SUBJECT: AND JUST WHEN
SCRIPTURE: EXODUS 14; 19-21
This is a familiar story; many of us know and can tell you this story. The Bible gives us this account, and by us reading this many people will classify this as one of the greatest miracles God has ever performed. But for those of you who don’t know this story, or who are not familiar with this story, I would like give you a brief background synopsis. We find ourselves at the point after God had called Moses to speak to Pharaoh and command him to let the children of Israel go. After causing numerous plagues in the land of Egypt, God delivered them from the hand of Pharaoh. While the children of Israel were on their way, Pharaoh’s army began to follow and was in hot pursuit of them. And we find out that as Moses and his people were doing all they can to get away, but they ran up on a problem. Now Pharaoh’s army was close behind them, they had mountains on both sides, and the Red Sea was in front of them, and they were in a botched in situation. Sounds familiar doesn’t it, anybody ever felt like you’ve been in a botched in situation? Where your bills were coming up behind you, a bad marriage was in front of you, and people were talking on both sides of you, and you felt like you did not have anybody to talk to. But just when you were about to give up, God made a way out of no way, and everything was all right.
(2) The Bible says that an angel of God showed up behind them. Now notice that the Bible says the angel repositioned it to go from in front of them to go behind them. I can imagine that when the children of Israel saw this they became confused, and said Lord why have you brought us out here to die, why have you brought us out here to leave us, just when we need you the most you go and forsake us. But sometimes God will reposition himself in order to protect your rear. Because the Apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians that everything is covered except for our backs. So you see sometimes God goes before you to show you the way, and then he will go behind you to keep the enemy from coming up behind you and getting you where you are most vulnerable. Also sometimes God will go behind you not just to keep others from coming up behind you, but to keep you from going back. Because you see we get to the point where we want to go back, because back is comfortable and back is familiar, but God is saying you can’t go back. He’s saying I didn’t bring you out of that bad marriage to see you just jump right back in the same situation. I didn’t bring you out of debut to see go back and buy stuff you know you can’t pay for. I didn’t bring you out of sin to see go right back to a life of sin; I didn’t deliver you from drugs to watch you go running back to them at the first sign of trouble. So I’ll place myself between you and back to keep from revisiting your past.
(3) And the Bible says that God told Moses to stretch out his hand over the sea, and he caused the waters to go back, and made way for them to walk over on dry land. That’s what God dose. As soon as you feel like you can’t make it, and you look in front of you, and the way seems lost, and just when you are about to give up, God shows up. Just when you’ve thrown in the towel on your situation, God shows up and opens up the way for you to go on anyhow. Now notice that the Bible says he made way for them to walk over on dry land. If he had left the land wet they would have gotten stuck in the mud. Some of us remember what is was like to be stuck in the mud. Every time we would move we would sink deeper and deeper. And just when we were about to be covered by sin God shows up and pulls us out, and when he pulls us out he puts us on dry land. That’s why God brings us out and delivers us completely, because if he just moved us for the moment we would stay stuck in the mud. Because we keep on going back, we would leave it alone for a while, but we would always dip and dab back and forth. So God puts us on dry land and because now we are on dry land, we are able to move on in spite of problems, we keep on stepping.
(4) Church I stopped by to tell you that trouble is coming, but don’t give up. Because just when it seems like your world has come to an end God shows up. When that marriage seems lost and you are about to call it quits, God puts the spark back in there. When your bills are due and you know you don’t have any money, and just when you begin to worry, God says don’t worry my grace is sufficient. Just when you need God the most, he says don’t you worry I’ll be there. Just call my name, and I’ll be there. And just when your problem seems to have gotten worse, here comes God and gives you an escape route. JUST WHEN!
