OUR RED SEA EXPERIENCE

Have you ever found yourself at the Red Sea?  I always had the view that I never wanted to find myself at that place as in my mind it was in too tough a place. I had moved on in my walk beyond the Red Sea and had avoided it.  For some reason I never wanted to find myself in that place.

Several weeks ago the Lord told me “I was in a perfect storm and He had allowed things to come to that place”.  This week (two days ago) He told me “I was at the Red Sea”.

He then said to me ”when you are at the Red sea there is nothing more you can do but put your arms out to me and pray for my opening of the sea.”

This was not a matter of sin but a matter of being brought to a place where I could do nothing about it.  For a while this idea scared me but then I am now finding a real peace in it.

Because as he was sharing these words with me He had also shared with me words about the future and the things that were going to be.  If I am to believe His words then I have to know He is going to part the sea.

This is something he has to do as I am in the place I can’t do anything more.  I have stepped out in faith and done all I can.  This is what He asked me to do and I obeyed.

Exodus 14:14

“The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”

15 And the LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.

16 “But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.

The Lord will fight for me and I will hold my peace.

This is like a test and he has been sharing many verses about the test.  Will you stand in the test when the enemies are all around you and the Red Sea is in front of you?

 

AT THE RED SEA WE ARE BEING TESTED

Psalm 106:7-12

“Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders; They did not remember the multitude of Your mercies, But rebelled by the sea—the Red Sea. Nevertheless He saved them for His name’s sake, That He might make His mighty power known. He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it dried up; So He led them through the depths, as through the wilderness. He saved them from the hand of him who hated them, And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. The waters covered their enemies; There was not one of them left. Then they believed His words; They sang His praise.”

When you are at the Red sea will you trust in the Lord or rebel?  He is asking us to stand in Him and let Him do the work.  My mind goes to ways that I could do the work while I stand in front of the Red sea But no I must wait on the Lord to do the work now.

Abraham and Isaac

Abraham already knew God personally as He had provided Isaac the son of promise miraculously but then God tested him at a much higher level asking him to sacrifice Isaac. That’s a serous test offering up what God had already given him.

“Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.””            Genesis 22:1-2 NKJV

To stand at the Red Sea and wait on Him in peace is a great test.

Exodus 15:25

So he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them,

Exodus 16:4

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not.

He has them in the wilderness and He is testing them. Will they be obedient?

2 Corinthians 13:5  

Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.

Even we are to test ourselves in these times

Psalm 105:17

He sent a man before them—Joseph—who was sold as a slave.

18 They hurt his feet with fetters, He was laid in irons.

19 Until the time that his word came to pass, The word of the LORD tested him.

He uses the word to test us. Do we believe that His words over us will be performed

 

AT THE RED SEA WE ARE STANDING IN FAITH

Ephesians 6:13

Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

We all know this verse but if you find yourself in this place will you stand and find the peace of knowing that God will do it, He will perform His word we can rest in Him.

 Psalm 78:32

In spite of this they still sinned, And did not believe in His wondrous works.

33 Therefore their days He consumed in futility, And their years in fear.

34 When He slew them, then they sought Him; And they returned and sought earnestly for God.

35 Then they remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High God their Redeemer.

I feel if we don’t stand then we will waste our years in futility.  This is the moment.

Matthew 14:19

19 Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.

 

If we think of all the miracles that Jesus did why does it seem hard to think that he can’t part the Red Sea? In this miracle He does this creating of food out of nothing so there is no doubt He can part the Red Sea.

But is this one of those verses we understand but when we really hit the Red Sea is it in our heart that God does miracles?

One of my memory verses is Deuteronomy 7:17

“If you should say in your heart, These nations are greater than I; how can I dispossess them?”

At the Red sea we really understand how strong our faith is.  There can be no doubt as this is the double minded man.

 

WHAT SORT OF MAN WAS MOSES WHEN HE STOOD AT THE RED SEA?

First of all he was a man like you and me. I would argue He was a man than had been tested and come through the tests. He was a man of faith. He heard God’s voice and obeyed. He had just witnessed some of God’s amazing signs and wonders in Egypt and knew the power of God.

When he stood at the Red Sea was there any doubt and concern or was he walking so strong in His faith that he knew God was going to do something about that sea.

Moses was standing there and His enemies were being held back at night by the fire and his enemies could not get to Him.

Moses was all of these things when He stood in front of the Red Sea.

The Lord has being highlighting something additional to me over the last few weeks which I believe is tied into this Red Sea experience.  He has been highlighting to me the need to be blameless.

An example of this He gave me is found in

Psalm 18:20

The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me.

21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, And have not wickedly departed from my God.

22 For all His judgments were before me, And I did not put away His statutes from me.

23 I was also blameless before Him, And I kept myself from my iniquity.

24 Therefore the LORD has recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.

25 With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless;

26 With the pure You will show Yourself pure; And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.

27 For You will save the humble people, But will bring down haughty looks.

28 For You will light my lamp; The LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.

29 For by You I can run against a troop, By my God I can leap over a wall.

30 As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

Now I believe when Moses was standing in front of the Red Sea he was in a blameless position.

Why was this important?

It was important as it meant that the enemy had nothing to bring against Moses in the courts when it came to God doing what he wanted to do for Moses and the people. God could hold back the enemies of Israel and He could perform the miracle and the enemy could bring nothing legal against it. Because Moses was carrying out a big task the enemy was right there in the face and he is a good lawyer in the courts.

 

The Lord has shown me at this time as I am in front of the Red Sea that I need to be blameless.  I have repented and are cleansed by the blood of Jesus.  But being blameless is also about having been transformed and having been sanctified and now moving as one with the Lord.

This is what He is asking me to look at and ensure that I am in this place and in this place is peace because He will hold back the enemy and He will perform the miracle.

And what happened next

Exodus 17:1

Then all the congregation of the children set out on their journey from the Wilderness of Sin, according to the commandment of the LORD,…

Having walked through the Red sea they set out from the wilderness of sin

 

Lord Let me set out from the wilderness of sin, Let me blameless.