A television program preceding the 1988 Winter Olympics featured blind skiers being trained for slalom skiing, impossible as that sounds. Paired with sighted skiers, the blind skiers were taught on the flats how to make right and left turns. When that was mastered, they were taken to the slalom slope, where their sighted partners skied beside them shouting, "Left!" and "Right!" As they obeyed the commands, they were able to negotiate the course and cross the finish line, depending solely on the sighted skiers' word. It was either complete trust or catastrophe.
What a vivid picture of the Christian life! In this world, we are in reality blind about what course to take. We must rely solely on the Word of the only One who is truly sighted--God Himself. His Word gives us the direction we need to finish the course.
This morning beloved I want to preach a sermon I have entitled “Crossing over the new”. Throughout life beloved it is a reality that there will be different levels of growth in our Christian walk, many that will not be understandable, some that will be evident, some that will not be accepted and others that will give us revelation. As we begin to walk with God we will find that God Himself is worthy of all praise and glory that He in His Majesty will do as He wills as it fits our lives and not how we expect for things to be. Beloved this morning if we do not allow God to steer our walk and guide our lives through this world of chaos we lack trust in our Savior, and this beloved can always be seen in a man or a women that wants things done their way or no way. Challenge today cannot be given to people that have not understood the true meaning of the gospel in its entirety which entails an area which many fail to cleave in and that beloved is discipleship. As I preach this morning I pray that you catch what God has given me to bring to His church and see that trusting in God has everything to do with how you trust the man God has placed before you to help you through what has been missing and that is through truth and a compassionate heart that will give you want you need and not what you want this morning.
Crossing in to the new has everything to do with leaving behind the old and grabbing on to the new with boldness and trust in Jesus Christ. This trust of course must be built in time with God bringing you through some trials and allowing you to gain some guidance through your Pastor with prayer and the word of God to see Him who is Jesus move on the behalf of His people. Building trust takes total reliance in Christ who will not only show Himself to you throughout your walk but also through your headship in Jesus. This morning I want to engage in the life and time of Israel as Moses has by God’s hand lead His people out of Egypt into the wilderness to inherit the promise. Many of us are looking forward to a promise as we have been lead out of the bondage of sin but maybe in your wilderness. If you’re not saved this morning I pray this will help you make a decision to serve Jesus and race for the promise as well.
Exodus 14:1-4
1 Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, that they turn and camp before Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal Zemphon; you shall camp before it by the sea. 3 For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, ‘They are bewildered by the land; the wilderness has closed them in.’ 4 Then I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD.” And they did so.
“God’s Leader”
As we have read our scripture Moses is given instructions by God concerning Israel’s motions and encampments. This has been done that there would be no scruple amongst God’s people. God spoke to His chosen man to guide Israel toward the Red Sea for the purpose of which only Moses and God knew. This beloved was to glorify God. Beloved Pharaoh had a design to destroy God’s people but God had a design to destroy Pharaoh and He ordered Moses to direct the children of Israel the way of the Red Sea for this purpose.
As this has been in motion I am pretty sure that the people of Israel are probably wondering why they were going in the opposite direction of sure promise. Why is this man taking us further into the wilderness and toward a dead end? What most people do not understanding is that God has plans that are beyond our understanding that would glorify Him and Him alone.
Trust takes courage as these men and women of God in the very beginning trusted Moses who stood up to Pharaoh and by the hand of God were liberated. So with gladness we can go and walk with the Moses God has placed before us as things seem so well in our favor to overcome the bondage in the lives of our ancestors as they have been inherited and broken by the grace of God.
We are inherited sinners but we can be liberated by the blood of Christ. This is true in our lives beloved as sinners we were in bondage to the wages of death in sin which was or is our Egypt, and throughout time we have cried out to God for some type of freedom, God send us a deliverer someone that will fight for us and show us that you are real. So now God answers prayer for those that were crying out in bondage and you are here. You have someone who fights for the souls of those who not yet understand the spiritual warfare that is in play for the souls, now that this has been established a word from God comes forth to help those learn of this spiritual warfare and trust needs to be established and exercised by faith not only in Christ but also for the man God has placed to guide and lead His flock to the promise of Salvation.
“Trusting Through Trials”
As these things become a reality to the new believer in Christ decisions are made in some aspects due to the preaching of the Gospel and others due to seeking after guidance. How many know that sometimes the guidance and or advice we receive from the man of God is not what we want to hear, let alone sometimes it may not make sense at the moment just as it did not make sense to the children of Israel. Here we have God’s people that have followed God’s chosen man to the edge of the Red Sea, now Pharaoh has regretted letting God’s people go and now pursuing them to place them back in bondage. (Sounds just like Satan) Now the children of Israel are bickering and looking at the man of God blaming Him that their lives are going to end in the wilderness that they should’ve stood in the state that they were in at least they would have lived. (But they did not understand that God spoke to him about this movement).
Exodus 14:11-13
11 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? 12 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.” 13 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.
How excusable was their distrust! Beloved a sordid contempt of liberty preferring servitude before it, only because it was attended with some difficulties. A generous spirit and a heart that has truly believed the decision of the man of God would’ve said, “Better to live God’s freeman in the open air of the wilderness than to live the Egyptians bondmen in the smoke of the brick-klins”, in other words I would rather die in God’s will than in the enemies hold. Base ingratitude to Moses who had been the faithful instrument of their deliverance. Beloved just as the children of God they had forgotten the miracles of mercy just as the Egyptian had forgotten the miracles of wrath, and they just as the Egyptians hardened their hearts toward God as they have become guilty to not trusting God or His man of choice to lead than to a promise instead they believed that God had lead them to a shameful death in the wilderness. Egypt witnessed ten plagues but the children of God witnessed ten provocations. Yet still did not believe God for a miracle.
As such beloved there are times in our walk that could look and say I was better off not serving God at all as if your life before Christ a was promising. Yes degrees and yes maybe fame and recognition and even some applause but without Christ the end is hell. So here we are in the midst of serving God or maybe not sure if Christ is for you beloved I would rather live through the wilderness with Christ than to die without Him. I know that when I come out of that place with Him who is King I have come out better and refined with a new trust in Him. But we can forget who we are serving and what is the cause for such a walk in Christ. We can either love God in trials or hate God in trials, either way we will grow in our hearts, love or hate. Trust Him in trials of not trust Him in trials, which one do you want this morning?
“Building through trusting”
Exodus 14:27-31
27 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. 28 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. 29 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. 30 So the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 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.
Here we have God showing Himself through the faith of the man whom He has chosen to lead His people out of bondage and into the promise, as we subside this morning we have Jesus Christ this morning who is our promise and our hope, we the King of kings and Lord of lords who came down in the form of flesh and died so you and I could have life. But this morning the wilderness is where we are at this morning, the troubles of life and the havoc of this world are confusing what we think is right, Christ is right and Christ is true and can be trusted and Christ reigns in our congregation even in our wilderness state.
Just as Moses led God’s people through a place where others were uncertain God directed Moses in personal prayer and personal intimate relationship with him to do such a wonderful task that for the wonder of God and the glory for God would be for His glory. Sometimes beloved God would allow the direction of advice to take you through a wilderness for you to trust and grow when miracles are performed by God’s grace in Jesus name.
Crossing over to the new takes trust can you trust that Christ is working through your church this morning even if it means walking in the wilderness as Christ wants to be glorified through your life this morning. Be blessed and may God lead us through our wilderness into His promise through Jesus.
