Don’t Be Afraid
Jn 4:1-4
I picked up a book recently by Jeff Walling called Until
I Return. It is about 12 different
thoughts Jesus wants every believer to know.
For the next few weeks, I want address several of those thoughts.
Today’s thought is “Don’t Be Afraid.” At first reading, I realize how easy that is
to hear and how hard that is to put into practice. About a month ago, our doctor told Helene he couldn’t figure out
what was happening with her body and that she should probably go to Mayo. Don’t be afraid.
Two weeks ago Dorothy went into the hospital for her yearly
case of pneumonia only to find out there was something more urgent happening
with her body. She was sent to
Indianapolis for emergency surgery.
Don’t be afraid.
A father of 4 finds out his job is being phased out. There aren’t any other jobs around. Don’t be afraid.
A group of Christians are arrested in Laos for
worshipping. They are sentenced to 20
years in a Laotian prison and possible execution. Don’t be afraid.
We hear what Jesus is saying. We want to believe it and live it, but it is so hard to put into
practice when it goes from theory to reality.
How do we do it?
PRAYER
I. Set
Up
A.
The Dinner table
1.
Imagine the scene at the last meal Jesus had with his
disciples before his execution.
2.
They are sitting around talking sharing jokes and doing all
the things 12 good friends do.
3.
Two of them are somewhat quiet though.
4.
Judas for reasons of his own that only he and Jesus know about
and Jesus himself. He knows what is
really going on.
5.
In the midst of all the banter he makes his announcement: “I’m leaving.”
6.
What, leaving? Where
would Jesus be going at this hour?
7.
Well, they would all just go with him.
8.
He tells them they can’t come with him at this time, but a
time would come when they would follow after him.
9.
For now, they would have to live without him until he returns.
B.
Until he return
1.
The question everyone is thinking about is asked.
2.
How do we live until you return?
3.
That question has been asked by every generation since Christ
left this world.
4.
Yet during this evening, he gave the disciples some advice that
helped them and can help us live until he returns.
II. Don’t
be afraid
A.
A word of comfort
1.
In the midst of all this turmoil, Jesus give them some words
of comfort. Don’t be afraid.
2.
Our text is a good rendering of the Greek. “Don’t let your hearts be troubled.”
a)
It’s a message of control.
b)
Don’t let fear control you, take control of your fear.
B.
What a lesson!
1.
How many Christians have lived in fear most of their lives?
a)
Too many of us live in the same fear the world lives in.
b)
I’m not talking about momentary fright, but day to day fear.
c)
Always wondering what will come next.
d)
Always afraid to participate in life because something bad
might happen.
e)
We let fear rob us of joy.
2.
How many of us feel insecure in our salvation and are always
in fear of Hell?
a)
I’m not saying there is no way we can fall away from God,
b)
but grace is there so we can have security in knowing God
wants us to be with him in Heaven and steps in and helps us when we fail.
c)
Grace covers the person striving to live as God wants them to.
d)
Rather than celebrating our salvation, we wonder if we can get
that last minute prayer out before we die or we’ll end up in Hell.
e)
God isn’t interesting in throwing lightning bolts at you, he’s
interesting in throwing lifelines to you.
f)
Don’t let fear control your life.
C.
Fear has always been connected with sin
1.
Did you know that fear is never mentioned in the Bible until
after the first sin?
a)
There was no fear of the animals.
b)
There was no fear of God.
c)
There was no fear of life.
d)
Then man sins and see what happens.
e)
READ Gen 3:8-10
2.
Think about your reactions to sin
a)
You look over your shoulder before going into a topless bar.
b)
You scan the block for familiar cars before going into a “friends”
house.
c)
you get nervous every time people talk about integrity and
hypocrisy because it hits too close to home.
d)
You make sure it’s “safe” before you look at the adult section
of the video store.
3.
When you fall that fear turns to guilt and breeds even more
fear.
a)
First it’s fear of being seen in our sin.
b)
Then guilt weighs on us and we question whether God can ever
forgive us.
c)
After that, fear sets back in. This time it’s the fear of what will happen to us.
d)
It paralyzes us and convinces us that we cannot be forgiven.
e)
So we learn to live with fear and let it take control of our
lives.
D.
Conquering fear is a matter of choice
1.
We need to learn to conquer fear.
a)
What I mean by this is to learn what to fear.
b)
We need to fear God, we need to fear what Satan can do with us
if we give in to sin.
c)
READ Lk 12:4-5
2.
We need to let the
presence of God in our lives banish fear.
a)
take the famous words of David in Psa 23:4 - Though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. For YOU are with me.
b)
Isa 12:2 - Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be
afraid.
c)
Growing up, I had a healthy fear of the darkness. My imagination could easily fill any
darkness with all sorts of evil things plotting my demise. So, of course it never failed that the last
light in the basement of the church was left on and I had to go across the dark
yard, the dark parking lot of the church, into the dark foyer of the church and
down the dark stairs to walk through that dark hallway to turn off that
classroom light. Now, I could have
turned on some lights, but then I would have had to confess to being … nervous…
in the dark and as a teenage boy, that just wasn’t going to happen. However, I do believe that I set speed
records going over to turn off the lights.
What amazed me was that when that light was still on but dad was nearby,
I wasn’t near as afraid as when I was by myself. There was something to knowing my father was nearby to help me
overcome my fear.
d)
I think that is what David was talking about.
e)
I think that was the message that Christ wanted to get to his
disciples.
2.
He will be nearby, don’t let fear overcome you.