Do Not Be Afraid

Intro

Quick quiz: What is God’s most frequent command in Scripture?

Not “do not commit adultery,” or “have no other gods before me,” or even, “love one another”

As you may guess from the title of the sermon, it is “do not be afraid”

A version of this command is found 365 times in the Bible! (one for every day)

Anything metioned THAT many times, MUST be important; it must grab our attention

Now, when someone is struggling in the grip of fear and anxiety, one of the least helpful things you can say is “Do not be afraid”

Get over it; just pull yourself out of it; quit being afraid, etc.

We are learning all the time about how harmful that surface level “advice” can be

Why is it harmful? Because it does NOTHING to help the situation; we don’t have the ability to see that advice through

But when God says “Do not be afraid,” He puts some weight behind it. Divine strength kind of weight

This is not empty advice or a casual reminder: It is a command of Scripture given by a God who has the power to help you see it through

Pray

Do Not Be Afraid

There are two distinct ways (or tones) to say “Do not be afraid:”

Command/warning (DON’T)

Issued from God as our King

Kings give commands and they expect obedience

Given for our own benefit

*Like a child playing with an electrical outlet*

We are not designed to live in fear (constant state of fight/flight)

Choosing to live in fear is choosing to live in disobedience

Comfort/reassurance (Don’t worry; I got this)

Issued by God our Father

He deeply cares for us as His children

Given for our own benefit

God knows the encouragement we need during the darkest times of life

*Like comforting a child after a nightmare*

Choosing to live in fear is choosing to reject God’s gift of peace

Rejoice in the Lord Always

Paul gives another command that we are to follow that helps us put our overcoming of fear into practice:

Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”

Paul declares this while in prison; it was why he and Silas could sing songs while in prison!

Paul goes on in this passage to connect the importance of rejoicing in the Lord to overcoming fear and anxiety

The path to overcoming fear is to focus (even rejoice!) on who God is

We are not called to rejoice in our circumstances (suffering and fearful)

We ARE called to rejoice in Lord; who God is

Takes our eyes off of our hardships, worries and fears

Reminds us of the character of God; the one who is capable of helping us overcome our fear

Remember, God wants our obedience and He wants to give us the gift of peace… why would we choose otherwise?

*Share story of being frustrated by Silas not jumping in pool*

As a parent, I get frustrated because I know that I am able to help keep him safe and I also want a good thing for him

Peace is found between the pillars of God’s goodness and God’s control

Pillar of God’s Control

Fear, anxiety and worry make us crave control

But it is clearly impossible and futile to completely control our lives

Can you control your spouse? Can you control your kids? Can you control the weather? Can you control the economy? NO!!

God ALONE is in control

When fear threatens to overwhelm us, we need something bigger than that fear to fight back

Read Welch, p. 63

Everyone other than God is subject to the same lack of control that we are; only He is big enough

To overcome fear and accept God’s gift of peace means to relinquish the illusion of control in your life

The natural tendancy is to grab more control the more fearful we get

*Talk about reacting to the ant in my house; need to do something*

Give control over to God; He has it anyway

Read Welch, p. 62

Here is your first pillar; a promise of God’s character:

Isaiah 45:5-7 “I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me, that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things.”

Pillar of God’s Goodness

Control is only a comfort if you truly trust that God is GOOD

Which He is! It is an essential part of His character

God’s goodness has become most obvious to me in both the peaks and valleys of life

*Share about Karen saying, “I love our life”*

*Contrast this with feeling God’s goodness during loss of Selah*

Trusting in the goodness of God means that He is enough EVEN WHEN our greatest fears our realized

*Karen singing “Goodness of God” at Mom’s funeral*

When we grab hold of this, then no fear can shackle us

Here is your second pillar; a promise of God’s character:

Psalm 34:8 “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”

Conclusion

So church, let me give you some advice that may have seemed surface level 30 minutes ago, but (hopefully) means more now: Do not be afraid!

From God, it is more than advice. It is a command to be obeyed and a gift to be received

When fear and anxiety clamour for your attention, rejoice in the Lord!

Focus on His character, because peace is found in the pillars of God’s goodness and God’s control

Pray

Take it Home

Write down (or memorize) Psalm 34:8 and Isaiah 45:5 - 7.

When you experience fear and anxiety, position yourself between the pillars of God’s goodness and control by reciting these verses.