How To Move Forward For The Glory Of God
Exodus 14:15-30
If you survey the history of this church (or any established church for that matter) you will see many ups and downs. Within this assembly there have been some intense battles and some incredible victories. There have been certain seasons that grieved the Lord, and others that brought Him great glory. In this place, decisions have been made and actions have been taken that disgraced the name of Christ; yet there have been others that served to honor Him and advance His Kingdom.
Within these walls hearts have been broken, relationships have been fractured, reputations have been tarnished, and many tears of sorrow have been shed. However, on other occasions fractured relationships have been restored, broken hearts have been mended, souls have been saved, lives have been changed, backsliders have been reclaimed, and many tears of joy have been shed.
There have been periods of decline and seasons of revival. At times, the congregation has dwindled to just a faithful few, yet there have been other times when there was not enough seating, Sunday School rooms, or parking spaces. Today, as has been the case numerous times before, this assembly stands at a crossroads. The decisions that you make and the actions that you take as an assembly will certainly have an impact on what the next season of ministry will bring.
As a matter of personal advice, let me encourage you to resist the temptation to “return __________ church to her glory days”. I would also counsel you to ignore the current fads, programs, and whatever “church growth method” that the SBC is pushing this month. Save your money and leave the “How To Grow Your Church” books in the warehouse at Lifeway. Everything that you need to know about how to move forward as a church, and as individuals can be found in the pages of God’s Word.
One great example of this is recorded in the text that we have read together. In this passage, the Children of Israel have been released from the strong hand of Pharaoh. God has delivered them from 400 years of slavery and oppression in Egypt. They have begun a new journey of hope and great expectation. But after traveling for a while they find themselves in a discouraging situation. Their enemies are approaching, and it seems that they are trapped, and defeat is imminent. In front of them is the Red Sea, to the left is a mountain, to the right, another mountain and behind them is Pharaoh & the Egyptian army. Israel’s leader, Moses, sought the Lord for guidance and instruction. The Lord informed Moses that it was time for action. Moses responded accordingly and one of the greatest miracles in the history of the world was on the horizon.
As we examine the events in the lives of Moses & the people of Israel, there is much that we can learn about how to know and do God’s will. I would like to review this familiar Biblical narrative and consider “How To Move Forward For The Glory Of God”.
- It should be the desire of every church and every Christian to consistently move forward with and for the Lord. This indeed may be your desire, but you may be asking the important question “how are we to accomplish such a task?”. This event in the lives of the Children of Israel shows us that:
I. TO MOVE FORWARD FOR GOD’S GLORY, WE MUST LISTEN
v15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the Israelites to go forward.
It goes without saying that prayer is a vital element in the success of any local church. Before leading the Israelites across the Red Sea, Moses spent time in prayer. The details his prayer are not recorded, but it is clear that he lifted up his heart to God, for God said, “Why are you crying out to Me?”. The Lord informed Moses that his prayer had been heard and now it was time to move.
The privilege of prayer is simply amazing. To know that we have direct, unhindered access to God is truly wonderful. But even greater is the promise that our Lord will not only hear, but He will answer our prayers. Jesus said in Matthew 7:7, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.”.
I am sure that as a congregation of Believers you have been praying for God to reveal His will for this church. This is admirable, but it is not enough to ask what His will is, you must be willing to listen and obey His will when He responds. There are many times when God does not answer this sort of prayer the way that we would like. Often God’s will for a specific congregation is the exact opposite of what we would choose ourselves. Furthermore, His will for us as individuals may not be what we would choose.
Such a scenario had played out earlier in Moses’ life. When God initially called him, Moses was very reluctant. He made it very clear that he did not want to do what Yahweh had called him to do. He made excuses and encouraged the Lord to find someone else to serve in that capacity. Eventually Moses complied and God used him to confront Pharaoh and lead Israel out of Egypt. Soon after this, the people of Israel began to grumble and complain, so much so that Moses wanted to quit. Things even got so bad at one point that Moses asked God to kill him!
There may be times in your life when you can relate to the struggles that Moses endured. God may call you to go somewhere that you do not want to go. He may call you to accomplish a task that you do not feel equipped to accomplish. There may be many tasks that the Lord has required that you simply do not want to do. Even when you are obedient and comply to God’s revealed will, there may come a time when you no longer want to stay where God has sent you.
Perhaps you have been faithfully obeying God’s will, yet you are disillusioned with the task that He has assigned. You are tired, burned out, frustrated and ready to quit. In times such as these you must remember that God is the one who called you and He is the only one who can relinquish you of your duties. If you genuinely seek to find or remain in the center of His will, it is imperative that you listen to Him.
This is also true concerning the church as a whole. I am sure that each of you have a vision for the future of this church. Perhaps the majority of you have a shared vision for the future. Vision and unity are essential to the success of this church; however, this vision must be one that is inspired by the Spirit of God, not just the desire of His people.
It is possible that what God wants for this assembly may be totally different than anything you have ever imagined. Moreover, His plan to lead you from where you are to where He would have you to be may take longer than you would like. It may involve certain struggles and troubles that you would prefer to avoid. Furthermore, the end result may not look anything like what you have planned at this moment in time. As you prepare to move forward as a church, never forget that there is no better place to be than in the center of God’s will. And whatever He has planned for the future is greater than anything you could imagine!
- To move forward for the glory of God, we must listen. This verse also shows us that:
II. TO MOVE FORWARD FOR GOD’S GLORY, WE MUST LABOR
v15b Tell the Israelites to go forward.
Moses obeyed the command of the Lord and led the people to this place. However, at the moment it seemed as if they were trapped. The children of Israel were of the opinion that it would have been better if they had remained as slaves in Egypt. In response, Moses told the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the Lord’s salvation, which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again. 14The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” It was God’s intention for His people to move forward and He was going to continue to use Moses to lead them.
God has a way of raising up leaders to care for His people. He did this throughout the Bible and He still does so today. We live in a time when good and godly leaders are desperately needed. Though there is a great need for leaders, there is also a need for faithful laborers! Jesus instructed His Disciples to pray that the Lord would send laborers into the harvest. But the Disciples didn’t just pray for someone else to go and labor in the fields, they were actively involved in the work themselves.
All Christians have been commissioned with the task of making disciples. This process involves spiritual labor. Every day God places certain people in our path, there are many within our sphere of influence. We have the opportunity to reach these people with the Gospel. We can be used of the Lord to point lost people to Him. He can also use our faithful service to assist our saved brothers and sisters in their own spiritual progress. Never forget that the Great Commission is not merely about making converts, the command is to teach others the ways of the Lord and to make Disciples.
As I mentioned earlier, I would not be where I am today if it were not for the ministry of this specific church. Time would not permit me to tell the stories of all the people who invested in my life. Whether it was here or somewhere else, God placed certain people in your life who pointed you to Jesus. Some taught you the scriptures, others taught you by example. Through their faithfulness to accomplish God’s will in their own lives, the Lord used them to change your life eternally.
Many of us can remember faithful preachers, teachers, VBS volunteers, nursery workers and common church members who invested in us. There were many others outside the local church that contributed to this process as well. Some of us had parents, grandparents, extended family, friends, classmates, and coworkers whose lives were used in a great way to lead us to the Lord Jesus.
Now that we are born again, we have the same opportunity to have a positive impact on others. Not only do we have this opportunity, we have a biblical responsibility to be a positive, godly, Christ honoring influence in the lives of those around us. Many would say that they desire such an opportunity, some even profess to pray that God would allow them to lead others to Christ and to be actively involved in discipling other Christians. While it is certainly a good thing to pray for these kinds of opportunities, we must be willing to put our prayers into action. In order to move forward for God’s glory, we must labor!
As we have already seen, it appears that the Israelites are trapped. If Moses had not obeyed the instructions given to him by the Lord and led the people accordingly, they would have been killed. Similarly, if you refuse to be the servant that God has called you to be, then the people around you will suffer greatly.
Like Moses, you may look at the task the Lord has assigned to you as being impossible. Granted, if you were to serve in your own power it would be. But we have the great assurance that with the Lord, all things are possible. This truth is of supreme importance.
- If you are willing to listen to the Lord and labor for Him, you are on the right track, but you simply cannot attempt to accomplish God’s will on your own. This leads us to the fact that:
III. TO MOVE FORWARD FOR GOD’S GLORY, WE MUST LEAN
When I say "lean", I am speaking of trusting in the Lord. Verse 16 shows us that this is exactly what Moses did. The Lord said to Moses, “lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.”
God told Moses to lift his staff and part the sea. Moses’ staff possessed no power, furthermore, he possessed no power in himself. But the power of God flowed through Moses and the people passed over on dry ground.
God may have called you to do something that seems impossible, but when you are a willing vessel and God's power flows through you, He can make the impossible possible. Perhaps God is calling you to start a new ministry. Maybe He would have you to help out in an existing ministry. It could be that He has instructed you to witness to a certain individual, or maybe He has even called you to preach. Whatever the specific task, you have prayed about it, and you want to know what is next. It is simple, your next step in the process of obeying His will is to trust Him. Prayer is vital, seeking God for direction is imperative, obedience and labor is necessary, but throughout this process we must lean on the Lord!
- Once you listen, labor and lean, then you can stand back and watch the Lord do something amazing. The final truth I would like to consider is:
IV. TO MOVE FORWARD FOR GOD’S GLORY, WE MUST LOOK
No matter how far we go on our journey (as individuals and as a church) we must never forget who is in control. We must never lose sight of the reality that our only hope of true success is to be where God would have us to be and doing what He would have us to do. If we will be faithful and obedient, then we will have the opportunity to watch Him do what seems to be impossible.
In verses 17-18, the Lord says “I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. Then I will gain honor by means of Pharaoh and all his army and chariots and horsemen. 18 The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I am honored through Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”
God predicted what the result of this event would be; Pharaoh and the Egyptians would see His power and know that He was on Israel's side. Moses obeyed, the Lord moved, and that is exactly what happened.
v25 The Lord caused their chariot wheels to wobble, so that they had difficulty driving. “Let us flee from the Israelites,” said the Egyptians, “for the Lord is fighting for them against Egypt!”
Another great benefit of this amazing move of God is that Moses and the Children of Israel were also reminded that God was in control. When we are obedient and trust the Lord, when we listen to His call on our life and obey His will for us, then we too will have the privilege of watching Him accomplish what seems to be impossible. Furthermore, we have the glorious opportunity to be used by Him to accomplish the impossible.
Without question, there have been some dark days throughout the history of _______________Church. However, in spite of all the turmoil, conflict and attacks from the enemy, this church has survived. God has always seen fit to leave a remnant of genuine disciples, and your current situation is no different. It could be that the greatest and most fruitful days for ___________ church are not in the past, but in the future. But it is important for you to enter into this next chapter with the proper perspective. Your goal should not be to save, revive or grow this church. In fact, no one on earth possesses the power to do any of these things. But if this faithful remnant will join together for the purpose of advancing God’s Kingdom and bringing Him glory, He can and will do things in and through you that are greater than anything you could have ever imagined.
Perhaps you have been praying that somehow, some way God would use you for His glory. Let me commend you, this is certainly a great prayer to pray. It is one that God will hear, honor and in His time and His way, He will answer. When He does answer, you must be willing to listen to labor and lean. If you will do this, there will come a day when you have the privilege of watching God work.
This is exactly what happened to Moses. The Lord called out to him and said, “now is the time to move forward, lead my people across the Red Sea”. Moses obeyed, and the Lord moved in a mighty way.
v21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove back the sea with a strong east wind that turned it into dry land. So the waters were divided, 22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on their right and on their left.
What seemed impossible, became possible because God's man obeyed Him. Moses trusted in the Lord, and he led the people to the other side. Through it all, he was able to see God at work. And in the end, it was God who received the glory.
God’s glory should be our ultimate motivation concerning anything we set out to do in His name. I hope that you desire to be used by the Lord. If you do, your first step is to spend time in prayer, seeking His will and direction. But when the prayer is over you must listen, labor, lean and look. If you will do this, God can and will use you to accomplish what seems to be impossible!
Obviously, this message has been directed towards God’s people. But there is a message for the unbeliever in this passage as well. The Israelites were in bondage under a great adversary named Pharaoh. You are in bondage to sin and your only hope of deliverance is in Jesus Christ. The wonderful news is that He has already done everything necessary to deliver you from the hand of your great adversary and free you from the bonds of sin that currently enslave you. I encourage you to repent and believe in Him today! If you will surrender to the Lord Jesus, then you can experience immediate and eternal deliverance. Then, you too will have the opportunity to move forward for the glory of God.
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