LIVING FORWARD
Exodus 14:10-31
INTRODUCTION
Good morning, church! It’s so good to be with you this morning. I count it a great privilege to worship together, to open God’s Word, and to seek His presence with you.
Gathering like this just helps to serve as a reminder that we are a part of something bigger than ourselves. God is at work, establishing His Kingdom (on earth as it is in heaven), and we get to be a part of it. He’s writing this amazing Kingdom story. And He’s written us in!
Just a great reminder that He’s been faithful in the past, He’s with us in the present, and He’s leading us into the future.
Well, this morning I want to talk with you about Living Forward. I want us to explore what God’s Word has to say about honoring Him with each step we take. And each of those steps should be forward in the direction He is leading us.
It’s about living a life of freedom and purpose. So, not just freedom — where we’ve been set free from something. But also purpose — noting that He has called us to something! A mission. God’s mission, and we’re supposed to do so in His power.
TRANSITION
If you have your Bible, turn with me to the Old Testament book of Exodus. There’s an incredible story of victory told in chapter 14.
If you’re familiar with the story of the Exodus, then you’ll recall the man named Moses. He was born into slavery, adopted into royalty, ran to obscurity, and then at the age of 80 years old, God called Him to lead with authority.
All of that began when Moses humbled himself before a burning bush in Exodus 3 and 4. But, by the time we pick up this story in Exodus 14, a lot has happened since the burning bush. By way of overview, Moses has obeyed the Lord and confronted Pharaoh, he and the people of Israel have endured the plagues, and God has led Israel out of Egypt and the bondage of slavery. So, for the first time in over 400 years, God’s people were free!
But freedom wasn’t the finish line—it was the starting gate. Egypt was behind them, but the Promised Land was still ahead. They stood between deliverance and destiny: the Red Sea before them, Pharaoh’s army behind them, fear rising, faith faltering.
And right there, in Exodus 14:15, God gives a command that still defines the direction of every believer’s life:
“Tell the Israelites to move on.”
In other words: Don’t stop here. You weren’t rescued to retreat. You were saved to move forward into God’s plan, His mission, and your calling.
Just as a compass points north, God’s presence always points us in the right direction. The question is: will we follow?
1. MOVE FROM FEAR TO FAITH
When the Israelites saw Pharaoh’s army approaching, they panicked.
“They said to Moses, ‘Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us out here to die?’” (v. 11)
What a dramatic statement! Egypt was known for its tombs and monuments to the dead—and yet here they are, sarcastically saying, “Moses, were there not enough graves back there?” Fear makes us say foolish things.
Fear has a way of distorting our perspective. It blurs our memory of God’s faithfulness and magnifies the threat in front of us. What had been a miracle of deliverance now felt like a setup for disaster. The same people who just marched out in victory are now paralyzed by fear.
Fear looks backward; faith looks forward.
- Fear says, “We were better off in Egypt.”
- Faith says, “God didn’t bring us this far to abandon us now.”
Fear always has a backward pull. It tries to convince you that bondage was safer than freedom—that the known misery is better than the unknown possibility. But God didn’t free Israel to return to slavery, and He hasn’t rescued you to retreat into your old life.
Fear exaggerates the past and minimizes God’s power in the present. It makes the past seem comfortable and the present seem impossible. Yet faith remembers: the same God who brought you out will also bring you through.
Maybe that’s where you are right now—standing at your own Red Sea. You’ve obeyed God, you’ve taken steps of faith, but suddenly the enemy is pressing in. The horizon looks blocked, and the voices of fear begin to whisper:
- “You made a mistake.”
- “You’re not going to make it.”
- “This is where it ends.”
But hear this: fear wants to chain you to what God has already freed you from.
Author and pastor, Henry Blackaby (in his classic book, Experiencing God), wrote: “You can’t stay where you are and go with God.”
Those two things are mutually exclusive. God’s direction is always forward. He doesn’t call you to camp out in fear, He calls you to step out in faith.
And faith doesn’t mean you know every detail—it simply means you trust the One who holds every detail.
Faith is not the absence of fear; it’s the decision to move forward in spite of it.
It’s what David declared when he said, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in You” (Psalm 56:3).
Faith remembers that God is greater than the army behind you and the sea before you. Faith knows that when the situation looks impossible, it’s not the end of your story—it’s the stage for God’s glory.
So don’t let fear drag you backward. Don’t let doubt anchor you to yesterday. Lift your eyes, steady your heart, and move forward in faith—because the God who called you out is the same God who’s leading you on.
2. FOLLOW GOD INTO THE UNKNOWN
When fear tries to hold you back, faith invites you to move forward — even when you can’t see what’s ahead.
After calming the people, God gives Moses an instruction that must have sounded absurd:
“Raise your staff, stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide the water so that the Israelites can go through on dry ground.” (v. 16)
There’s no precedent for this moment. Moses had never read about it in a manual called “How to Part a Sea.” There were no YouTube tutorials or podcasts for “Sea-Splitting 101.” He was a novice. He had never done what God was asking him to do. Even so, Moses obeyed the voice of God anyway.
That’s what faith looks like. It’s not waiting until you understand how God will do it; it’s obeying because you trust who God is.
God didn’t say, “Wait until you understand.” He said, “Move forward.” That’s because the path doesn’t appear while we wait in fear — it appears when we walk in faith.
Think about it:
- Abraham went out, not knowing where he was going, simply because God said, “Go.”
- Peter stepped out of the boat before the water became solid.
- Joshua told the priests to step into the Jordan before it stopped flowing.
- And Moses stretched out his hand before the Red Sea began to part.
Every miracle in Scripture started with a moment of movement. Faith always steps before the sea splits. Maybe that’s where some of us find ourselves right now. You’re standing on the edge of something unknown — a new season, a big decision, a risky obedience. You can’t see the outcome, but you hear God whisper, “Trust Me.”
It’s human to want details, directions, and guarantees. But faith doesn’t come with a GPS. It comes with a Guide. And He never fails to lead you exactly where you need to go.
I’m confident that God’s direction will be far greater than your plans. So trust Him.
Here’s the beauty of following God: you don’t have to have it all figured out. You just have to stay close to the One who does.
Remember, God’s presence was visible to Israel — a pillar of cloud by day, a pillar of fire by night. Wherever He moved, they followed. That same presence leads us today — not through pillars of fire, but through His Word, His Spirit, and His peace.
When you follow Him into the unknown, you’ll often discover that the very place that feels uncertain becomes the place where His glory is revealed most clearly.
- God didn’t lead Moses to the Red Sea to drown him — He led him there to display His power.
- He didn’t lead the disciples into a storm to destroy them — He led them there to reveal His authority.
- And He won’t lead you into the unknown to abandon you — He’ll lead you there so you can know Him more deeply.
Application: Maybe God’s calling you to take a step of obedience — to forgive someone who hurt you, to start something new, to serve where it’s uncomfortable, or to trust Him in a situation that doesn’t make sense.
You won’t see the full path from the starting line. But the same God who parted the Red Sea still makes a way today.
Faith doesn’t wait for all the answers — it starts walking when all you have is God’s promise.
So take that next step. Step into that assignment. Step into that conversation. Step into that calling.
Because when you move in obedience, God moves in power.
3. TRUST GOD TO FINISH WHAT HE STARTS
When Moses obeyed God’s command, something incredible happened. The moment he raised his staff, Scripture says:
“The Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land.” (v. 21)
The same sea that once symbolized their impossible obstacle became their miraculous pathway.
And don’t miss this — God didn’t act until Moses did. The waters didn’t part when Moses prayed. They didn’t part when Moses planned. They parted when Moses obeyed.
Know this: Faith always activates God’s power.
When Moses did his part — obedience — God did His part — the miracle.
The Israelites walked through on dry ground, and the same path that delivered them destroyed their enemies. Pharaoh’s army pursued them, but when the last Israelite stepped safely across, the waters came crashing down.
The lesson is simple yet profound: God didn’t bring you this far to leave you halfway.
When God starts something, He finishes it.
- He didn’t call Noah to build half an ark.
- He didn’t lead Israel halfway through the Red Sea.
- He didn’t raise Jesus partway from the grave.
God always completes what He begins!
That’s why the apostle Paul could write with confidence in Philippians 1:6 and say:
“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
God’s mission in your life isn’t dependent on your strength — it’s sustained by His faithfulness.
Listen again to Moses’ words in verses 13–14:
“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.”
What a powerful reminder. Sometimes, the greatest act of faith is not running, not striving, not scheming — but standing still and trusting that God is working behind the scenes.
Israel didn’t win this battle by fighting — they won by trusting. Because this wasn’t their fight to win — it was God’s.
And that’s true for us, too. We don’t overcome through our power, position, or planning — we overcome through trust.
God says, “I’ll handle Pharaoh. You keep walking forward.”
Maybe that’s what someone here needs to hear today: You don’t have to fight every battle. You just have to stay faithful.
When you obey, God fights battles you can’t see, opens doors you couldn’t force, and makes a way where there was no way.
When you’re walking with God, you never have to worry about results — because results belong to Him.
- Our job is to be obedient.
- God’s job is to bring the victory.
Your calling is to walk in faith; His promise is to show Himself faithful.
Sometimes that means trusting Him in the middle — before the sea parts, before the healing comes, before the outcome is visible.
Faith says, “Even if I can’t see how, I’ll still trust who.”
That’s what it means to live forward — to keep moving in obedience, trusting that the same God who began the journey will carry you safely through it.
Think of the construction of a great cathedral. The builder begins with blueprints, foundations, and scaffolding — but those walking by may only see piles of stone and unfinished walls. To the untrained eye, it looks incomplete. But to the architect, the plan is already finished in his mind.
That’s how it is with God. We see the scaffolding; He sees the sanctuary. We see the chaos; He sees the completion. We see the Red Sea; He sees the pathway.
When you can’t see the finished work, trust the faithful Worker.
Because every promise He starts, He finishes. Every word He speaks, He fulfills. Every purpose He begins, He brings to completion — in His time, and for His glory.
So, church — when fear tries to pull you back, move forward in faith. When the unknown feels overwhelming, follow God anyway. And when you can’t see how it’s all going to work out, trust Him to finish what He started. Because the God who parts seas, silences enemies, and fulfills promises is the same God who’s leading you forward today.
CONCLUSION — KEEP MOVING FORWARD
The story ends with triumph. Verse 31 says,
“When the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust in Him.” (v. 31)
What began in fear ended in faith. What started in chaos ended in confidence. The same sea that once looked like their end became the stage for God’s glory. That’s what forward faith does. It turns obstacles into opportunities, panic into praise, and fear into faith.
When the Israelites looked back, the waters had closed over their past — Egypt was gone. Their slavery was behind them. Their enemy was defeated. God had done exactly what He said He would do.
And in that moment, Israel didn’t just see what God did — they began to see who God was.
- He wasn’t just their Deliverer; He was their Defender.
- He wasn’t just their Provider; He was their Promise Keeper.
- He wasn’t just the God who called them out of Egypt — He was the God who would lead them all the way home.
And the same is true for you!
Whatever Red Sea stands in front of you today — whatever fear, obstacle, or unknown lies ahead — remember this: God didn’t bring you this far to leave you stranded on the shore.
He’s still leading.
He’s still fighting.
He’s still faithful.
If He parted the sea once, He can part it again. If He delivered you before, He can deliver you again. If He made a way where there was no way, He can do it again — in your family, your finances, your health, your calling.
The God who led Israel forward is the same God who is leading you forward right now.
So don’t stop here. Don’t settle for survival when God has called you to significance. Don’t keep glancing back at what’s behind you when the best of God’s plan is still in front of you.
Maybe you’ve been standing still in fear — today, it’s time to step forward in faith. Maybe you’ve been holding on to something God asked you to release — today, it’s time to let go and move on. Maybe you’ve been questioning God’s timing or doubting His promise — today, it’s time to trust again.
Whatever your “Red Sea” moment looks like, God is whispering the same command He gave to Moses:
“Tell the people to move on.” (v. 15)
That’s the call of every believer — not to remain where we are, but to keep moving toward all that God has promised.
- Forward in faith.
- Forward in obedience.
- Forward in mission.
- Forward in hope.
So, as you step into this new week, this new season, or this next chapter — keep moving forward.
When you face fear, remember His faithfulness. When you face uncertainty, trust His presence. When you face opposition, rest in His power.
Because, the God who began the work will be faithful to complete it!
CLOSING PRAYER
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your presence, for Your Word, and for the reminder that You call us forward. Today we choose to stand on faith and to reject the temptations to fear. We know you’re a good God, full of love for us, and interest in us. And so, we trust You, not just to save us, but to lead us and to fight for us. We trust you to honor Your Word and to finish what You’ve started. So today we pray and ask you to give us courage to obey, strength to endure, and vision to keep moving forward. We pray this all, in Jesus’ name, Amen!”