How to split your Red sea?
The red sea represents the various troubles we face
in this life. It could be a sickness, a marital issue, a job-related issue, a
financial issue or any other issue. Whatever it may be, we all face our own Red
sea in this life which briefly halts our journey. Bible doesn’t promise a
trouble-free life. However, we can overcome these troubles. So, how to split our
Red sea? We will see how in this message.
God sent ten plagues upon Egyptians and brought Israelites out of Egypt.
Today, we see the beginning of their journey towards the Promised land.
By the end of the tenth plague, Pharaoh who was not letting the Israelites
leave Egypt, himself asked them to leave Egypt (Exodus 12:31). So, the
Israelites began their journey out of Egypt. They were 6 lakh men excluding
women and children (Exodus 12:37). In 430 years, the Israelites grew from 75
(Acts 7:14) to 6 lakh men. This is a supernatural growth.
As they were leaving, God gave them some instructions regarding eating
Passover meal and consecrating to God firstborn male whether Human or Animal.
We can see Jesus in these instructions.
In Exodus 12:43-44, God
says, ‘Uncircumcised foreigner must not eat Passover meal’. Similarly, only
those with circumcised heart, i.e. only believers should take part in Holy communion.
In Exodus 12:46, God
says, ‘Bones of the Passover lamb must not be broken’. Similarly, not even a
single bone of Jesus, our Passover lamb, was broken (John 19:36).
In Exodus 13:13, God
asks Israelites to redeem every firstborn of a donkey, which is an unclean
animal, with a lamb. Similarly, Jesus redeemed us, unclean sinners, through His
death on the cross.
During the journey, Lord went ahead of the Israelites.
Exodus 13:21 NIV
Lord himself went ahead of them during the day in a pillar of cloud to guide
them on their way and during the night in a pillar of fire to give them light.
Pillar of fire gave light to the Israelites during the night. Similarly, Jesus
is the true light who gives us light (John 1:9).
Lord could have taken them through the Philistine country which was the
shorter route to the Promised land. But Israelites didn’t have the faith to face a
war with the philistine giants and God knew they would change their mind and
return to Egypt. So, He took them through a longer route to the Red sea (Exodus
13:17).
When they reached the Red sea, God reveals His plan to Moses. God does
nothing without revealing His plans to His prophets (Amos 3:7).
The Lord asked Israelites to camp near the Red sea. Lord revealed to Moses that
He wanted Pharaoh to pursue the Israelites, thinking that they are wandering
around in confusion (Exodus 14:1-3). He did this to display His glory by
destroying the Egyptian army and let Egyptians know He is the Lord.
Moses did as Lord commanded him. He raised his staff and stretched his hand over the Red sea and the Lord parted the Red sea making a dry way through the sea. The Israelites moved forward through the dry ground. The Egyptian army also followed them into the sea (Exodus 14:21-23).
This crossing of the Red sea is a picture of water baptism. In 1 Corinthians 10:1-2, Paul says that the Israelites were baptized in the cloud and in the sea. After the Israelites were brought out from the Kingdom of Egypt, they went through the sea. Similarly, we believers after we are brought out from the Kingdom of darkness i.e. after we are saved, we are to take water baptism.
Lessons to be learned from this.
1. The Lord guides us.
The Lord led the way of the Israelites.
Exodus 13:18a NIV - So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red
Sea.
He went before them day and night (Exodus 13:21).
Even we, children of God are led by the Spirit of God.
Romans 8:14 NIV - For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of
God.
So, we should always walk in the guidance of the Holy Spirit. He is the
wisest person in the whole universe. His wisdom is far above our wisdom. He
knows everything from the beginning till the end. So, He is the best person who
can guide us and counsel us.
2. The Lord protects us.
Lord came between the Egyptian army and Israelites to protect Israelites.
Exodus 14:19-20 NIV -
19 Then the angel of God, who had been travelling 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.
The Lord is a fortress for those who abide in Him.
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High, will rest in the
shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in
whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly
pestilence.
When we abide in our Lord, we need not be afraid of anything that could
harm us. This doesn’t mean we abide in Him to remain safe. We abide in Him
because we know His love, and we love Him, and so we want to abide in Him.
3. The Lord makes a way.
The Lord split the Red Sea and made a way for the Israelites through the
sea.
Exodus 14:21-22 NIV -
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, 22and the Israelites went through the sea on dry
ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.
The Lord makes a way where there seems to be no way.
Isaiah 43:19 NIV -
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
Whatever may be the trouble we are facing; God will make a way for us to
come out of that trouble.
So, how to split our red sea?
The Lord is the one who splits our Red sea.
Is there anything we should do to split our Red sea?
We only need to: -
(a) Be still.
Moses asked Israelites
to be still.
Exodus 14:13-14 NIV -
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.”
What does it mean ‘to be
still’?
‘Be still’ means to be
calm and have peace even though the trouble still exists.
How to be still?
Psalms 46:10a NIV -
He says, “Be still,
and know that I am God
(i)
Know
that He is God and Know His heart.
In other words, know
that we are not God. God is the one who is going to split our red sea. He is
the almighty God and He is able. Nothing is impossible for Him.
He is a Good Father and
He is willing to part our red sea. He will make a dry way for us through our
red sea. The red sea is not to drown us. It is to drown our enemies. It is to
display His glory. It is for a testimony.
(ii)
Remember
our testimonies and promises.
What God has done in the
past; He will do it again. Our testimonies build our faith to face our Red sea.
What God has promised;
He will surely accomplish. Unaccomplished promises of God give us the
confidence that we won’t perish in the Red sea we are currently facing.
(iii)
Seek
help – We should be ready to take help when we are struggling. Seek God’s help
in prayer and go to a believer who is still when we are struggling to be still.
(b) Hear from God.
We don’t know whether
Israelites were able to be still. But Moses was still, and he heard from God
what he should do when the Egyptian army was approaching (Exodus 14:15-16). After
we are still, we should enquire God what we should do to split our Red sea. May
be, He will ask us to wait or Maybe, He will ask us to use our authority.
Either way, He will split our red sea.
(c) Obey what He says.
Moses obeyed what the Lord asked him to do (Exodus 14:21). We should obey
what He asks us to do and we will see our Red sea split.
Following verse summarizes the entire message.
“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” – Exodus 14:14
Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again), Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service. Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.
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