God is Light

When God’s people, Israel, came out of Egypt, they traveled to the edge of the Red Sea. Pharaoh had time to consider what he did in letting Israel leave and changed his mind. He was leading the army of Egypt to bring Israel back to Egypt.

God parts the Red Sea so that Israel can cross on dry ground.

The crossing is described in Exodus 14:19-22.

Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side, so neither went near the other all night long. Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

There are two aspects here that reveal a connection with Jesus.

The first is that God was leading the people of Israel, and when there was need, He went behind them to protect them from the coming Egyptian army.

In Hebrews 13:5 Jesus promises us to never leave us or forsake us.

Then in Matthew 28:20 Jesus promises to be with us, as His disciples, to the very end of the age.

We as followers of Jesus never have to worry or even question if we are facing life alone. The answer is a huge – NO!

Jesus promises us that He will always be with us through His Spirit.

John 14:16-18

And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever – the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, He lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

We as followers of Jesus will never live as orphans, because we have the Spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit living in us.

Just as God was there in every direction for the people of Israel, so Jesus is with us in every direction all the time.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is knowing and experiencing the reality of Jesus in our lives every moment.

The second is that God is light.

When they began to cross the Red Sea, the cloud was blocking the Egyptian army and the pillar of fire was in front providing light to see as they crossed.

John 1:6-9

There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through Him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.

Jesus is described as the light that gives light to everyone.

In John 8:12 Jesus says that He is the light of the world. And that whoever follows Him will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

Jesus Himself declares that He is the light of the world, that when we follow Him we will never walk in darkness.

1 John 1:5-7

This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.

Just as the light from the pillar of fire that God provided for Israel to cross the Red Sea, so Jesus as the light illuminates our lives.

He as our light show us:

Truth

The Right Direction

Obstacles that Are in Our Way

Jesus as our light also purifies us from the penalty of sin, the stain of sin and the results of sin.

When God provided light for Israel to cross the Red Sea, it led them to freedom and to experience God in ways they had never experienced Him before.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is knowing Jesus as the Light of the World and experiencing freedom from the penalty, stain, and the result of sin.

Ephesians 5:8

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.

In the Light of Jesus, Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

                                                Joe