The Keys Of The Kingdom
Minister: | Rev. Ronald Van Overloop |
Date: | 10/14/2012 PM |
Text: | Matthew 18; Lord's Day 31 |
Psalters: | 279, 244, 380, 132 |
- Trapped Israel.
- The pillar of cloud led Israel along the western (“wrong”) side of the Red Sea, away from Canaan.
- The children of Israel reacted with great fear and cried out in bitter complaint (10b-12; Ps. 106:7).
- Moses courageously responded (13-15).
- God “saved them for His name’s sake, that He might make His mighty power to be known” (Ps. 106:8).
- God told Moses to “lift thou up thy rod and stretch out thine hand over the sea and divide it” (16).
- The angel of God in the cloudy pillar moved behind Israel (19,20).
- God brought a strong east wind all night (21b; 15:8) as His instrument to “rebuke the Red sea” (Ps. 106:9).
- By faith Moses and Aaron obediently led Israel forward.
- Israel tramped through the Sea in the darkness of a severe thunderstorm and during an earthquake (Ps. 77:16-18).
- As the wind and sea obeyed their Maker, so Israel by faith obey their Redeemer, following the lead of Moses and Aaron.
- The great salvation was more from the Egyptians, for the sea was the means to deliver them from Egypt.
- After most of them were in the midst of the sea, God took off their chariot wheels (25).
- Moses obeyed God’s command and the walls of water collapsed on the pride of Egypt, delivering Israel.
- God told Moses to “lift thou up thy rod and stretch out thine hand over the sea and divide it” (16).
- The passage through the Red Sea signifies, as baptism does, deliverance from sin through the washing of Jesus’ blood.
- The reality of this sign is grasped only by those exercising faith.
- It was all grace.
- As a picture of baptism, it portrays being washed, being cleansed by being separated from sin.
- This event pictures the union we share with those baptized with us.
- It admonishes us to live godly in humble repentance and not take this deliverance for granted (I Cor.10:1-6).