Are you a Cockroach or a Moth?
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Context and Frame Sermon
Context and Frame Sermon
In a Series “Jesus in the Psalms” = Last week focus | Dying to Self | Killing Flesh self, move to a character for Christ
Biggest Driver of Doing NOT this? Fear
Who here has Fear? Come on, raise your hands, tell person next to you
Fear of Not fitting in | Fear of Vulnarability | Financial Fear | Fear of Loss | Fear of Tomorrow | Fear of Yesterday coming back
There is a fear of moving toward that character of Chirst because of the flaws we have, we might actually have to face them.
Cockroach or a Moth?
2 Types of Fear = Rational Fear | Irrational Fear
Or Godly Fear | Earthly Fear
People Ask, Why am I a Pastor? I am incredibly driven about bringing people to Christ and building Community
Why?
Holy Reason = Fulfil God’s Purpose for my Life, I know what it feels like, I want to bring people to Christ, Help them feel Redeemed, Loved, Forgiven = Help them to Love Others
When son was about to die, I was paralysed by fear. I don’t want anyone to feel like that.
Fear of being Rejected, Fear of not being Good enough, Fear of not being liked
We have, 2 type sof fear - I want to move people from the 2nd part to first.
I want to read our Key Verse
A Psalm of David.
The Lord says to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.”
The Lord sends forth from Zion
your mighty scepter.
Rule in the midst of your enemies!
Your people will offer themselves freely
on the day of your power,
in holy garments;
from the womb of the morning,
the dew of your youth will be yours.
The Lord has sworn
and will not change his mind,
“You are a priest forever
after the order of Melchizedek.”
The Lord is at your right hand;
he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.
He will execute judgment among the nations,
filling them with corpses;
he will shatter chiefs
over the wide earth.
He will drink from the brook by the way;
therefore he will lift up his head.
Wooo…Fear?
Explain Psalm - Messianic Psalm - The Lord to my Lord? Yawhwah and Adonai
Enemies your footstool “Complete Submission” - This is where God wants us, in complete submission to his POWER to work through our lives for HIM?
Every knee...
The Bible says “Fear Not” 80 times within the Script, but then we should fear our Lord God?
Explain Fear - There is the Fear of the Lord which leads to Obedience, Peace, Servantship and there should be real Fear (Trembling) for those who do not know him. His Wrath gives reasoning to his great love. You can’t have one without the other. Fear of God is a great AWE.
If we are to fear the Lord does that mean we are to live in terror? No, it’s RESPECT and AWE.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all those who practice it have a good understanding.
His praise endures forever!
We can Fear the World/Man or Fear God = Both have different outcomes + Different feelings.
Adventure world story
Adventure world story
Adventure World - I realised that I would have to do these rides with Her. Went to the most TERRIFYING RIDE FIRST (Tea Cups)
Emma offering to go by myself.
First Ride -
Second Ride
Third Ride
I was scared, but I couldn’t let her down.
My fear was real, but it turned out alright.
I want to talk about 2 Bible Stories
Adam and Eve - When they Sinned, what happened?
And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”
There was no fear until Sin. Then man Sinned, Where was Adam? HIDING FROM GOD. he was AWAY FROM GOD.
God is calling us to be in relationship with him, to stand in his great love - When we Sin, when we try hiding from God, the world is going to cause Fear in you like you have never felt.
They where AWAY from God - Or they tried HIDING themselves from God - If you have Sinned, what can we do?
Bible Story number 2
Bible Story number 2
Story of Elijah, which you can find in 1 Kings 18 and 19.
Context | King Ahab was ruling and married to an evil woman called Jezebel. Ahab and Jezebel, or I should say Jezebel THROUGH Ahab turned the isrealites against God, and toward Baal. They turned the nation away from God | Jezebel was famous for killing the Lords Prophets. Elijah, tried to warn Ahab several times, which, was ignored, several times.
There was a famine in the land 3 years | Elijah fearlessly challenged Prohpets of Baal - One of the most famous showdowns in the Bible | God showed up. | God gave Elijah amazing speed to out run a chariot of Ahab |
After all this Courage | Obedience | Miracles, Elijah receives a message from Jezebel
Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.”
Despite the power of God and all he had done, all Elijah could think about was this threat, and all lives that Jezebel had killed. and he ran…he ran until he was exhausted he then was tired physically | Tired Mentally, and he lied under a tree, begging for God to take his life.
But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”
What did God do here? He sent an Angel, to feed Elijah, then send him into the wilderness for 40 nights.
Then God Lead him to a cave - God told him to stand out on the Mount.
There was absolutely natural Chaos, there was Strong winds - Probably a hurricane
| Rocks falling off | Earthquaks | A great big Fire | But God was not in any of that.
What was it? A tiny Whisper, The translation is like a slither of noise, so faint, Elijah says
He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.”
Elijah believed he was the only one left | dismayed and troubled in his heart | At the end of the line | Scared | Fearful
And what was the Lords reply?
And the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death. Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
God’s Truth Silences FEAR.
7,000 prophets!! | Straight after this word from God, he went and found Elisha | Elisha became Elijah’s Disciple | The King finally died, along with Jezebel who died a horrible Death | and How did Elijah’s life end?
He was carried away ALIVE on a chariot of Fire | The very thing that Elijah was afraid of…Never came to fruition. Death, by Jezebel.
God’s Truth Silences FEAR.
What does the Bible say about this?
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Elijah did not have a lack of trust in GOD’s POWER, but he had a lack of TRUST in God’s PLAN for him.
Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
We can plan, but doesn’t God light our Path? He is in control, we just have to walk, step by step - But it’s not easy.
Why did I go on the big scary rides at Adventure world?
Because I was doing it WITH and FOR her!
I remember saying to Alexis “Don’t let FEAR drive you”
Your scared and your not following through not because you don’t have the strength within you, but because you’re doing it for the wrong reasons!!
Pressure is an indication that your doing the right thing, but you gotta press into GOD.
If you are going to give something to God you better expect a spiritual Battle;
Family
Work
LIFE
But the blessings are soooo good.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Fear will stop you from the “DO” the “Step” God wants for you.
That prevents the “WHO” he is calling you to BE
When you realise the “WHO” you are..and what you have inside you, you will easily “DO”
When you are facing fear, remind yourself that you are a Child of God, who fears the LORD, and not Fear the step that’s in front of me!!!
You can change the self talk from “I’m Scared Lord” to “I am a man of God with a Mission”
We have a God that is bigger than our Fears of this Earth.
What can we do?
When we fear we can lean into God’s Word…You’re Scared? You need a word?
If there is a light shining on our Character Flaws, if we are afraid of going toward the light, we can choose to be a Moth and not a cockroach.
for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
We have a saviour, and his name is Jesus Christ!!
We have called to Submit to him, so that we can live a life in Fear and Awe of our God who makes good plans for our lives!! Not fear of this world, when we fear we will choose FAITH.
Prayer