2020 04 26 - Faith&Fear - Fear Not...I Care for You

We are living in a world overrun by fear. The Corona virus dominates the news and has us locked away in our homes. Meanwhile with businesses closed or limited workers are being laid off or furloughed. People are afraid of getting sick, afraid of losing their job, afraid of losing their home. Where do we turn in the middle of this much fear?

365 times the Bible uses the words do not be afraid or fear not. That means you could read a different verse about overcoming fear everyday for a year. But these aren’t just unsupported directions. Repeatedly God tells us with a promise why we don’t have to be afraid. We are spending the next few weeks looking at these promises and they tell us we can have faith in a world of fear.

RECAP PREVIOUS WEEKS IN SERIES

Fear and faith work in many of the same areas of your life, but… you get to choose which has power.

We are looking at these promises of God to discover how to choose to empower faith and be freed from the power of fear

We are afraid of death, but death is defeated by the resurrection of Jesus.

We are afraid of being abandoned, but God has given us his permanent presence.

CONNECT THIS WEEK’S MESSAGE

Last week we learned that God gives us his presence, but I want to deepen your understanding of what that means. Have you ever experienced when someone is there, but not there?

SHARE: How can you tell when someone is truly present?

EXPLORE

PRIMARY SCRIPTURE

Luke 12:6–7 ESV

6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Luke 12:22–31 ESV

22 And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 26 If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. 30 For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

MAIN IDEA

Transition from scripture to main idea

THE MAIN THING:

God’s concern for me means that I can lower my concern for me.

Explore the Main Idea

1. I don’t have to feel worthless because God cares for me

SHARE: What is something that you think is really valuable?

Value-

Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 65.6 διαφέρω

65.6 διαφέρωd: to be of considerable value, in view of having certain distinctive characteristics

You are in God’s heart

2. I don’t have to feel forgotten because God cares for me

Hebrews 2:6–8 ESV

6 It has been testified somewhere, “What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? 7 You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, 8 putting everything in subjection under his feet.” Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him.

mindful- mimneskomai

Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 29.7 μνημονεύω; μιμνῄσκομαι; μνήμη, ης; μνεία, ας

to recall information from memory, but without necessarily the implication that persons have actually forgotten—‘to remember, to recall, to think about again, memory, remembrance

You are on God’s mind

3. I don’t have to feel alone because God cares for me

Hebrews 2:6–8 ESV

care- episkeptomai

Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 35.39 ἐπισκοπέω; ἐπισκέπτομαι; προνοέω

35.39 ἐπισκοπέωa; ἐπισκέπτομαιc; προνοέωb: to care for or look after, with the implication of continuous responsibility—‘to look after, to take care of, to see to.’

You are on God’s agenda

4. I don’t have to feel worry because God cares for me

SHARE: What is something you are worried about?

1 Peter 5:7 ESV

7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Care- Meleia

Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 30.39 μέλει

30.39 μέλειa (only impersonal in the NT): to think about something in such a way as to make an appropriate response—‘to think about, to be concerned about.’

Anxiety- Merimna

Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 25.224 μέριμνα, ης

25.224 μέριμνα, ης f: a feeling of apprehension or distress in view of possible danger or misfortune—‘anxiety, worry, anxious concern.’

You are in God’s attention

Transform

Coming Back to the Main Thing

God’s concern for me means that I can lower my concern for me.

Bring to Primary Application

1. Recognize your primary fear motivation

2. Receive God’s care for that need

3. Release your need for control over that fear

Lead Application to Commitment

RESPOND: Because God cares about me, I don’t have to ...

Invitation

Announcements and Service Closing

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