Fear/Salvation
Preaching
Life Everlasting
The Essential Book of Funeral Resources
Object:
When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, "What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!" So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. He took six hundred of the best chariots, along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them. The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly. The Egyptians -- all Pharaoh's horses and chariots, horsemen and troops -- pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.
As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn't we say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!"
Moses 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."
The answer that Moses gives to the frightened people Israel in this passage is an answer we can offer to the frightened people of today. In the face of death, which frightens many, if not most, we can say, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you this day. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only be still." These are truly wonderful words of life. For the Christian, death is analogous to the Egyptians. We need not be afraid when it approaches, or when one we love falls into its clutches. If we simply trust in the Lord, we will experience deliverance, salvation! And the death that we see we will never see again, for we are crossing the sea and entering into the land where death is no more.
This text can be used at any funeral but would be especially powerful to use when dealing with a person or a family that expresses fear of death.
As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn't we say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!"
Moses 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."
The answer that Moses gives to the frightened people Israel in this passage is an answer we can offer to the frightened people of today. In the face of death, which frightens many, if not most, we can say, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you this day. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only be still." These are truly wonderful words of life. For the Christian, death is analogous to the Egyptians. We need not be afraid when it approaches, or when one we love falls into its clutches. If we simply trust in the Lord, we will experience deliverance, salvation! And the death that we see we will never see again, for we are crossing the sea and entering into the land where death is no more.
This text can be used at any funeral but would be especially powerful to use when dealing with a person or a family that expresses fear of death.
