SERMON BRIEF
Date Written: January 5, 2015
Date Preached: January 4, 2015
Church: OPBC (AM) Sunday
FOUNDATIONAL ELEMENTS
Title: Overcoming Fear
Text: 2 Timothy 1:7-9
ETS: Paul told Timothy fear is NOT an option in serving God.
ESS: Today’s passage is clear to the believer today, that FEAR is NOT intended for the Christian and to give into fear is to give into Satan.
Introduction:
Today is the first Sunday of the new year… When the new year rolls around we often find ourselves assessing our lives and how we are living and what we are doing…
At this point in our church’s life we are in the process of re-assessing ALL of what we do and how we do things. We are facing the new year on a journey that is filled with a great deal of unknowns.
Our fellowship is beginning down a path where there are not a lot of road signs and not a lot of churches that have ventured down this path…
Because of what is happening in our church, there are many of you who are wondering what we are going to do… are we going to make it as a church? What is going to happen?
These kind of questions can be somewhat unsettling to many of us and it can bring about a spirit of fear within the fellowship which leads to actions plans that are safe and pointed at keeping our fellowship afloat… those types of actions plans are focused on the wrong thing!
I know that our path may seem a bit frightful…
I know that our path may seem out of whack…
I know that our path may seem scary and uncertain…
I KNOW that the path our church is on is a path where (IF WE LET IT) fear can come in and rule the day.
When fear comes in, believers have the tendency to circle the wagons and look, INWARD… they play defense NOT offense… they tend to lose sight of their mission and begin to focus on self-survival instead of Kingdom growth! Much like what WE have been doing here at Oak Park…
When you think of fear for the believer, what fear do we need to overcome as believers? What fears disable us in our walk with God? Where do you find the most fear?
Are you afraid of FAILURE?
Are you afraid that YOU will fail… do we fear that we won’t measure up to God’s calling in our lives, so we bury our heads in the sand and live a life of disobedience?
Are you secretly wanting others to fail… do we secretly desire to see others fail to make us look better? It seems that in our society and this has proven true in the church as well…that for us to show improvement we feel we must show OTHERS failing… Do we believe others must fail for us to succeed?
Are we afraid of God failing us? Do we have about laying it all on the line AND God NOT delivering for us? Why is that? Is your fear of God’s failure based on what He wants or on what YOU want?
Are we afraid to succeed? Preacher that does NOT make sense… why would we be afraid to succeed?
Maybe you are afraid of the success of others… Are we so fearful that we refuse to invest in kingdom building? In other words, is our mentality what is in it for ME? What is in it for Oak Park?
Afraid of Success in the Kingdom? In other words, Kingdom growth equals success in God’s eyes but it may NOT equal our vision of success…
Are we afraid of success because it will lead to more expectations from our fellowship… right now it is EASY to be a member at Oak Park… NOTHING is expected out of our fellowship, and nothing has been expected for years… but what if we set a standard of seeking God’s success? Are we afraid of HIS success and how it will FORCE our hand in keeping it going?
Are you afraid of Disappointment?
Let me ask you this… we want to grow as a church but are YOU afraid that YOU are going to be disappointed in what God has for us?
Are you afraid that the success God has in store for us will not meet YOUR own standard?
Are you afraid of being a Faithful servant?
Are we afraid to put our effort 100% into God’s calling for us?
In other words, do we LIVE out our faith OR is our faith just words from our mouth and words on paper? Do WE as believers here at Oak Park just say we have faith? James tells us that a faith without works is a DEAD faith!
Are you afraid to live out your faith? Are you willing to let GO of what YOU think our fellowship should look like and embrace what God wants? Are you afraid of being His faithful servant in this transition?
These fears are ALL real! I believe when we look at these fears THIS is where we ARE today and this is where we have been over the past several years here at Oak Park!
Our fellowship, ME included, God forgive us… Has been driven by fear and our focus (I am as guilty as ANY of you) OUR focus has been on holding onto what we have… on preserving what we think our fellowship should look like!
We have to honestly look at ourselves and know that our faith has NOT been fleshed out in our actions! YES we have tried programs, but growth and success in God’s eyes is NOT in programs or plans of man… Success in God’s eyes begins and ends with submissive obedience to His calling!
Now, I DO want to say that there is NOTHING wrong with wanting a fellowship that is healthy! We should always strive for spiritual maturity and spiritual health!
BUT any directed focus on the fellowship to ensure our health is a focus that leads away from submission and obedience! It is a focus NOT on growth, but on trying to maintain what we have…
From a sports analogy, Oak Park, we have been playing NOT to lose! In the words of Herm Edwards, former Head Coach of the New York Jets, “You play to win the game!”
However, instead of playing to win in our efforts here at Oak Park, we have been playing NOT to lose! This is not the mindset of the church Jesus desired or envisioned! Jesus said to his disciples that the church would be an OFFENSIVE weapon… that WE would play to win! He said, “…the gates of hell will not prevail against it…”
That phrase gives a picture for the church…OUR CHURCH has to be a offensive minded fellowship! We should never find ourselves in ‘survival mode’ or just trying NOT to lose!
When we do that… I believe we allow the Enemy to deceive us into thinking our focus has to change… we stop reaching out and we begin to focus on just hanging on…
I don’t know about you but what we are going thru right now as a fellowship IS scary! It is bringing GREAT anxiety into my life! I don’t know about you but losing 56% of my salary is a scary thought… and I really don’t know how we are going to make!
BUT what that IS going to do for me is it is going to cause me to readjust my FOCUS… Let me explain what I mean!
When Jesus told Peter to “Come” Peter stepped out of the boat and began to walk to Jesus ON the water… but then he began to look around and see the negatives… the wind and the waves… what happened when he did that? He began to sink! Then Peter was afraid… FEAR only rears its ugly head when we take our eyes off Him!
I know God has called me to be HERE as pastor, and I know God has NOT chosen to move me FROM here… that may change but right now I know I am called to be here…
BUT I will admit fear has been clouding my mind for the past month, ever since this new budget was proposed! How am we going to make it on 44% of what we have had in the past? How are we going to survive? I will admit I am still reeling over this fear!
I can also state tho’ that I am not the ONLY one who has fear in this room…RIGHT? I believe it is safe to say that EVERYONE in this room has been afraid, even terrified of something, someone or some situation.
Many years ago, the USA Today polled thousands of Americans on their fears:
54% were afraid a car wreck
53% were afraid of getting cancer
50% were afraid Social Security would NOT be there when they retired
33% were afraid of being mugged
32% were afraid they would NEVER get out of debt
28% were afraid of contracting the AIDS virus,
25% were afraid of hurricanes and weather related issues
On September 11th 2001, our country was introduced to YET a new fear for our people! The fear of TERRORISM hitting close to home on our shores!
For years, terrorism was something in OTHER countries and on other shores…but now it has come to our front door.
This past Christmas Eve a man walked into a store in the middle of our own Oakwood Mall and shot another man to death… ON CHRISTMAS EVE!
People we live in a broken world and fear is around us EVERYDAY! Many of us live our lives fearful of many things… but I want to share with you that God does NOT want you to live your life in fear!
Much of the fear I have illustrated this morning is fear of bodily harm… but there are many of us sitting here today who have other fears… we have a fear of simple obedience!
I know many of you have an extreme fear of sharing Jesus with someone else when the opportunity arises.
Some fear the rejection they may experience…
Some have a fear that people will look down on them because of their faith or because they are speaking publicly about their faith…
Some are afraid that people will ridicule and mock their faith…
All of those fears are things we face! The enemy wants to convince us that this fear is real! But let me ask you something this morning, “How many times do we see in Scripture, “Do not be afraid!?” I believe that God has not called us to be fearful or live our lives in fear.
On the other hand, Satan wants fear to rule our hearts! He wants fear to control our lives! He wants to paralyze us with fear so that we are ineffective in our service to God.
Satan uses fear to distract us from our calling! He uses the physical fears we have spoken about this morning, and he also uses spiritual fears as well.
Martin Luther once said, “Although this world is filled with fear from Satan to tear us down, we will NOT fear for God has willed His truth to triumph through us!”
Mary Mitchell Slessor was a Scottish missionary to Nigeria, she once said, “Why should I fear? I am on a royal mission. I am in the service of the King of kings…”
In our day-to-day lives, we will face fear and many of us allow that fear to paralyze us… when that happens you are of NO use in God’s kingdom. But again, I want to let you know… THIS IS NOT what God desires for you!
So turn to 2 Tim…1:7-9 and let’s take a look at what Paul wrote about the subject of fear. Paul tells us that we can be delivered from this fear thru:
Our possessions in Christ,
Our position in Christ and thru
The promise of Christ…
In these things, fear can be overcome and we NEVER have to let fear rule our lives again!
READ PASSAGE HERE
7for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 8Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 9who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,
Our possessions in Christ - v7
First I want us to look this morning at verse 7 and we can see where Paul lays out our possession in Christ!
7for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
Here we see Paul sharing that becoming a Christian is not a choice as we may think of ‘choice’… let me explain what I mean…look what he says, …for God gave…
Paul knew that he was where he was NOT out of his own choice but because of his calling from God. In other words, Paul did not wake up one morning and decide for himself that he wanted to serve Jesus and preach!
My friends, Salvation does not work like that… Salvation can only happen when God calls us and then we accept His calling. Now you may wake up and come to the realization that what is missing in your life is God!
But, understand that realization does not come from your own discernment! That realization only comes thru the drawing power of the Holy Spirit! He draws you and it is up to you to accept Him and his salvation!
Look at what Jesus himself said in John 6:44, 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. God draws us to His salvation in Jesus! We can only submit and surrender to His calling!
I want to be extremely CLEAR about this… we DO have a choice! But our choice is NOT to be saved or not… our choice is whether or not we are going to answer God’s calling! This is because without God’s calling, we would never have the choice for salvation!
In other words, God opens the door thru Jesus. We cannot open the door our self! God issues the call, HE opens the door and it IS our choice to walk through the door of salvation He provides.
With THAT in in mind, I want us to look at the 1st part of v.7 again…Paul says, “…for God gave…”
What is Paul saying here? Simply put, Paul is saying that God is the giver and we are the receiver. God grants the gift of salvation that we then possess! God is the giver of salvation! In Matthew 28 Jesus told His disciples, God had given all authority to Him.
This authority over all things was God’s to give t Jesus. Likewise, God can give us any gift or talent He so chooses! WE cannot gain gifts or talents from our own power, but they are gifts from God.
If you have the spiritual gift of encouragement, it is NOT because you are such a cheery person or great listener. The fact is that you are a cheery person and great listener BECAUSE you have God’s spiritual gift of encouragement!
God has granted ALL of what we are and all we possess in Christ is according to the Will of the Holy Spirit.
In THIS passage we can see that Paul was NOT speaking of gifts or possessions that only some believers had… but he was speaking of gifts ALL believers are given by God at the time of their salvation.
What he shares here in v.7 is 2-fold!
First Paul shares what God does NOT give to each believer and then we are given salvation and we are given our spiritual gifts… these are our possession IN Christ! But we can also see a 2nd part to this verse…
2nd Paul shares what God DOES give each believer.
Look at the next part of v7, see what Paul says about what God does NOT give... “…a spirit of timidity [fear]…”
God does NOT call us to serve Him in fear! In other words, God calling will not leave believers frightened and afraid! God’s calling does NOT bring fear… it does NOT bring an unsure and unstable mind!
Let me share what I mean here. Have you ever heard a believer say something like this, “Well God has not called me to share the Gospel, but to work in the background and let my life do the talking.”
That may sounds wonderful to you, but there is an inherent problem with that statement… it sells God short and it is NOT biblical!
A statement like that is nothing more than a believer falling prey to the lie of the enemy and allowing fear to bind them in their walk with Christ!
God does not save us to be spiritual wimps! We are not called to be pushovers. He does not call us to cower before Satan. We must respect the danger Satan poses to our walk, but we must never FEAR him…
From all indications in Scripture, we cannot find where Timothy had any sort of fear like this, but Paul understood the enemy and that he is always working to lead believers astray.
Paul understood that it was possible for Timothy to surrender to fear and he wanted him to rest assured that God was there!
In the movie, “After Earth” a young man finds himself in a hostile environment with eminent danger ALL around him.
This young man is on a mission to find medical help for his father who is injured in their crashed ship. Throughout his mission, his father communicates with him to help and guide him through the dangers he will face…
A key line in the movie is when the father tells his son, who is out there all alone facing ALL sorts of dangers… this young man is inexperienced, he wants to be brave but he is succumbing to his fears and he tells his dad he is afraid!
His dad tells him this, “[Son], fear is NOT real! The only place that fear can exist is in our thoughts of the future. It is a product of our imagination, causing us to fear things that do NOT at present AND may not ever exist! Son that is near insanity! Do NOT misunderstand me danger is very REAL, but FEAR is a choice…”
That is a truism that many of you may NOT agree with me, but fear is NOT real! It is a choice we make when we create situations and circumstances in our minds that may NEVER come to be! It is a choice we make based on the ‘what ifs’ of our mind and NOT in the sovereignty of our God! FEAR IS A CHOICE!
I have heard believers in the church say things like they feel called ‘blend in the background’, to just help out… that they are NOT ‘called to share the Gospel.’
People when we say things like that…when we think things like that what We are saying is that the God of our salvation is weaker than situations we MAY face…
And if we believe that…then we are inconsistent with what Scripture teaches us... Jesus said in Matt 28 that ALL authority had been given Him…
So either we are filled with the Holy Spirit, power and authority that was given to Jesus…or we are NOT! God makes the promise that if we are saved, that power abides within us…If God is present in your life, there is NO weakness! There is NO room for fear…
So when we look at our possession in Christ: 1st realize that it is a gift or a calling from God and nothing that we have done or could ever do. But 2nd understand that we are NOT called by God to live out our faith in fear… we are NOT given a spirit of fear or timidity.
Our God is all-powerful and if He dwells in our hearts, how can we be fearful, unless we believe the lie of the enemy.
Finally, in this point I want us to look at what Paul addresses as what God DID give to believers. He says,“…but of power, and love and discipline…”
Paul wanted Timothy and all believers to be clear on this fact. God calls us to a life in Him that brings to the table… power, love and discipline, NOT a life of fear or timidity.
The word Paul uses here for power is the Greek word dunamis that can be translated as ‘supernatural power’ it is where we get our English word DYNAMITE!
How powerful is that…we are called by God to be His spiritual sticks of dynamite for the Kingdom! Called by God to blast holes in the gates of hell! Here to blow up Satan’s plans and deceptions!
Called by God to be dynamos… not duds! Called to be believers of actions, not believers of apathy! Called to be IN motion and not just go thru the motion!
Paul also uses the word love here… As believers, we are called by God and given the spirit of love as well as a dynamic power.
The word for love that Paul uses here is the Greek word agape which is an unconditional love that loves simply because it does!
It’s the same word Jesus used in John 3:16 when He told Nicodemus that God loved the world. We are called by God and given the SAME love for the world that God has.
We are called by God to love the sinner...to love the drug dealer, to love the murderer, to love the prostitute, to love the homosexual, to love the thief, to love the liar, to love the wife beater, to love the child abuser…
Called by God to love the world as God loves the world. For us to believe any other way is to believe a lie!
Finally we see Paul sharing that we are also called by God and given the spirit of discipline or self-control or sound judgment.
Now there are many of us here who would beg to differ on this particular gift from God. Pastor you say that we ALL receive these gifts, then why do we see so many supposed Christians NOT act with self-control or not exercise sound judgment.
To that question, I can only answer that God can only work through our lives as much as we allow Him to. He has brought into our lives this spirit of power, love and self-discipline, BUT we have to WANT to enact these things in our lives.
We have to make the CHOICE to have exercise the power of God, we must make the choice to show and share the love of God and we must make the choice to exercise the self-control that only God’s Holy Spirit can bring into our lives!
If we do not seek after God’s will and we do not begin and end our day seeking God’s face, then we are prone to falling to the enemy’s lies and misleading. When that happens our judgment becomes suspect and NOT sound!
God brings to us the spirit of power and desires us to be a dynamo for His kingdom, not a dud, He does not call us to be a spiritual coward, but calls us to be strong, loving and self-controlled.
Our possession in Christ brings us unbelievable power, unconditional love, and unwavering self-control. To believe anything else is to believe the lie of Satan.
But Paul does not only speak of our possession in Christ, I see in v.8 that Paul speaks of our position in Christ as well. Let’s read again v.8. [read]
Our position in Christ - v8
8Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,
Our possession as believers gives us great power, love and self-control, so knowing our position in Christ we should never be ashamed of where they are.
Paul was not indicating here that Timothy was ashamed of Christ or ashamed of him, but was merely addressing this issue because there is always the possibility that it COULD rear its ugly head.
When we look at it…it seems logical to the human mind. Here Timothy was preaching about a man who had been condemned by the religious leaders of Judaism. He had been crucified by the Roman authorities in the most shameful manner possible…crucifixion.
The current leader of this movement that was following this condemned and crucified leader was also in prison. In human terms, one could come to the conclusion that shame could be a valid avenue for Timothy’s feelings.
However, we go back to v.7 here and see the foundation Paul had laid so that Timothy and all those who heard this letter or read this letter would understand that we are NOT to be thinking HUMANLY.
Our power is supernatural power, our love is supernatural love and our self-control a supernatural self-control, and when we realize this…we will NOT be ashamed, no matter what the world may say or think…
When we realize our position, we are willing to stand in the gap and take any ridicule or criticism; we are willing to suffer for the name of Christ, and that ‘suffering’ is bearable because of the possession we have in Christ of power, love and self-control.
For when under persecution:
It is only through the power of God that we can make it,
It is only through the love of God we won’t strike out against those persecuting us, and
It is only through the self-control of God that we don’t say something that would turn people away from the truth of Jesus Christ!
When we choose to realize this, we stand tall because of WHOSE we are and not for what the world says or tries to say about us!
Our position in Christ is one sure of his or her standing in eternity! This is because of WHO we serve. Paul said at the end of v.8 “…by the power of God!” We stand tall only because of God’s power that He so graciously gave to us!
When we fully realize our possessions in Christ, it brings us to realize what our position in Christ is as well as our position within His kingdom!
However, Paul does not stop with possessions and position… We can see that in v.9 Paul goes on to describe the PROMISE we have in Christ.
The Promise we HAVE in Christ - v9
9who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,
Paul states in this verse the promise that God has made when we come to Him… God saves us!
The word Paul uses here for saved, is the Greek word sozo (soad-zoh) which means to be made complete, or to deliver. God’s gift to us is that we are made whole in His sight. We are delivered FROM God’s judgment into God’s salvation!
Paul also mentions another promise of the believer and that is that God calls us to a holy calling. The word Paul uses for holy is the Greek word hagios. Which can be translated as holy or saint. It means someone chosen and set aside by God for His plans and purposes.
God chooses to offer salvation to everyone! He opens that door and we must make the choice to walk thru that door! When we walk thru that door, God sets us aside for His special purpose and plan.
It is with that in mind that Paul was writing to Timothy to know that we have this supernatural power, love and self-control…
We have this because we are called and set aside by God for His plans and purposes. We must utilize that power, love and self-control in the life that God has called us to live for Him.
Paul wants us all to understand this supernatural power, love and self-control…this special calling from God! This is all from God and is NOT something of our doing.
Looking at v.9 Paul says, “…not according to our works, but according to His purpose and grace which was GRANTED US in Christ Jesus from all eternity…”
What Paul is saying here is that the promise comes directly FROM God…It originated in God’s mind, it comes from God, and God has had this plan for humanity since time before time…for all eternity.
The promise of God is one He has always had and it is a promise that is only ours thru His grace and mercy! We have to also understand that God’s gift is so that we will serve His purpose and plans.
God has called us all to serve Him. Those who choose to serve God are given a spirit NOT of fear and timidity…but power, love and self-control.
As believers, we can NEVER fall prey to the lies of the enemy. We can NEVER begin to believe that the case is hopeless, that all is lost, that NOTHING can be done!
Jesus told us in Scripture that through God ALL things are possible. And like Paul did so many times throughout his ministry…he echoes those very words of Jesus in Paul’s own very unique way.
We are not given a spirit of fear/timidity, but a spirit of power, love and self-control, and because of that we should not worry what the world throws our way in persecution or ridicule.
Because NOTHING they can do will alter our eternal standing and security in Christ Jesus! We are saved by God’s grace and we shall serve by His grace.
This morning if you are a believer and you have fallen prey to the lies of Satan. If you believe that you have NO effect in the world around you today? If you believe that your witness is not strong enough to make a difference in your community…
This morning you can change that! This morning you can make the enemy flee from your life. This morning I call on ALL Christians here today to step forward and claim this power that only God can and will give.
Just like the movie, “After Earth” we live in a world that is hostile and carries eminent danger for the believer!
We have been sent on a mission to find the lost by our Heavenly Father… He is not injured, but he is leading us and guiding our steps so that we get to where we NEED to be!
Throughout our mission, our heavenly father communicates with us to help and guide us thru the dangers we will face…
Key to success for the believer is found in realizing that we cannot succumb to his fears and he tells his dad he is afraid!
Our heavenly Father will tell us daily that, “…fear is NOT real! The only place that fear can exist is in our thoughts of the future. It is a product of our imagination, causing us to fear things that do NOT at present AND may not ever exist! Son that is near insanity! Do NOT misunderstand me danger is very REAL, but FEAR is a choice…”
This morning I call on you to step forward and receive this supernatural and unconditional love to give to the world around you.
I call on you to step forward and realize that through God you have the self-control and sound judgment to face all obstacles that the enemy will place before you!
I call on you to claim your possessions, know you position and take heart in your promise as a believer and member of God’s family.
If you are here this morning and you do not know Jesus Christ as Savior, You have heard that God has called you… He has opened the doorway for you to come to know Him.
Jesus is that door! Jesus told his disciples that NO MAN comes to the Father except THRU me… we can only get to God by accepting Jesus Christ…there is NO other way.
This morning you have heard how God is calling you…this morning it is time that you answered His call. This morning it is time your stepped through the open door. This morning it is time that you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
When you do this you too can know the power, love and self-control that only God can bring! I call on you to come and give your heart God.
As Ms. Judy comes to play our Hymn of Invitation, God Will Make a Way… I challenge every believer here this morning to come forward and claim your possession, position and promise in Christ.
I also appeal to all who do not know Jesus this morning…come and begin to know Him today, stand as we begin to sing…
