A. The story is told about a General who was making an inspection the 82nd Airborne Rangers at Fort Bragg, N.C.
1. As the General reviewed the ranks of paratroop trainees, he carefully scrutinized one West Virginia recruit standing proudly at attention, jump wings and boots shined to perfection.
2. The general spotted a loose thread and scowled, saying, “Trooper, your fatigue jacket is frayed.”
3. The young private shot back, “Sir…beggin’ yer pardon, sir – but this here airborne jacket ain’t ‘fraid a-nothin’….SIR!”
B. How about you? Are you ‘fraid a nothin’?
1. As Halloween approaches, you might say that this is the scary time of the year.
2. Many Americans go way over the top with their Halloween decorations – trying to create the scariest experience possible.
3. And for some strange reason, many people like to be scared – just look at the number of movies that come out of Hollywood that are horror flicks – Everything from Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho or The Birds, to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th, and Scary Movie.
4. Some of those movies have a whole series of sequels – The Texas Chainsaw Massacre has 6 movies in the series, and Friday the 13th has a whopping 12 movies.
5. I certainly don’t recommend any of these movies, but just bring them up to illustrate some people’s interest in being scared.
6. Here’s an interesting thought to ponder - What happens if you get scared half to death twice?
C. I’m not an especially fearful person, but there are times when I have been afraid, and there are things that I have been afraid of.
1. One of the scariest moments of my life came as I was going to Northeastern Christian Junior College and working as the campus night watchman.
2. It was my job to make a tour of the campus every hour of the night, stopping at the 7 key stations, and turning the key in a clock I carried on a strap that time stamped my inspections.
3. One very dark night I was walking down the road that led to the main mansion building.
4. The road was lined with a beautiful, waste-high stone wall.
5. As I walked down the road, I could hear something on the other side of the wall that was walking parallel to me.
6. I stopped and shined my flashlight in the direction of the sound, but saw nothing. So I went on. When I walked, it would walk. When I stopped, it stopped.
7. When I arrived at the part of the wall where there was an opening for a sidewalk I stopped and looked for what was making that sound.
8. Whatever it was, kept coming toward me, but I could not see it.
9. As I stood there at the opening, shining my flashlight in the direction of the sound coming toward me, my heart was beating so hard I though it was going to pop out of my chest.
10. At the last second, just before the sound reached me, a skunk came out of the ground cover right at my feet.
11. I turned and ran down the hill. I probably did a 100 meters in about 6 seconds. I could have gotten a gold medal for that race. Boy was I scared!
D. A much more serious fear that I wrestled with until my early 20s was the fear of dying young.
1. Because my father died when he was just 31 years old, I was afraid that my life would end early as well.
2. So every time I got sick, or had a pain or a bump, I feared it was the end.
3. I was afraid I wouldn’t live to get married, or have children, or grandchildren.
4. But I remember distinctly, finally putting it all in God’s hands which lead to a lot of peace.
5. And that’s something I want to talk with you about today.
C. Fear is something that all of us have to deal with.
1. Let me say at this point that some people deal with such crippling fear that they might need to see a counselor and they might benefit from medication because their problem may have organic issues.
2. And let me say at this point that all fear is not bad – God has given us the ability to be afraid, and for good reason.
3. Good fear keeps us from doing things that we shouldn’t be doing – like driving at 200 mph, jumping off a building, or playing with rattle snakes.
4. That kind of fear is our protection against unnecessary harm.
5. Also, the ability to fear, is important in our relationship with God.
a. Ecclesiastes 12:13b says, “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”
b. Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge...”
c. Jesus said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28)
d. 1 Peter 2:17 says, “Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.”
6. So there are some things we should fear in a very helpful way.
D. But there is a kind of fear in life that can become overwhelming.
1. When you think about it, we do live in a scary world.
2. There really is a lot to be afraid of.
3. Think about the number of tragedies, catastrophes and crisis’s occurring around us.
4. We live in a world where there are terrorist attacks and violent crime.
5. We also have to live in a world where there is corruption and pollution, disease and death.
6. So how can we keep fears about these things from overwhelming us?
E. My answer to that question is that conquering fear is not ultimately a matter of self determination, but is a matter of dependence on our God.
1. Our Scripture Reading for today speaks to that truth.
2. Look again with me at Hebrews 13, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’” (Heb. 13:5-6)
3. Those two quotations have an Old Testament context.
4. The second comes from Psalm 118 that speaks of confidence in God’s eternal love that is unchanging in the midst of changing situations.
5. The first quotation comes from Deuteronomy 31.
a. What was happening at the time was a transition in leadership for the Israelites.
b. The time of Moses’ leadership was coming to an end, and Moses was passing the mantle of leadership to Joshua.
c. Verse one of chapter 31 begins, “Then Moses went out and spoke these words to all Israel: ‘I am now a hundred and twenty years old and I am no longer able to lead you. The LORD has said to me, ‘You shall not cross the Jordan.’ The LORD your God himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will take possession of their land. Joshua also will cross over ahead of you, as the LORD said.’” (vs. 1-4)
d. Moses continued, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (vs. 6)
e. The Bible continues, “Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, ‘Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their forefathers to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.’” (vs. 7-8)
6. The writer of Hebrews was trying to tell Christians, that the same God who made these promises to the Israelites and to Moses and to Joshua, has given us the same promise – “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”
F. Ultimately, we don’t have to be afraid because God is with us.
1. I like what the Bible says in Psalm 139:1-10
”O Lord, you have searched me and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.
You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”
2. How wonderful – God knows us intimately, and He is with us wherever we are.
3. And because He is with us, He is ready to guide us and help us.
G. I want to have the faith that the Psalmist expressed in Psalm 46.
1. “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.” (Psalm 46:1-3)
2. Verses 7 and 11 of that Psalm conclude: “The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”
3. No matter the chaos or crisis around us – God is our refuge, our strength, and our fortress!
H. Look at the wonderful promise that God makes to Israel in Isaiah 41.
1. “But you, O Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend, I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:8-10)
2. Drop down to verse 13, “‘For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O little Israel, for I myself will help you,’ declares the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.” (41:13,14)
3. The Lord Almighty, the Holy One of Israel is our God, and He is with us in the same way.
4. His righteous right hand, takes our right hand and upholds us. Isn’t that a wonderful notion?
5. Can you see how all of this can help calm our fears?
I. Jesus made this promise to the disciples as He was leaving the earth to return to heaven, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20b)
1. We can be comforted knowing that Jesus is still with us.
J. There is a story I have come across over the years that I have always found to be a great illustration of how God is with us and how that can alleviate our fears.
1. I’m told that one tribe of native Americans had a unique practice for training young men in courage and marking the transition to manhood.
2. On the night of a boy’s thirteenth birthday, he was blindfolded and placed in a dense forest to spend the entire night alone.
3. Imagine what it felt like to sit there blindfolded on a stump in the middle of the woods.
4. Every time a twig snapped, he probably visualized a wild animal ready to pounce.
5. Every time an animal howled, he imagined a wolf leaping out of the darkness.
6. Every time the wind blew, he wondered what more sinister sound it masked.
7. No doubt it was a terrifying night for many young man.
8. After what must have seemed like an eternity, the first rays of sunlight entered the interior of the forest and the boy was allowed to remove the blindfold.
9. When he did so, to his utter astonishment and relief, he would behold the figure of a man standing just a few feet away, armed with a bow and arrow.
10. It was the boy’s father. He had been there all night long to protect him. (Leonard Sweet, SoulSalsa Zondervan, 2000, pp. 23-24.)
K. Do you remember some of the words from our Scripture Reading – “God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.’” (Heb. 13:6)
1. God our Father, stands guard over us. He is our helper, we need not be afraid.
2. Even though we cannot see our heavenly Father, we know that he is with us.
L. In the British Museum in London, there is an old mariner’s chart drawn in 1525 that outlines the North American coastline.
1. The one who created the map did so from information gleaned from ocean-going crews of that day.
2. There were notations on the map where reefs might be, and where the best harbors could be found.
3. But, interestingly, there were certain other sections that were relatively blank.
4. Those sections contained notations like: “Here be giants!” or “Here be fiery scorpions!” or “Here be dragons.” Sounds like pirate talk, “ARGGG.”
5. Before the map had made its way to the British Museum, it was the prized possession of a British explorer by the name of Sir John Franklin who lived in the 1800’s.
6. In spite of the maps value, Franklin was offended by the fear that the ancient mariners had.
7. And so he scratched out the inscriptions on the map that said “Here be giants, fiery scorpions, and dragons.”
8. In the place of each of those phrases he wrote, “Here is God.”
9. Whatever giants, fiery scorpions, or dragons we might have to face, the important thing to be assured of is that God is here.
10. God is with us, therefore, we can face anything that scares us.
M. One of my favorite Old Testament incidents about faith overcoming fear is found in Daniel 3.
1. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon had made an image of gold that stood 90 feet tall and 9 feet wide.
2. Then King Nebuchadnezzar invited all the officials of his kingdom to come and worship the statue.
3. The people were told, “This is what you are commanded to do, O peoples, nations and men of every language: As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.” (Daniel 3:4-6)
4. So when the music played, everyone bowed down except for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who were three of Nebuchadnezzar’s officials, but were also men of God who knew that to worship any idol was wrong.
5. When Nebuchadnezzar heard about it he was furious and brought the 3 men in to warn them and give them another chance to worship the image.
6. The three men replied to the King, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Dan. 3:16-18)
7. So the King stoked up the fire 7 times hotter and had Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego thrown it. The soldiers who threw them in were killed by the heat of the fire.
8. As you know, someone who looked like the son of the gods joined them in the fire and protected them.
9. Nebuchadnezzar, who saw this happening, ordered them to come out, and said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.” (Dan. 3:28-29)
N. Now, why do I tell that story?
1. Do I tell it because I believe that God will always rescue His people from trouble? No.
2. I tell this story because we can have faith like the three Hebrews in this story.
3. We can have the “even if He doesn’t” kind of faith.
4. And the “even if He doesn’t” kind of faith will help us overcome our fears.
5. Because of God’s promises, we know that we have a home in heaven, and even if he doesn’t rescue us, we are going to heaven.
6. We know that we will live with God forever in the wonderful place that God has prepared for us.
7. Meanwhile, here on earth we may have to face all kinds of trials, some from which God will rescue us, and some from which He will not.
8. Unless Jesus returns while we are still alive, all of us will die of something.
9. Our death might come because of a drunk driver, or a drive by shooting. It might come because of a stroke or a heart attack. It might come because of cancer. Or we might just go to sleep one night and not wake up the next morning. That sounds like a great way to go!
O. The thing is – we don’t need to worry or be afraid of any of this.
1. Everything is going to be okay in the end and God is with us every step of the way.
2. As hard and as hurtful as our suffering might be, God will be there and He will carry us through.
3. The only thing that any of us should really fear is God, or not having God.
4. The unbeliever has good reason to fear, but not the believer.
P. God is the one who has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” We can take Him at His word.
1. So whenever the troubles of the world creep in around us, we don’t have to be afraid.
2. Whenever it seems that Satan is having his way, we don’t have to be afraid.
3. God is with us, and He is our helper. His righteous right hand is holding on to ours!
