Sabbath 5-21-2016 Edgewater Seventh Day BAPTIST Pastor Keith “From Anxious to Peaceful” John 14;27

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Sabbath 5-21-2016 Edgewater Seventh Day BAPTIST Pastor Keith “From Anxious to Peaceful” John 14;27

 

 

Louis Pasteur had such an irrational fear of dirt and infection he refused to shake hands. President and Mrs. Benjamin Harrison were so intimidated by the newfangled electricity installed in the White House, they didn't dare touch the switches. If there were no servants around to turn off the lights when the Harrisons went to bed, they slept with them on. God’s desire for his children is that we live a life free from fear. He wants us to experience shalom or peace.

Scripture is filled with references that emphasize God’s desire for a fear-free, peace-filled world. In Numbers 6, God instructs Moses to give this blessing to the Israelites, “The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.”’ Peace is also one of the last gifts that Jesus imparted to his followers before He ascended into heaven. John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid”. And then in 16:33 He added, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Also, Paul addresses this shalom – peace – in his letter to the Philippians. Phil. 4:6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, 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 minds through Christ Jesus.” Probably no one is completely at peace, if we are going to be honest with ourselves, probably no one is living every day with the “peace which surpasses all understanding.” Fear will rob us of peace. No matter how much we’ve simplified our calendars, relationships, and finances. When fear strikes, peace goes out the window!

Maybe you’ve been robbed of your peace by the topics covered over the last few weeks (Bucket drainers; an over-committed schedule where we have failed to put God first; financial pressures; or relationship breakdowns) Or perhaps you’ve received some unexpected bad news: a telephone call; a certified letter; an email marked “urgent.” A knock at the door. A pink slip in your mailbox at work. Suddenly you find yourself face to face with bad news and your life is turned upside down. Peace is nowhere to be found. Or sometimes we cross some serious moral boundary. And the wave of fear, remorse, guilt, and shame floods your soul and washes away any sense of peace that once resided there.

It happens like this: the last time you caved in to a certain temptation, you felt so guilty before God that you confessed your sin to Him and said, “This is never going to happen again! I’m going to live by your power and walk in your ways. I will never do that again!” But when temptation comes your way the next time, you dive right back into that same old familiar pit. You’re mad at yourself and you feel helpless and ashamed. How can peace reign in your heart when you have broken the moral boundaries that God has set – the boundaries that He knows and that we KNOW - protect us from guilt and shame? Few things shatter our peace like moral failure.

* Constructive Fear:

Of course, sometimes fear is a good thing. Sometimes fear is constructive. Me driving on wet road yesterday; that is a healthy kind of fear. When a college student frets over an exam at school, a certain amount of fear motivates her to study and prepare so she can do her best. When you decide to say “no” to a dangerous dare, even though everyone calls you chicken, we call that kind of fear “good judgment.” Constructive fear is a good thing. It motivates us to fasten our seat belts, show up for work every day and pay our taxes.

* Destructive fear:

But unlike constructive fear that benefits our lives, there is a destructive fear that diminishes the quality of our lives. It tricks us into believing that the world is a dangerous place. It robs us of joy and satisfaction, and the abundant life that God invites us to live. 

It was discovered that many people live their entire lives tormented by a particular fear rooted in a single traumatic event in their childhood. For example, a grown man refuses to go near the water because when he was eight years old, a neighbor kid dunked him in the public pool and held him under, and he felt certain he was going to drown. From that one frightening episode evolved an extreme phobia of water. Not just a reluctance to take swimming lessons but a lifelong fear of water! “I’m not going to the pool. I’m not getting on a boat. I’m not going to the beach. I don’t even want water in my coffee!” And all of this comes from one bad experience early in life.

Public speaking tops the list of the most common phobias. Some people won’t fly. Some won’t ride in a car – let alone drive one. Some people won’t even leave their house. Some people live their entire lives held captive by these debilitating fears. But when you peel away all the layers of self-protection that cover up these destructive fears, you’ll often find one or two significant events at the core; one or two things that started the domino effect of a life of fear. In John 8:44, Jesus refers to the devil as a deceiver and the father of lies. He uses deception to convince us that we have reason to fear. Destructive fear is a lie of Satan. And avoiding our fears only causes them to escalate. The only way to conquer your fear is to reach out to the steadying hand of God and face the things that you are afraid of. Face your fears head on! Winston Churchill said, “One ought never to turn ones back on a threatened danger and try to run away from it. If you do that, you will double the danger, but if you meet it promptly and without flinching, you will reduce the danger by half.”

History is filled with men and women of courage who said “no” to destructive fear and are remembered for changing the world. But what if these people had not been so courageous? What if they had given in to fear? What if colonial Americans allowed fear to prevent them from standing up for their freedom? A war could have been prevented, yes, but also the freedom that has been passed down through the generations. What if the apostle Paul had feared resistance or rejection? What if he had just stayed home instead of setting out on his missionary journeys that took the message of Christ to the known world? Would we have God’s Word today?

What if you – YOU – could set aside every fear, every worry, and live out God’s purpose for your life? Because if you don’t fulfill the mission that God has assigned to you, who will? Paul wrote in his 2^nd letter to Timothy ^“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power and of love and of self-discipline.” II Tim. 1:7. In John 10:10, Jesus said, “The thief does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly.” If we are going to live life abundantly then we must tap into the spirit of power that helps us to conquer the fears that rob us of joy and peace. When we encounter destructive fear in our lives, we respond by speaking words of truth. The truth wins every time. If you want to gain victory over the lies that fear speaks into your life, then it’s critical to speak truthfully when fear starts grabbing at the wheel of your mind. Here are three types of truthful words you can speak to counter your fears and bring God’s peace back into the drivers seat.

1. Self-talk – Do you remember the Mennen aftershave commercials where the guy would slap himself in the face and say, “Thanks, I needed that!” Sometimes we have to give ourselves a mental slap in the face. We have a tendency to manufacture in our minds the worst-case scenarios, to exaggerate our circumstances, to make everything into a catastrophe. When you get in a situation where you are overwhelmed by fear, get a grip. Tell yourself to stop.

2. Scripture – Christ followers who overcome fear successfully have learned that when they face their fears, God does His part. He shows up. The Psalmist David experienced debilitating fears at times, and found God to be a faithful deliverer, “I sought the Lord and He answered me. He delivered me from all my fears.” Ps. 34:4. Joshua, who had difficult shoes to fill, following in the footsteps of Moses and leading the Israelites into the Promised Land, received this message from God: “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you; have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you everywhere you go.” Scripture teaches that we can count on God to be with us.

3. Prayer – The early church was traumatized by genuine, life-threatening fears on a regular basis. Arrests, beatings, and imprisonment by their Roman oppressors and the Jewish religious leaders were common occurrences. When Peter was arrested for refusing to stop speaking the truth about Jesus Christ, what did the church do? Did they scatter? Did they bail on him? Did they shrink back in fear? No. They prayed and Peter was released through a dramatic miracle. The apostle Paul teaches us how to approach situations when our fears are looming. ^“Be anxious for nothing, 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 minds through Christ Jesus.” Phil 4:6-7.

 

AMEN