We all live in fear of something. For me, it's spiders. I don't like spiders - of any kind! I know there are only a few that can really cause harm to your body, possibly even kill you if their bite is left untreated. But, I still don't like spiders!
When I lived in Arizona, my home had a fireplace. So, soon after moving in, we got a load of firewood and stacked it neatly on the back porch. I quickly discovered that little critters were really pleased that we had that nice wood pile - especially spiders. To deal with the problem, I called an exterminator. When he arrived, we saw a web with a black widow in it. He said to me, "Here's how I deal with these little critters:" (SMACK).
Of course, out there in the desert, we had other critters to deal with as well. Things like tarantulas (which aren't really poisonous, but are still kind of scary) and scorpions. Did you know that baby scorpions are more poisonous than big ones? In Australia, we had to deal with a large furry spider called the huntsman. It kind of looked like a tarantula, and it was supposed to non-poisonous. Because of their size, they are still rather scary. One evening when my brother and his wife were visiting us there, Linda was in the kitchen fixing dinner and I was in my study. My sister-in-law was in the family room lying down on the sofa. All of a sudden, she let out a scream! We all came running from different parts of the house to see what was wrong. She pointed to a huntsman spider walking across the ceiling. She was afraid that it might swing a web right down onto her.
I know, of course, that there is so much more that people fear than just little critters. I would like to focus today on what I see as three common causes of fear. Some folks I know fear everyday life - the circumstances they find themselves in, the worries about money and paying the bills, dealing with certain people, etc. There are also those who fear death. After all, no one except Jesus has come back from death to tell us what it is like on the other side. Don Piper, who spoke here last year, came close and shared his experience with us. But most people I know, have some kind of fear of the unknown that lies on the other side of this life. Then there are those folks who live in fear because of their faith in Jesus Christ.
I read about a man who has his own unique solution for resolving his fears. Every January 1st, he gives his wife $1, and she worries about everything for both of them. That is not the entirety of the plan. The man said, "If someone else wants to be worry free, they can also send her a dollar." The Bible has a better answer: "The Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you." (Deuteronomy 31:6 NLT) You can trust the Lord to go with you into whatever fearful situation you encounter.
Many of you worry about things that may happen in your everyday lives. You have fears about the cost of living, work or school related problems, your health or the health of someone near and dear to you. The list goes on and on. Those worries manifest themselves in many different ways, most of which cause a bit of fear in your life. Many times you will tell yourself that you fear nothing, and yet your dreams tell you otherwise.
Lloyd Ogilvie tells of a conversation with a friend who had a recurring dream that left him worried and fearful. He dreamed that he was in a fast-moving river and was paddling against the current while holding on to a life preserver that kept him afloat. While clutching the buoyant float, he tried desperately to swim back up the river. And yet, the harder he swam, the more difficult it became to buck the irreversible force of the surging current. When Lloyd pressed the man to describe the river more fully, he remembered an amazing thing. At one end of the river, from which he had been carried by the force of the currents, was a dark, forbidding cloud. At the other end, he could see from a distance, a bright, beautiful sky with a rainbow arched over it.
Ogilvie said, "The meaning of this dream seemed so obvious, and so perfectly matched to the man's spiritual condition, that I decided to gently press him to think through what the Lord and his inner heart were trying to communicate to him." Dreams often are the focus of what your subconscious mind is trying to tell you. They also can be what your conscious minds resist recognizing in your waking hours. Also, dreams can be the way the Lord uses to get through to you.
Lloyd asked the man what he thought the meaning was of the picture he painted from his dream. In response the man said thoughtfully,. "Well, that dark, forbidding cloud must mean something bad. Like a storm or difficulty. And the rainbow-filled sky must be something good. I can remember as a boy in Sunday school, I was told that the rainbow in the Old Testament was a sign of the covenant, a reassurance of God's blessing on His people."
The man smiled and added, "Why didn't I see that before? The one end of the river is difficulty and frustration, the other end is blessing!" The man's face darkened and furrowed into a perplexed frown. "The currents of the river are carrying me toward blessing. Yet I'm swimming against that tide. I hang on to the life preserver and try to swim back to the dark end of the river. Sometimes in the dream, I take markings along the side of the river. There seems to be a halfway point between the cloud and the rainbow, and I try to stay there, halfway between the two."
With some prompting, the man said, "The life preserver keeps me afloat. I never have the fear of drowning in my dreams. And yet I use it to fight my way back to the cloud rather than floating on to the rainbow." As he said that, the frown lifted from his face. "The only thing that has kept me afloat in this troubled time of my life is my faith in Christ," he said. "So, I guess that life preserver is my faith." Then he added, "The Lord has kept me afloat in that river, but He's trying to move me on. I keep trying to go back to my old life of worry and fear rather than allowing the currents to press me on to the blessing the Lord has for me."
It is so easy for all of us to let the worries and cares and frustrations of daily life start to get us down. You tend to worry over something and before you realize it, you have become afraid to stand up to that issue or person. It becomes easier to hide or stay on the cloudy side of life than it is to move beyond the middle ground and let God bring you blessings.
Fear has a way of tying you in knots and dragging you down. Fears play tricks on your mind and cause you to worry needlessly. Sometimes, as with Lloyd Ogilvie's friend, they may cause you to not get a good night's rest because of recurring and frightening dreams. Jesus said, "I am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid." (John 14:27 NLT) When you face various situations, critters, people that cause you to be afraid, remember Jesus offers you a gift. I have often said it: you must accept a gift before you can use it. So, turn those fears of whatever it is over to Jesus and let Him handle them for you. He alone is able to take that burden and carry it so you don't have to.
Some folks, even though they profess to be Christians, fear living the life of a Christian. Many in this country are afraid of sharing their faith or even praying out loud before a group. I read an article about some Chinese officials from the Public Security Bureau, who burst into a Sunday school room at a local church. They found 30 children inside and herded them into a van. Despite the scary situation, one child started to sing. In a few moments, the van was filled with song. Upon arrival at the police station, the children marched bravely into the interrogation room, still singing to the Lord. The Chinese officers attempted to force the children to write, "I do not believe in Jesus," telling them that they had to write it 100 times before they would be released. Instead of obeying, the children wrote: "I believe in Jesus today. I will believe in Jesus tomorrow. I will believe in Jesus forever!"
The exasperated officials called the children's parents, some of whom did deny Christ. However, one widowed believer absolutely refused to deny Jesus when she came to pick up her twin sons. The officers threatened her, saying, "If you do not deny Jesus, we will not release your sons." The widow replied, "Well, I guess you will just have to keep them, because without Jesus, there would be no way for me to take care of them!" With no avenues left open to them, the officials said, "Take your sons and go!"
You see, in some countries, it is a fearful thing to express your faith in Jesus. In many Muslim countries across the world, Christians are routinely persecuted, harassed, sometimes tortured and sometimes murdered. If they dare to build a public meeting place, those churches are routinely burned or torn down. Jesus warned that these things would happen. He said, "God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way." (Matthew 5:10-12 NLT) So, too, of course, were the disciples Jesus trained and lived with during His ministry.
I know it is a fearful thing to stand up for Jesus. You may not fear for your life, but these days, you may be afraid of being mocked. After all, this country, which used to call itself a Christian nation, can no longer lay claim to that title. Things have changed drastically over the last fifty years. People no longer "go to church" because it is the thing to do. That is all the more reason that each of you understand your faith, know clearly what you believe, and be ready, willing and able to share it with others. It vitally important to future of this church that you push aside your fears and share with your friends, neighbors family members and acquaintances, why they need to come to church and learn to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. It is urgent that you stand up for your faith in the public arena.
I also know that some of you are fearful of praying out loud. I guess that's because you are afraid you will not sound "professional" enough or may say something that sounds foolish. Let me assure you that your fears are ungrounded. If you say a little silent prayer first, asking God to guide your words, He will do that. And, when you pray aloud in a group or with another person, those hearing your prayer will be blessed by it.
The Bible says, "All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us." (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NLT) You see, if God has ever comforted you in a time of need, then you will be able to comfort others when they need it. That includes praying with and for them.
There is a third area where many people are afraid, but where Christians need not be. That is at the time of death. Many people fear that time because of the uncertainty of what lies beyond. For the Christian, that need not be the case. The Bible is very clear about what life beyond this life holds for those who have invited Jesus Christ to be their Lord and Savior.
Now, I know very well that many, many people out there don't believe in Jesus. Many people find it outrageous and ridiculous to claim that this man named Jesus rose from the dead. They don't buy into the fact that He met with numerous people after that resurrection and some of His closest followers watched Him ascend into Heaven. They just don't buy it. But, you know what? Just a couple of hundred years ago, people would not have believed that you could talk on a device called a telephone with people on another continent - much less believe that it could be done without wires connecting the two. They would not have believed that you could broadcast live pictures through the air - what we today call television. They would never have believed you could cook things in just a few minutes in an oven called a microwave.
I know that I have said it many times before, but maybe there is someone here today that has not heard me say it: Jesus did in fact rise from the dead! We will be talking about that in detail in just a few weeks as we celebrate Easter. The proof for me is in the fact that the Roman soldiers, who were very experienced at killing people, certified that He was dead. While three days later, the empty tomb could be explained, but not proven. His appearance to many people following His death begins to sustain the credibility of that claim. That credibility was sealed by the fact that the Apostles, His closest followers, all went to their deaths proclaiming His resurrection. If they were trying to propagate a myth, I believe at least one of them would have "cracked," rather than be murdered in some horrendous way for holding onto that as truth.
Friends, it is natural to be afraid of death. But Jesus says, "Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." (John 5:24 NIV) Friends, if you believe in what Jesus did, you already have begun living the life that God has promised: eternal life, abundant life. Enjoy it now! Look forward to even greater things in the life to come. Death is not something to be feared, it is something to look forward to. Not that you should try to hasten it, but you should know that when God is ready for you, you can look forward to a glorious heavenly reunion!
General George Patton once said, "Courage is fear that has said its prayers." If you look back over the great heroes of the Bible you find many people who said their prayers in fearful times and with God's help had the courage to meet the difficulties they faced. Joseph and David come readily to mind. Joseph had a lot to fear when his jealous brothers sold him into slavery in Egypt. But he said his prayers, and followed God in spite of living in a pagan country that worshiped many different gods. Before long, he established himself as having superior knowledge. As a result, Pharaoh elevated him to second in command. His faith in God carried him through even the most fearful times.
David was another Biblical hero. He said his prayers, trusted God and went to do battle when none of his countrymen were willing to step up and fight the giant. The Lord God was with him and he succeeded in eliminating that threat to his nation.
I read about a little boy named Jered, who from his earliest days, was trained to know his name, address and phone number. His parents wanted to be sure that, if he ever became lost, he would be able to help people return him to his home and family. One evening, he and his dad went for a before-bedtime walk. After a few minutes of silence, his father decided to test Jered's knowledge of where he lived. "How far are we from home?" Dad asked. Jered answered, "Dad, I don't know." His dad tried again, "Well, where are you?" Again Jered answered, "I don't know." Then his dad said good-naturedly, "Sounds to me like you're lost, son." With a confident grin, Jered looked up at his dad and said, "Nope. I can't be lost. I'm with you." Friends, when you are walking with God, you are never lost. You may be worried or fearful, but God can take that from you - if you let Him. The prophet Isaiah, quoted God, talking about the Messiah that was to come, said, "Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." (Isaiah 43:1b-3a NLT)
Friends, in closing, I want you to think about Mary and Joseph, Jesus' earthly parents. Don't you know they had to be afraid? Even in the face of an angel's reassurance that what was happening was of God, they faced public ridicule for their faith as well as for their situation. But, they had God's promise! The Apostle Paul reminds us of that promise in Romans 8, "Nothing can ever separate us from God's love.." (Romans 8:38) The Apostle John put it this way: "Perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love." (1 John 4:18 NLT) Know that God loves you. Know that God cares about you. Know that love by allowing Him more and more of your life to guide and direct. As you do that, you will know more and more of His "peace that passes all understanding." (Philippians 4:7 RSV)
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