Part 13: Crossing the Red Sea

Well, good morning again. And I'm glad you're here with us today and summer has officially ride hasn't it? Looks like my shirt, you know that I was yesterday a small group Bible study leader of a sword or you're interested and maybe a serving in that role two weeks from today. We're going to have just a brief lunch and I want to check in with you find out things are going to share some plans and ideas for the fall. I so if you can buy yourself your spouse is still welcome to join you and I know things are going and share with you some thoughts about the future for a Groups such a July 14th after the service if you can make plans to join us and if your one-time leader isn't here today get on them and tell them hey, you need to be there two weeks from today on July 14th. I need some lunch next week and we'll get an email out this week as well. We are studying the story of The Exodus from the book of Exodus and we're going to go one more week. Next Sunday will be we're going to take a break after next Sunday from Exodus will come back to it again next year sometime today. The story today is really maybe probably one of the top two or three well-known stories and all the Bible. It's where I God's people, they're running their fleeing and they're coming in Farrell changes his mind and he begins to chase after them again after having let them go and they get to the Red Sea and God miraculously Parts the Red Sea for them so that they can cross on dry ground. It's an incredible incredible story. And what's even more incredible 2 show you a few things today and put you some directions that I think they increasingly over the last probably 20-30 years. There's been growing evidence for this having been a very truly historical event and I'll show you a little bit of that today. But before we do, I thought, you know, maybe your new this morning and you don't know much of the story. So let's just catch you up where we're at God's people had had left the promised land and about 400 years prior to that and they came to Egypt for them to a guy named Josef and there was food And there was sustenance in time of famine and during these four hundred years that the people of God X greatly which was fulfilled his promise to Abraham that he would make all of his descendants into a great nation and they multiplied so much that there was a new Pharaoh Pharaoh just means king. It's just a title. If not a name that there was a new Pharaoh a new King in Egypt and he didn't remember anything about Joseph as soon as he saw all of these people he became afraid of them. And so he begins to put burdens on them and enslave them and flicked them and oppress them. And he was afraid that if they would raise up and try to fight the Egyptians made it would be over in a hurry and soul God's people under this great Affliction to get crying out to God and here's their cry the text tells us that God saw and God knew and he knew what was going on. So you raised up a guy by the name of Moses and Moses is a pretty unlikely character because Moses for 1 the Pharaoh had tried to kill all of the Israelite baby boys, and Moses was spared from that. He had a mom who is stuck them in a basket in the river, right and then he gets found and raised in Pharaoh's house, but then one of the Israelites and he spends 40 years in the wilderness than where he meets his wife you a begins a family and at age 80 got it pierced am Jesus appears to him through a burning bush and says Moses you're going to be the one to set my people free of her. Their cries. I know of their Affliction you're going to be the one I'm going to use to free them and Moses goes and he prepares before pharaoh and he calls for infertile just

And over time there have been now 10 plagues that God told out on the Egyptians to win his people's freedom the final one of which was the Passover which we looked at a couple weeks ago. And and we saw that the gods played the first one of all those who didn't paint the door frame of their house with the blood of the lamb and believe God's word. And so they actually chased God's people out of Egypt. And then it says they're leaving though. Doesn't take them on the easy way and Israel into the promised land. The short way because he has his purpose in mind for them. He wants to build their faith until their character and he knows that if they're going to hightail it right back if they can into slavery and so got to take some of the long way to totally redeem them. And today we're going to see that on that long way. Even directs them in a way that you're like, what do you mean go back turn back and they do and they get trapped between a rock and an ocean. And between the mountains and the Red Sea and God miraculously rescues them. Suck the setup for today in freed and they're claiming their freedom. They're on their way out and it's going to be totally secured here in a moment as they cross the Red Sea, but let's pray and then we'll unpack this a pretty well-known story together father. Thank you for Jesus. Thank you as Jude writes. He's the one that we see leading your people hear out of Egypt and across the Red Sea and eventually into the promised land Jesus. You're you are with us. You love us as we like to say, you're the senior pastor the chief Shepherd has Peter rights. As soon as we look at your power today, would you encourage us to to trust you more to follow you in faith when maybe our eyes are fearful and our hearts are fearful instead to choose Faith to trust you. Always. I pray against the enemy of servants their works on the fax. He would instill fear into us and that cause us to doubt and turn Jesus from you instead change us. Grow our faith. Make us more like Jesus in his name we pray. amen Well God's taking them on the wrong way and we're coming to this this huge epic event in history of God parting the Red Sea. And what I want you to see right away here at the beginning is that God is working a plan. Okay, he's working a plan for his people and for his glory for their Redemption for their good and for his glory is working plan in Exodus chapter 14, it starts like this. And this was after they decided to go the long way. He said tell the people of Israel to turn back. Turn back. volume to turn back What was look at that here in a moment nieces? Tell them to encamp in front of Pi? Hahaha. Hahaha actually exactly where this place was. It's likely a small community all these that are mentioned some of these places that are less than here like a like a queen or a 4-acre for those of you who are from this area know what I'm talking about their their small communities that one time for vibrant, but now or slowly declining and some people you tell him the name of that place in they go where It's similar to that. It's just a small area, but they would have known exactly where this was in front of the all the sign. He says you sell in Camp facing it by the sea. Now that it's important here and helpful to see a little bit of geography. So those of you who like geography of got maps and pictures for you today is the best part of the Bible right when I was little kids all the pictures in the back.

Wait for it that we go and just the land that we're looking at this morning were all this takes place first. You're going to see Egypt here on the left and that's Egypt and got speed for up in this area. Goshen is way up here to the north. That's for God's people were and it's likely they're leaving from right in there somewhere and then next to Egypt. We have this peninsula that's often referred to as Sinai, but it's it's actually under the control of Egypt and considered to be Egypt in this time. And then just to the to the east of that is the land of Midian and in purple you see midi and Midian is where Moses after he murdered.

And that's where he lived with the priest of Midian and he met the Met his his wife at the well as they were watering other sheep and and getting them water and he met them and who lives there for forty years before Jesus appearance them in a burning bush. Is he comes back to Rescue God's people when he when he encountered the burning bush Jesus told him. He said you're going to come back to Moses to this place with my people. You're going to rescue them. You're going to come here and worship on because it was the burning bush where encounter Jesus and traditionally most people tend to believe it. If you have a map in your Bible in this Sinai Peninsula about right there. And by the way, just to give you more reference to a modern day. Israel is right up here where you can see my laser pointer pointing. People traditionally call Mount Sinai the case.

They're on their way right there on their way there. And so if this is the case, that means it looking this will take those those colors off the screen for a second. That means most Scholars and then many study bibles. If you have a map of this it shows God's people not Crossing down here in the Red Sea butt up here across one of these Lakes along the Nile River to the Red Sea. So the one in the middle one is like Timbs out of the bottom tour Big Cedar Lake. And a lot of cars have thought for a long time. This is where God's people crossed and that's what it meant by the Red Sea because it can also mean the Reed sea maybe you've heard critics of this story say that if you watch too much History Channel on you watch the documentary on Moses. You hear him say all I didn't cross the Red Sea it was the Reed sea except every other times at that word in Hebrew, yum soup comes up first to a large body of water like an ocean not a little lake or a marshy area decide if it was just the Reed sea in the small marshy area that got pardoned for God's people that walk through, you know, trying to explain it naturalistically, then it might be even more of a miracle that all of Pharaoh's Army ends of drowning in knee-high water. Recent evidence over the last 30 to 40 years and actually prior to that but it's really getting traction Mount Sinai is not in that traditional spot, but it's actually over here in Midian, which is modern-day Saudi Arabia and if that's the case then the right across and over and they would have crossed this part of the Red Sea likely. I'm going to show you some evidence for that in a second and then made it to this mountain called which I'm fairly convinced. I'm not going to die for it. But I'm fairly convinced. That's the real Mount Sinai and it really matches up with the text because where was Moses when he met Jesus in the burning bush. in Midian Not in Egypt and it says that the people over and over they left they went out of Egypt while the Sinai Peninsula in that day was Egypt. So how does that line up with a text to that? It hasn't been understood and I want to show you something. There's a documentary. I'm going to encourage you to go watch and it's already posted on our website and you have a link to it on your notes about 25 minutes long. Just came out in December about the place of the real Mount Sinai the mountain of Moses when you get a chance this week or maybe watch it with your 110 group show you a couple things are going to show you the trailer for increase your faith and build your faith in the trustworthiness of God's word. Someone show you this trailer and then I'm going to show you there's going to be a short little section of this documentary where they actually likely I believe cross the Red Sea according to this route. So for sure going to see the trailer then you're going to see the info on the Red Sea and then we'll pick up the text after now that we know some of the geography and keep going with the story sound good.

For Generations, we have been taught that we had to believe the story of The Exodus on faith alone.

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So we actually just been looking in the wrong.

Exodus says that the two Saudi Arabia is at the Straits of tiran at the bottom of Egypt Sinai Peninsula Beach amazingly there is a path. Egypt into Saudi Arabia

if the waters were parted. Underwater research by dr. Leonard Muller believed that the remains of Pharaohs Army are there according to this Theory the parts of Chariots? We weren't allowed to the Saudi police showed up and they stayed with us until we left.

Some of the evidence that that's likely where God's people crossed and the Mount Sinai isn't in Egypt Sinai Peninsula that is in Saudi Arabia today. In fact one that showed Mount Sinai. Did you notice the top of that mountain was black? Oh God. Oh God descended in fire on Mount Sinai. Right and there's other. Find a documentary 2 on Amazon Prime for about 20 years ago. The guy that go up there and that's to crack open some of those rocks and their only black on the Outside Inside. They match all of the other rock around that area minutes documentary and I believe it'll build your faith in some of the evidence that it produces and in a present I should say for the reliability of God's word. This is a historical event friends and it really happened and so as we keep watching here, it says the people of Israel in or keep reading inverse to Got Talent just tell the people kill the turn-back wonder if they're on their route across if if God didn't turn them back so that they went down into that Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. And it would appear then that there are just wandering in the wilderness and their wandering down to a point where they can't escape. Can you show that map one more time for me Brice? Like if you look at this for a second if if they're going and maybe they were going across up here and they're going to go to Mount Sinai if that's the real Mount Sinai and then God tells them maybe somewhere in here. No turn back in verse 2, and so they turn back and they start wondering down this way. And then look at what happens if you continue reading the text just tell him to turn back and go down facing by the Sea for Pharaoh. Then we'll save the people of Israel there. They're wandering in the land of the wilderness.

Why did God tell him to turn back? to lure feral after them but I think Farrah obviously he would have had outposts of the Egyptian Army all over so they would have known where God's people were going. They would have known that they likely turn back now into this place and other trap they're going down into the peninsula. They're trapped by the Sea on both sides are trapped in the wilderness. We got them. And Pharaoh's heart is hard and then he decides again. Now even after having let them go even after having suffered the loss of his son to go after the people. Let's keep reading verse for God says I will harden Pharaoh's heart and he will pursue them and I will get Glory / pharaoh and all its host and the Egyptian she'll know that I am the Lord and they did so when the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled the mind of pharaoh in a servant's was changed towards the people and they said what is this we've done that we go from serving us. So he made his Chariot and he took his army with them for 7. He took 600 chosen Chariot and all the other Chariots of Egypt with officers over them enforce right? That's like pharaohs Navy Seals. He gets them in their chariots. And that's who he's going to chase him down with and then he gets all the other Chariots of Egypt as well. This is a massive massive fighting force. Chase down God's people now, even if they were already all the way across on the other side of the Sinai Peninsula for a professional Army like that to close the gap on them is not going to take long and their chariots. And so they chase him down they hunt him down. And the Lord hardened the heart of pharaoh king of Egypt and he pursued the people of Israel why the people of Israel were going out defiantly the Egyptians pursue them all Pharaoh's horses and chariots in his Horsemen in his army, and they overtook them and camped at the sea River got a told them by pi. Hahaha. Hahaha. Excuse me in front of the house of fun.

The chase them down they catch him but here's the deal got told him to turn back to that place. God is working a plan do believe that he's working a plan loved ones and in our lives today in your life and in my life in the life of our church receive good and we would receive joy and he understands it in that plan. There's going to be a whole lot of town and he's going to work everything though for the good of those who love him and for his glory. He's working a plan. How about you you like me in that we often forget that God is working a plan. When we should be exercising faith. In this instance Scott. Is working a plan for his people isn't he is working a plan. He's already done all these Miracles. They've seen him happen before their eyes and yet they get to the spot Pharaoh's armies chasing them down as impending against the Sea and the people forget that God is working a plan when they should have been exercising faith in his total control and sovereignty. And then this promise is that check this out in verse 10 see when Pharaoh Drew near the people of Israel lifted up their eyes and behold the Egyptians or marching after them. And they feared greatly and the people of Israel cried out to the Lord that they said to Moses.

graves in Egypt that you've taken us away

Is it this is not this what we said to you and leave us alone. We might serve the Egyptians.

Do you remember God's people ever saying that to Moses? It wasn't recorded. In fact, they seemed pretty excited.

Down and Worship and then when the all-time leading us here, like there wasn't enough places for us to be buried and die there you brought us out here to die to make our lives. So miserable. Why didn't you just leave us alone so we can just keep serving the Egyptians. Why'd you have to mess with the status quo?

I think what's really happening here. Is the comfort of the Israelite people as being threatened? And when people's Comfort gets threatened when change comes. Guess what happens?

Yes, I do. each of us do two we all do wheat with nobody really likes chains. We like things things the way they are and so when the wind changes happened and then it doesn't go exactly the way we thought it would go. Guess what we do we freak out. Can we start lashing out maybe if people were leaving chains or lashing out of the circumstances are other people around us and listen like like Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes. There's nothing new Under the Sun it takes place in Exodus. Can people start lashing out at Moses Moses is described as the greatest leader in scripture in God's word god describes him as one of the greatest leaders second to Jesus of all time. People just a man you see this.

Well, this is why God took them the long way because if he had taken them the quick way up into Israel. He said they would have a soon as I faced opposition. They would have turned right back to Egypt. God was right cuz as soon as the opposition, what do they want to do?

I told you this is very much a model for how God Saves his people and many times. Maybe you've experienced. This God is working in our lives. He's redeeming this from something we're making progress. And then as soon as we start the face of opposition to that progress and it gets hard. What are we going to do in our spirits? Go back. We want to go right back to where we were. We want to go back to those old old patterns of sin with old patterns of thinking we get drawn right back into it and Egyptians of the same way. As soon as they face opposition and their Redemption and happened to really step out in faith and trust God they forget when they should be exercising faith and they want to go right back to their old life.

Hip hotels in simulations. It's for Freedom that he set us free. Set us free so that we can be free.

So when you face opposition exercise Faith, don't forget that God's working a plan to look what Moses says for the people and I think he would say it to us and I think we can rightly. Maybe you might even memorize this verse for when you're facing some hardship is your following Jesus and maybe things aren't going exactly to plan Moses says this to the people fear not stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord was he will work for you today. For the Egyptians who you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you. Moses says you only have to be silent.

Moses is it in on maybe everyday language is saying just chill out and trust him trust him. He's working a plan exercise face. Don't forget that might be helpful definition of biblical Faith. I've given you in the past and I learned from my past when I was in college. It's been four parts to remember this. Faith is number one believe in God's word. It's believing it right something. I can believe that it's true. I can trust it. I can believe it when he's going to ruin your why I should believe his work, but not just believe it cuz sometimes it's right now we believe it Department. Cfaith James tells us faith without works is what it's dead. So Faith. It's just a mental assent but doesn't put anything into action. Is it really biblical Faith at all? It's just a thought. It's just agreeing the demons have that kind of faith. Faith is believing God's word and acting upon it taking a step of Faith doing something about it. The third part of this definition is the hardest part. You should believe God's word and act upon it no matter how you feel.

Opposition got his working a plan. He's made a promise to them. I'm going to rescue you. It's going to be good if they had just obeyed in faith believe God's word acted upon it instead of freaking out and going after this no matter how now if you were there. Would you have been losing it just a little bit if you look over your shoulder and all the Pharaohs Army and all the Navy Seals are coming after you.

No matter how you feel. Now, why would you do that? Because God promise is a good result when you do. Faith is believing God's word and acting upon it no matter how I feel because God promises a good result. And by the way, he keeps all of his promises. Everyone he's going to keep his promise to Israel here. They can believe him they can act on his where they can they can trust him. No matter how they feel no matter what they see with their eyes. Because God's working a plan, but they forgot when they should have been exercising Faith remembering that Jesus always follows through. It keeps his promises. Jesus always follows through with his promises. Numbers 23:19 says God is not a man that he should lie or a son of a man that he should change his mind. He has said and will he not do it? Or has he spoken and he will not fulfill it. He keeps all his promises. Let's read the rest of this account now in Exodus 14 starting a verse 15. So the Lord said to Moses. Why do you cry to me? That's a strange statement because just prior to this and verse 14 if you're still looking at in your Bible. You see Moses actually makes a pretty bold statement of faith. Doesn't he and in faith. He says listen just trust the Lord trust him. He's going to work just be still.

He's going to work as plan. So why does God say why do you cry to me often when God speaks to the people? He speaks to Moses as if he speaking to the people and the same thing when Moses speaks to God, he speaking on behalf of all the people who are who are losing it right here. So why do you cry Israel to go forward? In other words just take the next step. Break Camp get moving Don't Be Afraid. Trust me. Do the next best step of faith that you know and trust me. My word is not a light a flashlight to your entire rest of your life. It's it's a lamp unto your path. Take the next step of Faith do the next right thing.

He says tell the people to go forward lift up your staff Moses. Never got staff we talked about being God's presence and Authority stretch your hand out over the sea and divide it that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. Now who's chasing after him? Feral, right and what are all the Pharaohs Army? What it what are his guys drive in Chariots of the Chariot wheel Amish buggy Wheels. There's a thin there would they have metal around them?

Listen, if they're going to chase into the theater, the ground isn't going to be like the puddles here and there it's going to be dry ground so that the wheels don't sink into it. God is going to totally dry the ground for them to walk and see how he does it in the hearts of the Egyptian so that they'll go in after them and I will get Glory over pharaoh and all this host is chariots and his Horsemen. And this in the Egyptian shall know that I'm the Lord when I've gotten Glory over Pharaoh's chariots and his Horsemen then verse 19 the angel of God or the angel of the Lord. That's a that's a big flag. Who is that in scripture often times in the Old Testament Jesus? This is Jesus and we have a confirmed into Jude verse 5 where he says Jesus is the one who is the Angel.

Jesus I believe here who was going before the host of Israel in a pillar of cloud by day and Pillar of Fire at night moved and he went

so the pillar of cloud in front of them is God's messenger. And now we do he moves behind them in between them to protect his face is working a plan. He's going to keep his promise. He stood behind them coming between the host of Egypt in the host of Israel. And there was the cloud in the darkness and it lit up the knife without one coming near the other all night. That's translate the little strange but other words it was is a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire. He stood between and at night he lit up the can so they could see. The Egyptians, excuse me, then Moses verse 21 stretched out his hand over the sea. Wonder how long you held this in there? Because it says the Lord drove the sea back by a strong East Wind all night.

Now you're terrified. You're an Israelite. You just noticed that pharaohs Elite fighting force is coming to chase you down. Is there an army but there a professional fighting for us and Israel as an army is an army with all of their family and possessions and cattle in tow. Not exactly nimble. And so what are we going to do? And then you see Jesus move around color of Fire / you from the Egyptians and not just for a little bit but all night long. You're just going what is going to happen. And the Sea opens up and it's it's nice. You can't maybe even see exactly what's going on. You just know there's a ton of wind is a big Pillar of Fire. We're about to die cuz he's coming right behind us, but God's plan is made a promise. See you tonight. They didn't really maybe even see all of this happened. They had to wonder what was going on.

Says he drove it away drove the strongest wind all night made the sea dry land in the waters were divided and then at some point at Moses is all right, here we go. And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground. The water's being a wall to them on the right hand and under left hand. And this is it. This is a real true historical event. You might think I'm crazy, but I think it takes a lot more faith not to believe in a miracle-working. Almighty God. But it does to believe in him.

She says you like I don't know if I can believe that this one right and everything came about listen. God can do these things. He's mine. I need to save the people of Israel went into dry ground and then the Egyptians and Egyptians pursued and went in after them in the midst of the sea. These are smart guys. It's the ground wasn't dry. They would have never went in with their chariots.

And they're going after them all the Pharaohs horses his chariots and his Horsemen now one thing we're not clear about from the text as whether or not fair of himself went in. 4 piece stayed back They don't know. And in the morning in the morning watch that says so another with the last watch of the night literally the Lord in the pillar of fire in other words Jesus. The pillar of fire and Cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw them into a panic.

clogging their chariot wheels So maybe the water starts to slowly sleep back in so that they drove heavily in the Egyptian said let us flee from the for Israel for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians now even they recognize it. Then the Lord said to Moses. This is after they have made it across stretch out your hand over the sea that the water may come back upon the Egyptians. I wonder how long did it take them to cross the sea? Might have been one day might have been a few days. We don't know.

But stretch out your hand over the sea in the sea return to its normal course when the morning appeared. It does the Egyptians flight into it the Lord through the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. The water is returned and covered the Chariots in the horsemen and all of the host of pharaoh that it followed them into the sea. Not one of them remained. But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the see the water is being a wall to them on their left hand and they're right saved Israel that they from the end of the Egyptians and Israel Saudi Egyptians dead on the seashore Israel. Saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptian so that the people fear the lord and they believed in the Lord and in the servant Moses Friends God's working a plan. Don't forget that but instead of exercise faith knowing that Jesus always follows through to keep his promises they men. It's a even in the midst. Is there crossing at night? It says that in the morning, so whenever they make it to the other side, it's morning. They look back and now they can see and what happens. They see what God has done. It's true that off and you may not see God's leading right in the moment. What is he doing? I don't know. I don't get it. But in the end sometime maybe even not until we get to be with Jesus forever will be able to look back at the off. He was working a plan. I'm so glad I trusted him. I don't know what you're facing this week the summer this year, but God is working the plan. You are loved by Jesus never forget that exercise space and him trusting and knowing he always comes through. Amen. Hey, man, let me pray and we're going to sing about that together father. Thanks for Jesus. Thanks for your grace to us. I pray that often but Because it's just the immeasurable and it's Indescribable in many ways. Words, you've you set us free Paul writes so that we could have freedom. that we could step out of our fear step out of

arcsin and Jesus to trust you. But I pray for those today, you're my hearing my voice that it may be never trusted you with their life. They've never put their true faith. And in Jesus the never really believed your word or maybe they believed it, but they never acted on it. No matter how they might feel by putting their faith in you. I pray today might be that day. And if that's you all you have to do. Confess with your mouth believe in your heart that the Jesus is the Lord that you are a sinner that you need a savior that Jesus is Lord that God raised him from the dead to save you. He died on the sin on the cross for your sin. If you would simply believe that God's word is clear. You will be saved as Moses said to the Israelites you you only need to stand there and be silent and praise of him. But for all of us remind us of that truth remind us of the freedom you give us in Jesus, we pray all of this through him. Amen.