INTRO.- We all know the story of the crossing of the Red Sea, or do we? Here’s another version of that story.
ILL.- It seems that Moses had led the children of Israel out of Egypt—and they now had Pharaoh and his armies in hot pursuit behind them and the Red Sea in front of them.
They were trapped. So Moses called his generals and other tribal leaders together and reviewed with them the desperate straits they were in. What to do? Did anyone have any suggestions?
One of the engineering types suggested that it would be possible to construct a pontoon bridge—but it was quickly noted that they didn’t have time for that. All kinds of crazy ideas were suggested—but none of them have any merit.
Finally, Moses asked, “What if I were to pray to Jehovah God and ask him to send a mighty wind to sweep back the waters of the Red Sea so that the dry land would appear beneath the sea? Then we could cross over dry land. And then when we’re safely on the other side the wind could subside and the waters would rush back and drown the Egyptian army who would be in hot pursuit? What do you think of that idea?”
At this point Moses’ publicity man jumped up enthusiastically and said “Moses Baby, if you can pull that one off—I guarantee I can get you two full pages in the Bible!”
Well, as we know the Lord did deliver the people of Israel from Pharaoh and the Egyptians and he did it by parting the Red Sea.
We believe in the biblical record even though we don’t understand it all. Of course, this record is no different than many others that God did as recorded in scripture.
ILL.- God said, "Let be there light and there was light." How did God do that? No human knows. Even if God explained in detail how He did that we still couldn’t understand. That’s because He alone is God and we are mere humans. We are limited. God is not. We have limited power and wisdom. God does not. God is not limited in any way, shape or form.
The Lord delivered the people of Israel from bondage in Egypt and God is still in the delivery business today. He delivers people from whatever they are in bondage to or enslaved to; booze, drugs, immorality, play, pleasure, gambling, foolishness, and more.
PROP.- The Lord delivers people from their bondage, but sometimes people fall back into bondage. We’ve all probably done this but Jude lists some who did it and were punished.
1- Angels who left home behind
2- People who left morality behind
I. ANGELS WHO LEFT HOME BEHIND
5Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. 6And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.
ILL.- Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion’s guest room. Instead the angels were given a small space in the cold basement. As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied, “Things aren’t always what they seem.”
The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had, the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night’s rest.
When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field.
The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel, “How could you have let this happen? The first man had everything, yet you helped him,” he accused. “The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let the cow die.”
“Things aren’t always what they seem,” the older angel replied.
“When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn’t find it.”
“Then last night as we slept in the farmers bed, the angel of death came for his wife ....... I gave him the cow instead ... Things aren’t always what they seem.”
Sometimes we get upset when things don’t go the way we expect them to go but we must always continue to walk by faith! Remember: Things aren’t always what they seem!
WHAT ABOUT ANGELS? Do you believe in them? What do they do, if anything on planet earth?
ILL.- The first Russian Cosmonauts went into space and returned. One of them said when he returned from his journey in outer space, "Some people say there is a God out there, but in my travels around earth all day long I looked around and I didn’t see him. I saw no God nor angels. I don’t believe in God."
Someone suggested that if he’d stepped out of that space craft in just a matter of minutes he would have believed in God!
Just because we haven’t seen God or angels, it doesn’t mean they aren’t real!
ILL.- St. Augustine once said, “It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men angels.” Someone changed that and said, “It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men acceptable before God.”
’
Heb. 1:14 "Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?"
Apparently, God sends His angels to minister to us in this life. And we may or may not know when this happens. But that’s their job, their ministry in this world, but sometimes, they can get ’off course’ just like humans do.
ILL.- One writer put it this way: Angels are spiritual beings created by God to serve Him, though created higher than man. Some (the good angels) have remained obedient to Him and carry out His will, while others (fallen angels), disobeyed, fell from their holy position, and now stand in active opposition to the work and plan of God.
6And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.
I think most of us realize that the devil is a fallen angel. He was so filled with pride and wanted to be god that God cast him out of heaven. HE ABANDONED HIS POSITION OF AUTHORITY. And guess what’s going to happen to him?
Rev. 20:10 "And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever."
If angels who are higher than man in creation can sin and be thrown into a lake of fire, what about man?
II. PEOPLE WHO LEFT MORALITY BEHIND
7In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.
ILL.- Humorist Will Rogers quipped, “God made man a little lower than the angels, and he has been sinking a little lower ever since.” Isn’t that the truth?
Every day we hear horrible stories about the sinfulness of mankind.
ILL.- For example, did you hear about that man who stabbed another man to death on a bus in Canada and then decapitated him? Sgt. Brian Edmonds said that 40-year-old Vince Weiguang Li, of Edmonton, Alberta, has been charged with second degree murder.
The Canadian Press reported that the victim’s friends identified him as Tim McLean, a 22-year-old carnival worker.
Witnesses said the victim was stabbed dozens of times in the apparently unprovoked attack at night aboard the bus as it traveled a desolate stretch of the TransCanada Highway about 12 miles from Portage La Prairie, Manitoba.
They said the attacker then severed his seat mate’s head, displayed it and then began cutting up the body as passengers fled in horror. Garnet Caton, who was sitting just one seat in front of the two men, said he did not hear the two speak to each other before the attack.
"We heard this bloodcurdling scream and turned around, and the guy was standing up, stabbing this guy repeatedly," Caton said.
Caton said the driver stopped the bus when he became aware of the attack and passengers raced off. A short while later, Caton said he re-boarded along with the bus driver and a trucker who had stopped to see what was happening.
He said the suspect had the victim on the floor of the bus and "was cutting his head off" with a large hunting knife. "When he was attacking him, he was calm," said Caton. "There was no rage or anything. He was just like a robot stabbing the guy."
I’m sorry to repeat this story but I want us to get an idea of how horribly sinful man has become! MANKIND HAS GONE DOWNHILL IN REGARD TO GOD AND GODLINESS!
And there are other forms of ungodliness that take place every day in our world and country and we should be shocked by these!
7In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.
What’s the deal with Sodom and Gomorrah?
Gen. 19:1-5 1 The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. 2 "My lords," he said, "please turn aside to your servant’s house. You can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning." "No," they answered, "we will spend the night in the square." 3 But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast, and they ate. 4 Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom—both young and old—surrounded the house. 5 They called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them."
That sounds horrible! And it was! Sounds like today!
7In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.
This scripture makes things sound pretty bad for some people and we believe the Word of God. The only hope for any sin, sex sin, sexual perversion, etc. is the Lord! No one can be saved from eternal fire without the Lord’s grace!
CONCLUSION-----------------------
5Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe.
The Lord delivers people out of their own Egypts but sometimes people wander back into their sin and slavery. But it doesn’t have to be this way! There is salvation and delivery from sin!
ILL.- A girl from a godless home began to attend a Bible class. She was genuinely converted to Christ. Her parents ridiculed her, and did their best to get her to renounce her faith in Christ. “It is not natural for a young girl like you to be religious,” they said.
The girl, however, was steadfast. She said, “The change of heart I have had is not natural. It is supernatural. It is completely from God. Only God could do what He has done in my life. By His grace I’ll never go back to the old life!”
Time passed. Her father, observing the change which had taken place in her life, said, “I guess it must be real, Mary, because now you get up at six o’clock every morning to study the Bible. Before that, you were so lazy we had trouble getting you out of bed!”
Yes, God delivers people from their bondage, even laziness. Whatever it is, God can deliver us, BUT. But we must not turn back. Turning back into our old sinful ways will get us into trouble every time. And for some, it could mean eternal trouble. God save us.
