Hilltop WesleyanChurch

Three Points of Contact: Strength, Song, and Salvation

Three Points of Contact: Strength, Song, and Salvation

Pastor Mark Wilson

Exodus 14:1-31, Exodus 15:1-3, Genesis 1:1-5 · April 12, 2026

Chapters

Scripture

¹ Then the Lord said to Moses, ² “Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon. ³ Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.’ ⁴ And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” So the Israelites did this. ⁵ 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!” ⁶ So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. ⁷ He took six hundred of the best chariots, along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them. ⁸ The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly. ⁹ 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. ¹⁰ As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. ¹¹ 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? ¹² 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!” ¹³ 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. ¹⁴ The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” ¹⁵ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. ¹⁶ Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. ¹⁷ I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. ¹⁸ The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.” ¹⁹ 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, ²⁰ 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. ²¹ 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, ²² and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. ²³ The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. ²⁴ During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. ²⁵ He jammed the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.” ²⁶ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.” ²⁷ Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the Lord swept them into the sea. ²⁸ The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived. ²⁹ But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. ³⁰ That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. ³¹ And 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 and in Moses his servant.

The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.

¹ Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord: “I will sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea. ² “The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him. ³ The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his name.

The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.

¹ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ² Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. ³ And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ⁴ God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.

Pastor Mark Wilson guides us through Exodus 14-15, reminding us to stand firm, be still, and move on, trusting God is our strength, our song, and our salvation.

A Treasure Passed Down: The Torah Scroll

Pastor Mark Wilson began by drawing our attention to a hand-scribed Torah scroll, a direct descendant of the originals. He shared the care with which these scrolls were copied, noting,

"Our scroll right here today is 100% exactly word for word, letter for letter, exactly the same as the one that it was copied off of."

This reliability is more than historical trivia, it grounds us in the faithfulness of God’s Word to us today. He pointed to the uniqueness of this book, explaining that while English Bibles are precious, this scroll connects us directly to the ancient words of faith.

The Story Behind the Song

With the scroll open to Exodus 15, the oldest hymn of praise to God in the Bible, Pastor Mark Wilson reminded us that behind every great song is a powerful story. He moved back to Exodus 14 to set the stage: God’s people escaped slavery in Egypt, only to be cornered between Pharaoh’s army and the Red Sea after what felt like an unexpected detour.

"Tell the Israelites to turn back is what it says. Turn back. See, sometimes we think we're making progress in life and all of a sudden we get a detour that we hadn't expected."

He explained the place names: Baal Zephon (the dark, scary unknown), Migdal (a cliff, sometimes with a tower), and Paihahirath (literally the 'big mouth' or a cave). The Israelites were trapped between a cliff, a cave, and the threat of destruction. Pastor Mark Wilson likened this to his own experience crawling through Mammoth Cave with his son on a wild cave tour, recalling the fear and darkness:

"You couldn't see anything. Couldn't see your hand in front of your face. It was the darkest dark. Anybody been inside a cave like that?"

He remembered the guide’s advice, always keep three points of contact to avoid falling, an image that would anchor the whole sermon.

Stand Firm, Be Still, Move On

When panic hit, Moses told the people, “Don’t 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.” (Exodus 14, as recounted by Pastor Mark Wilson.) But then God told Moses not just to wait, but to act, > "Why are you crying out to me?... Tell those Israelites to move on. Raise your staff. Stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so the Israelites can go through on dry land."

Pastor Mark Wilson invited us to see three points of contact for times of crisis:

Stand firm, Hold to God’s truth, even when everything else seems uncertain.
Be still, Don’t get swept up in fear or agitation; rest in the knowledge that God is present and able.
Move on, Trust God enough to take the next step, even when you do not have all the answers.

He repeated with the congregation:

"Stand firm. Be still. Move on. That's three points of contact to keep you from falling."

He challenged us, when faced with hardship, not to twist God’s Word to fit our lives, but to reshape our lives around its truth.

Creation Remembered in Deliverance

Pastor Mark Wilson highlighted the echoes between Exodus 14 and Genesis 1: the wind (Spirit/Breath) of God moving over waters, dry land appearing, light shining forth, and a new beginning emerging. He drew out the parallel that just as creation began with God’s power, so too does our deliverance.

"What we see right here in Exodus chapter 14 is actually a reenactment of Genesis chapter 1... This was the birth of a world and people and this is the birth of a nation, God's people."

He pointed out that, just as the Torah scroll is a direct descendant of the original, so we are part of the ongoing story of God redeeming and recreating.

The Song of the Sea and a Living Faith

Reaching Exodus 15, Pastor Mark Wilson described how the people, having walked through on dry ground, sang a new song, one rooted in firsthand experience.

"The Lord is my strength and my song and he's become my salvation. He's my God and I will praise him. He's my father's God and I will exalt him."

But, he emphasized, faith needs to be experienced. It can’t only be handed down. He told the story of Bert, a hermit who would come to church on his bicycle. After falling ill and resisting all help, Bert finally responded, even in stubbornness, when Pastor Mark Wilson sang, “What a friend we have in Jesus.” In that vulnerable moment, Bert declared,

"Jesus is my strength. Jesus is my song. Jesus is my salvation. Jesus is the best friend I ever had."

Pastor Mark Wilson encouraged us to claim that same faith for ourselves, not just as a memory from others’ stories, but as a living hope.

Living It Out

This week, we are challenged to remember our “three points of contact.” When we feel hemmed in by fear, uncertainty, or setbacks, we stand firm on God’s Word, be still before Him, and take the next faithful step forward, trusting that God is truly our strength, our song, and our salvation.

Discussion Questions:

When have you felt like you were stuck between “a cliff and a cave” in your own life? How did you respond?
Which of the “three points of contact” (stand firm, be still, move on) is hardest for you to practice, and why?
Are there ways your faith has been more “secondhand” than “firsthand”? What would it look like to own your faith experience this week?

This Week’s Devotional

Between the Cliff and the Cave: Holding Fast in Dark Places

4 min read · Pastor Mark

There are times in life when it feels like you have nowhere to turn. In Pastor Scott’s words, we find ourselves “between a cliff and a cave.” You might recognize this, maybe right now, where each option feels hard, uncertain, or even frightening. It could be a family crisis, health news that stops you in your tracks, or the feeling that your best efforts have led you directly into another dead end.

We linger on the image of the Israelites in Exodus 14: pressed in by chariots from behind, a wide sea blocking the front, and unfamiliar, ominous terrain all around. They had no strategy to escape, no strength left to muster. Yet God met them, not before the fear, but right where the fear was thickest.

What does it look like for you, this week, to pause in a moment of panic or pressure and practice “three points of contact”: standing firm (not leaving what’s true), being still (quieting the frantic), and moving on (trusting there’s a way forward you can’t yet see)?

Meditation Focus: God’s deliverance is not found in avoiding hard places but walking through them, holding fast to His presence step by step.

Practical Step: When anxiety rises or you feel boxed in, pause. Name each “point of contact” aloud (“I stand on your truth. I quiet my soul. I step forward in trust.”). Then do the next right thing, however small.

Prayer:

Holy God, above all power and all noise, we pause to honor you as the One who makes a way where none seems possible. Your wisdom is higher than our panic, your love deeper than any cave, your light brighter than fear.

We yield to your design, even when your path bends into the unknown places. Shape our choices and slow our racing thoughts to fit your rhythm, not the world’s urgency. Give us what we need for each step, no matter how small or halting, courage to stand on your truth, quietness to listen, strength to move forward. Forgive us the times we try to control, complain, or hide instead of trusting you. Draw us close again, and lead us safely through.

Deliver us from the grip of fear. Plant hope in us that cannot be shaken by the cliffs or the dark. Let your presence carry us to the other side. Amen.

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735 Golden Creek Rd, Liberty, SC 29657

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