The Fear Of Uncertainty, Part 2

Today on fellowship and the word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. See, because if he doesn't give you the answer you want. You have to trust me notice what he says you trust me, you can have peace going out today on this additional fellowship in the work pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana pastoral Gebhardt now is once again he shows us how God's word.

Our world is a great city, I remember meeting years and years ago that for about 30 miles as you approach and many direction. One of its main gate at that mark. They started putting post in the ground with a point on the end of which they impel people that they had conquered and for 30 miles you would see the carcasses of the skeletons of people they killed and conquered so for 30 miles you're walking to the gate of Nineveh in your thinking.

These are rough people see these are brutal people. That's what you say it's a macro saying the people. Judy, do you know I am having juicing with the great Assyrian Empire can do. You see, what does it do what does that provoke fear. He doesn't stop he says in verse 14, who was there among all the gods of those nations which my father's utterly destroyed who could deliver his people out of my hand that your God should be able to deliver you from my hand. Now, therefore, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you like this and do not believe him for no God or any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people from my hand or from the hand of my father's how much less shall your God deliver you from my now is not only trash talking against the people of Judah, Hezekiah, but now you decide to do something, I would advise anyone to do he decide to trash talk God for 16 his servant spoke further against the Lord God and against the servant Hezekiah. He also wrote letters to insult the Lord God of Israel and to speak against him, saying, as the gods of the nations of the lands have not delivered their people for my hand so the God of Hezekiah shall not deliver his people from my hand. They called this out with a loud voice in the language of Judah's translators and said speak of these people in Hebrew. I want them to understand what it is I'm saying here.

A loud voice in the language of Judah to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall and here it comes. Why do frightened and terrify them so they might take the city they spoke of the God of Jerusalem as of the gods of the peoples of the earth. The work of men's hands so they compared God with typical idle trash talking God will notice all of that was designed to scare all that was designed to frighten Lewis limit the voices that influence your life lies propagate fear there to frighten you into terrify you. We live in that world we call it media. That's all we do is 24 seven. It never stops. And it's designed to frighten you.

And never and never stops afraid of everybody anywhere afraid of everybody were afraid of people over the world and terrors in every kind of bacteria or virus were afraid of everything or afraid of warming or cooling were Frank were afraid of people across the political from us in our own country were afraid of everybody because we don't limit the voices. How many times have you heard a recent study shows a recent study shows that eggs are no good for you. Recent study shows that eggs are good for you.

A recent study shows that 5% of you are going to die some really strange thing. Recent study shows a 10% of you were going limp the rest your life. A recent study shows what let Vince forget all the recent studies comes ultimately to fear. Let me just give you one truthful fact 100% of you are going to die.

That's a fact.

Now if you start with that recent studies don't bother you much. You seek. That's the point.

It's all designed to make you fearful and were afraid of almost everything I call the chicken Little theology sky is falling, the sky is falling, missing. We live in one of the better times the live in the history of man and see when something that especially if there are things you want to be afraid of giving example I was just reading this past week since the year 2001, both in Iraq and Afghanistan.

We have lost little over 5000 troops 5000 troops misdirected and I hope it was worthwhile. In World War II 72 million people died 72 million people died put in perspective. You see, now you're hearing something about Ebola and it's interesting because this American purse.

Dr. who is willing to risk his own life in Africa to help and brought back to the states. Given the best treatment he possibly can to fight this virus and there were people actually in a sense, responding one newscast saying should he be allowed back in our country. A doctor who was willing to do this and it people already afraid.

What about Ebola, what about Ebola. This put it in perspective. In the 20th century. I'm a talking way back to start. By the way, all way back to the ancient Egyptians, but just in the 20th century, more than 300 million people died of smallpox 300 million get some sense of this. Think of how this works. Bubonic plague one third of the people in Europe died one third think of a downturn dry economy and compared to the 20s in Europe and in the United States and the meat we don't have any perspective in this world afraid. And the reason were freighters were listening to the wrong voices. That's what happens to us, and by the way, it's so easy to see. We live in a place you want to see how Arthur Monger can work. It's on the news all the time, but we live in a particular place of all you have to. Here is one word hurricane hurricane hurricane. It's only 6 miles off the coast hurricane out there and some of you get a knot in your stomach afraid. What this is one thing you know about hurricane it doesn't sneak up on you is just not the way it works and why we afraid see what we afraid of were afraid of what we allow other people to influence us and creates fear in our lives we listen to people who are paid to be pendants about doomsday and sometimes we turn one over and over again. The same people to make us more more upset and more fearful. What are you doing by the way, you don't have to use just the media. If you're really prone to fury.

I'm sure of what you have is you have that special friend was just as prone as you are selling to you what's going on out there.

I know I'm terrified this can't do that. You see it limit the voices the Syrians were saying one thing I eliminate them. Hezekiah was speaking for God. Listen to him. Using listen to him. That's what he is saying if you want to live in fear. There so many conspiracy bogeyman stories out there you will spend the rest of your life living in fear again when we stated simply, but if you know Jesus Christ as your personal savior. The worst thing that could ever happen to you at happen to you get it.

It can't happen to you. We have to live that way. So when facing an uncertain future. Put your house in order. Block off the bad men the broken most of the week and then put your heart in order to deal with your fear, put in perspective and limit the voices in your life. There's 1/3 step very important one. Pray until peace comes. Pray until peace comes not look how the story plays itself out. Verse 20 but King Hezekiah and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amos prayed about this and they cried out the heaven doesn't tell us what exactly said, but they prayed about it. Hezekiah went to the great profit and said Isaiah we got pray they understood what was going to happen. And by the way, it's kind of an interesting thing because the Lord answered this prayer. It says in the Lord sent an angel who destroyed every mighty warrior commander, and officer in the camp of the Assyrians is a little bit more the story. By the way this story apparently is so important to God that it shows up in almost its entirety in three different places in the Old Testament, it shows up in second Kings shows up in Isaiah 36 and 37 he says almost the same story wants to get the story so holy place and go with me to Isaiah Isaiah 37 Isaiah 37 verse six. Isaiah said to them, and thus you shall say to your master, thus says the Lord. Do not be afraid there is again don't be afraid. Fear not just do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard. Don't let those voices influence you. He says with which the servants of the king of Syria have blasphemed me got that I take this personal now they're blaspheming me, behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he show hero Homer and then he returned to his own land, and I will make him fall by the sword in his own land as a snack was going to happen this macro know what all this plays out the answer to the prayer verse 36 of chapter 37 of Isaiah verse 36 then the angel of the Lord went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians and when men arose early in the morning, behold, all these were good. Now you know what they were afraid of as an enormous army for that part of the world that particular time in history hundred and 85,000 men.

It's interesting, I would imagine when he was building the outer wall are making the tower stronger. Someone said, have you seen that army is over were still in a do what we can do. It was proactive so so macro, king of Assyria departed and returned home and live the Nineveh he heard a rumor set up to back the Nineveh. Now it came about while he was worshiping in the house of Miss rock is God that I drum Malik and Sherry's are his sons killed him with the sword, his own sons killed the great King Dulles go back to that Chronicles passage picks up on the same idea and he says in the Lord sent an angel who destroyed every mighty warrior commander's office in the camp of the king of Assyria, so he returned in shame to his own land, and when he had entered in the temple of his God. Some of his own children killed him there with the sword.

And so the Lord save Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

He says from the hand of so macro the king of Assyria and from the hand of all others and guided them on every side, and many were bringing gifts to the Lord of Jerusalem and choice presence to Hezekiah king of Judah, so that he was exalted in the sight of all nations. There wonderful ending the story, but I once understand something. What was it that he got.

You see there's a petition that we pray for and there's a desire behind the petition, almost anything you pray for your say there's some particular that I want because in there's a desire for in this case, God answered yes yes in a lot of cases, God will answer no, no, if it's just a bad prayer but a lot of times when God will answer is this no but yes, in other words, if I'm facing an uncertain future and I'm worried about feeling about it.

What does God promise me peace. That's a promise. God promises you peace instead of fear.

It's a promise of God and you can count on it. Listening to the New Testament to Philippians chapter 4 famous passage.

To illustrate this point. Philippians 4 verse six.

The apostle Paul writes his first phrase is the imperative mood in Greek. It's a command just be anxious for nothing, that's an interesting command.

By the way his heart. Only God can command you to stop worrying hard to do that in that he should be anxious for nothing, in other words, an anxious worrying fearful Christian from God's point of view is an oxymoron don't you dare, don't become anxious to start worrying.

Don't you start becoming fearful.

You do that and then he says, but in everything by prayer. There's a word you say and supplication. There's your emotions there's your heart. Prayer humanity always say Lord I'm confused. Lord, I'm uncertain.

Lord you know how I feel. He says go ahead, pray the prayer and then pray with supplication and then he says with thanksgiving, notice that frontloaded that's very important understand about prayer. I'm thanking God when I'm praying about something that's uncertain in my future.

I'm already thanking them when do we want to thank him when we get what we want and then we say God is good to see Jesus is great isn't God good God was good and great before you prayed. He is certainly going to be good and great after finished. God is always good. God is always great. Therefore, I'm going to thank God when I get one paying for no I meant to thank them in my prayer because he is good and he is great. Think of it this way.

Let me illustrate that. Do you think Job had any uncertainty about his future and see he lost 10 children over that be like in one day. He lost all his wealth he lost his relationship with his wife. They were struggling.

You could just imagine the stress they wonder they lost his health. Then he lost the respect of the people of the town. Then he started losing the respect of his three closest friends and then he finds himself on a dump outside of town.

With so many sores and boils over his body that has a claim pot he sitting in the dumps scraping them anyway.

Job said even if he slays me. I will trust.

Thank you. Know was that easy. No, no, that's the rustling of prayer. I'm thanking you, Lord. I'm thanking you for the answer because understand something here. Hezekiah prayed and what happened to the Assyrians while they prayed in the Assyrians were destroyed in the great but by the way, not too long in the distant future. A bunch of people and Judah were praying the hearts out in the Babylonians came and took them conquered the city. But it ruins and took him the babbling you nothing anyone then was praying for the same thing that Hezekiah was playing for course.

You see, of course, God doesn't. That's not the promise of God, the promise of God is not I will answer your prayer the way you wanted answered the promise of God, as I will give you peace instead of fear. I promise. Notice how it plays out. But everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

I'll give you the peace. Yes, I can pray about my health, relationships, companionship, financial security, all that and got me answer yes and Mansour noted my petition is that a promise leave this thing. I will answer yes to peace. I will give you peace. Please understand what Paul was saying if you don't have peace. There's something wrong with your prayer life and I can tell you I know exactly what it is you don't trust God, you don't trust him to see because if he doesn't give you the answer that you want.

You have no peace.

God says don't do that. That's why the thing the upfront you have to trust me notice what he says. And when you trust me, you can have a piece and what I love about this is beyond your wildest dreams.

Just imagine that it's beyond your wildest dreams. That's what he says surpasses all comprehension.

It's the kind of hey I don't get that piece just imagine as we fight life's final battle with pain that we as a people have the kind of peace. By way we have had some instances of people like that.

We had people like that and you know what they do they affect everybody around them. Nurses, doctors, you see, there's a possibility that my last days will be in intensive care unit. A local hospital. You will be praying I say hope you will. And the question is my coming out of their I don't know, and it doesn't matter. I know what God is saying is that I can have peace in their that's what I want see him with peace.

I want the peace gotchas. I promise of the peace you have to be afraid even though I go through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil why you're with me. You are with me. You see, that's what he is saying whenever we get pieces beyond our wildest dreams and notice what he says it does. It guards my mind and guards. My heart from what fear it guards me from fear when you're facing an uncertain future, you need to put your house in order.

You need to put your heart in order and you need to pray until peace comes.

By the way. Peace is not the absence of scary problems pieces the presence of God is pray. Father, I believe all of us can identify with what Hezekiah was fighting an uncertain future. I thank you for his example, thank you for his faith. I thank you for his perspective father for each of us who have something on our heart right now that we are fearful of its uncertain of what will happen.

We will learn this great lesson we will first go at this moment before it ever happens, put our house in. We will put our heart and father when it happens. Prayer peace and pastoral number on the radio ministry or fellowship nor if you ever missed one of our broadcast or maybe you just take a listen to the message one more time. Remember, you can Google a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the fellowship and the word online event website you will find on with today's broadcast but also many of her previous audio programs is no Fellowship in the Word.

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