1 00:00:13,360 --> 00:00:17,280 This morning, I'm guessing that we all have a favorite film 2 00:00:17,840 --> 00:00:19,360 that we enjoy to watch. 3 00:00:19,360 --> 00:00:22,880 And I've made that assumption before, and I do think that each 4 00:00:22,880 --> 00:00:23,720 of us have a favorite. 5 00:00:23,720 --> 00:00:27,400 And that favorite will depend on what genre it is, as well as maybe 6 00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:29,440 the actors or the actresses that are in it. 7 00:00:30,990 --> 00:00:34,590 Our favorite film is one that we will happily watch again and again 8 00:00:34,590 --> 00:00:37,950 because of the story or because of how it's filmed. 9 00:00:38,190 --> 00:00:42,190 And our favorite films are those that we can also quote because 10 00:00:42,190 --> 00:00:46,670 we've watched them so much that we know the lines and who says 11 00:00:46,670 --> 00:00:50,110 what, and we bring them into our normal conversation. 12 00:00:50,830 --> 00:00:54,310 Well, I grew up knowing that my father's favorite film was the 13 00:00:54,310 --> 00:00:55,390 Great Escape. 14 00:00:56,650 --> 00:00:57,690 Anybody favorites? 15 00:00:57,690 --> 00:00:58,730 Anybody's favorite? 16 00:00:59,130 --> 00:01:01,250 I need to look at the young people because they won't know, have 17 00:01:01,250 --> 00:01:02,610 a clue what the Great Escape is. 18 00:01:02,610 --> 00:01:06,450 But the Great Escape starred the great Steve McQueen, Richard 19 00:01:06,450 --> 00:01:10,930 Attenborough, and James Coburn is a film based on the true story 20 00:01:10,930 --> 00:01:15,170 of the mass escape by British Commonwealth prisoners of war from 21 00:01:15,170 --> 00:01:20,330 the German prisoner of war camp Stalag Luft 3 in World War II. 22 00:01:20,810 --> 00:01:24,930 And my father liked it because he enjoyed films about World War 23 00:01:24,930 --> 00:01:29,430 II, and he was familiar with the world of Steve McQueen and James 24 00:01:29,430 --> 00:01:31,590 Coburn and the other movies that they were in. 25 00:01:31,670 --> 00:01:34,950 Now, he never quoted any lines that either actor said. 26 00:01:34,950 --> 00:01:36,070 Well, not that I know of. 27 00:01:36,070 --> 00:01:41,110 But he enjoyed seeing the whole story of the prisoners escaping, 28 00:01:41,510 --> 00:01:45,750 standing up to their German captors and getting a good way out. 29 00:01:46,470 --> 00:01:50,710 Quite literally, these men carving their way out of the prison 30 00:01:50,710 --> 00:01:51,030 camp. 31 00:01:51,990 --> 00:01:55,870 And so the Great Escape was known in our house as a movie that 32 00:01:55,870 --> 00:01:59,550 you had to watch because the head of the house loved it so much 33 00:01:59,550 --> 00:02:02,550 that you had no choice but to be indoctrinated by it. 34 00:02:03,270 --> 00:02:08,550 Well, as we come To Exodus chapter 14, we see the Great escape 35 00:02:08,790 --> 00:02:10,230 of the children of Israel. 36 00:02:10,710 --> 00:02:12,390 But this escape is so different. 37 00:02:13,270 --> 00:02:15,350 It is as much could be made into a movie. 38 00:02:15,350 --> 00:02:16,870 It has been made into movies. 39 00:02:17,510 --> 00:02:19,830 But there's no spoons to dig tunnels. 40 00:02:19,990 --> 00:02:23,350 In fact, there's no work on the part of humanity at all. 41 00:02:24,420 --> 00:02:29,220 They simply have to trust in the Lord and he will bring them through 42 00:02:29,220 --> 00:02:32,100 the waters onto salvation. 43 00:02:33,140 --> 00:02:36,460 So far, these people, the children of Israel, have made it 44 00:02:36,460 --> 00:02:41,140 from Rameses to Succoth and are now making their way to the Red 45 00:02:41,140 --> 00:02:41,420 Sea. 46 00:02:41,420 --> 00:02:45,700 But as we saw last week, things didn't work out as we perhaps 47 00:02:45,700 --> 00:02:46,420 may have thought. 48 00:02:46,900 --> 00:02:49,740 First of all, they didn't take the road through the desert or the 49 00:02:49,740 --> 00:02:52,420 road of the Philistines through the desert of Shur, which 50 00:02:52,420 --> 00:02:54,180 would have taken them to the Promised Land. 51 00:02:54,180 --> 00:02:55,220 In about two weeks. 52 00:02:56,150 --> 00:02:59,710 Instead, God was leading them through the wilderness road so that 53 00:02:59,710 --> 00:03:03,550 they wouldn't have to face the militarized borders of northern Egypt 54 00:03:03,550 --> 00:03:07,150 by the Egyptians and then getting through them, face the Philistines, 55 00:03:07,150 --> 00:03:10,470 and then getting past the Philistines and facing the Canaanites, 56 00:03:10,710 --> 00:03:12,150 as we thought last week. 57 00:03:12,390 --> 00:03:17,190 God knew better than the people and they had to trust him. 58 00:03:17,910 --> 00:03:21,390 But secondly, as they got further and further away from the 59 00:03:21,390 --> 00:03:26,410 Egyptians heading southeast, the Lord told them to turn back and 60 00:03:26,410 --> 00:03:30,050 to go back on themselves, to go back towards Egypt. 61 00:03:31,010 --> 00:03:34,170 But what he did tell them was to stop at a place that we don't 62 00:03:34,170 --> 00:03:37,250 exactly know where, but we believe it was to a narrow channel 63 00:03:37,410 --> 00:03:39,250 at the north of the Red Sea. 64 00:03:39,890 --> 00:03:42,370 And this was a move that the people couldn't understand. 65 00:03:42,770 --> 00:03:44,330 In fact, they couldn't even tolerate it. 66 00:03:44,330 --> 00:03:46,850 Because not only do they cry out to the Lord for help, but then 67 00:03:46,850 --> 00:03:51,810 in the next breath they lash out at Moses as God's mediator between 68 00:03:51,810 --> 00:03:55,650 the people and himself, and accuse him of all sorts of things. 69 00:03:56,640 --> 00:03:58,080 Were there no graves in Egypt? 70 00:03:58,080 --> 00:03:58,680 Of course there were. 71 00:03:58,680 --> 00:04:00,800 They saw the pyramids, they built the pyramids which were the 72 00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:02,000 graves of the Egyptians. 73 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:06,160 This is laughable if it wasn't so serious of what these people were 74 00:04:06,160 --> 00:04:06,400 doing. 75 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:11,280 Even before they left Egypt, they were rebelling against God. 76 00:04:13,200 --> 00:04:17,480 But as they see the Egyptians coming, we know they cried out to 77 00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:17,840 God. 78 00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:21,120 We know that in the same breath they criticized Moses. 79 00:04:21,770 --> 00:04:25,970 But it's in verse 13 that Moses assures the people, as we go 80 00:04:25,970 --> 00:04:28,650 into verse 14, that the Lord would fight for them. 81 00:04:28,970 --> 00:04:32,250 All they needed to do was to be still. 82 00:04:33,450 --> 00:04:38,410 The question is, will the people do this or will they once 83 00:04:38,410 --> 00:04:40,730 again rebel against God? 84 00:04:41,130 --> 00:04:44,490 And so as we now come to verse 15 in the start of our section for 85 00:04:44,490 --> 00:04:47,530 today, we see that the Lord speaks to Moses. 86 00:04:48,670 --> 00:04:52,990 He's the people's representative before God and to 87 00:04:52,990 --> 00:04:53,310 them. 88 00:04:53,950 --> 00:04:56,110 And this is what God says. 89 00:04:56,510 --> 00:04:59,310 The Lord said to Moses, why are you crying out to me? 90 00:04:59,470 --> 00:05:02,630 The Lord's challenging the people unto their cries out to him. 91 00:05:02,630 --> 00:05:03,790 Why are they not trusting him? 92 00:05:04,190 --> 00:05:05,310 What does God say? 93 00:05:06,110 --> 00:05:10,110 He says, tell the Israelites to move on. 94 00:05:10,590 --> 00:05:13,030 God's giving a clear instruction here that the people 95 00:05:13,030 --> 00:05:14,270 are not to worry. 96 00:05:14,510 --> 00:05:18,050 They're not to look at the face of the enemy, but to move on. 97 00:05:18,360 --> 00:05:19,160 Now here's the problem. 98 00:05:19,400 --> 00:05:22,440 The Egyptians are behind them and the Red Sea is in front of them. 99 00:05:22,440 --> 00:05:24,040 How are they going to get across? 100 00:05:25,400 --> 00:05:28,520 And so the Lord is demanding that the people simply trust him, 101 00:05:28,520 --> 00:05:31,320 just as Moses has already instructed them to do. 102 00:05:32,120 --> 00:05:34,880 And the people are challenged here to believe that the Lord will 103 00:05:34,880 --> 00:05:38,680 be true to his word and that he will fully rescue them. 104 00:05:38,760 --> 00:05:42,080 Not half rescue them, get them to the Red Sea and then let them 105 00:05:42,080 --> 00:05:44,600 fend for themselves, but fully rescue them. 106 00:05:45,330 --> 00:05:49,210 So in a scene that we're all familiar with because it's been portrayed 107 00:05:49,210 --> 00:05:53,130 time and time again on film and television screens, the Lord 108 00:05:53,130 --> 00:05:57,090 tells Moses to raise his staff and stretch out his hand over the 109 00:05:57,090 --> 00:05:57,490 sea. 110 00:05:58,770 --> 00:06:03,210 The Lord then assures Moses that when he does, the waters will 111 00:06:03,210 --> 00:06:08,130 divide and God's promise to the people that they will walk through 112 00:06:08,130 --> 00:06:10,370 on dry ground will come true. 113 00:06:11,440 --> 00:06:16,120 So the Lord promises in verses 17 to 19 as he continues this, I 114 00:06:16,120 --> 00:06:19,480 will harden then the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go 115 00:06:19,480 --> 00:06:20,480 in after them. 116 00:06:20,720 --> 00:06:24,360 And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through 117 00:06:24,360 --> 00:06:26,320 his chariots and his horsemen. 118 00:06:26,399 --> 00:06:30,640 The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through 119 00:06:30,640 --> 00:06:33,920 Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen. 120 00:06:35,360 --> 00:06:39,280 What the Lord is telling Moses here to do will be a demonstration 121 00:06:39,360 --> 00:06:40,400 of his authority. 122 00:06:40,470 --> 00:06:45,030 Authority and his complete victory over Israel's enemies. 123 00:06:45,670 --> 00:06:48,230 He hasn't finished with Pharaoh just yet. 124 00:06:48,550 --> 00:06:51,910 And this will be the Lord's victory over those who rejected him. 125 00:06:52,230 --> 00:06:56,789 And this is what is played out in front of us in the words of Scripture. 126 00:06:57,670 --> 00:07:03,350 Now, there have been many ways of scientifically trying to prove 127 00:07:03,750 --> 00:07:06,310 how the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea. 128 00:07:07,090 --> 00:07:11,010 And I don't have time to go into each and every one of how scientists 129 00:07:11,010 --> 00:07:13,570 believe the waters parted or what was it like? 130 00:07:13,970 --> 00:07:18,650 There's even the story told of a liberal minister in America preaching 131 00:07:18,650 --> 00:07:21,890 in an old Bible believing African American church. 132 00:07:22,370 --> 00:07:25,450 At a certain point in his sermon, the minister referred to 133 00:07:25,450 --> 00:07:27,170 the crossing of the Red Sea. 134 00:07:27,410 --> 00:07:28,530 Praise the Lord. 135 00:07:28,530 --> 00:07:32,370 Someone shouted, taking all them children through the deep waters. 136 00:07:32,370 --> 00:07:33,410 What a mighty miracle. 137 00:07:34,730 --> 00:07:37,410 But remember, this minister was a liberal minister and did not 138 00:07:37,410 --> 00:07:38,490 believe in miracles. 139 00:07:39,210 --> 00:07:42,890 So he said rather condescendingly, it was not a miracle. 140 00:07:43,050 --> 00:07:46,370 They were in marshland, the tide was ebbing and the children 141 00:07:46,370 --> 00:07:50,009 of Israel picked their way across six inches of water. 142 00:07:50,810 --> 00:07:51,770 Praise the Lord. 143 00:07:52,170 --> 00:07:55,690 The man shouted again, drowning all those Egyptians in six 144 00:07:55,690 --> 00:07:56,570 inches of water. 145 00:07:57,290 --> 00:07:58,730 What a mighty miracle. 146 00:08:00,740 --> 00:08:06,740 No scientist nor anyone else can give a reason for why this happened. 147 00:08:07,060 --> 00:08:14,100 But by the divine act of God, this is not a fairy story. 148 00:08:14,580 --> 00:08:16,100 This is not make believe. 149 00:08:16,100 --> 00:08:18,020 This is not constructed. 150 00:08:19,140 --> 00:08:23,660 This is biblical truth of what God does, the extents to which he 151 00:08:23,660 --> 00:08:23,940 goes. 152 00:08:23,940 --> 00:08:27,240 And by the way, remember what he did in Creation. 153 00:08:28,280 --> 00:08:30,840 He separated the water from the dry land. 154 00:08:30,840 --> 00:08:31,440 What's he doing now? 155 00:08:31,440 --> 00:08:32,680 He's rolling back the waters. 156 00:08:32,680 --> 00:08:37,000 He's almost going back on Creation's order, God will go to 157 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:39,880 great lengths to rescue his people. 158 00:08:40,120 --> 00:08:44,320 And that's what we must be mindful of as we read this, looking 159 00:08:44,320 --> 00:08:49,160 through Jesus to know the great lengths that God went to to 160 00:08:49,160 --> 00:08:50,360 rescue humanity. 161 00:08:51,570 --> 00:08:54,850 Verse 21 makes it very clear for us how all of this happened. 162 00:08:55,170 --> 00:08:59,370 We know that Moses plays his part because we're told here on number 163 00:08:59,370 --> 00:09:00,770 of occasions what Moses has to do. 164 00:09:00,770 --> 00:09:02,610 And he stretched out his hand over the sea. 165 00:09:02,610 --> 00:09:08,290 And all that night, who the Lord drove the sea back with a strong 166 00:09:08,450 --> 00:09:11,330 east wind and turned it into dry land. 167 00:09:11,890 --> 00:09:14,050 The waters were divided. 168 00:09:15,410 --> 00:09:19,330 What brought Israel out of Egypt was the power of God. 169 00:09:20,050 --> 00:09:26,650 The whole chapter is full of divine activity in God working for 170 00:09:26,650 --> 00:09:31,810 his people so that they might be saved, and they would be saved 171 00:09:31,810 --> 00:09:34,850 for his glory, because we jumped over the verses. 172 00:09:34,850 --> 00:09:39,170 But we go back to verse 19 and we're told of the angel of God at 173 00:09:39,170 --> 00:09:42,930 work now for the great escape of the children of Israel to happen. 174 00:09:43,090 --> 00:09:47,050 The Lord moves to create an obstacle between his people and the 175 00:09:47,050 --> 00:09:51,920 Egyptians, the Egyptian army, one, to protect his people, and two, 176 00:09:51,920 --> 00:09:55,640 to not allow the Egyptians to advance as confidently as they might. 177 00:09:55,960 --> 00:10:00,160 And so the angel of God now, we're told, has been leading the 178 00:10:00,160 --> 00:10:02,720 Israelites through that pillar of cloud. 179 00:10:02,720 --> 00:10:07,560 And that fire now moves from the camp's front to the rear. 180 00:10:08,280 --> 00:10:12,440 And this is the first mention of the angel since chapter three 181 00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:15,590 and verse two, at the burning bush, where it was noted that the 182 00:10:15,590 --> 00:10:20,550 angel speaks and acts on the Lord's behalf like a king's messenger. 183 00:10:20,790 --> 00:10:24,590 In this case, the text tells us, and it seems to assume that just 184 00:10:24,590 --> 00:10:27,030 as the angel appeared on the Lord's behalf at the burning bush, 185 00:10:27,110 --> 00:10:30,310 he's now appearing on the Lord's behalf in the pillar of cloud, 186 00:10:30,710 --> 00:10:36,350 which moves with the angel and forms a protective barrier between 187 00:10:36,350 --> 00:10:38,630 the Israelites and the Egyptians. 188 00:10:39,350 --> 00:10:44,190 And so with this barrier in place, Moses carries out the Lord's 189 00:10:44,190 --> 00:10:47,890 command to stretch out his hand, lifting his staff over the 190 00:10:47,890 --> 00:10:48,290 sea. 191 00:10:48,930 --> 00:10:54,290 And as before, this is like an enacted prayer, which the Lord answers 192 00:10:54,290 --> 00:10:59,130 by sending an east wind to drive the sea back, dividing it in 193 00:10:59,130 --> 00:11:02,850 two and making the sea floor dry. 194 00:11:03,730 --> 00:11:07,930 This allows the Israelites to walk right through the sea during 195 00:11:07,930 --> 00:11:12,250 the night, the water standing like a wall on either side. 196 00:11:12,250 --> 00:11:16,430 And it must have been truly quite a sight to see these two walls 197 00:11:16,430 --> 00:11:18,270 of water either side of you. 198 00:11:18,510 --> 00:11:20,630 Would you have been looking either way to see what you could 199 00:11:20,630 --> 00:11:23,230 see, to see if there was a drop or an inch coming closer? 200 00:11:24,110 --> 00:11:27,590 Here were people who once again had to trust that the Lord 201 00:11:27,590 --> 00:11:31,630 God Almighty, who created this world, had the strength to hold the 202 00:11:31,630 --> 00:11:36,350 water back so that they can walk safely. 203 00:11:38,190 --> 00:11:41,150 But getting to the other side was only half of their escape. 204 00:11:42,310 --> 00:11:45,350 The army of Egypt was still coming behind them, still pursuing 205 00:11:45,350 --> 00:11:49,030 them, because, remember, as we saw earlier in this chapter, Pharaoh 206 00:11:49,030 --> 00:11:49,870 changed his mind. 207 00:11:49,870 --> 00:11:50,710 He wasn't happy. 208 00:11:50,710 --> 00:11:52,950 He realized he'd let his whole workforce go. 209 00:11:53,510 --> 00:11:57,190 And there's an arrogance or a continued arrogance here to the Egyptians. 210 00:11:57,910 --> 00:12:01,670 And also another demonstration of Pharaoh's rash actions. 211 00:12:02,070 --> 00:12:05,670 Verse 23 tells us that they simply pursued the Israelites into 212 00:12:05,670 --> 00:12:06,470 the Red Sea. 213 00:12:06,550 --> 00:12:09,950 There's no sense in the original language of any awe or wonderment 214 00:12:09,950 --> 00:12:10,910 of what was before them. 215 00:12:10,910 --> 00:12:12,310 They just simply drove in. 216 00:12:13,130 --> 00:12:16,650 But it's in verse 24 that tells us their real reaction here. 217 00:12:17,530 --> 00:12:21,130 And so we read that during the last watch of the night, which is 218 00:12:21,130 --> 00:12:24,810 just before sunrise, the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire 219 00:12:24,810 --> 00:12:29,050 and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. 220 00:12:29,690 --> 00:12:33,050 Now, this confusion caused them to become aware of where they 221 00:12:33,050 --> 00:12:33,370 were. 222 00:12:34,010 --> 00:12:39,090 The ground was no longer dry for them as their most advanced war 223 00:12:39,090 --> 00:12:40,250 machines, the chariots. 224 00:12:40,250 --> 00:12:43,670 And by the way, that's why the chariots are mentioned, because Egypt 225 00:12:43,670 --> 00:12:47,270 was ruling the world based on chariot warfare. 226 00:12:47,670 --> 00:12:51,670 Well, these chariots that were the creme de la creme of their war 227 00:12:51,670 --> 00:12:55,990 tactics got stuck in the mud and the wheels came off, quite literally. 228 00:12:56,710 --> 00:13:00,390 But it is their response in verse 25 that's very telling. 229 00:13:00,870 --> 00:13:03,350 What did they say to one another as they realized things are 230 00:13:03,350 --> 00:13:04,190 not going their way? 231 00:13:04,190 --> 00:13:05,910 Let's get away from the Israelites. 232 00:13:06,470 --> 00:13:11,790 And here they quote exactly what God said to them or to the Israelites. 233 00:13:11,950 --> 00:13:13,950 The Lord is fighting for them. 234 00:13:16,830 --> 00:13:18,270 The Lord's fighting for them. 235 00:13:18,750 --> 00:13:20,430 Moses told them all, you need to be still. 236 00:13:20,430 --> 00:13:21,670 The Lord's going to fight for you. 237 00:13:21,670 --> 00:13:22,990 And now God proves it. 238 00:13:23,150 --> 00:13:27,830 And it's by the word of the pagans who are his enemies, who recognize 239 00:13:27,830 --> 00:13:31,550 the work of the Lord, that he is fighting against the Egyptians 240 00:13:31,790 --> 00:13:33,470 so that he can rescue his people. 241 00:13:34,590 --> 00:13:37,470 This is exactly what the Lord said he would do. 242 00:13:37,960 --> 00:13:39,480 And this is what he does. 243 00:13:39,720 --> 00:13:43,200 It's what Moses assured the people, that the Lord would fight 244 00:13:43,200 --> 00:13:43,720 for them. 245 00:13:43,720 --> 00:13:45,320 And this is just what he's doing. 246 00:13:45,320 --> 00:13:49,480 And so once his enemies had fallen into his trap and were stuck 247 00:13:49,480 --> 00:13:54,120 in the quagmire, God made the sea return and swept the Egyptians 248 00:13:54,120 --> 00:13:55,320 to their watery grave. 249 00:13:55,560 --> 00:13:59,800 And he planned and executed the whole entire Exodus, as Isaiah 250 00:13:59,800 --> 00:14:02,160 tells us in chapter 51:10. 251 00:14:02,160 --> 00:14:05,770 Was it not you who dried up the sea and the waters of the great 252 00:14:05,770 --> 00:14:06,250 deep? 253 00:14:06,410 --> 00:14:11,450 Who made the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to pass over 254 00:14:12,730 --> 00:14:17,610 you see, this wasn't so much a great escape on the part of the Israelites. 255 00:14:17,930 --> 00:14:20,410 It actually was the great rescue by God. 256 00:14:21,610 --> 00:14:23,330 And this is seen by Moses. 257 00:14:23,330 --> 00:14:27,450 Following what the Lord Commands in verse 26, he once again 258 00:14:27,530 --> 00:14:30,930 stretches out his hand over the sea, and the waters that are 259 00:14:30,930 --> 00:14:32,650 divided came together. 260 00:14:33,940 --> 00:14:35,540 Creation is restored. 261 00:14:36,260 --> 00:14:41,220 And as the Egyptians flee, we read in verse 28, the water flowed 262 00:14:41,220 --> 00:14:43,380 back and covered the chariots and horsemen. 263 00:14:43,540 --> 00:14:46,980 The entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites 264 00:14:46,980 --> 00:14:50,500 into the sea, not one of them survived. 265 00:14:51,460 --> 00:14:54,820 See, the victory over the enemies of Israel was the Lord's, 266 00:14:54,900 --> 00:14:56,340 and it was decisive. 267 00:14:56,660 --> 00:15:01,060 It will be over 500 years before we hear of the Egyptians coming 268 00:15:01,060 --> 00:15:02,880 up against the children of Israel again. 269 00:15:03,040 --> 00:15:05,920 And that is after the death of King Solomon. 270 00:15:06,400 --> 00:15:10,520 And as verse 29 recounts what has just happened by way of summary, 271 00:15:10,520 --> 00:15:15,640 so verse 30 tells us that day the Lord saved Israel from the hands 272 00:15:15,640 --> 00:15:19,960 of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the 273 00:15:19,960 --> 00:15:20,320 shore. 274 00:15:21,120 --> 00:15:25,360 Everything from chapter three of Exodus through to now, the Lord 275 00:15:25,360 --> 00:15:29,360 has been working to rescue his people because he heard their cry 276 00:15:29,480 --> 00:15:29,640 and. 277 00:15:29,950 --> 00:15:34,590 And he answered, the Lord has done all that he said he would do. 278 00:15:34,670 --> 00:15:37,310 The people are now in the region of Sinai. 279 00:15:37,550 --> 00:15:41,390 They are away from Egypt and they're away from slavery. 280 00:15:41,870 --> 00:15:46,750 They are free to live as his people, and they have been saved 281 00:15:47,070 --> 00:15:48,510 for his glory. 282 00:15:48,910 --> 00:15:52,150 And so, as this chapter closes, we get to see the response 283 00:15:52,150 --> 00:15:55,750 of the people in their witnessing of this great work of 284 00:15:55,750 --> 00:15:56,070 God. 285 00:15:56,070 --> 00:15:57,110 Verse 31 tells us. 286 00:15:57,110 --> 00:16:00,150 And when the Israelites saw the great power of the Lord displayed 287 00:16:00,150 --> 00:16:05,110 against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their 288 00:16:05,110 --> 00:16:08,150 trust in him and in Moses, his servant. 289 00:16:08,790 --> 00:16:11,470 The people who were questioning God while crying out 290 00:16:11,470 --> 00:16:15,430 to him, now turn to him in fear, or that is, in trust to Him. 291 00:16:15,670 --> 00:16:19,750 They've witnessed his mighty work and know fully that their salvation 292 00:16:19,830 --> 00:16:23,670 through the water was only by the hand of the Lord. 293 00:16:24,470 --> 00:16:28,710 And we will see this expressed in chapter 15 as we come to the song 294 00:16:28,710 --> 00:16:30,490 of Moses and of Miriam. 295 00:16:30,490 --> 00:16:31,690 But that's next week. 296 00:16:31,690 --> 00:16:33,450 We need to finish for this morning. 297 00:16:34,490 --> 00:16:39,210 And we think, as we conclude, of the great rescue that God brought 298 00:16:39,210 --> 00:16:39,930 for his people. 299 00:16:40,730 --> 00:16:44,490 See, as we read this account in chapters 13 and 14, there's no 300 00:16:44,490 --> 00:16:47,770 doubt that the Lord was at work to accomplish all that he said 301 00:16:47,770 --> 00:16:48,250 he would. 302 00:16:48,890 --> 00:16:52,930 He promised to be the God of their salvation, and he demonstrated 303 00:16:52,930 --> 00:16:53,610 just that. 304 00:16:54,970 --> 00:17:00,940 But humanity has always needed a rescuer, right from the very beginning 305 00:17:00,940 --> 00:17:01,860 of human history. 306 00:17:02,420 --> 00:17:05,300 The girls and boys are looking at Genesis 1 and 2 this morning. 307 00:17:05,300 --> 00:17:09,140 But next week they'll look at Genesis 3 and they will Come to the 308 00:17:09,140 --> 00:17:10,900 Fall where sin comes into the world. 309 00:17:10,900 --> 00:17:14,620 But even then, in Genesis 3, we are told of one who would come 310 00:17:14,620 --> 00:17:15,780 to be our rescuer. 311 00:17:16,420 --> 00:17:20,900 The girls and boys will learn of him, yes, as Jesus, but he will 312 00:17:20,900 --> 00:17:24,900 be called the snake crusher because of what's said there in Genesis. 313 00:17:25,869 --> 00:17:28,869 We know him as the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, God's one 314 00:17:28,869 --> 00:17:32,749 and only son who came into the world to rescue us. 315 00:17:33,469 --> 00:17:37,309 And we are in need of a great escape from sin. 316 00:17:37,949 --> 00:17:40,829 We need to be brought out of the dark night of the soul. 317 00:17:41,549 --> 00:17:47,229 We need to be brought out of the lies, the dishonesty, the addictions 318 00:17:47,229 --> 00:17:50,749 we have and the sin we so enjoy. 319 00:17:50,829 --> 00:17:54,360 Yet it is the rotten our very souls. 320 00:17:56,120 --> 00:18:01,080 And it is only in Jesus can we know this rescue. 321 00:18:02,360 --> 00:18:05,560 Moses is a foreshadowing of Jesus. 322 00:18:06,520 --> 00:18:10,440 For as Moses led God's people through redemption in the waters 323 00:18:10,440 --> 00:18:15,440 of the Red Sea, so Christ leads us through redemption by his 324 00:18:15,440 --> 00:18:16,840 blood shed on the cross. 325 00:18:16,840 --> 00:18:20,360 So that with the writer of Hebrews we can say, and by that will 326 00:18:20,440 --> 00:18:24,430 we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus 327 00:18:24,820 --> 00:18:27,380 Christ once for all. 328 00:18:28,260 --> 00:18:29,460 There's no repeat. 329 00:18:29,620 --> 00:18:35,860 Jesus has done enough for you now so that you can repent of the 330 00:18:35,860 --> 00:18:36,260 sin. 331 00:18:37,140 --> 00:18:42,020 That you can repent from the darkness of the night and seek brightness. 332 00:18:42,420 --> 00:18:44,740 The lies, the dishonesty, the addictions. 333 00:18:45,380 --> 00:18:50,060 Christ is enough because Jesus is our great rescue plan and our 334 00:18:50,060 --> 00:18:51,140 great rescuer. 335 00:18:52,070 --> 00:18:55,230 Just as the children of Israel couldn't save themselves from the 336 00:18:55,230 --> 00:18:59,430 pursuit of the Egyptians, so we cannot save ourselves from sin. 337 00:18:59,750 --> 00:19:01,590 And the devil who tempts us. 338 00:19:02,070 --> 00:19:03,990 And boy, doesn't he tempt us. 339 00:19:04,550 --> 00:19:05,590 For the believer. 340 00:19:06,070 --> 00:19:07,830 He wants you to fall. 341 00:19:08,710 --> 00:19:13,510 He wants you to discredit your testimony by going back into the 342 00:19:13,510 --> 00:19:14,790 same old sins. 343 00:19:15,590 --> 00:19:19,060 He might dress them up again and present them in a new way, but. 344 00:19:19,210 --> 00:19:21,370 But they are still the same old sins. 345 00:19:22,330 --> 00:19:26,650 And if you think he isn't trying to pull you down, then review 346 00:19:26,730 --> 00:19:30,970 your conversations and your actions of the past 24 to 48 hours. 347 00:19:31,370 --> 00:19:34,570 What you said and what you thought and what you did. 348 00:19:35,610 --> 00:19:39,850 And I would guess very strongly that there will be something 349 00:19:39,930 --> 00:19:43,210 there that is against God's best for you. 350 00:19:44,090 --> 00:19:47,890 You may not have intentionally done these things, but the subtlety 351 00:19:47,890 --> 00:19:50,170 of the devil means that you have sinned. 352 00:19:50,600 --> 00:19:54,600 And you need a savior to assure you of the forgiveness of 353 00:19:54,600 --> 00:19:56,360 sins as you confess them. 354 00:19:56,360 --> 00:19:57,720 And that's what this table is about. 355 00:19:58,440 --> 00:20:01,800 This table is about knowing the forgiveness of our sins. 356 00:20:02,200 --> 00:20:04,520 This table is about Jesus Christ. 357 00:20:05,640 --> 00:20:09,000 This table is about knowing that he is with you and not against 358 00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:13,080 you, and that you can Stand against the attacks of the evil one 359 00:20:13,080 --> 00:20:18,080 because he is cunning and he is coming after you and he will want 360 00:20:18,320 --> 00:20:19,520 to devour you. 361 00:20:21,440 --> 00:20:23,360 You see, we need to stand firm. 362 00:20:23,360 --> 00:20:28,080 And the only way that we can is to know that we all need to escape 363 00:20:28,240 --> 00:20:28,720 sin. 364 00:20:30,320 --> 00:20:33,920 I need to escape sin. 365 00:20:35,760 --> 00:20:37,840 You need to do likewise. 366 00:20:39,200 --> 00:20:40,240 It holds us. 367 00:20:41,520 --> 00:20:46,480 And if we remain in our sin, then it means we will face an eternity 368 00:20:46,480 --> 00:20:49,520 where we will pay the punishment that those sins rightly 369 00:20:49,520 --> 00:20:50,160 deserve. 370 00:20:50,880 --> 00:20:56,160 We will be found in hell and there is no party there to be enjoyed. 371 00:20:57,200 --> 00:21:00,400 Rather, we must trust in the rescue plan of God. 372 00:21:00,800 --> 00:21:05,920 We must trust in his rescuer, the great snake crusher, the Messiah, 373 00:21:05,920 --> 00:21:10,200 the risen Lord Jesus Christ, that we will be brought safely to 374 00:21:10,200 --> 00:21:14,100 the shore of heaven because of our trust in Jesus. 375 00:21:14,900 --> 00:21:16,100 So today, be honest. 376 00:21:16,580 --> 00:21:20,660 Be honest with yourself about your sin and be honest before God. 377 00:21:21,140 --> 00:21:23,820 Don't think that this is a message only for someone else in 378 00:21:23,820 --> 00:21:24,340 this building. 379 00:21:24,900 --> 00:21:29,660 God challenges each of us to pay attention to what is really killing 380 00:21:29,660 --> 00:21:29,940 us. 381 00:21:30,820 --> 00:21:32,900 And it is the sin of this world. 382 00:21:33,540 --> 00:21:39,220 But he offers a rescuer who will save us, to live for him forever 383 00:21:40,340 --> 00:21:44,700 and again, it is all for God's glory, so that we will place our 384 00:21:44,700 --> 00:21:46,340 trust in him and not doubt. 385 00:21:47,380 --> 00:21:48,500 What must you do? 386 00:21:49,460 --> 00:21:50,980 You must stand firm. 387 00:21:51,620 --> 00:21:53,220 The Lord will fight for you. 388 00:21:53,780 --> 00:21:55,620 And what does the Lord demonstrate? 389 00:21:56,180 --> 00:22:00,980 Stand firm because he has fought for you because of the sacrifice 390 00:22:00,980 --> 00:22:03,540 and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 391 00:22:04,660 --> 00:22:08,730 As Peter's sermon in Acts 4 and verse 12 tells us, salvation 392 00:22:08,730 --> 00:22:09,730 is found in no one else. 393 00:22:09,730 --> 00:22:13,930 You can't go anywhere else and you needn't try, for there's no other 394 00:22:13,930 --> 00:22:18,810 name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. 395 00:22:20,010 --> 00:22:21,130 He's the only one. 396 00:22:21,930 --> 00:22:25,770 And it's not about something that was prayed 20, 30 years ago. 397 00:22:26,250 --> 00:22:29,650 There must be active living faith today to demonstrate that you're 398 00:22:29,650 --> 00:22:30,890 still trusting in Him. 399 00:22:32,180 --> 00:22:35,900 It's about knowing this day and daily knowing him as the great 400 00:22:35,900 --> 00:22:38,220 rescuer, as he will continue to rescue the people. 401 00:22:38,220 --> 00:22:42,060 Because today, in this passage in Exodus, it's only the first of 402 00:22:42,060 --> 00:22:45,980 three great rescues that the people will yet discover in this 403 00:22:45,980 --> 00:22:46,660 Exodus. 404 00:22:47,540 --> 00:22:50,620 And so we must continue to look to the Lord, for He is the only 405 00:22:50,620 --> 00:22:53,380 one who can rescue us. 406 00:22:53,860 --> 00:22:56,180 The Great Escape is a great war movie. 407 00:22:56,260 --> 00:22:59,030 It's one that takes great liberties with the truth, but yet 408 00:22:59,030 --> 00:23:02,830 it points us to what the ultimate outcome is for those men 409 00:23:03,070 --> 00:23:04,990 who get to freedom. 410 00:23:05,390 --> 00:23:09,550 Just that, freedom from slavery and confinement. 411 00:23:09,710 --> 00:23:11,630 Isn't that what happened in the Exodus? 412 00:23:11,630 --> 00:23:14,830 God's people saved through the waters of the Red Sea so they would 413 00:23:14,830 --> 00:23:17,630 no more be subject to slavery of Egypt. 414 00:23:18,510 --> 00:23:20,270 And isn't that what God does for us? 415 00:23:20,270 --> 00:23:24,190 Through Jesus Christ, he rescues us from the slavery of sin 416 00:23:24,940 --> 00:23:28,380 so that we can be free to live for him. 417 00:23:29,340 --> 00:23:30,460 This is what it's about. 418 00:23:30,860 --> 00:23:32,620 This is what he calls us to. 419 00:23:32,940 --> 00:23:36,940 And each of us must respond this day and trust in him. 420 00:23:37,420 --> 00:23:38,220 Let's pray. 421 00:23:39,100 --> 00:23:42,140 Our Father, we do thank you for your word that challenges us. 422 00:23:42,620 --> 00:23:45,340 It gets to our very hearts and that's what it must do. 423 00:23:46,140 --> 00:23:49,340 Father, you're the God who corrects us and rebukes us, but you're 424 00:23:49,340 --> 00:23:51,580 also the God who comforts us to know that there is a way. 425 00:23:52,680 --> 00:23:55,680 And yes, at times we might need to hear hard things so that 426 00:23:55,680 --> 00:23:59,240 we will be shaken out of our dullness and out of our slumber. 427 00:24:00,200 --> 00:24:03,920 But Lord, how much greater is your mercy and your grace towards 428 00:24:03,920 --> 00:24:08,400 us that not only did you part the waters going against the created 429 00:24:08,400 --> 00:24:12,400 order to rescue your people, but you sent your son Jesus to rescue 430 00:24:12,400 --> 00:24:12,680 us. 431 00:24:14,120 --> 00:24:16,040 So Lord, may we think much of Jesus. 432 00:24:16,600 --> 00:24:18,440 May we come to him for salvation. 433 00:24:18,890 --> 00:24:21,370 May we know day and daily that forgiveness of sins. 434 00:24:21,370 --> 00:24:24,690 And if we don't think we sin, Father, we're fooling ourselves and 435 00:24:24,690 --> 00:24:25,570 trying to fool you. 436 00:24:25,570 --> 00:24:28,010 So open our eyes to the truth of who we are. 437 00:24:29,130 --> 00:24:31,290 And Lord, may we rest assured. 438 00:24:31,850 --> 00:24:36,570 And may we love Jesus more as we look ever to him, the one who 439 00:24:36,570 --> 00:24:40,330 died and rose again so that we could know this great rescue plan 440 00:24:40,570 --> 00:24:42,890 that will lead us onto eternal life. 441 00:24:43,450 --> 00:24:47,350 So hear us as we pray in Jesus name, Amen.