All right, turn your Bibles to Exodus chapter 14, please Let's go to Exodus here. I've been reading Started back over in Genesis and I'm on Exodus chapter 14 Well, actually I'm farther than that now but Exodus chapter 14 is where the Lord gave me a sermon for tonight and it's something that I Believe will help you and I think that It's something that everybody has dealt with at one point in time of their life. And if you haven't yet, you will. You will deal with it. And it's important that you understand scripturally how to deal with it. And that is, I titled this message, God's Formula for Fighting Fear. I want to talk to you about fear a little bit. And I want to talk to you about God's formula to fight that. And we find it in Exodus actually. It's all over the Bible. We'll be over a lot of different passages. But I was going to preach you a message on eagle's wings. And I will preach that to you Sunday, Lord willing. But this one God gave me here this morning while I was sitting here. And yesterday gave me the other one. I think it was. really believe the Lord would have me do this first. So I want to help you with this and I believe it will be a help to you if you'll listen, if you'll pay attention. Exodus chapter 14 verse number 13, And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show to you today. For the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you shall see them again no more forever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. Let's pray. Father, Lord, please be with us. Please help us, Lord, as we look at this, Lord. Lord, my desire is to see your people strengthened, Lord, that through times of uncertainty and things that can come our way, that by faith we can conquer fear, Lord. By following your formula, we can conquer that fear that can come upon us suddenly. without explanation sometimes, Lord, and with a long duration, or a short one possibly, Lord, but it's there. Help us to follow the Word. Strengthen us, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Fear can be a mighty foe. And it comes in many different ways. There's many different avenues to fear. We could fear the future. We could fear death. Even as a saved person, you could fear death. You start thinking about that. I mean, I always get kind of an eerie feeling when I think about somebody saying, well, talk about planning for your funeral. I'm like, yeah, that kind of creeps me out a little bit. Because I think about myself in a box like that. I'm like, that's kind of weird. I know my soul wouldn't be there, but you're still alive. So you're thinking to yourself, you know, that's kind of spooky. You know, thinking about being thrown in a box and throwing up, that's, that can bring you some fear when you think about that. That's not unusual for people to have some sort of fear about that and to think about things like that. But fear can be a crippling enemy to the people of God. It absolutely can. There's fear of like the uncertainty, like, how am I going to do this? And Lord, where am I going to, where am I going to live? What house, I'm going to sell my house, where am I going to live? You know, what house am I going to have? financial situation, what's God going to provide? Starting a business. How am I going to pay off all these bills? And how am I going to do this? And how am I going to succeed at this? And Lord, I don't know what the future holds with this. And maybe having a baby and all this other stuff. And you're thinking, wow, I don't know what to expect with that. I've never done that before. And you have all these challenges that you're facing in life and all these, and fear can come upon you. So, that never happens to me. Well, I hope it doesn't, but it will. It will happen. And sometimes it can grip you, it can cripple you. Of all the enemies that we have and that we face, I would rather face down giants, I would rather face down a thousand outside forces that battle me than to face sometimes the fear that can come over you. Because if fear grasps hold of you, it'll cripple you. You can fight an enemy without many times, But when it's an enemy within, it's harder to battle. Amen. Fear is a formidable foe. When anxiety and fear fill the heart of the believer, it cripples their service for the Lord. When the very ground we are standing on shakes within us, when our confidence is all but gone. You ever been like that? I have. I've been like that. And I have no confidence, none. And when our own heart condemns us, but praise the Lord, the Bible says that if our heart condemn us, brethren, God is greater than our heart and knoweth all things. But fear can come upon us. It's a mighty enemy. So, how do we overcome it? I think this is a perfect lesson here that God has given us here, right here in Exodus chapter 14. So, number one, I want to say this, that God does not always take us the easy way out. The Israelites, they were slaves. They had just left Egypt. Man, they know sooner their foot, their feet had left Egypt. They were walking out of Egypt. And God said, well, take them not the way of the Philistines. Look at Exodus 13, 17. It came to pass when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. Man, that was the closest way you would think God would just take you the closest way out. Oh no, he said. I'm not doing that. Why? For God said, lest peradventure the people repent when they see war and they return to Egypt. But God led the people about through the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt. Why did he do that? Why did he take them through the wilderness? Because they would see their enemies and they would fear right away. Why? Because they had a slave mentality. They had just came from the world. They had just came from Egypt. They had just came from Pharaoh under Pharaoh's grasp. So God said, no, I'm not going to take them that way. Once they see those enemies, right, they're going to be afraid of them and they're going to run back to Egypt. Why? Because they have that victim mentality. God says, I got to take them through the wilderness, take them through some challenges, show them my hand and my power, and then they'll be fit for the battle ahead. You know, sometimes we're not ready for the front lines of the battle. When we're newly saved, when you have to learn the art of war, Your whole Christian life, you'll be learning. But when God is preparing a people, he will take them through the wilderness. He'll take them through the backside of the desert, just like he did Moses. You know, Moses, he took them to the backside of the desert. Moses went out there, he was sitting out there for 40 years, right? 40 years of trials and testings to prove to him who he was. You know why he does that? Because a lot of times, that's the only foe you really have to face is yourself. you're ready to face others. You have to learn yourself. You've got to learn your own weaknesses and you have to grow to be able to make war and be prepared for those Philistines. You've got to know your own self, know your own weaknesses and learn them and God will show you those weaknesses. He will show you who you are. He will show you your imperfections. Amen? So let's look at the first lesson. Let's follow this along here in Exodus 14. The first lesson is cry unto the Lord to conquer fear. You have to cry unto the Lord. I hope and pray that you understand what that means. I do. I don't know if you've ever been in a place of desperation before where all that you could do was cry unto God. That all that you could do is cry unto God. That's all. And when I say cry unto God, I mean cry unto God. I mean pour your heart out to God. Not in a vain repetition, but in an absolute desperation and faith, believing God and taking hold of His promises. The Bible says in verse number 10, And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them, and they were sore afraid. They were afraid. Fear had gripped them. It had taken hold of them. They were afraid of their enemies. And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, You will never conquer fear if your tears are not directed to the Lord. You can cry into man all you want to, it won't do you much good. You might get some sympathy, you might get some empathy, but you will not get the victory. You must cry unto God. You have to. You have to be, you have to cry unto God. That's a weapon. You will never conquer fear with just basic tears. When we feel that fear approaching us, we must pray. All prayer is a weapon in our arsenal in Ephesians 6 that God has given us. It is one that is greatly neglected by the people of God. You know why? Because nobody sees you do it, that's why. No one in this room sees you do it. So it's one of those things that are expendable in your Christian life to you, you believe. It is a weapon that you do not have to keep sharp. It is a weapon that you do not believe that you need to have ready at all times. You know why? Because you ain't never hit it yet where you got to be peeled off the floor, that's why. Because when you have, I'm going to tell you something, you will cry out to God All night long. And I know it because I've done it. Like all night. All night. Amen. I used to wonder about that. How do the preachers pray all night? Man, what'd I ask that for? Oh, you want a trial? Okay, I'll give you one. Let me just take that sleep away from you and you can pray all night long, preacher. Okay, Lord, I get it now. I know how that works. I just heard the birds chirping. I went to bed at 11! I heard the birds chirping. Right outside that window in your basement, Mom. They just tweet right out there at 4.30 in the morning. For like three weeks in a row? They kept tweeting. Okay, Lord, I'm ready to go to bed now. Okay, so I slept from four to nine, four to five, or four to eight. I was up doing stuff, four hours of sleep. I'm not bragging, I'm telling you that I've been there and I know what it's like. I've had to do that, right? I've had to do that. But it's what God desires. To fight fear, you gotta be willing to pray to God. We must be like Jacob when he wrestled with God and said, Lord, I will not let you go until you bless me. I will not let you go until you bless me. Amen. I don't know if you've been there yet, But when you are there, you'll know it. But that's what God desires. He desires His children to boldly come to Him when they are afraid. You know what? You could share your fears with man and have them pray for you, but you must pour out those fears to God. You have to. You have to. You have to. Earnestly, fervently. Pour out those prayers to God. Philippians 4, 6. Turn your Bibles there, please. Philippians 4, 6. Be careful for nothing. But in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. Now look at that, it says, be careful for nothing in everything, in everything, by prayer and supplication. That supplication is that fervent prayer, it's asking God, it's begging God. But look what it says, with thanksgiving. You know, when you're in dire straits, you don't feel very thankful. Right? When God didn't give you what you wanted, when struggles of life are there, when your health is not good, when you don't feel good, when you're full of fear and afraid and in pain and suffering and you're tired and you're weak and you got no strength, you don't feel very thankful, but that's the exact time that you need to thank God for what He's given you. Amen! That's the time! Because you're being tested by God. You're being tested by God to thank Him. Will you serve Him when the sun doesn't shine? And when He doesn't give you what you want? Or will you stop serving Him? Will you stop being faithful? Will your joy all be gone? Will you not have the power of God in your life? Will you be in distraught and distress forever? No, He won't let you be there forever, but He will take you through it. Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. How much have you thanked God for all that He's done for you? How much time have you spent thanking God for your children, for your wife, for your home, for the fact that you have a place to live? How much? How much of you complained and not thanked God? How much are you murmuring and complaining and not praying? How much? How much murmuring and complaining and not praying? Well, I'll tell you something. When your praying becomes more than your murmuring and complaining, you might get an answer from God. But until then, sour grapes, pal. That's the way it goes. Amen! You're going to start being thankful for what God's giving you. Man, I'm going to tell you what. I walked into that office the other day, Monday, I think it was yesterday. No, I don't know what day it was. I don't remember any of the days now. But anyway, I walked into that office there. I walked in there, and I wept, and I got down on my knee like this, and I said, God, thank you for every hour of sleep you gave me today. I did because I ain't slept in three weeks. I didn't sleep for three weeks. And I got in there, and I wept, and I cried, and I thanked God for giving me sleep. Be careful for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. Let your request be made known unto God. Look at this. You want peace? And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and mind through Christ Jesus. That will keep your hearts and mind. That will preserve them, keep them, help you to go the extra mile, keep you strong in the Lord. when you don't feel strong. Do you see the promise of God right there? To end fear or get the mastery over the enemy of fear, we must cry out to God. Peace will not come unless we are careful for nothing, but in everything. Not in some things, but in everything. In your afflictions. In your rejoicing. In your strengths and in your weaknesses. In your pain. Man, I remember sitting there and saying, well, Lord, I guess I'm just going to have to surrender this night to you, Lord. I ain't going to get no sleep, and I'm just going to pray all night. Earnest, fervent, passionate prayer to the Lord, crying out in a time of need. You know, I'm going to tell you something. If that doesn't happen to you, it's because you haven't needed God enough yet. And maybe that's why the trial's there. Because you're not dependent. You're independent. How about that? You got it all figured out. Man, I'm going to tell you what, that's a dangerous place to be, friend. When you feel like you got it all figured out, you'd never admit it in a million years, but boy, you sure think it. Got it all figured out. No, I don't. God will have you shaken. He'll have you shaken to show you you don't. Other times, Israel, they chided with Moses and they murmured to God. They didn't cry out for deliverance, but they complained of their circumstances. Is that what you're doing? Are you complaining of your circumstances or are you crying out for deliverance? Ask yourself that question. I'm willing to bet by the countenance of your face and your attitude that it's probably that you're complaining and you're not crying. You're chiding and not crying. Moses cried and the people chide. That's what happened. They did not cry out for strength at that time for the trial they were in. Hebrews chapter 4 verse number 16. It says this and this is all all a part of this. This is the first lesson. We only have an hour and a half to go. So we got to hurry up. Hebrews chapter 4 verse number 16. Let us therefore come boldly under the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in a time of need. When does the grace come? When does the grace come? In a time of need, how does it come? What is the method in which it comes? Boldly, that's right, faith. Boldly coming before the throne of God. Man, I'm gonna tell ya. You gotta be alone when you do it, too. You can't have anybody around you. Nobody, because nobody needs to hear you except God. And you need to take hold of God in prayer and you need to not let go until he blesses you. Nope. You'd be surprised how many hours go by when you do that. You look at the clock and be like, wow. Now some of you are newer Christians and you haven't experienced some of these things yet. I'm not saying that there's something wrong with you because you haven't. I don't expect you to have the same trials that older Christians have had and gone through. Time will take, it'll take time and God will put you through some things and you'll go through more. My trials today are nowhere near what they were 16 years ago when I first got saved. They're different. They're not the same. Amen? They're different. But the method is the same. God's formula is the same for victory over fear. We will never find grace to help if we do not come boldly and claim the promises of God. That's one of the things you have to do. See, one of the problems is that if you don't talk to God like he's your father and you're his son, you're not boldly coming to him. I remember one time Spurgeon said that he was in so much crippling pain. That he sat in that room, and they were like, I don't know what to do. I mean, he was in so much pain, he couldn't sleep. No medicine worked, nothing worked. And he had everybody get out of the room. He said, I want everybody out of this room. He spoke to God like a son does to a father, and he said, he said, Father, he said, I need you to take this pain away, because I can't bear it anymore. And what kind of, you know, I'm your son, and what father would let his son go through this pain and not help him? He said, from that time forward, after he did that, he never had that kind of pain ever again. and God took it away. You think God would be offended by that. Oh, no, you're wrong. You don't understand. You haven't grown in your relationship with the Lord to understand that. No, God absolutely loves that boldness. He absolutely loves you claiming your sonship in Him and boldly standing and saying, Father, you said you'd do it. That's what it takes to come out of that fear. That's what it takes. You cannot spend your days doubting, but trusting and depending. You cannot break free from fear unless you boldly go to your father in heaven, claiming the promises upon Christ's merit. The promises are not because of me, they're because of Christ. Right? It's because of Jesus and what he did. He's the high priest that can be touched, who was in all points tempted like we are yet without sin. He can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. And He is our High Priest and He ever liveth to make intercession for us. And it's because of Him and His blood that God answers our prayers. Because Christ prayed for us and God answers His prayer. In Christ we can be bold, right? We have an anchor that shall hold. When fear enters the heart, You are afraid to boldly claim the promises of God, but it's the opposite of what you should be doing. It takes a while to catch on to that. When you're inside that affliction, remember when Christian was in Doubting Castle, it took him a while to figure out that he had the key right around his neck. And it'll do it to all of us. You'll go through the same thing. You'll go around and around and around and around and around until you remember, oh, yeah, it's right here. Yeah, this opens every lock. in Doubting Castle. Everyone. What is it? It's the key of faith. It's the key of promise. Right? It's me boldly coming to my father. You know why? Because God says to you, now you need me. Now you need me. Now you understand. Amen. Now you understand. All right, that's point number one. Man, that was pretty loaded, wasn't it? Okay. By the way, he cannot deny his own. Also, let me say this to you. Stop looking solely on the afflictions and on the past decisions, but look at the present work of Christ in your soul. Look at the record that God hath given of his only begotten son. Don't be afraid to boldly cry out to him and upon Christ's merit, exercising faith is not a sin. But wouldn't I be presumptuous? What if I'm wrong? Wrong, trusting Christ? How could you be? That's stupid. That's stupid! How could you be wrong, trusting Christ? How? That's foolishness. Just say it and you'll feel dumb. If you said it out loud what you think in your brain sometimes, you wouldn't say it anymore. And you wouldn't think it anymore either, because you'd be like, that's dumb. I've said it before. I've said some things like that before and been like, man, that was stupid. That don't even make sense. That's not even accurate. It's not. It's not even fact. It's fear. And fear, when it's conjured up in your brain, makes up a lot of things, makes up a lot of myths and lies. And then you start believing your own myths and lies. Exercising faith in Christ is not a sin. It's a command. Trusting God is not a mistake. Trust Him. Amen. He will not punish you for trusting Him. Do you understand that? Exercising faith is not a mistake, and He will not punish you for it. You won't get to the end of your life and stand before God and say, whoops, you were wrong. You trusted me. I'm sorry. You shouldn't have done that. He's not going to wink and click you and say, I was just kidding. That's not the God of the Bible. That's your own foolish fear. You trust the Lord and you exercise faith in Him. Amen. All right, that was point one. Whew. That's almost a sermon in its entirety, brother. But you're not getting off that easy. You boldly come with that effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Number two, Moses commanded them to fear not. Now then, you are commanded not to give in to fear. Absolutely. You must not feed fear. Fear is like a gluttonous fat pig. Right? And the more you feed it, the fatter it gets. Right? It's huge. It's Donald Trump-sized big. It gets big, okay? The more you feed it, it grows. Right? Fear is like a 500-pound fat man that sits on you. and won't let you go. Right. Right. Right. You understand? Like a big sumo wrestler just like sitting on you. Imagine how hard it is to breathe with that sumo wrestler sitting on you. You understand? I've wrestled some Three or four hundred pound dudes before, and it wasn't fun. I did win though, but that's another story. I choked that guy out, man. Actually, I arm barred him. It was great. I was only like 18. It was awesome. I'm old now, but hey, it was fun when I was young. Anyway, but it's like that sitting on you. You can't breathe. You're full of fear. You're scared. You're feeding it. You're feeding it. It's a vicious cycle. The more you feed it, the more it grows. Fear not, I am with thee. Oh, be not dismayed, for I am thy God and will still give thee aid. We are commanded not to fear over and over again because fear has a treacherous spirit attached to it. And the Bible says very clear that God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Now, that's the way to pray. When you pray to God, You pray very boldly, and you say, Lord, you promised me the power, the spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind, and I'm claiming that promise. Because that's what you said you would do. That's the spirit that you gave, Lord. Isaiah 41 verse number 10, 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. 63 times we're told fear not. Fear not little flock, it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Jesus said, And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul, but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing, and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your father? But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is heaven." He says, fear not. Fear not. A few points here. Number one, faith is often opposed and conquered when immediate danger appears and when it cannot point to an immediate deliverance. Many times, fear will conquer over our faith. Because of that. Because of the immediate danger that we're in. That appears. And we don't see an immediate deliverance. We are so fickle. Israel had just been delivered. They saw all the plagues come down by Pharaoh. I mean all of them. Right? They saw them destroyed. They saw God kill Pharaoh's son. God told them in the beginning, look, let my son go or I'm going to kill yours. That's what he said to them. Let mine go or I'm killing yours. He warned them. And he didn't listen. So what did he do before he left? He killed his son. And then he let his son go. Right? But they watched that. They watched that deliverance. But how easily, when imminent danger comes before us, do we forget all of the victories, all of the times God has delivered us, and we cannot see them. We cannot grasp them. We cannot take hold of them. We cannot find them. We grope in darkness looking for them. Right? Many times. When the superficial inclination of man is opposed and self-denial demanded, faith often is vanquished and feeling triumphs. That's your fear. Your fear triumphs over your faith in that way. Faith is often conquered by fear, by a sense or feeling when reason cannot comprehend and explain things in God's dealings towards his creatures. Man, there's been sometimes like, I don't understand, Lord. And fear starts to grip you like, I don't get this. I don't get this whole thing. I don't get why I feel this way. I don't get why this happened. I don't get why this is going on. And fear starts to fill your heart. And it starts to triumph over your faith for a short time. Feeling often overcomes faith. When religion appears, militate against what men consider their present interest, they start to fear. When God asks something from them, right? That is more than what they want to give. Feeling sometimes gets the advantage over faith on the ground of ease. We want to be at ease in Zion. So then fear takes over. But Lord, then my life will be challenging. It won't be as easy as what it usually is. It won't be that simple. I'm going to have these trials and I'm going to have this challenge, Lord. And you don't want to. There's a mountain there full of giants and you don't want to take that mountain. Faith is often conquered for want of free and open heart and mind to receive the truth and conviction. Prejudice and narrowness of mind are deadly enemies of the faith, and they are to the advancement of truth and right, and to a right life everywhere. Another ground on which faith is too often conquered is by feeling, namely, because it looks to the future for its full reward. Feeling, listen, listen closely, listen, feeling has no patience to wait. Think about that for a second. Man, when you're going through affliction and turmoil and everything else is going on and fear and all this stuff is gripping you, man, you don't want to wait to be delivered. You don't want to wait for your future. You can't see your future reward. You can't feel your future reward. Right? Feeling wants the full reward right away. Feeling has no patience to wait. It must be satisfied with its objects now. whilst faith rises above the visible into the present unseen future." Amen. So he said, fear not. The next thing, number three, he said to stand still. Stand still when you're afraid. That's very important. He said to fear not, but he said to stand still. And God was telling them, you shall not even be workers together with God. Only be quiet and do not render yourselves wretched by your fears and your confusion. You're going to make it worse. Just be quiet and stand still. Twice the divine voice speaks. It says, first, stand still. Stand still, O impatient, eager, unthinking, unbelieving men. Stand still, men of unregulated activity or unconsecrated knowledge, of swift and sweeping passions. Stand still. Those that grasp enterprises, the reckless competitions, immoderate labors, and furious amusements of those, hurrying days and heated nights. Stand still, boundless ambition, overwrought and overconfident brain from your wild chase. Stand still, selfish traffic, corrupted legislation, mammon and passion and vanity fair and unprincipled press, a frivolous society, a worldly-minded and mercenary church. Stand still and see the salvation of God. Stand still, oh lustful appetite and unfeeling of avarice and cruel pride and headstrong self-will. in the unchildlike and unchristian heart. You know, there are times that you try to do a whole lot when you should do nothing. When we are afraid, it's easy to make hasty decisions or bad decisions out of fear. Don't make any decisions. Just cling to God. Stand still. God would have us stand still and let God move. Listen to this story here, it's really short. One day when Stonewall Jackson with his sister-in-law was crossing the boiling torrent just below the American Falls at Niagara in a slight boat manned by two oarsmen, the current so swirled the boat that the lady became terrified, believing they were going to the bottom. Jackson seized her by the arms and turned to one of the men and said, how often have you crossed here? I have been rowing across, people across here, sir, for 12 years. Did you ever meet with an accident? Never, sir. Never were capsized? Never lost a life? Nothing of the kind, sir. Then turning in a somewhat preemptory tone, he said to the lady, you hear what the boatman said, and unless you think you can take the oars and row better than he does, sit still and trust him as I do. Good advice. Sit still and trust Him. Exercise faith. Unless you and I believe we can do better than our Father, then stand still and let God move. You and I must, in a time of fear, stay the course, be faithful to God, and rest on His promises. He has not changed, though your circumstances have. You find your circumstances ever-changing. You find the same God in the Bible that never changes. Amen. Make no rash decisions. Make no foolish financial decisions. Make no hasty decisions for your family or even doubting God's word and his salvation to you when fear grips over you. When fear grips us, stand still. So many times we can confuse ourselves much worse when we become fearful, agitated, and hasty. We want to do, do, do when we become fearful and it is not the time to do but to stand still when fear comes over us. Don't do anything but cling to God. Many times we try to do a bunch of activity to get ourselves out and we only tangle ourselves up even more. Amen. Can we tangle ourselves up more? These words contain God's command to the believer when he is reduced to great straits and brought into extraordinary difficulties. Spurgeon said this, stand still, despair whispers, lie down and die, give it all up. But God would have us put on a cheerful courage and even in our worst times rejoice in his love and faithfulness. Cowardice says retreat. Go back to the worldlings way of action. You cannot play the Christian part. It's too difficult. Relinquish your principles. But however much Satan may urge this course upon you, you cannot follow it if you are a child of God. The divine fiat has bid thee go from strength to strength, and so thou shalt, and neither death nor hell shall turn thee from thy course." Precipitancy says, do something, stir yourself to stand still and wait is sheer idleness. We must be doing something at once. Presumption boasts if the sea be before you, march into it and expect a miracle. But faith listens, neither to presumption, nor to despair, nor to cowardice. But it hears God say, stand still, and immovable as a rock it stands. Stand still in times of fear. Don't run and hide, but stand still. Number three, or is that four? That's four things. Number four, see the salvation of the Lord. We see the salvation of the Lord, the deliverance of the Lord in our afflictions by the eyes of faith. Not by our sight, but faith. Faith. Behold the deliverance which God will work independently of all human help and means. Man, I'm gonna tell you something. You may want, there are times when you're trying everything. Man, I remember being like, man, I don't know. I'm not going to drink any caffeine. I'm going to do this. I'm going to try to get some sleep. And man, everything I did, I don't care what it was, take some melatonin, take some, what's that other stuff called? It starts with a V valerian. I didn't take any medicine, medicine, really. But I didn't slam any NyQuil. But anyway, I wanted to sleep, right? I wanted to sleep. Like man, I'll try anything, it's not gonna kill me or anything or be bad for me, you know, but you know what? Only the Lord was gonna give me that. Didn't matter what I did. Amen? Didn't matter. You know? God had to do that. I tried. Didn't work. I drink a gallon of relaxing tea, stuff ain't working. Don't relax nobody, get rid of that junk. Stuff don't work, right? It ain't gonna work. No, because it has to be the Lord at that time. God promises them to see the salvation of the Lord, you shall see them again no more. Here was strong faith but this was accompanied by the spirit of prophecy. God showed Moses what he would do. He believed and therefore he spoke in the encouraging manner. There are some trials that God brings us through that we shall see no more. There are some that we'll never have to pass through again. We've been delivered from them, they're gone, they're probably not ever going to come back again, you know. When we follow the Lord's formula, you shall see them no more. What you need to do is look for God's deliverance by faith. You must believe that he will deliver you, that he will take care of you, that he will bring victory, and it will be wrought through his mighty hand and not our own. What is to be done? Faith hears the bidding of her faithful God and is not willing to be shut up in the iron cage of despair. Nay, she defies the old giant to put so much as a finger upon her. Lie down and die that she never, while her God bids her stand. See the world stand. What does it mean? Keep the posture of an upright man. Ready for action, expecting further orders. Cheerfully and patiently awaiting and directing voice. But in what way are we to stand still? It doesn't mean inactivity or do nothing. Amen? Surely it means, among other things, that we are to wait a while. Time is precious, but there are occasions when the best use we can make of it is to let it run on. A man who would ride post-haste had better wait till he is perfectly mounted or he may slip from the saddle. Right, Dave? He who glorifies God by standing still is better employed than he who diligently serves his own self-will. In your present temporal trials, you are to see God's power and love manifested. Now, I think I hear you say, well, one thing I know, I cannot deliver myself out of the dilemma in which I am now placed. I had some dependence upon, once upon my own judgment, upon my own ability, but that dependence is entirely gone. It is a good thing for you sometimes, Christian, to be wholly weaned from yourself. Man, that hurts. But you are saying, what shall I see? Well, I know not precisely what you shall see, except I am sure of this, you shall see the salvation of God. And in that salvation, you shall see two or three things, just as the children of Israel saw them. There are two commands which come to us when we are in perplexity. Listen. First is to stand still and see God's salvation. If you do not know what to do, wait to see what God is about to do. Only be still, cool, calm, collected. Look not around at the imminent danger, but up to his very present help. And when he says, go forward, do not hesitate for a moment to advance. For as your feet touch the fringe of the brine, a way will cleave down into the heart of the sea and through the depths. Number five, the Lord will fight, hold your peace. Here's the thing you have to understand, God in a time of fear, follow these steps all the way through and the Lord will fight, you will hold your peace. There are some battles that we are told to stand still for because God will fight them himself. For the Lord is a man of war. You will have no part in your deliverance for the Lord will have all the honor and glory of it. I can say at some trials I did my best to have peace and victory, and I tried every reasonable method of the flesh, and nothing would help. It was the Lord that had to, according to His formula for fear, He had to deliver me. I had to hold my peace. There was nothing I could do. Your unbelieving fears and clamors shall be confounded, and you shall see that by a mighty tone, he shall be able to prevail against everything. Be still and quiet and easy in your minds, and forbear saying or doing anything. Be silent, and neither express the fear and distress of your minds by any mournful sounds, nor their joy of faith by shouts. And they could not draw a sword. They were not so much as to blow a trumpet and break a pitcher and cry, the sword of the Lord and of Israel, as they after did on another occasion. God said, nope, don't do anything. I'm going to do it all. There are times you have to wait on God to expel the fears and not share them with anyone, lest you discourage them. There are sometimes you cannot talk to people about things that are going on in your heart. You need to take it to the Lord. Because you may shake them up. You may make them fear as well. But simply hold your peace. Stand still and let God move. He will move. The Lord will rise up. He will fight for us. Fear not. He will fight. And lastly, he tells us to go forward. After we have followed his orders and after he has got the victory, he says to move forward. You want to know one reason why you can't get over fear is you're not willing to move forward. You're not willing to move forward. You're holding on to it. Right? You're holding on to it. The longer you hold on to that, the longer you don't focus on the future and you're still licking your wounds from the past, you ain't getting over nothing. You ain't gonna get over nothing. This is a great way to conquer fear. After God has made bare his right arm and showed his power, go forward. The most crippling effect of fear is it slows down time. It literally is like it suspends time. And you stay in this bubble of fear, oh, I made a mistake, so I fear that the future will always, I'll always regret the mistake I made in the past. Well, if you live like that, then you will. But if you count God as God, and that He is sovereign, and that He knows all things, and that He's your heavenly Father, and that there is no good thing that He will withhold from you, then you will trust Him for the future and know that He will give you something better. He will give you something better than you thought you would have, because it'll be in His timing. and you'll be better prepared to receive it. We either get stuck in the past or stuck in the now and we can't move forward. But the only way to conquer fear is to move forward when God bids us go forward. Look, you can sit and drowned in fear, or you can jump out of the sea that God has already parted for you and you can walk on dry land and you can move forward and stop looking back. Because it ain't gonna do you any good to look back. There's nothing back there. It's gone. You can't change it. The only way to conquer fear is to move forward. We may be discouraged because of past failures. Still, we have no choice but to go on. Life is made up of rash beginnings and premature endings. We have nothing for it but to begin again. We may feel ourselves utterly graceless and godless. The remedy is, at once, to determine to be a great Christian. We must aim at things far in advance. We must go forward. Perhaps some great temptation of sin bars the way. Then we must not stand calculating. We must not look at consequences, but simply go forward to the new life of self-denial and holiness. You move forward. Philippians 3.13. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do. I'm going to tell you what, if Paul didn't do this, he wouldn't have been able to do anything for God. And I'm going to tell you what, if I don't do this, I'm not going to be able to do anything for God. And I'm going to tell you what, if you don't do this, you're not going to be able to do anything either. You're going to get yourself into a bitter, angry spirit. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do. Listen. Forgetting. Forgetting those things which are behind. Forgetting. Right? I like the deaf sign for that. It's this. Right? Forget. Right? Forget. Wipe it away. Forgot it. That's what you're supposed to do. Forgetting those things. So, I messed up. A just man fall seven times. Okay, you messed up. Man, you made a dumb move. Man, that was terrible. That was a bad move. You made a mistake. Okay. All right. And you're going to make some more, too. I'm here to tell you that. You're going to make some more. Right? You're going to make a whole lot more if you don't forget the ones you made. And learn from them and move on. Forgetting those things which are behind. But that's not all. It's not just forgetting those things. No, no, no. That's not enough. Because then my mind is just blank and I got nothing to do. But I got to reach. I got to reach for those things. Look what it says here. Reaching forth unto those things which are before. You want to know one of the problems? You can try to forget something back here, but you're not trying to move forward and reach and take hold of it with violence and grab it, the future. What's before you? So you'll sit stuck in the past. Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth on those things which are before. I press, Paul said. You know what that is, right? Press. You ever done a bench press? Right? You ever done a bench press? You know, pressing it, right? Right. That's what Paul's talking about here. He's saying, I press in, man. I'm pressing toward the mark. That's why, that's what helps dispel all the doubts and the fears, is that I'm focused on Christ, I'm trusting Him, and I'm moving forward. Yeah, and he works it all out. Why? Because I'm on his track. I'm running his track. It's his. He owns it. He owns the cat. Man, I don't know where I'm going to live. I don't have the idea yet. Right? Right, Lee? Somewhere. Yeah. Look, but you can't take it with you. It's all going to burn. Amen. It's all going to burn. Except me, I'm not. Amen. Amen. And that's what matters the most is that we're not going to. But I pressed toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. I'm moving forward. The longer you sit back there with regret, Make you bitter. Make you sour. It sours you. It'll sour your spirit. It will. It'll sour you. You know what I'm talking about, right? You ever had something sour in your mouth? Like, ooh, that's nasty. Like old rotten milk Lee drinks, stuff like that. Yeah, like sauerkraut. I like sauerkraut kind of, though. I never used to. I do like it. I do. I like sour cream too, so I know some of those. But I mean, you know what I'm talking about. I don't, yeah, yeah. He has some sour grapes, amen. That's right. Right? I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. That's what we're pressing to. Forward. Not back. You can't, look. Look, come here. Help me out here, will you? Zach's going to be an illustration. You're going to act like the brown guy, the UPS guy, or whatever, OK? So, all right. Yeah, yeah. Come here. Come here. Come here. OK. So I want you to turn around. Actually, no, no, no. I want you to stay this way. I want you to look back there, and I want you to run forward. Keep looking. Right. You are. Yeah. Do it again. Yeah. Yeah. Don't have to run into it, but just do it again. It's a great illustration. Keep looking and run. Yeah. Yeah. Keep looking. See, you're going to trip on something. You see that? But you see that? If he keeps looking that way, what's he going to do? He's going to run into something and he's going to fall. You can't run looking behind you. You can't run the race looking behind you. It doesn't work. You gotta press on. You gotta press on. Man, that was a long sermon, but it's worth it. Look what he says here. He says, let us therefore as many as be perfect be thus minded. Look what he says. And if in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. If you're not walking like that, God's going to reveal it. It's like, wait, you can't run a race looking behind you. Right? You can't do that. We have to press on. Amen? Going forward is not always making progress. Going forward is true progress only when it accords with the will of God. The path of duty is often beset with difficulties. Difficulties in the path of duty disappear before believing obedience. God dispels all those difficulties when you obey Him. Rebellion against God leads to trouble and distress, and if persisted, it must end in an irretrievable ruin. Faith in God and obedience to Him lead onward and upward to glorious triumph. The deliverance is wrought for us by the hand of God should encourage us to reverence and trust Him. Each trial He gets you through should cause you to trust Him more. Remember, God makes no mistakes. You say, but I make mistakes. Yeah, he already knows that. But he doesn't make any. Go forward with humbleness of mind, not strutting into the future. And if you have been acting wisely, worthily, and meritously throughout this year that has passed, be clothed with humility and walk humbly with your God. Go forward with gratitude and the remembrance of all his mercies. Have they not been new every morning? Go forward under a sense of present aid in opposition to complainings and murmurings. Go forward with earnest prayer and constant prayer. Go forward also with a firm confidence as to what may befall you in the future, that God will be with you. Go forward with frequent thoughts of your journey's end, for it will have an end and you are brought one year nearer to it. The call to go forward shows that there are seasons for swift obedience as well as earnest prayer. Wherefore cries thou unto me, says God? Strange language from the lips of him who has taught us to be instant in prayer. But even prayer must not be a medium for distrust to unveil itself. Do you hear that? Prayer must bespeak faith, not doubt. We want brave hearts as well as suppliant knees. We must fight against distrust. Doubt is defeat. The call to go forward teaches us that God hides difficulties till they come. Look, I know you'd want to know all the stuff. You say, well, if I would have known this, then I would have done this. But what you have to understand is God hides those difficulties until they come for a purpose. Because you could not handle them if he didn't. He gave them to you in this time because he knows you can handle them now. That's why. But God keeps the veil down before each life's future hour. We never know what shall be on the morrow, save that grace will be there if we live and glory if we die. Tomorrow, the fairest lamb in the fold may wander. The most loved friend be gone. The thorn may spring from the pillow and the garden contain a grave. The call to go forward tells us that we are not to live in the past, neither in its successes nor its sorrows. Let the dead past bury its dead. Piety should be no fossil relic of past experience. Yesterday's faith will not save us. We need today's. The call to go forward, and that means save as far as keep you going, not keep your soul. There's differences in that. The call to go forward, there's differences in the word saved. There's different aspects. The call to go forward answers to the spiritual instincts of the soul. Forward, not to the grave, but through the grave. The Christian revelation gives us the principles of progress. It opens up the spear for their exercise by its unveiling the immortal state. The call to go forward tells us that we have supernatural assistance to go forward. That's why He says, go. When God commands you to do something, He has given you the ability to fulfill that command. Do you understand that? There is nothing that God has not commanded you in this book that you are not capable of doing. Otherwise, He wouldn't have commanded it. Right? He didn't tell you, be sealed with the Spirit. Well, why? Because you can't do that. He's the king, he has to put the seal on. Right? But he did tell you to be filled with the Spirit, which means you can be. And if you're not, it's your fault. Amen. Amen. If you're not, it's your fault. Amen. That's good preaching right there, Zach. I'm telling you, that's... Man, to Christians in trouble. Our text is applicable. The children of Israel were in trial into which God had brought them. And it's an absolute certainty that if God brings you in, he will bring you out. Did God bring you to this place you're in? Whatever trial you're in? Did God bring you to that trial? Well, then he'll bring you out. Only it'll be when he wants to, not when you do. Tough one to take, isn't it? I know it. He never did take a saint where he must of necessity perish. What is to be done now? God's word is forward. God shall fight for you. The Israelites were upon a divine mission. They were going to slay the Canaanites. Preaching is the great weapon of God for pulling down strongholds. It will pull down the hugest blocks of stone the enemy can pile together. Spurgeon said, I would, I could make every member of this church feel in earnest about doing good. Soon you and I will stand on the brink of Jordan's river. The deep sea of death will roll before us. Trusting in Jesus, we shall not fear the last solemn hour. We shall hear the angels say, forward. We shall touch the chilly stream with our feet. The flood shall fly and we shall go through the stream dry shod. Now for you that have prayed long and not had the answer, and no blessing has yet come, will you cease to pray then? Will that bring an answer? How many a soul has quit praying when the door of mercy was just about opening? Go forward. Another one is kept back by fear of ridicule. He cannot stand to laugh. There is a sneer waiting for him at his father's table or a cutting sarcasm. He wavers before God. Going forward, the sea will open to you, and so will many a heart to cheer you on. You will inspire respect in the very quarters from which you now expect opposition. Your family's watching. People are watching your faith. A third person complains, I am in the dark. I cannot see my way. Then go forward and get out of the dark. Amen. The determination to do your duty will be attended by a luminous discernment of the path of duty. Unbelief draws back. There's only one way to conquer doubt. It is to believe. End the torturing uncertainty by going forward. Looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith. The only way to do a thing is to do it. That's it. That's simple advice, isn't it? The only thing to do a thing is to do it. But I have this fear. I don't care. Move forward. Amen. But what if, no, God doesn't deal with what ifs. He deals with yea and nay. It's right here in his book. Now move forward. Amen. Trust him by faith and move forward. That's right. There is only one way to conquer doubt, it is to believe. God gives strength to the obedient. You listen? God gives strength to the obedient. He has no promises for cowards or double-minded doubters. Go forward into the sea and it will part for you. God will make a way. Amen. There's so much more I could say, but I'm going to stop. I could keep going. There's other points I'd like to make. But I think you get the point. Faith conquers whilst the soul lives in close union with God and carries with it a consciousness of his presence. For conscious communion with God is the power as well as the life of the soul. And so long as this is enjoyed, faith is triumphant. Amen. The dealings of God are suitable always to the occasion. He works in the right time and place when and where the thing is needed. It is possible to be in a condition which is beyond all human and natural deliverance. God sometimes delays his deliverance to an extreme hour. Hmm. There are things in life which we meet once and we pass on and never meet again. Genuine and deep-rooted faith shows its superiority in circumstances that baffle sensuous reasoning. It doesn't make any earthly sense at all, but God will do it. It doesn't have to. If you'll follow these steps, you'll conquer fear. You'll get the victory over it just like they did. And what did God do for them? He parted the sea and he said, go forward. He destroyed their enemies. They walked across on dry land and then he destroyed all them in the in the water and they all drown in the sea. All their enemies, they watched them drown in the sea. And that's the same God that I serve today. It's the same one that is still delivering the same way. So whatever seas of life have compassed you and filled up and the waves are over your head, then you need to follow what the Lord says. And you need to obey him and he'll deliver you from your fear. Faith conquers. We are more than conquerors. Amen? More than conquerors. Amen? God will strengthen you. And we'll talk about that on Sunday when we talk about God gives wings. Amen? Eagle's wings. All right, let's pray. Father, Lord, thank you for your victory. Thank you for the promises of the Scripture, Lord. Thank you for strength and mercy. Dear God, thank you for your grace. Lord, I just pray that you would bless us now. Help us, Lord, to follow You and to believe You. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.