The Lord Opens the Sea: Three Truths

Introduction

Israel has just come out of Egypt. Centuries of slavery have finally come to an end. And yet Pharaoh changes his mind, sends his army, and the people find themselves trapped between the enemy's chariots and the sea. You may know this moment too. You thought deliverance would open a smooth path, and instead everything seems to be closing in on you. This message, preached during a joint service between the Yokohama church and the Numazu church gathered around the All Zion camp, draws on Exodus 14 to remind you of three simple truths: the Lord is alive, today, in your situation. He works through you. And when he saves you, he plants in your heart a humble confidence, a healthy pride, which is not to be confused with arrogance.

Sermon Outline

1. The Lord is alive today

• The account in Exodus 14 isn't ancient history: the same God who hardened Pharaoh's heart to display his glory is still at work.
• When you become a Christian, difficulties don't stop; sometimes they intensify. That's normal, it isn't a sign that God has abandoned you.
• You don't need to put on a front before God. Like Israel crying out to the Lord in Exodus 14:10, you can pour out your complaint, your fear, your "why" before him, that's exactly what the cross is for.
• The Lord turns the minuses into pluses: pain, grief, and sickness become, in his hands, places where his grace is displayed.

2. Salvation is lived out by taking part in the Lord's work

• In Exodus 14:21, it wasn't Moses who parted the sea: it was the Lord, through a strong east wind, all night long. Moses simply stretched out his hand.
• God entrusts each of us with something sized to us, like a parent hands a child a plate to carry, not a knife.
• Serving, witnessing, singing, praying, coming to worship: these are small gestures on the surface, but it's through them that God's glory is revealed through you.
• Salvation isn't bought through performance: John 3:16 reminds us that God gave his Son out of pure love, and all you need to do is open the door of your heart.

3. The Lord gives a humble confidence and a healthy pride

• Exodus 14:31: "Israel saw the great power that the Lord had used against the Egyptians. And the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord."
• Seeing God act doesn't make you proud, as long as you don't forget the cross. If your heart is still full of jealousy and contempt, even the blessing itself can feed vanity.
• The cross reminds you that you've earned nothing. That's what produces a genuine humility, free of any inferiority complex, and a peaceful assurance: "Jesus is mine, I am his, whatever anyone says about me."
• It's this assurance that God adds grace upon grace to those who walk with him, like the mother of the sister who brought a rose to the service: a legacy of faith passed down from one generation to the next.

Key Takeaways

• Battles still come after deliverance. That isn't a wrong turn in the journey, it's simply the next part of the road.
• You have the right to cry out your distress to the Lord without dressing it up to please him. He listens for as long as it takes.
• What God accomplishes through you doesn't need to be spectacular; he only asks for what you can carry, nothing more.
• Salvation always comes from God's side, never from your own efforts, but he invites you to stretch out your hand as Moses did.
• Healthy pride is born at the cross. Without the cross, even blessing itself can bring you down.

Personal Application

1. What "Red Sea" is in front of you right now, a situation where the way out seems impossible?
2. Have you ever dared to tell God, without filtering it, what you truly feel? What's holding you back?
3. What small thing is God asking you to carry this week, in your family, your work, or your church?
4. Are you seeking your salvation in your own efforts, or in what Christ has already accomplished at the cross?
5. When you're living through a blessing, does it draw you closer to the cross, or does it quietly feed your pride?

Verses Cited

• Exodus 14:8
• Exodus 14:10-12
• Exodus 14:15-16
• Exodus 14:21
• Exodus 14:31
• John 3:16
• John 9 (the man born blind)

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do difficulties continue after I become a Christian?

Because leaving Egypt isn't the end of the road, it's the beginning. Israel is set free and, just a few verses later, Pharaoh sends his army after them again. Becoming a Christian doesn't make trials disappear; it changes who walks through them with you. The living Lord uses these Red Seas to reveal his glory in your life.

Can I really complain to God?

Yes. The people of Israel turn on Moses in Exodus 14:11-12 with raw, undisguised bitterness, and God doesn't reject them, he opens the sea. You don't need to word your suffering nicely for him to hear it. The cross was planted specifically to receive your cries.

How do I keep a humble confidence without falling into pride?

By returning again and again to the cross. Every time God blesses you, remember that the price was paid by someone else. That memory produces both a humility that doesn't bend to the opinions of others, and an assurance that doesn't depend on their applause.