Red Sea - Pt 3. Purpose, Process, and Persistence

Let's try that one more time. How is everyone doing today? Yes, yes, yes, yes. Man If you're new here, I want to welcome My name is Pastor Ryan. I have the opportunity the opportunity and the privilege to to be a part of our leadership team. And I just want to thank all the leaders who kind of let service for the past couple of weeks.

I call him Pastor John because he has a pastor heart. John Williams is one of our he's our our church deacon. I heard he brought the heat last week. I still feel it's kind of hard up here, so I get it So but pastor sat some he has also brought the heat the week before and so he's wonder why my forehead is shiny is because it's hot up here.

Man that's the reason why. But I'm just so grateful to be here today. So I want to welcome our guests. If you're new here today, you might just say welcome. We are so excited that you're here and we don't call you a visitor because we call you a guest. A visitor don't have the opportunity to go back in the kitchen, open up refrigerant, grab a soda, a man, but a guest do.

So we want you to know that you have full privilege and rights and access to every opportunity in service today. And I want to welcome our my guest as well. If you're watching online, you want to just walk me today. Pastor Ryan, What are you saying that online guests, because we have online guests, they may come on now.

Yes. For the past two weeks, we've been in a series called the Red Sea Rules. And it's a book that I read. And it's just it's just a great, great book. And so if you have your Bibles, let's turn to the Book of Exodus is the second book of the Bible. So flip in the Old Testament, you hear Genesis first and then you'll get into Exodus and this series, it is personal to me.

And I'm gonna tell you why. It's because it teaches you how to live and navigate through the struggle. Right? I don't know about you, but I've been struggling for quite some time in my life. Our ministry, just relationships, just overall. It's living in that struggle, that tension and so on. I say when it's personal, I understand what it means to to have a Red Sea moment.

And maybe you're not old enough to know what I'm talking about. So let me just begin to explain. Is going to come an opportunity in your life? At some point in your life, you're walk with God or even if you don't believe in God just yet, you will encounter a Red Sea moment because we know that life, life is hard and we face difficulties and hardship every single day.

And we have to come to the understanding that God allows those difficulties in those hardship to knock at your door and you may not want them, you may not desire them, but they're coming. The same God who allows the hardships, the same God who led you into the struggle? The same guy who brought you to the place where you are today is the same God that's going to lead you out of it.

Yeah. I need you to believe that. And I need you to really believe that. Not only believe it, but understand it. Because our God is a God of victory, and our God is not only a God to victory, but our God is a God of redemption and our God is the God of victory, redemption and yes, restoration. So if we believe that our God is a God of victory, redemption and restoration, He is also a God of deliver.

It's so God has brought you to the point where you are at a Red Sea moment. Rejoice again. I say, rejoice because the same God who brought you to that point? He's going to bring you out. Believe it. I've been there. I don't have. I have a pasty, a tattoo and a t shirt. Amen. I just believe it.

So many churches are preaching a prosperity gospel now. There's nothing wrong with that. I believe that God wants us to prosper because we are God's children. Right now we begin to tap into God's resources. But just teaching a prosperity gospel by itself is is not biblical. This is not a name and claim a gospel. I'm not going to walk around a building, walk around that car that you've been praying for, for seven times.

I'm not going to tell you that. No, you can walk around. He's going to give you some exercise. Amen. Whatever you want to call it. And the danger of the prosperity gospel is this, that so many people are building their faith and their theology on it. Right. Right. So many churches are teaching that that Christians, believers and nonbelievers are believing that the prosperity, the prosperity gospel is their theology.

And that's dangerous. God does not want us to lean into that aspect of the gospel. You want us to understand it, but he also wants us to understand what you're read, see what your Rashi moment is and what your read see moment is. Purpose for the church. The church is failing. We're failing because we are only teaching that gospel.

And so that's the reason why we're in a series called the Red Sea Rules, because the Red Sea, Moses, the Book of Exodus, How Moses is Leading the Children of Israel Out of Captivity teaches us to understand what the struggle is all about. So if you think the struggle is real, come on. Church They knew what it was as well.

And for some of us, for some of us, that theology of prosperity, that theology of what you've been thinking about and dreaming about all day long, all week long, for some of us, your theology, your reality, see that prosperity, gospel is your theology and it becomes your reality. And that's the one I wants you to have. So this series today, this week or the past couple of weeks, in the next few weeks, is all about the struggle and how to navigate through that struggle.

Let's now let's really peel back what Exodus is all about for those who have really don't understand the Bible. We're just just you know, you're not proficient in the Bible. It's okay. We will get you there. We want to pray with you a kind of help. Walk through the process. In doing that, you can visit a class like James in the morning at 838 man church.

There's another pillow for James. I got you. But if you're not an early riser, it's okay. We got something for you. Late bloomers as well. We have convection groups on Wednesday nights. In our connection, community groups is where we come into a space on Wednesday evenings. We have men's, we have women's, we have young adults, we have espanol, we have everything that you can imagine.

And it helps grow your faith. It's in those moments where we get to learn and lean into what the Word of God is saying. See, the Book of Exodus is all about navigating from being in bondage. As we see the children of Israel has been in this struggle for over 400 years. Think about it. They've been in this space for for 400 years, generation after generation after generation being enslaved.

That's 20 generations of captivity. That's 20 generations of being in bondage. That's 20 generations of being in a place in a position of not knowing what your life is going to look like for tomorrow. They've endured ten plagues. We endured one. We almost lost on my come on church covered, almost shut every dish, shut everything down. Right. Imagine that times ten.

Wow. Oh, my God. Oh, man. Just think about it. 20, 20. How we almost lost our minds. And that was just one plague. Water turning to blood frogs. Come on out. Frogs. Kermit the Frog. Come on, frogs. All day long. I know because we have a pool at my house and we got frogs and tadpoles, and, I mean, I.

You know, I took the skimmer. This is TMI, but I'll take a skimmer when I'm, you know, clean out our pool, and I just throw the frog over the fence. That's Frogger for you guys. Don't know what that is, right? That flies. These were the plagues. Meanwhile, I was in Alabama last week. Who has flies in 20 degree weather?

Alabama, Right? Only Alabama right? Lucas's. Yeah, we're talking about ten plagues. And not to mention taking your first born son. Come on, Church. Right. Come on. God, if God would have told me, he said, Ryan, I'm taking your firstborn child. You're my my first born child. Aston, who carries my name, who carries the weight of who we are.

My legacy, our name, my firstborn child, my firstborn son. Dead. That is what the children of Israel was dealing with. As some of you right now are upset with God, you're mad because this walk with Christ, this church thing that you've been trying to week after week, maybe for years, is not what you signed up for. It doesn't look like what you signed up for.

You thought it was going to be all pretty and print and press and proper. No, it's ugly. It is dangerous. It's unfortunate and it's not pretty. And you're mad with God. And for some of you said, I'm done with God. So over the next two weeks, we're going to talk about the Red Sea rules. And just as a quick recap, I want to give you some points that was kind of laid out over the past two weeks.

Week number one, pastors, they talked about realizing that God means for you to be where you are right now. Rule number one was realizing that where you are, God knows exactly where you are in God purpose, that you are there. Rule number two was this that you should be more concerned with God's glory than your relief. Come on now, that's hard.

You mean God? I have to stay in this mess and give you glory while I'm hurting, while I'm in pain? I don't know about this guy. I did not sign up for this. God wants you to acknowledge your enemy. But keep your eyes on the Lord. Man. He prepares a table for your enemies. So if God is preparing a table that has your enemies sitting at it, but you have to stay focused on God, that He wants you to be more concerned about who He is and not your enemy.

Then rule number four is praying. Just pray, right? That's what God wants us to do. That's what we should be doing anyways. And I want you to realize this. Where you are today is where God has you like, where you are today with with where your situation may be. God has you there for a reason. It's your Red Sea moment.

You are there by assignment or by appointment. You are either there by assignment or by appointment. That your Red Sea moment has been assigned to you or appointed to you by God, that God knows where you are, the good, the bad. If you're on a mountaintop or the valley low, that if it's the sunshine or the rain, if it's a season of plenty or season of light, God knows where you are.

He wants you to praise him any way, like he wants you to praise him anyhow. He wants you to give him a yet praise. And sometimes that yeah, praise is oh, that would get you through the season that you're in. God either allows it or he brings it. The got others allows that situation, that circumstance, whatever you're facing, whatever you're going through that God allows it for a reason or he brings it to you right?

God knows where you are. God knows where you. Let me let me say like this. There's a purpose, a promise and a plan in the pain. Yeah. Boy, that's good right there. Now, I'm. Let me let me just let me let me just rewind that real quick. There's a purpose. There's a promise and there's a plan in your pain.

That's good. You, God has purpose. That pain that is connected to a promise, that is connected to a plan. If you allow that pain to give direction for what God has purpose for you. God never said it would be easy right? God never said that it was going to be easy. I remember first Peter Chapter five verses says this and after you have suffered a little while right?

He said, After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, the God of all creation, who has called you to eternal glory, to His eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore you, confirm, strengthen and establish you so after you have suffered just a momentary affliction, a few seconds, maybe, maybe a few months, I'll take a few months verses 400 years.

They in church. I'm not built like that. I'm sorry. I'm a tap out. All right. But Peter says after you have suffered yet a little while, the god of all grace, the God who was stretched out wide, the God who knows you by name, the God who shaped you, formed you and fashioned you, the God who created you said He himself would not only restore you, he was stripping you.

I mean, his strength is made perfect in your weakness. Then when you're weak, he is strong. Then my home, the Apostle Paul, the second Corinthians said this. Paul said this and second courage in chapter four, verse 17 for this light, momentary affliction is preparing us to is preparing you for an eternal weight of all glory that is beyond comparison, that all that we in that pain that you've been experiencing is actually designed for preparation.

And as God is preparing you, he's saying, just say just hold on for a little bit. Wow. That that I'm still molding and shaping you. If you can hold on yet for a little while. That preparation is for the weight of glory for his glory. See the church. We have to begin teaching. There. Suffering is the part of the walk that that that this suffering that we may endure is a part of the walk that we call ourselves to be Christians and you see what I believe that in one hand I'm holding hurt, but in the other hand I'm holding hope.

And so church in two ways. I have I'm holding hurt in one hand, but I'm holding hope in the other hand. I'm holding the heart that the world is giving me. But I'm holding the hope of eternal glory. I'm holding the heart that the world is giving me. But I'm holding the hope of Christ. I'm holding the heart of what, man And in every one of us is giving me.

But I'm holding the hope of Jesus Christ in church. Look at your hands. We've been charged to hold hope in one hand and the hurt in the other hand. If you believe that there's a balance between the two, then as a believer, I'm holding the hope while living in the world of hurt. Exodus Chapter 13 says this, verse 17.

When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not leave them by the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near for God's at least the people were changed their minds when they see war and return to Egypt. But God let the people around, by the way, of the wilderness towards the Red Sea and the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt.

God purposed the children of Israel to take the long road to get to the promised land. It's by appointment or by assignment. God deemed it necessary to take the long way around. He designed it. He orchestrated it. It's because he is preparing you, and it had to happen that way. It had to happen that way. It had to happen that way.

Your brokenness had to happen. That relationship had to happen. That job loss had to happen, that sickness had to happen, that separation had to happen. That stretching that you're feeling right now had to happen. That teaching that's in your life had to happen. What looks like a delay is God's development good? What looks like that momentary delay is God's development.

What looks like bankruptcy is the blessing right? What looked like a failure by now was God's favor. Oh, now, come on. In Church, you thought you failed. God said No, my son. No, my daughter is my favor on your life. You thought you failed. God said no, it's my favor. I think that's good. What looks like failure here had to happen.

It was prescribed just for you in this season of your life. Because I believe this. The process is just as important as the promise. I want you to get that. That this process of brokenness, the process of job losses, sickness and separation and teaching and that delay, that bankruptcy, that failure is just as important as the promises of God.

So as we lean into our lesson for today, lie pass, right when you preach it, I'm preaching already. I mean, get to the lesson. This is just this is just a pre service. Exodus Chapter 14 versus ten says this and I'll be lifting up verses ten through 15. Exodus 14, Chapter Chapter 14 verses ten through 15, when Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel, lifted up their eyes and behold the Egyptians, with marching after them and they feared greatly.

And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. They said, Moses is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done? What have you done to us? Bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt? Leave us alone.

That we may serve the Egyptians? In other words, in saying we are comfortable in being in bondage, you allow that. We are comfortable being complacent, that we are comfortable in the familiar familiarity. Come on, now. Oh four It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians there to die in the wilderness and Moses said to the people, Fear not, Fear not.

And stand firm and see that the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. Yeah, right.

For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. So the problems that you've been facing, the things that you've been struggling with, the things that you've been at war with, the things that you've been praying on your knees about, you would never see again. Let me just make this disclaimer. It doesn't mean that it may not leave, but Guy may give you extra faith to carry along.

Right? The situation may not change, but God may give you different eyes to see where you're at, Right? So that you may be the very same circumstances that you are in. Right. But but God is give you a different posture to walk it out in a right foot. And I love verse 14, the Lord will fight for you.

You know, you don't. You have to. Ladies, you know how to put your hair back in a ponytail. You know, I take the earrings off because God, right. You're about is for you fellows. You don't want to get all swole, you know what I'm saying? I'm saying the Lord will fight your battles right now. Well, but there's a caveat to that.

He said you need to shut your mouth. Let me get back to the Scripture says this The Lord will fight for you and you have only to be silent. So the book of Ryan says, Shut up, right? Don't say anything. And verse 15, The Lord said to Moses, Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward?

Brings us to our room. Number five, rule number five says this Stay calm and confident and give you time to work and stay calm and confident. I mean, don't lose your wits. Slow your roll, pull back, sit over yonder, write whatever language you want to take, and be confident and allow God to do his work. Whatever you're dealing with, stay calm, be confident and allow God to do his work first 13 says If Moses said to the people, fear not stand firm.

In other words, God is saying, Wait, just wait. We need to learn how to wait. David wrote in Psalm 27, Wait for the Lord, be strong and let your heart take courage again. He says, Wait for the Lord as they knew all about winning, because he said in Isaiah chapter 40, But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.

They shall mount up and wheeze like eagles. They should run and now get weary. They should walk and not be faint. Joe, understand the struggles of life. He tells us that I would wait till my renewal comes and then he says, I will wait until that thing comes. We serve a God who makes us wait. God is not Burger King where you can have it your way.

He doesn't operate on demand.

He doesn't deliver tours. Your Amazon Prime. You can't get FedEx or UPS. They may. But as the old saying used to say, he may not come when you want him his own time. God, yes, he is. He may not come when you want him. Yeah, but he's the only time God, yes he is. See, waiting is uncomfortable. Waiting is offensive to what we know.

Waiting feels like there's something wrong now. But God to say be still and just wait, man. I mean. Yeah. All right. I'm waiting. Right. See, some of you thought I missed my. My space. My place where I was supposed to go. No, God is saying. Just wait, wait, wait. Get comfortable in the waiting season. Yeah, Get comfortable and be still is God's timing and not my life.

See, the world has conditioned us to be impatient. Everything that we do, we can get in a split of a second. I might be telling my age, but I grew up in a generation where we used to have dial up internet. Y'all remember what that is? So for that generation who may not know what dial up Internet is, let me bring you back to where I was back in the day.

No, let me unplug my phone to try to you right. See y'all. Yeah, we're my millennials. Gen Z, Gen X is where you live. Raise your hand. Raise your hand. Y'all know what I'm talking about, man. Boy, Trying to write a paper and do research with that type of Internet. The struggle was real. I get mad at our copy machine when I get there to try to make a copy in the office and it says this woman?

No, for 30 seconds. What are you talking about? I'm like, I want my copy now imagine waiting for internet. That was not I mean, it was bad. And I was reminded about I'm just about there's there's a thing about, like black church culture, right? You know, as a black pastor, I'm just going to let you know, in the Baptist church, especially in black Baptist churches, there are some certain privileges.

The senior pastor gets. And I was reminded about this culture a couple of weeks ago, and I was thrown off a little bit because, you know, we we don't roll like that here. You know, we in black churches, especially this Baptist after service, if we were serving food, the pastor always get a table first and he get the best cut of meat.

The collard greens like if they like pass, you can skip the line to worry about them right there. You pass, you come on up this way. Wow. I remember them like, whoa, I'm not used to this because at our church, I'm like, I'll make sure that I'm like, last because I love serving food. That's just who I am, right?

And now we remember in black churches, like, if you if you pass around family, you can cook all 150 people, 200 people, They will bring the Kool-Aid, the red, the great whatever Kool-Aid. You won't get the best slice of pie by Pastor, Come on down. Come on, First lady. Come on. You come on to. We didn't have to wait.

But there's a purpose, a promise and a plan in the waiting of your pain. Yeah, right. Yeah. So rule number five tells us to stay calm and confident and give God time to work. Here we have the children of Israel faced at a Red Sea moment, and they're asking, God, what shall we do? And God is saying, trust me.

Yeah, God, we have the army behind us and it's Red Sea in front of us. What are we supposed to do? God is saying stand for and see the salvation of the Lord. Yeah Second Chronicles Chapter 20 verse 15 says this for the battle is not yours, right? But it's God. And verse 17 says this You would not need to fight in this battle.

Stand firm. Wait, hold your position and see that the salvation of the Lord on your behalf of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow, go out against your enemy In the Lord will be with you. Yes. Rule number six is this. Win your own. Sure. Take the next logical step. All right. God, What do you mean?

I'm pressed on my back and I'm pressed in my front. God, where do you want me to go? Like, as believers, we. We struggle. We struggle. God with What do you want me to do? God? What? Where do I go? What is my next step? Where is where am I supposed to go? What is my next move? God, What do I pray?

What do I say? Where God? Where do you just tell me? Go Where do you want me to go? When God is silent? Have you ever been there that you're praying and you're asking and you seeking God? But God is not responding. You got like, Where do I go? It doesn't matter how how big your Bible is. It doesn't matter if you have perfect attendance to come to church.

It doesn't matter if you speak in tongues that we all face this question. God, where do you want me to go? God, What do you want me to do? God, what shall I say right? God, What is the will, your will for my life? We've all faced that before. So. God, you're telling me that when I'm sure that when there's uncertainty, that you want us to take the next logical step by faith?

God, sometimes. Sometimes I don't have the words to pray, but He hears my heart. And sometimes I don't have the words to pray. But he sees my tears. Sometimes I don't have the words to pray. But he knows exactly right where I am. God, wherever you're taking me, I'll trust you. Wherever that may be, I will trust you.

See, in a moment where we're pressed in back and we're pressed a front, sometimes anxiety begins to set in and we're. We're asking, God, what do we do? God? I believe this anxiety is a signal alerting us that it's time to pray. The anxiety that we feels is the signal alerting us. That is time for us to pray.

That pressure, Samuel, to solve this. Do what the occasions demands, as Samuel was geared to anoint Saul as king Samuel tell Saul do what the occasion demands. So if your pressing in front of you pressing it back, the only thing that you can do is keep moving forward because you ought to know what your past has already brought you right?

Why go back? Right. You know what the 400 years look like? You know what the ten plagues look like? Why go back?

Keep moving forward. 400 years of bondage, 400 years of oppression, 400 years of slavery, plagues Keep moving forward. When you're uncertain, take the next logical step. Even if it's a small step, a faith. As our worship team make their way to the stage, I want to remind you today that there's a purpose, a promise and a plan in a pain.

And we're asking God to have his way today because God knows where you are. God understands what you've been dealing with. God has purposed it. God has a plan for it. And I believe this, that your alignment with God is determined by your actions, that your alignment with God is determined by your actions, by God, that your alignment with God, what you believe, who God is, and who God is in your life, how you allow yourself with God is revealed by your actions.

And oftentimes our actions are defined by the world and not by God. And so today, Church, I want to encourage you, as you are encountering this Red Sea moment, as you are living out this Red Sea moment, that you will say, God, have your way, have your way, me, God, use me God. I'm your spokesman. Inhabit my praise, show me and guide me and lead me to our righteousness for your glory and not my.

So let us stand. I want to encourage you today that you trust God for all that who He is. If you can trust him for your salvation, you can trust him for the season that you're in your life right now. For me, trust in him has got me where I'm at today. There's no other option. I'm to keep moving forward.

It says we sing this last song. The song is simple. I believe it is a proclamation and I pray that is your declaration that you ask God to have your way. That we begin allow Guy to have his way with us. God will use you to be his spokesman if you like him to have your way. And sometimes heaven allow God to have your His way in your life.

It may be uncomfortable, it may be different, but it would be the best decision that you can ever make. And if you don't know this Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I would encourage you to come to the altar today. Come to the altar so we can pray with you. So that way you can have the abiding peace of Jesus Christ himself to walk with you.

And you may be on a path of where you haven't been really living the life that you've been called to live out as a believer. He's saying, God, I want to rededicate my life. This morning I said, You will come to the altar. Our elders, our deacons, our pastors will pray with you or yeah, if you use the prayers of God.

This Red Sea moment that I'm in, I can't take it no more. The God I am God. I'm ready to tap out. I'm ready to just throw in the towel, go nuts. It let us pray with you. Let us encourage you. Let us walk with you. It's our desire that you have a community of brothers and sisters in Christ that's willing to do life with you, that's willing to stand toe to toe with you.

It's because we love you and you're not alone.