Rivertree Church

The Red Sea crossing is the climactic moment of the Exodus departure and becomes a way of talking about what God does in his rescue and work of salvation for his people. Not just here but also through Jesus.

The work of salvation that is being accomplished for God’s people is a work of God’s grace and one that brings real change.

“The Lord will fight for you, be still.” This means that salvation is not what we do but about what God has done. You can’t contribute to it.

To understand grace is to realize that God deals with His people not on the basis of their merit or worthiness, but simply according to their need. In other words, he deals with them on the basis of His goodness and generosity.

So then, grace is an unconditional release from the judgment we deserve, accompanied with undeserved blessing based on God’s mercy alone.

Tim Keller’s thought -
“We are saved by the object of our faith not by the quality of it.”

Charles Spurgeon quote -
“When you try to add to God’s salvation, you subtract. If you try to merit God’s salvation, you haven’t believed in God at all; you are trusting yourself, even if you try to do only a little bit.”

Martyn Lloyd-Jones asked, “Are you a Christian?” If they said, “Well, I’m trying” then Lloyd-Jones would proceed to explain that their answer indicated that they had no idea what Christianity is about at all. What makes one a Christian is a change in status/position.

At the Red Sea, the same body of water is the place of both judgment and salvation, just as the cross was both a place of judgment and salvation as it revealed the depths of man’s sin and our savior.

The Red Sea was a type of baptism, and thus it was “a forecast of our final deliverance in Christ.”

As those led by Moses came through the waters of judgment now in Christ we come with Him through the waters of death into new life.

The Red Sea was a moment where Israel either crossed over to life or didn’t and is still facing death.

Our faith placed in Christ is a belief that says I am no longer trying to save myself or justify myself to God but trust that Christ has done it all, and I am immersed in the this new reality of grace and God’s generosity to save sinner to turn them into saints.

Has that shift happened for you?
Have you crossed over?

Discussion Questions
What did God say to you during our Sunday gathering?
Where do you see the grace of God in the Red Sea crossing?
Do you sense the tendency to put merit in your good works before God? Why do you think we are inclined to move away from grace to a performance based relationship with God?
God’s grace creates real change. What kinds of things shift and adjust because of grace?
If there are two kinds of people, those who are facing death and those who have moved through death with Christ to new life. Have you “crossed over?” How do you know?
Can you experience a real positional change by faith in Jesus and still struggle? Share your thoughts.