Exodus chapter 15. As I studied and prepared for
today, the Lord helped me in an unusual way concerning the
matter of leaving this world, which is a certain fact, a certain
thing for each of us. We don't know when. That's in
God's hands and God's time. But I trust the Lord will help
you today as He's helped me in considering this matter that
we call death. And the title of the message,
Crossing the River in Death. Exodus chapter 15, is a tremendous
chapter in Israelite history, beginning with a song of praise
unto the Lord for having parted the Red Sea so the Israelites
could cross over on dry ground, ending the long, long 400 years'
captivity in Egypt. Beginning in verse 14, We jump
ahead 40 years to another generation and another miracle, the crossing
of the Jordan into the land of Canaan. It's called the promised
land of inheritance to the nation of Israel. And all this together
is a picture of the full salvation of God's elect people. Egypt
represents this sin-cursed world. in which we were slaves before
we were born again, just as Israel were slaves in Egypt, and then
quickened to spiritual life by God's Spirit, regenerated, born
again, we were brought out of Egypt. Then the 40 years in the
wilderness represents the Christian life in this world. full of hardships,
full of disappointments, troubles, trials, but it's also a life
of excitement, seeing the Lord's hand in things that we cannot
handle ourselves and seeing Him miraculously come through time
and time again. After the 40 years, the crossing
of the Jordan, and while the land of Canaan is not a definite
type of heaven. We've heard that many times.
We know there were giants there and there were wars to fight
there. But yet, in a measure, it's a picture of the believer's
transition from this life into our eternal inheritance. To be
with the Lord and to be like Christ our Redeemer forever.
There are several statements here in this 15th chapter of
Exodus, in verses 14 through 17, pointing specifically to
Canaan. Verse 14 said, The people shall
hear. That is, the people over there
shall hear and be afraid. Sarai shall take hold of the
inhabitants of Palestine. That's exactly what happened forty years later, over in Joshua,
chapter 2, in the story of Rahab. She said, I know that the Lord
hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon
us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of
you. For we have heard, we've heard all the things the Lord
has done for you, parting the Red Sea, protecting and providing
through the wilderness. And as soon as we heard these
things, our hearts did melt, and there was no more courage
left in any man. By divine inspiration, Moses
prophesied this, crossing the Jordan 40 years beforehand, right
here in Exodus 15. Forty years in the wilderness,
it includes basically one generation dying and another generation
growing up. It's like our lives in this world. I remember as a lad, young lad,
my granddad. I knew he was old. I knew he
would die someday. Of course, it was shocking when
he did. And then my dad, I watched him
grow older. and grow feeble and have a heart
attack and have a stroke. And then he left us in all this
time. I never imagined that I myself
would ever be an old man. I had too much energy for that.
But guess what? Things happen. Things happen.
And so this whole picture is like our lives in this world. I'll read you a paragraph from
A.W. Pink, he said, so far as the
spiritual life is concerned, this world is simply a wilderness,
barren and desolate. The wilderness is a place of
travelers, journeying from one country to another. None but
a madman would think of making his home there. Well, we've got
lots of madmen, don't we? Precisely such is this world. It is the place through which
man journeys from time to eternity. And faith it is which makes the
difference between the way in which men regard this world. The unbeliever, for the most
part, is content to remain here. He settles down as though he
is to stay here forever. Psalm 49, 11, their inward thought
is their houses shall continue forever and their dwelling places
to all generations. They call their land after their
names. Every effort is made to prolong
earthly sojourn. And when at last death claims
him, he is loath to leave. Far different is it with the
believer, the real believer. His home is not here. He looks
for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God,
Hebrews 11.10. Consequently, he is a stranger
and pilgrim here, Hebrews 11.13. It is of this the wilderness
speaks. This world, this world. For the believer, this world
is a dry and thirsty land like the wilderness. No water in it
to give strength for the journey. And reading the account, when
they did find water, it was bitter. They called the place Marah,
which means bitterness. Such is this world to the inner
man of the believer, to the new creation. There's nothing here
for us. Yes, in our flesh and in our
delight in living, we do set our hearts on things sometimes. We have all experienced setting
our heart on some earthly object, and God may permit us to obtain
it. and have it, but often to our surprise how empty it is. What we expected to yield such
satisfaction did not. It rather brought sorrow and
emptiness. This wilderness world is cold
and difficult to journey through. People murmur against the Lord
now like they did then. It's just not home for God's
children. So many times things happen,
and we have dark days, and it seems the Lord is so distant,
nowhere in the picture. But I would remind us He's present
and He's prominent in this chapter, just as He is in our lives. Look
with me at the emphasis on him, the Lord. Verse 1, I will sing
unto the Lord. Verse 2, the Lord is my strength
and song. Verse 3, the Lord is a man of
war. The Lord is his name. Verse 6, thy right hand, O Lord,
is become glorious in power. thy right hand, O LORD, hath
dashed in pieces the enemy. Verse 11, Who is like unto thee,
O LORD, among the gods? Verse 16, Fear and dread shall
fall upon them. By the greatness of thine arm
they shall be as still as a stone, till thy people pass over, O
LORD, till the people pass over. Verse 17, Thou shalt bring them
in, and plant them in the mountain of Thine inheritance, in the
place, O Lord, which Thou hast made for Thee to dwell in, in
the sanctuary, O Lord, which Thy hands have established. Verse
18, The Lord shall reign for ever and ever. So it's the Lord
that's on top of everything in the middle of everything controlling
everything and all to realize this morning that you could realize
personally that it's the lord bringing us through here you're not left on your own but
one day known only to him a time of his appointing for you personally
It's time to cross the Jordan, and you don't have to be old,
any age. There's an appointed time. Somebody
will call 911, and you might faintly hear someone whisper,
I believe he's leaving us. I believe she's about to make
the crossing. In God's time it will happen. Now for the unbeliever,
it's a very fearful and dreadful time. But for God's child, we're
in His hands, and we can joyfully anticipate the end of this hard
pilgrimage. We can enter the everlasting
inheritance prepared for us from the foundation of the world.
I'm not talking about robes, crowns, and golden streets and
mansions, but the joy will be to be in the very presence of
our Lord, to be in His very image, and to be reunited with the family
already home. I want to give you four thoughts
today about the Lord's people crossing the Jordan, about our
leaving this world, about that by many a dreaded and avoided
word, death. So these four things have become
precious to my heart, and I trust the Lord will give them to you
today. Number one, There is a purchase
that's fully accomplished for this crossing. The scripture
tells us we are bought with a price. It's a done deal. You can stop trying to make it. It's already made. The purchase
is complete. It is accomplished. I think most
professing believers in Christ are still trying to save themselves,
which is nothing more than unbelief of what He has already done.
I'm saying it's a purchase fully accomplished. A few times in
life I've gone somewhere to purchase something that i had seen before
hand and decide i want that but when i got there i was too late
it had already been purchased someone else had bought it and
i couldn't well that's how it is with you living your life
trying to save yourself you're too late way too late we were
chosen in christ Ephesians 1-4 says, before the foundation of
the world, that's election if you please, we were redeemed,
that is purchased by the precious blood of Christ. I Peter 1-18. We are effectually called in
God's time by His grace, Psalm 65-4. Blessed is the man whom
thou choosest, and a causest to approach unto thee. That's the purchase fully accomplished. Contrary to popular opinion,
Christ did not die to potentially redeem all men. He died to definitely
redeem those chosen before the world was. It's a done deal,
a purchase accomplished. Hebrews 9, 12, By his own blood
he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained, that's
past tense, having obtained eternal redemption for us. You say, I
thought it was up to what I do. It's never been up to what you
do, because you've never done anything right. You've never
done anything at work. It's God's doing. He, by His
own blood, entered in once, into the holy place, having obtained,
already obtained, eternal redemption for us. So I'm saying to you,
you can stop, after all these years, the hassle of trying to
save yourself, of trying to be good enough, struggling to make
the grade. When the time comes to die, you're
sinless, and you're sinless in Christ right now. You're not
sinless in this flesh, you're an awful mess, you're a wretch.
But in Christ, All is well. Sin is gone. It's a purchase
accomplished. He bore our sins away. So that's
the first thing. It's a purchase accomplished.
Rejoice in it and praise Him for it. That's number one. Number two
is the passage we're approaching for the crossing. The Israelites
could not enter the land of Canaan apart from crossing the river
Jordan. And according to the record in
Joshua chapter 3, at that season of the year, the river was overflowing
her banks. To cross it was impossible. But
the Lord said, now's the time. Now's the time. See, it's all
in His word and in his time we live our lives with so many loose
ends to tie up the river is out of its banks and uh... we'll never get caught up we'll
never get everything done and we say i can't die now oh i just
can't die now i've got too much to do you'll die when the lord
says it's your time the apostle paul assured us in
Philippians 123, that to depart and be with Christ is far better. Death for God's child is not
a bad trade. It's a good trade. It's the passage
from a land not ours to a land that is ours. Our inheritance
given us that no one can take from us. This approaching passage
to pass through the Jordan, what we call dying, it is very necessary. We must cross the Jordan. Old Brother Kirkendall said death
is our ride out of here. We've got to have a ride to get
to where we're going. Death is our ride out of here.
And yet Jesus said, when God's children leave this life, it's
not really dying. John 11, 26, Whosoever liveth
and believeth in me shall never die. 1 Corinthians 15, 55, Christ in
his death has removed the sting of death. He has taken away the
victory. of the grave. It's no big deal
for God's child to leave here. Life has conquered death. Resurrection
has conquered the grave. My dear friend, recently departed,
Brother Don Fortner, he wrote this, were it not for sin, death
would never have had a beginning. And were it not for death, sin
would never have had an ending. But thank God in Christ it does. So for God's child, death means
deliverance out of the wilderness and across the river. Brother
Don continued, for the believer, death is a friend, a welcome,
long-expected, friend who brings with him great relief and comfort. It is necessary because of sin. It is welcome because of grace. Talking about the passage we're
approaching, think about it. Number three, my third thought
would be the peace that's afforded for the crossing. I would not
suggest that in this flesh you'll be absolutely free of fear of
any kind in the hour of death. But I do believe for God's children
you'll be a lot more comfortable with it in that hour than you
are right now. Peace. because god's in the picture
when israelites walked out of egypt after four hundred years
the bible says that not a dog made a sound could you imagine
a whole multitude people marching out and they didn't even dog
bark that was god and here in our text, exodus
fifteen and verse sixteen When the Israelites crossed the Jordan
and entered the land of Canaan, it says here in this verse that
the enemies were as still as a stone, dead as a rock. Fear and dread
fell upon them. You say, well, I hope not to
have any enemies when it's my time to die. I'm not talking
about people. But in the hour of death, the
demons of doubt will be silenced for God's child. The evil heart
of unbelief that has plagued us through the years will give
way to strong faith, making us glad we are in God's hands and
not our own. There will be an inexplainable
peace. in our hearts. When King David
made the crossing, his last words, 2 Samuel 23 5, he could not say,
I've done everything right. I've made no mistakes. I'm proud
of my past. I have no regrets. He couldn't
say that. Neither can I. But what he said
was this, He hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered
in all things, and sure. For this is all my salvation
and all my desire, not what I've done, what He's done. This is all my salvation and
all my desire. It's in His hands, not mine. That's peace. II Timothy 4, Paul
said, I am now ready. Not because I've done so well,
but because Christ has. I have fought a good fight. Not that my fighting was always
so great, But it's a good fight I've been in. I have finished my course. Not
the course I laid out for myself in life, but the course God laid
out for me. I have kept the faith. Not I
have kept faith, but I have kept THE faith. The God-given gift
to believe. what I've believed all these
years and preached about my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I'm
at peace with it in the hour of death. Hebrews 11, 13, these all died
in faith. There's peace. Proverbs 14, 32,
the righteous hath hope in death. There's peace. John 14, 27, Peace
I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth,
the world don't have it to give. Let not your heart be troubled,
neither let it be afraid. There's peace. There's peace
afforded for the crossing. An old saint lay dying and someone
asked, How is it with you now, brother? And the man answered,
all is well. I'll be home in a little while.
There's peace. You say, well, I don't sense
that right now. Then you must not be dying right now. There's peace afforded in the
hour of death. In the song of Solomon. The accuser
says, what could he possibly see in her? That's what the accuser says
about you and says to you every day you live. What could God
possibly see in him or her? But here's what Christ says.
Thou art all fair, my love. Thou art all fair. There is no
spot in thee. There is peace. The old, old
poet wrote, I would not live away, nor welcome the tomb. Since Jesus has lain there, I
dread not its gloom. He kicked both ends out of the
grave. We simply pass through. There
is a peace afforded, and I encourage you to put your trust in God
alone. He is trustworthy. You will find
in his word guidance while you're in health, comfort
when you're in sickness, strength when you're in trouble, grace
when you're struggling, and peace when you're dying. I'm saying
there's a peace afforded to cross the river. One old atheist, not
worthy of being named, said when he was dying, I am taking a leap
into the dark. Well now, for the unbeliever,
that's what it is. A leap into the dark. If you can't trust God today
and believe that what Christ has done is enough, then that's what death will be
for you, is a leap in the dark. But it's not so for God's child. They used to sing an old song
years ago, you gotta walk that lonesome valley, you gotta walk
it by yourself. No, thank God I don't have to
walk it by myself. He promised never to leave me.
never to leave me alone. There will be peace beyond measure. When God's children get ready
to go, we will say with Mr. Moody, this is glorious, earth
receding, heaven opening, God calling me. Someone has said, We need all
the scriptures to live by, but only one to die by. The blood
of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin. There's peace. And now the fourth thing. Not
only is there the purchase that's accomplished, that's done. And the passage we're all approaching,
that's certain. And the peace afforded for God's
child, that's precious. But fourthly, there's the power
administered in the crossing. In this text, no one but the
Lord Himself could back up the waters of the Jordan. so the
people could cross. How was it? The text says in
verse 16, it's by the greatness of that arm. The greatness of that arm, O
Lord. It's not a matter of think positive. Most people choose not to ever
think about dying. So it's not a matter of think
positive, keep your chin up, think good thoughts, that's all
the world has and knows. But for me, I'm thrilled to say,
with the scripture here, it's the greatness of thine arm, O
Lord, that's in charge right now and will be in charge then. The power to cross is His power. Verse 17 said, Thou shalt bring
them in. Not they shall come in. Not they
shall finally make it by the skin of their teeth. Oh no. But Thou shalt bring them in. And plant them. in the mountain
of thine inheritance, in the place, O LORD, which thou hast
made for thee to dwell in, in the sanctuary, O LORD, which
thy hands have established." It's His power administered in
that hour. The old song said, there's a
light on the banks of the river. What a blessing it is to the
soul. It will guide us safe over death's river to heaven, sweet
heaven, our goal. It's by a power, God's power,
administered to us in that moment. Forget about what you've done
or can do. Isaac Watts in the great hymn
at the cross, wrote these words, but drops of grief can ne'er
repay the debt of love I owe. You're not gaining any on the
debt. You're losing every moment you live. Drops of grief and
all the good works and all the religion does nothing on your
part. Never repay the debt of love
I owe. But here, Lord, I give myself away. Away to what? Away to You. Away to what You've
done. My hope is in You. It is all that I can do. I thought about this in closing.
Death is like the postman. who walks up to the front door
and knocks gently. The door opens, and to the unbeliever
he hands a letter saying, rejected. What you are,
all you've done to earn your way has never been enough. And it's not enough now. Depart
from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire. You say, I don't believe
that. You will then. But to the believer, the postman
knocks, the door opens, and he hands a letter. that reads, Accepted
in the Beloved. All that you ever needed to spend
eternity with the Lord Jesus Christ, He has done it for you. In Ephesians 1, 6, you are made
accepted in Him. There is not a single charge
against you. There's not one ounce of condemnation for you. There's no purgatory to stop
at on the way. No. Your last breath is soon to come. To be absent from the body is
to be present with the Lord. And then absolutely nothing shall
be able to separate you from the love of God which is in Christ
Jesus our Lord. Come, you blessed of my Father,
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of
the world. Amen.