I declare that God's identity is not defined by the miracles he performs; he was God before the sea opened. We stand on the shore of the Red Sea with the Egyptian army behind us and a vast sea before us. We left Egypt with silver and gold, yet those resources cannot solve every crisis. The people feared and cried out, and Moses told them that the Lord would fight for them and commanded them to go forward. I teach that faith calls for responsible action, but some outcomes exceed human effort and depend on God's sovereign will. We must worship God for who he is now, not only after our circumstances change. I lead you to the shores of the Red Sea and place before us a nation boxed in by an advancing army and an impassable sea. I describe how God had already declared his identity long before any sign or wonder occurred. We see that the Israelites left Egypt with silver and gold, yet wealth could not open a way. I press that their fear in the face of the enemy is human and familiar. I remind listeners that God’s nature is not defined by changing circumstances; he was sovereign when the waters were closed and remained sovereign when they opened. The narrative stresses that faith is not mere passivity. We are called to hold our peace and to move forward in obedience even when the path is not yet visible. The account culminates in the wind that parts the sea, a miracle that alters circumstance but not God’s identity. I close by urging worship for who God is, not only for what he does, and by inviting listeners to prepare for the next message about wealth, loss, and enduring faith.

Takeaways:

• I remind listeners that God's identity is constant and revealed before any miracles or changing circumstances.
• We learned that financial resources can provide options but cannot resolve every crisis or guarantee deliverance.
• I call us to faithful action: we must pray, plan, and move forward when God commands, even without visible outcomes.
• We must not allow the magnitude of our obstacles to diminish our trust, because God's sovereignty and faithfulness existed before any trial or miraculous deliverance occurred.
• I urge worship before deliverance; do not postpone gratitude until the waters part or circumstances improve.
• We remember that Christ offers a deeper freedom through reconciliation with God, beyond financial success or earthly restoration.

Imagine standing on the shores of the Red Sea.

Behind you is the most powerful military force you have ever known.

Before you stretches an enormous body of water.

And somewhere between the thunder of approaching horses and crashing of waves, you begin to realize that the freedom you celebrated yesterday may cost you your life today.

You have spent generations under the oppression of Egypt.

You have watched God bring Pharaoh to his knees.

Through extraordinary signs and wonders.

You have witnessed a deliverance so remarkable that you thought your days of suffering were finally over.

But now the army is approaching, the sea is standing in your way, and there appears to be nowhere left to run.

You cannot negotiate with the water.

You cannot outrun the horses.

You cannot return to Egypt without surrendering the very freedom you have just received.

And the most frightening part of it all is that God himself has led you to this place.

Now what do you do when following God appears to have brought you to an impossible situation?

Welcome to the Message with NJ and to the third message in our series.

He is still God.

In our first message, we discovered that before there was a universe to govern, God was already sovereign.

Before creation existed, he was God.

In our second message, we traveled into the household of Abraham and Sarah, and we learned that Isaac's birth revealed God's faithfulness, but did not create it.

And today, we travel from the quiet longing of one family to the terrifying predicament of an entire nation.

Because before Moses lifted His staff, before the waters divided and before Israel took a step upon the dry ground, he was still God.

Now there is something fascinating about the events leading up to the Red Sea.

In Exodus, chapter three, long before the Israelites arrive at the water, Moses encounters God in the burning bush.

And when Moses asks what name he should give to the children of Israel, God ANSWERS in verse 14, I am that I am.

Think about that declaration.

God does not introduce Himself by listing the miracles he intends to perform.

He does not say, I am the one who will eventually open the sea, or tell them to wait until they see what I can do.

He reveals who he is.

I am that I am.

His identity comes before the demonstration of his power.

Before the first plague falls upon Egypt, before Pharaoh releases the Israelites, before Moses raises his staff over the water.

God has already declared himself.

And this is where I think many of us misunderstand our relationship with God.

God.

We are constantly waiting for God to do something before we can completely be convinced of who he is.

We want to see the bank balance improve before we call him our provider.

We want to see the businesses flourish before we declare him faithful.

We Want the doctor's report to change.

Before we testify about his goodness, we want evidence.

And while there is nothing wrong with celebrating what God has done, there is something profoundly important about knowing who God is before we see what he will do.

Now let us return to the Israelites.

There is an extraordinary detail in Exodus chapter 12 that is easily overlooked.

As Israel leaves Egypt, the people receive articles of silver and gold from the Egyptians.

Think about the significance of that.

They are leaving slavery with material possessions.

After generations of oppression, they are departing with resources.

But shortly afterwards, those same people find themselves trapped at the Red Sea.

And suddenly all the silver and gold cannot solve their problem.

They have resources but no apparent route forward.

They have possessions but no military advantage.

They have experienced remarkable deliverance.

Yet they are so terrified of what lies ahead.

You see, this is one of the great limitations of money.

Money is incredibly useful, and I believe we should strive to earn it wisely, steward it faithfully, and use it generously.

Financial prosperity can give us options that poverty often takes away.

But money cannot resolve every human crisis.

You can have a healthy bank account and an unhealthy body.

You can have a successful company and a struggling marriage.

You can have the resources to purchase the finest things in still find yourself facing a problem that cannot be solved by writing a check.

And that is why true prosperity must include more than financial abundance.

It must make room for wisdom, peace, character, relationships, purpose, and the presence of God.

Because what good is having gold in your hands if you have no idea to move forward?

Now, imagine the fear spreading through the Israelite camp in Exodus 14.

The people see the Egyptians approaching and their confidence collapses.

They cry out to Moses, questioning why he has brought them into the wilderness to die.

And I find that response remarkably human.

Because just a short while earlier, these people, these very same people, were celebrating their freedom.

Now they are questioning the wisdom of their deliverance.

Isn't that how we sometimes behave?

We pray for a new opportunity.

And when the opportunity comes with unexpected challenges, we begin wondering whether we made a mistake.

We pray for a business, but when the financial crisis arrives, we question the entire calling.

We pray for greater responsibility, but when that responsibility becomes uncomfortable, we start missing the days when somebody else was making all the decisions.

Sometimes we want the promised land, but we are not particularly enthusiastic about the journey ahead to reach it.

Jehovah will fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

What extraordinary words to hear when an army is approaching.

But notice what follows in verse 15.

God instructs Moses to tell the children of Israel to go forward.

That is significant.

They are called to stand firm in their confidence in God, but they are also commanded to move in obedience.

Faith is not always the absence of action.

Sometimes it requires action when the outcome is not yet visible.

And I believe that this is particularly important when we speak about prosperity.

Faith does not excuse laziness.

Trusting God does not eliminate the need for planning, diligence, wisdom, or responsible decisions.

You cannot pray for financial increase while refusing to develop the discipline required to to manage your finances.

You cannot pray for a successful business and then refuse to serve your customers properly.

I have met people who want God to bless the work of their hands, but they appear terribly reluctant to put their hands to any type of work.

Now we must pray, and we must participate responsibly in the opportunities before us.

But we must also recognize that our abilities have limits.

There are circumstances in which preparation is not enough, money is not enough, experience is not enough, and human ingenuity cannot manufacture the outcome we desire.

That is where the Israelites find themselves.

And then something extraordinary happens.

Moses stretches his hand over the sea.

Through the night, the waters divide, the seabed becomes dry ground, and the people who moments earlier believe themselves trapped begin walking through the very obstacle that had stood in their way.

Imagine the astonishment.

The sea came.

The same sea that appeared to guarantee their destruction now becomes a place through which they escape.

The thing they could not cross has opened before them, and an entire nation walks into freedom.

But I want us to notice something that is even greater than the miracle itself.

God did not become almighty when the sea opened.

He was almighty.

When the sea was closed, he was sovereign.

While Pharaoh was approaching, he was faithful.

When the Israelites were afraid, he was God.

God.

When the people complained, when Moses lifted his staff, when the wind began to blow, and when the first Israelites stepped onto dry ground, the miracle changed their circumstance.

It did not change his identity.

And I wonder how many of us are standing before our own red seas, allowing the size of the obstacle to determine the size of our confidence in God.

You have been praying for financial freedom, but the debt still stands before you.

You have been working to grow your business, but the opportunities have not materialized.

You have been pursuing healing, but the diagnosis remains unchanged.

And perhaps your greatest struggle is not simply the difficulty itself, but the fear that God has somehow ceased to be present.

Because the difficulty has not disappeared.

I cannot promise you that every sea will part in precisely the way you expect.

The deliverance recorded in Exodus was a particular act of God within his covenant history.

It is not a guarantee that every financial problem, every illness, or every situation will end in the outcome we desire.

But I can remind you of something greater.

The God revealed in Scripture is not dependent upon favorable circumstances to remain sovereign.

And in Jesus Christ, our deepest hope extends beyond the greatest earthly deliverance.

Christ came not merely to improve, but our circumstances, but to reconcile us to God through his death and resurrection.

That is a freedom more enduring than financial success, professional achievement, or any possession we could accumulate.

So work towards your prosperity.

Pursue financial freedom, develop your gifts, build your business, make the difficult decision, Take the next responsible step.

But do not postpone your worship until the waters open.

Do not wait until your account is full before you recognize the goodness of God.

Do not wait until the threat disappears before you remember who he is.

Because the God you worship when the sea is open is the same God who was there when the sea was closed, before the waters divided, he was God.

Before Pharaoh was defeated, he was God.

Before Israel found a way through the wilderness, he was God.

Before the manna fell from heaven, he was God.

Before the first stone of Jerusalem was laid, before the first king of Israel was crowned, before the first temple was built, he was God.

And today, your circumstances change.

Before your prayers receive the answers you desire, before your ambitions become accomplishments, he is still God.

Let us pray.

Heavenly Father, thank you that your sovereignty is not dependent upon our circumstances.

When we face obstacles that appear impossible, give us wisdom to know what we must do, courage to take the next faithful step, and patience where we must wait.

Bless the work of our hands, establish us in wisdom and integrity, provide for those in need, and strengthen those who are frightened by the uncertainty of tomorrow.

Above all, teach us to worship you for who you are, not merely for what you do in Jesus name.

Amen.

And as we close, I want to leave you with one final thought.

The Israelites have received silver and gold, but they still need deliverance.

And that should remind us that financial prosperity, though valuable, is not the entirety of a prosperous life.

In our next message, we will journey into the life of a shepherd boy who would become one of Israel's greatest kings.

And a wealthy man who would lose nearly everything he possessed.

We will explore what happens when God blesses someone with great influence and wealth.

And what remains when the wealth is taken away.

Because God was God.

When David watched sheep and he was still God.

When David wore a crown, he was God.

When Job was wealthy and he is still God.

When Job sat in the ashes of his loss.

Our next message is before the crown, before the fortune.

But until then, remember this.

He did not become God when the waters moved.

The waters moved because he was already God.