Conquering Our Fears
Dorothy Dalton
Midland SDA Church
December 29, 2012
As we stand on the threshold of another year, anticipating what lies ahead; we cannot help looking back over our shoulder with some questions in mind. What kind of person have I been during 2011? Are there some regrets? If you could have some part of the year to do over, how would you have behaved differently? Would you have shown more understanding, cared more, been more patient, less critical, been more supportive and helpful? How about your relationship with God? Did it flourish and grow during 2011or did it just hover in much the same place as it did the previous year or perhaps even went backwards as you prayed less, heard less from God through His Word, or worshiped less. Maybe God didn’t have a big part in the year, somehow he just slipped into the background. So, what lies ahead?
Fear is defined as feeling that danger or evil is near; an uneasy feeling; anxious thought; concern; awe or reverence. I find it significant that we have the Christmas story sitting in the middle of our thoughts as we evaluate our past and prepare for the year ahead. We acknowledge that the actual birth date of Jesus is unknown however here is a time set aside, when people tend to evaluate their lives and we find more people attending religious services than at any other time of the year, except Easter. It is a time, when Christians freely acknowledge the most incredible gift ever given and we easily share our words of faith with cards, pictures and music.
Can you agree with me that this year has been very active and has sped by quickly? As you look at the year past you find some happy occasions but for some those may be over-shadowed by the loss of a job or the struggle with illness, failed relationships or the emptiness of a missing loved one. The media has given us front row seats for world-wide major events: hurricane, tornadoes, flooding, there have been multiple earthquakes, the polar cap is shrinking, war continues as does Middle East unrest. Political campaigning occupied much of the year; local violence has increased, as has acceptance of immorality and how can we forget the horrible event at Shady Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut! Reasons enough to have questions and fear, right?
In P & K pg 536 & 7 we read that “the signs of the times declare that we are standing on the threshold of great and solemn events. Everything in our world is in agitation. Before our eyes is fulfilling the Saviour’s prophesy of the events to precede His coming……The present is a time of overwhelming interest to all living. Rulers and statesmen, men who occupy position of trust and authority, thinking men and women of all classes have their attention fixed upon the events tasking place about us. They are watching the relations that exist among the nations. They observe the intensity that is taking possession of every earthly element and they recognize that something great and decisive is about to take place---that the world is on the verge of a stupendous crisis. The Bible and the Bible only, gives a correct view of these things. Here are revealed the great final scenes in the history of our world, events that already are casting their shadows before the sound of their approach causing the earth to tremble and men’s hearts to fail them for fear.”
This morning we will seek for an answer to what is needed to be confident and fearless in the midst of our troubled world.
PRAYER
When I lived in the Houston area and worked in the prisons in Huntsville I often had to make a trip to Galveston to attend meetings at the University. The best way to avoid Houston, traffic tie-ups, was to use the by-pass around the city and the bridge over the ship channel. This bridge is listed at 175 feet above the channel. A mere babe compared to “Big Mac.” My nurse colleagues and I would take turns driving and car pool. One otherwise fearless colleague, who would face death-row inmates without batting an eye, would not drive her van over the ship-channel bridge. The only way she could cross that bridge was to be flat on the floor of the vehicle; curled into a fetal position with her head covered; whimpering and hyperventilating; and before we had completed the crossing she was becoming hysterical, because of her fear, clinically known as acrophobia, fear of high places.
I have heard the statement “I have a sense of fear and I don’t know what it is.” “I’m a Christian. I know God. And I’m a follower of Christ. But, once in a while my anxieties sort of creep into my head and take over. And, of course, if you don’t know Christ you have every reason to be afraid.
I have no current statistics other than from a 2004 internet posting from “U. S. News and World Report” in which it is said that our nation is feeling more and more anxiety with every single month that passes. According to the report there are 14.8 million American adults who suffer from irrational fears of some particular source. 40 million or more adults have one or more anxiety disorders and the annual cost of dealing with this problem in our culture at that time was about 65 billion dollars.
Fear has been a problem that we have had throughout history. Fear began with the beginning of humanity. Remember Adam and Eve after their fall, when they heard the sound of God calling in the Garden? Adam’s response to God was that he had heard Him call; but, was afraid and hid himself. Through out the history of the world there have been many famous people, who have been known for their particular fears. And you may have heard about some of these, for example; Napoleon Bonaparte conquered Europe but, throughout his whole career he was crippled by his fear of cats. You may understand his fear but not have as strong an emotion and just not like cats. Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, who coined the term “anxiety attack,” suffered from agoraphobia, literally the fear of the marketplace or open or crowded spaces. Edgar Allen Poe, the literary genius, suffered for much of his life from the fear of closed places, this one you have probably heard of: claustrophobia, a disorder also endured by Harry Houdini and Adolf Hitler. Donald Trump suffers from the fear of shaking hands. Howard Hughes, the eccentric billionaire, suffered from the fear of germs. Andre Agassi, the tennis player has a fear of spiders which is called arachnophobia. The former NFL coach, John Madden, suffers from the fear of flying.
We know people who have fear and we may have experienced it ourselves. More and more as the world situation around us continues to get more complicated and difficult, and things are not the same; we run the risk of being victimized by our fears. In the midst of a so called recovery our economy is still shedding thousands of jobs. Michigan unemployment at the end of November was 9.3% and nationally 7.8% The national debt totals over 15 trillion dollars and the stock market is uncertain. Not hard to understand why some people fear because sometimes you simply can’t avoid it. Pick up a magazine, turn on the radio or television and it is mostly bad news, rarely do you hear good news reported. And so the world is full of fear.
I am intrigued to discover that fear is not new to Bible stories. Fear was even present at the very first Christmas. On three different occasions the words, “fear not” were used to calm the fright of the participants in the story.
****
For instance, when the angel Gabriel appeared before Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, the Bible says Luke 1: 5-14 NKJV 5There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years. 8So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, 9according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. 11Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 13But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.
When the angel Gabriel arrived in Mary’s presence the Bible says Luke 1: 29Mary was very startled by what the angel said and wondered what this greeting might mean. 30The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary;
And the shepherds we are told were greatly afraid. Luke 2 NCV 9Then an angel of the Lord stood before them. The glory of the Lord was shining around them, and they became very frightened. 10The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I am bringing you good news that will be a great joy to all the people.
****
Yet the amazing thing that I see in all this; it was because of that first Christmas over 2000 years ago, when God sent his son, Jesus, to the earth that we have reason not to fear any more. And today, as we look at these occurrences where fear happened at that first Christmas, it is my prayer that we will be able to glean from the word of God a few principles that will help us; if we have any moments of doubt of fear and perhaps help us help others who are experiencing the same.
Here is the first thing we learned from the first chapter of Luke in the story of Zacharias and Elizabeth: God still answers prayers. The answer to the prayer of Zacharias and Elizabeth is amazing. But, when you get behind the prayer and see the background of it, it is even more amazing. Let me explain! If you know the Bible you will know that between the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament there is a period of about 400 years. And those 400 years are called by theologians and students of the Bible as the 400 silent years. No scripture is written during that time and there is no record of God speaking directly or indirectly even through His angels to anyone. For 400 years God is silent! That is hard for us to comprehend, but that is the fact and that’s what we learn from a study of the Bible. God was silent for 4 centuries until, a never to be forgotten day when Zacharias was fulfilling his duties as a priest in the temple. And every day for as long as he could remember he and his wife had prayed for a son. To be childless in Israel was viewed as a reproach from God and they wanted to rid themselves of this stigma. They wanted a child. As we learned in reading the scriptures they were advanced in age. Their prayers had been very faithful over the years and now their fervent prayer was to be answered. On this historic day Gabriel comes to earth and personally announced to Zacharias that God had heard his prayer and his wife would soon have a son and that son should be called John, John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus Christ. Now when we are tempted to feel discouraged and afraid and alone we need to remember Zacharias. God heard his prayer and answered it! And God is still answering the prayers of His people. God has not forgotten you. Maybe you have been praying about something and it seems that God is not listening. Perhaps you have gotten so discouraged that you have quit praying. (I have been there a few times) Perhaps you have this nagging fear that continues to haunt your thoughts and you wonder: is God back to the silent years? If after 400 years of silence God can answer Zacharias prayer for the miraculous birth of a son at an old age, he certainly can answer your prayers and mine. So when you are tempted to be afraid, remember that God still answers prayers.
Now, quickly move your gaze forward about 6 months and you will discover that God is about to send Gabriel on another earthly mission also recorded in Luke. This time we see the message He has for Mary.
Once again, lets go back to the calendar. The first period of time was the 400 silent years. I want to tell you about a time that was many years longer. I am remembering the first promise given in Genesis 3:15 when God pronounced judgment upon the serpent and predicted a deliverer and then repeated assurances in Daniel and Isaiah indicating He had not forgotten. About 700 years before the event we read about in the book of Luke the specific promise was given by God through Isaiah the Prophet. Almighty God reassured Isaiah and us today that the promises we have read were literally fulfilled in Mary’s experience. There are a couple verses in Matthew where the promise and the fulfillment are together. The first is in Matthew 1 21Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us which fulfilled Isa 7 14Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Look again at Matthew 1 23Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Fulfillment in Isa 9 6For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
For centuries the promise of God to his people went unfulfilled. But God did not forget His promise. And God will never forget His promises. I can say on the authority of the word of God, that God has never ever made a promise that He does not keep. You say, thousands of years, I hope it doesn’t take that long for me to get my promise fulfilled. Just remember this: God does not view time as we do. And God does keep His word! And I believe it is good to remember that God keeps His promises; especially, when we go through a period of uncertainty. What does the New Year hold for you and me? Do you have some promises that you can hold on to?
I remember that soon after I had joined the church The Sabbath School Superintendent gave each of those attending the adult Sabbath School a little gift. Her motive was to try and teach us the importance of reading our Bibles and finding the treasures it held. Some of you with gray hair may remember a small plastic loaf of bread with the words “Our Daily Bread” written on the sides. Contained within this “loaf of bread” were promises. Each evening before we would pray my son, Steve, and I would take a card from the front of the loaf and read aloud what it said and then place it in the rear of the loaf; so we would not soon read it again. Each card had a verse on both sides. During this time one of the impressions on my life was that God is a God, who makes a lot of promises. And the Bible is filled with God’s promises. And I want to say something to you, today. You need to have some promises to hold on to. Do you have some? If you don’t, let me share some of mine. But, you really need to have your own, until then it’s okay for you to borrow some of mine. The way you get promises is usually, when you go through some trouble and God shows you a verse, and the verse becomes real for you. And you take that verse and say this is mine! You mark it in your Bible and they become personal. These are my truths. Now I have chosen a few promises that have to do with fear. This is just to give you an idea. Choose a version of the Bible that you understand and is to read. Sometimes when you are going through some difficult days you just need some promises to hold on to and this will get you started.
Psm 27: 1 You, Lord, are the light that keeps me safe. I am not afraid of anyone. You protect me, and I have no fears.
Twice in that verse there is mention of fear. If the Lord is your light and keeps you safe then you don’t have to be
afraid.
Isa 41: 10 Don’t be afraid. I am with you. Don’t tremble with fear. I am your God. I will make you strong, as I protect you with my arm and give you victories.
Psm 27:10 Even if my father and mother should desert me, you will take care of me.
When your mother and your father turn you away, then the Lord will take care of you. That is a promise that you can count on! Some of you may be in a dysfunctional family, where you don’t have any relationship with your parents. God may just be waiting to put that promise into operation. It might be one that you want to grab hold of and put into your little “promise box.” Those are three promises out of my “promise box.” Go get some of your own and build your little list of the things that God is telling you and then meditate on them in times when you are being tested by fear. You will discover that God still keeps His promises.
Here is a third thing from the Christmas story. God not only still answers prayer, God keeps His promises and God still has a purpose Luke 2 8And there were shepherds in the same country abiding in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock. 9And an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10And the angel said unto them, Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people: 11for there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. 12And this is the sign unto you: Ye shall find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger. 13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,14 Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men in whom he is well pleased. 15And it came to pass, when the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing that is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16And they came with haste, and found both Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in the manger. 17And when they saw it, they made known concerning the saying which was spoken to them about this child. 18And all that heard it wondered at the things which were spoken unto them by the shepherds.
In this account of the shepherds we are reminded that God still has a purpose. It has been His purpose from before the world began; and His purpose and His plan involves a Saviour. The purpose of God is to provide a Saviour for all man kind, for we are all lost and we need a Saviour. God’s plan and God’s purpose involves me and it involves every single one of you. God’s purpose for you is that you might meet the Saviour and come to know Him and the forgiveness which He can bring to your life and to mine. No matter how distant you may feel that you are from God. Since the beginning of time God has focused His love on you. You may not know it because you have not been willing to receive it but God loves you and He sent a Saviour to save you. He knows just what you need and the angels message to the shepherds lays it all out, “Do not be afraid for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people for there is born to you this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. John 3 16God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. That’s God’s purpose for you and for me. Someone has said that if our greatest need had been for information, God would have sent us an educator. If our greatest need had been for technology, God would have sent us a scientist. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist. If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer. But our greatest need was forgiveness so God sent us a Saviour. And that is what Christmas is all about.
Have you fulfilled the purpose of God in your life? That is a good question. I want you to know that even as Christians we sometimes have to deal with fear. But, it has been said that for a Christian fear can visit but it doesn’t get to move in. And if you don’t know Christ, often fear moves into the vacuum created by the absence of God. I hope that you know the purpose of God in your life. And that you know the Saviour. Now interestingly enough, in these narratives about Christmas, whenever fear was dealt with by the lord he replaced it with something else. And in every one of these narratives the replacement is the same. Guess what it is? Not courage: but joy! When fear was taken away, joy replaced it. To the shepherds the angel said, do not be afraid I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people: 11for there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. When Zacharias received his message from Gabriel, scripture tells Zacharias,
14you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. And the result of the message that Gabriel gave to Mary. Mary says to Eliz Luke 2:46:my soul does magnify the Lord. My soul rejoices.
The response to the angel messages, in every occasion where fear, had been present was this: Let me take away your fear and I’ll give you joy. And anyone who knows Jesus, especially at this time of the year and understands the true message of Christmas it truly is a time of joy, is it not? No time for fear, it is a time for joy! In fact, the joy for all the people in this whole story was so great that we are told consistently in the record that when their fear was gone, joy came and they couldn’t keep silent about it. And they went about telling everybody what God had done for them. Mary did it, Zacharias did it, and the shepherds did it. They went back praising God and giving glory to God. And He took away there fear. I know that some of you have said those are great stories about people in the Bible but they are different than I am. I’m just an ordinary person. I can understand God helping Zacharias, my goodness he was a priest and would be John the Baptist’s father. I can understand him dealing with Mary, she was to be the mother of Jesus and the shepherds; why they were the first worshipers, why wouldn’t he deal with them, they were super people. No, not so! They were ordinary, just like we are! The shepherds were less than ordinary. They were despised by the people of their day, they were the lowest class and God ministered to each of them showing us that He has no desire that anyone be lost. He didn’t leave them behind and as you read the story here is what you discover. All the people in the narrative were doing what they normally did, going through life in their normal pursuit of life trying to obey God day by day and God intervened in their life in a special way. Interestingly enough the fear that came upon all of these participants seemed to be the precursor of a special blessing form God. First the fear, then the blessing. Could it be that God allows us to go through a little fear to prepare us for the blessing that He is about to give us? I like to think of it that way, every time I get afraid. I think I wonder what God is up to now. I wonder what He is going to do next. That is the way it was in the story of the first Christmas. They all became ardent worshipers of God and proclaimer’s of God’s message to others.
Now, I would like to conclude by sharing something written by a Scottish preacher by the name of George Morrison. He writes a thought provoking comparison between the Shepherds and Mary Magdelene.
So, the question is this? Do you love Him? He loves you! Do you experience His love through the word of God; and through worship; and praise? The more you know of Jesus, the more you will love Him and the more you love Him the more His love will fill your heart where fear once lived. It is the difference between a relationship and knowledge. If you only have knowledge of Christ, expect to fear often. If you have a relationship with Him your fears will be unwelcome in your heart. That is why we read in the New Testament in two different places these truths. These might be good for your promise box. 1 John 4 18NRSVThere is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear;
2 Tim 1: 7KJV For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. For a Christian the opposite of fear is not courage but Love! Do you love Him? He loves you and if you will receive that love that he came to bring He will come; not only to forgive your sin, but he will come to replace your fear. As we wrap up this year and prepare for the New let me invite you to begin your year with us at Vespers this coming Sabbath, January 5th at 4:30 p.m. We will begin a 10 day series focused on seeking the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon each of us individually and for our church as a whole. My closing thought is for those who would like to begin the New Year with a new walk or a renewed walk with our Saviour. If you would like to come forward to acknowledge your decision please do so as we sing our closing song.
I want to leave this thought with you. May you remember that His promise & His purpose is found in John 3:16KJV For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Thank you for your attention and Happy New Year.