10 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. 11 And they said unto Moses, Because 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? 12 Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, 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. 13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. 14 The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
It is inevitable that there will come a time in this life that you will experience moments when it looks like all hope is gone. There will be times when even the very best that you have to give and the very best effort that you can put forth will not be sufficient. There will be some times when desperation seems to be your constant friend and doubt your forever companion. The odds will be stacked against you, the storms will rage, the winds will blow, the lightening will flash, and failure and destruction seem to be lurking just around the bend. But as believers, as the children of God, as the heirs to the Kingdom, we can take courage in knowing that just like in all the times before, no matter how dark the midnights seem to be, that God will show up right on time. He’ll step in and He’ll show out. He’ll dry the tears and bring with him the joy that follows the weeping. We can have faith that God will fight our battles and speak into our lives those famous words – PEACE BE STILL. We can have this courage and we can hold this faith because time and time again He’s shown us that He’s just God like that.
As we look at our text this morning we find here the Israelites in the midst of a desperate situation. A situation that God Himself has directed them into that He may show them in glorious fashion that He really is just God like that. See, if you look at the history behind this text, you will see that the Israelites had been in bondage for many years, enslaved by the Egyptians, under the rule of Pharaoh. And now, after their many years of crying out to God about their suffering, they are witnessing God moving in their situation. Finally, God has looked down from heaven and said enough is enough.
It’s a good thing that every now and then, God takes the time to look down upon an old wretch like you and me and say enough is enough. It’s a good thing that God in His mercy sees fit to dry our weeping eye. See, He really is just God like that.
Now God is getting ready to step in. He rises up among them a liberator in the form of Moses. Moses, born as a Hebrew slave and raised as an Egyptian Prince. Moses, a Shepard, who God chose and caused to be raised up as a prophet, a priest, a lawgiver, a judge, a miracle worker, and most importantly a God ordained emancipator. You know the story, Moses, this ordinary man, with divine purpose, stood before Pharaoh and delivered the message that doth sayest the Lord - Let my people Go.
Pharaoh, had hardened His hard and refused to set the Israelites free. He had made up His mind that He was gonna fight it out with God. But he found out, after death, destruction and plague that His arm was too short to box with God. So the Israelites were headed toward Freedom. Now God, knowing the heart of Pharaoh sent them to camp in a place that was bordered by mountains on one side, fortresses on the other, and a sea out in front. With Egyptians coming up behind it looked as though there was no chance for victory and the people began to question Moses’ sanity for trying to bring them out, Saying that they would have preferred to have been left in their chains.
I have to take Pause her for a moment, and beg the question, how many of us have taken to heart the attitude that the Israelites had on that day. How many of us have questioned and decided that it is better to live as a slave than it is to die trying to be free. How many of us have made it up in our minds that it is better to be enslaved by the things of this world, to be chained to our strongholds, bound by our failings, enraptured in our flesh, to stick with the crowd than it is to be called out, singled out, be called a peculiar people. How many of us are missing our destiny because we have made it up in our mind that it’s okay to be on the other side of the fence. I mean that’s where the good stuff is, that’s where he is, that’s where she is, that’s where our friends are. But see, God has called us to be more, He has called us to be better. He has called us to a destiny. He has called us to be free. See what the Israelites did not understand that day and what many of us fail to recognize even today is that Whom the Lord sets free is free indeed. There are no chains that can keep you bound when the Lord himself holds the key. Oh, but I digress.
Here they are questioning and crying to Moses because the situation is looking kind of critical. Things don’t look like they are going to work out quite the way that they planned them to. They’ve got some trials, they’ve got some struggles, they’ve got a little situation going on. It’s looking like midnight right about now. And, they don’t understand how it is that God is going to bring them out. But Moses says, hold on my brother, Take a chill my sister. You apparently don’t understand the kind of God we serve. You don’t understand just what my God is capable of. He’s already spoken promise. He’s already spoken victory. All you’ve gotta do is hold on.
See, the first thing that Moses tells them in his address is Fear Ye Not. See what the Israelites don’t recognize is that my God, our God, the God that they serve is just God like that.
That brings me to my first point this morning and that is that He is a Fear Removing Kind of God. Now, I’ve heard Mother Parrish say this a few times, and it just resonates in my spirit. She says that Fear is False Evidence Appearing Real. In other words, Fear is what we get when we take a physical inventory of the things going on a round us and begin to doubt God’s ability to be and do all that He says He can be and do. Fear is when we begin to have more faith in the adversary’s ability to have victory in our lives than we have faith in God’s ability to have the final word. Fear is when we fail to realize that the God who brought us this far has not brought us here to leave us. But I’m here to tell ya that He is a faithful God. I’m here to tell you that He is a God who said that He who has begun a good work in you will see you through to the end. So many times we reach situations in our lives that have our knees knocking, our hearts racing and the tears flowing, but regardless of the situation. Regardless of how bad things look, my God says that He will fight your battle. My God says be of good courage. That He has not given to us a spirit of fear but instead he has given us a spirit of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. SO it does not matter what the adversary tries to bring your way. There can be mountains on the east, and fortresses on the west. There can be enemies at your back and a sea of despair out in front. But when it is all said and done, if God be for you who can stand against you? Because Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. In the words of that old hymn – what have I to fear what have I to dread when I’m leaning on the ever lasting arms. All you have got to do is wait on Him. All you gotta do is keep your hands in His hand because the same God that inspired the psalmist to pen the words “yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I shall fear no evil for thou are with me. Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me” is the same God that will be your strength, your refuge and a very present help in the time of trouble because He truly is Just God Like that.
The second point that I want to address is that He is a Salvation Bringing Kind of God. The second thing that Moses told the people in response to their doubting God’s ability to make a way is to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. When you are one of God’s children, you can hide safely under His wings of protection because as the scripture tells us in Proverbs 18 :10 “The name of the Lord is a strong Tower, the righteous runneth into it and is safe”. Know that when you place your faith in Him, that when you lay your burdens at his feet, when you heed his call that says come unto me all ye that are heavy laden that He will give you rest. You don’t have to fight. You don’t have to struggle, because the Lord has declared that He will fight your battle. See the battle is not yours it’s the Lord’s. All you have to do is look to the hills from which cometh your help and your help cometh from the Lord. You don’t have to move. All you have gotta do is wait upon the Lord. It was Isaiah that said that They that wait upon the Lord He shall renew their strength, they shall run and not get weary, they shall mount up on wings like eagles. With the wings of an eagle you can rise above any situation that is threatening to take you down. With the wings of an eagle you can soar above the situations that threaten to still your joy and take you off the path of God’s pre-ordained path for your life. All you have got to do is stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. My God keeps, My God provides, My God saves because He really is just God Like that.
I’m almost finished here but the final point I want to make, is that He is a Benedicting Kind of God. God promised the Israelites n that the Egyptians that they saw they would see no more after that day. God spoke a benediction over their situation. Understand that a benediction is a concluding act. It’s a shutting of the door kind of act. And God steps in when the things get critical and begins benedicting the situations in our lives. God is able to shut doors that no man can open and can open doors that no man can shut. He is just God like that. I don’t know about you, but I am so glad that God has spoken benediction in my life. I am so glad that He saw fit to speak benediction on some of the people and the things in my life. I’m not sure who I am talking to, but God sent me here to tell somebody, that He is ready to speak a benediction in your life. He is ready to speak benediction over that heartache. He is ready to speak benediction over that thing that had you walking the floor all night long. Before the sun does down, in the twinkling of an eye, in a moments notice. God is going to start turning some stuff around.. They are some strongholds that God is getting ready to break. There are some weeping eyes that God is getting ready to dry. God is getting ready to give the benediction. Because He really is . Yeah He truly is Just God Like That.
I’m gonna go on and take my seat, but if there is anybody here that is still unsure that He is truly just God like that. All you’ve gotta do is take a walk with me down Faith’s Hall of Fame.
First stop will be those three Hebrew Boys. I believe they called them Shadrack, Meeshack, and Abendigo. And they will testify that He really is Just God Like That. See they will tell you that when your back is up against the wall. When you’re facing your fiery furnace. He’ll step in and be the fourth man in your furnace. They will tell you that he’ll make it so that no weapon formed against you can prosper. See, He is. Yeah He really is just God like that.
But if you’re still unsure that He’s just God like that, all you gotta do is ask old Daniel in the Lion’s den and He will testify that He is a very present help in the time of trouble. See, Old Daniel had made it up in His mind that He would serve the Lord until He died. Daniel had made it up in His mind that He was going to seek the Kingdom of God and He found himself in a difficult situation. His friend had turned his back and he found himself in the pit of a lion’s den. See Daniel can testify that even when it looks like the enemy has you down, when it looks like he is ready to devour you that God is faithful and God is just. God stepped in and started to touch the situation. Because when God speaks everything that has breath must obey. Yeah, He really is just God like that.
If you’re still don’t understand the kind of God I’m talking about then all you gotta do is ask old Lazarus. He will testify that when folks have counted you out and declared that the race is over for you, that God will step in and speak life into your dead situations. When folks are standing around ready to throw dirt in your face, he’ll tell you that God has the last word. It ain’t over till He declares that it’s over. It don’t matter what the doctor report has to say. God has the last word and he says that by His stripes you are healed. See when it looks like all hope is gone, my God is still able because he really is just God like that.
Let’s make one more stop. We’ll visit old Mary Magdalene. She will testify that things looked like defeat. They had stretched her Savior wide on an old rugged cross on a Hill far away. They had laid him out in an old borrowed tomb. But early on the third day, early one Sunday morning God proved once and for all that He really is just God like that. Jesus came up from the grave. Shed the clothes of death and was clothed in His heavenly Glory. Jesus got up with all power in His hand. Jesus got up with the keys to life and death in His hand. Jesus got up to angels serenading the fact that He really is Just God like that. Oh Death where is your sting, oh grave where is your victory. Don’t you understand that HE really is Just God Like that.
I know I have to take my seat, but if by chance you still ain’t figured out the type of God I’m talking about. It’s my turn to testify. I can tell you that He really is just God like that. See I can testify that He is my strength and my refuge. I can testify that He is a redeeming kind of God, I can testify that He is a burden barring, mountain moving, peace bring, joy giving, healing sending, blessing releasing, praise worthy kind of God. I am so glad . I am so glad that He is just God Like that.
