Living in Faith, Not Fear

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Living in Faith, Not Fear</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="132" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id539.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Trading the Valuable for the Worthless"><U><B><IMG SRC="007151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id541.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Gods Will, Gods Way"><U><B><IMG SRC="008151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="35" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="20" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="13"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="27"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> Previous/Next Sermon</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="www.stanbaker.org"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biblical and Theological Studies"><U><B>Biblical and Theological Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church Ministry"><U><B>Church Ministry</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sermon Notes"><U>Sermon Notes</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Personal"><U><B>Personal</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>"</B><B>Living in Faith, Not Fear"</B></div> <div> <B>Berean Bible Church, October 8-9, 2005</B></div> <bR> <div>      Even though God has answered prayers and given us his promises, we still struggle with fear. What are your fears? What causes you to doubt God? Some possibilities: When we are searching for direction. We were faced with a family struggle or financial pressure. When we lose that which is meaningful to us. When we go through changes. When our job is an unbearable challenge. When our friends seem to abandon us. Or just the fears of the world in which we live today, with fears of crime and accidents and disease and terrorism.</div> <div> <B>     </B>Even when we believe the promises of God, we <I>will</I> face hard times, and we may still struggle with fear. Please read <A HREF="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passage=Gen+26" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.biblegateway.com/bible?passag"><U>Genesis 26</U></A>.  For Isaac, there was a famine in the land (vss. 1-2; the land promised to Abraham and his descendants, though they did not yet possess it). Gerar was in southern Palestine (in the Negev, on the way to Egypt), but still within the land that God had promised to Abraham. (Egypt was a good option in a time of famine because of the Nile River.)</div> <div> <B>     </B>God reviewed his promises with Isaac (protection and blessing in the short- and long-term; vss. 3-6). But Isaac still exhibited fear, to the point where he deceived others about his wife (vss. 7-11). He trusted God with one part of his life, but not with other parts of his life.</div> <div>      Be consistent – if you trust God, <I>trust</I> him and give him your fears. When we trust in God and follow him, we have no need to fear. How do we live with trust, without fear? How can we replace fear with trust and confidence in God?</div> <bR> <div> <B>1. We can live confidently under the promises and blessings  of God when we </B><B><U>obey him</U></B><B>.</B></div> <div>      Notice vs. 3, “stay in this land,” and vs. 5, “because Abraham obeyed me.” Psalm 112:1 <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >TNIV </FONT>says, “Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who find great delight in his commands.”</div> <div>      If you want to maximize the blessing of God in our life, you must live in obedience to him. If you are not living by God's commands and according to his will, you <I>should</I> be afraid. God may try to get your attention with unpleasant circumstances. But when you live in the center of his will, and seek to grow in him, God will watch out for you in a special way. He <I>will</I> allow some pain into your life, but he will be with you in a unique way to bless you, guide you, and protect you.</div> <bR> <div> <B>2. We can live confidently when we </B><B><U>connect with God</U></B><B> through prayer, Scripture, and worship.</B></div> <div>      God was with Isaac as he was with his father Abraham, so Isaac had no need to fear (vss. 23-24). He is with us, always. We are never alone. But it is our responsibility to do our part to stay connected with him.</div> <div>      A. Prayer: Philippians 4:6-7 <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >NLT </FONT>says, “Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”</div> <div>      B. Scripture: Psalm 1 <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >TNIV </FONT>“Blessed are those who do not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but <I>who delight in the law of the LORD and meditate on his law day and night</I>. 3 They are like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. 4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will be destroyed.”</div> <div>      Also, we are regularly reminded in the Scriptures of the presence and promises of God.</div> <div>      C. Worship (vs. 25): Building an altar and calling on the name of the Lord were acts of worship to God.</div> <bR> <div> <B>3. We can live confidently when we </B><B><U>wait on God</U></B><B>.</B></div> <div>      Isaac would live his life and die before seeing the full fufillment of God's promises. It's a journey that has its twists and turns, its ups and downs. But we must stay on the journey, waiting for God to work everything out.</div> <div>      Isaac was so blessed, he made others envious, and they sought to disrupt his success, to no avail (vss. 12-22). Then his former antagonists sought to make a treaty with him, because of God's blessing on his life (vss. 26-31, esp. vs. 28). God just kept blessing him and providing for him (vss. 32-33, more water). He had all the evidence he needed to keep living a life of faith instead of fear.</div> <div>      One night a house caught fire and a young boy was forced to flee to the roof. The father stood on the ground below with outstretched arms, calling to his son, “Jump! I’ll catch you.” He knew the boy had to jump to save his life. All the boy could see, however, was flame, smoke, and blackness. As can be imagined, he was afraid to leave the roof. His father kept yelling: “Jump! I will catch you.” But the boy protested, “Daddy, I can’t see you.” The father replied, “But I can see you and that’s all that matters.” (Bible.org; Source unknown.) Even though we can't always see God in our circumstances, he is with us, and he will help us through.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> copyright, 2005, Stanley Baker</div> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> </td> </tr></table></body>