Focal Point

Dave Druey: Today on Focal Point with Pastor Mike Fabarez.

Mike Fabarez: Our picture of God is this man in a rocking chair who just loves everybody and kids on his lap and a long beard, and that’s not God. God is a holy person who dwells in unapproachable light. He is a God that cannot tolerate sin. But because He loves us, He’s provided a way out. And the thing is, you better take that way out so that you are not opposed by God.

Dave Druey: Every successful athlete knows that a strong defense actually wins more games than an aggressive offense. And while we’re quick to apply this strategy out on the court, sometimes we forget to offer a firm defense in our personal lives. Today on Focal Point, Pastor Mike Fabarez motivates us to stand up for what’s right. In fact, right now, Pastor Mike’s got a special booklet on the topic that we’d like to send any first-time listener called *Do the Right Thing*. Just reach out online at focalpointradio.org. Well, now let’s get started with today’s message.

Mike Fabarez: Now, if you’ve ever traveled or you have an art book somewhere tucked away in your house, and you look through the art book for pictures and paintings and sculptures of this guy named Moses, you may be led to the wrong conclusion. I’ve seen his sculpture in Italy, right? I mean, the guy is a cyborg. He’s ripped. He’s chiseled. I mean, have you seen him? I mean, he’s not afraid of anything. He’s impervious to fear. The guy’s not had a worry about anything his whole life, right? No, that’s not right.

I mean, that’s what they make him look like. As a matter of fact, he’s a guy just like you and me with insecurities and fears. Let me show you. Exodus Chapter 2. I just want you to recognize, for him to be able to be described 1,400 years later as a guy who didn’t fear the king’s anger, there had to be some work done in his heart. Because the thought of Pharaoh catching him as a turncoat in Pharaoh’s court, well, that was a frightening thought. Initially, he was afraid.

Take a look at it. Let’s get some context. Exodus 2. Look at verse 11. Exodus Chapter 2, verse 11: "One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were, the Israelites, and he watched them at their hard labor. They were being oppressed. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. Glancing this way and that, seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and then quickly buried him in the sand.

The next day, he went out and he saw two Hebrews fighting. And he asked the one in the wrong, 'Why are you hitting this fellow Hebrew of yours? What’s wrong with you?' And the man said, 'Who made you ruler or judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me the way you killed that Egyptian yesterday?' Uh-huh, we know about what you did." Underline the next four words: "Then Moses was afraid." What I've done is known, and if Pharaoh hears about it, whoo, I’m going to be in big trouble.

And he thought, that’s exactly what he thought. What I did must have become known. When Pharaoh heard this, he tried to kill Moses. That seems like a frightening experience. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and he went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well. That doesn’t look like a guy who’s not afraid of the king’s anger. Chapter 3, look at verse number 10. Exodus 3:10. God’s talking to him at the burning bush experience. He’s about to go back, pull the people out, the Israelites out, and leave Egypt.

He says, "I’m sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt." But Moses said to God, "You got it, man. I’m not afraid. I’m going to go right now," right? Is that what he said? "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt? Not me. You’re not talking to me, are you? Talking to me? I don’t want to do this." And God’s response was this: verse 12, first part of the verse, look at it. One basic response: "I will be with you."

See, what God was saying is you got to see the one who’s invisible. So he said, "Okay, got it. No problem." Is that what he said? No. Drop down to verse number 1 of Chapter 4. Moses answered, "Well, you know, what if they don’t believe me or listen to me? What if they say, 'Yahweh didn’t appear to you? God didn’t come to you in some burning bush. That’s a big load of malarkey. I don’t believe that for a second.' What if they say that?"

Look at verse 10. Chapter 4, verse 10. Moses, right, round three at least. He says, "Lord, now I’m going to have to go there and give some speeches there and tell them to let the people go. I’m not eloquent, neither in the past nor since you’ve spoken to your servant. I’m slow of speech, my tongue’s all messed up. I don’t think I can do it." Now he doesn’t look like that marble statue in Italy anymore, right? Well, drop down to verse 20.

Something takes place from Chapter 3, verse 10 to Chapter 4, verse 20. "So Moses took his wife and sons, he sucked it up, he said, 'Okay, I’m going,' he put them on a donkey, he started back to Egypt, and he took the staff of God in his hand." Okay, I know you’re with me. I’m going to hold on to this as a reminder that you’re with me, you’re going to help me, and I’m going to entrust my insecurities to you. Why? Because he was able to see the one who was unseen.

Number one on your outline if you’re taking notes, and it’d be good if you did because you might need this. Next time you’re faced with opposition, and it may not be Pharaoh, but it’s going to be somebody, some group of people ganging up against you, intimidating you, threatening you, taking you to court, suing you, whatever it is. Just remember this: you’ve got to exchange fear with focus. You’ve got to exchange fear and turn it into focus. Focus on what? Focus on the one that is unseen.

Isn’t that what verse 27 says in Hebrews 11? You’ve got to be able to persevere in the face of this scary opposition. What does it say? Because you’re able to see the one who’s invisible. You know, does this sound vaguely biblical? Don’t be afraid. Do you know that’s not a biblical thing to be fearful? That’s not a godly thing to be afraid. And here’s the issue. You’ve got to be able to say, "To be a godly Christian, I will need ambitious faith to say no to fear and to start focusing my mind to be able to see Him who’s unseen."

You want a passage that just nails this? Go to the New Testament book of Philippians. Philippians Chapter 4. We’re going to turn you to a couple of passages here. Philippians Chapter 4, verse number 4. The Bible says that you ought to rejoice in the Lord, because sometimes I can’t rejoice in my circumstances, right? Things don’t look good. I’m going to rejoice in the Lord. How often? Sometimes? Always. Then it says, "Let your"—now, you’ve already bracketed this word if you’ve been around my teaching very long because this word just doesn’t capture it for us.

What does your translation say? "Let your gentleness." Okay, what do you picture there? Butterflies, daisies, right? I don’t know. But it’s not the full weight of this word. The old translations used to translate it "forbearance". Gentleness is close, but it doesn’t give you the whole picture because it’s a kind of calmness in the midst of some kind of pressure. When we stand firm in the midst of the pressure, we have this kind of forbearance, perseverance, calmness under pressure.

Let that be seen by everybody. Why? Next four words: "The Lord is near." He’s near. He’s right here. He’s right by you. You’ve got to see Him who’s invisible. You’ve got to know: how in the world can I be calm when the pressure’s on? I know the Lord is near. Now let’s get to the heart of the matter. Verse 6, Philippians 4:6: "Do not be"—there it is—"anxious." Don’t let your mind be scattered everywhere. Do not be anxious about—here’s another superlative—what does it say? "Anything."

Do you have the biblical right to be anxious about anything? "Well, my kids, I got to be anxious about them. My job, my future, my retirement, my 401(k), right?" Can you be anxious about anything? Answer: no. You cannot be anxious about anything. And here’s the time when we’re most apt to be anxious: when there’s something pitted against us, when our back is up against the Red Sea, when we think there’s no way out right now, I cannot see how I’m going to get out of this mess.

When you feel that, the Bible would say, here and in every situation, do not be anxious. "Instead, in everything," what does it say? "By prayer and petition"—what does that mean? That I’m making a list and saying, "God, here’s what I need, here’s what I want"—"with thanksgiving"—there’s our biblical optimism—"present your requests to God." I’ve got to take my anxious thoughts and turn them into prayer requests. I’ve got to say, "Well, what if that? What if that?" Stop. Okay, listen. Here’s my prayer, God.

Here’s what I need. Here’s what I want. Let me be very specific. Take my prayers, petitions with thanksgiving and present them to God. If you do that, what’s that? That’s the act of starting to see my fears subside because I’m seeing the one who’s invisible, I’m putting the need before God, and look at the promise. Verse 7: "If you do that, look what it says, the peace of God"—does that sound good? That’s the concept of forbearance, the concept of gentleness, calmness, steadfastness under pressure—"it will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Which, by the way, it transcends all understanding.

Why? Because people don’t get it. They’re looking at you going, "I don’t really believe you. Are you really calm because look at everything that’s happening to you, and I can’t believe that you are standing up and surviving." "Yeah, I am, because I’ve taken my anxieties and I’ve exchanged those fears for focus on a God who’s there, who wants to walk through this with me. The Lord is near. He’s with me on this." And I’m putting my requests out there before God.

Is that hard to do? It’s hard to do, but you got to do it. It’s the pattern of Christ, is it not? What was the most stressful, anxious period, if you will, of Christ’s earthly ministry? What was the worst night He ever had? What was it? The night before He was crucified, right? He was just overcome with this, sweating as though His head was bleeding. He was there stressed, right? The pressure of the cross was before Him. So what did He choose to do?

He went to a place called the Garden of Gethsemane. What did He do there? Pray. And you know what? When the pressure’s really on, it'd be a good idea to bring a few people with you. Hopefully your friends are a little better than Peter, James, and John. But He tried to get them in with Him to pray with Him. "Can you watch and pray with me? Okay." And there they are—snores. They’re not very good prayer partners, but He knew what He needed. He needed to pray and He needed to pray with His friends.

If you’re facing opposition, and if you’re not right now you will, and sometimes it will be a real, real pressurized situation, turn your fear into focus. Focus on God. Get on your knees and pray. "Well, I’m really busy. There’s a lot going on right now, and I got to take"—are you busier than Christ? Let’s just think about that. In His earthly ministry, how busy was Christ? You think your little phone calendar thing is filled with stuff, right? Oh, really?

Can you imagine being Jesus Christ? Can you imagine for three and a half years being out there in Galilee and Judea and going all around in Jerusalem, and people know you can heal them and give them a free lunch, right? Fish and bread whenever. Do you think that people are going to be crushing on your door to get at you? Christ was busy. But here’s three verses to jot down really, really quickly. We won’t take time to look them up, but at least put them somewhere in your notes. Okay, are you ready?

Here they come: Luke 5:16, Mark 1:35, Matthew 14:23. Luke 5:16, Mark 1:35, Matthew 14:23. Did you jot those down? What do all of those speak of? Christ, who had to vigilantly, militantly guard His schedule so that He could get away at some very odd times to some very odd places so that He could do one thing: pray. You’ve got to carve out the time. You don’t find the time, you have to make the time. You just got to do it.

And Jesus did it. He needed to do it. We need to do it. He showed dependence on the Father. We’ve got to too. We’ve got to see Him who’s invisible. That’s the thing that’s going to expel fear. And God doesn’t want you to be afraid in the face of opposition. He wants you to be fearless. "The righteous are as bold as a lion." That’s what He wants from you. How do you do it? You got to pray specifically. Carve out time. I love those three passages. It says that He had to often go out to solitary places to pray.

He just had to find those. Do you have one of those places? Do you have some secret place? How about when Jesus talked about the inner room, the closet? Do you have a place where no one can find you? With a lock, perhaps, on the closet? That’d be a good thing. Go to Lowe’s, get a lock for the closet. Okay? If you got kids especially, I know how it works, right? Just find a place where you can get alone and do it. Christ did it.

Or how about the second one I quoted you? Mark 1:35: "Very early in the morning, before dawn, He went out to pray." Now, I know that’s hard. We’re going to sacrifice sleep, but you need it when you’re facing opposition. Or I made you write down Matthew 14:23. He had to go up to a mountainside, to a lonely place, to get away by Himself to pray. And when it’s a really stressful situation, take a few people with you. Hopefully not tired people, right? And take them out to pray with you because you’re going to need it.

Because it’s scary. Standing in the face of the Egyptian army or Pharaoh is scary, but you need to exchange fear with focus. "Well, it’s hard. I prayed and I got off my knees and my mind’s starting to go back to it." Are you still in Philippians 4? One more verse. Look at verse number 8. When you get off your knees and you say, "Okay, I’m finding strength. I’m not afraid anymore," here’s what you got to do: "Finally, brothers, here are the categories: whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable. If anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things."

Govern your brain. Focus your mind. That is a list which is categories. Now start filling in based on what you’re going through. Just fill in things under each category there. Look at them again. Whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy. Those are the things you can think about. Laminate it. Put it on the dashboard of your car. Put it on the mirror in the bathroom. Put it on the bezel of your computer screen at work and say, "These are the things I’m going to think about."

When I think of the big, bad people that are coming against me and are going to threaten my future or my income or my job or whatever it might be or my family, think about those things. Stop with all the meridemy, all the mind going in all different directions. Focus. Focus on this. Focus on God who wants to walk you through it. The Lord is near. You just got to see it. You got to see it with your mind’s eye and prayer is the tool.

We won’t have time to turn there, but at least jot it down: 1 Peter 5:6 and 7. Do you remember these two verses? 1 Peter Chapter 5, verses 6 and 7. Here’s what it looks like. We are casting all of our anxieties on the Lord because He cares for us. Isn’t that a great verse? It starts with this: that’s humility. "Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God that He might lift you up at the proper time." See, He cares for you.

Focus on God. Focus on His provisions. Focus on His abilities, His plan, and exchange fear for focus. Was Moses initially afraid? Yes. Look at Hebrews 11:27. But he got over it. He wasn’t fearing the king’s anger, and he had to focus his mind on what? He persevered because he saw Him who was invisible. Makes sense? Tight, there it is. Verse 29: the Egyptians are chasing the Israelites and the Israelites got their butt wet against the Red Sea. They don’t know what they’re going to do and God opens up, and you saw the movie and you know how it ends.

The protagonists are Moses and the Israelites. The antagonist, verse 27, is Pharaoh, the king. Antagonist in verse 29 is the Egyptian army with spears and chariots. Who’s the antagonist in verse number 28? Now, this is odd. In the middle of these two things, we have a discussion of the Passover. Now the antagonist is named here, is he not? The destroyer of the firstborn. Question, Sunday school grads: who was destroying the firstborn?

God. Ooh, that doesn’t sound like the right Sunday school answer there, does it? God? Yeah, God was the destroyer of the firstborn. He was going through Egypt including the Israelite camp and He was killing the firstborn. The firstborn is representative of the whole, right? The wages of sin—here’s New Testament theology for you—the wages of sin is death. Spelled out all throughout the scripture. Everyone before a holy God deserves to die. Everybody before a holy God deserves to be punished. Everybody before a holy God deserves His wrath.

But God is going to spare people, not only in His grace short-term, that’s called common grace, but specifically and entirely in His specific grace if they respond to that grace, right, on His terms. Now His terms in this particular 1445 BC episode is to take a lamb, live with it for seven days, have lamb chops that night, take the blood from that meal and put it on the posts of your house. And if you do that, you won’t be killed. And your firstborn that represents the whole, you’re not going to lose anybody.

Now, why? Why was this stuck in the middle of all this? Now think about it. Some people, and the Israelites were classic at having this mental blunder in their mind, they thought, "Well, God’s killing the Egyptians because they’re bad and He’s not killing us because we’re good," right? We like to think, "Well, God is opposing my opponents because they’re bad, but He’s not opposing me because I’m good." And that’s not true. How many have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God?

Everybody, right? All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. You’re a sinner, and because God is holy, because He’s holy, He’s got to respond to that sin and He needs to punish that. The grace of God provides a way out. In the old covenant, it was symbolized by the Passover. And the Passover was an animal that was a substitute, the substitutionary lamb that was symbolically by the doorpost blood, it was shown that I am protected by a substitute.

Now, that’s all symbolic of the New Testament truth. When John saw Jesus coming to be baptized, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world." He was the real one that was to be substituted so that God would punish Him instead of us. Now I want the benefit of that so that God does not oppose me. How do I do it? Have lamb chops and spread blood on the doorpost? No, you don’t have to do that. That was symbolic of the reality.

The reality is Christ. What do I have to do? I have to put my trust in Christ. I have to repent of my sins and trust in Christ’s provision. If I do that, it doesn’t mean that now all of a sudden, you know, I—all my sin, it never happened. No, it happened, but it’s all been nailed to the cross. It’s been paid for. By faith, see? Now, why is that in the middle of this discussion? Well, it’s certainly chronological, it’s certainly in the text of Exodus. But helpful for us to see is that the opponents in life, whether Pharaoh or the Egyptian army, I just want to make sure that one of the opponents in my life is not God, right?

I don’t want God to oppose me. Well, God should oppose me. Why? Because I’m a sinner and God’s holy. And because He’s holy, He should react to my sin with punishment. But you know what? If I were to respond to His provision, I make God my friend. That’s what the Bible says. I turn Him from my opposer to the one who now reconciles me to Himself and now I’m on His team. I’m adopted. I’m accepted in the beloved. I’m accepted in Christ.

Now, that’s a hard thought for people that have grown up in man-centered churches, and I understand people don’t get that because our picture of God is this man in a rocking chair who just loves everybody and kids on his lap and long beard and, you know, suckers in his beard. Doesn’t matter, we love you all, it’s cool. That’s not God. God is a holy person who dwells in unapproachable light. He is a God that cannot tolerate sin. Habakkuk is clear, the Bible’s clear.

But because He loves us, He’s provided a way out. And the thing is, you better take that way out so that you are not opposed by God on two levels: ultimately and practically. Let’s put it this way. Number two on your outline. I think it’s helpful for the Passover to be stuck in the middle of these two earthly opponents. There’s a heavenly opponent and you need to make peace with Him. Number two: ensure or ensure that you’re at peace with God. Because whatever obstacles or opposition you face, just we want to make sure it’s not God Himself, don’t you? I don’t want God to be my enemy.

And unfortunately, we’re born as enemies of God. Did you know that? You’re not born as a friend of God. We’re all born as enemies of God. And to get that right, we need the blood on the doorpost. Oh, no, that was symbolic. We need our trust in the blood of Christ, see? And then the one who opposes me because of my sin becomes my redeemer and my friend. That’s an amazing transaction. That’s called reconciliation.

It’s much like the picture in Ephesians Chapter 2. Remember that passage, Ephesians 2? Well, then let’s turn there. Ephesians Chapter 2. Ensure you’re at peace with God. Now, I said this is on two levels, and if you’re a really good note-taker here, you’ve got an A and a B. A is the ultimate opposition. That’s what Ephesians 2 talks about. The ultimate opposition is to make sure that I’m no longer alienated with God.

But we were born that way. Verse 1 of Chapter 2. Ephesians 2:1: "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live, right? When you followed the ways of the world." You were not in sync with God. You were not a friend of God. You were not connected with God. You were dead to God. "And you followed the ways of the world, the rulers of the kingdom of the air, the spirit that’s now at work in those who are disobedient.

All of us, every single person, no one’s born a Christian, all of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh," as the NIV says, our sinful nature, "this fallen earthly principle of our humanity, following its own desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature"—three words to underline—"objects of wrath." What does that mean? God is our opponent. We are born with God as our opponent. The ultimate opponents of God, that’s what we were.

We were opposed to Him. But here’s the grace of God. Ready? Verse 4, remember this passage? "But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our transgressions and sins." That’s a resurrection, right? You were dead in your transgressions and sins, and God in His grace quickened you, made you alive, brought you into His family. "By grace you’ve been saved." We didn’t deserve it. By grace you’ve been saved.

It’s through faith. It’s not of yourself. It is the gift of God. It’s not by works. It’s not a result of doing good things. You were a sinner like the rest. You put blood on the doorpost. Fantastic, see? But you didn’t earn your righteousness. It was attributed to you. You made peace with God because of what Christ has done for you, not because of what you did for Him. That’s the ultimate sense.

Dave Druey: Whenever we encounter opposition, the first place to turn is right to God. Trusting God when your back's against the wall, that’s the title of today’s message on Focal Point with Pastor Mike Fabarez. We’re in a series called Ambitious Faith, which you can listen to again any time at focalpointradio.org or through the Focal Point app.

And right now, there’s a book we’d like to send you called *Songs of the Son* by Daniel Stevens. It’s a collection of lyrical reflections drawn straight from the Psalms, taking the ancient words of scripture and bringing them into sharp personal focus. The Psalms have always been the language of honest faith, the cries, the questions, the confidence in God that outlasts every circumstance.

*Songs of the Son* explores nine Psalms cited in Hebrews, offering us a better understanding of how all scripture, including the Old Testament, reveals the pre-incarnate glory of Christ. Request *Songs of the Son* today when you give a donation of any amount. Call 888-320-5885 or give online at focalpointradio.org. Well, now Pastor Mike has something important to share.

Mike Fabarez: Thanks, Dave. I’d like to invite you to join me September 19th through the 26th, 2026, on a Christian cruise through New England and Canada. We’ll sail Holland America’s Zuiderdam, known for its elegance and exceptional hospitality, to historic cities like Boston, Halifax, and Quebec City. We’ll gather for devotional times in God’s word followed by thought-provoking Bible teaching throughout our journey. Grammy-winning musicians Keith and Carly Hancock will lead us in worship. You’ll enjoy the stunning autumn landscapes as we explore charming coastal villages, all while building friendships with like-minded believers. It’s a unique opportunity to deepen your faith and see some of the most beautiful scenery on the eastern seaboard. Space is limited, so don’t wait to sign up. Secure your cabin today at focalpointradio.org.

Dave Druey: I’m Dave Druey, and we’ll see you tomorrow for the conclusion of our message on trusting God when your back’s against the wall, Wednesday on Focal Point with Mike Fabarez.

Mike Fabarez: Hey there, Pastor Mike here. We’re almost out of time, but before we go, I wanted to personally invite you to contact us here. Let us know how we can be praying for you. Head on over to focalpointradio.org and click the contact page, or send me a note on Facebook, facebook.com/pastormike, or x.com/pastormike. Can’t wait to hear from you.

Dave Druey: Today’s program was produced and sponsored by Focal Point Ministries.