Be Not Afraid (Audio)

Be Not Afraid (Mark 6:45-52; Hebrews 13:1-3) Yearly Theme:  “Love Does…” Series Title:  Love Does October 20th, 2019     Something to think about:   When you think about fear, what is it that makes you afraid?  What are some phobias that you have struggled with throughout your life?  Have you overcome those fears, and, if so, how have you overcome them?   We come to a passage of Scripture this morning that is a good example of multiple causes for fear.  In the previous scene, in Mark chapter 6, Jesus has just fed the 5000 with the loaves and fish, and He sends the disciples by boat across the sea of Galilee to the town of Bethsaida while He goes off to be alone with the Father and pray.  Later that night, probably around 3 in the morning, the weather on the Sea of Galilee had taken a turn for the worse where the disciples were, and they were struggling hard against the wind and the waves.  Their fears and anxieties had run amuck and now they’re faced with another fear:  a ghost, or so they think.   Let’s pick up the story…   Turn in your Bibles to:  Mark 6:45-52 and Hebrews 13:1-3   If we’re not careful, our fear and anxiety can be so dominant and controlling that it paralyzes us.  However, when we know the God of all creation, and surrender our lives to Him, we become free and open to new possibilities to move out of our comfort zones and into the glorious reality of abundant life!   The point today is this…   Key Point:  “Fear keeps us from living a full life in Christ.”   So what do we learn about fear from the disciples in this passage?    The disciples were afraid because of the wind and waves.   Mark 6:47-48 (NLT), 47  Late that night, the disciples were in their boat in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on land. 48  He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. He intended to go past them,   The disciples were afraid because of seeing what they thought was a ghost on the water.   Mark 6:49-50a (NLT), 49  but when they saw him walking on the water, they cried out in terror, thinking he was a ghost. 50  They were all terrified when they saw him.   The disciples were “amazed” at Jesus’ ability to control the wind, the waves, and nature itself.   Mark 6:50b-52 (NLT), But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage! I am here!” 51  Then he climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped. They were totally amazed, 52  for they still didn’t understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard to take it in.   Something to take home:   Dr. E. Stanley Jones, author and scholar has written:   “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.”[1]   1 John 4:18 (NIV),  There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.   And, so, for your homework assignment this week:  Take some time this week to consider doing one of these things:  1)  Have lunch with a person you don’t know (e.g., a neighbor, a homeless person, someone sitting alone at a restaurant).  2)  Visit someone who is sick or in the hospital (someone you do not know, or know well).  While there, pray with them and the person in the other bed next to them, and – while you’re at it – the people in the next room or across the hall.  3)  Go visit someone who is home-bound or shut-in.  Consider visiting someone you do not know (or someone you do not know very well).   And, finally, remember…   Hebrews 13:2 (NLT), Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! [1] Dr. E. Stanley Jones, Source unknown.