Topic: The Miracles of the Wilderness Journey. The Parting of the Sea and Death Into Life. Worship. Category: Power> Miracles of the Wilderness Journey>
Bible Scriptures: Exodus 14:10-31 and Exodus 15:22-26.
Listen to the full sermon.
Let us go back in time. To a time when the Egyptians were the world super power. The Ancient Israelites were slaves to the Egyptians. They were held captive under the might of the Egyptians and the Egyptian gods. The Ancient Israelites were unable to worship the Eternal One.
They cried out to the Eternal One and asked for deliverance from captivity. The Eternal One heard their cries and saw their hardship. So He personally stepped down into the darkness of humanity, to deliver them.
The Eternal One executed judgement on the gods of Egypt. In doing so exposed the lies and deceptions of them. For a greater revelation of this please listen to our podcast titled The Deliverer and Destroyer.
The Eternal One is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is the same God. Through the miracles of the wilderness journey, we will discover some of the incredible aspects of the Eternal One.
deliverance from death to life
So together let us journey into the wilderness with the Eternal One and the Ancient Israelites.
Exodus 14:10-14 And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD. Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.” And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”
Looking through human eyes, the Ancient Israelites situation was a matter of physical life and death. It was circumstances that naturally bring fear. For the most powerful army on the planet at the time was coming to kill them.
So the first words that Moses spoke to the Ancient Israelites was from the revelation of who the Eternal One is, what He had promised He will do. Moses spoke for the Eternal One and declares. ‘Do not be afraid…’ Immediately speaking peace into their fearful hearts.
the eternal one will fight for them
Remember, the Ancient Israelites cried out to the Eternal One to deliver them from captivity. Now they are saying that they actually said they wanted to remain in captivity. Even tho the Ancient Israelites falsely accused Moses and ultimately the Eternal One of making them leave Egypt, the Eternal One will fight for them.
Not only will the Eternal One fight for them, but He will open their eyes, so that they can see His salvation.
Salvation is a work of the Eternal One and a gift to all who are willing to receive it.
The presence of the Eternal One brings revelation to see, know and experience His salvation. It is humanity’s choice to receive it and as a result of receiving it, live!
Let us continue.
the parting of the sea
Exodus 14:15-18 And the LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”
The Eternal One had anointed Moses’ rod and given him the power and authority to speak for Him. So the Eternal One instructed Moses to lift up his rod, stretch out his hand over the sea and at that moment, the waters will part.
The Eternal One will reveal His glory, majesty and supremacy to not only the Ancient Israelites, but to Pharaoh, and all his army and in fact the entire world.
The Eternal One does not need to gain honour for He is the honourable one. But through the eyes of the most powerful empire at the time, the Egyptians, the Eternal One will not only make His mighty power known to them, but will reveal His worthiness of honour.
in the midst of the sea on dry ground
Exodus 14:19-23 And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night. Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. And the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.
So the Eternal One sent the Angel of God to be with them. This was not an Angel as we know it. This was the presence of the Eternal One Himself in whom He had placed His name.
He appeared in the form of a pillar of cloud that went before the Ancient Israelites to show them the way. His presence also was behind them, as their rear guard.
To those who declared war against the Eternal One, the cloud, His presence was darkness. Whereas to those who chose to receive the Eternal One’s salvation, the cloud was His presence and light.
power and authority over death to life
The Eternal One had anointed Moses’ rod and given him the power and authority to speak for Him. So the Eternal one had instructed Moses to lift up his rod, stretch out his hand over the sea and the waters will part.
In the Eternal One’s power and authority Moses did just that. Then it happened!
The Eternal One caused the waters to be split just as a He said He would. The waters split and created a pathway of dry ground for the Ancient Israelites. The Eternal One produced a safe pathway where their seemed no way forward. However the Egyptians were still pursuing the Ancient Israelites to bring death and destruction.
victory and freedom
Exodus 14:24-31 Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the LORD looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians. And He took off their chariot wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians.”
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.” And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained. But the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
So the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Thus Israel saw the great work which the LORD had done in Egypt; so the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD and His servant Moses.
God’s great love
This real life drama reveals so much about the Eternal One and His great love. The Eternal One sees the bondage, hurt and pain. He hears the cries for deliverance and personally frees the captives. The Eternal One not only shows the way to life, but makes the pathway for us to choose to walk on in this life journey. In every aspect the Eternal One is in every step of humanity’s life journey.
Let us continue on through the miracles of the wilderness journey.
Exodus 15:22-26 So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the Wilderness of Shur. And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” So he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet.
There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them, and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.”
death into life sustaining
After the amazing deliverance from the Egyptians, the Ancient Israelites journeyed into the wilderness. Into the wilderness of Slur which means wall. For three days there, they did not find any life sustaining water. When they finally did come to some water, they were unable to drink it, for it was bitter.
So the Eternal One showed Moses His servant and prophet a tree to cast into the bitter waters of death. The Eternal One turned the bitter waters of death, into sweet waters of sustaining life.
Even though the Ancient Israelites complained against Moses His prophet, the Eternal One was still there with them. Relentlessly pursuing them in love and urging them to choose life, choose Him. The Eternal One shows Himself faithful to His promises. He is the God of life.
The text states that there in the wilderness of Slur, the Eternal One tested the Ancient Israelites. As the Eternal One knows all things He has no need to test or prove anything or anyone.
But the Ancient Israelites needed to know who the Eternal One is and what the gods of Egypt represent. For if they give their allegiance to the Eternal One and worship only Him, they will be passed from the judgement that is over the gods of Egypt.
They are reminded that through the plagues upon Egypt, the Eternal One exposed the lies and deceptions of the gods of Egypt. As a result death passed through the land.
The Eternal One reminds the Ancient Israelites in the wilderness of Slur that if they choose life, choose God, they will be free of the judgement that was brought on these gods.
From the miracle of turning bitterness into sweet, death into life we can testify that the Eternal One is the giver of life.
only the eternal one heals
The Eternal One heals. That is mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually.
So through the miracles of the wilderness journey the Eternal One reveals He is not a distant God. He sees the bondage, hurt and pain of this life. In fact in Jesus He became human and drank the bitter cup of human suffering.
The Eternal One hears the cries for deliverance and personally frees the captives. In Jesus’ human life, death and resurrection He proclaims freedom to the captives and sets humanity free. Free from death, deceptions and the destructive negative forces of self.
The Eternal One not only shows the way to life everlasting, but makes the pathway for us to choose to walk on in this life journey. In every aspect of this life, the Eternal One is in every step. His presence is light unto us and darkness unto all who reject Him. We have been delivered from death into life.
The Eternal one heals, mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually.
Come all who are wiling and drink His living waters of life fresh each day. Regardless of circumstances and where you are at let us take a moment to surrender and receive from Him.
SERMON CATEGORIES
unsearchable mysteries> son of man> love of God> hope and healing> know God> truth> power> end times> experience God> life> success in life> kingdom> miracles of the wilderness journey>
Connect with us, pray for our projects, subscribe to our free podcasts, sermons and videos, follow us on facebook and our#ineverystep magazine, send us an email and share the good news with the world.