Date:      9th September 2007                                                               (Sunday AM)                                                                       Ref: A0336

Place:     Kambah P.S.

Title: Faith Not Fear

Text:        & Mark 5:36

Illust:     From an article in ‘Psycholgy Today’[1]  ~  It can come out of nowhere. You're shopping for groceries or buckling your seat belt when suddenly your muscles contract and your heart begins to pound.

Panic attacks can be both bewildering and terrifying, but they're not unusual. An estimated 2.4 million people experience one every year. It may begin as tightness in the chest, shortness of breath or a galloping heartbeat. Many sufferers believe they are having a heart attack and rush to the emergency room.

The cause of an attack can be unclear, but they often arise in the face of major life changes, such as childbirth or a new job. Attacks may also follow trauma.

I.                   The Fear of Fear

A.               Fear Rising

i.                 Major problem facing mental health organisations & society is the growing rise of fear. People are desperately afraid. Found one person who has over the years researched the names of the different phobias – Fears that people have. Created a list. Things like:

      Acousticophobia- Fear of noise.

      Ataxophobia- Fear of disorder or untidiness.

      Cyclophobia- Fear of bicycles.

      Nephophobia- Fear of clouds.

      Alektorophobia- Fear of chickens.

ii.               All up about 530 phobias, that’s a lot of fear. Enough so that we need to treat fear seriously and address it. See what the Word of God has to say and apply this to our lives & the fears that beset us.

iii.             Because the tragedy is that many Christians also are struggling with fear.

B.               Rising Pain

i.                 This plague of fear is not just something that you work through on the inside and get over, it has a major effect, an outflow into your body.

ii.               Physicians, psychologists and those who have long experience in praying for the sick are more and more coming to the realization that anger, hatred, fear, and a sense of guilt are responsible for a large percentage of even organic diseases including stomach ulcers, arthritis, bone spurs, heart trouble, deafness and asthma.

iii.             As fear can directly impact your physical health, then surely we should do all that we can to eliminate fear from our lives.

II.                 Faith against Fear

A.               Faith

i.                 Firstly need to see fear for what it is.  ~ So lets’ look at how God wants you to live. Common word in the bible that is Faith.

         2 Corinthians 5:7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. (NKJV)

ii.               What is Faith?  ~   Easton’s Bible Dictionary defines it as:

      Faith is in general the persuasion of the mind that a certain statement is true. Its primary idea is trust. A thing is true, and therefore worthy of trust. It admits of many degrees up to full assurance of faith, in accordance with the evidence on which it rests. [2]

iii.             Faith is as powerful as the object you put your faith in. As a Christian you are called to place your faith in God.

         Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (NKJV)

         Hebrews 11:1 What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see. (NLT)

iv.             Do you have hopes? Do you have something burning on the inside that represents hope about something in your life, about you or somebody else? Do you? Then you have faith, because faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not yet seen. If it's already come to pass, do you need hope? Do you need faith?

B.               What is Fear

i.                 Faith & fear are opposites. & Text  ~

         Mark 5:36 “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.” (NLT)

         Mark 5:36 Fear not, only believe. (ASV)

      Fear is actually a lack of faith. As one author puts it:

      Fear is the substance of things not hoped for, the evidence not yet seen.

ii.               Need to see fear as God sees it, not just some human weakness, the Bible makes it very clear that fear is sin.

         Romans 14:23 for whatever is not from faith is sin. (NKJV)

iii.             In fact it is a grievous sin. Think about it God emphasises over and over His love for you, how much He cares for you & loves you and wants the best for you.

         Jeremiah 31:3 The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you. (NKJV)

         Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. (NKJV)

iv.             This is the result of His nature, His character. – When you are fearful, you are in fact maligning God’s character, His very nature.  ~ You might say I believe in God, the problem is that you don’t’ believe God - Unbelief.

III.              Walk By Faith

A.               Have Faith

i.                 This AM, you need to have faith, build up your faith the Bible tells us

         Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (NKJV)

ii.               Your mind needs to be continually renewed by the washing of the water of the Word.

         Ephesians 5:26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, (NKJV)

         Colossians 3:10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, (NKJV)

iii.             Faith is the result of reading and being taught, the words in this book. ~ Knowledge is an essential element in all faith, as I said earlier your faith is only as strong as the object you put your faith in.

      When learning to parachute they spend a bit of time explaining to you the operation, workings, safety mechanisms, deployment process and backup features of the parachute. The aim is to give you faith. You are going to need it if you leap out of a plane at 10,000ft.

B.               Walk in Faith

i.                 So knowledge is good & necessary, it’s how faith is developed but ultimately faith is only faith, if you take the jump. It involves a stepping out in action.

ii.               Maybe you're sick, you have sickness in your body, and as I have been preaching the Holy Spirit has convicted you that the problem is fear, fear of the future, fear of the unknown, fear of others, maybe it’s hatred, anger, unforgiveness – You need to step out in faith this AM and believe God to set you free from the icy grip of fear and be healed.

iii.             You might be thinking I don’t have much faith , well you have enough. To make the step you are saying God I believe you.

         Romans 12:3 God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. (NKJV)

      Jesus said you don’t even need much. In fact just a little seed faith, and God will see and bless.

         Matthew 17:20 assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. (NKJV)

      This is one of the lessons from the woman with the issue of blood.

         Mark 5:25-28 25 Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, 26 and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. 28 For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” (NKJV)

iv.             This is what you need this AM, the Faith to repent of your fear & stretch out your hand to touch Jesus.

IV.             Altar Call

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[1] http://psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-3930.htm

[2]Easton, M. 1996, c1897. Easton's Bible dictionary. Logos Research Systems, Inc.: Oak Harbor, WA