1. The crossing of the Red Sea is one of the most remarkable miracles recorded in the Bible.
2. It is mentioned many times throughout the Bible. Rahab the harlot said to the two spies, "For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt" (Joshua 2:10; cf. 24:6,7).
3. Some eight hundred years later, the Lord spoke through the prophet Isaiah, "I am the LORD thy God, that divided the sea" (Isa. 51:15).
4. The prophet Nahum said, "The LORD…rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry" (Nahum 1:4).
5. The parting of the Red Sea is referred to MANY TIMES IN THE Bible as a reminder of God’s redemption, His faithfulness, and His power.
6. The parting of the Red Sea is referred to in the book of Nehemiah, many times in the book of Psalms; it is referred to by the prophets Isaiah, Micah and Jeremiah, and many times in the NT, including the book of Acts, I Corinthians 10, Hebrews, and Revelation.
7. Not surprisingly, this wonderful miracle has been attacked over and over by Satan and his emissaries.
8. Liberal critics have taught that the Israelites did not really cross the Red Sea. Some even teach that it was really the "Reed Sea," a shallow creak only a few inches deep. Well then, if that were true it would be an even greater miracle – can you imagine the entire Egyptian army drowning in only a few inches of water?! (cf. Exodus 14:29; 15:4).
9. Let us look at this great miracle this morning. Crossing the Red Sea is…

I. A PICTURE OF CONFLICTS.

1. Notice the Israelites were being pursued by Pharaoh (Ex.14:1-4).
2. They were "entangled in the land" (14:3).
3. They were "shut in" (14:3). This is the way it was for us before God saved us – pursued by the devil (Pharaoh), entangled in this mixed-up world (Egypt), and shut in with nowhere to go.
4. Many people today feel shut in, but rather than call upon the Lord, they turn to drugs and alcohol and illicit sex and materialism, etc.
5. Before going further, let me say this: no matter how badly you are shut in, God has a way out. If He can open up the Red Sea, He can make a way for you.
6. Here in Exodus 14, we see the providence of God. Humanly speaking, it looked like the Israelites were hopelessly trapped, but God knew that Pharaoh would assume the Israelites were lost in the desert (14:3).
7. The Israelites were shut in (14:4b). There was no human way of escape. Pharaoh’s horsemen and chariots were fast upon them.
8. Oftentimes we are pursued, and shut in, and do not know which way to turn. Be not dismayed; God has a purpose. Here God says, "that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD" (14:4, 18).
9. God was dealing with the Egyptians, and God was dealing with the Israelites, and God is dealing with each and every person, one way or another.
10. It is how we respond to God’s dealings that makes all the difference. For example, Moses trusted in the Lord and obeyed Him, but Pharaoh hardened his heart against God (5:1, 2; 8:15).
11. Unsaved friend: God is dealing with you one way or another. Don’t be like Pharaoh. Humble yourself before God and He will save you if you repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
12. But Pharaoh would not repent. And Pharaoh would not believe. Here we see once again the pride and spiritual blindness of Pharaoh. God had already sent ten plagues upon the land of Egypt but Pharaoh, consumed by pride and hatred, pressed on to his own destruction (14:5-9).
13. Pharaoh had forgotten about the judgments of God. And he remembered the great service the children of Israel had rendered him whilst they labored in Egypt all those years. And so he and his horsemen, and his chariots and the whole Egyptian army raced through the wilderness, determined to capture the Israelites.
14. How foolish it is to fight against God! (cf. Ex. 14:27, 28).

II. A PICTURE OF UNBELIEF.

1. The Israelites were "sore afraid" (14:10). They too had forgotten how God had brought them out of Egypt. Their eyes were on the Egyptians, rather than on the Lord (14:10a).
2. We are reminded of Simon Peter. Once he took his eyes off the Lord, he started sinking (Mat.14:29-30).
3. Their faith was so weak, they said they’d rather go back to Egypt than put their trust in God (14:11, 12).
4. God was leading the Israelites by a pillar of a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Ex. 13:21, 22).
5. The pillar of cloud and pillar of fire represent the Holy Spirit, leading and directing the people of God. As long as the Israelites kept looking up and walking by faith, they were doing fine.
6. Let me ask you: Who is leading you? When people are led by the Spirit of God, and they go to church, and read their Bibles, they are moving forward and doing fine. But once they get away from God they’re in trouble.

III. A PICTURE OF REDEMPTION.

1. It has been rightly said that Exodus is the book of redemption. Redemption is a work of God. Man has nothing to do with it (cf. Ex. 14:30a). Certainly the Israelites were helpless. Only God could redeem them and deliver them. All of the world’s religions teach a works salvation, but the Bible teaches that salvation is by God’s grace, and only God’s grace.
2. Exodus 12 (the passover) teaches that redemption is by blood, and Exodus 14 and 15 teach that redemption is by power (cf. 15:6).
3. Redemption is wholly of God. Moses encouraged the frightened Israelites – "Fear ye not, stand still…" (14:13).
4. People are always trying to do something to get saved. God says, "Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD" (14:13).
5. Unsaved friend, I hope you can see the salvation of the LORD (14:13). There is absolutely nothing you can do to be saved. Jesus has done it all. All a sinner needs to do is to look to Christ and His finished work on the cross – "Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD."
6. The pillar moved between the Israelites and the Egyptians, indicating that God had become a wall of protection for Israel (14:19, 20). When you put your trust in Jesus Christ, He is a wall of protection – from the power of sin, and from the guilt of sin, and from the penalty of sin.
7. Notice also that the pillar gave light to Israel but darkness to Egypt (14:20). In the Bible, Egypt represents the world. The Egyptians were in darkness; they did not know God. All unsaved people are in darkness and cannot see the light because they do not know God.
8. "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil" (John 3:19).

IV. A PICTURE OF JUDGMENT.

1. The parting of the Red Sea meant deliverance for Israel, and it meant judgment for Egypt (14:21-31).
2. The Red Sea is a picture of death. Those who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ make it through safely to the other side.
3. Jesus said: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life" (John 5:24).
4. The crossing of the Red Sea speaks of Christ making a way through death for those that believe in Him. Do you believe in Him?
5. Hebrews 11:29 says, "By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned."

CONCLUSION:

1. The Red Sea symbolizes death. Some preachers teach that the Jordan River symbolizes death, and when a Christian dies, he crosses over the Jordan into heaven. I do not agree with that. Beloved, there will be no wicked, idolatrous Canaanites and Jebusites in heaven.
2. We crossed over the Jordan River when we got saved. We still have to deal with the flesh (Canaanites, etc.), but we are enjoying the blessings of God in the Promised Land.
3. There are many similarities in both crossings, but the Red Sea is different than the Jordan River. The Red Sea symbolizes death. Those who believe in Christ make it through to the other side. Those who don’t believe are destroyed like Pharaoh’s army. It is tragic and horrible when the unsaved cross over and meet death. Destruction and eternal punishment in hell await them.
4. I heard on the radio that Khalid Muhammed died. He rejected Jesus Christ and he embraced Islam. He was very bold and arrogant when he was alive but where do you think he is now?
5. Oftentimes while out knocking on doors I will try and warn some lost sinners about their need to get saved. They invariably tell me that "everything’s OK," they’re doing "fine," etc.
6. Just as the Egyptians were shocked to see the sea return to its strength (14:27, 28), these lost souls will be shocked as they hurtle down into the pit of hell.