As for You; As for Me
These words in ‘HEB 11:29 By faith they passed through the Red Sea as though
they were passing through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted
it, were drowned.’ took us back to Ex.14 a couple of weeks ago. And today I
want us to go there once more and hear what the Spirit is saying.
Scripture Reading: Ex. 14: 13-31
Verse 16 begins with these three words- “As for you…” And verse 17
begins with these three words- “As for Me…” Based upon these six words
here is the theme of today’s message: “As for you- As for Me.”
There is nothing that will wear us out any more quickly than failing to
distinguish between our responsibility and God’s responsibility. When this
happens we take upon ourselves the role of God while missing entirely the
role that God has assigned to us. Directing God is a burden we are not
designed to carry. Responding to His direction is true freedom and life.
This may be a very simple thought- but I can assure you it is a huge issue.
And for the next few minutes I want to work it out within the context of this
incredible event of the Exodus.
To fully appreciate what God spoke to Moses in verse 16 you must first
understand what He spoke to him in verse 15. Here it is: EX 14:15 Then the
LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel
to go forward.
In many respects I see this as the most pivotal moment in this whole event.
When would God ever say to His people- “Why are you crying out to Me?”
I think the answer is clear- and I think the lesson is critical. There is a time
to cry out to the Lord. But when God speaks His direction and we go right
on praying for direction- our prayer has become redundant. Beyond that it is
possible- highly possible- that our “ praying” has very subtly become our
way of avoiding the required obedience to His commanded direction.
To understand why God’s people might fall into this place we must first
understand the obedience to which the direction of God has called them. In
this case the command is very simple: “Tell the sons of Israel to go
forward.”
1
The whole command is actually expressed in two words: “…go forward.”
On some days the command-“…go forward” seems to be a lot more doable
than it does other days? And I can assure you that on that particular day
reported in Ex.14 there was no evidence in the sense realm of the do-ability
of “Go forward”. In fact every evidence in the sense realm shouted- “There
is no possible way to go forward.”
You need to see the position they were in. They have the sophisticated
military “machine” of Egypt quite literally breathing down their necks.
They are surrounded by wilderness in which there is no familiarity- no frame
of reference. The people are crying out to the Lord with one breath- while
cursing Moses and articulating all the reasons why this is never going to
work with the next breath.
Into the swirl of all of that there comes two words of direction from God-
“…go forward.”- and somehow that is supposed to dispel all the confusion,
all the fear and the negative emotion of a million or more people.
It is well and good to celebrate the prophetic and directive word of the Spirit.
But it is grossly immature and naïve to shut our eyes to the practical realities
involved in walking that word out.
“Go forward” is a wonderful word- depending upon what is immediately in
front of you. And we all know what was immediately in front of them that
day. “Go forward” on that day meant- go into the sea.
I spoke to you last Sunday on-‘The Vulnerability of Faith’. Well, here it is in
spades. As much as the church has romanticized the miraculous in this- let
us not forget the vulnerability of our humanity and of our senses.
To find yourself between two towering walls of something as instable and
fluid as water is to appreciate the incredible challenge of what seems to be a
simple word of direction from the Lord- “Go forward”
How can I say this? How can I articulate the conviction and the passion of
the prophetic reality that is in my spirit regarding where we are- and what
the God of the Exodus is saying to us right now? We are already beyond the
edge of the sea. We are somewhere between this side and that sidesomewhere
between what we left and what we are going to. And that can
only mean one thing regarding where we are right now- and that is we are
between the “water walls”. And moreover, we are experiencing a baptism
2
into spiritual realities, dynamics, and dimensions we have only dreamed
about.
The only option is to go forward into the sea or to return and remain where
we were. And yet for people of true Biblical faith there cannot finally be
such a thing as “return”. For as we have already discovered in the Hebrews
11 record- our hearts are not in the place we have left- our hearts are in the
place He has called us to possess.
For some individuals here this morning- and for KCF corporately, the only
way out is to proceed straight into the impossibility that is in front of you.
As David did when he ran toward the giant Goliath- the time comes for all of
us when we must run toward our fear.
And that’s the whole point. It is very possible that we try to go around, over,
and under- when the command of God is- “Go forward.” There is no
moment as critical to the future as that moment when we discover that we
can no longer avoid what He has called us to confront.
I will speak only of myself in this. But what I have been slow to understand
is that confronting the impossible in the obedience of my faith to His known
command and direction puts me in that happy place where it is His strength
in which I am marching through impossibility. On the other hand, when I
devise my own route of avoidance I am left to my own strength- and in that
unhappy place I soon discover that what I thought to be easily possible
becomes increasingly impossible.
This is where I return to the theme of this message- although it may appear I
have lost my way: “As for you- As for Me.”
At verse 15 we hear God say- “Go forward.”- which according to the
interpretations of the sense realm meant ‘Go forward right into absolute
impossibility.’ And this is where we discover the critical importance of
verses 16 & 17. God does not merely tell them to go forward into the
impossible. He gives them clear instruction regarding this journey through
impossibility.
Here is my paraphrase of this. ‘Now, Moses- regarding the possibility of this
impossibility- your role is this. Lift up your staff and stretch out your hand
over the sea and divide it. And while you are doing that, I am going to be
dealing with Pharaoh. So you do that- and I will do this.’ There is your
responsibility- and I have empowered you to do it. Here is My
3
responsibility- and if you try to take this on, you will have no grace to
handle it.’
What that meant was that the obedience of faith on the part of Moses would
deal with the impossibility of the sea. At the same time God would deal
with the enemy.
The journey from here to the field is no different. As we obey God in going
forward- God will deal with the enemy at our heals. Our business is to
respond in faithful obedience to the various directives He sets in front of us
on this journey. His business is to establish what is in His heart concerning
us through that faithful obedience. And in this we must not take upon
ourselves that role which He has reserved uniquely for Himself.
4
they were passing through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted
it, were drowned.’ took us back to Ex.14 a couple of weeks ago. And today I
want us to go there once more and hear what the Spirit is saying.
Scripture Reading: Ex. 14: 13-31
Verse 16 begins with these three words- “As for you…” And verse 17
begins with these three words- “As for Me…” Based upon these six words
here is the theme of today’s message: “As for you- As for Me.”
There is nothing that will wear us out any more quickly than failing to
distinguish between our responsibility and God’s responsibility. When this
happens we take upon ourselves the role of God while missing entirely the
role that God has assigned to us. Directing God is a burden we are not
designed to carry. Responding to His direction is true freedom and life.
This may be a very simple thought- but I can assure you it is a huge issue.
And for the next few minutes I want to work it out within the context of this
incredible event of the Exodus.
To fully appreciate what God spoke to Moses in verse 16 you must first
understand what He spoke to him in verse 15. Here it is: EX 14:15 Then the
LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel
to go forward.
In many respects I see this as the most pivotal moment in this whole event.
When would God ever say to His people- “Why are you crying out to Me?”
I think the answer is clear- and I think the lesson is critical. There is a time
to cry out to the Lord. But when God speaks His direction and we go right
on praying for direction- our prayer has become redundant. Beyond that it is
possible- highly possible- that our “ praying” has very subtly become our
way of avoiding the required obedience to His commanded direction.
To understand why God’s people might fall into this place we must first
understand the obedience to which the direction of God has called them. In
this case the command is very simple: “Tell the sons of Israel to go
forward.”
1
The whole command is actually expressed in two words: “…go forward.”
On some days the command-“…go forward” seems to be a lot more doable
than it does other days? And I can assure you that on that particular day
reported in Ex.14 there was no evidence in the sense realm of the do-ability
of “Go forward”. In fact every evidence in the sense realm shouted- “There
is no possible way to go forward.”
You need to see the position they were in. They have the sophisticated
military “machine” of Egypt quite literally breathing down their necks.
They are surrounded by wilderness in which there is no familiarity- no frame
of reference. The people are crying out to the Lord with one breath- while
cursing Moses and articulating all the reasons why this is never going to
work with the next breath.
Into the swirl of all of that there comes two words of direction from God-
“…go forward.”- and somehow that is supposed to dispel all the confusion,
all the fear and the negative emotion of a million or more people.
It is well and good to celebrate the prophetic and directive word of the Spirit.
But it is grossly immature and naïve to shut our eyes to the practical realities
involved in walking that word out.
“Go forward” is a wonderful word- depending upon what is immediately in
front of you. And we all know what was immediately in front of them that
day. “Go forward” on that day meant- go into the sea.
I spoke to you last Sunday on-‘The Vulnerability of Faith’. Well, here it is in
spades. As much as the church has romanticized the miraculous in this- let
us not forget the vulnerability of our humanity and of our senses.
To find yourself between two towering walls of something as instable and
fluid as water is to appreciate the incredible challenge of what seems to be a
simple word of direction from the Lord- “Go forward”
How can I say this? How can I articulate the conviction and the passion of
the prophetic reality that is in my spirit regarding where we are- and what
the God of the Exodus is saying to us right now? We are already beyond the
edge of the sea. We are somewhere between this side and that sidesomewhere
between what we left and what we are going to. And that can
only mean one thing regarding where we are right now- and that is we are
between the “water walls”. And moreover, we are experiencing a baptism
2
into spiritual realities, dynamics, and dimensions we have only dreamed
about.
The only option is to go forward into the sea or to return and remain where
we were. And yet for people of true Biblical faith there cannot finally be
such a thing as “return”. For as we have already discovered in the Hebrews
11 record- our hearts are not in the place we have left- our hearts are in the
place He has called us to possess.
For some individuals here this morning- and for KCF corporately, the only
way out is to proceed straight into the impossibility that is in front of you.
As David did when he ran toward the giant Goliath- the time comes for all of
us when we must run toward our fear.
And that’s the whole point. It is very possible that we try to go around, over,
and under- when the command of God is- “Go forward.” There is no
moment as critical to the future as that moment when we discover that we
can no longer avoid what He has called us to confront.
I will speak only of myself in this. But what I have been slow to understand
is that confronting the impossible in the obedience of my faith to His known
command and direction puts me in that happy place where it is His strength
in which I am marching through impossibility. On the other hand, when I
devise my own route of avoidance I am left to my own strength- and in that
unhappy place I soon discover that what I thought to be easily possible
becomes increasingly impossible.
This is where I return to the theme of this message- although it may appear I
have lost my way: “As for you- As for Me.”
At verse 15 we hear God say- “Go forward.”- which according to the
interpretations of the sense realm meant ‘Go forward right into absolute
impossibility.’ And this is where we discover the critical importance of
verses 16 & 17. God does not merely tell them to go forward into the
impossible. He gives them clear instruction regarding this journey through
impossibility.
Here is my paraphrase of this. ‘Now, Moses- regarding the possibility of this
impossibility- your role is this. Lift up your staff and stretch out your hand
over the sea and divide it. And while you are doing that, I am going to be
dealing with Pharaoh. So you do that- and I will do this.’ There is your
responsibility- and I have empowered you to do it. Here is My
3
responsibility- and if you try to take this on, you will have no grace to
handle it.’
What that meant was that the obedience of faith on the part of Moses would
deal with the impossibility of the sea. At the same time God would deal
with the enemy.
The journey from here to the field is no different. As we obey God in going
forward- God will deal with the enemy at our heals. Our business is to
respond in faithful obedience to the various directives He sets in front of us
on this journey. His business is to establish what is in His heart concerning
us through that faithful obedience. And in this we must not take upon
ourselves that role which He has reserved uniquely for Himself.
4