When looking at this text we see that the people of God felt hopeless and helpless. Here they were a defenseless, and exposed people, including women and children, about to be attacked by the mightiest army on earth. They saw no way of deliverance; they couldn’t see a way out of their current situation, they were gripped with a deep intense feeling of despair. So, they begin the blamed game and they condemned God's leader. But what they forgot about was the mighty arm of God’s power, salvation and deliverance.
What they miss in this moment was in a time like this, the moment called for faith, and a strong faith in God's promise, and in His mighty arm that had been proven time and time again.
But can I tell you that faith was lacking. They felt there was no deliverance available, no possible way they could be saved from this great an enemy.
But God's Word here is well-defined, that we are not to be scared, petrified, afraid, and to be in fear. No matter how severe the circumstance, no matter how terrible the problem, no matter how hopeless and helpless the situation may seem—the believer is never to be overtaken by trepidation and faithlessness.
As we look at the text, we see that the children of Israel had been brought out of an overwhelming hand of oppression by Pharaoh.
God had deliverance them out of Egypt and they had started their expedition, their voyage, their travels with confidence that they were on their way the land of promise.
After they have marched for a few days unexpectedly something happen that would place their trip on a setback.
The Bible says that they had settled by the sea. And as we look at their surroundings. What we see before them is the great Red Sea, on both side of them is a mountain and behind them are Pharaoh and his army who were hot on their trail.
From the way things looked it seemed like they were trapped. As we would’ve said in the hood, it looks like they were caught. To the natural eye they were doom. To the carnal man it was the end of their destiny. While dealing with this situation the people went to Moses and begin to cry out to him. Moses then goes to God and he says God, I need some answers because they are ready to stone me to death, what should I do? I know how Moses felt because there have been times when I shared with the household of faith what the Lord told me to do and the murmuring started, the we’ve never done it like this before, the I can’t see it, it will never work, are you sure this is the will of God? How much will it cost?
If you check the record you will see that Israel had believed God for their deliverance, but not for their circumstances. I must say, as Christians, we have trusted him to save us from sin, but all too often, we will not trust him with our circumstances.
Watch what happens here. God gives Moses the recipe for this situation at hand. He say’s to Moses, Moses there is only one thing for you to do, he says get up and go forward! Because you have come to far to turn around. You are at the point of no return; you have come to far from where you have started from.
I didn’t bring you out, to take you back; I didn’t bring you out to leave you now. I didn’t bring you out to camp here; this is not the land I promised you, there is so much more for you all too see. There is nothing to go back too, the only thing that is left is to go forward.
The Lord would have me tell somebody today, there is nothing to go back too. And if you go back you will be destroyed, if you go back you will have to return to slavery. And if you don’t pull up stakes now you will probably be destroyed by the hand of the enemies. So, the best thing for you to do is go forward! I know that people are talking all over the world about; I can’t wait until things get back to normal. But, what normalcy are you talking about. The normalcy of being sinful, the normalcy of being hateful, the normalcy of being a liars, backbiters, deceivers, prevaricators or equivocators. What normalcy are you talking about, because I don’t want or even need that type of normalness in my life.
Forget the past, forget Egypt, and forget the pain and agony of the past, it time to bury the past and go forward!
I’ve got to tell somebody to stop enjoying where you are and go forward! But before the church can go fourth, the people must go forward, because it is the people that make up the church.
Can I tell you that there is nothing worth going back for, when you can’t go to the left or to the right or backward there is nothing left but to go forward!
I know that many would rather stay where they are, and camp out and enjoy the view, because some like it where they are. Some of us have become satisfied and comfortable where we are. Some like being depressed; we like being angry; we like not being active in the church; we like this place of bitterness. But, God is calling us out of our comfort zones, and he’s calling us out of these places where we have camped out at, and he wants us to go fourth! He doesn’t want us to be destroyed, and damaged. God doesn’t want us to be cracked and shattered, God doesn’t want us to be wiped out and in pieces, but God does want us to Go Fourth.
You may be asking, but pastor, why do we need to go forward? Why is going forward so important? Let’s look at a few reasons why it is important, why it is vital for us to go forward: because when you go forward you moving from where you are to where you are headed.
Verse 10 says, and when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD.
When you fail to go forward, the first thing you are going to do is, you are going to stop walking by faith, and you are going to start living in fear. The minute you stop going forward or making progress in your spiritual walk, the next thing you know is, you will find yourself no longer walking in faith but living in fear.
NOTICE
When they came out of Egypt that day and were going forward to the Promised Land, there wasn’t a speck of fear in their heart. They marched out of there singing the songs of Zion. I believe the tambourines were playing and the people were dancing and rejoicing in the Lord. They were on their way out of bondage to Canaan Land, they were going forward. But the minute they stopped going forward, faith was replaced with fear, trust was replaced with disbelief, assurance was replaced intimidation. So, now, instead of being an army full of faith and singing the victory song of how I got over, the only verse of the song that they could remember to sing is, my soul looks back and wonder, because they are filled with fear.
II When you don’t move forward complaints starts
11 They said unto Moses, Look Moses there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? Wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?
III When you are not go forward you are backsliding
12 Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying Let us alone so, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.
Finally, they said to Moses, why don’t you just take us back to Egypt.
It would be better for us if we were back in Egypt. Can you imagine that?
They had just been brought out from under the chains and whips of Pharaoh and within 2 or 3 days, they are now standing there saying, we would be better off in Egypt.
Why would anyone want to go back to Egypt?
START CLOSING
If we stop going forward eventually we will start going backward.
So, in verse 13 Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever.
14 The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace
Moses had seen God do Great and Mighty things. He knew that God would see them through. But I can hear God say that we must move in the faith and we’ve got to know that faith is not lip services but faith is action.
I need to tell somebody that if you are not going forward you are hindering somebody behind you from going forward. There were several million people in that valley. The people in the 50th row couldn’t go anywhere until the people in the 1st row moved. There are a lot of people standing behind you just watching and waiting for you to make the right move, and to go forward.
I can hear somebody say pastor I don’t know about going forward. There is a big sea ahead of us, how are we going to get across? I think I will stay right here. But I charge you to please just move out a little bit and watch the salvation of the Lord.
In verse 15, the bible says “And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward
God told Moses, you tell the people to start moving, and then you take that rod and stretch it out toward the sea, and just start go forward. It is said that when Moses obeyed and took the 1st step the winds began to blow, and the waters began to roll back on every side.
What I have learned is that God always moves when we are willing to obey Him and take the step of faith that He has asks us to do.
So, I just want to tell somebody this morning please go fourth, please move into the next dimension of what God has for you.
