In attempting to let go of fear we are going to start with a little visual aid.

Transcription

1 Let Go of Fear Matthew 6:25-33 By John Roy Pelham Road Church Greenville, SC Lent (March) 2017 In attempting to let go of fear we are going to start with a little visual aid. This first slide is a headline from a British paper. It s not the more reliable or civicminded Daily Mail, but the Mirror is a solid paper, the fifth largest circulated paper, and the top choice among the working class in the U.K. Brexit will Invite in World War 3 There is little doubt that when you turn nations into places with firmer borders squabbles will increase over land, ideas, water, etc. but World War 3? Be mindful here of both fear itself and the use of fear as a tool. People were and are genuinely concerned---fearful about the effects of Brexit. World War 3 might make a headline, but the more likely fear is that the cost of bread will rise or that interest rates will soar. Nevertheless, the fears are real. Then there is the use of fear by the paper. It s not enough to lead with Cameroon says, Brexit misguided (which is actually what the article says) or Exit could create prolonged tension (which is what it will do). No the only way to sale papers is to make the headline World War 3. Now that s selling fear. I don t know what Brexit will create, it could lead to a tragedy like this, but the likelihood 1 P a g e

2 of World War 3 without a lot of other factors falling into place is unlikely. Nevertheless in a country, labeled The Prozac Nation Fear sales papers. Ebola is Isis Really Ebola is Isis. No its not. Isis and Ebola both kill this is accurate. But that s where the comparison ends. In a world where we scroll and click the headline has to sale us investing our time. With so much to choose from, to read or view, headlines are like the old carnival barker-----there is no woman with two heads, but if I convince you there is one then you will buy a ticket, and after the ticket is sold who cares about the truth. After you click on the headline, their work is done. CDC Researchers control the spread of Ebola ---we would never click on that. Ebola dangerous but treatable ---boring. So to get us to click or watch they choose, Ebola is Biological Isis. It s not that these reports are wrong, we should be aware of Ebola, and how it spreads and who is most at risk, while not wrong their purpose is not to educate but to scare. In this world, neither Isis or Ebola are likely to kill us. The following are the chances of dying, not annually but in a lifetime. Dying from a terrorist attack in the United States 1 in 3.6 million Dying from Isis 1 in 1.9 million. So these make headlines, but they are rare. So why are we afraid---oh yea someone told us to be. 2 P a g e

3 Dying at the hands of law enforcement, justly or unjustly 1 in 11,437 Dying while entering or leaving our bathtub, 1 in 9,279 See there anyone told you how dangerous the bathtub is? Anyone scared of taking a bath---don t be. Dying of diabetes 1 in 57. Now here is something to be concerned about. I should be more concerned about that piece of cake or a Snicker bar, than a Muslim. Dying of a heart attack 1 in 7. Now here is something that needs a jarring headline. Not Ebola is the Biological Isis. How would we write the headline? Heart Health Matters, We wouldn t even stop scrolling for that one. The Kitchen table is not your friend oh we might linger here for a moment or so. You Could be Next, Put down the Ice Cream, or you die now this one we would click on. That s why they do it---fear sells. But what are we afraid of? USA Today on October 12th of 2016 published a survey from a university study where Americans were asked---what are you afraid of. Here are some of the top 10 and the percentage of people who listed them as something to be concerned about. 60% were afraid of government corruption 41% terrorist attack (even as remote as it actually is---by the way, heart disease was not even mentioned in top 10 and we have a 1-7 chance). 40% running out of money in future 3 P a g e

4 38% restriction of firearms 37% financial collapse Funny how the issues that have science and data behind them don t even make the list. Heart disease Financial peril due to a health issue the flu accidental gunshot death These are all real problems that people face almost daily. Few people mentioned these as the source of their fear. It s almost like we are irrational or fear makes us irrational. The more real and possible, the less we are concerned. But what are we to do? How do we let go of fear? Reasonable or not? Let s reduce our anxiety and fear by reviewing Jesus wise words on this matter. Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the 4 P a g e

5 field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, What will we eat? or What will we drink? or What will we wear? For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things, and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Look plus consider plus faith plus putting God first equals peace. Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they. Look, open your eyes. It s not simply a matter of recognizing that salt is more dangerous to your life than a terrorist attack, it s opening your eyes and seeing how God works. God is a nurturing God. We certainly can see the witness of Jesus on these matters and we understand that all good and perfect gifts come from above to quote the New Testament, but Jesus seems to be pointing us to nature to truly grasp this. So no one has an excuse. The birds are taken care of, but so is everything else in God s ecosystem. Now we all know birds, like all animals, look for food. All the animals have enough. The system is designed for enough. The birds don t worry they just go about their day. So don t worry, open your eyes and see that while God is rarely early God is never later. Then we should consider. Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 5 P a g e

6 Consider the lilies, then the roses, how about the mighty oak, or the lovely azalea, but consider as well, the lake, stream, river, and mountain, without labor the stream is outfitted perfectly. In their time is there anything produced from the earth that is not truly beautiful and amazing? Did the Oak work have beautiful foliage of red and yellow? Does the lake worry about the logs that fall into its waters? Does the cherry tree worry when winter is harder than usual? No they don t. The log gets water-logged and drops to the bottom, the oak waits patiently and turns, the cherry tree will fight through and arrive a little later than usual. But none of them worry. So consider what you can do and what you can t do? You can t change your DNA so stop being afraid. You can change your diet so put down that Oreo. You can t go with your teens on their dates, so stop worrying. You can show your children what a positive relationship looks like and how people should be treated. Do what you can and let the rest go. So much of our fear is about tomorrow. The fear is because of the unknown and we can t control the unknown. If you were to break life down by the known and the unknown. Life is 97% unknown. While we may not be able to know what is around the corner, we don t have to be afraid. Strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Oddly enough the things we fear happening almost never happen. 6 P a g e

7 We again approach this awkward time. The time where I say Let go of your fear, don t let it control you one day longer. And you say in your spirt, Oh that it was so easy. Last week after the message on division only one person questioned the possibility that Christian people could change and approach the issues that divide us with more respect and offer to those they differ with unconditional love. With any change the following ingredients need to be present; a willingness to change, the transformative power of repentance, and the presence of God. Now plenty of people may not want to REPENT and continue the division or fear, so if you are unwilling to change then, it does not matter----fear, division, or your past will continue to dictate your life. I believe if a person repents, actually turn, that will have a profound effect, and the division or fear in their lives will be, if not resolved, more manageable. So I believe in the power of God and the transformative power of repentance, but I also believe people are smart enough to know when something is no longer working and have the willingness to lay down destructive behavior. I think we know anxiety and fear are not good for us. I believe we feel this in our spirit. Further, I think we are smart enough to recognize there, is to paraphrase President Eisenhower, a vast fear industrial complex. It does not end with the news. Have you ever listened to a retirement commercial? Will you have enough money when you retire? Then they flash to images of seniors in wheel chairs and sitting alone. So you find a financial advisor and tell them how much money you have accumulated and no matter what 7 P a g e

8 number you say they find a way to say--- that s not enough. If the news and commercials were not bad enough, we have our up-bringing to deal with. Momma I m going to Jimmy s house, says a 9-year-old. Jimmy lives at the end of the block on the same side of the street and they are going to play video games and Momma responds with, Be careful. Be full of care. Not have a good time or be respectful to Jimmy s mom, but a more pleasant version of be afraid. Then we wonder why our young people are not adventuresome and open new businesses. Fear is a stone we can no longer bear. So when you can do something, do it. Don t be afraid just do it. If you can save more money, do it if you can cut back on your salt then do it, but if you can t do anything about it, let it go. Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? I ll close with a story from 2 Kings, chapter 6. In this story, Aram and Israel were in the midst of a conflict. Here s what happened. The king of Aram was furious over all the leaks being given to Israel. He called his officers together and said, Tell me, who is leaking information to the king of Israel? Who is the spy in our ranks? But one of his men said, No, my master, dear king. It s not any of us. It s Elisha the prophet in Israel. He tells the king of Israel everything you say, even what you whisper in your bedroom. The king said, Go and find out where he is. I ll send someone and capture him. The report came back, He s in Dothan. 8 P a g e

9 Then he dispatched horses and chariots, an impressive fighting force. They came by night and surrounded the city. Early in the morning a servant of Elisha got up and went out of the tent because nature was calling. He looked up and Surprise! The King of Aram s men had come for Elisha, Horses and chariots surrounded the camp! The servant was afraid and yelled, Oh, master! What shall we do? The enemy is upon us. Elisha saw the army as well and said to his servant, Don t be afraid there are more on our side than on their side. The Servant didn t know what Elisha was seeing; all he saw were horses and soldiers. So Elisha prayed, O GOD, open my servant's eyes and let him see. The eyes of the young man were opened and he saw what Elisha saw. A wonder! The whole mountainside was full of angels sitting on chariots of fire surrounding Elisha to protect him! If you want to keep carrying this stone go ahead, no one can stop you. But you don t have to live in fear, for it has always been true, there are more with us than against us, so drop the burden of fear. This morning Jesus gets the final word. 9 P a g e

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