Sermon Tone Analysis

Faith Over Fear

Faith over our Physical Limitations

Introduction

Over the next couple of weeks are going to be looking at this series called faith over fear.

I want to start tonight talking about fear.

Points:

What is fear?

“Fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.”

The one thing about fear is that we all know what it is, we all have been fearful of something.

Fear has prevented us from things in this life already, we know what fear is.

Fear is being on the edge of the cliff getting ready to jump into the water below, its the thoughts and the brain saying no! don’t do this, only pain is going to happen to you.

You pass on an opportunity to go somewhere or do something exciting that may end up changing your life, you decide that you would rather pass on that because something bad could happen and then what are you left with, nothing.

In order to make a difference you may need to give up control change but instead you stick to your guns and you find yourself unwilling to change because the future is scary and as long as I am in charge then i have no need to fear change.

Or even when we have a group of friends with us and they are an amazing group, we are checking out social media and phones every 1.2 seconds to make sure that we are not missing out with someone else, somewhere else, we fear missing out and by doing so we miss out on the present.

Fear is that feeling you feel when are going to ask someone out but decide against it at in the end because you don’t want to be rejected.

Fear is that feeling that you sit silently while others around you gossip and you say nothing to stop it because you would rather be in the group than be a loner.

Fear keeps us from saying anything that will stir the pot, even if we are uncomfortable, or wronged, it goes against what we believe— We fear others, their thoughts, their feeling, but no one takes into account your feelings or your thoughts.

You want to share the good news of Christ with a friend, but as the word begin to come out of your mouth, you hold the rest because of the fear of being judged.

THAT IS FEAR:

I experienced a lot of fear this week.

With recent news about the high school this week, I was shocked, grieved, and uncertain.

I was shocked because I was off in my calculations that transgenderism was 5 years away from being in the schools and would cause changes.

I was grieved by all people involved.

The student who just wants to get changed in peace, to the girls who also just want to be comfortable when they get changed.

I was brokenhearted over post from all sides that just spurred on hatred, bitterness, and poisonous venom that was spat.

And I was uncertain about what do with my children who are part of the public school system, who is allowing something that I cannot be for.

Fear was a major player this week.

I thought about speaking on the topic of transgenderism again, but to be honest with you, my thoughts have not changed from last year, and neither have my convictions.

If you want to have more in-depth conversation about transgenderism, I will be here all night, and I would love to chat with you.

Fear making people do silly, dumb, and childish things.

It makes us say things we regret.

It makes us act a way that we wish we could take back.

Fear is not our ally.

As the great philosopher Yoda says:

“Fear is the path to the dark side.

Fear leads to anger.

Anger leads to hate.

Hate leads to suffering.”

In Max Lucado’s book Fearless he talks about what is on the other end of fear, what is the opposite of fear?

Its faith.

Listen to this quote:

What if faith, not fear, was your defeat reaction to threats? if you could hover a fear magnet over your heart and extract every last shaving of dread, insecurity, and doubt, what would remain?

Envision a day, just one day, absent the dread of failure, rejection, and calamity.

Can you imagine a life with no fear?”

This is the possibility behind Jesus’ question that he posed to his disciples.

Matthew

You may know the story that Jesus is asleep as this monster storm hits and the disciples are preparing to die!

And they were scared out of their minds!

They are shouting for Jesus to wake up and help!

They actually said in Mark:

When we fear, we become self-motivated instead of gospel-motivated.

Jesus takes very seriously our fear.

Where he actually speaks against it often.

The Gospels have this fear not genre command mentioned 125 times!

The second most is common command is love God, and people genre mentioned only 8 times.

Fear is not our friend but our enemy.

We combat fear with faith.

This is what we are going to be looking at for the next three weeks.

Tonight we are looking at the story of Moses and how the fear of Moses almost cost him a chance to see God’s glory.

Lets pray and then dive in:

Exodus 4:10—14

We see our Physical Limitations as a Weakness

We are jumping right into a story here, so lets back up a bit and allow me to remind you what is happening here.

Moses is talking to bush, but not just any bush a bush that is on fire but yet it is not burning up!

THIS IS CRAZY!

It turns out this bush is actually God.

God has a plan for Moses!

Moses sees enters into the presence of God and God is like, WHOA Moses, take off your sandals this is holy ground!

Moses does it, and there he is in the presence of God.

God tells Moses his plan!

Moses is like yeah but God the people are not going to believe me!

God is like don’t worry you just need to tell them I am, me God has sent you!

And I, God will be with you!

All sounds like everything is going well, until Moses raises his hand and is like excuse me God, what if they don’t believe me?

And God is like easy:

Take your staff throw it on the ground!

Boom Snake!

I would be out and gone but Moses stays in and God is like grab it by the tail and it will turn back and he does what God said.

Then God is like take your hand and put it in your cloak, and pull it back out:

Boom Leprous!

SCREAM— I know i would have maybe Moses did, we dont know.

But then God says put your hand back in your coat, boom clean hand!

Then God tell him, if they don’t listen then I will show them!

This brings us to verse 10!

God just explained all of this amazing stuff and shows Moses some crazy miracles.

And Moses was still on the fence.

He was like are you sure you want to use me?

Don’t you know my past, its not good, it is not one that is worth sending me.

And I do not speak well, you see my tongue is slow and words come out very slowly.

God I think you got the wrong guy.

This is what fear does to us...

Fear tells us the lie.

You are not good enough

You think God can use your past, you are crazy

Think of all the people who will be looking at you.

You are weak

You are not someone worth following

Your words are that of a 1st grader

You think you can speak to hundreds or thousands, you can barely get a word out to your sheep

FEAR if we allow it a place at the dinner table will slowly feed us lie after lie until the only thing we can believe is what fear has told us.