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Fear, Faith and 2015
We either saw itOr woke up to it
We either saw itOr woke up to it
And now there's the aftermathHow do we deal with it?
September:
Stock Market CrashBlood Moon
Jade Helm '15Cataclysmic Asteroid
Anxious people Need you to be
Full of Fear
(It validates their fear)
In the extreme…
- Hoarders- Extreme Penny Pinchers
- End of the Worlders- Recluses
They're all controlled by Fear
We could laugh, butMany of us have been limited
Not by lack of faithBut by the presence of fear
That girl you never asked out…
That job you didn't go for…
The game you didn't play
Or the team/group you wantedTo try out for, but didn't
That area of insecurity That stops you in your tracks
Afraid of simply letting go And trusting God
Instead of trying to controlEveryone and everything
Fear does 2 Things:
Paralyzes Action
- Discussion with spouse- Taking a stand
- Making an important decision
Directs Reaction
- Kids can't go anywhere- Lashing out
- Making decisions out of fear
Fear- when nurtured- Keeps God's people From following God's leading
(and Finding that God's Power Is more than enough)
Fear becomes a problemWhen it limits
The freedom to live
As God intended
Fear becomes a problemWhen it limits
What God wants to do
In and through our lives
What have you missedBecause you were afraid?ConversationsRisksExperiencesServing Jesus and his people
Brokenness and Wholeness
Fearfulness that rulesIs brokenness on display
God wants to set you freeFrom the rule of fear
In your life
Isaac, Water and Enemies
Digging wellsThat keep getting stolen
Isaac, Water and Enemies
"I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not, for I am with
you and will bless you"- Genesis 26:24
Jacob and Wife and Land
Jacob and Wife and Land “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham
your father and the God of Isaac… Behold, I am with you and will keep
you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land
- Gen. 28:13, 15
Moses and the Call
Moses and the Call“I am the God of your father,
the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.
I will be with you- Exodus 3:6, 12
Fear loses its powerWhen you know and believe:
Who God is andWhere God is
…in all these things we are more than conquerors
through him who loved us
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth…
…nor anything else in all creation, will be able to
separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord
- Romans 8:37-39
Because of the crossNothing can separate usFrom the God who loves us
And nothing can take his loveFrom us
Who is God?Power over life and death
Where is God?Dwells in believers
God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control- 2 Timothy 1:7
Fear loses its powerWhen you know
Who God is andWhere God is
Fear that limits usIs simply the forgetting of
How GREAT our God isHow CLOSE our God is
Creator- made youSustainer- keeps you
Omniscient- knows youOmnipotent- greater
Holy- separate from youLove- wants the best for you
The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear?The Lord is the stronghold of
my life. Of whom shall I be afraid?
- Psalm 27:1
God's Presence
Omni-Near youIndwelling- Lives in youManifest-Reveals Self to you
Fear loses its powerWhen you know
Who God is andWhere God is
When fear winsFaith loses
God's People miss out
Promised Land
"We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with
milk and honey, and this is its fruit
However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large
And besides, we saw the descendants
of Anak there…"
[It] is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height…
…we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and
so we seemed to them”
Legit fear?
There are people with gunsAnd we aren't safe
Legit fear?
Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the
people wept that night. And all the people of Israel grumbled
against Moses and Aaron
The whole congregation said to them, "Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness!"
CryingBlaming
Wishing for slavery Or even death!
“Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword?
- Forgot who God is- Accusing God of treachery
If there's a GodWhy did those people
Get shot?
Our wives and our little ones will become prey
- Imagining the worst
What if my sonGets shot in his car
Or at a theaterOr playing putt-putt?
Paralyzes action- living in faithDirects reaction- he can't go!
Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” And they said to one another, “Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt”
Formed a Committee!
Paralyzed ActionCaused Reaction
Joshua:"If the Lord delights in us, he
will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. Only do
not rebel against the Lord
Who God is: He will do it
And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed
from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them"
Who God is: He will do it Where God is: With us
Will your fears turn you Toward a loving God And his power?
Or Toward yourself and Your limited resources?
When Fear Rules
Faith is Absent and Truth can't be Heard
Leads to unwise choices
Then all the congregation said to stone them (the leaders) with stones- Numbers 13-14
Walking in Fear:- God is blamed
- Leaders are threatened- Seek out slavery
40 Years in the desert
Could have been living freeIn the Promised Land
And creating a futureFor their kids
Fear shouldn't rule. But Fear can:- Warn- Cause cautiousness- Make alert- Bring God's Power
I was with you in weakness and in fear and much
trembling…
…and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power…
…so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of
men but in the power of God- 1 Cor. 2:3-5
Fear…
- Paul relies on Jesus- He's empowered by Christ- People trust God, not men
Pray that I may declare it[the gospel] fearlessly,
as I should- Eph. 6:20
What fear can do…
- Drive us into God's Power
- Deepen our faith as we follow Outside our comfort zone
How do we go fromLimiting Fear
To faith-producing Fear?
Fear loses its powerWhen you know
Who God is andWhere God is
In Christ,
When Wholeness Touches Brokenness…?
TerrorismGuys with gunsRoad rage (and more)
Are real threats
We remember:
Who God is- Savior, SustainerWhere God is- In me
And we resolve to liveUntil we die
We let our kids live- Checking things out -And pray for protection
Fear of Failure
Who is God?Where is God?
Fear of Rejection
Who is God?Where is God?
Fear of being Alone
Who is God?Where is God?
Fear of Being Inadequate
Who is God?Where is God?
Fear of the Future
Who is God?Where is God?
Fear of a gunman taking outMe or my loved ones
Who is God?Where is God?
Limiting Fear is part of brokenness
When wholeness Touches brokenness
Brokenness is made Whole
Who is God? Can I trust him?
Where is God? Have I received him?
Get busy livingOr get busy…?
Get busy livingOr get busy…?
"I have come that you may have…?"
God, break the chains of fearThat keep us from
following you by faith
Where we have let Emotions ruleMay we trust you instead
Where we have given ground To the enemy
We stand and boldly proclaimYour freedom over his rule
In our lives
Push us outside our comfortInto your power
As we walk boldly by faith
What am I not doingThat I want to or should be
Because I'm afraid?
What steps will I take?
As a churchWe will walk by faith
Taking scary steps as he leads
Questions, CommentsDisagreements
Pray
