Why Are You Crying? Series

WHY ARE YOU CRYING?

Ex.14:10 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

15 And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward

Setting of the text: The children of Israel have just been delivered from the strong, oppressive hand of Pharaoh. God with a mighty deliverance has brought them out of Egypt the land of slavery and oppression. They had started their journey with high hopes and expectations toward the land of promise.

But they have marched only a few days and suddenly they seem to be stopped in their journey. The Bible records they have encamped by the sea. Before them is the great Red Sea, on either side of them is a mountain and behind them are Pharaoh and his army closing in fast. On the surface it seems they are hopelessly trapped. For all practical purposes there was no way out. But in the midst of chaos and confusion the people come to Moses and begin to cry out to him, and as they cry to him Moses goes to God and he says God, what do you want me to do? They are getting ready to stone me, what in the world do you want me to do?¨

Israel had trusted God for their deliverance but not for their circumstances. But this is not new. David despaired and said, “I will perish one day at the hands of Saul.” Elijah hid in a cave and asked to die (1 Kings19:4). If we are Christians, we have trusted him to save us from sin but all too often we will not trust him with our circumstances.

There are lots of things that cause us not to trust.

1. We are diagnosis with a disease for which there is no cure.

2. We have more month that we do money.

3. We have a child who refuses to do right.

4. We have a spouse that has rejected us.

5. We loose our job.

God tells Moses, there not but one thing to do get up and GO FORWARD! 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. There is nothing to go back to all that is left is to GO FORWARD!¨

The Lord would tell us today, there is nothing to go back to. If you go back you will be destroyed or have to return to slavery. And if you don’t pull up stakes now you will probably be destroyed. The best thing for you to do is GO FORWARD!

To the church the Lord would say, the fields are white unto harvest and what I want you to do is to rise up and go on to do the things I have called you to do & the things I have asked you to do. Forget the past, forget Egypt, forget the pain and agony of the past, bury it and GO FORWARD!

To individuals the Lord would say what you need to do is to get up, stop sleeping and being lazy! Stop wallowing in your pity; stop wallowing in your agony and pain of the past and GO FORWARD! Stop wallowing in your bitterness and anger and GO FORWARD! Stop enjoying where you are and GO FORWARD! Before the church can go forward you as an individual must go forward because it is individuals that make up the church.

Have you ever heard people sit around and complain because the church is dry and cold and needs a revival but they never seem to be concerned to let revival start with them? What you and I need to realize is, we as individuals are what make up the church and for the church to have revival and go forward you and I must have revival and go forward. The church can’t do anything until you or I do, we are the church.