Moses Makes A Stop (Part I)

Moses Makes A Stop (Part I)

Intro.: I like to travel.

1. Where are some of the places you have lived or

2. During my career, I have been privileged to travel to places I never would have been except for my career. Places like:

   1. Chicago

   2. New York

   3. Charlotte, NC

   4. Nashville

   5. New Orleans

3. I expect that when Moses' parents placed him in that basket, they thought that was the end. But, like my life, his life would take him many places.

4. Today we begin to look at the beginning of his travels.

Read: Exodus 2:15b-22

Pray

1. Moses afraid

   1. There seems to be an unwritten rule that the really strong person is not afraid. No one who wants to appear strong will want to talk about being afraid.

   2. But then we have Moses – here is a strong man. A man brought up in Pharaoh's home, probably had the best education possible, but at the end of the day scripture says “Moses was afraid.”

   3. Fear comes from a lot of sources -

      1. For some of us it may be noises at night

      2. For some it may be the uncertainty of our future health

      3. For some it may be a fear of falling.

      4. For others it may just be the future – either ours of that of a loved one

      5. Now it may surprise you that these are not made up – they are some of the fears that I have in my own life.

(Ill.) USA Today's Weekend Edition printed the result of a survey a number of years ago. It gives us a glimpse of the range of fears that 21^st century America carries around:

• 54% are “afraid” or “very afraid” of being in a car crash.

• 53% are “afraid” or “very afraid” of having cancer.

• 50% are “afraid” or “very afraid” of inadequate Social Security.

• 49% are “afraid” or “very afraid” of not having enough money for retirement.

• 36% are “afraid” or “very afraid” of food poisoning from meat.

• 35% are “afraid” or “very afraid” of getting Alzheimer’s.

• 34% are “afraid” or “very afraid” of pesticides on food.

• 33% are “afraid” or “very afraid” of being a victim of individual violence.

• 32% are “afraid” or “very afraid” of being unable to pay current debts.

• 30% are “afraid” or “very afraid” of exposure to foreign viruses.

• 28% are “afraid” or “very afraid” of getting AIDS.

• 25% are “afraid” or “very afraid” of natural disasters.

Other findings:

• Is the world a safer place than when you were growing up? No, say 9 in 10 Americans.

• 4 in 10 people feel unsafe taking a walk alone at night within a half-mile of home.

• 1 in 4 women thinks she has been followed by a stranger in the past year.

• 1 in 5 fears being caught in a bombing in a public place – and that was prior to the bombing of the World Trade Center in 2001.ⁱ

4. Fear is something we will be living with – but it is not an uncommon feeling.

5. Before I move on, we also need to remember the words John wrote, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.”

6. Fear is a common feeling, but it does not need to paralyze us.

Conclusion

Pray

iMorgan, R. J. (2000). Nelson's complete book of stories, illustrations, and quotes (electronic ed.) (295–296). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.