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By Faith: They Passed Through The Red Sea

By Faith Series
July 11, 2021
Ryan Rainey, Campus Pastor, Vista Ridge Campus

Psalms 32:7 (NIV)
You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

Psalms 34:7 (NIV)
The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.

Psalms 34:17-19 (NIV)
The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all … .

Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

Hebrews 11:29 (NIV)
By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a miracle as: an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs.

I took a shot at defining it: A miracle is a surprising event that cannot be explained by natural or scientific laws and is, therefore, considered to be the work of God.

C. S. Lewis once explained that: a miracle is something unique that breaks a pattern so expected and established we hardly consider the possibility that it could be broken.

So here is how I describe miracles today: when God, who exists outside of time and space, enters time and space, whether just to wink at us, or poke at us briefly, to change something, or to come in and dwell among us for as long as he likes.

Exodus 14:31 (NIV)
And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.

First of Two Takeaways From This Lesson

• Living by faith means believing God can make a way where there is no way.

Exodus 14:11-12 (NIV)
“Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert.”

Exodus 14:13-14 (NIV)
“Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

Exodus 14:16 (NIV)
“Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.”

Exodus 14:21-22 (NIV)
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

Second of Two Takeaways From This Lesson

• Living by faith means that you believe enough to make a move.

Exodus 14:22 (NIV)
… the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and [a wall of water] on their left.

Isaiah 43:1b-3a (NIV)
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God … .

Matthew 28:20 (NIV)
“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Exodus 15:11-13 (NIV)
“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.

“In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling.”

Student Quote
“I was in a foreign land under the sentence of death, in bondage, but I took shelter under the blood of the lamb. Our mediator led us out, and we crossed over, and now we’re on our way to the Promised Land. We’re not there yet, but he’s given us his law to make us a community. And he’s given us the Tabernacle because you have to live by grace and forgiveness. And his presence is in our midst, and he’s going to stay with us until we get home.”

Exodus 14:13 (NIV)
“Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today.”

By Faith: A Seeking Faith (Enoch)

By Faith Series
July 11, 2021
Hunter Wheatcraft, Youth Minister, Farmers Branch Campus

Genesis 5:21-24 (NIV)
When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.

Two Fascinating Things About Enoch

• Enoch was taken into heaven instead of experiencing death.

• Enoch walked faithfully with God in a generation when nobody walked faithfully with God.

What I Have Learned Over Time Is That …

• People don’t have a hard time choosing heaven over hell.

• People have a hard time choosing heaven over earth.

• Faith is an act of choosing heaven over earth. The unseen over the seen. The unknown over the known. The future promise over the imminent possibility.

Hebrews 11:5-6 (NIV)
By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Faith In Two Aspects:

A Sitting Faith and A Seeking Faith

• A sitting faith is waiting on the Lord’s timing.

• A sitting faith is believing the Lord has something better for you.

• A sitting faith is confidence that one day, we too will experience the glory of Jesus in eternity.

• A seeking faith is asking questions about God.

• A seeking faith is confessing sins and asking for forgiveness.

• A seeking faith is praying for direction as you are already walking.

A seeking faith is pleasing to God because it participates in the work that God is doing.

Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV)
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

John 6:37 (ESV)
“… whoever comes to me I will never cast out.”

Communion

Are you pleasing God in your pursuit of Him?