"Going Forward"
Text:
Exodus 14:15-16 And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou
unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that
they go forward: But
lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and
divide it: and the children of Israel shall
go on dry ground through
the midst of the sea.
Introduction:
1. The text is
concerned with the marvelous deliverance of Israel from the land of
Egypt.
2. After a series of
great miracles, the proud and impious Pharaoh gave to Israel permission
to leave Egypt.
3. Victory at
the at the Red Sea (Exo 14:28) And the waters returned, and covered the
chariots, and the horsemen,
and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there
remained not so much as one of them.
4. Believers are on their way to a heavenly Canaan.
a. Enemies are in hot pursuit.
b. Difficulties will oppose their course.
c. Hearts at times will melt with fear.
d. Some will die in their travel to Cannan. (but)
e. The Captain of our salvation has but one watchword
for us and it is found in the text: “Go forward.”
I. Believers are to go forward in the area of Christian Graces.
A. We must grow in grace (II Pet.
3:18) that we may stand fast and be shielded from the attacks of the
enemy.
(1 Pet 5:8-9)
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring
lion, walketh about, seeking whom
he may devour:
Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions
are accomplished in your brethren
that are in the world.
B. We must look in the right
direction for hope. Psa 121:1-2 I will lift up mine eyes unto the
hills, from whence cometh
my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
C. Love must be the constraining
element in our lives 2 Cor 5:14 For the love of Christ constraineth us;
because we thus
judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
1.
Meekness must be the expression of the heart Mat 5:5 Blessed are
the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
2.
Patience must be the expression of the spirit.
Psa 27:14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall
strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on
the LORD.
3.
Kindness must be the expression of the tongue. Eph 4:32 And
be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, even as God for
Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
4.
The soul must be clothed with humility. Prov 18:12 Before
destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before
honor is humility.
D. The Believers must go forward in the exhibition of Christian virtues.
1.
There must be non-conformity with the world. II Cor 6:17
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye
separate, saith the Lord, and touch not
the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2.
To go forward is to follow Christ. Mat 16:24-25 Then said Jesus
unto his disciples, If any man will come after
me, let him deny himself, and take up
his cross, and follow me. ~ For whosoever will save his life
shall lose it:
and whosoever will lose his life for my
sake shall find it.
3.
There Must be hospitality to the saints. Galatians 6:10 As we
have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all
men, especially unto them who are of
the household of faith.
E. The Christian must go forward in the performance of his duties.
1.
He is to go forward in the reading of the Scripture. (II Tim.
2:15)
2.
He is to go forward in secret and public prayer. Mat 6:6 But
thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and
when thou hast shut thy door, pray to
thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret
shall
reward thee openly.
3.
He is to go forward in family worship and devotion. Josh 24:15
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD,
choose you this day whom ye will serve;
whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side
of the flood, or the gods of the
Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will
serve the
LORD.
II. We must go forward because God commands a forward progress Phil 3:13-14.
A. To reject the command of God to go forward is rebellion and sin before God.
James 4:17
Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it
is sin.
B. To deny the claims of God upon our lives is infidelity.
C. To refuse the authority of God over us is treason.
D. Every child of God is to be
loyal, affectionate and obedient servants in the command to “Go
Forward.”
John 14:15, If ye love me, keep my commandments.
E. We must go forward because the
Holy Spirit moves us to do so and He is not to be quenched. (Eph. 4:30)
1. The Holy Spirit guides, upholds and supports us.
2. The Holy Spirit protects, comforts and sanctifies us.
3.
The Holy Spirit does all this for us, within us, in order that we
go forward.
F. We must go forward because of
the examples of the saints who have gone on before
us. Heb 12:1 Wherefore
seeing we also
are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay
aside every weight, and the sin
which doth so easily beset us,
and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
G. We must go forward because the means for our success have been provided.
1.
Israel had the infallible Guide in the Pillar of Cloud by day and
Pillar of Fire by night.
a. We have the same
infallible Guide, the Holy Spirit.
2.
Israel had an invincible defense in the arm of God.
a. We have the same
invincible defense. Psa 84:11-12 For the LORD God is a sun and shield:
the LORD will
give
grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk
uprightly. ~ O LORD of hosts,
blessed
is the man that trusteth in thee.
H. We must go forward because of the glorious rewards God has for His people.
1.
The reward is for those who have overcome. Rev 3:5 He that
overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white
raiment; and I will not blot out his
name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my
Father, and
before his angels.
2.
The reward is for those who have practiced patient continuance.
Rom 2:7 To them who by patient continuance in
well doing seek for glory and honor and
immortality, eternal life:
Conclusion:
A. The pastor-teacher, deacon and church member alike are admonished to go forward.
1.
Whether in prosperity or in adversity, in sickness or in health,
in life or in death, we are admonished to go
forward.
B. The Sinner cannot go forward for God because:
1.
He is in the wrong path. He is already far away from God,
happiness and heaven.
2. He is serving the wrong person.
3.
He is in ruin, misery, torment and despair as the result of
having rejected the Word of the LORD.
4. He has not answered the call of God.
5.
God has consistently called the sinner to repentance.
Isa 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the
LORD: though your sins be as
scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like
crimson, they shall
be as wool. Isa 55:6-7 Seek
ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: ~
Let the
wicked forsake his way, and the
unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto
the LORD, and he will
have mercy upon him; and to our
God, for he will abundantly pardon. Isa 1:19-20 If ye be willing
and obedient,
ye shall eat the good of the
land: ~ But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with
the sword: for the
mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.