- Sermon - Mickey Anders

Text: Exodus 14:19-31

Bear Gryll's is known for his amazing adventures in the popular television series, Man vs. Wild. In 2003 he set a world record for the first unassisted crossing of the frozen north Atlantic in a rigid inflatable boat. The expedition, which involved a five-man team of adventurers sailing the open boat across 3000 miles of the North Atlantic took a total of 19 days to complete. Apparently, there were some serous moments during a storm, and, of course, there is a book available for you to purchase.

Crossing the Atlantic has always been a grand adventure.

Cat-Link V, a 300 feet car and passenger double-hulled catamaran ferry with four diesel engines, crossed the Atlantic from New York to Bishop Rock outside Southampton, Britain, in two days, 20 hours and nine minutes -- the first such voyage in under three days.

French skipper Thomas Coville has set a new solo North Atlantic record 5 days, 19 hours, 29 minutes and 20 seconds on the trimaran Sodeb'O, subject to ratification from the World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC).

The 14-man rowing team left the Canary Islands on December 15, 2007 and arrived in Barbados 33 days, 7 hours and 13 minutes later after crossing the Atlantic Ocean, beating the old record of 35 days, 8 hours and 30 minutes, by two days.

New York Harbor 06/05/07 - The World Record Academy has officially recognized the Brown brothers for their use of "a flats boat - the Intruder 21" in a daring adventure covering (1547 miles) into the open Atlantic Ocean. Their journey started from Atlantic Beach, NC.,April 30, 2007 with a charted course to Bermuda, arriving May 2nd, then onto New York Harbor using only one boat, "a flats boat - the Intruder 21."

Using solar power only, the catamaran "sun21" undertook the first motorized crossing of the Atlantic with solar power to promote the great potential of this technology for ocean navigation. The "sun21" arrived in New York City on 8 May 2007, 3 pm, having covered about 7000 sea miles

We lest saw Moses when the tenth plague was coming on Egypt. If the people of Israel would put the blood of the lamb on their doorposts the angel of death would pass over them. It was a terrible and tragic day for Egypt, even for the Pharaoh's own family.

The Pharaoh proclaimed that the people of Israel could go. Moses had won. Moses and God had won this epic battle of wills.

5When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the minds of Pharaoh and his officials were changed toward the people, and they said, “What have we done, letting Israel leave our service?” 6So he had his chariot made ready, and took his army with him; 7he took six hundred picked chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them.

Imagine their situation:

"chariots and chariot drivers" are referred to 9 times in 2 chapters.

Pharaoh's power and sophisticated military machinery

Defenseless Hebrews fleeing on foot.

It was like our dreams where someone is chasing us and we can't get away.

The Sea was like the Israelites worst nightmare.

Israeites were like cats - not a water-loving species.

When they looked to the sea they saw nothing but the waters of chaos, the place where danger lurks.

They were not like the neighboring Phoenicians who were accomplished navigators and sailors and made voyages throughout the Mediterranean.

Exodus 14:11 "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness?"

They had nothing - no chariots, no vessel, no ship, no except God.

A better name for the Bible might be “Except for God!”• The Egyptians win! Except for God!• Goliath wins! Except for God!• The Midianites defeat Gideon! Except for God!• The cross defeats Christ! Except for God!

21Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land; and the waters were divided. 22The Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left.

The Tamud says the water did not part until someone actually stepping into the water.

23The Egyptians pursued, and went into the sea after them, all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and chariot drivers. 24At the morning watch the LORD in the pillar of fire and cloud looked down upon the Egyptian army, and threw the Egyptian army into panic. 25He clogged£ their chariot wheels so that they turned with difficulty. The Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the Israelites, for the LORD is fighting for them against Egypt.”

26Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and chariot drivers.” 27So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea returned to its normal depth. As the Egyptians fled before it, the LORD tossed the Egyptians into the sea. 28The waters returned and covered the chariots and the chariot drivers, the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea; not one of them remained.

Many of us have seas to cross. Some are starting new jobs. Others are beginning a new year of school. Still others are starting retirement and some are moving out of the old homestead and downsizing to a smaller condominium. Some of us are trying to overcome addictions and illnesses. There are may obstacles, many uncharted waters ahead. Will we move forward, or will we stay frozen in time, falling prey to difficult circumstances?

Chapter 13

19And Moses took with him the bones of Joseph who had required a solemn oath of the Israelites, saying, “God will surely take notice of you, and then you must carry my bones with you from here.”

Chapter 14

15Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to go forward.

Looking back with love. Looking forward with faith.

Evelyn Cartmill has chaired our 225th Anniversary Celebration and has done a marvelous job. As we have approached last Sunday's big event, she frequently has asked me, "What am I going to do now?" I think she has asked a prophetic question. What are we going to do now?

Moses took the bones of Joseph with him. We are going to take the bones of Lewis Craig, Ward Russell, and Richard Pope with us. We will take the memories of Mary Florence Jones, Mary Grace Davis, and Mary Sandusky with us. We will take with us the memories of the journey across the Blue Ridge mountains, the months on Gilbert's Creek, the move to South Elkhorn Creek, the influence of Alexander Campbell and Barton Stone, the years of fruitful ministry as a small country church, the years of growth and construction of building after building, the burning of the outhouse and the Elijah Craig bourbon! We will take the past with us just as Moses carried the bones of Joseph with him.

But now folks we stand on the edge of the Red Sea, and we can't go back. God says once again, "Go forward!"

Moses had the journeys through the wilderness and ultimately the Promised Land before him. We too have journeys ahead and the promised land of a glorious future. We must go forward with faith.

Will the Red Sea part for us? Will we walk across on dry land and watch our enemies destroyed? I don't know. But go forward we must.

The problem with miracles is that they don't always happen. Sometimes, but not always.

Someone said to me, "We should always hope for a miracle, but we can't always expect one." I think there is truth in that. It's been my experience.

I don't want to be one to question miracles. I certainly do believe God has the power to perform miracles. The Bible speaks of many like this one on the banks of the Red Sea.

But I am painfully aware that miracles do not always happen. And depending on them can sometimes be the wrong thing to do.

Ben Franklin said, "God helps those who help themselves." Many people mistake that for being in the Bible, but it was Ben Franklin who said it.

It's an old joke but I think it tells a significant truth. When a flood came to a certain neighborhood, the priest wound up on top of his house as the waters rose. Someone came by in a canoe and offered the priest a ride, but the priest said, "No thanks, God is taking care of me."

The waters rose deeper and a motorboat came by offering a ride, the priest said, "No thanks, God is taking care of me."

The waters were now very deep, and an helicopter came by to save him. Once again the priest said, "No thanks. God is taking care of me."

The priest drown and as he entered the gates of heaven, he complained to God that he had not been saved.*/

God replied, "Well, I sent you two boats and a helicopter!"

We can always hope for a miracle, but we should not expect one. There is always the temptation to sit and wait for God and do nothing ourselves.

Pray as if everything depends on God - Work as if everything depends on us.

Isaiah 43:2 "Whn you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you.

Romans 8

35Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all day long;

we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.