Sermon Notes

Paralyzed By Fear

“Fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness. 13For I, the LORD thy God, will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, `Fear not; I will help thee.” Isaiah 41:10,13 (21st KJV)

Have you ever felt like your back was against a wall? Does the taskmaster, satan, have you between a rock and a hard place with nowhere to turn? Maybe, you have put in a lot of time, on your own, only to find yourself on the wrong avenue of life. Sometimes, we can be rendered ineffective by our fear.

Read Exodus 13:17-22; 14:5-31 key v.31

I. v 13:17,18; 14:2 The Problem

* being saved does not insulate nor isolate you from problems

* salvation does not end the sinful problems we will face daily

* the enemy, like Pharaoh, continues to come after you constantly

* the Christian life is not lived in straight lines either - the detours God deals us along the way, are for our spiritual benefit

* don’t be discouraged if God has you on a detour route- He knows

II. v10-12 The Panic

* “thanks a lot Moses, now where do we go, huh? ....”

* the children of Israel questioned Moses’ leadership and wisdom

* do you ever find yourself questioning God’s sovereign leadership?

III. v13,14 The Assurance

* Fear Not- the angel said to Mary- Jesus said to His disciples- the angel said to Mary Magdlene when the detours (fear) came

* to each one, God was saying, I am in control of your life- stand still

Psalms 27:14 Wait on the Lord

* stand still, stay with God’s plan, and don’t get ahead of Him

IIII. v19,20 Our Salvation

* God gave them a cloud- not a map, compass, or GPS

* when we are “up against it,” God does His best work on our behalf

Psalms 73:23 He holds us by the hand !

* the cloud became a shield for them

* Jesus is not only our Savior, He is our protector!

* v21,22 the waters are divided

* v23-28 the Egyptians are drowned (remember what Pharaoh did to the Jewish babies?) “be not deceived, God is not mocked...

* maybe your back is against a wall- God has not forgotten about you