JESUS LEADS US THROUGH HIS SEA OF REDEMPTION INTO NEW LIFE
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“Your path led through the sea, Your way through the mighty waters, though Your footprints were not seen.” – Psalm 77:19 –
The Almighty God leads His people, the Israelites, out of slavery in Egypt with His “mighty hand and outstretched arm” (Psalm 136:12) … a miraculous deliverance. As their Yahweh God wondrously parts the sea before them, His chosen ones follow in faith the path to freedom.
What applications can we draw from the miraculous deliverance of the Israelites to our own Christian walk?
⇒ We step out in faith and follow Christ, leaving our past behind
“By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light.” – Exodus 13:21
In faith, the Israelites leave their homes in Egypt… and all they have ever known… to follow their Yahweh God. Manifesting as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, He leads them on His new path, guiding and protecting them along their wilderness journey.
“I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” – John 8:12
When we come to believe in Christ, we step out in faith, leaving our familiar life behind. We follow the One who is the Light of the World. Our Savior shepherds us on our spiritual journey… lovingly looking after us, leading us along His path and lighting the way before us.
⇒ We escape the bondage of sin and the clutches of the enemy
“Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today… the Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” – Exodus 14:13-14
God calls the Israelites to escape the yoke of bondage placed upon them by the Egyptians. He promises to be their Warrior God, delivering them from their enemy. After walking through the dry seabed, God’s chosen ones watch in amazement as their pursuing enemies are inundated by the waters of the rebounding sea.
“While I was with them, I protected and preserved them by Your name, the name You gave Me. Not one of them has been lost.” – John 17:12
Jesus calls us to escape the yoke of bondage to sin and evil placed upon us by the evil one himself. Our Lord has won the victory. He is our Deliverer. We are no longer in captivity. Jesus leads us out of bondage to sin and delivers us from oppression by the enemy.
⇒ We are born again in Christ and set apart as His chosen ones
“In Your unfailing love You will lead the people You have redeemed. In Your strength You will guide them to Your holy dwelling.” – Exodus 15:13
God selects the Israelites to be His people. He sets them apart from all other nations to be His chosen ones. He redeems them from captivity and baptizes them unto Himself in the waters of the sea. They become His prized possession.
“Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” – John 3:3
God chose us before the foundation of the world to be His (Ephesians 1:4). Jesus Christ our Savior leads us through the waters of spiritual rebirth into His blessed hope. We are born again by the Spirit. Our Redeemer sets us apart as His very own treasured ones.
⇒ We leave the old behind and begin a new life of freedom
“The Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. That day the Lord saved Israel.” – Exodus 14:29-30
God works a miraculous deliverance in saving His people. He divides the sea before the Israelites as they journey to safety. The old life is left behind in the waters of the sea… and a new life opens up before them. They follow their Deliverer who leads His people to freedom.
“If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” – John 8:36
Jesus miraculously saves us when we come to Him in faith. He paid the ultimate price for our freedom. Our old life is buried with Him. Our past is washed away in His sea of redemption. The same power that raised Christ from the dead raises us up to walk in newness of life in Him.
⇒ We place our ultimate hope in the promise of eternal life
“You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of Your inheritance—the place, O Lord, You have prepared for Your dwelling.” – Exodus 15:17
In their wilderness wanderings, the Israelites place their trust and hope in their Yahweh God. He brings His chosen ones to the land of Canaan – the Promised Land – where He establishes His name. Here He leads them into His rest.
“Everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” – John 6:40
In our spiritual journey, we place our faith and ultimate hope in the resurrected Christ. Our faithful Lord guides us on His path that leads ever homeward. He promises that He will bring us into His everlasting kingdom to live with Him forever.
Like the Israelites, we have experienced a miraculous deliverance… from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of Light. The footprints of the One we follow are unseen. Yet we walk by faith into the freedom Jesus won for us on the cross. For we have been redeemed at highest cost (1 Corinthians 6:20) out of our Savior’s love for us.
