Series: "Facing the Road Ahead"... Part 2 "NO FEAR"

Sunday Apr. 29, 2012 Sermon  
Luke 12:22-34

We continue today in our series “Facing the Road Ahead”… and facing that road can sometimes be difficult and uncertain.

Sometimes those difficulties can lead us to Give Up, and as we talked last week of the reasons why we should “Never Give Up.” Despite the difficulties we must preserver towards the blessings God has for us.

Today… our reflection and focus will be on “FEAR”… more precisely, having “NO FEAR.”

PRAYER:

Many people worry about a lot of things in their lives.
       We are often worry warts as we worry about our kids.
       We worry about our jobs and whether we will have one or not.
       We worry about our finances… our health… our relationships.
       We even worry about our church and we even worry about how God will interact         
       among us.
       Maybe we even worry about our faith.

We often even ask ourselves why we worry about all of this in the first place because when all is said and done… our worry is usually for naught.
        Jesus tells us in Vs 25… “Can worry make you live longer?”
        We know the answer to this question don't we…. NO!!

Yet we still have fears and anxiety… about the unknown.

In our Acts story Peter & John are standing before the church leaders because they were proclaiming Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. These church leaders were angry… Yes… the church had a big problem with what they were doing. I’m sure Peter & John were more than a bit afraid and fearful about what might happen. After-all… these were the same people who had a hand in killing Jesus.

Yet… Peter stands and senses a newly found courage… the bible says “Filled with the Holy Spirit,” Peter then shares Jesus and challenges the religious leaders by saying, “After you killed Jesus he was raised from death.”

Like-wise… Jesus says, “My little disciples don’t be afraid! Your father in heaven wants to give you the kingdom.” What Jesus really is saying, why do you worry? There is a sense of… “Do you believe”… again, remembering our talk about the word “Believe” a few weeks back. Perhaps… Jesus is saying, do you “Trust Me.”

You’re familiar with Psalm 23… “Though you walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will not FEAR.” What do you fear today?
       Do you fear dying? Or just as easily, do you fear living?
       Do you fear not having enough money, food, gas, and housing?
       Do you fear a health test like a mammogram or CT scan?
       Maybe you fear being ridiculed, humiliation, or maybe being a failure?
       Maybe your fearing what might happen here at Cross… about what kind of pastor you
       might call.
       Or maybe what might come of the transition process.
Heck… you might even fear spiders, snakes, or other critters.

Peter Marty writes, “I’ve met people who strangely fear they might compromise some core Christian principle by getting to know another person who has a different faith understanding than they. Their gut tells them to love, but their boundary-oriented faith warns them to keep a distance.”

How many of you feel this way?
       We say we need to love others… but often times keep our distance.
       We say we need to change what the church should be about.
       We say we need to do things differently to connect with other groups of people.
The truth of the matter is… fear of the unknown… the fear of how to do these things often drives our fears and anxieties, and we usually end up responding by doing nothing.

The truth is… that FEAR is the by-product of human freedom. It looks like this…
       Those who have little…fear having enough.
       Those who have some… fear there will be enough to get ahead.
       Those who have more… fear they will lose what they have.

Because of our freedom, not only in this country, but our freedom in Christ, we become afraid and fearful we will lose what we have thus finding ways to protect and hold onto those things we have.

Helmut Thielicke says, "Jesus did not say… Look at the ostrich, how it buries its head in the desert sand and so tries to escape the fear of danger. No, he said: Look at the birds of the air, keep your eyes open, stand up straight and look to the heights where God makes known his grace and care."

Peter… filled with the Holy Spirit fearlessly stands and proclaims Jesus.

Jesus says look at the birds, the flowers, and all of creation… doesn’t God take care of them?

Jesus says… don’t be afraid… God wants to give you the kingdom…where is your heart?

Somehow we have allowed the fear of scarcity to infiltrate and compromise the abundance that we have in God. And why? There is no reason to fear… in fact we should have the attitude of “NO FEAR”!! To not worry… to have faith… to believe… better yet to trust. Today is the opportunity in the midst of uncertainty to grow in your discipleship and an opportunity to grow in your faith.

I'd like to close with story of an 85 year old Kentucky woman… named Nadine Stair on what she would do “If I Had My Life to Live Over.”

I'd like to make more mistakes next time. I'd relax. I would limber up. I would be sillier than I've been this trip. I would take fewer things seriously. I would take more chances. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers. I would eat more ice cream and less beans. I would perhaps have more actual troubles, but I'd have fewer imaginary ones. You see, I'm one of those people who lives sensibly and sanely hour after hour, day after day. Oh, I've had my moments, and if I had to do it over again, I'd have more of them. In fact, I'd try to have nothing else. Just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead of each day. I've been one of those persons who never goes anywhere without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, a raincoat and a parachute. If I had to do it again, I would travel lighter than I have.
--As quoted in Allan E. Mallinger and Jeannette DeWyze,
Too Perfect (New York: Fawcett, 1992), 10.

Please say with me… Lord, I won’t be afraid… you are with me!

See You Out on the Road.