INTRODUCTION
• PC VIDEO
• SLIDE #1
• We are approaching the time of the year where the focus in our country tends to lead toward things that scare us.
• Halloween is coming up in October and during that time of the year we see a lot of the new scary movies come out, children will go out into the streets dressed in scary costumes.
• We will see a lot of “haunted” houses set up for people to go through.
• Life can be scary enough without all that stuff going on.
• Over the next few weeks want to take us through a series entitled, “Halloween Handlings Series, Dealing With Dark Emotions.”
• We will look at such dark emotions as handling rejection, bitterness, unforgivness, dealing with a broken heart, burn out, and our emotion of the day, FEAR!
• SLIDE #2
• What do you fear?
• In the clip from the new version of the Karate Kid, Dre becomes the enemy of the class bully, Cheng who uses his martial arts training to bully Dre into submission.
• Dre is ruled by fear and he knows he cannot live that way.
• In the real world many people are ruled by fear. Fear keeps us from achieving many great things in life. Fear can keep us from trying to help people get to heaven. Fear is a paralyzing emotion and if it is left unchecked, it can destroy a once promising life and future.
• I know this dark emotion rules the lives of WAY too many people, and I am SURE there are those here this morning with whom this will really hit home with.
• Let’s look at our text for this morning, as we do it is my pray that we will see that we do not have to be ruled by a spirit of FEAR any longer!
• SLIDE #3
• 2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV) 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
• In the context of this passage, Paul is trying to encourage the young evangelist Timothy to carry out his ministry with boldness and enthusiasm.
• SLIDE #4
SERMON
We can handle our fears when we realize…
I. God does NOT give us a spirit of fear!
• As Paul is trying to encourage the young evangelist, he reminds him of an important point, God does not give us a spirit of FEAR.
• God called Timothy to ministry and God did not give him a spirit of fear in which to do that calling.
• I know fear on one level or another is something that we all deal with, the question becomes, is that what God desires for us?
• The word is used close to 800 times in the bible, although some of the instances deal with more of a reverent fear, or respect for God.
• We see fear demonstrated on many occasions in the bible, from Moses, to Gideon to those closest to Jesus.
• Time and time again God responded to the fears by showing those who struggled with it that they did not need to fear.
• Fear is a paralyzing tentativeness or cowardice that would effectively stop any acts of Christian ministry or service.
• In this passage it deals with a cowardice caused be a lack of moral strength.
• Moses did not want to do what God called him to do because of fear; Moses was not an eloquent speaker so God used Aaron to help him. This is just one of many examples.
• I believe that God has called ALL of us to do great things for Him but many will never reach their potential because of the inability to deal with fear.
• We will use fear as an excuse not to do anything.
• I know there are a lot of things that can cause fear to well up inside of us, but when you think about it, what do we have to fear?
• SLIDE #5
• 1 John 4:4 (ESV) 4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
• Fear is one of the tools that Satan uses to keep us from doing things we are destine to do!
• Let me ask you a question, what are you afraid of? What is it keeping you from doing? Where is the fear coming from?
• I am not talking about fear of doing something stupid like jumping off the mountain!
• Are you afraid of rejection? Are you afraid of failure?
• Where is your fear coming from? God does not give you a spirit of FEAR!
• Remember who you serve! Remember who your God is!
• SLIDE #6
• Romans 8:31 (ESV) What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
• SLIDE #7
We can handle our fears when we realize…
II. God gives us a spirit of power!
• As we dissect our verse we see that INSTEAD of a spirit of FEAR, we are given first of all a spirit of POWER!
• POWER! OH YES!
• What is a spirit of power?
• The word we translate power is the same word we would use for dynamite!
• It deals with the ability to do something. The strength to do something.
• This basically the effect of the Holy Spirit working in us.
• SLIDE #8
• Ephesians 3:16 (ESV) that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
• SLIDE #9
• Romans 15:13 (ESV) May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
• The Holy Spirit within us gives us the power to overcome fear, He gives us the power to fight the good fight, not only to endure but also to strike powerful blows for God.
• We receive the power to resist temptations.
• SLIDE #10
• 1 Corinthians 10:13 (ESV) 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
• We receive the strength to do what God calls us to do. God equips the called, He does not call the equipped!
• We are given the power to encounter foes and dangers! Moses went right at the most powerful man in the world at the time when God used him to free the Hebrews!
• We can stand up under trials and persecutions. Look at the Apostle Paul!
• We are given a spirit to inspire the mind to Holy courage!
• Look at Romans 8:15
• SLIDE #11
• Romans 8:15 (ESV) For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
• Next we see that…
• SLIDE #12
We can handle our fears when we realize…
III. God gives us a spirit of love!
• This does not seem like it would help us overcome fear, but it does.
• We need to remember that the word translated love is the word AGAPE which means doing what is spiritually best of the other person which leads to deeds of self-surrender.
• We also know from Galatians 5:22 that love is part of the fruit of the Spirit.
• Love can inspire us to do great things.
• In 1 Corinthians 13 we learn that without love what we do is not really important.
• Love never shrinks away from a sacrifice that would help another.
• SLIDE #13
• 1 John 4:18 (ESV) There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
• Jesus reminds us in John 13:35
• SLIDE #14
• John 13:35 (ESV) By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
• John MacArthur Jr. states concerning love:
Our spiritual lives are measured accurately by our love. If our first love is for self, our life will center on seeking our own welfare, our own objectives, our own comfort and success. We will not sacrifice ourselves for others or even for the Lord. But if we love with the love God provides, our life will center on pleasing Him and on seeking the welfare of others, especially other Christians.
• Paul reminds us concerning our love in Romans 5:5
• SLIDE #15
• Romans 5:5 (ESV) and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
• We also see that…
• SLIDE #16
We can handle our fears when we realize…
IV. God gives us a spirit of self-control!
• Many times we fail because we lack self-control, many lives have be ruined as a result of a lack of self-control.
• God gives us a spirit of self-control!
• Self-control allows us to live in and mix with the world, to be exposed to various temptations and yet still be able to regulate our behavior.
• Self-control denotes careful, sensible thinking. It is the ability to think clearly with the wisdom and understanding that God gives us.
• Fear is one of the main driving forces of society today. Politicians are masters of this fear.
• Fear will cause irrational thinking and actions.
• Irrational thoughts and speculations swirl within the mind when fear rules.
• Jesus calls us to an orderly thought process.
• Self-control allows us the opportunity to be victorious in what we do.
CONCLUSION
• Power, love and self-control help us to attain a level of spiritual maturity that comes only by persistent growth and patient striving; you will never grow just by wishing.
• When I was a child I was afraid of the dark, my parents would find we sleeping all over the house because of my fear.
• My fear made it hard to go to bed at night.
• As I matured, I realized that I need not be afraid of the dark.
• Fear when left unchecked will destroy the great things God has planned for you in your life.
• God did not give you a spirit of fear!
