Elevation with Steven Furtick - Green Light At The Red Sea

Episode Date: September 13, 2021

God is committed to your freedom. In “Green Light At The Red Sea,” Pastor Steven Furtick of Elevation Church shows us just how far God is willing to go to set us free.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Well, we're going to get to the message in just a moment, but I wanted to make sure you knew about elevation nights. It's going to be amazing. Eight cities, October 26th through November 4th. You've got to go to elevation nights.com to see if we're coming to a city near you. It's going to be me, elevation worship, a few friends, and you.

I want to see you there. I want to see you and everybody that you know there. Go to elevation nights. I can't wait to see you soon. Here's the message. I'm so glad you came today. I'm so glad that God directed your steps to be here and ordered your steps. I have a sneaking suspicion that you're about to find out why you had to come to church today, why you had to log on today, why you had to click that video today, and God's going to show you. Join me right now in Psalm 106. Turn your attention to Psalm 106.

Thank you, Lord. Oh, fill me again. Did y'all love that new song? Thank you, Jesus. Wasn't very convincing how y'all just clap. We're going to do it again next week anyway. You care if you liked it. I liked it.

Psalm 106, verse 7, When our ancestors were in Egypt, they gave no thought to your miracles. They gave no thought to your miracles. They did not remember your many kindnesses, and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea. Which sea? They rebelled by the Sea, the Red Sea. Yet he saved them for his namesake to make his mighty power known.

He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up. He led them through the depths as through a desert. He saved them from the hand of the foe, from the hand of the enemy he redeemed them. The waters covered their adversaries. Not one of them survived. Then they believed his promises and sang his praise. Then they believed his promises and sang his praise. But I want to go back to verse 9 for a moment where it says that he rebuked the Red Sea and it dried up.

He led them through the depths as through a desert. He rebuked the Red Sea and it dried up. My sermon title today is, green light at the Red Sea. When God gives you a green light at the Red Sea. Somebody shout, preach it, Pastor Fernick. Let's go. Be seated. Be seated. Be seated. Be seated. Be seated. Be seated. The parting of the Red Sea is one of the most celebrated.

events in the history of the nation of Israel. They still celebrate it to this day. It's worthy of celebration if you think about it because what did I write down in my notes? It's like 180 miles wide on average to cross it, the Red Sea. Now don't confuse it with the other bodies of water that are also significant in Scripture, the Jordan River, where Joshua led the people, cross a little bit later, or the Sea of Galilee where Jesus did a lot of his ministry. Or the Dead Sea, you know, where nothing is going out so nothing can come in. The constipated sea. And I don't mean to be unappetizing early in my sermon, but I just used that word, it came to my mind.

There are constipated Christians who spiritually, sorry to ruin your breakfast. But the Red Sea is significant, not only geographically and generationally but symbolically. It symbolized something so great for the people. It's no surprise that it's mentioned when Stephen was giving his speech to the Sanhedron in Acts Chapter 7. He talked about the Red Sea and what God did there. He mentioned it by name, the Red Sea. It's literally called the Sea of Reeds. but it was transliterated Red Sea.

And so you see that in Acts Chapter 7. And interestingly enough, you see it again in Hebrews chapter, or excuse me, in First Corinthians chapter 10, 1 Corinthians chapter 10, where Paul compares the Red Sea that the Israelites went through coming out of Egypt to baptism, the waters that we go through to become a new creation in Christ. And so he makes this very special connection that the people who originally went through it, would have never made, but with time and understanding the cross of Jesus Christ and the coming of the Holy Spirit.

He mentions the Red Sea. He doesn't even name it. He just calls it the sea. That's how special it was to these people. That's how much of an accomplishment and a miracle it was to these people. They didn't even have to name it, even though there's all these other different, it was the only body of water, but when they said the sea, they knew that God had to bring them through this sea, through this body of water to bring them into freedom.

And it proved two things when he did, because this is why it's so significant. It proved that God is committed to me being free. He will split a sea to get me free. Clap for that one, because it gets rough after that. He will remove a relationship to get me free. He will allow certain pain to do its job in my life like, well, Paul call it a thorn in the flesh. He's like, I don't really want to tell you what it really is, but I'm going to call it a thorn. I have this thing in my life. I have a prayer request. He told

his men's group, and I asked God to take it away. But God so wanted me to be free of pride so that I could receive grace that he gave me something that I wanted him to take away. He was so committed to me being free that he said no to me. So it's significant because it shows us that God is committed to me being free. I want you to write that down somewhere. your phone, but just put God is committed to me being free. More than he's committed to me feeling happy. More than he's committed to me being comfortable. More than he's committed to me being right. He's committed to me being free. That's the first thing that the Red Sea reminds us of and it represents in our lives. The second thing is that God is going to get his glory.

God is going to get his glory. If you don't put anything else in the chat, That's an all caps moment in the chat. God is going to get his glory. Somehow, some way you can resist it, but every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. God is going to get his glory. If he can't find a single soldier in the nation of Israel to fight Goliath, he'll bring a shepherd boy up with a lunch because God is going to get his glory.

His glory. Who is this uncircised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God? This is about God's glory. This is about His weight. This is about his name. This is about his strength. This is about his reputation. God is going to get his glory. If it means he has to tell a storm to be quiet and shut up and be still, to show that he is Lord, he will lead you through a storm to show you his glory. We want to avoid storms, but God won't let you avoid a storm if a storm is what it takes to show you is glory. He needs you to know that you're not dependent on the weather or the forecast or the sunshine or a dry boat to make it through. God is going to get his glory. With nails in his hands, he's going to get his glory. With nails in his feet, he's going to get his glory.

With a spear in his side, he's going to get his glory. Between two thieves, he's going to get his glory. Four days dead, Lazarus is coming forth for the glory of God. Even now I believe I will see the glory of the Lord. God is going to get his glory, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Because before God can get his glory, we have to go through some things. Our own Red Sea. Wish I could tell you I thought of this sermon while I was studying the history of Israel

and considering the theological implications and the philosophical and satirological implications of this text, as we referenced it in Old Testament and New Testament, surrounded by concordances and vine-strung Bible dictionary. But I was just driving to church last week, and the Lord gave me this sermon. It was actually a couple weeks ago. Holly was preaching. I had Grandma and Elijah. They were so excited that Donda dropped.

They were so excited. And I was excited to get to church to hear Holly preach. I was so excited because I didn't have to preach. I love to preach, but I really like to hear somebody else preach to, especially Holly. So I'm kind of, you know, navigating the speed limit, negotiating, you know, where the Lord would have me to sit and where he would have me to operate and function. And right before we turned into the church, Elijah and Graham are losing their minds, saying about, I'm off the grid or something like that.

And I'm going to turn in. And the person in front of me wouldn't go, and the light was green, right around the corner from where we turn in to come to Valentine. And my instinct was to hit my horn. Now I'm going to do a quick poll. How many? I'm going to see what kind of Christian you are. How many seconds do you give the car in front of you before you honk?

I'm going to count up. One second, two seconds, three seconds, put it in the chat, four seconds. seconds, five, six, six seconds. So it's been a good five seconds, and I want to see my wife, and I want to be at church. I'm running a little bit behind how the schedule that I wanted to be, because one of my kids was messing with his hair late until the very last minute. And I'm also realizing, like, Elijah's about to get his driver's license. He's got it now, but he was about to go take the driver's test.

It's a totally different test, by the way, now in North Carolina, and I know this international church, so I don't want to make this example too local. It's a totally different test than it was in South Carolina when I was 16. In South Carolina, when I was turned 15, all you had to do was show up and stumble in the driver's department and hit a few buttons on a thing, wait 30 days, and come back and drive around with a woman who terrified you within an inch of your life for about 20 minutes, and they handed you your license. In North Carolina, it's classes and it's hours, and it's an app and you have to log. And I think that's probably better, considering that these are our lives that we're putting

in jeopardy at this moment. It's probably a good idea to make it a little bit of a degree of difficulty, give them a little bit of bar to jump over. But it's different here. And so I'm thinking, this might be the last time that I drive Elijah to church. And I'm kind of emotional, but then the person in front of me won't go. And the light is green. And as I'm going to hit my horn, I had this, it's like the Holy Spirit spoke to me. You can't drive like this this close to the church.

I'm just being honest with you. If we'd been in Atlanta or something like that or I didn't have an elevation sticker, my tent was more on my windows and they couldn't see me, I'm going to do it. But the Lord said, you can't be this big of a jerk this close to the church. And I'm so glad I didn't home because they turned on and then went into the parking lot. to come here and then turned on their flashers because they were a first-time guest, and I'm so glad I didn't honk. Come on, praise God, that I didn't haunt. A lot of times I did, but this time I didn't, and God's not finished with me.

Small steps. When I read about the children of Israel going across the Red Sea, I not only see the water standing up at the right and the left, I not only hear the click-clack of the chariot wheels of Pharaoh's Cadillacs as he chased them down because he realized what he was losing. Oh, yeah, the enemy fights you the hardest when you're on the verge of a horizon, of a greater, true, or newer version of you that God has seen all along. And so I hear the chariot wheels, because I've read the story so many times, and I bet you've heard it once or twice, too. But this time when I read it, I heard God honking to tell his children, you've got to go. You've got to go after 400 years of generational oppression. And so, yes, I'm talking about some of the things that your parents struggled with and their

parents struggled with and their parents struggled with. Whether that is cycles of poverty, whether that is cycles of dysfunctional thinking, whether that is cycles of substance abuse, whether that is cycles of sexual confusion, whatever that is, that's what I'm talking about. And now God has seen the misery of his people, and he came down to do something about it. Psalm 106 is interesting because it's giving us a sort of a, I know you call this, a reflection on a revelation that God gave his people so many years earlier. Now, Psalm 106 is written to some people who are coming out of captivity.

And in the process of reflecting on that, this is a remembrance of what God did in Egypt. And he said, when our ancestors were in Egypt, they gave no thought to your miracles. They did not remember your kindness. And they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea. Now, you know, that really got me because I've always taught about and thought about how they rebelled in the wilderness. when they got out of Egypt. But the Red Sea, I always associated with faith. And I think you should too, because you probably never had faith that great in your life

to go through some water too deep to swim through. Well, it's so many people. I mean, good grief. I barely have faith for 485 traffic. You know what I mean? I'm just telling you the truth. I mean, I think it's great faith. The writer of Hebrews also mentions the Red Sea.

Remember earlier when I said Hebrews? This is the one I was thinking about. I just remembered it. He said, by faith, the children of Israel crossed through the Red Sea, though when their enemies tried to do it, they drown. So I always associated the Red Sea with faith. It was interesting to me that in this Psalm, in reflecting on it, he doesn't mention the rebellions that we typically know about. When they got in the wilderness and they started complaining, oh, we got to eat manna every day. Mom, do we have to eat this again? Moses, do we have to eat this Manna again. We're sick of manna. We used to have quail in Egypt. God, do I really have to go back

to this job? Well, you did pray for that job. Okay, but I'm not going to talk about that. Because it wasn't the wilderness wanderings that were in focus here. It was that moment when they had seen the hand of God and they had seen God afflict the Egyptians with the plagues, turned the Nile River to blood, and coming out of that loaded with the substance of Egypt to pay them back for everything that they didn't get while they were working for Pharaoh, at the moment when they should have been able to celebrate their freedom, they were attacked from behind. And Psalm 106 says they rebelled at the Red Sea. So I went back to read it. Because my first thing was, well, no, they didn't. They walked through the Red Sea. We sing about it a lot in church.

Turn seas into highways. Stuff like that. But I read it. And I realized they did kind of rebel. Let's read it together. Exodus chapter 14. It says in verse 10, You know what?

I think you deserve the other part too in chapter 13. I'm going to chapter 13. Just for you. In chapter 13, verse 17, it says, when Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said if they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt. Only God knows when you're really ready. Next verse says that, verse 18 says, so God led the people around by the desert road to toward the Red Sea. So now we see the reason for the Red Sea. The reason for the Red Sea.

You've been trying to figure out, why am I going through this? Why is this happening to me? And please do not try to play God in somebody else's life and answer that. Well, God is just using this to test your faith. Shut up and pass your own test and keep your eyes on your own Scantron number two pencil. But here, by the Spirit of the Lord, there's a revelation given. And maybe, I can't tell you the reason you're going through what you're going through. But maybe God will show it to you in these moments together today. It says the reason God brought them to the Red Sea was there were some things that if they were not drowned before they went across, they would be defeated when they got there. It says that they left Egypt ready for battle. Show them that verse, 18. They went up from Egypt, ready. Everybody say ready.

Say it again. Ready. That's what a green light means. You can go now. You're ready now. And sometimes we think it's ready, and God gives you a red light instead of a ready light, and you're like, God, I'm ready for this, I'm ready for something better, I'm ready for more, God, I want more influence. Are you ready for more responsibility?

Really ready? Are you ready to be the one who has to put up with all the crap as you're praying about a bigger income? Because that's what happens. Only God knows when we're really ready. They were ready for battle. Dressed for it, but not ready for it. Dressed for it, but not ready for it.

God said, if they face the Philistines right now, they'll get killed. And he was proven correct. Guess what? God was right. When they saw the Canaanites, when they finally got in the Promised Land after they crossed through the Red Sea, they wouldn't fight. They weren't ready. They were dressed.

like they were ready. They were looking like they were ready. They were posting that they were ready. They were hashtagging like they were ready. But they were really ready. Only God knows when you're really ready. You know how you shouted over the green light at the Red Sea? I wonder would you shout. Put up the other one. I wonder would you shout over this one. Show me how excited this is to you. Yes, Lord! Yes, Lord. Bring it on. I want my harvest. I want my blessing. I want my bo-ass. I'm a deep Christian. I read Ruth. Ask God for a king. And then you got Saul. You will start shouting over here. I know it's not natural, but do it real quick. You will start shouting over here. For when God says, I'm not taking the thorn away. I'm believing it to keep you grounded. I'm not moving the Red Sea. I'm moving you through it. And I'm sending the Egyptians to make sure that you keep moving because I know you'll go back if I don't do it.

Lord, when they listen to this message, please help them not to pervert the spirit of what I'm saying, because some of them will say that God is telling them they have a green light to walk away from something you called them to. And I don't want them to abuse my message and compare things to Egypt that are really the things that you've called them to stick out. So please, Lord, help that message not to be misinterpreted. In Jesus' name, amen. Now that I got that out of the way, you have to thank God for this. What does this mean? You must have had a South Carolina driver's test.

I said, what does this mean? The most basic thing in the world. And then let's don't even talk about. What does that mean? Yes, feed up. I know how you are. I see you driving. But take it down.

Take it down. This is not driver's ed class. This is... Church meeting. So how many of you have your driver's license? Right. So you did it. You didn't shout when I asked that.

You didn't dance. You didn't shake a tambourine. Remember how big it was when you did it? Remember when you were excited about that, Olivia, and you were shouting and singing about your driver's license, and it was a big deal? See, remember, I only can preach of what I live. And so having a kid who just got the driver's license, we started telling all the old stories. We went around table, I had some family over, over Labor Day, and everybody was saying,

but when I got my driver's license and when I got mine, and this is the rules when I got mine, this is the first wreck I got into, and this is the mailbox I crushed, and this is how I almost died. Isn't that funny? And Holly has this awful story about how when her older sister got her driver's license, they drove and they thought that the traffic lights were facing the wrong way in Miami, Florida. Because they had just had their contacts or what was it, your eye, went to the eye dilated. And so she's driving and she goes, huh, these traffic lights are going the wrong way.

No, you are. They're driving the wrong way. It's the traffic lights fall. You'll notice how we want to blame stuff? Like, oh, God, where are you? Where are you? He told you, put the things back up. He told you, put them up, put them up, put them up, put them on.

He told you, but you ran it. So, when it came my turn to tell, My driver's license story. Mine's pretty funny because I didn't even want to get my driver's license. I was scared to get it My dad comes home one day from lunch. She had a barbershop. He came home from lunch He goes, come on, we're going to get your driver's license. We're going to take the test in. We got in his Jimmy and You remember the Jimmy? We got in his Jimmy and when the woman came out when I came to back out in the parking lot the car cut off. She's sitting next to me and

And she said, you have two more attempts to start your engine. After that, this test will be terminated. And sure enough, I put it in reverse again. It cuts off, it cuts off three times. Three strikes you're out. She says, this test is over. We will now go back into the office. My dad, now you've got to think this is low country, South Carolina, 173 degree heat in the middle of July.

My dad's a big dude. He's running across the parking lot, like the father running to the prodigal. You know what I'm saying? He comes in. He goes, you have to know my dad. He's in heaven now, but you have to really know him to get this story, how funny it is. He goes, ma'am, ma'am, he's short on breath. The whole thing is very dramatic.

He goes, ma'am, ma'am, I'm so sorry. It's not his fault. I didn't prepare him. I didn't tell him. This old car, ma'am, when you put it in reverse with the air conditioning on, it cuts off. You have to cut off the air conditioning to make it. How many y'all had some cars before? How many y'all first car wasn't a bee?

How many of y'all first car wasn't a G-wagon? I preached to some swanky people. But this car, he said, I didn't tell him, you got to turn the air conditioning off before you back it up or it cuts off. Please, ma'am, please don't fail him. It's my fault, man. He's on the cross like Jesus, atoning for my sin. It's my fault.

I didn't tell him how to back up. I didn't tell him how to back up because every time I put it in reverse, it didn't work. She said, I'll give you one more chance. And when I turned off the air conditioning, the Red Sea party, I cruised through Highway 17A, I parallel parked the Jimmy, I pulled it back in the parking lot, and I got my license. Come on, it was exciting at the time. It was big at the time. It was huge at the time. But it didn't work every time I put it in reverse. I almost didn't get out of the time. of the parking lot to take my test. I almost failed the test in the parking lot because I put

the car in reverse. When God brought his people out of Egypt, he was bringing them into freedom, and he was getting his glory for himself. But the first thing they did, I want to show you this in Exodus 14 now. Now you're ready for Exodus 14. As Pharaoh approached, verse 10, The Israelites looked up and there were the Egyptians. What do the Egyptians represent? Something more powerful than them. It represents their past and really it represents their way of life, all that they've known. It also represents the provision that they've grown accustomed to receiving.

But now what they used to depend on is chasing them. All they can see in front of them is a Red Sea. Remember I told you, this is not a creek. You can't doggie paddle through this. Let me be clear. Some of you are there right now. The Red Sea can represent anything. I know some people think that the Bible is mainly a history book.

I don't think that. I think that the Bible uses history to teach theology. And so it uses the example of a body of water to get me to think that. about things in my life that I'm looking at going, I don't see how. I just really don't see how. I just, I was excited, I was dressed for battle, I had my underarmor on, I got my gym membership, I was ready, I had my Bible reading plan, I was ready, I was going to do it, this was going to be a new year, a new me, all that stuff.

I thought I was ready. I was ready for the promised land, but I was not ready for this Red Sea. I was not ready. I thought I was. I talked to somebody the other day. They were like, growing old is not for whims. I just didn't know. I thought I was ready to age gracefully.

I always said, I won't be this kind of person. I won't be that kind of person. I thought I was ready. And I was ready in a sense, but I wasn't ready for this barrier. I wasn't ready for this test. And the first thing that you do, when you come up on something that you were not ready for, Not ready at all. No training, no expertise, no swimming classes, no boat, no floats, no vehicle to get you across. And God said you've been feeling that way lately. I don't know who you are. I don't care if it's three of you or 30,000.

But God said you're standing in front of it right now, and it's what stands between you and freedom. It's what stands between you and freedom. And God's going to get his glory as you go through. As you go through. So now the word gets really deep because it says as Pharaoh was approaching them from behind, the people turned to Moses and say, verse 11, was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? Watch them put their faith in reverse. What have you done to us by bringing us up out of Egypt?

They are barely out of the parking line. church. They are barely out of Egypt. They are barely used to the idea or the concept that they are a mighty nation. And the car cuts off. The first thing they do is to blame. The first thing they do is to shift responsibility. The first thing they do, and we can understand it, is to want to return to what wasn't even working in the first place. I would rather serve them then die at their hands. This is exactly what they say. Let me teach you the Bible lesson. We've always heard the Red Sea as a story of great faith. But before they had great faith, watch at their fear. Great faith doesn't look like you think it does. I don't care what anybody tells you about

how long they pray or how much they believe God or how they taught their children how to knit quilts and pray for missionaries at the same time. That's all wonderful, but I promise you that Their testimony had a stage of terror. It's been terrorizing you, hasn't it? It's been terrorizing you. Some things you did in the past that you wish you could get back. It's been terrorizing you. Some things you didn't do to prepare and now you're not ready.

It's been terrorizing you, hasn't it? It's been chasing you, hasn't it? It's been making you want to give up on you, hasn't it? It's been making you sabotage yourself, hasn't it? It's been making you think maybe there's not a reason for me to go through. through it all, it's to make you want to turn around and go home. It doesn't work in reverse. You can't go back there.

And Moses is in a difficult dilemma, because now they want to go back to Egypt, and they're making crap up. They're making crap up. This didn't happen? Didn't we say to you in Egypt, leave us alone? This is verse 12. Leave us alone. Let us serve the Egyptians.

No, you didn't say that to him in Egypt. never said that in Egypt. If you find it, put it on social media and I'll meet up with you there. It's not out. You can't find it. They didn't say that. This is a revisionist history. So now I feel really bad for Moses, even more than I feel bad for them and I feel bad for everybody because I would be saying the same stuff. I would be having the same thoughts. I'd be wanting to go back to. I do it all the time. But Moses has to most. motivate them to keep moving. In fact, in verse 13, he answered the people, do not be afraid, stand firm, and you will see the deliverance. The Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians

you see today, you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you. You need only to be still. Now, part of that is true. The Lord will fight for you, but part of it is false. You don't get to be still. In fact, the moment Moses gets his motivational speech out of his mouth, God corrects him. I wonder did you ever read this about the green light at the Red Sea? I wonder did you ever really think about this? Because Moses is saying, hey, God's got this.

He told us to come through the Red Sea. He's going to do it. He's God. He's faithful. He brought us out. He didn't bring us this far to leave us. Just stand still. Watch God in verse 15.

Then the Lord said to Moses, Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites. Hong, honk, honk. Move on. That's God honking. That's not Pharaoh, Jason. That's God honking.

That restless thing inside of you that's letting you know you can't stay in these excuses and just be who you were 10 years ago. That's God honking. Beep, beep. Beep. Everybody said beep beep beep beep. That's God honking. That's a beep beep. Now, God will give you a courtesy honk before he lays on the horn.

And this is a courtesy honk from God. This word, this message today from God. through me to you, this is a courtesy honk from God. Because if you stay here in this dry spot and feel sorry for yourself or blame others or spend your time in reverse, you're not going to make it out the parking lot. You're not going to get to see the manna. You're not going to get to taste the grapes. You're not going to bring down the giant.

This is God honking. He said, if you stand there and stay in your feelings, I don't know if you noticed, but it said they were terrified. I guess they were. Well, see, I would it because the Lord fights my battles. Shut up. I don't want God to strike you for lying while I'm preaching. I'd have to call the ambulance and all of that.

Don't lie. The miracle is not in your feelings. The miracle is in your feet. It's not in your feelings. It's in your feet. What you've got to do is move. Move. Move.

Beep, beep, it's green. You've got the go ahead from God, even though it doesn't look like it, even though you don't see it, even though this is kind of an off-road season for you. And you've never been this way before, and you've never figured this out before, and you weren't educated for this. You've got a green light. And if you sit at this green light in this intersection long enough, look, God will give you the green light, but he's not going to drive the car.

Uh-oh. Looks like I hit a nerve. Y'all were singing, Jesus, take the wheel. He's like, nope. Ye, though, I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. I will fear no evil because you're with me. Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. It's in my feet.

He enables me to go through the valley. That's what he gave me grace for. Not to make it so that I never experienced a valley. Quit looking to external means of, testimony to the goodness of God. You've got to get a green light on the inside. You've got to get a green light on the inside to say, you know what? I know God is calling me to love this person, even though they get on my last nerves. That's what I mean by a green light at the Red Sea. When God enables you to do something that you could know, you could never do apart from him,

apart from me, you can do nothing. But I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. And I can do this too. God's going to get His glory. But you've got to go. You've got to go. I don't mean running from stuff. I don't mean moving cities. I mean walking by faith, not sight.

To pass through the sea. That's the reason he brought you to the Red Sea. Because the Egyptians can't swim that far. Oh, God. Too much. Should have been a series. This is all I came to prophesy today is you've got green. And you've got to go.

You've got to go. So where should I move? Tampa, Atlanta. You keep thinking it's about geography. It's not about geography. Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. I will fear no evil.

Though I walk through. I will fear no feeling. Well, I feel fear, but the miracle is not in my... Feelings. This in my feet. And you know what else Psalm 23 says? He maketh me lie down. He knows when it should be red. He knows when it should be green. He maketh me lie down in what pastors? Did you just say green? Does my whole sermon go together to get you to realize? that you've got green even in the valley, that he will feed you in the low place. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, you're depressed, yeah, yeah, yeah, you're anxious, yeah, yeah, yeah, you're screwed up, yeah, yeah, yeah, you did it, but he's going to bring you through anyway,

where's the organ, where's the organ, I need to celebrate, I need to celebrate, I need to celebrate, I need to celebrate if it's all by myself. I got that go-through anointing. I got that anyway. I've got that Red Sea revelation. He led me through the depths, like it was a desert. He brought me through dysfunction. He brought me into destiny. He led me through the desert.

He led me through the desert. The proof that God is leading you is not that it's easy. He prepare at the table for me in the Green Valley in the presence of my enemies. He's leading me. I'm not going the easy way. I'm going through the sea. I've been baptized in water. I've been baptized in the Father's love.

I've been baptized by fire and I shall come forth. As gold. As gold. I'm coming out of this refined. I'm coming out of this restored. I'm coming out of this. With a revelation. Because I got a green light.

at the Red Sea. I asked the Lord in coming to preach this message, what did he want to give you to get you through? And I said, show me, Lord, what you want to give them through. Because he gave Moses a staff. And I'm like, well, surely you can give them something. That rod and I staff, they comfort me. When Moses had a staff, David had a staff. God of Moses, God of David? What did he give Annabel? What was your name again, lady, that I said I was going to preach to? Kathy. What did he give Kathy? So I'm praying you. And the first thing God said he wanted to give you as you go through this red sea. Shout it again. You got green. You got green. I want to see green light emojis all in the chat when I watched this message

later this week. Because the first thing he said he wanted to give you was grace. Grace. Grace? Not just any kind of grace. Because we put that before we eat the casserole. Let's say grace. Not that kind of grace. He said he wanted to give you grace for your greatest embarrassments.

For the thing you won't talk about. For the thing you pretend like you got through. But you're really drowning in it. I won't stay here long because you'll pretend like you've got to go to the bathroom and get up and walk out if I keep talking about this. But this is between you and God. And he told me to say it just like that. He said, tell him, I want to give them grace for their greatest embarrassment,

for their most spectacular failure, for their most idiotic mistake. Remember, and I need to show you this again in Psalm 106, because I never saw it quite this way before. I thought the Red Sea was about faith. I didn't know what was also about failure. They rebelled. Please, one more time in the back end, I'll stop. I just want you to see this one more time.

Would you all be happy if I pick this up next week, too? Would you be happy if I... Let me know in the chat, because I think we need to keep talking about this idea that God will give you a green light, the strength and the assurance and the calling to go through something that you've never seen anybody else go through. And that you've convinced yourself,

I was telling my friend the other day, they were saying, well, you're going to get better at this and you're going to develop that. I said, I'm 41. I don't believe you. Stop lying. If I'm not all those things by now, I'm never going to be. I didn't even want to hear it, you know. I won't put it in reverse. I've always been this way. So now I'm going to be stuck in the parking lot. I'm going to be stuck outside of the peace of God because I want to go back to Egypt. My dad's running across. Give him another chance. Please. He's breathing heavy.

Thank God for second chances. You better voluntarily testify. Third chances. Fourth chances. Fifth chance. Because it said, it said, they did not remember verse 7. So they rebelled. When you don't remember, you rebel.

When you don't remember who God is. what He's done, what He's called you, what Jesus has done for you on the cross. When you forget that, your sole focus becomes what's in front of you and the Red Sea is big. So, of course, you want to go back. Where else are you going to go? But you just saw the Nile turn to blood. You just saw frogs cover the land. You just saw the first one of Egypt struck it because God will get his glory. He's committed to it. And God is committed to your freedom. They rebelled by the Sea, by the Red Sea. I knew they rebelled in the wilderness. I knew they rebelled at Sinai.

I remember they built the golden calf dancing around it, taking their clothes off and all that. But they rebelled before they even got out. They almost failed the test of faith in the parking lot on their way to the Promised Land. But what really got me was the word yet in verse 8. Yet he saved them for His name's sake. Don't you know He leadeth me in paths of righteousness for his namesake? Green pastures, still water. They rebelled, yet he saved them for his name's sake to make his mighty power known.

I wonder if God brought you to the Red Sea to give you a green light, to kill off the insecurities, to kill off the arrogance, to kill off the idols, to kill off the Egyptians. I wonder if he brought you to this not to kill you, because it wouldn't make much sense if he did all. of that to bring you out of Egypt and send his son to spare you and then left you here at this Red Sea, would it? They rebelled, but my soul got happy when I read what he did. Verse 9, he rebuked the Red Sea. See the symmetry of the text.

They rebelled. He rebuked. That's what God will do. I'm going to preach it boldly. God's going to do it for you anyway. going to do it for you anyway. But don't list your resume of all the good things you did, of why God should help you right now. You won't need any of that. It's not what you did that's going to get him to do what only he could do. He's going to do it in spite of it, in spite of

it, in spite of your stupid, in spite of your stubborn. He's going to give you grace for your greatest embarrassment and your kids will be. will live to tell of it, and your grandkids will know about it. He's going to save you anyway. I declare it. You got a green light, but you got to go. You got green. You got a green. You got green, but you got to go. I don't know. I don't know what grace you need, but God said I'm going to give you grace for your greatest embarrassment. But that's not all. The infomercial used to say, but wait, there's more. I don't know who would leave at this point in the sermon, but I encourage you to stay for this last thing I'm going to give you. I'm telling you right now,

God's spirit is in this place. The Word of God is alive and active. I'm preaching this. Whoever you are, the Lord said, it's green, it's green, it's green, it's green, it's green. You will make it, you will make it, you will make it, you will make it, you will make it, you will make it, You will make it." So he said, grace for your greatest embarrassment. He said he wanted to give you resource for your deepest need, not the one you think you need, the one he knows you need. If that's peace, you're going to have it.

It's going to be green in the valley. It's going to be dark, but it's going to be green. He said, I'm going to give you resource for your deepest need. Do you know what else he said? And I know when I hear God and when I'm just making stuff up, but all of these, he said he wanted to give you today. He said he wanted to give you energy. Whoa, you need it.

I can tell. He said he wants to give you divine power to demolish strongholds and a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit. your horn with oil and be on your way. It's greed. You've got to go. Thank you, Jesus. He said he wanted to give you energy for your most draining relationships. Don't look at anybody right now. Do not look at anybody right now. They will not like that. They will not like that. But just receive it. Just receive it. Just receive it. I wrote these down because I knew I'd forget the fourth one. What was the fourth one, Lord?

Oh, yeah. He said he was going to give you evidence. He said I'm going to give you evidence. Evidence for your most stubborn unbelief. You see that staff in your hand? That's evidence of God's faithfulness. You're going to point back to this Red Sea? I told Graham this morning, I'm going to write a song called

grandkids. It's going to say, I'm going to tell my grandkids about what God did. I don't know how the melody is going to go yet, but that's what I'm saying. God is going to give you evidence that will serve for a future generation to know the Lord. Wow. And to prove to you that he can be trusted. And the final thing, because I was like, Lord, that almost, the first letter of those almost spells green, the grace and the resource. Got any ease? Yeah, energy and evidence. I said, there's not a lot of words that start with in, Lord, we got to spell green here so they can remember this, because I want to tell the people, you got green. You got green. You don't have to stay here and die just because you feel afraid or just because you feel ashamed.

So the Lord spoke to me another driving word. He said, navigate. He said, I'm going to help you navigate your most complicated places. So that's what we mean about a green light at the Red Sea. The Red Sea's not going to move. God's going to give you grace for your greatest embarrassment. You don't think Moses was embarrassed that he killed an Egyptian and now he's having to deliver people who only know him as a murderer? And God gave him grace for that.

Think about the resources that were needed. Hey, did you ever see in John chapter 6 when Jesus fed the 5,000 with the little boy's lunch? Did you see it before? One thing I don't know if you ever saw, it said that they didn't have enough food. Can you put that verse up there? They said, here's a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many? So you don't have a lot of bread, but watch what they did have verse 10.

Jesus, I have the people sit down. There was plenty of grass in that place. That's a weird detail to point out. There's plenty of green. Yeah, just sit down in it for a second. God's going to give you somewhere to sit. He's going to give you something to sit in in this season. I know it in my spirit.

I declare it to your spirit. Do you receive it? Are you receiving this? I didn't come here to perform a speech for you. Do you receive this in your spirit? So listen. He said, I'm going to meet the deepest knee. You've been asking me for more friends, but I want to fix what's on the inside of you that

doesn't reach out to the ones you already have. So I'm going to give you a resource for your deepest needs. I'm going to give you energy for your most draining relationships. You're going to be putting up with people. I'm going to show you how to dodge them some too so you can save your energy. God's going to do this for you. He will do it. He will do it.

You've got a green light at the Red Sea. He's going to give it to you. And you're going to have the rest of your life when you pass through this season, the evidence of his faithfulness, and you can preach to your unbelief. Tell them who Jesus is to you. Tell them what God already did for you. You're going to be able to preach about this for the rest of your life what you're going through right now. You receive it?

That's God honking. But if you stand still. You die. You die inside. So that's why God's going to help you navigate. There's no way, Buck, I want you to come take this because I know what you're going through. And I had it in my heart for you to hang that up on your mirror and just remember that. All right?

I want you to show that to Miss Tammy too. But just lift your hands for a moment. Lift your hands for a moment. Lift your hands for a moment. The Spirit of grace. We need you. As deep water it's ahead and fierce enemies behind, but we've got a green light. Let us know we can do all things in greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world.

I speak to your people not to run away from problems today, but to move forward into your promises, confident of your presence. Now, Lord, your word has gone forth today. Your word has gone forth. You fed us the bread from heaven. We're just taking this moment with our hands lifted, just to let you know that we know that this sea doesn't part unless you speak. So when we ask you to make a way for us, we're not asking you to drive the car.

Finally, Lord, before I close my time of ministry, I want to pray for the person who has put it in reverse. They've been going back. But I see you running across the parking lot, Heavenly Father. I see you running across the parking lot. Talking about, give them another chance. Another chance. A greater grace.

And a new beginning. I declare it over your life today. In Jesus' name. Well, if you enjoyed today's podcast, there are a couple things I'd love for you to do. Make sure to subscribe, rate, and review this podcast. You can also help us reach others by investing today at elevationchurch.org slash give. And thanks again for joining us on the Elevation Podcast. This is an IHeart podcast.

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