Exodus 6:1-9

“Life with Christ is an endless hope, without Him a hopeless end.” -Anonymous

FACTS ABOUT DISCOURAGEMENT: vv. 1-8

“Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.’

“God also said to Moses, ‘I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them. I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they lived as aliens. Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.

“‘Therefore, say to the Israelites: “I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD.”’”

FACT ONE: Everyone deals with discouragement.

FACT TWO: Discouragement is contagious.

FACT THREE: Discouragement leads to loneliness.

FACT FOUR: Discouragement causes us to run from responsibility.

FACT FIVE: Discouragement causes us to exaggerate the problem.

FACT SIX: Discouragement hinders our service to God.

FACT SEVEN: Discouragement comes before God’s blessings.

“Often the cloud is black before it breaks. It overshadows before it yields a deluge of God’s mercy.” -C. H. Spurgeon

REASONS WHY THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL WERE DISCOURAGED: v.9

“Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and cruel bondage.”

1. Their problems were real, not imagined.

2. Their patience was tested to the limit.

3. They were physically and emotionally stressed.

WAYS WE CAN BECOME HOPEFUL WHEN DISCOURAGED: Exodus 6: 12, 28-30

“But Moses said to the LORD, ‘If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips?’

“Now when the LORD spoke to Moses in Egypt, he said to him, ‘I am the LORD. Tell Pharaoh king of Egypt everything I tell you.’ But Moses said to the LORD, ‘Since I speak with faltering lips, why would Pharaoh listen to me?’”

1. Change our attitude.

2. Ask for guidance.

3. Look and listen for what God is teaching.

4. Choose belief instead of doubt.

“In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation” (Psalm 5:3).