Friend, on the cross Jesus stretched out his hands, gave up His life and poured out blood like the Red Sea, putting our enemy to death, baptizing us into His death, buying our way out of the slave market while He, Himself, was nailed like a slave to the cross. The Lord drove the Red Sea of our sin back with His hands while delivering us from our sin slavery. The cross is our dry and stable ground where we are able to “stand firm”, and it keeps us from sinking back into the deep waters of sin. We’ve all experienced wave after wave of sins power over us, but when Jesus was on the cross the waters of our sin were divided and we walked through on dry ground, were baptized into Christ’s death, buried with Him in the grave and were raised with Christ from the dead by the glory of the Father.
“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3-4 (ESV).
“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.” 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the Lord threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. 28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained. 29 But the people of Israel walked on dry ground” Exodus 14:26-29 (ESV)
“I called forth the mighty army of Egypt with all its chariots and horses. I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned, their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick” (Isaiah 43:17).
The Red Sea cut off the route back to the land of Egypt where there was nothing but bitter labor, miserable living, slavery and death. As we keep our eyes fixed on the cross we see our fear wiped out, knowing that we can stand firm and see the victory and salvation of the Lord. We do nothing but watch God work through Jesus who took the punishment for our sins and whose blood flowed like a flood to save us and set us free from our land of slavery and baptize us in the Red Sea of His love. The cross blocks our way back to slavery, showing us that we died to that life in the body of Jesus Christ, and have risen to new life, on the other shore.
“Give thanks to him who parted the Red Sea. His faithful love endures forever. 14 He led Israel safely through, His faithful love endures forever. 15 but he hurled Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea. His faithful love endures forever. 16 Give thanks to him who led his people through the wilderness. His faithful love endures forever” (Psalm 136:13-16 NLT).
“For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea” (1 Corinthians 10:1-2 ESV).
Question 5: Have you seen the cross and all its wondrous, marvelous and glorious power today? Please share your thoughts.
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Miles writes, "I love seeing the cross in the old testament, Thank you for the insights, now whenever I read the old testament I look for the cross and gospel. I love how in the Red Sea account the Israelite's could not see the way of escape and longed to be back in slavery, yet God stretched out his mighty hand and provided them a way to escape. Sometimes in my evil desire I do not see a way out and even long to be enslaved again to the pleasure of sin, but God has shown me how truly enslaved I have been at that for freedom Christ has set me free and by his grace on the cross I can say no to my evil desire."
Peter writes, "YES. Thank the LORD. He is my Redeemer, Savior, Deliverer, High Tower and Shield. He is my ever present help in times of trouble. In looking to the cross I see deliverance, victory, hope and assurance of eternal life. The enemy, my flesh, the lure of the world is vanquished in the blood atonement of Jesus Christ."
"Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses." Exodus 14:30-31 (ESV)
The Lord wanted the Israelites to SEE the salvation of the Lord. He wanted them to SEE the enemy dead on the seashore. And He wanted them to SEE the great power the Lord was “for them” but “against their enemy.” Like Jesus when He lifted up His arms to save and sanctify us but “disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (Colossians 2:15).
Jesus was under the waves of the Red Sea as they came crashing down on Him, crushing Him as He was gasping for one more breath to save one more life, wave after wave of God’s judgment engulfed Him. Oh, friend, when you look to the cross do you see the salvation of the Lord? Do you see the enemy defeated but the great power of the Lord working for you? Look at Jesus on that cross dying for you, healing you with His wounds and rising to life to save and sanctify the church beneath His cleansing flood.
Question 6: How will the illustration in this lesson provide hope, encouragement and strengthen the church? Reminding all that the escape route is through the Red Sea where Jesus went up Calvary’s hill, stretched out His arms and shed His blood in the Rea Sea providing God’s forgiveness, love, mercy and grace to us, and the way of escape from sins slavery and power?
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