6th March 2023

6th March 2023


Pray (ACts)


Read - Exodus 13:17-14:21, Hebrews 11:29


Message Alan Burke 


God by His grace had redeemed His people form Egypt, He had brought them out with signs and wonders, the people saw, they had witnessed the mighty deeds of God. Now they were in a bit of a pickle to say the least, from a human perspective that is. Behind them they had the might of a world superpower with all the technology available to them at the time, before them they had a bit of water, ok it was a big bit of water that there was no chance of being able to paddle across but the apostle tells us something wonderful, how ‘29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned’ (11:29). 


To help us to think about that lets turn to the book of Exodus that we turn. It makes the contrast between the faith of the Israelites who were God’s people, who had been redeemed from their slavery in Egypt and the Egyptians themselves who had no regard for God. In the midst of this God was using what was unfolding for His purposes. What we learn in Exodus 13 is that God purposely led them on this route towards the sea, God had put them in the predicament that they found themselves, this was God’s doing. If you don’t believe me look what Exodus 13:17-18, God was leading them to have the Egyptian army on their tail and the sea before them, the Lord had let his people be cornered. 


Of course we know what is going on, how the Lord God was once more at work in the midst of it all, it wasn’t that God had redeemed his people and then left them to work the rest of it out he had taken them this road for a purposes and He was with them in the midst of it all. Yet it ended up with the Israelites, led by God hemmed in, trapped, surrounded on all sides but this was no accident, it was by God’s will that they faced this. The Lord God was using this to gain glory of Himself through Pharaoh and his army, so that the Egyptians would know that he indeed is Lord and the Israelites too (14:4). God was putting his people in a situation that they would know his power and that the nation’s around would also know that He is God. 


You know something, and I know that it can be difficult for us to swallow, difficult for us to accept, but here in this passage as we think of the faith of the people, in the midst of it we are reminded of something. It challenges what I’ve heard some people say and what I’ve been told myself in difficult times in the past. It is this, “God Won’t Put On You More Than You Can Bear”. Although it sounds lovely, it is comforting, it is wrong, the idea that “God Won’t Put On You More Than You Can Bear”. The idea that God will some way protect you from the really hard stuff out there. I think the origins of this sentiment come from 1 Corinthians 10:13, but the focus there is on temptation, how “God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.” 


The Lord our God does not promise a ticket out of trials, our sufferings, here in Exodus God allowed his people to be placed in this situation, it was no accident. God had brought it about that His people the Israelites that they were hemmed in, trapped, surrounded on all sides for His purposes and His Glory. God uses even our suffering in this present time for His Glory and Paul tells us that they our sufferings in this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which will be revealed towards us” (Rom 8:18). We might find that hard to get our heads round but ultimately God is at work and working things out for His purposes, for the good of those who love him. God knows exactly what He is doing. In the midst of you life falling apart, or if that what it fells like, while I do not know the reason, I do though know that God is at work. Brother, Sister, what ever you face God is there with you in the midst of it know that, don’t doubt it, trust in Him, look to that city whose foundations and builder is God (Heb 11:10). 


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q93 Which are the sacraments of the New Testament?
The sacraments of the New Testament are, Baptism, (Matt. 28:19) and the Lord’ s supper. (Matt. 26:26–28)
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