“Remember”
John
14: 1-6, 25 – 27; Exodus 14: 5 -14; Exodus 14: 15 – 31
Today is the 4th anniversary
of the terrorists attack on New York City and the Pentagon. I am sure that
most of you can remember where you were and exactly what you were doing when you heard the news. September 11th will go down in American history as a day to remember. It is a date like November 22, 1963 and December 7, 1941.
Remember how you felt on September
11th when you first saw the pictures on TV. If you were anything like me a helpless feeling came over you. You
did not know what to expect next and you were afraid. I was in my office
in Washington which was close to the Pentagon. As I was looking at the pictures
of the planes crashing into World Trade Center on my computer I saw an explosion out of the comer of my eye and then I watched
the column of black smoke rising over the Pentagon.
So as we begin to look at our text I want
you to remember how you felt on September 11th.
In verse 10 when the Israelites looked
up and saw the Egyptian army coming after them they were terrified. Just think
about it, the most powerful army on earth was bearing down on a group of unarmed people carrying their belongings with them. The Egyptian army was at their back and the Red Sea was in front of them. There was nowhere for them to go, nowhere to hide, and there was no help in sight. You bet they were terrified!
The account of the children of Israel
crossing the Red Sea is very dramatic and it is a familiar account that has been captured on film several times by Hollywood.
The crossing the Red Sea was a major historical event in Israel’s history and it is truly is a day to remember. But more than that, the crossing of the Red Sea has been a rallying call for
Jews and Christians down through the centuries. The crossing of the Red Sea has
become a time to remember when God delivered His people.
This story has been told and retold for
centuries …
- so we will always remember the awesome power of God,
- so that we will remember that God hears the cries of His people,
- so that we will remember how dependent we are on God,
- so that we will remember that God intervenes in our lives,
- so that we will remember that God miraculously provides a way out when there is no way out.
The God at the Red Sea is the same God
who delivers His people from the chaotic seemingly overwhelming forces of sin, evil, and destruction today. Our God is the God of Miracles!
Let’s be perfectly clear. The parting of the Red sea was an actual event. It is not
an allegory or a simile and the Red sea was not shallow and/or narrow where they crossed.
We know that because verse 22 tells us there was a wall of water on their right and their left. Remember in verse 7 we are told that Pharaoh took 600 of his best chariots along with other chariots. We know this was an actual event and truly a great miracle because God said he would
deliver the Israelites and that He would destroy the Egyptians so that everybody would know that He was The Lord!
The Egyptians and the Israelites knew first
hand that The Lord performed a great miracle that day.
If there is any skepticism in you today,
I suggest that you try parting the water in your bath tub when you get home. Yes the parting of the Red Sea was an actual
event and it was an awesome miracle.
Our text tells us that prior to the
crossing of the Red Sea Israel doubted but after the crossing there was faith and praise “Who is like you among the gods O Lord?”
In verse 31 when the Israelites saw the
water in the Red Sea parting they feared the Lord and they put their trust in Him. Before
that they cried out and were complaining against Moses. But when God rolled the
water back so they could cross on dry ground; they believed in God. In the 10th
chapter of 1st Corinthians we are told that the events of the Old Testament are recorded as examples for us and as warnings
to us so that we will not make the same mistakes that the Israelites did and so that we will believe in God (I Corinthians. 10:12).
The crossing of the Red Sea was a vivid
display of the awesome power of God. The crossing of the Red Sea was a vivid
demonstration of who God is. The crossing was a vivid description to the whole
world. As the story of the miraculous crossing spread fear struck the hearts of all the nations who occupied the Promised
Land.
When the Israelites cried out in fear Moses
told them to “stand firm”. They
were to believe, they were to trust, and they were to watch Almighty God deliver them.
We do not want to miss the reaction
of the Egyptian army. Before the Israelites left Egypt Moses went to Pharaoh
and said “Let my people go so that they may celebrate a festival unto me in the
wilderness”. But Pharaoh said “Who is the Lord that I should heed him and let Israel go?”
“ I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go” (Exodus 5: 1-2) Then as we read
in verse 25 when the Lord caused the wheels of the Egyptians chariots to come off the Egyptians said “Let us flee from the Israelites for The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.” (14:25) At this point the Egyptians did acknowledged the sovereignty of the all-powerful God but they did not turn to God – they fled.) Pharaoh and his army got to know the Lord that day but only after it was too late!
In contrast the response of the Israelites
was exuberant singing and dancing and that is recorded in Exodus 15. You see it is not enough to know who God is; we need
to respond to that knowledge by bowing down to Almighty God in worship and praise. Worship
and praise is the only appropriate response to who God is.
Remember Moses’ words to the terrified
people. “The Lord will fight for
you – stand firm”. God can turn any real predicament into a highway
to the Promised Land if we will only stand firm in our faith and trust in Him. Our job is to look for and to follow the Lord’s leading with all of our heart,
mind, and strength.
We are called to remember God’s presence
in the midst of our day-to-day struggles. As Christians we are called to encourage
one another and remember that God is always with us. The God who appeared to
the Israelites in the pillar of cloud is the same God who is present with us today.
While God is fully capable of miraculously removing any circumstance from
our lives, God may not choose to remove the circumstance. Many times God allows us to remain in tight predicaments so that we will remember to look up, to turn to
Him for help and to stand firm in our faith. We need to always remember that He promised never to leave us or forsake us.
Israel was not sure how following Moses
across the Red Sea would turn out. The same is true for us. Many times we do not know where God is leading us. We are
called to simply to trust and to follow.
God continues to engage His people in a
spiritual journey leading us from the bondage of sin and death. Jesus leads us
into the Promised Land.
Not only do we see the awesome power in
the crossing we see the great love God has for His people. We see that God protects His people and God provides for His people.
The crossing of the Red Sea is also
a vivid reminder that God will destroy evil and it reminds us of what happens to people who run away from God, the people
who go against God’s will, and what happens to those who persecute God’s people.
Today we also remember the day that Jesus
Christ delivered us from sin and death. When Jesus rose from the grave He defeated
sin and death. Jesus promised to deliver everyone who claims Him as their Savior. When a believer crosses the sea of death they will enter the promised land of heaven
if Jesus is our Savior. We just need to stand firm in our faith and watch our
Lord Jesus deliver us home.
Today we celebrate Jesus’ promise
with The Sacrament of Holy Communion. Jesus said “Do this in remembrance of me. For every time you eat this bread
and drink this cup you proclaim the Lord’s saving death until he comes again.
Just as Israel remembered the crossing
of the Red Sea and it became a rallying call for Israel. The cross, the cup,
and the bread are a rallying call to all Christians. When we celebrate the Lord’s
Supper remember all that He has done for us, all that He is doing for us, and all that He will do for us. AMEN
