Seizing the Moments

Moments of Trust

Exodus 14:10-15

 

Opening Words: We believe in an omnipresent God. In other words, we believe God is universal. He has the ability to be in all places, all the time. He is not limited to the sanctuary of this church, He is everywhere. Just think about it for one moment! There has never been a time when you were orphaned by God, He has always been with you. That divine truth is part of the Good News. I am nearing the end of a seven part sermon series that celebrates God’s omnipresence. I have called this sermon series Seizing the Moments. May God give you ears to hear this morning’s reading from the Old Testament, Exodus 14:10-15. I have called this morning’s message Moments of Trust.

 

Exodus 14:10-15 10 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. 11 They said to Moses, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Didn't we say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!" 13 Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." 15 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.

 

Some years ago noted football personality Lou Holtz said, “I know God doesn’t sent me more trouble than I can handle, but sometimes I think he has overestimated my ability.” Can anyone here relate to that quote?

 

This morning’s scripture reading is the complex of one of the greatest stories in the Bible. I hope you remember the story. It is important they you remember the story so you can appreciate this morning’s scripture lesson. It all began with that well built handsome young man, Joseph. He led his people into Egypt to save the during the famine. At first they were welcomed. The Hebrews were legal aliens living in a foreign land. However, things changed over time. According to the Bible, the generations to come forgot about Joseph but his descendants prospered and increased in number. Their numbers became so great that they became a political threat to the Egyptians. For this reason they were put into slavery and become cheap labor to the Pharaoh. The good lives they had in Joseph’s time are nothing more than a memory. They pray to God for a liberator and He send them one, Moses! The great law giver is reluctant at first but in time he challenges Pharaoh to release the Hebrews. You remember the movie, The Ten Commandments. After a series of pledges the Pharaoh releases the Israelites! On that great day the Israelites collect their possessions and begin their exodus. The story seems to have a happy ending except for one thing. The Pharaoh changes his mind and sends his army out to bring them back.

 

It is at that point in the story that we find ourselves today. The Israelites have traveled to the shore of the Red Sea. They had been gone just long enough for reality to set in. The former slaves were city dwellers and they are discovering that life in the wilderness is hard. The people begin to grumble and then they make a discover that makes their situation worse. In the distance there is the sound of the Pharaoh’s chariots. They can see the dust swirling in the air. They know they are not out for some military exercise. They know the solders are coming to being them back! There are many questions in their minds but there are no answers. There is no where to turn. There are no options. The Red Sea is in front and the chariots are behind them. Suddenly, everyone begins to feel like Lou Holtz. They knew that God will never give them more than they could handle but they are afraid God has overestimated their ability.

 

Have you ever felt like Lou Holtz? You know that God would never give you more than you can handle but you are afraid that God has overestimated your ability? One of the great privileges I have in the ministry is praying with you. I am not just talking about corporate prayer. I am talking about private prayer. Our private prayers are filled with those Red Sea places. In public prayer we have the license to mention medical issues. In private prayer you share with me the things that are closest to your heart. Some of the things mention in private prayer are humbling. We pray about our broken relations, the family member we haven’t spoken to you in years. We pray about our financial needs, how many people have signed their name too many times. We pray about our disappointments, our fears and our failures. We pray about our Red Sea places where there are no options. So we pray to God for help because our problem is bigger than our resources. Where are the Red Sea places in your life? At what point are you willing to trust God? It is in those Red Sea moments of your life that discover the most about your relationship God.

 

James W. Moore says there are four different categories we find ourselves during those Red Sea moments in your life. I would challenges you today to categorize yourself. When you find yourself at the Red Sea do you want to go back? When you find yourself at that Red Sea moments in your life do you want to just run away? Do you want to blame someone else? As you pastor let me say this. I hope there is someone here today who is just like Moses, simply moving forward trusting God. So if you are ready for some self categories say, “Amen!

 

Let’s Go Back Where We Were

When you find yourself at the Red Sea places of your life do you want to retreat and say, “Let’s go back where we were, when life gets hard? One of the most basic tendencies of life is to go back when life is hard. Look at the text with me. The same people who grumbled to God in slavery, say in verse 12 let us go back and serve the Egyptians. Verse 12 says, “Didn't we say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!" Ask anyone over the age of twelve and they will tell you life was better back then.

How many churches today find themselves at Red Sea point in their life? It is true of both the Protestant and Roman Catholic traditions. Traditional mainline Protestant churches are dieing at a shocking rate, especially here in the Mahoning Valley, with our declining population base. How many once proud tall steeple church are being humbled today by utilities bills? One of the first noted church growth minds in America was a man by the name of Lyle Schaller. He says, “The most powerful influence on church decision making is the past!” Ninety per cent of the time we do just what we did last year. Even if it doesn’t work! Just try to do something new with new people and you will discover he is right! Just try to do something old in a new way and you will find he is right!

 

I hope that isn’t how you face your problems in your life. How many people do you know retreat from the challenge and retreat to what is comfortable? If the Israelites would have retreated to the past then they never would have entered the Promised Land. There is a Promised Land waiting for you in your future. I hope you don’t miss it because you are so busy visiting the past! And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

 

Let’s Runaway and Hide

When you find your life at the Red Sea places do you just want to runaway and hide? Do you know anyone who runs away and hides when life gets challenging? You must know someone. People have been running away and hiding from the being of time. Do you remember the story of Adam and Eve? They were the first people in the world. You remember the story. That ate the apple and broken their one and only rule. When God came to confront them do you remember what they did? They tried to run away. Genesis 3:8 says, “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day and hid…” People have been trying to run from and hide from life’s challenges from the very beginning of time.

 

I love the story of the young Union soldier during the battle of Shiloh during the Civil War. He was a private from Ohio, who was wounded in battle. It was a shoulder wound. When his captain saw his wound he ordered him to surrender his rifle and retreat from the battle. The private surrendered his rifle and ran about 300 to the south away from the battle. When he saw another battle line he turned to the east. He ran about 300 years and discovered another battle line. At that point he ran to the west and discover another battle line. He concluded they were surrounded by the Confederate army and returned to his captain. He asked that his rifle be returned. He said, “There ain’t no rear in this battle!” That is the story of life. You know it is true! Life is hard and there ain’t no rear in this battle! You can try to run away and hide but you can’t get away! Only a fool think they can hide from the harshness of life. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

 

Let’s Find Someone to Blame

When you are at the Red Sea places of your life do you blame someone else? In the Bible lesson for today the people are in a hard spot. The Pharaoh’s army is coming and it isn’t going to be pretty. What does the text say? The text says the Israelites turned on their leader. Moses! Verses eleven and twelve say, “They said to Moses, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn't we say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!" The great law giver was great when life was good but now life is bad. How easy it is no blame someone else when life is hard. How difficult it is accept responsibility. Do you know anyone who is never responsible for their own shortcomings?

 

Years ago I had a church custodian by the name of Bob. I don’t have any memories of how did his job but I do remember he was an alcoholic. I went out on a limb to hire him. I wanted to tell him that the church believed him. One day I was looking for Bob. I found him in the church’s boiler room. He was drinking a tall boy, a 24 oz. can of Budweiser. There were two empty ones on the floor. When he saw me and exploded. He was drinking but it wasn’t his fault. It was his wife Marie’s fault. She was a nag. It was his step-daughter April’s fault. She played her radio too loud. It was his mother’s fault. She was a drinker also. It was the Trustees’ fault because they expect too much from him. In time it was my fault because I didn’t keep regular office hours and I was always sneaking around the church. He began to yell at me using ugly language when he suddenly stopped and said to me, “Russ, why don’t you say something?” I said, “Bob, I am waiting for you to say that it is your fault. I am going to have to let you go but I am going to get you some help.” Bob got involved in AA and has been sober for years. AA made his accountable for his own actions. They made him responsible. It wasn’t his wife’s fault, it was his step-daughter’s fault. It wasn’t my fault or the Trustees. It was Bob’s fault. Do you have anyone in your life who needs to be responsible for their shortcomings?

 

The Israelites were standing on the shore of the Red Sea. The chariots were coming and it didn’t looked good. They tried to blame Moses but the truth is they didn’t have to come. They could have stayed in Egypt. They didn’t have to come but they choose to leave with Moses so they were responsible.

 

Let’s Move Forward … Trusting God

I hope there is someone here today who when they find themselves in the Red Sea places of their lives are just like Moses. He trusted God and move forward? The star of our scripture reading for this morning is Moses. He was in a difficult situation. The Red Sea was in front of him and the Pharaoh’s army was behind him. He didn’t have all the answers but he did do two things. Both show his trust in God. What were the two things that Moses did? They are the same two things you can do the next time you find ourselves at the Red Sea places of our life. First, Moses did the best he could. Your best is the best you can do. No one can blame you for doing your best. Second, Moses stayed in communication with God. How much more time do you spend praying when life is hard? If you can do those two things then you will survive.

 

I am nearing the end of this sermon series. I have one week to go. We have been celebrating the omnipresence of God. Just think about it for a moment. There has never been a time in your life when God was not with you. You may have forgotten that divine truth from time to time but you know He is there when you feel like you are out of options. So I end this message not with a story or a quote. I end this message this morning with a prayer. It is a prayer that has been connected to this passage for generation. It is a prayer you need to remember the next time you find yourself in a difficult situation. It goes like this:

 

Dear God: we thank you for being with us during our times of hardship. When Moses and the children of Israel were caught at the Red Sea, you didn’t lead them over it, you didn’t lead them around it, you didn’t lead them under it. You lead them through it. And now, in the same way, when we are in trouble didn’t lead us over it, you didn’t lead us around it, you didn’t lead us under it. You lead us right through it and we are thankful. We thankful you are a God of Deliverance.

 

And all of God’s people said, “Amen!” We worship an omnipresent God! We are never alone. May God bless each one of you the next time you find your at the Red Sea!