"Is Fear the Enemy?"

Is the word Fear the Enemy?  Is there a difference between fear in general, as to fear God? 
Ever wonder how many times the word fear shows up in the bible?  I am told that in the King James, over 500 times.  Yet the words "fear not" show up 366 times. One for ever day of the year including a leap year.  

Psalm 46:

Dr. David Banks a well know professor and lecture on philology was preparing to speak to an auditorium filled with 5000 women.  He was standing running over his notes for the lecture when a lady approached him and said “Dr. Banks you must be nervous about speaking”,   “Oh no” said the professor “I do this all the time.”  She then said “why then are you standing here in ladies washroom”. 

Fear has always been one of the controlling factors in the lives of people since the beginning of time.  In personal conversations, discussions around the coffee table, I hear more and more people talking about the fear of disease, fear of the weather, fear for our community, and people’s lively hood.  There is great fear for the children of today and of the next generation.  We have become a society that is exposed to everything, even if we don’t want to know, hear or see it, often we live in a society of information over load.   A song comes to mind: 

“Devil’s On The Rise” got you in his eyes, gonna keep you moving to the tune of his delusions with his selfish ways, thankless praise, searching for your soul in the night.  

“Devil’s On The Rise”hidden in disguised he could be a man or she could be a women with their smooth tongue talk watch the way they walk, searching for your soul in the night.  

Tell a little lie, tell a little lie , won't you tell a little, tell a little lie for me. 

Many of us struggle for control over our personal safety, over health conditions, personal finances and self-determination in the latter years of life.   Many of our elderly folk wonder who will make decisions for them as they get closer and closer to their last days on earth? 

Does any of this sound familiar to you?  There are even peoples and societies among us, who would like to take control of creation itself.   For me it echoes the curiosity and wants of our ancestors, Adam and Eve.  Wasn’t that what got us in trouble in the first place, their thrust to feed on the fruit from the tree of knowledge against God’s request?  And So!! What was the result, what did we get?   They, as well as we, have found out what happens when we don’t trust and put God first in our lives.  Reverencing God is healthy fear.   A lesson we apparently still need to learn that without God at the helm, we turn to worldly forms of security that feed on our fears.   Out in the real world Adam and Eve discovered the fear that breeds discontentment and the feeling of never having enough.   We often look for our security in other people, in a job or career, in accumulating things, savings, investments, property and so on.   The root of this fear can be found in the commandment not to covet, which means the desire of forbidden things. Exodus 20: 17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's."  How is Coveting fueled in today’s society,  we need not look any further than advertising, the newspaper, the TV programs, movies and talk shows. Watch enough of them and you will fall into line with their messages and begin to believe in their teachings. 

So then where do we turn?  Where can we find contentment and peace of mind?   As I mention before in previous sermons, God never abandons us, what happens is, just like our ancestors Adam and Eve we begin to be disobedient to God's will for us.   

 When their choice expelled them from the Garden of Eden, God didn’t remain in Eden either, God comes out to be with His Children, to dwell among us, not to condemn us, but to rescue us, to pick us up when we fall.  God intends to save that which was meant for holiness and to focus our attention away from the evil of this world.   God in Christ is with us and is our true source of love and security.   What did we hear the Psalmist say ” God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble.   Therefore we will not fear though the earth should quake and the mountains fall into the depths of the sea.”    A song comes to mind! 

When the night has come and the land is dark, and the only light we shall see,  No I won't be afraid, no I won't be afraid, just as long as you stand, stand by me.  

Even if the world as we know it were to come to its end, and the mountains were to fall into the sea, and it will folks it will, we must trust in the promise of salvation.  In the promises of God, which we Christians have found in CHRIST Jesus.  God with ingenious creativeness has made a way for us, It is the way of the Christ as taught by Jesus.  We are to learn from Him, all the while trusting and following in His ways.  God is our refuge even in the face of total destruction writes the Psalmist.  God is not merely a temporary retreat center.  In other words we can’t just only go to God in times of difficulties, God must be a constant presence in all that we say and do, in others words God must be in our hearts and on our minds.   Another song comes to mind:  "Oh let the Son of God enfold you, with his spirit and his love, let him fill your life and satisfy your soul.   Oh let him have the things that hold you and spirit like a dove will descend upon your life and make you whole.   Oh Jesus, Jesus, come and fill your lambs. Oh Jesus, Jesus come and fill your lambs. 

God does not renege on his gift of unconditional love.  But it is up to us to choose to love without conditions.  Even if we resist and make some bad choices in life, God doesn’t abandon us but continues to offer us opportunities to surrender, grow and  change.   It is up to us, we must choose to surrender our ways for ways of Christ.   Another song that comes to mind is: “ I surrender All”   

All to Jesus I surrender, all to him I freely give.  I well ever love and trust him, in his presence daily live.  I surrender all, I surrender all:  All to Jesus I surrender, I surrender all. 

When insurmountable circumstances invades your life, when you feel fear and anxiety taking over and there seems to be no way out, call upon the Lord Jesus, and give it all to Him, for He truly is the one who can rescue you.    And the congregations sang “Amen”