A WAY OUT OF NO WAY
Exodus 14:13-16, 21-22 Joshua 24:6-7
INTRODUCTION:
Exodus is the second book of the Old Testament: tells of the departure of the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt led by Moses into the promised land that God had promised them. God picked a people, Israel, and told them that he had a land for them, a place they could call home; then he walked them through their journey from slavery to the promised land. The Exodus speaks of this long and tedious journey, the trials and tribulations, the tests and temptations of God’s people as they made their way from a no where to somewhere.
The church’s journey and experience can be paralleled with that of Israel’s. The church is a select group of people, the ecclessia, who the Lord has chosen and place his spirit in. The church is the body of Christ, the bride of christ; the chosen generation, royal priesthood, and holy nation; the people of God. And. God has a place for his people and leads them to it through many experiences. Can you see the similarities?
Theologians, Bible Scholars and Archeologists suggest that the trip from Egypt to Canaan took more than 40 years and included about 50 different stops along the way, including 7 different wildernesses. One of those stops or experiences Israel had and the one that we are very familiar with is the miraculous crossing at the Red Sea. The 24th chapter of Joshua is a summary of Israel’s history; where they had been and a reminder of what the Lord had done for them. Joshua 24:6-7 captures that part of Israel’s history where God made a way for them to escape the pursuing Egyptian army as they were making their Exodus from Egypt to the promised land. Joshua told them to remember what the Lord did for them on that day. They saw God deliver them on that day at the Red Sea.
BODY/CONTENT
In the Exodus 14 text before us we can see that the children of Israel are in grave danger. Pharoah had released them from bondage but then changed his mind Pharoah and was actively pursuing them. The location somewhere in Saudi Arabia according to some archeologist was a gulf, known as the Red Sea. The text says that the Red Sea was in front of them, sweltering mountains on both sides and the Egyptian army coming in from behind. A no win situation. It looks like there is no way out. They have no where to go; they are boxed in. They cannot turn around because the enemy is there; they cannot move forward because the Red Sea is there; they cannot go to the right or left because there are mountains there. Anybody every been in a no way out situation? No matter what comes to mind, there seems to be no way out. You cannot see any way possible to get out of the mess you are in...
Don’t cry, speak a word. Did you catch that? Stop whining, complaining and crying about your situation and start speaking what you know. God told Moses to speak to the Israelites in 14:2 about where they were to encamp; in 14:15 He told Moses to speak to them again about moving. Everyone who is talking to you is not speaking into your life. The power of life and death lies in the tongue. Jesus said John 6:63, it is the Spirit who gives life; the words that I speak to you are spirit and life. Romans 4:17--call those things which be not as though they were. Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of my mouth; If you want salvation you have to confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord; if you want healing you have to speak-he was wounded for my transgressions, he was bruised for my iniquities, the chastisement of my piece was upon hhim and by His stripes I am healed. if you want your needs met you have to speak; my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. I am the head and not the tail; I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me; I am more than a conqueror; I can jump over troops an run through walls; greater is he who is in me than he that is in the world; let God arise, his enemies be scattered, as the wax melts before the fire so let the wicked perish at the presence of God; some trust in chariots, other horses, but my trust in the name of the Lord; the Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; even if the fig tree does not blossom, there be no fruit on the vine and no cattle in the stall, yet I’m going to rejoice in the God of my salvation for he will strenthen me and make my feet like hinds feet so I can walk in my high place. Stop speaking doom and gloom and start speaking life, health, blessing, miracles, salvation and money.
Survey your resources. Moses had a rod in his hand but did not know what he had. What do you have that you have not fully utlized? Moses forgot that it was not an ordinary rod. The rod that God gave him he gave for a reason. There are 15 recorded miracles done by this rod. Three times Moses used the rod to turn into a serpent and back into a rod; this rod turned water into blood; this same rod was used to create frogs; this same rod was used to create lice; this same rod hail and fire; this same rod created locust; this same rod water out of nothing twice and this rod divided the Red Sea so the Israelites could walk through on ground dry. What did you say? You don’t have any resources; everybody has something. A little boy had a lunch, two fish and five barley loaves but God used it to feed five thousand; a widow woman had a handful of meal and a little oil in her cruse, she told the prophet after we eat this we are going to go in and die; Jesus watched as people gave their offering--woman walked to the offering plate and gave two mites ( a mite is worth one/eighth of a penny). Jesus said she gave more than every because she gave all that she had; Gideon said I have three hundred but it was enough to go against ten thousand; the prophet told the woman search your house and see what you have-she said I don’t have any food, nothing but I have a pot of oil.
Do something. God told Moses twice, verse 2 to turn and in verse 15-go forward. Most people stay stuck and don’t find their way because the don’t do anything. Tell somebody, “you’ve got to turn and go.” You have got to go forward and turn. The basic meaning of the hebrew word for turn here has to do with physical motion and movement. But this hebrew word, “shub-turn” adds the mental responsibility attached to turning with it. What are you turning from and what are you turning to? Hey preacher that sounds like repentence. Before you can turn your body, you have to turn your mind. If you don’t turn your thinking you are not going to do anything. The Hebrew word for “go’’ is “nawsah” and it means to start a journey, to set out. It means to pull out or break camp. The Israelites were to pull up from where the were and start a journey someplace else. In other words folks; you’ve got to go somewhere you’ve not been before. You got to pull up from where you are and start down a path you’ve not been. The reason why many of us haven’t found our way is because we aren’t willing to do something different. We go to the same ole place, talk to the same ole people, watch the same ole TV shows, complain about the same ole things, say the same ole prayers, sing the same ole songs, give the same ole dollar and wonder why we aren’t getting anywhere. Mose, tell the people to stop crying and go forward. Jesus said, go into all the world and preach the gospel; he that believes and is baptised shall be saved.
Tap your invisible power. The mistake we make is that we underestimate the power that God has. Our God is too small. J.B. Phillips in his book, “ Your God is too Small, lays out many of the misconceptions people have about God. God is not in a box, he is not a policeman to police your every action; he is not a Santa Claus to give you what you want without you doing something in return; he is not a grand old man sitting around in heaven; He is not destructive but constructive; he is not this meek and mild passive being just allowing anything to go; But he is God, transcendent, holy, immutable, omniscient, good, all together lovely, just, loving, omnipresent and omnipotent. You have got to know what kind of power your God has. He tells Moses, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. I know what the Egyptians have been doing to you; you see them today but you will see them no more. I have power that no one can take from me. God was leading them, a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. The text says in 14:19,”and the Angel of the God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face and stood behind them.” So God got between Israel and the Egyptians; Moses was out front; God told him to stretch forth his hand with the rod in it and the east winds came forth and rolled the waters up like wall paper. Israel walked in the midst of the Red Sea on dry ground. God made a way out of no way. He can make a way out of no way for you.
SONG: Old folks used to sing, Have you any rivers that you think are uncrossable; and have you any moutains you cannot tunnel through: God specializes in things that are impossible and He can do what no other power can do. Then, they’d sing,
Like a ship that's tossed and driven, battered by an angry sea; when the storms of life are raging, and their fury falls on me. I wonder what I have done, that makes this race so hard to run; then I say to my soul, take courage, the Lord will make a way somehow. Chorus: The Lord will make a way somehow, when beneath the cross I bow, He will take away each sorrow, let Him have your burdens now. When the loads bears down so heavy the weight is shown upon my brow, there's a sweet relief in knowing
the Lord will make a way somehow.
