Sermon Discussion Guide
March 8th, 2010Sunday, March 7, 2010
Captivity: Fear
- Break the captivity of fear by trusting in the promises of God.
- Break the captivity of fear by trusting that God knows what He’s doing.
- Break the captivity of fear by remembering what slavery is like.
1.) Read Genesis 46:1-7; Exodus 1:8-14; Exodus 2:23-25. Does it seem to you that God broke His promise to Israel? Why, or why not? Have there been times in your life when it seemed to you as if God had broken His promises to you? If so, why did it seem that way? Pastor Craig stated, “You have a choice, fear or faith.” How does faith set you free from the captivity of fear?
2.) Read Matthew 28:19-20; Luke 18:27; Romans 8:28; I John 1:9. As you read these passages one by one, describe the way that these promises applied to the Israelites’ in Egypt, and the way they apply to your life. In what ways does trusting in each of these promises set you free from the captivity of fear?
3.) Read Exodus 14:10-22. The Israelites had to trust that God knew what He was doing when He told them to walk through the sea with the walls of water on either side of them. What experiences have you had when it seemed like walking through the Red Sea? If the Israelites had given in to their fears, what do you think they would have done? Moses spoke words of courage and faith to them. What persons in your life speak those words of courage and faith to you?
4.) Read II Corinthians 1:8-10. Paul could have been traumatized by his experience in Asia (he was thrown to the lions by the Romans) and become paralyzed by fear, always expecting the worst. What was it that kept him from that captivity? How can we have the same kind of faith that Paul had, trusting that God knows what He’s doing in all the ups and downs of our lives?
5.) Read Exodus 16:1-3. What was it that caused the Israelites to paint an unrealistic, “rosy picture” of their experience in Egypt? Why are we so prone to be in denial about the consequences of our sin? What does the message of the cross say to you about denial and freedom from fear?