Will You Cross The Sea
Introduction
Robert Dale in his book "Keeping the Dream Alive" tells of the Barbecue Presbyterian Church in North Carolina, founded in 1758. To show its heritage, he points out that until the Civil War, the pastors preached two sermons each Sunday, one in English, and one in Gaelic.
He reports some interesting sights in the graveyard. The oldest legible marker in the cemetery reads, "Here lies Margaret Campbell, wife of Dan, who died October 1782." The storytellers vow that on her deathbed, Margaret called Dan to her side and requested, "Dan, I want you to make a promise to me, no matter how much it may cost you to keep it. When I die, I want you to send me back to Scotland for burial there. I could never rest in peace in this strange place." Dan found these words difficult to take in. Finally, he replied, "Well, Maggie, I'll tell you what: we will just bury you here to begin with, and then if you do not rest in peace, we'll ship you back to Scotland and try you there."
Flora Clark's gravestone, dated 1860, records: Behold my friends as you pass by
As you are now so once was I As I am now so you must be Prepare for death and follow me.
Some say that a board added to Flora Clark's inscription reads: To follow you I'm not content Until I know just where you went.
We are not a faithful people. We must confess that we are "sight" walkers. We have been taught to doubt, analyze, and scrutinize. Trust is a rare commodity, isn't it? Do you trust anyone implicitly?
Turn with me to Exodus 14:13-15. Here we find a lesson on trust, faith. This passage can teach us a great deal.
For 430 years God's people had been in bondage in Egypt. After the death of the firstborn throughout Egypt, God's people were thrust out. It is estimated that between 1,500,000to 2,000,000 people marched out of Egypt. The day had come. God's people had been set free.
When the Hebrews saw that the Egyptians marched after them, however, they greatly feared. It was then that we see these words in Exodus 14:13-15.
The crossing of the sea by the Hebrews should teach us many truths about faith.
I. True Faith Requires A Definitive Recognition Of The Ultimate Source...The Lord God
Faith properly understood, seeks the proper focal point of trust. This was a lesson Israel had to learn. When Moses and the Hebrews arrived at the shores of the Sea, all that the people could see were Egyptians.
Fear was great and Moses prayed about the problem. The answer came quickly. He was to lift up his rod and stretch his hand over the Sea and Israel was to go forward on dry ground through the middle of the Sea.
The very same thing happened to the Hebrews later in their history when they approached the Jordan in Joshua 3. God had the power to save their lives.
There are many who relegate these miracles to a coincidental strong wind or to a fanciful Hebrew imagination, but the Bible says this was the power of God.
Surely God is the only true source of our faith and the center of our faith . . . or is He? All too often our trust is centered elsewhere. Yes, there are millions whose trust . . . faith is improperly focused. For example, did you know that there are now more Muslims than Methodists in the U.S.? (Christianity Today, Mary 14, 1990, p. 16).
Since there are probably few Muslims here today, let's ask ourselves, "Where is the center of our faith and trust?" Is it in programs, institutions, other people, or mostly deadly in ourselves? Until you come to recognize in daily living the ultimate focal point of trust, the Lord God, your life will be a series of ups and downs, a series of disappointing, frustrating events.
Listen to C. H. Spurgeon, "If all my senses were to contradict God, I would deny every one of them and sooner believe myself to be out of my right mind than believe that God could lie."
II. True Faith Requires a Releasing of Self and Acceptance of God's Strength
Faith properly initiated, trusts beyond our own strength.
The Hebrews were instructed to "not be afraid." The form in which the phrase fear not was written stressed the element of exhortation or urgency on the part of Moses. The verbal form is not an imperative, but it does make a very strong appeal. "Fear not" is a frequent biblical appeal (Genesis 26:24; 50:19; Numbers 14:9; Deuteronomy 1:21; Isaiah 40:9; 41:10).
Stand firm translates a Hebrew verb, which means to set or station oneself, to take one's stand. It is used of taking one's position, to take one's stand to fight, and also of standing quiet and passive to see the deliverance of the Lord (cf. I Samuel 12:7, 16; II Chronicle 20:17).
The call to see the salvation is an imperative form of a verb meaning to see or behold with the eye. "Salvation" in the Old Testament is most often associated with deliverance from an enemy, illness, death, or other calamity. It should be noted, however, that such physical deliverance was never abstracted from spiritual overtones, for it was the Lord who delivered.
The picture of the Lord fighting the battles of his people is a common Old Testament motif (cf. Psalm 35:1; Nehemiah 4:20; Isaiah 30:32). Such expressions convey the legitimate conviction that the Lord delivers his people.
The Lord's deliverance demanded trust, which expressed itself in quietude. The word translated be still (charash) basically means to be silent, dumb, or speechless. In the particular verbal form in which it appears in this verse, it means to be silent (cf. Judges 18:19; Genesis 24:21; 34:5; II Samuel 13:20). The vast majority of usages means to be quiet.
When we are surrounded with difficulties and do not know what to do, we should fear not and stand still and see the work of God. The restlessness of the human heart often causes us to rush ahead without God, to act without Him. We cannot dry up the seas of life. We cannot defeat the armies who plague us. The secret of faith is to be calm and fear not for God will act.
Isaiah said, "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and faint not" (Isaiah 40:31).
When surrounded by a world of those who would destroy us from without and within, we as individuals and as churches must be calm and fear not. He has done so much for us. Instead of counting our blessings, we usually dwell on our losses. Let us just look to see what God has done.
Faith, properly initiated, is trusting beyond our strength.
III. True Faith Requires Willingness To Act Before Sight Can Confirm Out Steps
In other words, faith properly implemented involves a willingness to act. True faith goes beyond understanding.
A humorous story illustrates our need for this kind of trust. A man was walking along a narrow path, not paying much attention to where he was going. Suddenly he slipped over the edge of a cliff. As he fell, he grabbed a branch growing from the side of the cliff. Realizing that he couldn't hang on for long, he called for help.
Man: Is anybody up there? Voice: Yes, I'm here!
Man: Who's that? Voice: The Lord. Man: Lord, help me!
Voice: Do you trust me?
Man: I trust you completely, Lord. Voice: Good. Let go of the branch. Man: What???
Voice: I said, "Let go of the branch."
Man: [After a long pause] Is anybody else up there?"
Faith's success is found in going forward, in doing something. Israel had done all they could do. There was no way that they could win over the Egyptian army. The Egyptians were trained, equipped warriors. The Hebrews didn't have a leg to stand on.
But they had God. It was God's hour to act. They had obeyed God's command to go forward. God won the victory. The battle was the Lord's and still is today.
When we remember that, God will fight for us. We may not understand how, but He does. If we will go forward in His guidance, He will make the way clear.
The Hebrews won the victory. Will we? Do we have faith, true faith?
True faith, properly understood, finds its focal point in the Lord and in Him alone.
True faith, properly initiated, trusts the strength of God rather than our own. True faith, properly implemented, moves out in trust.
Spurgeon was right when he said, "Many a believer lives in a cottage of doubt when he might live in a mansion of faith."