In 1973, producers hired 26-year-old director Steven Spielberg to make a movie based on Peter Benchley's novel about shark attacks called Jaws. The movie was so scary that even to this day millions of Americans panic when they get wind that a shark might be present in their beach area. A persistent shark phobia keeps people away from the beach.
But an article in Foreign Policy magazine several years ago (2012) claims that on average less than one American (0.92 people) dies each year from a shark attack. So just in case you really need something better to worry about, here's a list of some items more likely than sharks to cause your death while living in the United States:
• Trampolines account for an average of 1.1 deaths per year.
• Roller coasters take 1.15 lives per year. So the article advises, “Keep your hands inside the car; your next thrill-ride could be to the coroner's office.”
• Vending machines account for 2.06 deaths per year. The article states, “So if those high-fat snacks don't take your life prematurely, rock or tilt that machine while looking for a freebie, and you'll be sleeping with the Pepperidge Farm goldfishes.”
• Fireworks cause 6.6 deaths per year. Although, technically, these deaths were caused more by careless and impatient people who peered into the PVC piping because the fireworks didn't seem to be igniting.
• Skydiving accidents account for 21.2 deaths per year.
• Getting crushed by a television or furniture causes an average of 26.44 deaths every year in the United States. This statistic led the comedian Stephen Colbert to issue a warning against the perils of “terrorist furniture.”
The article concludes with a challenge to face our fears and take action. After reminding us that the risk factors of smoking, poor diet, lack of physical activity, and alcohol kill 87 percent of Americans prematurely, the article urges us to get off the couch, turn off Jaws, and go for a swim (Micah Zenko, “There's Nothing in the Water…,” Foreign Policy, 8-10-12; www.PreachingToday.com).
That’s good advice, but just how do you do that? How do you face your fears and take action? How do you overcome the anxiety especially when you face more legitimate threats? Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to John 20, John 20, where Jesus addresses His disciples hiding in a locked room.
They cower in fear that the authorities might arrest and execute them just like they did their Master and Teacher two nights before. A couple of Jesus’ followers earlier that day discovered His tomb empty, after which Mary told them that she saw Jesus alive. Jesus’ disciples are full of doubt and fear, not knowing what to think. Then…
John 20:19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you” (ESV).
The resurrected Lord Jesus Christ, in His glorified body, passes through a locked door and greets them. It’s the standard greeting of the day, but pregnant with meaning in this context—“Peace be with you.” Jesus will repeat that greeting two more times in this chapter, in verse 21 and 26, which tells me He means more than just a simple “Hello!” or “Shalom.” He wants His disciples to replace their fear with His peace.
Two nights previously, as they shared their last meal together, Jesus told them, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27).
Jesus had just won that peace for them on the cross. It’s where He defeated their greatest enemy, that old devil himself. And it’s where He paid the price to bring them peace with God. Now, He’s alive to announce that peace to the world—to you and to me!
John 20:20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord (ESV).
Joy has replaced their fear all because, Jesus came and showed them the wounds in His hands and side. He was no ghost or imposter. He was the same man the authorities had hung on a cross, now standing before them alive.
John 20:21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” (ESV).
Jesus came, and now He commissions them to represent Him in the world. He sends His followers to share His message of forgiveness in the power of the Holy Spirit.
John 20:22-23 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld” (ESV).
Literally, “If you forgive the sins of any, they have already been forgiven.” Christ’s followers cannot forgive sins. Only God can do that. But they can announce the forgiveness God has already given, because Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2).
Even so, Christ’s followers still need the Holy Spirit to announce God’s message of forgiveness. That’s why Jesus breathes on them. It’s reminiscent of God breathing life into the first Adam. Here, Jesus breathes new life into His followers and announces the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Forty days later, Jesus tells His followers, “Wait for… the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:4-5). Then, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
You cannot be His witness until you receive the power of His Holy Spirit. Then, when the Spirit comes, you will be a bold and effective witness for Jesus Christ. So, if you want Jesus’ peace to replace your fear, then…
RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT.
Welcome His Spirit’s influence and control in your life. Let the Spirit of God fill you and use you to announce His forgiveness to people trapped in sin.
Dr. Erwin Lutzer, former pastor at Moody Memorial Church, teaches preaching courses at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Every year, he takes his students on a field trip to the local cemetery—so they can preach. He says:
I take them to a little cemetery in Deerfield, Illinois, and I have them all gather around a certain gravesite. I point out the name, and then I tell one of the students, “Preach the gospel to Mr. Smith here.”
They look at me like I'm nuts. So I preach to Mr. Smith with enthusiasm: “Sir, Jesus died for your sins, and you must put your faith in him.”
Then I look at the students and tell them, “This is no different than preaching the gospel to unsaved people. The Bible says that they are dead in their sins. You can preach your heart out, but nothing will happen unless God does a miracle to give them the life to listen” (www.PreachingToday.com).
That’s why you need the Holy Spirit to preach the Gospel. He, and He alone can give people the life to listen. And when He gives that life, people respond.
Luis Palau talks about a time years ago when a man in Guatemala came to him. The man had dishonored the Lord but was truly broken and had repented. Even so, he was still without joy. Luis Palau says, “It was obvious he needed to be assured that he was forgiven; otherwise, Satan would have gained an advantage over him.”
Then Luis Palau did something which until that day he had never done. He put his arm around the broken man and said, “Brother, you've repented; your sins are forgiven. Let me pray with you.” And this broken, humble Guatemalan said, “Oh, thank you, thank you. Now I'm free!”
With tears running down their faces, they hugged each other. The man was so excited, because a brother in Christ had reassured him.
That’s exactly what Jesus calls His followers to do—to announce God’s forgiveness on those who have turned from their sins to Christ.
Luis Palau says, “When someone is obviously broken and repentant, the church must stand up and say, ‘In the name of the Lord Jesus, rejoice! He has forgiven you, and we forgive you to.’ The assurance from such corporate forgiveness brings healing and joy to the entire congregation (Luis Palau, “Discipline in the Church,” Discipleship Journal, July/August 1983; www.PreachingToday.com).
That’s what Spirit-led churches do! That’s what Spirit-filled believers do! In the power of the Holy Spirit, they announce God’s forgiveness to anyone who has turned from their sin to Christ. So, if you want God’s peace to replace your fear and make you a bold witness for Christ, receive God’s Holy Spirit. Welcome Him into your life. But before you can do that, you must…
BELIEVE THAT JESUS IS ALIVE.
Trust that Jesus rose from the dead after He died on the cross for your sins. Rely on the death and resurrection of our Lord for your own forgiveness,
10 of Jesus’ disciples believed when He came to them on the evening of the day He rose from the dead. But one of them was missing.
John 20:24-25 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe” (ESV).
The disciples said it more than once. The verb tense implies continuous action (imperfect tense). That is to say the disciples kept telling Thomas they had seen the Lord, but Thomas refused to believe them.
John 20:26-27 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe” (ESV).
It was not enough for Thomas to see Jesus—that could be an illusion. No. Thomas had to touch the wounds caused by His crucifixion. So Jesus invites Thomas to do just that—to touch His hands and side. You see, Jesus does not call us to a blind faith, but to a faith based on solid evidence.
Most religions ask you to believe without much, if any, evidence. For example, Buddhism depends on the profound insights gained by Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha) during his moment of enlightenment while meditating under a Bodhi tree. Hinduism looks to the Vedas passed on to the first man at the dawn of time. Islam says that the angel Gabriel dictated to the Prophet Muhammad the very words of God. These are untestable claims.
But Christianity claims something very different: a series of events [about Jesus' life, death, and resurrection] which are said to have taken place in public, in datable time, recorded by a variety of witnesses… It is as if Christianity places its neck on the chopping block of [public] scrutiny and invites anyone who wishes to come and take a swing.
So says John Dickson, Wheaton College professor. He goes on to say, “Imagine I came to you claiming that my late great, great grandfather revealed himself… in Times Square, New York, last Monday during the morning rush hour. His appearance stopped the traffic and left witnesses dumbfounded as he explained to them the truth about the spiritual realm…
The claim itself is one you could test to some degree. You could watch the news services, read eyewitness accounts, check the New York traffic reports and so on. You might not be able to prove it beyond all doubt… but a fair-minded person would be able to arrive at a reasonable judgment about its truth or falsehood… If you found no evidence at all, you would be well within your rights to dismiss it. If you found good evidence, or at least more evidence than you would expect if the story were fiction, then you could quite rationally accept it as true. This is what I mean by a testable claim.
The central claims of Christianity are to a degree testable. You can apply the normal tests of history… and find that we do in fact possess exactly the sort of evidence you would expect if the core of the Jesus story is true and decidedly more evidence than you would expect if the story were fabricated (John Dickson, “Jesus: God's Tangible Sign,” Just Thinking, 6-1-10; www.PreachingToday.com).
Thomas tested the claim that Jesus rose from the dead and became thoroughly convinced that it was true. For the Christian faith is based on solid evidence, testable claims, which convinces even the most hardened skeptics like Thomas. Look at his response.
John 20:28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” (ESV)
Because of the evidence, Thomas came to believe that Jesus not only rose from the dead, but that Jesus is God in the flesh.
John 20:29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (ESV).
Thomas believed, because he had seen and touched the risen Lord. But there are millions since then, who have not seen the risen Lord, but they still believe. That’s you and me who believe in Him today, to whom Jesus says, “You are especially blessed.” So, if you want Jesus’ peace to replace your fear, believe that He is alive whether you’ve seen Him or not.
William Barrick, semi-retired Old Testament professor at the Master’s Seminary, describes a Good Friday service he attended at the Dampara Baptist Church in Chittagong, Bangladesh. The service was packed. Little children sat on the floor in the aisles and across the front of the church. Rows of people stood in the back, craning their necks to see the crucifixion scene as depicted in the “Jesus Film.”
He heard weeping and gasps of unbelief in the shocked hush as Jesus was crucified. As the Bengalis watched, they were feeling the agony of Jesus' pain and the disappointment of the disciples.
In that emotional moment, one young boy in the crowded church suddenly cried out, “Do not be afraid. He gets up again! I saw it before.”
A small boy's encouraging cry gave new hope to the viewers of the film. “He is risen!” is the cry that gives new hope to all (William D. Barrick, Christian Reader, Vol. 35, no. 2; www.PreachingToday.com).
The resurrection of Christ can give you hope, as well! If you have to, examine the evidence. Test the claim that He is risen, and don’t stop testing it until you believe it. For if you want Jesus’ peace to replace your fear, 1st, receive the Holy Spirit, 2nd, believe that Jesus is alive, and 3rd…
BELIEVE THAT JESUS IS LORD.
In the midst of all the turmoil, trust that Jesus is King. Rely on the Anointed One, the Son of God, ruler of the universe.
John 20:30-31 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name (ESV).
Believe and live! That’s the message of the Gospel of John. 35 different miracles are recorded in the four gospels, but John selects seven of those miracles to prove that Jesus is God, King of the universe.
He is “the Christ,” which means He is the Anointed One. Throughout the Old Testament, prophets anointed the kings of Israel. That is to say they poured oil on the head of every monarch at their coronation. So to believe that Jesus is THE Christ means you believe that He is THE King, YOUR King.
Jesus is also “the Son of God,” which was a title for every king in Israel since King David (2 Samuel 7:14; Psalm 2:7). So, to believe that Jesus is THE Son of God means that you believe that He is THE King of the universe, God Himself, and YOUR King, as well.
And that’s what you must do if you want to live, to really live forever, starting today. Believe that Jesus is YOUR King, in control of your life. In other words, trust Him with your life and turn all control over to Him.
If you want Jesus’ peace to replace your fear, 1st, Receive the Holy Spirit; 2nd, Believe that Jesus is alive; and 3rd, Believe that Jesus is Lord. Surrender your life to the Spirit of the living, Lord Jesus Christ.
Pastor John Ortberg compares this to driving a car. He says:
When it was time to take our first child home from the hospital, we put her in the car seat in the back of the car, and then I got in the front seat to drive. She was so small even the baby seat was way too big. She looked so fragile to me that I drove home on the freeway going 35 miles per hour with the hazard lights flashing the whole time.
That first day, when your kid is in the car with you, is a scary day. Does anybody want to know what the next really scary day is with your kid in the car? It's when they turn 16, and now you're handing over the keys. Now they're moving from the passenger seat, from the ride-along seat, into the driver's seat. That's a scary moment.
It is a big moment in your life when you hand someone else the keys. Up until now, I've been driving. I choose the destination. I choose the route. I choose the speed. You're in the drive-along seat. But if we are to change seats, if you're going to drive, I have to trust you. It's all about control. Whoever is in this seat is the person in control.
A lot of people find Jesus handy to have in the car as long as he's in the ride-along seat, because something may come up where they require his services. Jesus, I have a health problem, and I need some help… I want you in the car, but I'm not so sure I want you driving. If Jesus is driving, I'm not in charge of my life anymore.
If he's driving, I'm not in charge of my wallet anymore. If I put him in control then it's no longer a matter of giving some money now and then when I'm feeling generous or when more of it is coming into my life. Now, it's his wallet. It's scary.
If Jesus is driving, I'm not in charge of my ego anymore. I no longer have the right to satisfy every self-centered ambition. No, it's his agenda. It's his life.
Now, I'm not in charge of my mouth anymore. I don't get to gossip, flatter, cajole, deceive, rage, intimidate, manipulate, exaggerate.
I get out of the driver's seat and hand the keys over to him. I'm fully engaged. In fact, I'm more alive than I've ever been before, but it's not my life anymore. It's his life (John Ortberg, “True Freedom,” sermon on www.PreachingToday.com).
Oh, my dear friends, if you want to really live, turn the keys of your life over to Jesus; surrender your life to Him. It may be scary at times as He takes you places you never thought you’d go, but you will have life, real life, in His name, and your fear will turn to an exhilarating peace as you realize He’s a better driver than you ever were.
