Summer Playlist: Part 10
SERMON TRANSCRIPT
I am really excited today to jump in and talk through the very first song that was ever recorded in the Bible. This is pretty cool. And this was one that's kind of been on my heart this whole time in this series. And God led me other places. And then this week I was like, "Hey God, how about, how about can I do this one?" And he's like, "Yes, you may do this one." And so we're going to jump into the book of Exodus this morning. But I got a question for you. When you think of God, and I want to just audible response here. When you think of God, what do you imagine? Or how, how might you describe Him? What would be a word that you would use to describe Him? What was that? Glorious. That's awesome. That's good. That's good. What else? Powerful. What was that? An infinite. Yes. Everywhere. Always. Forever and ever. What was that? Loving. That's a good one. Any other words you might, maybe something, maybe personal to you. What was that? Genius. Yeah. Savior. Good one. There we go. Savior.
Have you ever thought about God as your warrior? Have you ever thought about God as a warrior-like figure with His warrior-like power? Well, we're going to come this morning to Exodus chapter 15. And before this, I'll give you a little recap, really short recap of what has happened. The Israelite people for so many generations have been enslaved in Egypt under Pharaoh's reign. And he has kept them oppressed. He's abused them. He's used them to build everything that he wants in his mighty name. They are being killed. They're being just absolutely destroyed as a nation. And God raises up a leader by the name of Moses. And he calls Moses, who actually grew up in Pharaoh's house through a whole other miracle, if you want to read about. And he calls up Moses to come in and to free his people, God's chosen people, from the power and the reign of Pharaoh. And Moses comes in and begins to have a series of 10 different plagues. There's locusts. The Nile River turns to blood. The livestock died. Just absolute chaos over these 10 plagues. And Pharaoh's like, "I'm not going to let him go." And Moses says, "Okay, here comes another plague. If you won't let God's people go, he's going to send another plague." And Moses finally gives up and he said, "Fine. Take you, the Israelite people, just get out of town. I'm sick and tired of all of this stuff happening that's centered around God being your God, being angry at me. Fine. Just go." So begins this journey of all of these millions of Israelites traveling east out of Egypt. And after a while of travel, Pharaoh goes, "It's too quiet around here. I don't got anybody to be building all my temples and pyramids and doing everything that like, I don't want to have to lift a finger. I need to go get those people." And so Moses sends his entire, or sorry, Pharaoh sends his entire army after Moses. It says in Scripture, he sent 600 of the best chariots and all the other chariots and every single person who was in the army, Pharaoh sends after Moses. And by this time, the people of Israel have kind of gathered along the Red Sea. And God has led them by day, by a cloud and a pier of fire by night. It's been this amazing moment for the, that God's deliverance. And then all of a sudden they realized, here comes Pharaoh's army. And they're kind of pinned in at this place with their heels on the waters with no way to escape, no place to go, and they start freaking out. They're crying out, they're screaming, they're yelling at Moses, "How could you lead us out here in the desert just to die? I wish I would have died in Egypt."
And God calls Moses. He says, "Okay, here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to split this Red Sea in half." And Moses is like, "Are you kidding me right now?" God's like, "Yeah. I'm going to split the sea and you and all of my people are going to walk on dry ground and cross the sea." Moses is like, "There ain't no way, dude. Bro, this isn't happening." God goes, "Yeah, watch." God splits the sea. Israelite people walk through on dry ground. Can you imagine? You're walking through and you're just like this wall of water. Like the original walk through aquarium is like right here that they're experiencing. Dry ground, they're not getting stuck in the mud. Just God makes this miracle and then they get to the other side, but then here comes Pharaoh's army. Keep saying that. Pharaoh's army. And they're like, "Sweet. Thanks, dude." And they start churning through and all of a sudden the dry ground ain't no dry no more. The chariots start getting stuck. Men start falling down. And as the Israelites make it through, God closes the water in on Pharaoh's army. Every single man in Pharaoh's army drowns in the Red Sea before the eyes of the Israelite people. Can you picture that? You're standing there on the side, the other side of the Red Sea, where you just came through and Pharaoh's army just disappears. And the Israelite people begin to realize who God is. In that moment, they realize what God has done for them on the banks of the Red Sea. A miraculous moment has happened right before their own eyes.
And then we come to this first song of Moses and the Israelite people here in Exodus chapter 15. The song itself is divided up into three sections. The first of which rejoices in who God is. And the second part goes into rejoicing in what God does for his foes. And then it finishes with jubilant celebration talking about what God does for his friends. The song of Moses reveals that God is a warrior who fights for his people and demonstrates his unmatched power, his justice, and his salvation. And calls for his people to respond in worship and to continue to trust him. This praise recorded here is just a beautiful picture. As the spirit of inspiration records this so happy song with elaborate care.
Before we jump in, would you pray with me one more time? Jesus, we thank you for this morning. God, thank you for our worship and praise that we already had. God, as we learn about the praise and worship that happened the first recorded in the Bible. God may our hearts join in unison and praise with your Israelite people. God, we thank you for the miraculous work that you did thousands of years ago. And that God, we too get to share in that same miracle today. And you saving our lives when all hope seemed to be lost. We love you, Jesus. Amen.
It says in Exodus 15, starting in verse 1, it says, "Then Moses and the Israelites sang the song to the Lord. I will sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my defense. He has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him. My Father is God, and I will extol him. The Lord is a warrior. The Lord is his name. Pharaohs chariots in his army he has hurled into the sea. The best of Pharaohs officers he has drowned in the Red Sea. The deep waters have covered them. They sink to the depths like a stone.”
The Israelite people are celebrating with everything that they have for the victory that they had just received at the hand of God Almighty. The power of God's victory over the Egyptian army and the sea showcases his sovereignty, his strength in the day of battle and song and victory. In the ancient world, the sea symbolized chaos. The sea was untamed. The sea was wild. There was nothing that could control it, and anything that was on it or in it just fell to the will of the waves. Tossed to and fro. Nothing could control it. Nothing could have power over the sea. And yet God. And yet God parted the waters for Israel's salvation, and he used it to destroy Egypt. It's pretty impressive. That one singular moment, God changes the world's power in a moment. He is the God of our fathers and our own. The mighty champion of his people. This reminds me of the story that we would read just a few books later in 1 Samuel. Of a boy that would show up and face a Philistine giant. The Israelite people at that point were in battle against the Philistines, and the Philistines had this Goliath dude. Over nine feet tall, just a massive human being. And every day he would come out and he would taunt the Israelite army knowing that there was no chance that the Israelites were ever going to defeat him. And this kid, this boy by the name of David shows up. And God brings him onto the scene. And he, by the leading of God, say, "I am sending you out to defeat this giant." So David goes, he grabs a handful of small stones. He is a marksman when it comes to a slingshot. And he comes out and he says this to, "I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty." David whips his sling. God guides the stone. And he kills this giant. Chaos ensues. David cuts the head off of the giant. The Philistines go fleeing to the hills for their own lives. Knowing that all they had was this bro. And God just knocked him down like nothing. Pharaoh's best officers and warriors and fighters went after the Israelite people. And yet God goes. And they're gone. There's no match for our God. And this song sung by God's people reflects of this power of God's triumph. And reassures us that in our chaotic and threatening circumstances, that we can claim His strength as our own in the battles that you face. So church, today, claim the power of God in your life. Be reminded that when you might be facing the biggest battle of your life, your heels may be back against the wall. You might be stuck against the waters that are trying to take you down. I don't know what you're facing today or what you will face this afternoon or tomorrow or the day after that. But know that the power of God's triumph leads you to a declaration of His unique greatness.
Continue on. Verse 6. “Your right hand, Lord, was majestic in power. Your right hand, Lord, shattered the enemy. In the greatness of your majesty, you threw down those who opposed you. You unleashed your burning anger. It consumed them like stubble. In the blast of your nostrils…" That is a sweet line right there. “In the blast of your nostrils, the waters piled up. Surging waters stood like a wall. The deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea. The enemy boasted, "Ha ha ha! I will pursue! I will overtake them. I'll divide their spoils. I will gorge them. I will draw them. My sword and my hand will destroy them. But you blew your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters. Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you? Majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders. You stretch out your right hand, and the earth swallows your enemies.”
The power of God's unparalleled strength and majesty distinguishes him as salvation each and every single time, always and forever. And all the while, his foes are covered by the engulfing waters of destruction. The power of God's majesty for all to see. Everybody standing on the shore thinking, "I just made it through the water just to die on the other side of this sea." And God performs a miracle. This word or this phrase, "Yahweh is a man of war," emphasizes God's warrior-like power. His right hand shatters the enemy. His majesty is unmatched. All human efforts that oppose or resist God are ultimately futile. It highlights this overwhelming power and sovereignty of God. Think of another story from the Old Testament. This picture Elijah on Mount Carmel. He's standing against 450 prophets of Baal and first kings. He's remembering back to this moment for 10 generations. His great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandparents have passed down this story, this moment of God allowing them to cross the Red Sea and to deliver them from the hand of Pharaoh. And this nation of Israel is watching Elijah, and the King Ahab is looking at Elijah, who has challenged this false god Baal. And in these false prophets, they begin to shout, and they're dancing, and they're cutting themselves. They're trying to call for Baal to bring down fire from heaven and to light this altar of sacrifice on fire. And they're screaming, and they're shouting, and nothing is happening. And Elijah, when they finally get exhausted and fall over, it's Elijah's turn. He comes up, and I don't know if you know, but water isn't something you put on something you're about to try to catch on fire. And Elijah, by the direction of God, pours water all over the wood and the altar and everything. And in his unwavering faith, he prayed. And suddenly, fire from heaven came down, lit the wood, the wet wood, lit the sacrifice, burned the altar, and took out all the other water that was on the ground surrounding that. And the people fell down before God and worshiped, knowing that everything that they could have done in their perfect world with Baal had just been outshined by God Almighty. The people fell on their faces, these prophets of Baal, changed their tune. They realized, "Who's God?" And proclaimed, "The Lord, He is God." Baal's prophets were defeated, just as Egypt's army was swept away, providing that no one can stand against God's majesty. Church, trust in the power of God's majesty over your own strength. Sometimes we like to think that we got it all figured out, right? Right? No, I'm the only guy in the room who thinks we got it all figured out. No? We come up with these plans. We come up with these agendas. Five-year, 10-year, 12-year, 15, 20, 30-year plans. You got it all figured out. Trust in the power of God's majesty over your own strength. Recognize God's salvation in your life. And this foundational truth that will always shape how we respond in worship and how we live our lives in confidence of God's child. The power of God's majesty not only defeats enemies, but also secures His people's future.
Keep reading in verse 19, or excuse me, verse 13. "In your unfailing love, you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength, you will guide them to your holy dwelling. The nations will hear and tremble. Anguish will grip the people of Philistia. The chiefs of Edom, they will be terrified. The leaders of Moab, they will be seized with trembling. The people of Canaan will melt away. Terror and dread will fall on them. By the power of your arm, they will be as still as stone until your people pass by, Lord, until the people you have brought pass by. You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of your inheritance, the place, Lord, you have made for your dwelling. The sanctuary, Lord, your hands established. The Lord reigns forever and ever.”
The power of God's warrior-like strength leads His people to safety. This wasn't a thing where it just happened and then God said, "Peace out, guys. Enjoy the other side of the Red Sea." No. This was the beginning of a journey. God was taking His people to what we call or know as the promised land or the land of Canaan. God was delivering them out of Egypt to take them to their home He had planned for them, guiding them, establishing them. God's steadfast love leads forth the people He has redeemed, guiding them in His strength to His holy abode. See, His victory causes other nations to tremble. Did you guys catch that in there? And that His reign is forever and ever. God had a place and a purpose for His people. They weren't to remain in Egypt. They weren't to remain under the slavery of Pharaoh. They weren't to remain on one side of the Red Sea. They weren't to remain on the other side of the Red Sea. They weren't to remain on the other side of the Red Sea. God had a plan and a purpose for them.
This journey to the promised land, I think, is awesome that it's kind of bracketed by crossing water. At that moment when the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, little did they know that about 40 years later they would have to cross the Jordan River as well to enter into the land of Canaan. And after their journey, they came to this place where the Jordan River was at flood stage. There's no way you could pass it. There's no way you could go around it. They had to go through it. The enemies against them were coming after them, just like Pharaoh coming after them. And Joshua, who had walked through the Red Sea himself, was leading the Israelite people at the edge of the Jordan River. And the priests were at front, and the tabernacle, and the Ark of the Covenant was right at the front of the procession. And God told Joshua, the priests have to get into the water. And I can imagine Joshua going, "Hey God, could you just do like the whole like part of the Red Sea that we did with Moses? Can we do that one again? You mean my guys carrying the Ark of the Covenant have to get into the raging waters?" And God goes, "Yeah, that's how it's going to happen this time." Joshua goes, "Okay, you've never failed me. I trust you, God." And they step into the waters, and the waters part in dry ground, just like God did with Moses and the Israelite people years before. And as they crossed through the Jordan River, the Israelite people stepped into the land of Canaan, the promised land that God said, "This will be your home." I find it amazing that God shows up in such powerful ways when we are at our wits end. Right? I think there's something about being at the end of our rope that allows God to shine through even more. Right? Because if we're not there, then who can take credit? Right? We can take credit. We can say, "Oh yeah, God, you know, I was running out of some time, but you know, I still had that last plan. I had that last idea in my back pocket." But God sometimes leads us to a place where we ain't got nothing left. And He goes, "Watch me now." He says, "Watch what I'm going to do." I want to challenge you today that the same God who brought the Hebrew people out of their slavery in Egypt, brought them through the Red Sea, brought them through 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, brought them through the flooded Jordan River into the land of Canaan, is the same God that we serve today. Okay, I don't think everybody heard that. Let me say it one more time. The same God who brought the Hebrew people out of their Egypt and brought them into the promised land of Canaan is the same God that we serve today. Come on. Let's go. I love it. That's it. So I want to say, whatever you might be facing in your life right now, it's probably not a Red Sea. It's probably not a flooded Jordan River. I don't know. Maybe it is. But I know that I, the God that I serve, the God that cares for me, the God that loves me, has a promise to pull me through. It might not show up the way that you think it's going to show up, right? Joshua wanted the Red Sea parting of the Jordan River. And God said, "No, I'm gonna put a little twist on it. I'm gonna do water part in version 2.0 for you." But you can trust in that power, in His guidance, when we face uncertain times because He is a faithful God. Amen? He is a faithful God. And this power of the God's guidance calls us to respond with an unfiltered, unified worship and celebration. That's what the people did.
It says in verse 19, "Pharaoh's horses, chariots, and horses went into the sea. The Lord brought the waters of the sea back over them. But the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground. Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron's sister, took a tremble in her hand, a tambourine. And all the women followed her, and the tremble and the dancing of Miriam, saying to them, 'Sing to the Lord, for He has highly exalted both horse and driver. He has hurled into the sea.'" They have an impromptu worship service break out on the banks of the Red Sea right after God performs His miracle. This is the only proper and true response when God moves in our lives. It should let out praise from our hearts. We should shout with celebration. We should worship our true God, both personally and corporately. It's not a coincidence that we gather once a week. We gather to celebrate. We gather to praise God for what He has done in our previous week. We gather to encourage one another for the raging waters that are coming for us this coming week to look back and to remember what God has done through our lives, through our hearts, time and time again so that we can face those raging waters that He is going to guide us through tomorrow. Amen? The celebration shows the importance of communal worship in response to God's victories. Miriam leads the people in this song recorded here in Scripture, the very first worship song recorded in Scripture. And we, too, in 2025, get to celebrate and worship with that very same song. I don't know how the song goes. Nobody has any music to it. You could probably write something yourself, come up with a melody line and some chorus.
But these milestone moments are times that we celebrate what God has done. In the Old Testament, you might read as you read through these times where people would have a milestone moment and they would build an altar to God, wherever it was. They would stack stones and they would create something to signify that something happened here. And I think it's twofold. I think it's one, for that person who would ever walk by again, they would see that stack of stones and they remember, "God did something here in my life." But two, it would also be a witness to others that as they would pass by, they would say, "God did something here. I may not know what it was, but God did something right here." A milestone moment, a milestone marker to show the world that God had moved. I remember back the times in my life growing up, maybe it was youth camp, maybe it was a youth conference. I remember times in college where there was hundreds of people gathered together, sometimes thousands, and we would break out in worship. And sometimes all the instruments in the band would just stop and you would just hear these voices being lifted up in praise to God. These incredible milestone markers in my life to remind me of the times when I feel all alone by myself and lost. God goes, "Remember that time? Remember that milestone where you stood with 2,000 other people and you praised God together and the Holy Spirit swirled in that room in such powerful ways? Lives were transformed. People were called into ministry. Lives were changed. Salvation happened. Rededication. People were healed. Amazing things happened." God says, "Don't forget those times." A professor in college, he had this great way of saying, you call them thin moments. A moment when the space between heaven and earth and God's throne and our hearts felt so thin. Because the reality is sometimes it can feel really far away, right? God can feel so far away, so distant, maybe like he doesn't even exist at times. But it's these milestone moments in response of worship that remind us of the power of God, his warrior-like strength in our lives, these thin moments where we feel like God is right there. God's always right there. We're the one that makes the space.
I want to give us some questions as we close out. First of which, just think through these, maybe write these down, and maybe this week just kind of talk with God about them. But how does the power of God's triumph, majesty, and guidance encourage you to claim his promises in your current battles? Maybe you can look back on a battle that you faced before and you think about how does God's triumph, majesty, and guidance build your trust in him? That you can look back, you can remember what God had just done to know that God's going to move here and now. That God isn't just going to disappear. He's not here one moment and gone the next. That he's there faithfully every single time.
And then two, what milestone moments of God's rescue and redemption can you celebrate through the power of worship just as Israel did? Or maybe say it another way, what moments of God's deliverance can you celebrate through worship? What can you maybe write down right now? You're thinking about what's God done in your life? How has he rescued you? How has he split waters in your life? How has he pulled you through? That you then can, this week I encourage you, take a moment and pause your life. Put on a worship song, maybe a song you know, maybe it's got words on the screen. And think about those times and just sing a song of praise to God. And then make this a habit going forward as you have those milestone moments where God comes through. And instead just going, "Hey, thanks God. Just going on with your life." But pause, worship God. Maybe write a song. I don't know. My daughter came into our room last night. She knows I was talking about this and she's like, "Hey, Daddy, have you ever written a song?" I said, "Yes, I've written one song in my life." And she goes, "No more?" I said, "Baby, songs are really hard to write. I just don't have the gift. I know people who can just like pop one out. I can't. The only song I ever wrote was to my wife when I proposed to her. That was it." Oh yeah, I know. But then she and her sister, they go into the garage, the only quiet space in our house, and she literally goes and writes a song. And she comes in and her and her daughter, it was just a precious moment. Her sister, sorry, there's daughter, my daughter, her sister. And they just start singing the song. And it's literally like two chords on the guitar. That's all she feels comfortable playing. But their heart of praise shine through. And I know how proud I was. I could only imagine how proud their Heavenly Father was. Looking down on them, seeing them give praise to God.
The power of God's triumph over chaos, His majesty, His salvation, always against His foes, guiding His people, bringing them home, call to corporate worship. Trust the power of God in your life today as your warrior. The one who fights for you, the one who stands tall, the one who has unmatched strength. And claim His promise to lead you to your promised land of Canaan. And to celebrate His victories through your worship. If you find an opportunity this week, share with somebody what God has done in your life. You don't have to sing to Him. That's okay. Maybe you would. Maybe we have some theater people in the room. Maybe you want to just do a little theater production and sing to somebody. But share. Maybe it's a family member, a friend, a neighbor, a co-worker. Don't keep inside what God has done in your life. Boast about this amazing God who deeply cares for you.
Let's pray. God, we thank you for how incredibly amazing you are. And I pray for us, God, today that we would recognize your power, your strength, your love. That we would trust you in our battles and that we would worship you wholeheartedly, Jesus. God, the reality is that maybe some of us, we kind of struggle with this warrior, God. We don't understand and we have questions that this side of heaven we just don't understand of why does a loving God allow so much bad in life and why doesn't God answer our prayers when we pray or questions about heaven or hell or evil or pain or suffering, God. I pray that your grace would overcome those. Not in the sense that you're not willing to wrestle or to answer them, God. But I pray that as they worship you, they spend time with you, they commune with you, they spend time in your word, they spend time through worship, they spend time in prayer, God, that you would begin to reveal those answers, you would begin to soften their hearts, you would open them up, God, for who you are in their lives. And Jesus, I pray for those of us who who need to invite you in as our warrior. For those of us who would say, God, I need you. I'm all alone, I'm by myself, I'm lost. I need you, Jesus. I need your strength, I need your triumph, I need your guidance. God, I don't have a heart of worship. I need you. I need you to put that worship into my heart, God. I'm backed up against the wall, my heels are in the water of the Red Sea. I don't know how I'm going to make it through. I don't know how I'm going to serve I've got God, I need you. I'm at the end of my rope. God, I pray that you would speak to their hearts, even right now. God, that you in this moment right here, right now, this is a divine appointment. We're not here by coincidence. We're not here by chance or happenstance. You're here, God, because you want to speak to their hearts. So if that's you today, you'd say, Chris, I need you to pray for me. I need Jesus in my heart. This is the first time I've done this. I've tried to figure this whole God thing out. I need you in my life. You just look at me and just make eye contact so I can pray for you. Thank you.
God, I pray for those who are needing you so deeply right now. God, I'm praying for those who are exhausted from trying to fight on their own. God, I also pray for those who are just celebrating in your victory. God, we're all at different seasons in life and that's okay. Sometimes we find victory and sometimes we feel like we're getting beat up. That's the amazing picture of a family. That we not only have you to encourage us, but we have one another who can pray for us and care for us and love for us. And so for those of you who would say you want Jesus this morning, just pray a simple prayer after me. And I would ask that nobody prays alone, that everybody who has accepted Christ in their lives, you would say this prayer out loud along with me. You would say, Jesus, thank you for your salvation. Thank you for your triumph and guidance. Thank you for your victory in my life. Jesus, I'm sorry for the sins that I've committed. I'm sorry for the way that I've chosen my own. God, I ask you, Christ, to come into my life. You would make me whole again. You would make me Lord or make you Lord and leader of my life. And I will live for you from this day forward in worship and celebration for the milestone moments where you delivered me. In Jesus' name. Amen.