The Christ Church Wednesday Bible Study Group is now studying the heroes of faith found in the Bible. In Hebrews 11, we find a remarkable chapter that introduces us to a cloud of witnesses, individuals who exemplified extraordinary faith. However our study will go beyond Hebrews 11 and include the lives of others that are examples of the blessings of having faith in God. We will also talk about other people that exhibited extraordinary faith, some of them are people we may know.
In today's study we look at the role that faith played as the now free nation of Israel appeared trapped between the Red Sea and the pursuing army of Pharaoh intent on taking them back to Egypt and enslaving them again.
Hebrews 11:6 NIV And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Hebrews 11:29-30 NIV [29] By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned. [30] By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.
Scripture Reading:
Exodus 14:1-15-2 NIV [1] Then the Lord said to Moses, [2] “Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon. [3] Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.’ [4] And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” So the Israelites did this. [5] When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, “What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!” [6] So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. [7] He took six hundred of the best chariots, along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them. [8] The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly. [9] The Egyptians—all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, horsemen and troops—pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon. [10] As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. [11] They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? [12] Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” [13] Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. [14] The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” [15] Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. [16] Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. [17] I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. [18] The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.” [19] Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, [20] coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long. [21] Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, [22] and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. [23] The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. [24] During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. [25] He jammed the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.” [26] Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.” [27] Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the Lord swept them into the sea. [28] The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.
1 Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD, saying, “I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.2 The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
Exodus 14:13-15 ESV And Moses said to the people, "Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord , which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent." The Lord said to Moses, "Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward.
For 430 years God’s people had been in bondage in Egypt. After the death of the firstborn throughout Egypt, God’s people were thrown out
Exodus 12:29-33 ESV At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians. And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where someone was not dead. Then he summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, "Up, go out from among my people, both you and the people of Israel; and go, serve the Lord , as you have said. Take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone, and bless me also!" The Egyptians were urgent with the people to send them out of the land in haste. For they said, "We shall all be dead."
It is estimated that 1.5 to 2 million people marched out of Egypt. We see that in
Exodus 12:37-38 ESV And the people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. A mixed multitude also went up with them, and very much livestock, both flocks and herds.
What a sight! The day of deliverance had arrived; God’s people had been set free.
God led his people through the wilderness by the Red Sea. During the day he went before them in a pillar of cloud, and at night he went before them in a pillar of fire.
Exodus 13:17-18 ESV When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, "Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt." But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle.
Exodus 13:21-22 ESV And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.
God had also revealed to Moses that Pharaoh would pursue God’s people.
Exodus 14:2-3 ESV "Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea. For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, 'They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.'
When the Israelites saw the Egyptians march after them, they panicked.
Exodus 14:10-12 ESV When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord . They said to Moses, "Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: 'Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians'? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness."
It was then that Moses said,
Exodus 14:13-14 ESV And Moses said to the people, "Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord , which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent."
Then in the next verse the Lord told Moses;
Exodus 14:15 ESV ... "Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward.
At the Red Sea God performed a miracle to deliver his people again from the hands of the Egyptians. The writer of Hebrews described the crossing of the Red Sea like this:
BY FAITH.
Many truths about faith can be found in the account of God’s people crossing the Red Sea. Let’s consider just a few of them.
1.God is the source of faith.
When Moses and God’s people arrived at the shores of the Red Sea, they could see the Egyptians rapidly approaching behind them. God did something unusual to solve this problem.
Exodus 14:19-20 ESV Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night.
When Moses came to the Red Sea, he prayed about the problem that God’s people faced with the Red Sea in front and Pharaoh’s army close behind. Why do I say that he prayed because God said to Moses ““Why do you cry to me?” Well his prayer was answered quickly. He was to lift up his rod and stretch his hand over the Red Sea, and Israel was to go forward on dry ground, through the midst of the sea.
Exodus 14:16 ESV Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground.
This a a perfect example of why we should believe and trust God which is what faith is. God who is the source said it and then He did it. Which is why we can believe in Him.
Surely God is the source and center of our faith.
2 Peter 1:1 ESV Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
That's us.
Faith comes from God, and God gives faith to us.
Galatians 2:20 ESV I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Hebrews 12:2 ESV looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Faith is something given to us by God and Jesus, the. Son of God, is the Author and Finisher of our faith.
Our faith is not only in Christ as it said in Galatians 2:20 And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
but it is of Christ who is the Author and Finisher of our faith.
How do we get it this faith?
Romans 10:17 ESV So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
It is the Word of God that produces faith. Someone could receive faith while hearing a sermon teaching the gospel, someone else by reading about Jesus in the Bible—any time the true gospel of Jesus is communicated, there is potential for faith. This is why it’s so important for us, the church, to be obedient to the Great Commission and tell people what Christ has done for humanity. Faith is given through the message about Jesus. This is the means God has chosen for us to get faith.
We must trust him and take him at his word. Let’s seek his will and then do what he commands us to do.
II. The secret of faith is to fear not.
When we are surrounded with difficulties and don’t know what to do, we should fear not and stand still. Don’t panic. The restlessness of the human heart often causes us to rush ahead without God. We cannot dry up the Red Seas of life or annihilate the hosts of Egyptians who plague us. The only things that we can control are our responses to things. We can’t control the things.
We can’t make food appear when we don’t know where we will get our next meal. We can’t make cancer go away just because we don’t want to be sick. We can’t make that employer hire us just because we want that job.
The only thing we can do is;
Exodus 14:13 ESV And Moses said to the people, "Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord , which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again.
The Lord will fight for you, you just have to be still until He says move.
2 Chronicles 20:15 ESV And he said, "Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, 'Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God's.
The secret of faith is to fear not and stand still. God will act. Isaiah said,
Isaiah 40:30-31 ESV Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
III. Faith’s success is found in going forward when the Lord says move and going in confidence because the Lord’s fighting for you (Ex. 14:13–16).
Exodus 14:13-16 ESV And Moses said to the people, "Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord , which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent." The Lord said to Moses, "Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground.
God is great in his mercy. He opens the way where people can walk in faith.
When God speaks we must go forward.
How many people are faithless and discouraged when facing some sea of difficulty? They say, “I can’t do this” or “I can’t do that.”
No progress is possible unless God speaks. And he does speak!
He says go forward in prayer
Matthew 7:7-8 ESV "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
He says go forward in evangelism
Matthew 28:18-20 ESV And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
He says go forward in Bible study and teaching God’s Word.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 4:2 ESV preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
He says go forward under the Holy Spirit’s leadership.
Zechariah 4:6 ESV Then he said to me, "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.
When we remember that the battle is the Lord’s, he fights for us.
God knows how to fight and win the battle.
The battle was the Lord’s—and still is today.
IV. Faith results is praise.
After the Israelites crossed over on dry land and the Egyptians had been destroyed when the Red Sea went back to being a Sea and not a pathway to safety. They praised God for their deliverance.
Exodus 15:1 ESV Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord , saying, "I will sing to the Lord , for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.
Exodus 15:21 ESV And Miriam sang to them: "Sing to the Lord , for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea."
No comments:
Post a Comment