They Must be Giants
Part 3 – A Giant Named Fear
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House of Faith Church | www.PS127.org |
www.TruthDigest.org
INTRODUCTION
Most
of us are all familiar with the story of David & Goliath in 1 Samuel 17.
We
are continuing our series entitled “They Must be Giants!” Over the next
few weeks we will talk about;
†
Loneliness
†
Anger
†
Addiction
Today we are talking about Un-forgiveness and how it can be the
giant we face in our lives.
* Un-forgiveness can hold us captive to ourselves.
* Un-forgiveness can literally
make us a slave to it.
Remember these points from David & Goliath over the next few
sermons;
†
The battle between the Palestinians and the Israelites was a
spiritual one. Today it continues
between the Jews and the Arabs, who are descendants of Isaac and Ishmael.
†
David had the Holy Spirit just as all of those who belong to God
have access to.
†
David recognized the battle was spiritual even though everyone
around him could not. He was walking in
the spirit, not by sight, but by faith.
†
When David faced the giant, he knew the battle was not a man
against a giant, but a giant against the power of God.
†
The battle was the Lord’s!
David had the right perspective.
We must remember these points in our lives as well when we face
things.
1. It’s a
spiritual battle
2. We have
the Holy Spirit if we belong to God
3. The
battle is the Lord’s
Today, we are talking about
fear.
SCRIPTURE READING
Acts
10:34 – 36
“Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is
that God does not show favoritism 35
but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to the
people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is
Lord of all.”
I. THE
GIANTS NAME IS FEAR
1. This
Giant Causes
1. us to
make irrational decisions
2. forget
who we are in Christ
3. not
stand when we need to
4. act out
in anger and frustration
2. Or
worse, we may do nothing at all
3. Why do
we forget so quickly;
1. We are
children of the most high God
2. It is
He who strengthens us
3. All
things are possible through Christ Jesus
II. WHO ARE
YOU IN CHRIST JESUS?
1. God
does not show favoritism
1. In King James it
says, “God is no respecter of persons.”
1. He loves you JUST
as much as He loved Moses!
2. He loves you JUST
as much as He loved Abraham!
3. He loves you JUST
as much as He loved Peter!
4. And He loves you
JUST as much as He loved Judas…
2. God’s love for us
is NOT based on our behavior.
1. “For ALL have
sinned and fall SHORT of the glory of God!” ~ Romans 3:23
2. If God’s love was
based on us, He would love none of us.
3. He loves us ALL,
and does not show favoritism.
3. That He
does for one, He offers to all.
2. Why is
it important to know that God has no favorites?
1. It’s
easier to forgive others when you realize God loves them as much as He loves
you.
2. You
need to realize that you are no different than the one you need to forgive.
3. You
will be judged by God in the same way everyone else will be judged on that last
day.
3.
The scripture says “He accepts men from EVERY nation, who fear
Him…”
1. Fear God? The Greek word used for fear here is fob-eh'-o, this is
where we get our Latin word Phobia.
1. Phobia means to
have a fear of something.
2. Arachnophobia – Arachno (spider)
Phobia (fear)
3. Claustrophobia –
Claustro (to shut or close in) Phobia (fear)
2. So this
word used in the scripture here means to fear Him…God.
1. This fear means to
have respect, or reverence for.
2. For instance, if
there is a bomb on your kitchen table, you have reverence for it.
3. Not
because of what it did, because it’s done nothing. But for the power it does hold, and what it
could do.
3. We have reverence
for God, not because He has come down on us with His strength, but because He
IS the creator of the universe.
1. He is the
Almighty. The beginning and the end!
2. And
although He has every right to destroy each one of us, He chose love.
4. There
is a RIGHT and a WRONG way to fear the Lord
1. The
fear we should have is;
1. The respect and
reverence for Him.
2. So He offers us
each His love because He does not choose favorites.
3. And we
are to have a right fear for Him.
4. What
happens when we worry, or fear something other than God?
2. We have
the wrong fear in our lives.
1. The
wrong fear is fearing or worrying about anything.
2. When we
fear or worry about something, we are saying “I have more reverence (respect)
for the thing coming against me, than I do for the Lord.”
III.
THE RIGHT PERSPECTIVE (CORRECT FEAR)
1. David
had more respect (fear) of the Lord than for Goliath.
1. When
the Israelites were facing the Palestinians, they feared them.
2. They
made irrational decisions, such as let’s do nothing, which lasted for 40
days.
3. They could have
sent for reinforcements.
4. They could have
formulated an attack plan.
5. They could have
done SOMETHING.
6. But instead, their
fear of something other than God caused them to do nothing.
7. They forgot who
they were. The children of the Living
God!
8. They forgot who was
with them…the LORD!
9. They forgot who the
battle belonged to.
10. Their fear of
something other than God caused them to forget.
2. Their
fear caused them NOT to stand when the Lord their God was being mocked and
blasphemed!
1. For 40 days the
Lords name was dragged through the mud in the face of His children, and their
fear, their reverence for the Palestinians, caused them to stand silent to the
smear campaign.
2. They
stood mute, the army of the Lord.
3. They
had the wrong fear.
1. They feared
something other than the Lord.
2. Their faith was
misplaced.
3. That’s
what fear and worry is, misplaced faith.
4. Misplaced
Faith
1. When you worry or
fear something other than the Lord, you are saying “I have more faith in what
MIGHT happen, than faith in what God CAN DO.”
2. The
Israelites had MORE FAITH in the Palestinians destroying them, than in GOD
PROTECTING THEM and making them victorious!
5. Having
the WRONG fear gives strength to the devil.
1. We GIVE power to
the devil!
1. The Devil has NO
POWER OR AUTHORITY in our life!
2. WE GIVE IT TO HIM!
3. Every time we
choose sin over righteousness.
4. Every time we
choose hate over love.
5. Every time we
choose flesh over spirit.
6. Every time we
choose WRONG fear over RIGHT fear.
7. Every time we
submit to our enemy instead of submitting to the Lord.
2. We hand authority
over to the devil in our life, then whine…
1. Things
are going bad, what am I to do?
2. Lord, why is this
happening?
3. Lord please take it
away…Lord answer my prayers…Lord are you listening?
4. And the
Lord says, “EVERY TIME I TAKE IT AWAY, YOU TURN AROUND AND GIVE AUTHORITY IN
YOUR LIFE BACK TO SATAN!” … “STOP!”
6. Remember,
the battle is SPIRITUAL
1. Remember what
Goliath, the Giant of Satan, said; “come and face me, and if I win, you will
become my slave!”
1. Every time we
submit to worry or fear of anything other than right fear of the Lord, we
become the slave to it.
2. Like the
Israelites, we are frozen, forgetting who we are, doing nothing as the Lord is
mocked by one of His children handing authority in their life back over to
Satan.
3. And the Devil
laughs, as you give more and more authority to him.
2. The devil can not
take anything! He has to STEAL it...
1. He has no power or
authority in your life.
2. You have to GIVE
IT!
3. We give it to him
all the time.
1. We know to do
right, but we choose wrong.
2. We know to love,
but we hate.
3. We know to forgive,
but we don’t. We hold on to our anger,
our hate, or bitterness, our resentment.
3. And
every time you sin, the devil has a little more authority in your life.
FEAR OF ANYTHING OTHER THAN THE LORD IS SIN
Fear of anything other than God is saying, “I have more faith in
what could happen, than in what God CAN DO!”
1
John 4:3 – 4 “3 but every spirit that does not
acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which
you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. 4 You, dear children, are from God and
have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who
is in the world.”
CONCLUSION
God
is in you, if you belong to Him. And He
that is in you, is greater
than he that is in the world.
Do
not be fooled by the devils lies.
Do
not fear the giant the devil places before you.
Do
not forget who you are, a child of the Most High.
Stand
against the devil, resist him and he WILL flee. ~ James 4:7
If you have fear facing you today, come and let me pray for you to
stand against that giant, and release the power of God in your life, and return
you to a right fear of the Lord, and submission to the most high, giving Him
the FULL authority in your life!
