Afraid and Distressed

Introduction

Genesis 32:1–8 NKJV

So Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is God’s camp.” And he called the name of that place Mahanaim.

Then Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir, the country of Edom. And he commanded them, saying, “Speak thus to my lord Esau, ‘Thus your servant Jacob says: “I have dwelt with Laban and stayed there until now. I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, and male and female servants; and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find favor in your sight.” ’ ”

Then the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and he also is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.” So Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two companies. And he said, “If Esau comes to the one company and attacks it, then the other company which is left will escape.”

Genesis 32:24–28 NKJV

Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.”

But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!” So He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.”

And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

This is the Word of the Lord, Amen?
You may be seated

•     I just got back from a wonderful trip in Singapore, visiting one of our mother Churches, Victory Family Centre, for their Victory 2026 conference.

•     It was a great trip. Tons of fellowship, training, and encouragement. Word’s were spoken, miracles happened, new friendships were made…

•     But none of that really concerns the message this morning, except for one peculiar thing that happened…

•     You see on the way to Singapore we had an 18 hour flight, and I thought this would be a great time to get ahead in sermon writing.

•     So on the flight I pulled out my laptop and started studying Genesis 32… as I was studying I was praying and seeking “God, what sermon series do you want to take us through from this text? What is the theme, what is the take away, what do you have for our church”.

•     But as I prayed, I got no response… as I studied, I got no inspiration… which is a really frustrating thing to happen to a pastor who is dependent on the Holy Spirit for inspiration and sermon direction…

•     I just kind of chalked it up to being uncomfortable on the plan and a bit tired…

•     And then the conference happened… You see I have come to learn that when inspiration doesn’t come I shouldn’t force it, because sometimes God has something waiting for me in the upcoming week that I need to experience or go through first…

•     The very first sermon of the conference was from a guest speaker named Pastor Jude, who preached a sermon called “The secret place” from Matthew 6:6 about hiding away into a secret place and praying to God in secret.

•     The very next sermon was preached by Pastor Jeremy Seaward, the lead pastor of VFC. His sermon was called “The inner room”…  From Matthew 6:6… about hiding away into an inner room and praying to God in secret.

•     The two men of God prepared sermons independent from one another, not knowing what the other was preparing, and they wrote the SAME EXACT MESSAGE…

•     And I think it was probably prophetic. The same God who gave Pastor Jude a message gave Pastor Jeremy the same message… The doubling means it’s fixed!

•     Though that is not what concerns the church this morning, though you should be praying in the secret place! It was the last sermon of the conference that got my attention… Pastor Nate from Substance church in Minnesota preached a sermon from Genesis 32… the same text I was struggling with on the plane, here was Pastor Nate bringing a prophetic word from it… \

•     The same God who I was asking to inspire me out of Genesis 32 had already inspired Pastor Nate of Genesis 32… and in that moment I knew… That I was going to steal his sermon…

•     No, I am just kidding I am not preaching Pastor Nates sermon, but I did let God inspire me through that sermon, so the Title of his sermon has become the theme for this series… WHAT IS YOUR NAME?

•     WHAT IS YOUR NAME – Series Title Slide

•     Do you remember what Jacob’s name means? It means “Heel grabber, Usurper, Back Stabber, Trickster, Fraudster”…  it was a name that defined the WHO JACOB WAS.

•     He bought his brothers birthright for a cup of stew, he lied to and deceived his father, he continually wrestled between hearing the will of God and trying to force it through his own tricks and manipulation.

•     And then this moment happens. He is running away from Laban, he is heading home with his wives and children… and now his old rival, his older brother Esau comes out to meet him.

•     Jacob is afraid… fearing that Esau was going to make good on his promise to murder him…

•     So Jacob hides in a cave, and that night God in the flesh, appears in the cave and physically wrestles with Jacob… imagine wrestling with Jesus… wrestling all night with God… and then He looks you in the eye… you are exhausted… you are depleted… and Jesus says to you “What is your name”?

Genesis 32:27 NKJV

So He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.”

•     Why would God ask Jacob his name?

•     God knew Jacob before he was in the womb. God was there when Jacob was conceived. God was there when Jacob reached out and grabbed the heel of his brother right after being born. God was there when Jacob was named Jacob… and He was there every time Jacob lived up to that name.

•     God knew Jacob’s name, so why did God ask “What is your name”?

•     See… God wasn’t asking for Jacob’s identification… He was asking for Jacob’s identity…

•     Let me say that again… it wasn’t a question about identification, it was a question about Identity.

•     Jacob… Who are you? What defines you? What is your name?

•     It is a question Jacob has struggled with for a long time… because God has given Jacob promises, and called him to greatness, and affirmed his place in God’s plan… but time and time again Jacob was… well… Jacob…

•     I think through this series, as we go through Chapters 32 and 33, God is going to ask you personally “Who are you… what is your name?”

•     But He is not asking you to identify yourself, He is asking for your identity… He is asking “What defines you”.

Point One – I am Afraid and Distressed

Genesis 32:6–8 NKJV

Then the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and he also is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.” So Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two companies. And he said, “If Esau comes to the one company and attacks it, then the other company which is left will escape.”

•     So Jacob is afraid… and to understand why we need to go all the way back to Genesis 27… Jacob had cheated and lied his why into getting the birthright blessing from his father… the blessing Esau believed was rightfully his…

Genesis 27:41–42 NKJV

So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”

And the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said to him, “Surely your brother Esau comforts himself concerning you by intending to kill you.

•     But listen church… that was 20 years ago! 20 years have passed since Esau said this thing… it was an emotional time for him, he was angry… I would probably be angry too if I was in Esau’s place! And sometimes when you are angry you say stupid stuff… right?

•     BUT 20 YEARS HAVE PASSED! EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED. Jacob is now incredibly wealthy. He has wives and 12 children. He has a whole company of people and livestock with him. Male and female servants, herds of goats and sheep, camels and donkeys.  He is a PATRIARCH at this point…

•     Everything has changed for Jacob… and yet it seems like nothing has.… the last time Jacob made this crossing… He was afraid and distressed…

•     He laid down his head on a rock in the middle of the wilderness, hopeless, giving up on life… running from his brother…

•     But now instead of laying down to sleep in the open, he lays down to sleep in a cave.

•     Before he gave himself over to death, hopeless, distressed, afraid… now he has wealth, now he has a plan… but the plan is DUMB… and forged out of being afraid and distressed.

•     The plan… Split up into two companies… that way only HALF OF US DIE… that gives Jacob, at least in his head, a 50-50 chance at living…

•     So there he his, hiding in his cave… so afraid and distressed that a 50-50 chance at living is the best shot… and not only that… but even if he lives, half of his children, half of his wives, half of his servants, and half of his livestock will be killed, destroyed, or captured…

•     So his best hope is a 50% chance of living with 50% of what he has… he makes this plan, puts it into action, then hides in a cave… Afraid and Distressed… DOES THIS SOUND LIKE THE LEADER OF GOD’S PEOPLE? The name sake of God’s chosen nation? The one whom through the savior of the world shall come?

•     NO! Because that is Israel… and this is Jacob… and Jacob is afraid and distressed.

•     What is your name? It is the question that God asked Jacob and it is the question that I am asking you church. What is your name?

•     Is your name “Afraid and Distressed”?

•     You are born again… you have 66 books full of promises and blessings… you have a God who will never leave you or forsake you… and yet… you are Afraid and Distressed.

•     Listen I know I am not speaking to everybody… but somebody here this morning is afraid and distressed.

•     Distressed about finances and afraid of not having enough.

•     Afraid of death and distressed by the doctors diagnose.

•     Afraid of loneliness… and distressed about relationships.

•     Man I have never been afraid of finances, I have always worked and had provision…

•     And I have never been afraid of dying… in fact I quit look forward to meeting my Savior in glory…

•     But I distinctly remember being afraid of singleness… that fear lead me to be in a relationship with a girl God never told me to be with… a girl who was really bad for me, and I was really bad for her. That fear robbed me of years of my life, and put me in many many distressed situations… and it wasn’t until we broke up… ended the engagement… and cancelled the wedding that I realized I wasn’t with this girl because I loved her… I wasn’t with this girl because God wanted me to be with her… I was with her because I was terrified of being single… I was afraid no one else would ever love me…

•     Maybe there is someone here who is afraid God doesn’t love them… distressed because you believe in God… you believe His word… you believe in heaven and hell… but you fear you aren’t going to make it… you fear the promises don’t apply to you… sure they apply to other people in the church… those people have it all together… but don they apply to me?

•     Constantly questioning your salvation… constantly distressed because of the name for yourself…  or the name that others gave you… not good enough… not trust worthy… not smart enough… liar… cheater… sinner… heel grabber…

•     Listen… the whole point of the series is this… YOU ARE NOT WHO YOU SAY YOU ARE… YOU ARE NOT WHO THEY SAY YOU ARE… YOU ARE WHO GOD SAYS YOU ARE!

•     I don’t know what your fear is this morning… I don’t know what you reason for distress is, saint… but I bet the Holy Spirit is stirring it up in you right now… bringing to remembrance… calling it out… sometimes you can be so afraid you don’t even realize the source of your distress… the fear has defined you for so long that you don’t even know it is there any more… lurking in the background… for some people the fear is in your face screaming at you… but for others it is lurking in the background quietly directing your decisions and your life…

•     And maybe you don’t have fear this morning, and this sermon is for someone else… but if you do, I pray the Holy Spirit would reveal it to you right now… so you can deal with it… so you can leave this place saying “I am not afraid and distressed, I am a child of God”.

•     Let me give you some verses to help deal with fear…

Deuteronomy 31:6 NKJV

Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

Joshua 1:9 NKJV

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Isaiah 41:10 NKJV

Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

Psalm 23:4 NKJV

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

•     I want to point out something about all of these verses… inside of them is the secret to overcoming fear… the antidote for the poison that is fear and distress…

•     That antidote is not “Make a stupid plan that kills half your family and then hide in a cave”… the antidote is not “Just stop being a coward and man up”… the antidote is not “Do better, be better, work harder, be smarter”… that antidote is “BE WITH GOD”…

•     Do not fear, YHWY Your God is the one who goes with you.

•     Do not be afraid… the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

•     Fear not, for I am with you… be not dismayed for I am your God.

•     Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil BECAUSE GOD IS WITH ME!

Psalm 27:1 NKJV

The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?

•     Honestly there are so many verses about fear, we would be here all day if I preached through them all… perfect love cast out all fear… be anxious for nothing but in all things with thanksgiving pray to God… If God is for us who can be against us…

•     The question this morning is not “Is there a scripture to for you this morning”… the question is “Do you believe it?”…

•     And that brings me to point two this morning… because point two shows just how stupid it is to be afraid and distressed as a Christian… and I say stupid not as an insult, but as a reality… because fear is very common amongst Christians… it just doesn’t make much sense… let me prove to you how stupid Jacob’s fear was by just reading the beginning verses of the chapter…

Genesis 32:1–2 NKJV

So Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is God’s camp.” And he called the name of that place Mahanaim.

•     The chapter starts with Jacob being surrounded by angles… he names the place “Mahanaim” which means two camps… because the angles of God camped with his camp there…

•     But then the very next verse Jacob gets some bad news and all of the sudden it is “FORGET THE ANGELS! I AM RUNNING TO A CAVE!”

•     Oh there is something prophetic here… he named it two camps because Angels camped there with him… but the second he became afraid he split himself into two camps leaving one camp to die at the hands of Esau… He doesn’t need to split himself into two camps he already had two camps! The angels encamped with him!

•     He need not say “I am afraid and distressed” that need not be his name… instead he could proclaim “I AM SURROUNDED BY ANGLES!”

•     If I could have the worship team come up and start playing… so that this second point sounds better… we will start to wrap this thing up with my second point…

Point Two – I am Surrounded by Angels

Exodus 23:20 NKJV

“Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.

Psalm 34:7 NKJV

The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them.

Psalm 91:11–12 NKJV

For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.

2 Kings 6:16 NKJV

So [Elisha] answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

Daniel 6:22 NKJV

My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me…

Hebrews 1:14 NKJV

Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?

•     Say amen if you are going to inherit Salvation. AMEN!!!!

•     That means that there are ministering spirits, angles from on high, that are sent to minister to you.

•     You know, sometimes people ask “Do you believe in extraterrestrial life”… seems like it is a hot topic now adays… and I am always like “YES! Absolutely! I believe in life from outside this planet… I believe in cherubim and seraphim… I believe we entertain angels unaware… I believe that God sends ministering spirits to me and everyone else who is born again to minister to us to guide us, to protect us”.

•     I am never alone, I am never outnumbered, I never have reason to fear because the armies of God go with me, they camp with me, they go out before me and follow behind me.

•     How can you believe scripture and not believe that…

•     For Jacob it wasn’t a matter of belief or not, it was a matter of fact. He saw the angles ascending and descending on the Ladder in chapter 28 on the way to Laban’s, and now leaving Laban’s the angles are encamping with him.

•     And even still… Jacob is afraid and distressed.

•     Compare that to Jesus… we just recently went through Good Friday and Easter services so maybe it is still fresh in your mind.

•     Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane… He is being betrayed and arrested… He has just been in so much agony that He was sweating blood. But the Bible never says He was afraid.

•     As they move in to arrest Him, Peter panics and cuts off one of the arresting soldiers ears… Peter was afraid, but Jesus wasn’t… why? Because Jesus knows that armies of Angles are on His side.

Matthew 26:52–53 NKJV

But Jesus said to him, “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?

•     A Roman legion was 6,000 soldiers… so Jesus was saying “In an instance I could have 72,000 warrior angles right her by my side! But I am choses to go with these soldiers because it is God’s will”.

•     Church, what if we lived with the kind of confidence that 72,000 guardian angels provides…

•     Would you then be afraid and distressed?

•     I don’t need to fear being alone if I am never alone… my God is by my side, and His armies encamp with me.

•     I don’t need to fear what the news says, or the doctors say, or the financial forecast says… God is by my side and my camp is a Dual camp… in my home lives two groups of people The Shields and the Angels.

•     I don’t fear men, I don’t fear governments, I don’t fear the devil, and I don’t fear his minions… because my God is by my side and I am surrounded by his angels on all sides… what on earth do I possibly have to fear.

•     That leaves the only fears left to address fears about who we are in Christ. Fears that we are not saved, that we are not loved, that we are not good enough… and we will tackle some of those fears next week when we talk about self worth and worth in Christ… but for today, if that’s you, I don’t want to leave you hanging, so let me just encourage you with these two verses:

Philippians 1:6 NKJV

being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

•     If you gave your life to Christ, you were born again, and you experienced the love and joy and peace of Christ… then you can be confident that God will complete His good work in you… you may not be perfect, but that is because God is not done with you yet. Don’t let the devil convince you otherwise…

•     Now I want to close with just a little time of ministry… in Singapore they did a lot of altar ministry and it really blessed me, and I think it might be appropriate now.

Conclusion

Romans 10:9 NKJV

that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

To be confident in your salvation… you first have to be saved… in a moment I am going to pray for people dealing with fear… but first lets take some time to invite anyone who is not born again, who is not saved… to give their life to Christ.

John 3:16 NKJV

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

•     Let’s close service by casting out fear in this place, amen? Let’s deal with the fear, lets name it and remove it from our lives. Bind it and throw it away…\

1 John 4:18 NKJV

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

•     Perfect love cast out fear… if we can just worship a little bit