Message 2: Encountering the Power of God SUGGESTED PASSAGE: Exodus 14:1-18 your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Tell the sons of Israel on dry land. 17 As for Me, behold, I will harden the hearts of to turn back and camp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and I will be and the sea; you shall camp in front of Baal-zephon, opposite it, honored through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots by the sea. 3 For Pharaoh will say of the sons of Israel, ‘They are and his horsemen. 18 Then the Egyptians will know that I am wandering aimlessly in the land; the wilderness has shut them the Lord, when I am honored through Pharaoh, through his in.’ 4 Thus I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will chase after chariots and his horsemen.” them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.” And they did so. MESSAGE GOAL: 5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, The goal of this message on Encountering the Power of God Pharaoh and his servants had a change of heart toward the is to show that God wants to encounter you, not merely by people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have the information you may learn about Him, but by personal let Israel go from serving us?” 6 So he made his chariot ready experience in your daily Christian life. and took his people with him; 7 and he took six hundred select chariots, and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over 8 INTRODUCTION: all of them. The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he chased after the sons of Israel as the sons of Israel After church one day, a mother asked her son, “What did were going out boldly. 9 Then the Egyptians chased after them you learn about in Sunday school today?” with all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and The little boy said, “We learned about Israel crossing the his army, and they overtook them camping by the sea, beside Red Sea.” Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon. His mother asked, “What did the teacher say about Israel crossing the Red Sea?” 10 As Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel looked, and behold, The boy replied, “Well, it was like this. Israel built a bridge over the Egyptians were marching after them, and they became very the Red Sea. They got in buses and crossed over the bridge. 11 frightened; so the sons of Israel cried out to the LORD. Then Then when the Egyptians came after them, God sent some they said to Moses, “Is it because there were no graves in Egypt F-16 fighter jets and dropped bombs on them until they were that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why all destroyed.” have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt? His mother looked skeptical. “Come on, now! Your teacher 12 Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, couldn’t have explained Israel crossing the Red Sea like that,” ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would to which her son replied, “No, but if I told you how it really have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the happened, you’d never believe me!” wilderness.” Probably the most notable story and most celebrated miracle 13 But Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand by and in Israel’s history was the crossing of the Red Sea. But what I see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you want you to see today is that Israel had this incredible divine today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will encounter with God in the context of the greatest dilemma never see them again forever. 14 The LORD will fight for you while in their history—being trapped between the Red Sea and you keep silent.” Pharaoh’s army that had come to slaughter them. We’re talking about divine encounters in this brief series—how 15 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to to encounter God by experience, not merely by information. Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. 16 As for you, lift up TonyEvans.org | KAFellowship.org | ChurchAdoptaSchool.org You can go to church for years and never have an encounter, 3. WHEN YOU’RE TRAPPED IN A DILEMMA, YOU that is, a real, life-changing experience, with the living and true MUST APPEAL TO SOMEONE WHO HAS A SPIRITUAL God. Yet, God wants to have an encounter with you and me, PERSPECTIVE. both individually and collectively as His people. • Fear can lead you to blame the person who is most in SERMON POINTS: touch with God (Exodus 14:10-12). 1. WHEN YOU RUN INTO A REAL DILEMMA, GOD • The person with the right spiritual perspective on your COULD BE POSITIONING YOU FOR A LIFE-CHANGING situation may tell you, “Just be quiet, and watch God work” ENCOUNTER WITH HIM. (Exodus 14:13). • When we are fearful of circumstances that seem about to • Your dilemma may appear at first to be a no-win situation. engulf us, it’s time to quit talking and start trusting. No matter what direction you look in, you’re trapped. Your • Keeping silent and listening to the sound advice of godly back is against the wall. spiritual leaders puts you in a position of submitting to • A dilemma does not mean you are out of God’s will. He led legitimate spiritual authority, which pleases God. the Israelites the long way out of Egypt (Exodus 13:17- 18), deliberately putting them between the Red Sea and 4. FOCUS ON THE DIVINE DIRECTIONS, NOT THE Pharaoh’s army. HUMAN SITUATION. • When God leads you in what seems to be the long way in His will, His presence is going before you (Exodus 13:21). • When there is nothing you can do or should do in your • The Bible says the story of Israel’s deliverance at the dilemma, stand still! Red Sea is designed to give you hope for your Red Sea • When God says move forward, put feet to your faith experience (Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:1-6). (Exodus 14:14-15; Hebrews 11:29). • Until God sees faith, you won’t see God (Hebrews 11:6). 2. BUT BEFORE YOUR “RED SEA” DILEMMA GETS BETTER, IT MAY ACTUALLY GET WORSE. 5. GOD WILL PUT YOU IN A DILEMMA, EVEN WHEN YOU ARE IN HIS WILL, SO YOU CAN SEE SOMETHING. • God may be bringing you this dilemma to put you in a situation that only He can get you out of. • You may need to look at your dilemma in a different light, • Just because a situation turns left on you doesn’t mean the from God’s perspective. devil is behind it. • Get in the will of God so He can turn your dilemma into • God may send Pharaoh and his army after you so you something He can use. can see His deliverance in a way you would never see it • Begin walking by faith because you now have a bigger otherwise. view of the God who wants to show you His power that will • It’s easy to get confused when you’re trapped between the blow your mind. Red Sea and Pharaoh’s army. • At times like this, you may be calling out to God for deliverance and blaming other people for the mess you’re in at the same time. TonyEvans.org | KAFellowship.org | ChurchAdoptaSchool.org SERMON ILLUSTRATIONS: QUOTES BY DR. TONY EVANS: A WINDING ROUTE “Unless you understand and accept the sovereignty of God It’s frustrating when God doesn’t seem to know how to lead over your dilemma, you will be confused about what is you on a direct route! Instead, He takes you from point “A” to going on.” ‘F” and then back to “C,” only to bring you back to point “F” and wind up at point “X.” “Faith is in your feet, not in your feelings. I don’t care how ‘faith- ish”’ you feel, if your feet are not moving when God has given SPIRITUAL CUL-DE-SACS you instruction to move, you are faithless while feeling full of faith. On the other hand, you can feel no faith at all, but be full You know what a cul-de-sac is, a drive with only one way of faith because you are walking by faith, contradictory to your out—the way you came in. God led Israel into the worst cul- feelings of lack of faith.” de-sac of all time when He put them up against the Red Sea with Pharaoh’s army coming along the only way out. That’s called a trap. “A lot of people are waiting on God, when God is actually A lot of us believe God wouldn’t lead us into a trap. Oh, but waiting on us because while we are talking a good faith game, God does do that, because it is sometimes only in those our feet haven’t moved.