Finding Rest in the Tumult

Will turned the book of Exodus chapter 14 where to look at two verses. Verses 13 and 14 hear God's word 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 only and you and you have only to be silent.

Let's pray heavenly father as we open your word tonight I come to you to confess that Lord that the sin and the struggle that the Israelites fought with in this passage I fight with.

I believe many in this church fight with the Lord as we come into your word.

I pray that the Holy Spirit convicts us.

I pray that the Holy Spirit moves us to an understanding of who you truly are Lord God, let it not be my words this evening. Let it be your word in your local word alone and we pray that the Holy Spirit moves in Lord God just builds this body and brings glory to your name and it's in Christ we pray.

Amen. You can be seated.

I believe I serve a sovereign God and this morning and and many times I need reminded of that in this morning when I walked into the sanctuary and I looked at the worship folder and some of the readings in the singing Jim's prayer this morning. It was like all this is going to tie in grade with what I have planned to say and Doug got up and shared his passages of Scripture, and he started to preach in his first two points covered what I was going to cover like that's not good I guess.

But then the more I thought about it and I I spoke with Eugene and Doug both God is amazing and how he works. And there are certain things that God wants his people here at certain times. This time it must be that we need to hear this message that we are to fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of our Lord. So with that said, if there is some repetition from this morning. Let's consider teaching from God that we need to hear that, but as we dive into this text. Hopefully we're going to see a much much more rich.

Love that God has for us and where we truly can find rest. I titled the message finding rest in Tomball.

Why would you use such a weird title when we look at that the text where this is taken from Moses is addressing the Israelites in a very tumultuous situation that they find themselves in work in a reference back in the message where we find in Exodus 14 where this passage comes from. They are right now facing the Red Sea and they are looking back and seeing the Egyptian army coming towards them.

They have no idea how they are going to be rescued and what were going to see in the text is as they get caught up in the Tomball they don't believe they are going to be rescued by the question they ask in the murmuring they make when I started to pray about what I should preach on it became very evident for many in the church we find ourselves in a very similar tumultuous situation and so there are parallels and one of the that the times when you read a text and you know that text isn't just for the original audience though. Will touch on why it's written to them, but it's written distinctly and specifically for us as we encounter tumultuous situations. Webster defines a tumult as this. It's a disorderly agitation or milling about of a crowd with uproar and confusion of voices so I can picture is your standing at the Red Sea a million people.

Looking back over your shoulder and your seeing the Pharaoh's army coming at you that this would be probably a very definite confusing murmuring troubled crowd of people milling about. There is a second deck definition and that is of violent agitation of the mind or feelings a tumult is a violent agitation of the mind or feelings and I started to think as I turn on my TV news in the morning as I talk with people at work. As we encounter all the things were encountering now I have myself have had agitated feelings that I have spoken to several who have found themselves with this agitation of mind or feeling, and so one of the things that they teach you in seminary when you're supposed to write a sermon is that you find the fallen condition factor, focus of the original audience and how it ties in with what we've been going through weakened very much relate with what the Israelites are going through. As they're standing there at the Red Sea. Why does God through Moses document this event and speak these commands to this original audience.

Why doesn't Scripture just say that they came up to the see the sea parted and they pass through.

Why does God have to in his Revelation tell us that the Israelites looked back then when they looked back they became afraid and they cried out and they murmured against God, why, why is he letting the original audience know that why is he letting us know that these are questions that will help us understand how to find rest in the Tomball when we sit and look what is going on here and we see Moses his responses God's instrument to his people.

What we find is that when we read the Old Testament have are instances where we scoff at how could you be so unbelieving, or how could you struggle with this when God was your lead.

What we see is a reflection many times of ourselves dealing with the same emotion the same feeling the same uncertainty Doug this morning and is message talked about the double mindedness that this brings. But, and I agree hundred percent. But what I want to know is why do we have the double mindedness and I think this passage clearly shows what brings that double mindedness to us church. I would like to make the proposition that are double mindedness, even as believers, the Doug spoke about, which can occur occurs for one simple reason. And that is our unbelief that God can do what God says he will do. I believe Satan uses it as a weapon against us. RC Sproul says that is the very first temptation put before man when Satan tempted Eve. He came up and said, does God's word wrote did God really say can you trust what God said and I think for many of us, we allow the noise and the pollution of the world to creep into our thoughts and our minds and bring about just inklings of unbelief that allow footholds for us to be overtaken in the Tomball not be able to rest tonight.

What I would hope that we will see is the God that we truly serve at the end of the message church.

I am going to declare to you, fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord. But what does that mean to us. I think there are three ways which this text using the back text from chapters 12 and 13, and then using other text from Scripture will teach us God teaching us himself how we are to trust how we are to believe why we can holdfast you know, one of the things that got robbed in the opening of the coronavirus was this ability to come together as a group and worship and I can't remember how long we streamed probably six or seven weeks, eight and I can remember walking back in and being able to join and fellowship with others and how joyous that was to my soul because I was coming together with brothers and sisters in Christ, proclaiming the sovereignty of God hearing his power and his might and is worth praying and singing and hearing his word preached. Yes, we can get that we got some of it through the streaming but there is a difference when we come together as a group and can share in our testimony, our walk how God sustains but even if we would lose that again, this text right here declares over and over how we can find rest of the Tomball. With that said, I'm gonna touch on three areas. The first one in a sound a little familiar from this morning. Rest in the Tomball comes through faith not through fear. Doug said a little different. He said it was fear that because the double mindedness and faith overcame that I say that rest comes through faith not through fear in our text Moses his first cry out to the people of God is fear not now. Does that sound silly facing right in front of them is a C that is impassable and coming behind them is an armed Army, intent on their destruction. Yes, they are a million strong. Yes, they probably have some weapons.

They have not been trained in battle. They have been slaves for 430 years.

I'm sure there stronger but they don't have the technical expertise to take on a well-trained Army. Why should they not fear my dad was a great theologian but he was a very godly man told me that sometimes fear is a good thing he always use that in the reference if I was thinking that I will could step up toe to toe with him and because my own will to come to fruition. And he'd say J a little bit of fear might be a good thing. The Scripture teaches us the exact same thing that there is a good fear, but in this text. Moses is telling the people, fear not, why would he be able to say that statement and it be able to be grasped by them reading in Exodus 12 and 13.

The people of just been delivered out of the Pharaoh's hand through through the work of the Paso.

The people were told.

Moses went to them and said the Lord is told me so that you are to prepare this meal and you are to do it with yourself ready to depart because you and when you prepare it. Take the blood of the lamb rock a rub on your door post for the Lord will move through his angel of death will move through and when he dies and he sees the blood he will pass over your home, and he will take the first born of every creature in the land of Egypt. Moses goes on to tell them when this occurs, we will hold this is a memorial for generations to come.

Continue okay.

The people responded with amen and worship. They did exactly as they were commanded and as they had been commanded they witness the exact truth occur, the Lord passes through the firstborn of all the Egyptians are taken, the firstborn of livestock, the firstborn of families, but none in the Hebrew campus touched where that blood is rubbed on the door post they have witnessed the power of God's faithfulness to his word and it is now seven days later where they were even instructed that you will hold. This is a celebration annually. A memorial to the power of your God's deliverance from the hand of the Pharaoh and yet they stand on the shore of the Red Sea and these are the words they say coming from verses 10 through 13 and Exodus 14 when Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes and behold the Egyptian captions were marching after them and they feared greatly in 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 to us in bringing us out to Egypt is not this what we said to you in Egypt. Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians for would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness, it is clear that there fear is not just what's going to happen if they catch up to us there fear is that God is not able to deliver them that there is no possible way by what my senses are telling me that we can get out of this situation and I would love to tell you that in this story that I would be the Moses character, saying, fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation but too many times I would be the one going do you see what's going on here. He drug us out here and were going to die because unfortunately as I did my study for this I realized over and over how many times those slivers of unbelief pop up in my own life, whether it's for my own work.

Whether it's for my family's sake. Whether it's God is strong enough to see me through an election of virus or whatever over and over in my mind things turn so many times because I find myself affected more by the noise outside than the truth. It's contained here, the Israelites had no faith that God would be able to overcome this strong and powerful army moving down upon them and they were trapped because there was no way out. The church today struggles in a great amount in the same way on many many topics and I'm not speaking just of Grace Church. I have Christian friends who asked me J when you look around and you see everything they pull up news articles and they read the them to me. They say with the coronavirus with all the civil unrest that we see in the United States right now when there's economic insecurity. There is a chance that we could all lose our our work. How how can't we be bothered or fearful of that occur and again in my own shame. There are times those thoughts pop through my mind, but God is given us his word that if we are his. He takes care of us. We stand here I opens by saying I believe God is sovereign and so many times.

Yes, God is sovereign, but if it goes this way, did you ever play the what if game in your head but if this happened, how would and then what would and what can I do and never does that leave me towards Christ. That leads me more towards me and my thought process and what I have figure out the fix what's going on in the Israelites were at a point where the what if game doesn't work the Israelites or the point where they have no hope except that of the Lord in church. I would tell you tonight truly, though we live in the greatest land. There is a blessing of opportunity we not have no hope, save for the Lord.

It doesn't matter the economy and its situation.

It doesn't matter. Our ability to to learner to retain knowledge or God determines the course as we walked through the Scripture. Tonight it is God's work, not ours.

It is God's moving of our leaders not our shouting down of people we disagree with. Yes, we are here and we are called to actively engage in society. Jesus has sent us out. Eugene spent seven weeks in a class. The two kingdom theology. We are citizens of heaven, but we are here on earth and God didn't say cloistered yourself and sequester.

He said go out into that world and take the light of the gospel to all. That's what were called to whether or not next week or next month or five years from now if the government says that we can't preach the gospel.

Guess what we preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.

That is what the world needs.

That is what God calls us to. And what if that leads to persecution or martyrdom, then it is for the glory of God that we stand before and say Christ is so much better.

It is not our concern. To serve man.

It is our concern to serve God, the Israelites were serving themselves as they looked and they murmured, why did you drag us out here to die. They weren't looking to serve God. They weren't looking to honor God. They were looking at how they can save themselves or at least to come to grips with the terms of their eminent demise. The Scripture gives us a completely different view of how we are to approach worldly events, coronavirus, civil unrest, loss of stability. God is revealed from his Scripture. His knowledge to us.

Listen to these words from Isaiah chapter 41 1012 through 14th. This is a later battle or a later time in Israel, and God says this fear not for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you, I will help you I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them. Those who were against you shall be as nothing at all for I the Lord your God hold your right hand. It is I who say to you, fear not, I am the one who helps you fear not you worm Jacob you men of Israel, I am the one who helps you, declares the Lord, your Redeemer is the holy one of Israel. There is no room for error and what God reveals in that text. It does not say J you go out and do the best you can and where you fail, I will step in.

It does not say church. Take your best shot at it. And as you encounter problems, I'll see if I can see you through God declares to Israel that it is him and him alone he is acting in verse 14 from Exodus, Moses tells them when they're going to witness this deliverance. This day the Lord will fight for you and what did they have to do and you have only to be silent. Yes, God uses us as instruments.

God will put us into places to work for him, but it is through him working through us that we can then be the instrument of God for his purpose.

We go on and see in John 14 verses one and two. Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God believe also in me. Who is that as Jesus. Jesus is leading the church. No church.

If you believe in this God, then, believe also in me disciples, believe also in me. He goes on in that same chapter that to inform his disciples that he is going to gift them with the Holy Spirit, the helper who will come after him and what will he do the Holy Spirit will lead them into all truth and remembrance of what Christ taught. When we start and the realized third start and see from tech Scripture how God has revealed himself.

We are to live by faith, not because our minds can rationally grasp how God can accomplish this but because he is the creator God of the universe.

He is the warrior God of the Old Testament. He is the God who provides and he is the God who came and hung on the cross for your sake in my sake and made us right before him, that's the truth. Scripture reveals not that you and I can do a single thing. Not that you and I can impact the world. We can impact the world only as the Holy Spirit leads us to impacted for Christ Jesus. Hebrews 11 one says this now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. I had a conversation with one of my friends who what is Christian and I drew truly believe that he is saved, but there is a a considerable thought process on his part that faith is part belief but also hope and I don't mean hope like we know what hope and the wish he attends a church that looks for extra biblical revelation, one that's looking for. For what has God left out of this canon and folks I'm here to tell you that if you struggle with that thought it all.

There is nothing left out from the Bible that we have. We declare that the Bible is God inspired, infallible in errant word. Why do we declare that because God tells us that himself. All Scripture is God breathed and it is valuable, for reproof, for correction, for teaching all of and it is given for you and I that we can rest in faith that the God who has created as Doug said this morning X night Hilo. Can you think of nothing and then realized that in nothing, with no material at all. God spoke and it was.

That is an incredible feat when we came to the table this morning. What did we celebrate, we celebrated the life the death and the what the resurrection. I've used it before.

I've told it in Sunday school. I told it I think when I preached I've worked in the medical field for 32 years now and I've never seen anyone resurrected from the dead. Dead is dead but the power of God brought Christ back from the dead, and that shows that he truly is the one who could pay our sin debt. Those are the things that we get to rest on. Those are the things that we get the set firmly upon Moses tells the Israelites with this army descending fear not church as we hear the hoop law as we hear so-and-so can do this for me so and so can save this they are men.

They are sinful and they will fail outside the hand of God church. The only thing that we have is Christ and the father and the Holy Spirit. That is where we are to find rest. If our person isn't the person then our prayer is that God moves his heart as we see he moved Pharaoh's heart in the Old Testament as we see that he moved pilot as we see that he accomplishes all his things, God himself said I my purposes will not be thwarted. Are we truly resting in faith upon the word God has revealed the next thing the Moses tells them is to stand firm, and I'm going to go down a little rabbit troll here weekly, but stand firm to the Israelites was sort of a when looked in the original meeting is to stand still. The stand rooted all they really have anywhere to go. If they decided turnaround run back that way they were going hit the Army and if they would try to go the other way. They were to run into the water. At that point so but that's not what Moses is exclaiming to them, he is saying standstill and what you know, because the next thing is you're going to see God delivery so standstill stand firm, and see this deliverance as I looked out up that word stand firm.

It took me to Ephesians chapter 6 and if you're you have your Bible flip over to Ephesians chapter 6 verses 10 through 20 and I just II loved how this tied together. Paul writes to the church in Ephesus, and this will sound very familiar. This is putting on the whole armor of God, but he says these words. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. So Paul is telling them it's not your strength.

It is the strength of the Lord, that you are to rely on put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm to standstill stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the black breastplate of righteousness and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace in all circumstances take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God stand firm to the Israelites that was to stand in rest in the knowledge of what God has already done from them, and that the plagues the Passover up until this point and wait until you see what is going to do now for us church stand firm is accomplished and given to us. We are to stand firm in what when it says to take up the whole armor of God, what is the whole armor of God that description very simply, is Christ Jesus himself.

We are to be rooted in Christ Jesus.

Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life put on the belt of truth, salvation is of the Lord put on the helmet of salvation.

Christ imputes his righteousness and takes our sin as we walked down through that armor. It is nothing of our own that we put on but it is all of Christ that we encircle ourselves with that we come into and we can't do it without the Holy Spirit regenerating are hard to understand who he truly is.

That is why as I prepared this message. It convicted me so harshly of how often the unbelief rises when outside noise causes me to move to that. What if what if he doesn't want what if I lost my job. What if I God's. What if I've heard testimonies even within the church members here of what God does. Even in the worst of times when I could see no way for further in the future. God did this. We had a young boy born here 10 years ago from the medical field was astounding to me because his pulmonary artery did not fully develop and it was too far away from his heart and he was going to pass away. Doug was called down and you know what happened outside the body. They prayed and that pulmonary artery grew and attached in circulation started through we do not serve a God who is unable he doesn't reveal good luck, I'll be there if I can. He reveals I am the one who will deliver. But J what happens when he doesn't when he does, and it glorifies them also.

You know, Paul writes about death and he tells the people that he's writing to. I know I have a job and I have to be with you, but I'd much would prefer to be with Christ. Though I love the work that God is called me to. At this moment. If I had my choice I would be there because it's far better church do we see death is far better do we truly believe God in his workings.

These are tough questions when you're 90 yeah death probably is far better death looks better to be at 52 right now than it probably did it.

30 but I was a believer. 30 and Paul's words were still troops. What we have to look forward to is far better than anything that a country or a job or what ever can supply here and yet we we worry and weed. What would happen if I died, who would take care of my wife and my kids. God will and I when I was nine years older 88 or nine. I remember this is as the greatest lesson. My father ever taught me. I used to go to bed.

Then, and my dad worked out of town a lot when he was home. It was just the most secure feeling I had at that age, but I then I started to think I played what if game when I was eight or nine, I thought. What if something happened in my parents died and I started to cry and bed one night and they came over and they said what was wrong and I said what would I do, what would happen to me if something happened to you guys and they didn't understand at first and I said if you would die and my dad looked at me and what you would normally think to tell an eight-year-old probably is.

Oh don't worry about that. I'm in good health and I'll be here. My dad said these words to me right now. God feels that that you need us, so he has us here, but if we were ever taken by God, he would raise someone up to take care of that was his answer was the most tremendous thing I could've ever heard my dad told me about the sovereignty of God in that answer he said he will provide what you need when you needed and it's not us, who can tell you that we can it I didn't understand it fully. Then when I look back on it now and realize my dad didn't want to lie to me and say I'll be here as long as you need me because he didn't know he told me the truth that God is the one that's in control of his family. The God will take care. Of those, if he takes him and that was one of the most tremendous things that I've ever heard. As we look and see him standing fast it ties to that faith and point one that we must live by, but we finish with Moses telling the Israelites after saying stand fast. He says, and now see the salvation of your Lord, which he will work for you today. I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to preach on the first Sunday of the month because ladies and gentlemen, if you were in the early services, the a.m. services. You saw the salvation of your Lord at the table. Doug Italia I'm a weirdo and I wish we took the Lord's table every Sunday because that is truly the place we we see in in Doug and Eugene's preaching. We see it in our readings. We see it in our our worship hymns, but at that table this morning.

You saw the salvation that God has given us. God loves you so much that he took the form of man.

He lived a perfect life under the law. He gave himself over to men who he created and he allowed them to beat him and bruise him.

He allowed them to hang them on a tree and then on the third day after dying after's shedding the blood that covers my sin to make me right after becoming my sin know that third verse of of it is well with my soul, my sin know the bliss of this glorious thought my sin not in part but the whole is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul when we see the salvation of the Lord that God has wrought for us and the love and the mercy that is attached to that, then we look at text like Paul writing in Romans where he says all things for those who love God work for the good.

What we're in right now. Where were at as a country where were at with the coronavirus where were at with civil unrest. Believe it or not is not outside of God's hand but is actually for the good for those who love him and serve him. Think about that, ponder it because if I had my choice I would wipe it all out today. But God is using it for our good.

He is using it for his glory. Are we able to rest in faith in that. Are we able to witness to a world lost who is dying without Christ through this bringing the gospel more meaning to a world who is blatantly sinning against God, and running from because that's what were called to ultimately the Israelites are saved that day by Moses holding up his staff. The waters parting they going through on dry land and then as the Egyptians pursued hard. God relents and lets the water crush them and destroy their enemy church, Jesus Christ has destroyed our enemy.

We have no reason to fear. Satan has been defeated. Sin can no longer separate us from God and God himself adopts us when the Holy Spirit changes our heart regenerates us as we have this election coming as we have continued coronavirus Avenue as we see world unrest as we see sin.

Just bearing its ugly head over and over in our culture hear the word of God. Fear not, stand firm. He is able and see the salvation of your Lord, which is accomplished through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for your word. I do ask that you forgive me father for my unbelief. So many times, Lord God, I just praise you that you have been truth that you have been true to and steadfast to your word and that Lord you will never change from that Lord help us to rest and rest in you alone. Let us find our joy. Let us find our peace, our happiness and Lord God are our fullness in you, through Christ, we thank you so much for all you do and it's in Christ name we pray. Amen