We’re going to take a quick look at three different stories. These stories mirror our own journey with Christ. The first story we’ll look at is the crossing of the Red Sea. The second is the crossing of the Jordan River, and finally we’ll end with Peter walking on the Water with Jesus.
Exodus 14: 21-22
“Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.”
The Israelites were slaves in Egypt. For 400 years they were slaves.
Genesis 15:13-14
“Then the Lord said to Abram, “You can be sure that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign land, where they will be oppressed as slaves for 400 years. But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and in the end, they will come away with great wealth.”
After Jacob brought the nation to Egypt during a famine, they settled in the land. Afterward, a pharaoh that didn’t know Joseph came to power and because of the numbers of Israelites, the Egyptians feared them. So, they were enslaved. They were slaves for generations. Moses came of age and was called by God at the burning bush to be the liberator of the nation. Through 10 plagues and the saving power of God Almighty, the nation was finally allowed to leave Egypt. They got to the Red Sea and were trapped because pharaoh changed his mind and chased them down. God spoke to Moses and told him to raise his staff and God would part the Sea and the Israelites would pass through the sea on dry ground.
This story represents our time in sin. Our Egypt. Before being delivered into the loving arms of Jesus, all we knew was slavery, oppression, and bondage. We were slaves to our fleshly desires, some of us were slaves to our addictions, some the world’s acceptance or rejection. All of us were in bondage to sin and were up against our Red Sea with the enemy storming our camp… until God stepped in! Most of us may never have heard Jesus’ name before. Some may have had a bit of knowledge of Him, even maybe even walked with Him some… But we were trapped. As we see in this story, God stepped in and parted the Red Sea and the Israelites walking across it on dry ground. The wind blew all night. God was working! God was moving on their behalf. That’s exactly what He did for us. Who knows how long God was working out His plan for our salvation? How many hours did people we know, knew or even complete strangers prayed for our salvation? Weeks? Years? God was moving. And just as the Israelites walked on dry ground, God let us walk on dry ground into His loving arms! We may have had saving faith, but not much else. We didn’t know Him. We didn’t know all those things He’s capable of. All we knew was that the enemy was coming, and we needed a savior! So, God did it all. He called us, saved us, and delivered us.
Joshua 3:14-17
“So, when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them.Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge,the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So, the people crossed over opposite Jericho. The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.”
As a result of unbelief, 10 of the 12 spies said they couldn’t defeat the enemies and possess the Promised Land that the Lord gave them, the Israelites wandered around the wilderness for 40 years. During this time, the Lord supplied the Israelites Manna from heaven. Each day they would gather enough for the day to eat. On the sixth day, they’d gather enough for the Sabbath as well. After some time, some of the people began to complain and said they wanted meat. God provided quail for them. When they finally got the opportunity to cross into the Promised Land, the Lord told Joshua to send the priests and Ark of the Covenant into the Jordan River, the water stopped upstream, and they walked through the Jordan River on dry ground.
Deut. 29:5 states that even their clothes and shoes did not wear out.
During this time, the Israelites wore out Moses. Their complaining and despair wore him out. Numbers 20:7-12 says:
and the Lord said to Moses,“You and Aaron must take the staff and assemble the entire community. As the people watch, speak to the rock over there, and it will pour out its water. You will provide enough water from the rock to satisfy the whole community and their livestock.”
So, Moses did as he was told. He took the staff from the place where it was kept before the Lord. Then he and Aaron summoned the people to come and gather at the rock. “Listen, you rebels!” he shouted. “Must we bring you water from this rock?”Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with the staff, and water gushed out. So, the entire community and their livestock drank their fill.
But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!”
God told Moses to speak to the rock, but Moses hit the rock twice. Because of his disobedience, God stated that Moses would not enter the Promised Land. Over 40 years, the Israelites witnessed God’s provision and miraculous power. But, due to their disobedience and complaining, their leader, Moses sinned and missed out on the Promised Land.
This story represents our time beginning to mature in faith in Jesus. While in Egypt, we didn’t know Him. Now that we’ve been introduced, we begin to walk with Him and begin to see His goodness, faithfulness, and power in our lives. We begin to read His Word and our faith increases. We begin to pray, and we begin to see His hand move in power. We’re beginning to build a testimony of Him in our lives. Just like the Israelites! They were taken care of for 40 years in the wilderness. Their shoes didn’t wear out!!! For 40 years!!! Mine wear out every 6 months. You see, God was moving in their lives and building a history or testimony. Now, since they had a growing testimony, God didn’t perform the same miracle as He did for Moses. They had to begin to walk in faith. So do we! They had to step into the raging flood waters of the Jordan River before it stopped. So do we! Once we begin to mature, once we begin to have a history with God, He begins to ask us to step into the raging waters before He stops them. Maybe instead of God just doing something FOR us… He’ll challenge us to believe something, or speak to someone, or testify of His goodness! This stage of our journey reminds me of the scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. There’s this invisible bridge that crosses a deep chasm. Only when he stepped out in faith was he able to see the bridge. Our next step is there, we just need to trust God and take that step.
Let’s not forget about Moses, their leader. The complaining and grumbling of the Israelites caused Moses to sin. Yes, we’re all responsible for our own actions, but we’re also told in Romans 14:13
Therefore, let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.
So, yes, Moses sinned, but the Israelites were responsible for their actions as well. I need to, we need to be sure that our grumbling and complaining, our actions, won’t deny our leaders to miss the promised land that they’re leading us to because we wear them out! Also, hearing God’s voice and doing what He says are 2 different things. Moses heard Him but did what he was familiar with. God told him to strike the stone earlier in the wilderness. Hearing and doing are different. And, hearing without doing is not enough!
Matthew 14:22-29
“Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
“Come,” he said.”
After witnessing the miracle of feeding the 5,000, the disciples got in a boat to go across the Sea of Galilee. While on the water, a large storm came up and battered the boat. They saw Jesus, thought He was a ghost, and when He told them it was him, Peter said, “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water.” After spending time with Jesus, Peter had the faith to believe that Jesus could allow Peter to do anything.
This part of the journey is incredibly exciting and scary at the same time! Here we are, we’ve been walking with Jesus for some time, and He now calls us out into the sea. Not to cross it on dry ground and not to stop the water, but to walk on it! Walk in the supernatural steps of Jesus. Romans 8:10-15 states:
But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
We are no longer slaves as we were in our Egypt. We are sons and daughters of the King!
Moses obeyed God and the Israelites walked out of Egypt on dry ground.
Joshua obeyed God and the Israelites stepped into the raging water and walked into the Promised Land
Peter asked Jesus to call him out into the supernatural.
Peter had the faith to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. He walked on the water. Sure, he sank, but he walked. And he was the only one to get out of the boat.
These three stories parallel our walk with God. These are not levels, nor are they stages. They are not linear. Step 1, step 2, step 3. Then we arrive! No, one day we can be walking on the water and the next we could be back in bondage. Where are you today? Are you struggling in sin? Are you ready and willing to take a step into the raging River? Are you fearless today? Ready to get out of the boat?
Discovering His Vision 
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