Let
it Go, Part 2
Let
Go of Fear
Sunday
August 16th, 2015-MRWC
ILLUSTRATION- This song, “The Eye of the
Tiger” was playing on the radio as I was walking the hallway a few days after
my transplant, and I told myself that the next time I was preaching, that was
going to be my walk up music.
So
I’m preaching this morning, and that’s my walk up music, so thanks for humoring
me a little; but more importantly, thanks for praying for me and my family
during this season of life; we are blessed to serve some of the best people
around!
Last
week, Pastor Mike kicked off our new sermon series called: “Let It Go.” This series is loosely based on the Disney movie
franchise Frozen.
The movie ranks as the highest
grossing animated film of all time, and most of us are at least quasi-familiar
with the theme song of this movie: “Let it go”
Not
only was the movie a cash cow for Disney, but the spin off products are
everywhere. There is almost nowhere that you can go and not find some Frozen related product.
Allow me to
share a few examples with you. This is from several trips to town:
Here
we have frozen dolls, frozen shoes, frozen what-ever these things are, a frozen
alarm clock, frozen cheerios….
Frozen things
have even invaded my house… here is my shower curtain!
Frozen things
are everywhere; I can’t get away from it! As my daughter’s shirt says, and as
the theme of this series goes, I’ve got to “Let it Go… it shouldn’t bother me
anyway.” (But it does… I think I may
need help!)
The main purpose
behind this series is not to knock Frozen,
but instead to discuss some of the things that we as followers of Jesus need to
let go of if we want to move forward in our Christian walk.
Some of these things,
as PM said last week, have the power to keep us frozen, and that’s not a good place
for the follower of Jesus to be.
Last week, we
looked at our need to let go of self; how on our own we are hopeless and helpless but Jesus died on
the cross to give us hope and to bring us the help that only He can bring.
If we want to be
fully devoted followers of Jesus, we’ve got to let go of self and trust in
Jesus for full deliverance.
This morning, I
want us to look at fear; specifically how God wants us to let go of fear.
Fear happens to
be a pretty important theme in the movie Frozen,
and fear also happens to be a pretty important theme in the movie of our lives
as well.
ILLUSTRATION- Over the last several
weeks—and really longer than that when you consider all of the procedures I’ve
endured leading up to my liver transplant, my check list of things to be
fearful about grew by the day.
Will
I make it out alive?
Who
will look after my wife if I don’t make it out alive?
Will
my kids grow up without a father?
Where
will my kids live if I don’t make it?
Who
will take my TBJ and MLT Canadiens collection?
These
are just some of the things that I have been fearful about during this season
of life.
If
I were to ask some of you what you are “concerned” about, your list might look
like mine, or you might add a few things of your own:
Will
we have enough money?
Who
will help look after me when I’m older?
What
if I get laid off?
What
if I get sick?
What
if, what if what if…?
Fear has a way of crippling us;
it has a way of freezing us into inaction. Fear renders us unable to
live the life God intends for us to live. So if you hear nothing else this
morning, hear this:
God doesn’t intend for us to live in fear; He wants us to
walk by faith.
The main Scripture passage I
want to encourage you to memorize this week is the same verse that I memorized
several years back when I was shaped more by fear than faith.
It’s found in 2 Timothy 1:7:
“For God has not
given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and
self-discipline.” (NLT2)
I
would like for us to notice a few things about this verse, first of all: God has not given us a spirit of fear!
The words fear and afraid are mentioned close to five
hundred times in the Bible and in the New Testament there are actually several
different words used to convey the idea of fear.
The first word simply means to be in
awe of, or to revere or respect something. This is a natural fear. In the Bible it is
used of the fear of God, or fear of death.
This is the type of fear
that keeps us from doing silly things, like stepping off tall buildings.
Another word that could have
been used means
exceedingly afraid or terror. It’s where we get our word
Phobia. And it is natural fear taken to the extreme.
If the first type of fear keeps
us living, the second type keeps us from living.
The website www.phobialist.com actually lists over 500
different fears, things like Acousticophobia-
Fear of noise or Alektorophobia- Fear of chickens.
Cometophobia- Fear of comets, Agliophobia-
Fear of pain (I suffer from this), even though I can’t say this one, it
was too good to pass up on: Didaskaleinophobia-
Fear of going to school. (I suffer from this, too)
And finally Homilophobia- Fear of sermons,
there would appear to be a lot of people who are suffering from that in our
country today. (Denn
Guptill)
The word that Paul used in
writing to Timothy was not revere or respect, or even Extreme fear. The word Paul used meant being
afraid to do things or even try things because you are afraid you might fail.
This type of fear keeps us
from taking chances; it keeps us from doing something for God—as Matthew 25 instructs
us to do--- this type of fear is content with the status quo; not ruffing anyone’s
feathers because we don’t want to rock the boat.
ILLUSTRATION-
An Arab chief tells the story of a spy captured and sentenced to death by a
general in the Persian Army.
This general had the strange custom of
giving condemned criminals a choice between the firing squad and the “big black
door.”
The moment for execution drew near,
and the guards brought the spy to the Persian General. “What will it be, asked
the general, “the firing squad or ‘the big, black door’”?
The spy hesitated for a long time.
Finally he chose the firing squad.
A few minutes later, hearing the
shots ring out confirming the spy’s execution, the general turned to his aide
and said, “They always prefer the known to the unknown. People fear what they
don’t know. Yet, we gave him a choice.”
“What lies beyond the big door?”
Asked the aide?
“Freedom,” replied the general.
“I’ve only known a few brave enough to take that door.” (www.bible.org/illustrations/fear/unknown )
God has not given us a spirit of fear. The devil wants you to live in fear-à fear of what may not even happen! Not God.
God wants to you let go of
fear because you he has given you something much better.
If
God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear, what has He given us? Well, I’m glad you
asked!
According to 2 Tim. 1:7, God has given us 3 things. 1) Power 2) Love and
3) Self- discipline or depending on what translation you use a “sound mind”.
2. God has given us
power to conquer our fears!
When
I find myself becoming controlled by fear, one verse usually comes to mind. It
comes from Psalm 56:
“When I am afraid, I will trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can
mortal man do to me?” (3-4,NIV84)
I’ve
often found comfort as I recite this verse when I'm overwhelmed with fear.
As I let
the truth of this verse sink in, I remember that God has not called me to a
life of fear, but one of faith, and His power can help me overcome my fears and
lead me to do whatever it is that He has asked me to do, or is leading me
through.
God gives us Power. Power from on high
to do what He has asked you to do, or whatever you are being led through.
I know
this because of the words Jesus told His disciples as He was being taken up to
Heaven:
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit
comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and
Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8, NIV84)
When we become Christ
followers, we receive the Holy Spirit who lives inside of us, and enables us to
do what we need to go through, no matter how life altering it may be.
ILLUSTRATION-
June 9 will stay with me for as long as I live. That was the day of my liver
transplant, and as I was being taken up to the OR, it was just me and Jesus. No
wife, no kids, no friends. Just me and Jesus.
I remember asking for God to help me
and to be with me and I remember, at that moment, receiving a peace that could
only be explained by reading Philippians 4:6-7:
“Do not be anxious
about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God.
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all
understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (NIV84)
The Holy Spirit
was with me that day, taking my fears and replacing them with His presence and
power.
God’s Holy Spirit will be with you
when you let go of your fear and lean into His power.
God
has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of Power to conquer our fears.
3) God has also given us a
Spirit of Love!
This
is a big one! Love is to be the defining mark, or character trait of the
follower of Jesus.
It
was Jesus Himself who said: "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved
you, so you must love one another.
35 By this all men will know that you
are my disciples, if you love one another." (Jn.13:34-35, NIV84)
Love
is to be the defining mark of a Christ follower. Love not hate. Love not
jealously. Love not judge-mentalism. Love not fear.
True
love can best be explained by 1 Cor. 13: “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or
proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it
keeps no record of being wronged.
6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices
whenever the truth wins out.
7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always
hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” (NLT2)
This type of love can only
be produced in followers of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Galatians 5:22 reminds us
that: “the Holy
Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love….” (NLT2)
God’s Holy Spirit gives us
power to conquer our fears, and He can also fill you with love, love for God
and love for other people.
If you are having a hard
time loving God, or even other people, ask Him to produce love in your life.
But I need to warn you, asking for God to help you love is like praying for
patience... don’t do it unless you’re serious.
4. God has also given us a Spirit of
Self-discipline. Or as some Bible versions say, a sound mind.
There are interesting words
recorded for us in Titus chapter 2, starting with verse 11 and on: “For the grace of
God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.
12 It teaches us to say "No" to
ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and
godly lives in this present age,13 while we wait for the blessed hope-- the
glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ….” (Titus 2:11-13, NIV84)
Believe it or not, there are
things that are actually harmful to our Christian walk. There are lifestyle
choices that can seriously hinder our hearing from and living for God.
Thankfully God has given us
His grace to help us to say no to these destructive lifestyle choices and live
the Christian life with self-discipline; but before we gain control of our actions, we need to gain
control of our thoughts, because the battle is won or lost in our minds.
This is why we are
instructed in 2 Corinthians 10 to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
(2 Cor. 10:5, NIV84)
This, of course, takes
discipline, self-discipline. Your mother isn’t going to police your thoughts.
You will have to.
When you’re tempted to do
that thing you probably shouldn’t do, you will have to make that phone call and
ask someone for help.
God has already given us
what we need to live victoriously, we need to let go of self and fear and walk
in the victory of Jesus.
“His divine power has given us everything we need
for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own
glory and goodness.” (2Pe 1:3, NIV84)
So
what do I want you to do with what you’ve (hopefully) just heard? Two things:
1. Let go
of fear. God doesn’t intend for us to
live in fear—or by fear. He wants us to walk by faith and we do that by letting
go of our fears.
Maybe you want to visualise
the fear that has been holding you back and place them in your hands and then
say to the Lord: “Take this out of my hands, I give
my fears, about today and tomorrow over to you.”
You might want to actually
pray this way: The
bible says Lord, “When I am afraid, I will trust
in you.” (Ps 56:3, NIV84) so I give you
this fear that’s holding me back, take this and help me to walk by faith today.
You will give Your fear over
to God.
The second take away is
this: Take what’s already yours!
God has already given us
Power, Love and Self-discipline. Listen to the verse one more time:
“For God has
not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and
self-discipline.” (NLT2)
These 3 already belong to
us! We just need to receive them. We need to put them into practice. All we
need to do is ask the Lord to fill us with the Spirit of God and grow these
things in us.
So today, we’re letting go
of fear and taking on Power, Love and Self-discipline.
As we transition back into a
time of corporate worship, if you’d like to let go of fear, and receive the
Power, Love and S.D. that are already yours, know that the alters are open, and
someone will come and pray with you.
No matter what you do today,
let go of fear… it shouldn’t bother you anyway.
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