Gerry van der Wende: Whom shall I fear?

Whom shall I fear?

October 16, 2011

Psalm 27:1

Introduction

The world is ruled by fear
We are afraid to do one thing, so we do the other
Fear influences how we react to situations, it leads us in our choice of friends, it affects our relationships with God and man
As we grow up we grow up with fears
5-year old Johnny was in the kitchen as his mother made supper. She asked him to go into the pantry and get her a can of tomato soup, but he didn't want to go in alone. "It's dark in there and I'm scared." She asked again, and he persisted. Finally she said, "It's OK--Jesus will be in there with you." Johnny walked hesitantly to the door and slowly opened it. He peeked inside, saw it was dark, and started to leave when all at once an idea came, and he said: "Jesus, if you're in there, would you hand me that can of tomato soup?" Charles Allen, Victory in the Valleys
As we said last week, we can ignore the object of our fear, but that does not change reality
Now our fears may be more serious than a fear of the dark
Perhaps, even, we are afraid of confronting the enemy
Today we are going to look at the other side of the coin, and discover more about who we truly are!

The enemy in perspective

When we look at a picture from up close, our eyes are blinded to the parts we cannot see
As we take a peek at the devil and his devices, we may forget the big picture
1. The enemy is a created being
Isa 45:7 – God created evil, in the form of Satan
Satan was created by God
This means God is bigger than he is
Satan is a bully, and we are scared of bullies
But God is in control!
We sometimes think that there is this massive battle going on for control of man’s destiny
And I am sure that the enemy sees it that way
The trouble is that the battle has already been fought, and the enemy lost!
That battle was fought at Calvary
2. The enemy loses at Calvary

Video about calvary (http://www.gieson.com/Library/projects/animations/walk/index.html)
The enemy thought he had conquered Jesus when Jesus died
But what actually happened, is that Jesus went from the cross, down to hell, where he preached to the fallen angels
And from there he was raised to glory, the third day, and is now in heaven seated at the right hand of the Father
Today he intercedes for us, he watches over us, he leads us
The enemy lost the battle
And so he is a beaten foe

The rest of the big picture – God

This means no matter what the enemy may want to do in our lives, God is bigger than he is
God gave us power over the enemy
This means that we can influence how much control the enemy has over us
Mark 16:15-18
There are examples of how we do this
Acts 16:16-18
Our power is not in ourself, but in the name of Jesus
We do this by the authority of Jesus, in His name
John 14:14 – if we ask in Jesus name he will do it
So we see Jesus’ supremacy over the devil and his associates

Now sometimes we are a little like this story
Herbert Jackson told how, as a new missionary, he was assigned a car that would not start without a push.

After pondering his problem, he devised a plan. He went to the school near his home, got permission to take some children out of class, and had them push his car off. As he made his rounds, he would either park on a hill or leave the engine running. He used this ingenious procedure for two years. Ill health forced the Jackson family to leave, and a new missionary came to that station. When Jackson proudly began to explain his arrangement for getting the car started, the new man began looking under the hood. Before the explanation was complete, the new missionary interrupted, "Why, Dr. Jackson, I believe the only trouble is this loose cable." He gave the cable a twist, stepped into the car, pushed the switch, and to Jackson’s astonishment, the engine roared to life.

For two years needless trouble had become routine. The power was there all the time. Only a loose connection kept Jackson from putting that power to work.
We have been given power over the enemy, but so often we have not used it
Sometimes we are in the storm and God calms the storm when we cry out to him
Sometimes God has given us the tools and allows us to learn to use them

I do not need to fear

Whatever my fears may be, I do not need to live in fear
God’s purpose for me is that I not live in fear, but in victory
2 Tim 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind
He has made it possible for us to live in victory
He gave us the tools to fight against the enemy and win
He expects us to live in the reality of who we really are
I am inwardly fashioned for faith, not for fear. Fear is not my native land; faith is. I am so made that worry and anxiety are sand in the machinery of life; faith is the oil. I live better by faith and confidence than by fear, doubt and anxiety. In anxiety and worry, my being is gasping for breath--these are not my native air. But in faith and confidence, I breathe freely--these are my native air. A John Hopkins University doctor says, "We do not know why it is that worriers die sooner than the non-worriers, but that is a fact." But I, who am simple of mind, think I know; We are inwardly constructed in nerve and tissue, brain cell and soul, for faith and not for fear. God made us that way. To live by worry is to live against reality. - Dr. E. Stanley Jones.

Conclusion

Gerry van der Wende