Fearless Series Facing Your Fears November 4, 2018

Transcription

1 1 Fearless Series Facing Your Fears November 4, 2018 Josh 1:1-9 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: 2 "Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them to the Israelites. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates all the Hittite country to the Great Sea a on the west. 5 No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. 6 "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." NIV During his years as premier of the Soviet Union, Nikita Kruschev denounced many of the policies and atrocities of Joseph Stalin. In the midst of his speech a heckler shouted, "You were one of his colleagues why didn t you stop him?" Kruschev screamed, "Who said that?" There was a deathly silence as nobody in the room dared moved a muscle. Then Kruschev said, "Now you know why?" Fear will silence us. Fear will confuse us. And fear can paralyze us. It s like the coils of a snake that tighten around its victims so that when it prey breathes out it constricts itself tighter, thus not allowing the lungs to take in a breath. It stealthily seeks the innocent among us and tightens itself around us. Until we are paralyzed and are finding it difficult even to breathe. (Source: From a sermon by Shawn Miller, "Living in a Hole" 7/6/2009) What is it that paralyzes you? What fear chokes you and tightens itself around you? What stops you in your tracks and keeps you from moving beyond the mediocre and keeps you in the mire of the average? Although it is not specifically stated it is reasonable to assume from the text that Joshua has some apprehension about what lays ahead for him. He has been Moses second in command for years on end but now he finds himself thrust into a new an intimating role. So, God set out

2 2 to help him face his fear and move beyond them. This morning God wants you and I to learn from Joshua. So What are the fears that hold you back? You can face your fears and move beyond them because God says I. I Keep My Promises (v.3) I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Have you been felt like God didn t keep his promise? Or may it I could ask the question this way Have you ever experienced disappoint with God with His lack of response or answers to your requests? (Consider having people respond) Polleverywhere presentation Respond at PollEV.com/everettepaff931 Text EVERETTEPAFF931 TO once to join, then choose A,B,C, or D I have felt disappointed with God because I have been waiting a long time for Him to answer my request He did not answer in the manner or way I wanted Him to It does not seem like He has heard me Other Acknowledge and review responses I would remind you that the Bible acknowledges the disappoint of several person of scripture in regard to God and his answers. Ø Mary and Martha with Jesus delay in coming to their request Ø Then there is Job Ø Or how about the psalmist who lamented: Ps 13:1-2 How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? NIV When it comes to facing our fears and trusting God s promise we must recall what God spoke to Joshua, Joshua, its. A. Not who you are but who I AM (v.2) I am about to give to them God reminds Joshua Moses is dead, but I AM. God wants to remind Joshua and us that HE IS and as such HE is not limited by time and space. Therefore, the fulfillment of His promise(s) is not limited to any person or even time frame. Furthermore, God knows how best to answer the how the when, etc.

3 3 So, Joshua as you face your fears remember, its not who you are but who I AM and it s also. B. Not what you face but who is with you (v5) As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Life is filled with challenges, twists, turns as well as the unexpected making it difficult not to fall to fear. I don t know what your greatest fears are, failure or defeat (Joshua) or something else like being alone, pain or even suffering. But we can face our fears regardless of what they are when we heard and take to heart God s assurance so I will be with you! This is exactly what David did! David wrote Psalm 27 in one of his times of tribulation. At several points he found his life in jeopardy as his powerful enemies were hunting him down seeking to kill him, certainly a frightening situation. And in his words there is an understanding that even though his earthly eyes gave him good reason to be afraid, he could rest in the fact that The LORD is my light and my salvation.. Psalm 27 is one of the many chapters in this wonderful book that a Christian can draw on today overcome the fears they are facing in life. Second, the reveals we can be fearless, we can face our fears when we take to heart that God says, II. I Will Provide (v.5) No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. A. Provision for Moses As I was with Moses (v.5) Do you realize all that is packed in that phrase, As I was with Moses? Think about it few of the ways that God was with Moses: Ø Miraculous preservation (The Bulrushes and adopting into the House of Pharaoh!) Ø Miracles throughout his life 10 Plagues Wilderness Sojourn Ø Spoke with God as one speaks face to face! Ø Point is Joshua I was with Moses and I WAS Everything he needed, and I will be. B. Provision for You so I will be with you (v.5) So how was God with Joshua? The short answer is just like God promised. Some of the ways this was shown was as Moses lead the children of Israel out of Egypt and destroyed Pharaoh s forces with the Red Sea Crossing so God used

4 4 Joshua with the Jordan River crossing. Don t miss that both these bodies of water are uncrossable obstacles standing in the path of God s people. Both Moses and Joshua faced them and as God was with them they conquered them. See its not what you face but who is with you and who he is that will provide for you! Play Video from Sermoncentral - Greater Finally you and I can be fearless because like just as God promised Joshua he has promised us III. I Will be Present (v.9) Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." NIV The early American Indians had a unique practice of training young braves. On the night of a boy s thirteenth birthday, after learning hunting, scouting, and fishing skills, he was put to one final test. He was placed in a dense forest to spend the entire night alone. Until then, he had never been away from the security of the family and tribe. But on this night, he was blindfolded and taken several miles away. When he took off the blindfold, he was in the middle of a thick wood, and he was terrified. Every time a twig snapped, he visualized a wild animal ready to pounce. After what seemed like an eternity, dawn broke and the first rays of sunlight entered the interior of the forest. Looking around, the boy saw flowers, trees, and the outline of a path. Then to his utter astonishment, he beheld the figure of a man standing just a few feet away, armed with bow and arrow. It was his father. He had been there all night long. A. Don t be Terrified (v.9) Do not be terrified According to a CNN article By Sandee LaMotte, CNN Updated 9:07 AM ET, Fri July 15, 2016 Your brain on constant fear is not a pretty sight.

5 5 What is supposed to be a lifesaving instinct becomes anchored in your body, flooding your system with corrosive hormones that can damage your health, affect the way you think and change the decisions you make. Antonius of the Jacobs School of Medicine agrees. He said. "Over time, the chronic experience of fear can morph into serious psychological distress that eventually may develop into a mental disorder." Or even a physical one. A 2014 study looked at 1,700 "apparently healthy active Israeli adults" to see how they cope with the threat of terrorism. Those who showed the most fear had resting heart rates 10 to 20 beats faster than the norm due to changes in a brain chemical that also acts as a brake to the inflammatory system, the study found. But God tells Joshua (and Us) don t be terrified and B. Don t be Discouraged (v.9) do not be discouraged None of us is impervious to discouragement. It can range from being mildly disappointed to being overwhelmed to the point of crippling paralyzes. Many times, when we are greatly discouraged we don t thinking clearly. When this transpires then doubt beings to disable us. This can lead to a lack of trusting and having faith in God and his promises. It is at this point that fear takes root we are not vulnerable to Satan s lies! Conclusion: Is it any wonder that God has said over and over again in His Word Fear Not, don t be discouraged I believe (Know) that there are many here this morning that God gave me this word for you! Fear has invaded your heart and mind in one place or another. It stands in your path of progress and this morning God desires you to overcome it, to face it and be fearless in him! This morning the conclusion is going to be a little difference as we play the video: Fear is A liar If you need to face a fear and be set free as the video plays make your way to this altar for prayer today! Play downloaded Video from YouTube Fear is a Liar (staff and spouses pray with those who respond)