Oh, but redemption by the blood
of Jesus Christ is always a blessing. and we've been blessed with all
spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as
he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world.
And Joe, whether I can see it or not, the Israelites couldn't
see the sovereign mercy when they seen that horde coming,
but it was right there from the get-go. Secondly here, under
this thing, God not chance or human choice put Israel at the
Red Sea. God's wisdom determined what
spiritual good is. You can go on and read that then
in Paul's continuing words in Ephesians one, verses five through
11, according to the good pleasure of his will. God has conducted himself toward
us in all wisdom and prudence. I don't have all wisdom and prudence. I have it in a person that is
my Lord, but I don't even have it all in me, even by God's work
in me yet. I won't have even close to that
until I awaken His likeness. God's wisdom determines spiritual
good. I'm glad God didn't leave us
up to say, okay, what is spiritually good and what's not. because
I'd foul it up every time. And I mean that, every time. Thirdly, being hemmed in to God's
mercy is good. Being hemmed in to where I got
nothing, I am at the mercy of God. You see, being at the Red Sea
is a good place to be. And right exactly at a certain
spot on the Red Sea. Now you read the commentaries,
they're all trying to tell you where it was, where it wasn't,
blah, blah, blah. This was a certain spot. You remember the prodigal
son? Let me tell you, the hog pen
was a good place for him to be. You know that? In this sense,
He became so hungry that he fain would have eat the husk that
even the hogs eat. He had been given evidently a
good sack of dough. and he went out and wasted it
with what? Riotous living. Now you listen to me, when God
saves people, God saves people. And it says, and when he came
to himself. He didn't come to himself once
he got back to the father. You gotta come to yourself before
you even start back to the father. And it's God who will put you
in that predicament where you got nowhere else to turn but
to God himself. And you will say, and I will
say with the prodigal, I will arise and go to the Father. And I'm not going to want one
more piece of coin. Just make me a slave. You know
what he said? I'll just be a servant. Just
be a hired servant. You see, preachers today, these
lying, weaseling preachers, We're trying to get everybody in a
good place, in a safe place, in an easy place. I want God
to hymn you in at the Red Sea with the Egyptians hot on your
trail. Because then and then only will
you cry out unto the Lord. Any other cry is but the cry
of human flesh. Any other faith is the faith
of human flesh. And let us all be warned, there's
two kinds, at least two kinds of faith. And James puts it this
way, a true bona fide faith or a dead faith. I need the true
bona fide kind, not the dead kind. Secondly, sovereign mercy is
according to sovereign purpose. You see that in verse three all
the way down through verse nine. You hear what I said? Sovereign
mercy is according to sovereign purpose. This mercy was not and
never shall be for everyone without exception. And any man or any
woman, for that matter, that teaches anything contrary to
that is not teaching the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
They are not teaching the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ. Go back and read Romans 9, 17 through 24. I'm not going
to go back and read it again. God manipulates all things to
his will. All things, and I mean all things,
from the bug that's crawling out here in the weeds to the
souls and hearts and minds of men and women. Some of us were
mentioning things this morning. God calls Pharaoh, hardened his
heart, and he gathered up his whole army. All of it. Now do you think he really needed
the whole army to take care of these bunch of slaves? No, but
he did what he did because God hardened his heart to do so.
Why? So God could maybe just teach
Pharaoh one more lesson and try to bring Pharaoh around? Never. Now you hear what I said, never! God intended to drown the whole
horde in the Red Sea. And he will save them bunch of
slaves. Now that is who God is eternally. He is no different
today. God manipulates so much. These
horses, I bet you these horses were raring to go. Because can
you imagine two walls of water on either side? Remember the
wind blew all that night, God's wind. Moved them waters apart
and dried the land in between. And yet these horses went right
straight into that. Did they not? And Red mentioned
this, and God looked at them and began to make their chariot
wheels fall off. So they couldn't even turn around
and get away. God intended to kill them. Kill
them! Kill them dead! And save a bunch
of slaves. Well, that ain't fair. I'm not
even gonna try to answer that. This is God's purpose. Sovereign
mercy is according to sovereign purpose. And next, our enemies
are God-ordained enemies. Oh, God help me to remember that. Our enemies are God-ordained
enemies, right? All of them, not a few of them,
not the biggest ones. Not just the most flying around
buzzing. God is in absolute control of
our enemies. Look at Job and Satan. Right? Look at Job and Satan. Look at
Jesus Christ and his enemies when they hung him on the cross.
and yet their wicked acts, they murdered the Lord of glory. That's
what they did. They tortured him to death, had
it not been he had his life and his own power. They were torturing
him to death. But that God ordained to my salvation
and your salvation, if he ever has saved you. Thirdly, see God's
sovereign mercy toward our fellow Israelites. And I say that for
at least two reasons. One, they are fellow Israelites
because they're fellow human beings. In Adam, we all died. In Adam, we all sinned. The best
saint on earth, now let's say, the best saint on earth, the
most faithful, submissive person, Joe, to God, by nature, is no
better than the darkest demon of hell. because we fell into
the state which Satan fell into, rebellion against God. Satan's
main sin was I will. That's what the book says, I
will. And that's the same thing we
still flaunt today, my will, human will, free will, self will,
whatever you want to call it, human will is fallen. And it's
in rebellion against God. And God don't ask you to make
yourself willing, he says I have to make you willing in the day
of my power. There are fellow Israelites,
we see that in verse 10, 11, and 12. Just like them, I need sovereign
mercy. You understand that? I need sovereign
mercy. You remember the publican and
the Pharisee? That publican was not worried about, and don't
get me wrong, what I'm gonna say, I'm gonna quote scripture,
and it's true, but the publican was not saying, well, we've all
sinned and come short of the glory of God. Was he? He wasn't
there trying to debate the Pharisee about universal depravity in
the fall of Adam. No, sir! No, sir. Now that's true. That wasn't
what he was there to debate about. He said, God be merciful to me. He wasn't fussing at the Pharisee
for doubting him. God be merciful to me, the sinner. And that word merciful is an
amazing word because it means to propitiate. And propitiate
is this way. If you have offended a higher
party, any party for that matter, but we're talking about God,
we're talking about a higher party. God doesn't ask you to propitiate
yourself because you can't do it. And I can't do it. And that
publican, I don't know what all he knew, but he knew God had
to do it. God be merciful to me. He didn't even say, God help
me to earn your mercy. Oh no. He knew he couldn't do
that. God be merciful. I need sovereign
mercy. I, just like my fellow Israelites,
I am still encumbered with unbelief in the Adamic flesh. And I can
turn on a dime. I can turn on a dime. What about
you? You pretty good shape? It's easy. Listen to me. I know what I'm
talking about. It's easy for me to point my finger at you.
It's easy. It's easy for me to point my
finger at you. I do not like pointing my finger
at me. And sometimes we can become pretty
theologically sound in what we overtly put out. They cried unto
the Lord, but turned on Moses. And in turning on Moses, who
were they turning against? The Lord, because the Lord spake
unto Moses said, take them there. Yes or no? Listen, ever attack
one of God's messengers? Ever attack one of God's messengers?
when they're nothing but a clay pot. That's right, they are a
clay pot. That's all they are, but bless
God, that clay pot has something in it that you don't want to
put your finger against. You see, the problem is, it's
easy. Boy, we get learned after a few years, we get our doctrine
straight, we know what words ought to be used and what words
ought not to be used. I'll tell you one thing, come
up here and do this for about two or three years, and you'll
still point your finger at the messengers. That's how faulty
we are. You'd think after me doing this for 34, 35 years,
I'd never criticize another one of God's sent men again. God
help me, that ain't so. I'm just like my fellow Israelites.
I can turn on a dime. And it's easy when you see somebody
else's sin to tell them what they ought to do. When you start
doing that, you better start taking a deep look at yourself.
And that's what Paul actually tells us in Galatians chapter
six. Go back and read that. I need sovereign mercy. I need sovereign mercy, yes. Here's the fourth thing. But
God's means remains God's means. Moses was still God's man. You
will see Moses make his own mistakes. Will you not? But that never
justified anybody for criticizing Moses. Do you hear what I'm saying? I mean, nobody criticized him
when he whacked that rock twice and it gushed forth water and
they drank. They didn't criticize Moses, did they? They were just
happy as a lark. But somebody was displeased with
that. God was. And God kept Moses out of the
promised land because of that one thing. That one thing. I need that kind of sovereign
mercy. You see, when it comes to God's
means, he will not capitulate. Verse 13 and 14. And Moses said
unto the people, now God could have thundered forth and said,
stand still. Could he not? He thundered forth
from Sinai, and what did we say? If you really got eyes to see,
you know what you say? We don't wanna hear those words no more.
You remember God thundered forth from Sinai, and they said, whoa!
Think of how merciful it is that God Almighty brings his word
through just another clay pot like you are. Because if God himself, even
when he came to preach his word himself, he veiled himself in
human flesh. Did he not? And if God spoke to us as the
masses in his absolute holiness, it would consume us forever.
Even when he spoke of his mercy and grace. God's means remain
God's means and God will not change to suit our puny desires. And Moses said unto the people,
yes, we are clay pots. That's exactly what Paul says
in 1 Corinthians chapter 4 verses 1 through 7. I encourage you
to read that He says we are but earthen vessels
But there's something in that and this he's specifically they're
talking about gospel ministers But that's true of each and every
one all of us have the truth of the glory of God as seen in
the face of Jesus Christ Revealed not only to us but in us. The God who commanded the light
to shine out of darkness has shined in our hearts to give
light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus
Christ. And yet we turn around and point
our fingers at the clay pot. But God still insists on using
clay pots. He ain't gonna change because
we don't like it. Even when a man is in the torments of hell and
remembers his five brothers and knows they're on the same path
he is. They're heading to this place.
He didn't want them to come to that place. And he said, send
back Lazarus. Send back somebody from the dead. If somebody rose from the dead,
surely they'll listen. Buddy, you're looking at it from
the wrong side. You know what Father Abraham told him? They
have Moses and the prophets. They have clay pots. They have
clay pots. Let them hear them. Joe was absolutely right. You do not submit to God unless
you're submitting to God's word. It just does not happen. Well,
I believe, we've had people come in here. They believe, they take
the Lord's table, but they don't submit to God's word. They've
never been hemmed in at the Red Sea with the enemy hot on their
tail and say, I can't do this. The enemy will surely consume
me. Clay pots. God's ordained clay
pots also have a consistent message. They may be inconsistent. Now
listen to me, you hear what I'm saying? They, no. They will be
inconsistent in themselves. But their message, if they're
a true God sent, God ordained clay pot, will be a consistent
message. And Moses said unto the people,
fear ye not. Oh really Moses? I remember Tim
James, every time I read that, I then forgot the phrase now,
don't worry, be happy. Yeah, that's the last thing I
should do is be happy. But Moses is absolutely right. Fear ye
not, stand still and see what I will do for you today. Stand still and see what God
will enable you to do for yourselves today. Stand still and see what
God will enable you to do for him today. No, Moses said unto
the people, fear ye not, stand still and see the salvation of
the Lord, which he will shew to you today. Quit trying to
work it up or work it out and just bow down and watch God work. Bow down and watch God work.
For the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them
again no more. Forever the Lord shall fight
for you and you just shut up. You know what it says? You just
shut up. But what about just shut up? I don't understand this doctrine,
just shut up. I don't know if I like that election
predestination. Just shut up. I don't know if
I like that walk in good works. Just shut up. God's gonna fight
the battle for you. God's gonna fight. Now you turn
and try to face Pharaoh yourself, you will be consumed. Because
it's only those, and this will be later, it's only those who
went through the Red Sea. Now all of them went through,
but you're gonna have to go through that Red Sea. It's not stand
here and I will show you how powerful you can be. This is
about God Almighty delivering his people. And when God delivers
his people, he does so in a way that he gets all the glory. Both
on those he saves and on those he damns. And we'll see that
probably next. Every true God-sent preacher
and every true God-called believer has that one message, salvation
is of the Lord. They don't have that message.
They're a false apostle. They're a false minister. They're a false gospel preacher.
They're preaching perversion. You see, the New Testament lets
us know clearly that God's message is a singular message. It's Jesus
Christ the Lord. Consider quickly, Paul went to
Corinth, and it was a city of pagan, immoral, ungodly religious
practice, much like our country today. Paul went into Corinth,
and you know what he wrote later? After many of them had been converted,
a local assembly was started, and he wrote back to them. He
said, when I came to you, I determined to know nothing among you. Here's
these pagans. He didn't come in there hammering
on idolatry, although I guarantee you he warned them of idolatry.
But what was his message? What was the one consistent thing?
He said, I determined to know nothing among you save Jesus
Christ and him crucified. Because that's the only message
that is the power of God unto salvation. Well, that's before
you're saved. Well, he wrote to the Philippians
who had been saved for some time and said, we are the circumcision
which rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the
flesh. And he went on to tell the Colossians,
and he mentions to the Colossians, share this with the Laodiceans. Remember them? Remember them? At one point, they had become
so self-sufficient, God said, I'm gonna puke you out of my
mouth. Isn't that what he said? I'm gonna puke you out of my
mouth. That's a frightening thing, but
you know what he told them? Walk ye in Christ. You receive Christ
Jesus, so you walk in him. Walk in him. I'm a sinner. That's how I started. I'm a sinner
saved by the grace of God. And when I die, God willing,
if this is truly of God, when I die, Joe, I'll still die. I'll
be dying a sinner saved by the grace of God. Christ at Calvary
put down our enemies. It says he spoiled principalities
and powers. Made a show of them openly, just
like God did here, triumphing over them in it. And he nailed
all of that, even the ordinances that were contrary to us, things
that we just cannot keep. I can't honor the law like I
know the law ought to be honored. Mason, I wish I could keep the
Ten Commandments. Because if I could, I'd have
a good start on the other 600 and however many ones there was.
But I can't even get past the first one like it's supposed
to be obeyed. To love God with everything you
are. But he said he tried, he said
he nailed it. I like that. Nailed it to his
cross. Yeah, he was nailed there too,
Mason. But all of that is left there. Somebody said, well, I'd
love to find that cross. I don't, it's got all that with
it. Understand that now? Look at that cross in that perspective.
He dealt it to his cross, they took him off that cross, put
him in the ground, God raised him, he's exalted now. I don't
want to have that stick of wood because it's got some baggage
with it. You hear what I'm saying? So if you got one around your
neck, a little emblem of it, just throw it away. No, don't
throw it away, go sell it and get you some money and buy you
a good steak and go eat well or something. Don't be so stupid as to throw
it away. Christ at Calvary put down our enemies. And let me
tell you something, we will see that enemy no more. Oh, I know
he's in our memory. I know that. Bless God, that
enemy's gone! He's gone! Everything that Christ dealt
to that tree stayed with that tree. Christ is not only that,
Christ is now exalted, reigning over me and my circumstances.
Colossians 1, 12 through 17. All things consist by him. That means it's held together.
This piece with that piece. It's like a puzzle, and he's
holding it all together. All things, good or evil, sinful
or righteous, it's all there. to the praise and honor of God
Almighty's holiness and justice and mercy and grace. Do you need
that kind of sovereign mercy? Now if you don't, then I realize
my message really is nothing but a bunch of ratting to you.
But if you know I need that kind of, I'm hemmed in at the Red
Sea. Then you'll be glad to hear about
this God, won't you? If you're truly hemmed in and
you see Egypt behind you and the Red Sea in front of you,
you'll be glad when God says, stand still, watch what I'm gonna
do. Stand still, watch what I'm gonna do. You see, may this constrain
us to profound gratefulness for God's sovereign mercy. Father, may these stammering,
this stammering tongue May the truth of thy word that's been
spoken, may you use it for your name's honor and glory, the good
of thy people. I ask it in Christ's name, amen.