{"id":2269,"date":"2025-10-06T19:05:56","date_gmt":"2025-10-06T19:05:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chuckhilltoday.com\/?page_id=2269"},"modified":"2025-10-20T02:46:39","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T02:46:39","slug":"living-forward","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/chuckhilltoday.com\/index.php\/living-forward\/","title":{"rendered":"LIVING FORWARD"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

LIVING FORWARD<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exodus 14:10-31<\/p>\n\n\n\n

INTRODUCTION<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s Word, and to seek His presence with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just a great reminder that He\u2019s been faithful in the past, He\u2019s with us in the present, and He\u2019s leading us into the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, this morning I want to talk with you about Living Forward<\/strong>. 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s mission, and we’re supposed to do so in His power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TRANSITION<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have your Bible, turn with me to the Old Testament book of Exodus<\/strong>. There’s an incredible story of victory told in chapter 14<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s people were free!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But freedom wasn\u2019t the finish line\u2014it was the starting gate.<\/span> Egypt was behind them, but the Promised Land was still ahead. They stood between deliverance and destiny: the Red Sea before them, Pharaoh\u2019s army behind them, fear rising, faith faltering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And right there, in Exodus 14<\/strong>, God gives a command that still defines the direction of every believer\u2019s life:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTell the Israelites to move on.\u201d<\/em>\u2014 Exodus 14:15 (NIV)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words: Don\u2019t stop here. You weren\u2019t rescued to retreat. You were saved to move forward into God\u2019s plan, His mission, and your calling.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just as a compass points north, God\u2019s presence always points us in the right direction. The question is: will we follow?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. MOVE FROM FEAR TO FAITH<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the Israelites saw Pharaoh\u2019s army approaching, they panicked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey said to Moses, \u2018Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us out here to die?\u2019\u201d <\/em>\u2014 Exodus 14:11 (NIV)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What a dramatic statement! Egypt was known for its tombs and monuments to the dead\u2014and yet here they are, sarcastically saying, \u201cMoses, were there not enough graves back there?\u201d<\/em> Fear makes us say foolish things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fear has a way of distorting our perspective. It blurs our memory of God\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fear looks backward; faith looks forward.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n