Fear Not, Stand Firm, and See (Exodus 14:5-14)

That it might invite you now to stand for the reading of God's

word this morning, I'll be reading in the book of Exodus

Exodus 14 · chapter mention

chapter 14 will be looking at the entire chapter together this

morning, but I will begin in verse 5 and in and verse 14 in

my reading. When the king of Egypt was told

that the people had fled the mind of pharaoh and his servants

was changed toward the people and they said, what is this?

We have done that. We have let Israel go from

serving us so we had made it raid ready his Chariot and took

his army with him and took 600 chosen chariots and all the

other Chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them and

the Lord hardened, the heart of pharaoh king of Egypt and he

pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were

going out defiantly. Why the Egyptians pursued them

all, pharaohs horses, and chariots and his Horsemen, and

his army and overtook them and camped at the Sea, by Pia

heareth and front of Bales F on when Pharaoh Drew near the

people of Israel lifted up their eyes and behold the Egyptians

were marching after them and they feared greatly and the

people of Israel cried out to the Lord, they said to Moses is

it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us

away to die in the wilderness. What have you done?

Need to bring us and bringing us out of Egypt.

Is it not what we said to you in Egypt?

Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians for it would have

been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the

wilderness. And Moses said, to the people

fear, not stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord, which he

will work for you today for the Egyptians whom you see today,

you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you.

And you have only to be silent. This is a word of the Lord.

You may be seated. The Parting of the Red Sea is

one of the most iconic stories of the entire Bible.

And for good reason, Israel's dramatic rescue from Egypt at

the Red Sea, was there climatic event of The Exodus?

And in many ways, it's the defining moment of their entire

history. It's a story that shaped their

national identity as they passed it down from generation to

generation to generation and it's a story.

That's so incredible that it's become popularized for us.

At this point found its way into documentaries and books and

movies. And the problem with a story

like this is that it becomes so familiar to us that we become

distracted by the miracle, we fail to release, see why it

matters what God might say to us through this ancient and yet

true story. So the question I want you to

begin to ask this morning is, why does the particle Ting of

the Red Sea matter. What does it have to do with us

and what might God say to us through this true story?

Well, I believe that there is something that we need to hear.

They're in the middle of Exodus chapter 14 just before God,

Exodus 14 · chapter mention

parted the Red Sea. Moses said this to the people of

Israel. Fear not.

Stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord.

I believe, we need to hear these words this morning, because we

need to see the salvation of the Lord.

Once again, it is so easy for us to lose sight of him, to forget

who he really is, and what he has done for us.

And this morning, The Parting of the Red Sea stands, as a

reminder, that God is who he says, he is, he is faithful.

He fought for us, he is fighting for us and he will fight for us

until he comes again. And so this morning, the first

thing I want you to know, once you know that The Parting of the

Red Sea shows us that we have nothing to fear.

I want you look with me at verse 5, Exodus, 14 verse 5, we're

Exodus 14:5

told that when the king of Egypt was told that the people had

fled the mind of pharaoh and his servants was changed towards the

people. And they said, what is this that

we've done that we have let Israel go from serving us?

Now last week we looked at Exodus chapter 12 and how God

Exodus 12 · chapter mention

sent great acts of judgment to rescue his people.

Ten plagues ten plagues that culminated with the death of the

firstborn son and every house of Egypt.

And God commanded, his people to kill a sacrificial lamb, and

take its blood, and to spread it over their doorposts.

So that judgment would pass over them.

Then in Exodus chapter 13 we read how the people of God then

Exodus 13 · chapter mention

fled out of Egypt after the Passover they fled out of Egypt

with 600,000 men along with women and children and their

livestock. I want you to imagine the scene.

Over 600,000 refugees. All making their way out of

Egypt. Men, women and children. and now

we're reading in Exodus 14 verse 5, The just as soon as they had

Exodus 14:5

left Egypt and Pharaoh had let them go.

He had changed his mind. Even after all that Pharaoh in

Egypt, endured with these ten plagues, Pharaoh still did not

want to let them go without a fight.

Why I want you to look with me. 46.

So we made ready his Chariot and took his army with them and took

600 chosen chariots and all the other Chariots of Egypt with

officers over all of them. Now the Hebrew is hard to

translate here for us, to really know how many were in Pharaoh's

Army, but as one translator, put it Pharaoh, went after Israel,

with all the king's horses and All the King's Men.

So we don't know exactly how many they had but we do know

this they were outnumbered. But they were not outmatched.

Pharaoh took his best soldiers, has best army, has best

chariots, has best Horsemen. And he hunted Egypt down all the

way to the Red Sea. Why would he do that?

After all, that he had seen the Lord do.

Why would have the audacity to go after his people?

Again, we're told in verse 8, look with me.

And the Lord hardened, the heart of pharaoh king of Egypt and he

pursued the people of Egypt, while the people of Israel were

going out defiantly. Why did pharaoh go after the

people of Israel? Why did he chase them to the Red

Sea? Even after the 10 plagues?

This is what I want you to wrestle with Pharaoh went after

the people of Israel because God wanted him to Pharaoh chased

God's people to the Red Sea because that's exactly what God

wanted to happen. In fact, in Exodus 13 were told

that the people of Israel could have taken a shorter way but

God, specifically LED them towards the Red Sea.

Why? Why?

Perhaps a better question is not, why would Pharaoh do this?

But a better question is why would God do this?

Why would God send 10 plagues? Rescue his people through the

Passover, only to lead them, to the Waters of the Red Sea and

have them surrounded by Pharaoh's Army.

Why would God do it? Won't you look with me?

Exodus 14 verse 4, you'll find it in your Bible.

Exodus 14:4

If you don't have a Bible, you can use the blue Pew Bible in

front of you, Exodus 14 verse 4, notice what it says, and I will

Exodus 14:4

harden Pharaoh's heart and he will pursue them, and I will get

Glory over Pharaoh. Now, look at verse 17, and I

will harden the hearts of the Egyptian so that they will go

after them and I will get Glory over.

Pharaoh, why did God hardened Pharaoh's?

Pharaoh's heart. Why did he send his people

towards the Red Sea only to have them?

Surrounded So that he would get the glory.

You see our God sovereignly works all things together for

his glory, and for the good of those who love him.

The problem with that is that when we are in the middle of it,

we can't see it. Can we and neither, could they?

Look with me now at verse 10. when Pharaoh Drew near the

people of Israel lifted up their eyes and behold the Egyptians

were marching after them and they feared greatly and the

people of Israel cried out to the Lord They were afraid and if

we're honest, who could blame them, I want you to put yourself

in their shoes. Imagine what has just happened

in their lives. Ten plagues ten, great acts of

judgment in their midst. The death of the firstborn and

every Egyptian household and the Passover now, they're fleeing

for their very lives, all 600,000 of them, think of how

chaotic it was. Imagine mother's holding crying

babies. Children, not sure where their

parents are. Men chasing down livestock as

they wandered along off Moses. And Aaron trying to keep this

group together and they make it all the way to the Red Sea.

And now they are boxed in. They have nowhere to go.

And so they turn around and what do they see?

Well, they're in their eyes and their vision.

They see Pharaoh and his army. Can you imagine how frustrated

they must have been? Can you imagine Their Fear?

You see Pete fear is a powerful thing.

And when we are afraid, we lose sight of who God is, we forget

what he is done. And all we can see is right in

front of us. And that's exactly what happened

for them. They said to Moses verse 11 is

it because there are no graves in Egypt, the you've taken us

away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us and

bringing us out of Egypt. Notice, the questions are asking

their fear has now become bitterness and accusation.

They're not just afraid they're saying, how could you let this

happen? Isn't that true of us too?

I wonder, what are you afraid of this morning?

What fills you with fear? The quietness of the night.

As you there lying in your beds, what?

Occupies your heart. What are you afraid of?

What's the first thought that comes rushing in in the morning?

I asked this question to a small group of people a couple weeks

ago and I want you to hear their answers because I think they

were honest and I think us they help us begin to name the fears

that you and I have as well. One person said, I'm afraid of

death. Not just afraid of dying.

I'm afraid of my loved one dying.

Another person said, I'm afraid of sickness.

Afraid of Growing Old, not being able to take care of myself.

Another person said, I'm afraid of being found out. of people

discovering that deep down the honest truth is I'm not who I

present myself to be Another person said I'm afraid of

failing. Afraid of not being able to

accomplish the things that I want to do.

Somebody has said, I'm afraid for our children fraid of the

future and what's going to happen?

I wonder what are you afraid of this morning?

What fills you with fear? Because whatever that thing is,

it is directly tied to the thing that matters most to you.

You see, fear is directly tied to our worship.

And not only do our fears exposed the things that we

worship. But our fears also expose, just

how little we worship God. And how small our vision is of

him. So it was with the people of

Israel. Because all they could see was

this Army and the Sea, they lost sight of the Lord.

Verse 12 is not this. What we said to you in Egypt,

leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians.

So it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than

die in the wilderness. This will become Israel's chorus

throughout the Book of Exodus over and over and over again.

They will find themselves at the end of themselves, they will be

hungry and tired and weary and Afraid and every time they will

say, it would have been better for us.

Us to stay in Egypt. Can you imagine that?

You hear that? And think that's crazy.

I am back in Egypt. They were underneath the the

authority of a terrible madman. A dictator who oppressed them

and forced them into manual labor.

Who killed the death of all of their son's.

Why would they want to go back to Egypt?

But are you? And I know different?

See, this is what fear does for us.

When we are afraid, we lose sight of the Lord and all we can

see is the things were afraid of when we try to cast out these

fears, by looking to the things that we left behind.

And so, just like the people of Israel, he say, would want to be

better for us to serve a different King than God.

What are you better for us to go back?

Back to our slavery, back to our Idols, back to our sin.

All the while trying to calm our own fears with lesser things.

C.s. Lewis, put it this way.

He said, perfect love. We know casts out fear but soda

several other things. Ignorance, alcohol, passion,

presumption and stupidity. It's very desirable that we

should all advance that Perfection of love and which we

shall fear no longer but it is very undesirable that we should

allow any inferior agent to cast out our fear.

How quick we are to turn to inferior.

Things to cast out the fears that we have in this life.

And so, another question I have for you is not just what are you

afraid of, but what are you using to conquer your fear?

For the people of Israel, as they were afraid, they were

using their own control and their own Pride.

They didn't just Express fear to Moses, but they accused him.

And they said, what are you doing?

Why have you allowed this to happen?

Fear is a powerful thing. and when we allow the fears of this

Earth to rule our hearts, we are no longer bow and down to the

fear of the Lord that should be on the throne of our hearts.

And this is why God and his sovereignty, LED his people to

the Red Sea. This is why God and his

sovereignty, hardened Pharaoh's heart, that Israel becomes

surrounded. So that they would see.

The Grandeur majesty and sovereignty of God and in seeing

him for who he really is. See that there is nothing to

fear. So, the second thing I want you

to know, not only does the Red Sea show us that there's nothing

to fear. But that the Red Sea also calls

us to stand firm. Look with me at verse 13.

And Moses said to the people fear, not stand firm and see the

salvation of the Lord. These are the words that I want

us to hear this morning. Fear, not stand firm, and see

the salvation of the Lord. Now, what's so amazing about

Moses's call to stand firm? Is that it's a military term.

Staying firm. It means Hold the Line.

Don't retreat, don't fall back. And so this is what I want you

to picture. I want you to picture two armies

and a great Battlefield. And you have each Army on either

side of falling into their ranks and you have a general barking

out orders to his arm and he's saying, stand firm, don't

retreat, Hold the Line. But now, I want you to picture

pharaoh and all of his chariots. Against a bunch of men women and

children in a few cows. And here's Moses barking out

orders to his people saying, don't retreat.

Don't fall back. Stand firm.

And what's so amazing about this command is not simply because

Israel was outmatched. Now, what's so amazing is

because of what Moses says? Next look with me at verse 14

Moses said, the Lord will fight for you and you have only to be

silent. Now, if you were, I were writing

this story. Into a, some kind of work of

fiction. We would write it like this.

Here's Pharaoh's Army a gun up against God's people, and here's

Moses the hero, and he looks at his people and he says, stand

firm, don't retreat. Hold the Line, don't fall back

and let's fight for the Lord. But that's not what he says.

Moses says, stand firm, don't retreat, don't fall back because

the Lord is fighting for you. How quick we are to think that

it's his kingdom that we must Advance on our own terms.

That it's up to us to fight against our own fears and our

own sin. It's up to us to hold the line

up to us to not fall. Back up to us, not to retreat up

to us to stand firm. And here's Moses saying, The

Lord will fight for you and then get this.

You have only to be silent. Then IV translated.

You have only to be still. In other words.

I know Pharaoh's Army is coming but don't retreat, stand firm,

and be still and know that the Lord is God.

You and I are so quick to take matters into our own hands but

God is working every single detail to show us this that

salvation belongs to him. And him alone, there is nothing

that you or I can do to save ourselves and though we try

every single day, The truth is that he is the only one who can

rescue us. And so many of us, I think know

that to be true in concept. That we have this idea of God

yeah I know he's supposed to be Sovereign and in control but we

live every day as functional atheists as if it were up to us.

The Parting of the Red Sea. Reminds us that God is

sovereign. That he works all things

together for his glory and for the good of those who love him.

And so verse 21, we see Moses and he stretches out his hand

over the sea, and the lower drove the sea back by a strong

East, Wind all night and made the sea dry land and the waters

were divided. I want you to picture it.

Here's the people of Israel. They're stuck between the Red

Sea and Pharaohs Army, and God calls, Moses to lift up his

staff and the waters are parted into.

So that God's people. People can walk on dry land and

cross the sea bed. It's an iconic image.

An event that people for centuries, have tried to explain

Away by some kind of natural phenomenon.

Some pointing to the word read and Hebrew is similar to the

word read. And so maybe this was just kind

of a Marshland shallow water. They could walk across or others

saying. Well, maybe this is about the

tide and as the tide went out and the winds blew that they

could walk through Dry Land safely, But we're told in the

next verse doesn't allow for any kind of natural phenomena.

Look at verse 22. And the people of Israel went

into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters, being a wall

to them on their right hand and on their left.

The idea here is the waters were so high, it looks like the wall

of a fortress. In other words, God parted the

depths so that his people could walk through.

He did so. So that no one could deny that

he is the savior. This was a miracle.

And this is what miracles do for us.

They help us to see that salvation is beyond ourselves.

You see because just as much as this moment was a miracle and

Israel's history at points to an even greater miracle, that was

yet to come when God would part the Waters of sins so that we

could pass through into salvation and sending

miraculously his son, Jesus Christ, born of a virgin.

We believe this as Christians. He died for us.

I'm a third day. He rose again for us.

And one day he will come again. All to show us that he and he

alone is our savior. So, the third and final thing I

want you to know this morning, not only does the story of the

Red Sea show us that there's nothing to fear and call us to

stand firm. The story of the Red Sea and

invites us to see the salvation of the Lord.

Look with me in verse 26. The Lord said to Moses, stretch

out your hand over the sea. That the water may come back

upon the Egyptians upon their chariots and upon their

Horsemen. After God's people passed

through Dry Land. We're told that Pharaoh's Army

went in after them and what was once their power and their

chariots became their downfall because we're told that their

chariots began to get stuck in the mud and as they got stuck,

they began to panic. And as they Panic, they

recognize to where they were fighting against.

They weren't fighting against Israel.

No evening, Egyptians recognize, there are fighting against the

Lord. And then Moses verse 26,

stretches out his hand and all of the waters come crashing down

on Pharaohs Army. This moment became the defining

moment in Israel's history. They would tell it to their

children. They would sing about it.

They would remember it over and over and over again.

Why? Because it was so easy for them

to forget, not simply to forget that it happened but to forget

that God is who he says he is and just as he fought for them

at the Red Sea. He would fight for them again

and again, and again, and again. So the people of Israel

remembered what happened at the Red Sea and in so many ways, it

was their baptism. What do I mean by that?

What do I mean by saying that this was their baptism.

Well, for us as Christians, we believe that baptism is a mark.

A moment where we remember that God is who he says he is, that

he is the faithful one that he is the savior and that he will

stop at nothing to save his people.

And just, as much as Israel needed to remember what God did

for them, at the Red Sea, we need to remember our baptisms to

remember that God is who he says he is.

Because we're so prone to forget.

Martin Luther put it this way. It sounds subtle but I want you

to hear how powerful this really is.

Martin, Luther used to say not. I was baptized.

But Luther everyday would say, I am baptized, do you see the

difference? You see Luther recognized that

he needed to remember who he is. So easy to forget.

And so each and every day as he faced Temptation and sin and

fear and doubt, he would remind himself in some would say he

even wrote it on his desk. I am baptized and other words,

God is who he says he is. And I am who he says I am.

That's why the Apostle Paul put it this way in First Corinthians

1 Corinthians 10 · chapter mention

chapter 10 for. I do not want you to be unaware

brothers, that our fathers were all baptized into Moses and in

the cloud and in the sea and all ate the same spiritual food, and

drink the same spiritual drink for, they drank from the

spiritual rock, that followed them, and The Rock was Christ.

When we are afraid. We no longer see God for who, he

really is NE things of this world become so big to us.

And we forget the story of the Red Sea reminds us.

That not only is our God Sovereign but he is also good.

I want you to hear what happened to Israel.

Next, Exodus 14 verse 30, Thus the Lord saved Israel that day

Exodus 14:30

from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians

dead on the seashore. Israel saw the great power that

the Lord used against the Egyptians They saw they saw God

for who he really is. They saw what he could do.

They saw that. He was the one who saved them

and notice what happens next. It says they saw the great power

that the Lord used against the Egyptians.

So the people feared the Lord They were no longer afraid of

pharaoh. Now, they were afraid of God.

And you say, well why do I want to be afraid of God?

Because when we see God for who he really is, just how big and

Sovereign and mighty, we no longer fear the things of this

world, but we fear him instead. We know that perfect love cast

out fear. I think c.s.

Lewis is, right? It's so easy for us to try to

cast out, fear with lesser things.

The only thing that can cast out fear, as fear of our Sovereign,

God, our Sovereign God, who loved us so much that he sent

his only son to die on the cross for our salvation.

The Red Sea. Invites us to see the salvation

of the Lord, because it is so easy, and this cultural moment

to lose our sight. and to forget that he fought for us, then He

is fighting for us now. And he will fight for us until

he comes again. The same God, who parted the Red

Sea? Is the same God who sent Jesus

to die to rise again for you it's the same God that the

Apostle Paul says now dwells in Us by the power of the Holy

Spirit and the same God, who one day will send his son to fight

for us once and for all To conquer our every fear and make

all things new. Let's pray.

Father in heaven. Help Us to see the Salvation

that you have given for us. Help us to not lose sight of Who

You Are. and so we pray that you would help us this morning, to

be honest with our fears, To be honest, with the things that we

turn to try to calm our fears and instead, would you give us a

holy fear for you Lord? God.

And then fearing, you help us to worship you to be an awe of you

in to see the Salvation that you've given us by grace.

Help us to see that you are fighting our every battle and

that you will fight for us until you come again.

We ask this in Jesus name. Amen.

Let's stand. Let's sing together.