Goliath Must Fall: Fear Must Fall.

Goliath Must Fall: Fear Must Fall, Session 2.

Isaiah 43:1–3 KJV 1900

1 But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, And he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. 2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; Neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. 3 For I am the Lord thy God, The Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.

Orientation:

In may 2016, The Atlantic magazine ran a cover story called “The Secret Shame of middle-Class Americans.” The cover photo showed a man with a paper bag over his head.

The article said nearly half of all Americans would have trouble coming up with $400.00 in an emergency. The author admitted that despite his relatively successful writing career, he was one of those people.

The author went on to talk about the anxiety he has lived with for years because of his precarious financial condition. “I know know what it is like to dread going to the mailbox, because there will always be new bills to pay but seldom a check with which to pay them.”

“Fear and the shame of hiding it have been his constant companions. Again and again in the Bible we are told not to fear. The repetition is necessary because fear and its cousins worry, stress, and terror are bigger in our world and our individual realities than any other giant we face.

Just as Goliath taunted the Israelites day after day, the giant of fear taunts us each day, telling us that terrible things are going to happen to us and there’s nothing we can do about them.

Yet as we learned in session one, the giant of fear is dead, though it can still be deadly. Jesus’ resurrection shows us that God has the power even over death itself and there is nothing that we will ever face that He cannot overcome.

We show the world that we serve an all powerful God when we refuse to give into fear, when we choose to trust that Jesus has overthrown this giant.

In this session, we’ll learn concrete steps we can take to develop a deep trust in Jesus.

Welcome and Checking In.

How well do you sleep?

What are some fears that keep you awake at night?

What were you afraid of as a child?

Hearing the Word.

1 Samuel 17:10–16 KJV 1900

10 And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together. 11 When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid. 12 Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Beth-lehem-judah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man went among men for an old man in the days of Saul. 13 And the three eldest sons of Jesse went and followed Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons that went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next unto him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. 14 And David was the youngest: and the three eldest followed Saul. 15 But David went and returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Beth-lehem. 16 And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.

What was the one thing that stood out to you from the Scripture, and Why?

What affect do you think Goliath’s words had on the Israelites after hearing his taunts every morning and night for forty days?

Why do you think they refused to act?

Play Video.

Notes:

In the Bible, there are 365 verses that say, “Fear Not.” That’s one verse on fear for every day of the year. There are so many verses on fear because we are a fearful people.

Goliath’s taunts worked their way into the Israelites’ minds and kept in fear. We have to ask what message has likewise worked its into our minds and left us feeling terrorized.

Perhaps we are fearful because of our conditioning. We grew up in a household of fear, and now it is just a way of life for us.

We could be fearful because we are concealing something. We fear that people will discover our secret and learn about “the real me.”

We could be fearful because we are controlling. We like thinks to work a certain way, and when that doesn’t happen we give in to fear.

Jesus steps into the valley of our fear and say, “Let me be in charge of your life.” In the process, He deals with the things that causing you to fear.

Fear and faith cannot occupy our minds at the same time. Worship and worry simply cannot occupy the same space.

To deal with the giant of fear, we must name it and then pit it into the hands of Jesus, and than He will take care of it for us.

Take a few minutes with your group members to discuss what you just watched and explore these concepts in Scripture.

The opposite of fear isn’t courage. It’s faith.

What does faith in Jesus involve when we’re up against the giant of fear?

b. What do we need to believe?

c. What do we need to do?

2. What’s wrong with concealing our fears from others?

a. And if concealment is a problem, why do we do it?

3. What would make this group a safe place for someone to confess to the specific things that are causing his or her anxiety?

4. What helps us become convinced that God is bigger than our fears and overcome whatever we fear?

5. What role do praise and worship have in dealing with fear?

a. Why are they so important?

6. What hinders us from focusing on Christ all day long?

a. How can we address those hindrances?

Living from Victory

For this activity, each person will need a blank sheet of paper and pen. In addition, the leader will need a cross.

Identify your biggest fear. Instead of describing it, draw on your sheet of paper. Your drawing can be made with stick figures. Abstract representations are also fine. Just depict either your biggest fear or yourself when you fearing that thing.

When everyone has had a chance to draw these fears, share them the group. Tell what you were trying to illustrate.

Put the cross in the middle of the group. one by one, let each person slide his portrait of fear under the cross. Take a moment to think about what this represents: Jesus triumphing over your fears through His self-sacrifice.

Psalm 34:4–14 KJV 1900

4 I sought the Lord, and he heard me, And delivered me from all my fears. 5 They looked unto him, and were lightened: And their faces were not ashamed. 6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the Lord encampeth Round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. 8 O taste and see that the Lord is good: Blessed is the man that trusteth in him. 9 O fear the Lord, ye his saints: For there is no want to them that fear him. 10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: But they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. 11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 12 What man is he that desireth life, And loveth many days, that he may see good? 13 Keep thy tongue from evil, And thy lips from speaking guile. 14 Depart from evil, and do good; Seek peace, and pursue it.

Close in Prayer.

Next month: Rejection Must Fall.