God Makes a Way
When We Find Ourselves in the Wilderness • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 2 viewsGod demonstrates power over nature at the Red Sea, securing safety for worship and calling.
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What are the fundamental building blocks of our lives? How do we navigate a world where the moral, economic, and political structures are ever-changing, as sociologists have deemed them "liquid"? Regrettably, even the church has not been immune to this way of thinking, and as it has become more like society, it has lost its solidity and sense of purpose.
As we approached the turn of the century, this foundation was already creaking. Mainline churches had substituted the message of repentance and holiness with psychology emphasizing self-determination and the notion that the most excellent answers in life come from within oneself. In doing so, any remaining Judeo-Christian foundation was replaced by the god of Self. The church became a self-help entity whose efficacy was judged by how it made people feel. The attitude was, "If the church fails to meet my needs, I will look elsewhere." That "elsewhere" was outside the church and into the flourishing "self-help" industry that has persisted from the 70s until now.
People saw this as a way of liberating themselves from the strictures and regulations of religion to the freedom to pursue their heart's desires. This self-determinism was the product of decades of secularization rooted in Freudian psychology. “Sociologist Philip Rieff, an expert interpreter of Freud, characterized the shift in Western consciousness in the following manner: ‘Religious man was born to be saved. Psychological man was born to be pleased’” (Dreher, The Benedict Option, page 41). This is where the root of our problems lies.
This thinking has left the door open for Christians and non-Christians alike to be influenced and guided by what Paul refers to as the "elemental spirits" in Colossians 2. When our faith and society are liquid at their core, we can be tossed to and fro by any wind of doctrine. The spiritual wasteland becomes a place of solace, though we are withering away. We can shape our freedom and life according to our wishes rather than relying on an outdated book filled with bigotry and hatred.
However, God has given us a way out of this false mindset and into one of truth. We can view the crossing of the Red Sea as a turning point for the Israelites. They had to choose whether to trust that God would save them or surrender and return to Egypt with Pharaoh. Similarly, we have a choice: we can trust God in the wilderness and acknowledge that He has provided us with the foundation we need to live, or we can fall into the trap of convenience and accept the world's deception, living life according to our heart's desires.
This passage gives us some principles that will enable us to walk with Christ today confidently.
1. The Lord alone is all-powerful. (vs. 19-20)
1. The Lord alone is all-powerful. (vs. 19-20)
As the Israelites departed from Egypt, they were relentlessly pursued by Pharaoh and his army. Just prior to the lesson found in verses 17-18, God declared that Pharaoh would have no choice but to witness His glory as He shielded His people. At this critical moment, the angel of the Lord (potentially a pre-incarnate Jesus) appeared as a pillar of fire to block the Egyptians from advancing towards the Israelites.
This event at the Red Sea served as a powerful reminder to Pharaoh that Yahweh was not solely the God of the Israelites, but the Lord of all creation and nations. God showcased His unmatched power by triumphing over the most formidable army of that time, proving that the gods of Egypt were nothing more than powerless demons.
The omnipotence of God is one of his immutable qualities. That is, it is something within God’s character that is unchanging and eternal. As it says in the document The Faith Once Delivered, “God’s power is boundless in scope; he is able to do whatever he wills. God’s power is manifest both through his creation of all things and through his providence over all that he has made, such that all creation is dependent upon God’s power not only at its beginning, but also continually and forever.” (page 7)
In a powerful display of his control over nature, God parted a massive body of water to allow his people to escape slavery and tyranny. The psalmist emphasizes God's power over all creation in Psalm 68:34, "Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel, and whose power is in the skies."
Knowing that God is all-powerful gives us the security that he alone has the power to save and deliver us. He will do whatever is necessary to accomplish his purposes for his glory. In times of struggle and defeat, we must remember that God has everything under control and not focus on our current circumstances. It's easy to get caught up in the present and assume that things will always be bad. Whenever we feel like Satan is winning, we should turn our hearts to Jesus - the all-powerful God who parted the Red Sea, rose from the dead, and sits at the right hand of the Father.
2. No enemy of God will ultimately be victorious. (vs. 21-25)
2. No enemy of God will ultimately be victorious. (vs. 21-25)
Pharaoh’s arrogance destroyed him. The final plague brought death to all of Egypt, including his household. Moses warned Pharaoh ten times that God would bring judgment upon him and Egypt if he did not do what God told him. Pharaoh believed that his gods were more powerful than Israel’s God. In Exodus 7:11-13, Pharaoh had his magicians perform the same miracle of turning their staffs into snakes that Moses had performed. In Exodus 7:22, Pharaoh’s magicians turned part of the Nile into blood. In Pharaoh’s eyes, Yahweh was less powerful than Ra or the other Egyptian gods. This kind of disillusionment is part of Satan’s tactics.
When the Egyptians arrived at the Red Sea to bring the Israelites back into slavery, God proved that he was more significant than any god of the Egyptians. Although the Israelites miraculously crossed on dry ground, the Egyptians were caught in the mud and unable to move their heavy chariots. Here, the Egyptians realize the power of Yahweh and are swallowed up by the waters and killed. Their recognition was too late. Their defeat was sure.
Satan’s defeat is a reality as well. The wilderness is the place where Satan and his minions work to manipulate and confuse humanity. The battles that we encounter are not against individuals. The battle is spiritual. There is an unseen realm that affects all aspects of our lives. For too many years, the Western church has disregarded this reality. We have been arrogant in our fight. We have tried to work against people and organizations. We have desired to see our society as one founded on Judeo-Christian values. However, we have lost battles because we are fighting the wrong enemy. That is not to say we should not elect people who share our values and worldview. But to think that is the “be-all/end-all” is arrogant and naive.
The battle we wage is against Satan. Because of sin, people are influenced by their base instincts and selfish intentions. This is the heart of our problems. We must refocus as the church and understand that we do not battle against flesh and blood but against the principalities of this world. Individuals and organizations are controlled by sin. They are in spiritual bondage. Satan uses some people to bring as much chaos and destruction as possible.
But he knows that his time is limited. We serve an all-powerful God who defeated Satan through the cross and resurrection. Satan’s end will come. He can cause chaos now, but there will be a day when he will be thrown into the lake of fire along with the beast and false prophet. According to Revelation 20:10, they will be tormented day and night. Satan’s defeat is sure. As God’s people, we must live with the reality of Satan’s wiles being waged and that his defeat is inevitable. He no longer has the power over those in Christ like he did before. Ultimately, his war against God and his people will bring eternal torture to him and all who follow him.
3. The Lord provides a way out of spiritual bondage. (vs. 26-31)
3. The Lord provides a way out of spiritual bondage. (vs. 26-31)
The deliverance of Israel out of bondage was divinely orchestrated by God, who made it his central goal to bring them out himself. Throughout the Old Testament, the exodus is celebrated in feasts and the psalms, and the crossing of the Jordan into the promised land reflects this event. The return from Babylon also saw a similar action from God, and Jesus' wilderness testing is reminiscent of the exodus. Paul even talks about baptism in relation to the crossing of the Red Sea in 1 Corinthians 10:2. This theme of God providing a way out of bondage is consistent throughout scripture, and the bondage experienced by the Israelites is like the bondage we experience in our bondage to sin.
The exodus declares that the harsh master of Pharaoh no longer rules the Israelites. Instead, Yahweh has become their new master and has set them free. For God's people, the ultimate exodus is out of the bondage of spiritual, moral, and ethical sin, which allows us to address the needs of the fallen culture around us.
In Romans 6:17-18, Paul tells us that we have been set free from sin and have become slaves of righteousness in Christ. Our new master delivers us from sin and death and offers us new life. We are now slaves to righteousness, living according to Christ instead of sin. By breaking the power of sin through Christ, God has provided the way out of bondage and into this new life.
Our king is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, and there is no other God before him. He has already defeated all his enemies through his death and resurrection. One day, he will return in all his glory to make the final defeat of Satan and destroy humanity's enemies for eternity. He will lead us to the ultimate promised land, where we will feast with him for eternity in a land where tears no longer fall, and disease no longer has a hold. Until then, we work to build his kingdom by bringing others into the fold and helping to lead them out of bondage and into the glory of God.