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Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone,
When we think of fear, our minds often go to things such as arachnophobia and others.
I have two great fears in life
Thalassaphobia- Fear of deep dark bodies of water
*Climicophobia* One of my major fears is ladders. The reason being that so many things can happen while on them that it's so hard to think about anything else while you are on them.
Story from servpro Kansas city job with ice in gutter.
"I got you"
What does fear have to do with faith? For most of us, fear has become our motivating factor. It has controlled every area of our lives. Fear prevents us from going to the places we are called. Fear prevents us from ministering to others. Fear keeps us from experiencing the fullness of Christ. Fear is being reliant on self.
In a recent survey of 2,400 churchgoers we found that 80 percent indicated that they lived with moderate to significant levels of fear
The Jesus Film Project did a survey of over 1600 christians and asked them what keeps them from sharing their faith.
72% of self-identifying Christs said “FEAR” is the biggest reason why they don’t share their faith.
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Fear tells us the FAILURE is imminent. That no matter the situation, that if you go somewhere where you are uncomfortable, that you will fail. When you are called to go somewhere, fear tells you that you will fail in the call.
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Fear tells us that walking in faith is ERRATIC. That not having a plan in place in which you can control is the worst possible thing to happen. Not knowing where you are going and what you are doing is always going to lead to bad results.
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Fear tells us that following the Spirit is ABSURB. That the thing of God are so ludicrous that if we are willing to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, that we are dumb or ignorant.
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Fear tells us that following the Holy Spirit’s leading is RECKLESS. That it is dangerous and that if we are to follow its leading that we are not thinking about the consequences of it. That God does not have our best interest at heart and that we are not of sound mind. We do not care or think about what we are doing when we are called to do it.
Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,
Back Story*** Jesus just finished feeding the 5000 and he went alone to be with the Father. The people wanted to make Jesus the leader of a political revolution. The disciples needed to be moved in order to prevent falling into this trap. He ordered them away and went to be alone with the Father.
FAITH IS STRENGTHENED IN TIME WITH THE FATHER
Many times we think that faith is just trusting that God will take care of it. In reality, it is being obedient and faithful in the path that God has set for you. It takes more confidence and assurance to walk out in faith than it does to live in fear.
We cant know what to do unless we are lead by the Spirit. We cant be lead by the Spirit if we don’t listen to the Spirit, and we cant listen to the Spirit unless we spend time with the Father.
but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them.
The Sea of Galilee was about 6-7 miles wide on the northern side. Other ancient text states that they were many miles away from shore which basically meant that they were right in the middle of the Sea facing the severe storm with no sort of hope on reaching land.
And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear.
The fourth watch would have been from the times of 3-6 AM.
If I’m a disciple at this point then I’m sure the others are wondering why my scream sounds like a 12 year old girl.
But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
Fear blinds us into only seeing the NATURAL. Faith lets us see the SUPERNATURAL.
When we see the supernatural work of Christ happening around us what is the first thing we tend to do? RATIONALIZE.
To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.
St. Thomas Aquinas
And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.
Now we think that this is such a great illustration of Peter’s faith, but I would like to submit that this scene is not the fact Peter’s faith was so great, but that his fear was the greater of the two.
But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.”
Peter’s problem was that the words of his mouth spoke louder than his faith was willing to go.
When we see the things of this world that we think are a greater danger to us than what has been asked of us by the Father, then we immediately bail and fall back.
How dare we sit here and sing songs about going wherever the Father tells us yet are unwilling to move when he calls us. How dare we tell our Heavenly Father that we will go anywhere and do anything yet remain in the comfort of our lives because we are fearful of where and what God is calling. But then when we are in a place where we need our sins forgiven and for God to pull through for us we desperately cry out.
FEAR IS A VIRUS TO FAITH
"Fear and faith cannot coexist in our hearts at the same time."
- Neil L. Andersen
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
How do we know that we have love? What is the way that we can tell that we posses it?
Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
If God is love…now really pay attention to this part…if we know that we know that we know that we have God…that makes 1 Corinthians 3:16 that much more interesting…
Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
When we come to the realization that we have the Spirit of the living God living within us, what do we have to fear?
WHY?
1 John 4:18 (ESV)
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.
Because when we come to the realization the the God that created the heavens and the earth, that gave us a way when there was no way, that continues to show us His incredible love and mercies each and everyday, why should we have any fear? Why should we fear things of this world that are temporal, when we expect the eternal?
Wherever God is, fear can’t be
Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Notice the last thing that Jesus says. “Why did you DOUBT?” Not “why were you afraid,” or “I told you not to be afraid.” He asked why did he DOUBT.
Doubt is a product of fear. The more you allow fear to take hold of your life, the more you will continue to doubt. Doubt the call that has been placed on your life, doubt the power that our God possess, and doubt what our God is capable of doing.
And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
I have started praying a prayer everyday. I pray “Lord, don’t let my fear be greater than my faith.” I wonder what we would be able to see if we allowed our faith to be the motivator of our lives. I wonder what we would encounter or witness if we allowed ourselves to see through the lens of our faith instead of what we rationalize and we can explain.
This week, as you wake up, say to yourself, fear will not win today. Let the love that Christ has shown you overflow into the places you go. Don’t let your fear win the day.
“Fear flees in the light of God’s love.”
-Billy Graham
Talk about call to ministry/step up ladder
"I got you"
Use ladder as demonstration of when we trust God when trouble come that we draw closer to him and He allows us to overcome our fears.
PRAY