Fear’s Antidote
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We are not created to live in fear. God is constantly telling us not to fear!
Do you know that God wants you to live without fear in your life?
1 John 4:18 tells us that fear has punishment and torment in it.
Fear is a poison!
Antidote (def) - a medicine taken or given to counteract a particular poison
The antidote to fear is not faith.
The antidote to fear is God’s love!
Every one of us needs a steady dose of the love of God.
Let’s talk about it.
The Garden:
The Garden:
Healthy things grow in the right environment!
When God created the Garden in Eden, He established boundaries around it and saw that everything He created was very good & then commanded everything He created to be fruitful and multiply.
4 Rivers of Eden:
4 Rivers of Eden:
Pishon = To Spread
Gihon = To Burst or Gush Forth
Hiddekel = Rapid
Euphrates = To Break Forth; Rushing
God created us to live in the garden - His Garden - the PERFECT environment for humankind to grow and flourish.
It was called the Garden of God in Ezekiel 28
It truly was God’s domain.
for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Kingdom = The King’s Domain
The King’s Domain is Righteousness, Peace & Joy!
Notice that fear is not part of the Kingdom of God.
That’s because
The ruler of this Kingdom IS (perfect) love!
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.
Love doesn’t mean that we agree with everything someone wants.
Love tells the truth & rejoices in the truth.
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
God’s love changes us!
The Fearless Kingdom:
The Fearless Kingdom:
Jesus’ gift of salvation provides us with access into God’s Kingdom & He instructs to us to live in the Kingdom of God now.
And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
When we go to another country or kingdom, we have to follow THEIR laws and culture.
When we stop living in God’s Kingdom & by His laws & culture - fear has access into our life.
And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”
Nothing (except ourself) can separate us from the fear-destroying love of God!
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
If We Only Knew:
If We Only Knew:
If we only knew, by experience, how much God loves us we would live differently - fearlessly!
For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
We can experience the love of God by experiencing God Himself - God IS love!
Do you want to live fearless? Get to know God!
How Do I get to know God:
How Do I get to know God:
Invite Him into your life & spend lots of time with Him.
Read the letters He wrote to you (The Bible).
Ask Him to speak to you & listen to His voice.
Get to know His son, Jesus - if you truly know Jesus, you will know the Father.
Just One Thing:
Just One Thing:
When you know God’s love & that love never fails - you have the antidote to fear in every situation in life.
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Discussion Questions:
Discussion Questions:
What’s the worst thing you’ve eaten out of politeness?
What was your big takeaway from today’s sermon? How does that takeaway affect your life practically?
Please read Ephesians 3:14-19 and share what this passage means to you and your personal walk with God.
What are the biggest areas of fear that you have dealt with in your life & how can you see God’s love being the antidote for that fear?
