Psalm 27 A Basis For Overcoming Fear Series

Topic: Sunday Sermon Series – Encouragement from the Psalms

Text: Psalm 27

Title: Psalm 27 – A Basis for Overcoming Fear

Intro: We are living in a season, at least in my lifetime and pastorate of an unprecedented fear! It has been an amazing thing for me to witness!

I can remember on the Sunday following the 9-11 attack on America in 2001, out of what I discerned was a GREAT FEAR, the churches by in large were filled for a about a month or so, and then predictably they emptied, because fear though it may be a necessary emotion to get you to move towards God, it is not a sufficient emotion to keep you devoted to God because the bible says…

1 John 4:18a There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.

Now what has amazed and astounded me is that our current crisis has had a totally complete effect than the one on 9/11. The fear caused by 9/11 had filled the church, the one caused by COVID-19 has emptied them!

FEAR of sickness, fear of death, which my bible tells me that Jesus has delivered me from it! The book of Hebrews tells me one of the many reasons for the incarnation is this:

Hebrews 2: 14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.-NIV

That bible verse tells us that FEAR IS A BONDAGE, FEAR HOLDS SOMEONE IN A SATANIC SLAVERY!

No wonder the bible refers to fear…as a spirit…

2Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.-NKJV

Romans 8: 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, - HCSB

So beloved, having said all that _ I guess FDR, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was right! Although a world war had ended 15 years prior to his inauguration, and it was 6 year prior to a second world war beginning, and although America was at the height of the Great Depression, on the day he was inaugurated the 32nd president of the United States on March 4, 1933, made in my estimation the most quoted statement that has ever been made or ever will be made by a newly inaugurated president in an inauguration speech. What was it?

Franklin Delano Roosevelt –“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself!”

Isn’t that amazing? He was not the only notable person who felt this way! The philosopher Henry David Thoreau wrote in his journal on September 7, 1851…

Henry David Thoreau -"Nothing is so much to be feared as fear."

And Francis Bacon The Lord High Chancellor of England in 1584 was credited with saying…

Francis Bacon - "Nothing is terrible except fear itself."

And I wholeheartedly agree with that! Why? Well the reason is theological! What is the first emotion that the bible records after the creation account and Adam’s fall…

Genesis 3:8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” -NIV

And mankind has been hiding behind fear ever since! Although the bible tells us to move from faith to faith, we more often move from one fear to another! And because we move from fear to fear, we develop phobias!

Phobia - an extreme or irrational fear of or aversion to something.

And there a more than one can count! The American Psychiatric Association (APA) puts out a list of over 100, and here are just a few!!

Arachnophobia – The fear of spiders

Acrophobia – The fear of heights.

Agoraphobia – The fear of crowded spaces.

Cynophobia – The fear of dogs.

Astraphobia – The fear of thunder/lightning

Claustrophobia – The fear of small spaces

Mysophobia – The fear of germs.

Aerophobia – The fear of flying.

Glossophobia – The fear of public speaking.

Monophobia – The fear of being alone.

Atychiphobia – The fear of failure.

Ornithophobia – The fear of birds.

Alektorophobia – The fear of chickens.

Enochlophobia – The fear of crowds