God’s War on Terror
4-14-02
My subject this morning is God’s War on Terror. Terror is a word much in news these days – we hear about the terrorist bombings in the Middle East and all the upheaval that is going on there. There is a war on terrorism going on in Afghanistan even as we speak.
Our lives here in the States have been significantly affected by the events of September 11th. America is at war and the enemy is terror!
God has been at war with terror for a very long time. Terror is not new. The Bible says that our adversary, the Devil, goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. A lion roars to terrorize a heard and get them into confusion and on the run. Then he devours the weak stragglers. Terror is a terrible weapon.
Another word for terror is fear. 2 Tim 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Fear has many faces – sometimes
it comes with a horrific, paralyzing shock. But more often it appears in more subtle forms like worry or excessive stress or an underlying sense of anxiety and dread.
Do we look into Future with hope & optimism? Or is there a subtle dread of what may happen next? Not just in world as whole– but in our individual lives -- Are we being robbed of the joy of present because of a fear of tomorrow? Do worries and anxieties drain our strength and steal our peace?
I’m talking about a fear that carries with it an unhealthy element of torment --that makes life more stressful than it ought to be. There is a healthy, rational kind of fear that causes us to jump out of the way of a speeding truck and stay alive. But there are many fears that have a terribly negative influence on our quality of life and upon our effectiveness in life.
“…God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Notice 3 influences of the Holy Spirit in II Tim. 1:7 that counteract fear:
** Power – strength to face and overcome our fears. David said in Ps 34:4 “I sought the
Lord and He heard me and delivered me from all my fears.” What an encouraging testimony. What God did for David He will do for you and me.
** Love:
1 John 4:18 says “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear,because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. “
How does love counteract fear in our lives?
Obviously, to know that the almighty God of heaven and earth loves us and is seeking our highest good—that revelation of God’s attitude toward can relieve a lot of fear.
Have you experienced His love? Have you come to know Him as your loving, heavenly Father? If you have, you know the peace that comes in that relationship.
In Matthew 6 Jesus told us to not live in a state of worry – why? Because it does no good. “Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?” (verse 27) But also because you are valuable to God and He cares for you. Verse 26 “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”
That love provokes a response of love in our hearts. “We love Him because He first loved us.” (I Jn 4:19) The love of God is poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.
So that instead of just loving ourselves—just thinking about ourselves –we love God and His love causes us to love others as well.
The basis of fear is self- preservation. There is a healthy attitude toward self-preservation that God gives us. But when we become consumed with self we are
vulnerable to all kinds of unhealthy fears. Self- centeredness is a feeding ground for fear. But when love begins to dominate our thoughts and motives that opportunity for fear is removed. “…perfect love casts out fear..” Instead of being so focused on how events might affect us we gain a broader perspective. We become focused on others and how they are being affected and how we can help them. We become focused on God and how we can please Him.
Fear can not survive in an atmosphere of love.
** Sound Mind
is the other result of the Holy Spirit in our lives that is mentioned in
II Tim. 1:7. The real foundation for tormenting fear is wrong thinking. When we’re thinking right- when we’re remembering God – when everything is kept in proper perspective—then fear can not dominate our lives.
In the Bible God gives some very good Reasons for us to Not be Afraid !
I want to share a few of those with you this morning.
All begin with the instruction “Do not fear for…” and then the reason is given.
All these reasons are related to: What God is to us !
1. PROTECTOR : Gen. 15:1 “After these things”—we will talk in a moment of what things that is referring to “ the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.’" NKJV
Do not be afraid – why? Because “…I am your Shield…”. a shield is a source of protection. In Abraham’s culture you didn’t want to be in a battle with your shield.
In other places David referred to God as his Refuge, his Hiding place. (1) There is a blockbuster movie out called the “Panic Room”. A panic room fortified place in a house where you go when you’re afraid. Nothing can get to you there to harm you. God is the ultimate panic room. Whenever we’re afraid we can run into Him and be safe from all harm. That’s why we do not have to live in a state of fear and worry.
Let me give you a little of the context of this statement that God made to Abraham. In the previous chapter a confederacy of power kings attacked and plundered Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding area. They carried away Lot and his family along with the other captives. Abraham with an inferior force defeated those kings and recovered Lot along with all the other captives and all the spoils.
There had to be some apprehension in his heart concerning those kings. Will they counter attack? What will happen if they do? And God is saying to Abraham – Don’t worry it– I’m your protector. I’ll take care of you. I – I – I am your Shield-it’s not just that I will provide a shield—I will personally Be your shield! That is fail proof protection.
God says to you and me, just as He said to Abraham thousands of years ago, “I am your shield.” Do not be afraid. Is God big enough to protect you? There was Pharaoh his terrible army charging on Israel--God had Moses stand up and say to the people: “Do not fear, stand still and see the salvation of Lord.” And they saw it in a powerful way.
It is really amazing all the things we fear. I found interesting list of phobias on internet.
Does anybody know what --- Peladophobia is? It is the fear of baldness. I’ve struggled
with that fear and didn’t even know what it was. Here are some others:
Porphyrophobia – color of Purple
Chactophobia- hairy people
Odontophobia – teeth
Cyberphobia – computers
Ecclesiophobia – Church
Chronetophobia – Money
Europhobia –color Red
Homilphobia – Sermons
Phobophobia – Fear of Fear (That’s for those who can’t think of anything else to fear.) (2)
God does not want us living under irrational fears like that.
“I sought the Lord & He heard me & delivered me from all my fears”
In this same verse God tells us not to fear because He is our
2. REWARD: Gen. 15:1
“…I am your… exceeding great Reward.”
He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
When Abraham returned from defeating those kings – Melchezedek came out to meet him and encourage him. Abraham gave him a tithe of the spoils. Melchezedek was the priest of the Most High God. Here is the father of faith tithing. For those who think tithing is of the law, I want to point out that before the law was ever given the father of faith was tithing.
After that the King of Sodom was so thankful for the victory that he told Abraham to
keep all the spoils. It was a great deal of wealth. To the victor belongs the spoils. Abraham deserved the spoils. But out of commitment he had made to the Lord Abraham refused to take any of the spoils.
I wonder if Abraham had any struggles or 2nd thoughts after that decision. Have you ever had a battle in mind after a step of faith in giving? Abraham had done the right thing. It’s possible that he struggled with whether he would need that money some time in the future. Here God is saying don’t worry, I’m your provider. I’ll not just provide but I’ll BE your PROVIDER. I am your exceeding great reward. You passed up the reward of the spoil for My sake. Great is your reward in Me.
The fear that there might not be enough in the days ahead can be a terrible bondage. It can cause people to hold on to things they ought to give to God. It can cause people to miss blessings God wants to give them.
I read a Story about a woman who died in 1916 named Hetty Green. She is sometimes called America’s greatest Miser. When she died she left an estate of over $100 million.
But she was so tight – she ate her oatmeal cold in order to save cost of heating up the water. When her son injured his leg –she took so long trying find a free clinic that his leg
had be amputated because of advanced infection. She was so afraid of losing her wealth,
she never got to enjoy it. (3)
That’s what fear will do to a person.
Perhaps our fears are more rational than that. Perhaps we’re concerned about losing our job, or losing money in the stock market, or providing for our kid’s college, or our own retirement. We should be responsible stewards in those areas– but we should not live in a state of worry and dread. We should put our confidence in Lord Who says to us “I am your…exceeding great reward.”
Luke 12:32 “Do not fear little flock, it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Greatest thing He can give us is Himself.
Turn Gen. 26:23 and let’s see what God said to Isaac in similar situation.
After Abraham had died the Philistines stopped up the wells Abraham had dug. Isaac
had reopened them and been conflict with the herdsmen of Gerar over water rights.
Gen 26:23-25
“Then he went up from there to Beersheba. And the LORD appeared to him the same night and said, "I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham’s sake." So he built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.” NKJV
Notice two things Isaac did– built altar, dug well –both were a memorial to the experience he had with the Lord.
Notice why God tells him to not fear in verse 24 “ I am with you”. We need not fear because God is our
3. COMPANION:
The perceived presence of God is powerful source of comfort especially in times trouble like Isaac was going through. In contrast, the fear of loneliness can be terribly painful.
We were not created to stand alone. We designed to be in community. We were designed to be in intimacy with God. Intuitively we know that we need God. We need to know that He is with us.
Psalms 23 is a beautiful declaration of confidence in God. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” That speaks of God as our Reward,as our Provider. He supplies all our need according to His riches in glory. Verse 4 of that Psalm “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,I will” What? “…fear no evil…” Why? “For You are with me….” The rod and staff are a comfort only because they are in the hand of the shepherd and He is there with us.
Martin Luther said “Faith matter of personal pronouns. It is one thing to say the Lord is a Shepherd. It is another thing to say the Lord is my Shepherd.” (4)
Is there personal relationship between you & Christ? Is there a sense in your heart that He is with you? That is not so much a feeling as a revelation—a knowledge of the truth that He will never, never leave you nor forsake you.
Other reason God gives Isaac for not fearing is that He is our
4. Multiplier: Gen. 26:24 “…I will bless you and multiply your descendants…”.
Our effectiveness in life, our significance, our fruitfulness comes from God. We all have a desire to do something worthwhile and lasting.
We all at some time or another must deal with a Fear of Failure. I think Solomon must have been feeling a little that way because of what David told him in I Chronicles 28:20 “And David said to his son Solomon, "Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD God--my God--will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.”NKJV Jesus told the disciples to not fear because in the future they would catch men not just fish. Their lives would take on a whole new level of significance if they would follow Him. His grace, His enablement is sufficient for whatever He calls us to do. We must not limit the Holy One of Israel by allowing fear to dominate our thinking. It is one thing to by analytical and plan wisely. It is another to be paralyzed by perceived obstacles. The first generation of Israelites who came out of Egypt were immobilized by fear when they saw the giants in the land—Why? They forgot God—they forgot the promises of God—they saw the problems only in the light of their own strength and comparatively they were mere grasshoppers. Have you ever walked into a situation and felt like a grasshopper? Later in the history of Israel when their army face Goliath they did the same thing. What made David so courageous? He didn’t compare himself to Goliath. He compared Goliath to Almighty God and in that light knew he couldn’t lose. Are we keeping God in the picture or are we simply looking to our own resources? That makes all the difference.
Have you ever faced a challenge that seemed bigger than you—that brought out all your insecurities and sense of inadequacy? I read some blunders made by “dumb criminals” that actually made me feel better about my own mistakes. Let me read a few and see if it has the same affect on you.
1. The bank robber police were able to track down because his hold up not was written on the back of his birth certificate.
2. Police in Boston were investigating a car theft. When they asked the owner about any valuables that were in the car, the man told them that two tickets to that evening’s Red Sox game were among the items in the car. Figuring they had nothing to lose, the cops went to the game and found both robbers sitting in those seats, and they had driven the stolen car to the game.
3. The guy who tried to break into a store by throwing a concrete block through the window. Unfortunately, the window wasn’t made of glass, but rather Plexiglas. The concrete block ricocheted off the Plexiglas and struck the would-be burglar in the head, knocking him out cold. All this was captured on video.
4. The robber who wrapped his whole head in duct tape for his disguise. He forgot to leave openings for his mouth and nose and wound up unconscious on the floor!(5)
Now, doesn’t that make you feel better? That makes me feel a whole lot better.
We all have to deal with this issue of failure. Nobody get through life with all home runs.
In his book entitled Failing Forward John Maxwell shows the vicious cycle that sets up in our lives when we yield to a fear of failure: (6)
Fear
Inactivity
Inexperience
Inability
To break that cycle of defeat we must commit ourselves to positive action. We must be willing to risk failure in order to succeed. Otherwise we in effect withdraw from life—because life if full of risks. That is just part of the package. The greatest tragedy of all would be that we miss God’s destiny for us because we were afraid—that we would fail to attempt the thing God calls us to do because we’re afraid we can not do it. Without God we most certainly can’t. But “I can do all things (Paul said in Phil. 4) through Christ Who strengthens me. John Maxwell poses this question in the book I mentioned earlier:
“If the possibility of failure were erased, what would you attempt?” (7) We all need to ponder that question long and hard and then remember that our God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think …”Eph 3:20
For years I resisted doing things I do today because I felt so inadequate that I wouldn’t even try. By far the greatest fear I have had to deal with in my own life is the fear of public speaking. In the early years of my ministry I died a thousand deaths trying to do what I knew God wanted me to do. I do not understand why God would call a person with that problem to preach, but I know He called me. And I know He helped me to face my greatest fear and continues to help me every time I get up and share His word. What is your greatest fear? God can give you victory over it.
The opposite of fear is faith. Life is to be approached from a faith stance not a fear stance. Corrie Ten Boon used this FAITH acronym to express that truth:
F antastic
A dventure
I n
T rusting
H im (4)
Conclusion: (8)
This morning I invite you to step into an eternal adventure of trusting the living God. It begins with trusting Him for your eternal salvation. Without Christ there is good reason to fear. To step into eternity without the Lord would be a dreadful thing. But none of us have to do that. God has sent His Son into the world to deliver us from all our fears, to forgive us for all our sins, to cleanse us of all unrighteousness, to bring us into a loving relationship with Himself.
He offers that to us as a free gift to anyone who will humble himself and surrender to Him as Lord. If you have not done that now is the time to do it. Now is the acceptable time, today is the day of salvation. If you want to make that choice this morning would you just at this time look up at me so I can agree in prayer with you about that?
NOTES:
(1) 2Samuel 22:3; Psalms 32:7; 91:2; 119:114
(2) Fraser Kent, Nothing to Fear, , Doubleday & Company, 1977
Also see sermon entitled “How to Fight Your Fears” by Lynn Floyd, pastor of New Community Church
(3) From sermon entitled “Conquering Fear” preached by Darren Ethier, Pastor of Hanover Pentecostal Church of Hanover, Ontario in Canada.
(4) Can not remember my source for this.
(5) From message preached September 23, 2001 by Andrew Chan, pastor of Grace International Baptist Church in Vancouver, BC in Canada.
(6) Failing Forward by John Maxwell page 38
(7) Failing Forward by John Maxwell page 7
(8) The following are additional points not preached that morning:
He is also our
5. COMFORTER: Isaiah 41:13-14 “For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, “Fear not, I will help you.” Fear not, you worm Jacob, You men of Israel! I will help you,” says the Lord and yor Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.”
Here is God’s promise to hold our hand through whatever experience we may be going through. In a time of sorrow have you ever had someone who really cared just take hold of your hand- it can speak more than thousands of words. As a child did you ever walk along with your hand in your Dad’s hand? What a source of comfort; what a source of empowerment.
The Fear of the Unknown is something we begin facing even as a child. When the room is dark-when the child can’t see- he imagines all kinds of monsters. When I was a kid there was a series on late night TV called “Shock Theater.” We would watch that when our parents were gone on Friday night. We would then look out the window into the night and go bonkers with fear—it seemed like we saw Frankinstien, the Mummy, or something out there.
David said in Psalms 27:1 “The Lord is my Light and my Salvation. Whom shall I fear?” God can light up the unknown. It is not unknown to Him. If we will trust Him as our Salvation, there is no need to ever panic—there is no need to fear.
Isaiah 41 also assures us God is our
6. REDEEMER:
To redeem something means to buy it back. It implies ownership. We have been redeemed—bought by God—by the precious blood of Jesus. That is God’s statement about how valuable we are to Him. “He that touches you touches the apple of His eye.”
Israel had experienced one defeat after another. It was all due to their own disobedience; but it left Israel feeling devalued—of little worth. God used the prophet Isaiah to assure them of their value to Him.
Isaiah 43:1-5
“But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob,And He who formed you, O Israel:"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;I have called you by your name;You are Mine. 2When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,Nor shall the flame scorch you. 3For I am the LORD your God,The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;I gave Egypt for your ransom,Ethiopia and Seba in your place. 4Since you were precious in My sight,You have been honored,And I have loved you;Therefore I will give men for you,And people for your life. 5Fear not, for I am with you;I will bring your descendants from the east,And gather you from the west;
NKJV
You may or may not feel precious in God’s sight—but He says in His word that you are precious to Him. One of the worst fears we face is the Fear of Rejection. Painful experiences in the past can cause us to withdraw—it can drive us into a shell so that our real self can not be expressed. What a loss we experience when that happens. In Isaiah 51:7 God tells us not to fear the reproaches of man. Proverbs 29:25 says “The fear of man brings a snare…” The cure for that is a biblical fear of God—a trusting of the Lord with our past, present, and future.
God’s answer to our fear of rejection: He says “I accept you—I identify with you—I have chosen you—you are mine!”
We need not fear for He is our
7. HEALER: Luke 8:50 “Do not fear, just believe, and she will be healed.” In that verse Jesus was talking about raising Jairus’ daughter from the dead—a physical healing.
I think sometimes the healing of a wounded spirit is an even greater healing than a physical healing. Rejection, shame, betrayal, can leave deep wounds in the soul. It can crush us; it can make it hard for us to look people in the eye. I believe God is especially drawn to that kind of pain.
In Isaiah 54:4-6 God again uses those 3 words “Do not fear”:
4"Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed;
Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame;
For you will forget the shame of your youth,
And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore.
5For your Maker is your husband,
The LORD of hosts is His name;
And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel;
He is called the God of the whole earth.
6For the LORD has called you
Like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit,
Like a youthful wife when you were refused,"
Says your God. NKJV
Notice three specific assurances:
1. That we would not be put to shame
2. That we would forget the shame of our youth
3. That we would not remember the reproach of our widowhood anymore.
God is saying I will remove reproach from your life—I will heal the grief in your spirit.
Have the blows of life brought a wounding in your soul. Have there been disappointments, losses, reproaches? There is a Source of healing for you.
In addition, God tells us not to fear for He is our
8. REFRESHER: Isaiah 44:2-6 “Thus says the LORD who made you And formed you from the womb, who will help you: ’Fear not, O Jacob My servant; And you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
3For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, And floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, And My blessing on your offspring; 4They will spring up among the grass
Like willows by the watercourses.’ 5One will say, ’I am the LORD’s’; Another will call himself by the name of Jacob; Another will write with his hand, ’The LORD’s,’ And name himself by the name of Israel.
6"Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ’I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God. NKJV
We don’t have to go on & on in our own strength. God pours refreshing into our lives.
Not only ours but our children as well. One of the greatest desires of my heart is that my children would serve the Lord and that would continue for future generations. That can only happen if God pours out His Spirit on our children. That is the only thing that will save them from the deception of dry, dead religion or the deceitfulness of worldly pleasures. The cry of our hearts is “God pour Your Spirit out on our kids.” He promises to do that in Joel 2.
Verse 28 "And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy…”NKJV
Most of all we need not fear because He is our
9. SAVIOR: Luke 2:10-11 "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings
of great joy which will be to all people. 11For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. NKJV
Salvation is of the Lord. Salvation is not something we can earn through good behavior. Salvation comes to us as a gift through our Savior Jesus Christ. He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. Jesus is everything we need. He is all we need now. He is all we need for eternity. He is our All in All. HE is why we need not fear.
Ps 34:4
I sought the LORD,and He heard me,and delivered me from all my fears.
Richard Tow
Grace Chapel Foursquare Church
Springfield, MO
www.gracechapelchurch.org
