Randall Caselman
Bella Vista Church of Christ
August 11, 2002 p.m.
I Will Fear No Evil
Reading - Psalm 23
Our Sunday evening study is titled... HEARTS FIT FOR THE JOURNEY.
Life is a JOURNEY... The Bible tells us that, "As a man thinks in his heart... So is he."
So... We are working on our hearts... Making them fit for the journey.
Last week... We noted that most of time when getting ready for a trip, a journey, we have a tendency to pack way too much stuff. We take so much with us that we can't enjoy the trip... The JOURNEY.
Max Lacado, in his latest book, suggests that we need to travel light. Indeed...
- There are some things we need to leave behind in the journey of life...
- And there are some things which we need to make sure we have plenty of.
Last Sunday evening, we suggested that the first thing we needed for the journey was faith. You see church... Without a healthy faith in God, we are destined to weariness throughout the whole journey of life. "Faith is the victory that overcomes the world." We cannot enjoy the journey without it.
Now... Tonight we examine the first big bag that we need to jettison... FEAR.
Go with me to the Mount of Olives... We join Jesus and His Apostles there. Scripture tells us that this was a favorite place of His... A place of prayer... But tonight it is a place of fear.
One of my first Bibles had a picture of Jesus praying in the Garden. It was a serene scene... Jesus calmly kneeling beside a large rock... Hands folded... Eyes and face peacefully... expectantly pointed toward heaven. The artist was not much of a Bible student, or he ignored what he read.
- Mark says... Jesus fell to the ground.
- Matthew tells us Jesus was very sad and troubled... Troubled to the point of death.
- Luke says... Jesus was filled with pain.
Jesus was flat on the ground... Face in the dirt... Hand extended... Gripping grass. His body rising and falling with sobs. Jesus was experiencing FEAR!! ... So much so that... He begs for a change in Divine plans.
All of us have been there... Haven't we?... We've all faced this emotion called FEAR. It has prompted each of us to pray this same prayer Jesus prayed...
- When we board a plane...
- When we stand to speak to a large audience...
- When we've been dismissed from a good paying job...
- When they wheel us into the operating room for extensive surgery...
- When we are about to make a major decision that will impact our entire family... A new job... A new business venture... An extensive loan from the bank.
The Bible tells us that Jesus was so fearful that he began to bleed. Doctors understand the condition... Severe anxiety causes the release of chemicals that break down the capillaries in the sweat glands.
Church... Listen to me... If you think that you can live a good enough life... That you can escape ever having to go to the Garden of Gethsemane... Satan has fooled you badly. Scripture tells us... Those who will live Godly... Will suffer. We will join Jesus in this Garden scene... Not once... But many times.
Our purpose in this series of lessons is not to learn how to stay out of this garden... But how to prepare the heart for the experience... For the journey!!
You're having a great time at the ball park... The home team is winning. A friend slides in beside you saying that there has been an accident out on the interstate and your wife and three children have been rushed to two different hospitals... One has been flown to the burn unit in a nearby state... FEAR. The heart races... The cry to God is that He would erase the last five terrible minutes. But it won't happen. It didn't for Jesus either.
A strange noise... A shadowy figure in the dark... A blow on the head... And you realize that someone has invaded your house in the middle of the night. There are screams from the children's bedroom... "Daddy... Mother... Daddy, help." FEAR grips your soul... You wish you could wake up... And it all be a bad dream... But it's not!!... Not for Jesus... Not for us.
You sit across the desk waiting... waiting... waiting. Will he ever come. Then the door opens and the doctor slowly... deliberately... eases into his chair. He eyes and solemn greeting cause your heart to pound.... Then he clears his throat and says... Did you come alone?... And you know this biopsy report is not good. Cancer... Stage five... Six weeks to six months at the most. FEAR!! Fear that makes you sick at your stomach... The body moves in convulsions that you cannot stop. Jesus couldn't... Neither can we.
There is no feeling quite like the icy grip of absolute FEAR!!
Because... You see... Life has no pause button... No erase... Life can't be placed on fast forward. Those who will live Godly lives will suffer. So... The question becomes HOW?...
- How do we deal with this excess baggage?...
- How can we possibly enjoy the trip?
- How can we make our heart fit for the JOURNEY?
David must have known something we don't...
- He faced the lion and the bear...
- He faced Goliath...
- He faced Saul's army.
- He faced the fear of leading all Israel.
He is able in Psalm 23 to say... "I will fear no evil... For Thou art with me... Thy rod and thy staff... They comfort me..."
So... The rest of the lesson tonight is about when fear and faith meet.
Now... Don't take this as a promise that all things will work out to our wishes... That God will always deliver us... Because sometimes He does not deliver us, but gives us strength for the journey.
- He did not deliver Jesus... But Luke said... He sent angels to strengthen Him.
- He didn't deliver James from death at the hand of Herod.
- He didn't deliver Paul from the thorn in the flesh.
And He may not choose to deliver us from our worst fears... But He does promise help.
So... How?... How can we learn to face our fears?
First... We must Be willing to confront our fears honestly.
Some advise us to just be patient... That one day fear will wear off... Vanish into thin air. Let me tell you church... Fear ain't going anywhere on its own... Except to get worse. The reason for this is that Satan is behind our fears... And he will not relent...
1... Until our fears destroy us...
2... Until they cause us to lose our faith in God...
3... Or until our faith overcomes our fear.
The first step we must take is to ask God to help us discover what is causing our fear... Church...
- It might be a lack of faith and trust in the power and presence of God in our lives...
- It might be a chemical imbalance in our bodies...
- It may be an emotional response to a phobia we have...
- It might be because we make little or no effort to rid ourselves of this emotion.
We must know tonight that... Like Jonah, we cannot run from our fears. We must acknowledge them... Face them... Deal with them honestly.
I read a remarkable story about a Canadian family who were convinced that World War Three was looming... They were terrified. They decided to run away, hoping to find some small corner of the world where they would safe. So... In the spring of 1992... They relocated to a quiet little spot on an island chain... An obscure piece of British real estate where nothing was likely to go wrong. The family relaxed and enjoyed only five days of tranquility before the Argentineans invaded the Falkland Islands... Beginning the Falkland War.
Church... There is no place to run from our fears. We must stand and face the truth of the fear. Only then can we begin to trust in God for help.
Secondly... We must bring our fears to God.
Personally... I believe fear is like anger. Fear is not the sin. It is how we deal with it that has the potential for sin. Like anger... Fear is a God given emotion... Serving a legitimate purpose in life. However, if fear is not processed... controlled... channeled in the right direction, it can and will lead to sin.
In fact... The Bible teaches us that there is more than one kind of FEAR.
One is a fear that is an appreciation... An awe... Reverence... Respect... for something.
- David said... Blessed... Happy is the man who fears the Lord.
- Solomon wrote... The whole duty of man is to fear God and keep His commandments.
- Acts 2.43 tells us that the success of the early church was because fear came upon every soul.
We are to have a healthy fear of fire... disease... wild animals... storms... earthquakes... etc.
Then there is that fear which paralyzes our hearts... Our good intentions... Our proper response to life's situation and circumstance. A fear that causes us... As children of God... To move from a trust and confidence in Him into an area of disobedience... For instance...
- Fear caused Moses to try to excuse himself from accepting God's commission of delivering Israel.
- Fear caused the ten spies to bring an evil report... And then the children of Israel to not enter
and possess the Promise Land.
- Fear caused King Saul and Israel to not go up against Goliath and the Philistines.
- During the personal ministry of Jesus... Several rejected Him because they feared the Pharisees. - The one-talent man hid his talent because of fear.
- Revelation 21.7 tells us that those who fear will be lost forever in the lake of fire.
Franklin D. Roosevelt spoke of this kind of fear during the critical years of WWII... When he said... The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
This kind of fear that robs our faith... Fear that paralyzes our response to God's will... Debilitating fear is a sin.
Paul writes to Timothy saying... This kind of fear doesn't come from God... "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline."
- Jesus took His fears to His Father... And God sent angels to strengthen Him.
- Paul took his thorn in the flesh to God... And He gave him grace to overcome... Listen to Paul from Second Corinthians 12.9 & 10... "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
- David wrote... I sought the Lord... and He heard me... and delivered me from all my fears.
Church... We will never be delivered from our fears until...
- One, we acknowledge them... Confess them...
- And bring them to God asking His help.
Do not be anxious about anything... But in everything by prayer and petition... Present your request to God.
- Don't measure the size of the mountain... Take it to the one who can move the mountain.
- Don't go to the sheep... Take your problems to the Shepherd of the sheep.
Thirdly... We must have faith in God... We must claim God's promise of deliverance.
May I make a suggestion? If you are struggling with fear tonight, try this exercise. Take several 3x5 index cards... Write on them the verses in the Bible that promise deliverance from fear. Place the cards in a prominent place in the house... car... purse... On your desk. mirror, refrigerator, etc. Then read them several times a day.
You see... Overcoming Satan is a battle... It is a war... A fight to fight... A race to run. The battleground is our heart... Hearts fit for the journey... Hearts made ready for the trip... We must win this battle over fear.
Here are several such Scriptures...
Deuteronomy 31.6... Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.
Psalm 23... The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even 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. He prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies. He anoints my head with oil... Life's cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Psalm 27.1... 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 118.6... The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
Proverbs 3.25-26... Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared.
Proverbs 29.25... Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is always kept safe.
Isaiah 41.10... So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Church... Take these passages, along with others you might find, and soak them in prayer. And the next time Satan fills your heart with fear... You'll be ready!! Like David... You can pull out five... or more smooth stones from your arsenal and slay the giant of debilitating fear. Listen to David and the Hebrews writer as we put them together... "God is our refuge and strength. A very present help in time of trouble. We will not fear, though the earth changes and though the mountains be shaken into the heart of the seas... Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.... So we say with confidence, the Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"
Thirdly... Fear is eliminated when we fill our hearts and lives with righteousness.
You remember Jesus told the parable about a man who was demon possessed. He was healed... His heart was cleaned... Made fit for the journey... But instead of filling his heart with good things... He left it empty. You know the rest of the story. When Satan finds an empty heart, he comes to fill it with all the evil he can muster.
We protect our heart by filling them with good thoughts.... Love and good works. Listen to Paul's admonition to us from Philippians... "Finally, brothers, 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. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And... (WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO YOU?)... The God of peace will be with you. Paul says... If you will fill your heart with good thoughts, then FEAR will be replaced with the peace which comes from God. Folk, this is what I want. How about you??
Listen to John from First John 4.18... There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
Church... I must tell you tonight that I don't understand this verse... But the good news is that we don't have to understand it to...
- Accept it...
- Claim it...
- To enjoy its promise...
RIGHT?... Just practice it!!... Love God with all our Heart... Mind... Body... Soul... And love our neighbor as ourselves... And John says... There will be no room for fear... Perfect love cast out fear!!
Scripture tells us to do whatever our hands find to do... Why are we here and not in heaven? Paul says... God has saved us to do good works... Good works that He predestined that we should do... ARE WE???... ARE WE??
I know some people who are afraid of everything... Because they do nothing!! Indeed... An idol mind... heart... hands are the devil's workshop. Let me encourage you. If you are having trouble with fear, find something in the Kingdom of God and go to work.
Carl Meniger was once asked... If you knew you were dying... What would you do?
Do you remember what he said... I would find someone less fortunate than myself and I would serve them.
There is nothing that will do away with fear any more quickly than...
- Filling our mind with good thoughts...
- Losing ourselves in love, and service to others…
- Filling our time with good deeds... Good works.
Well... We must stop... But first, let me ask you... What do you fear the most tonight?...
IS IT DEATH? Did you know that the Bible has the answer for this fear also.... It teaches that we will live forever... That death is not the end... But a new beginning. And that new beginning can be in Heaven with God... Christ... the angels... and the saved of all ages. For the Christian... for the child of God... Death is simply a door from this world to His world.
- Paul speaks of dying and going to be with the Lord.
- He says... For the child of God to be absent in the body is to be present with the Lord.
- The dead saints of Revelation are pictured in the Throne Room with God.
- Paul says... When Jesus comes, He will bring the saints with Him.
The bottom line to all this is this... Are your a child of God... A Christian tonight?
You can be by Faith... Repentance... and New Testament Baptism... Immersion in water for the remission of sins.
Perhaps... As a Christian we need some help with our fears... And overcoming them. The Elders are here... The church will join them in praying for you and your fears right now.
If you have needs that we can help you with tonight... Come... As we stand and sing together.
