The Joy of Being Delivered from Fear

Father I pray that you would guide us through this particular passage the day my Jesus be exalted through it.

By this congregation, beatified by will be very careful to give you praise, honor and glory for all that you do for us and it's in Jesus holy wonderful and precious name we pray. Amen. My sermon for this service was scheduled to be a sermon on the subject of hail. It's very important subject, and we will get back to it next week but in light of what's been going on in the last few weeks here in our country and across the world I wanted to preach to you today on the subject of fear. The sermon that I'm preaching today is entitled the joy of being delivered from fear. Bert Parsons is one of the ministers who ministers at polygamy or ministry and he said the following. I wanted to share this with you.

This is a time for us to live out the gospel.

We proclaim and profess so often we are trying to treat this trial just like we do other trials in our life. We were just trying to get through them. The purpose of trials and suffering is not just a muscle our way and get through them saying we are going to grind our teeth and get through it, but it's to humble ourselves is time to investigate our own hearts and asked the Lord to examine us and know our ways is time for us to stop and pause and see if there's any wicked way in us. It is time for us to really focus our lives on the Lord and to take our theology seriously.

Amen to that lists coronavirus situation that we are in today is very serious, and so we asked the question why is it not natural for us to experience fear and I would save you. Yes it is very natural for us but for those of us who know God.

Why should we accept the natural when God is able and willing to give us the supernatural in second Timothy chapter 1 verse seven was the apostle Paul.

He said, for God is not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind. If God is not given is that spirit of fear, where did it come from. It came from our enemies. That's where it comes from from the world, the flesh and the devil, while a look at these eight verses today in Psalm 34 that we might be instructed concerning the joy that we can experience as we are being delivered from fear and David is just been through one of most harrowing experiences that he is ever had to deal with in his life, Mrs. David nail this is the, the future King of Israel. This is the giant killer goal, the one who killed the great Philistine warrior Goliath, then this is David who slew thousands of Philistine soldiers and yet David is experiencing something here that is absolutely scared him so bad that it is rock his life and really get into the experience that David had that so scared even just a few minutes but I want to share with you first. Just a time to meditate on these great verses that David wrote David wrote these from a cave and it was a time where we are. David did believe that he was an absolutely hopeless situation and God intervene and save David's life and David experience some great and glorious things and as God drained everything here from his heart and really set them free from that. Listen to this outburst of praise versus 133.

I will place praise the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord, let the humble hear and be glad who magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together unto the picture. David is is in that cave.

The cave of a dull him and he's probably on his knees, maybe even prostrate down his face before the Lord, all the fears all the tears all the trim light is gone and all David can do is just worship God. I think David probably worship God greater at this point in time than any other time.

Up to this point in his life. I think David is is excited about Louise, who he knows is Lord he is praising him from the very depths of his heart. He is bragging on Jehovah.

He is he is boasting on the Lord, and he can't stop. This is not a prayer of supplication.

It is not a prayer of intercession. It is not asking God for anything.

It is just pure unadulterated praise only ask you something over these last few weeks have you been praying I don't know about you but I've been praying and asking God for mercy on our world and he would lift this coronavirus off of us and he would have mercy on us. I been praying for wisdom for myself and for the leaders of our church that we might know exactly what to do exactly what you would have us to do. Been praying for the leaders of our nation. I been interceding for those who have contracted the virus and asking the Lord have mercy on them and and bring healing but have I really praise the Lord. Have I done that I don't think I've done that. Like I should. So what brought David to this point where all he can do is praise God. Look at verses four through eight. I saw the Lord and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant in their faces shall never be ashamed. This poor man cried and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.

The angel of the Lord encamps around those who theory and delivers them over taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. God delivered David from all his fears. In verse six. David said this poor man cried and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all of his troubles in David's case.

In this particular situation. God remove David's fears by removing David's troubles went when the troubles left his fear left and that's a good not to glorious thing but I want you to know it doesn't always happen this way God can leave you in your trouble and still take away your fear, should we pray when we're in a time of trouble that God would remove the trouble.

I think we can certainly do that. Jesus did it in in the garden of Gethsemane when he knew that on the next day he was headed for the cross and he it was in the garden of Gethsemane praying he was sweating great drops of blood and as he was praying he was saying, Lord, let it if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. It was not possible he had to go to the cross to pay the for the salvation of his people. It was not possible God could not taking out of his trouble free had to go to the cross.

But God remove that fear from his heart. This was not a sinful fear is was just a human reaction to the horrors of the cross, but that after he got up off his knees. He was able to forge ahead to the cross. So sometimes God removes the trouble sometimes he doesn't. But in all times. He can remove the fear so David challenges us in verse eight. Look what he says. Taste and see that the Lord is good.

Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. This is a challenge to every Christian. If you fear God, you don't have to fear anything else. Remember this truth. An unbeliever may be free from trouble, but only the children of God can be free from fear and Isaiah chapter 57 Isaiah said that there is no peace for the wicked faith.

Fear skews me is a lack of faith it's a lack of peace. Let me share an illustration with you. When I went to Israel back in 1977 what you we I went with a tiered tour group and most of the rest of the people it were all mature preachers and I had not even started seminary yet so I was a deacon, but I won a preacher at that time got on the bus and we went down to Jericho. And while we were in Jericho. We met a man is 22-year-old American dressed like a hippie. He had a small suitcase in one hand and a and a guitar on his back and he started talking to us in the ascus if if we were going back to Jerusalem. We said yes and he said can I have a ride on your bus and we said yes so he got on the bus and he sat down in the seat right in front of me with a pastor and I could hear their conversations just perfectly. And he started explaining to the pastor at what his story was. He had just graduated from college and he was getting ready just tour the world and he wanted to do all that before he actually started working. The pastor started talking to him about his soul and he said well you know I just really don't want to talk too much about that because I just kind of a enjoying life right now and and I'm not really into that God thing and so I just want you know that I don't cause anybody any trouble and I'm just a peace loving God and the pastor said well I'll be honest with you said I don't think you have any piece and the young man said what you mean you don't think I have anything said you don't know my heart. You don't know me. He said no. I don't know you said I know the Scripture and the Scripture says that the unbeliever has no peace.

AAC don't you think about someone you go to bed at night and all of a sudden the thought of death comes in your mind is there not a not that wells up in your stomach and when you think about the day that you will stand before God and he will give an account for every law that you have broken and you will give an account for every commandment that you have mocked is or not. Not that just that just rises up in your stomach and the guy looked at him. He said will maybe so. The pastor took his little New Testament with Psalms and it took it out and he opened it up to Psalm chapter 34 and he read him verse four the words of David, I saw the Lord and he heard me and delivered me out of all my fears and the preacher said a few years ago was in the same situation that you are in the set. I was afraid of old age.

I was afraid of death.

I was afraid of God and he said I had a friend that told me that no counselor, no psychologist, no psychiatrist, no well-meaning friend could take the fear out of my heart. If there was only one thing that could take the fear out of my heart that was entered into a covenant relationship with Jesus Christ for the rest of that trip is over, the one we were going from Jericho back to Jerusalem. This pastor share the gospel with thing they got back to Jerusalem. The pastor said if you'd like to come up to my hotel room will continue to talk.

They did, and in that hotel room that young man got down his face before God repented of his sins and trusted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

I saw them by about two days later his whole countenance.

He changed and he said to me said, you know, I didn't know why I I was going to to Israel, I had no idea why he said I was to travel the world could going to Paris.

I could've gone to Switzerland I could've gone to London but God had an appointment with me here.

I was seeking for peace and I didn't realize that true peace is wrapped up in a person, the person of Jesus Christ and he said were not came to know Jesus. He gave me a piece like I didn't know even know existed. He took all his fears.

Most of the people here in this message right now are Christians and I don't have to tell you that fear is often times a problem for even us as Christians. Satan is a master at attacking us with fear, if he can force us to capitulate to fear.

Then he'll render us useless in his kingdom work. How many Christians felt the call to go to the mission field or two didn't evolve in some type of ministry and they didn't do it because of the fear of losing financial security or fear failure. How many times the Christians get an opportunity to to witness to share their faith and they don't do it for fear of rejection and many Christians get a disease and is soon as they hear that they got that disease they are just a basket case with fear. These fears are common, but that doesn't give us the right to accept them and just roll over and let them control us in Psalm 34 this is what David is.

It is pressing in his time of need. When fear had devastated him.

What many do. He sought the Lord, he saw the Lord now should go back to the first part of this of this passage which says Psalm 34 there's a heading right under that that describes the situation in which David was in when he wrote this and it says this a Psalm of David. When he changed his behavior before Abimelech who drove him away and he departed. You probably remember that story comes from first Samuel chapter 21 and Saul was chasing David Oliver Israel trying to killing he to go one place. Try to killing David would escape the J in data go somewhere else to go to that place and try to killing his went on and all known and David was tired of running so what he David do David chose to go to into a place called Gath.

Gath was one of the primary Philistine cities. I can remember reading this for the first time and I thought to myself at does not sound like good judgment for David to do this. David was the, the one who had killed their Philistine warrior their great general Goliath. He is the one who had had killed thousands of Philistine soldiers. David is the one who was a sworn enemy of of the Philistines, and now David walks down into the city. One of the primary cities of the list you as if he's just to be part of them. It's a very strange situation. Now the king of the Philistines at that time was a man his name was. I teach in heading that I just shared with you is called Abimelech that Abimelech is a title like Pres. or or Pharaoh who work king but his name is a quiche and acacias heard much about David.

He knows all about him. So a quiche finds out that David is in this camp and that David is, letting out the word that he might become a trader that he might be a traitor to Israel and that he might join ranks with the Philistines and that's a logical conclusion at the logical conclusion Saul is chasing David all over Israel trying to take his life trying to killing the key says I don't blame David for being a traitor and maybe David wants to get revenge. Maybe will some payback met. Maybe he wants a chance to fight against Saul and the show Saul whose balls with the servants of the kids went to their king and they said Sir we don't trust David. We just don't trust him and this might be a trick. David might be coming into to infiltrate us right now as a spy and then he's going to come back and destroy us.

David realized that he had made a horrible mistake. He realized that this was terribly bad judgment and he said to himself. My goodness, what the world was I thinking about.

I am the enemy of these people. These people absolutely hate me that they they know that I've killed thousands of their other family members and they don't want me coming in and working with famine and end and fighting with them. They want me dead. David was shaking when he stood before a quiche with no weapons with no army right in the middle of the garrison of the Philistines of Scripture says that he was sore afraid. I bet he was.

He was deeply concerned about this, and fear was attacking his heart, but David watched as God soften the heart of a quiche and a quiche had mercy on David and said letting go. Just releasing, letting go and they did and David ran out of there and he ran back to the cave of the Dolan and he fell on his face. I can imagine just breathing this great sigh of relief and with a trembling hand he starts writing down the words that we call Psalm 34 and he said this, I sought the Lord and he heard me, and he delivered me out of all of my fears. I think one of most important words in that statement is the word all what what kind of fears was David dealing with what kind of fear was attacking his heart is a fear of death.

There was a fear of pain was a fear of embarrassment. There was a fear of of failing God. It was a fear of man never remember this is the inspired word of God.

So when David rule is writing that he's under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit at any stalking that his own experience and what God's done for him, but I want you to know because it's the inspired word of God what David says for himself also applies to us that our enemy Satan is the master of fear. He knows where were vulnerable and he knows exactly what spirit of fear. He needs to plow into our heart to control us. There a lot of different fears that people have fear of the dark is very common fear.

That's why David said this in Psalm 91, he shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust is true, shall be thy shield and buckler that shalt not be afraid, for the Terra by night in the nighttime, faint sounds become laden with alarming significance. The creaking of furniture.

Sounds like the opening of the casket, a bramble bush looks like a prowling robber, a patch of snow looks like a ghost and it nighttime. Things are just exaggerated and they appear to be something that they're really not many people have a horror of darkness but is nothing but a deception for nothing is dark to God and God's promise to be with us, even in times of our darkness. He said he will never leave us nor forsake us in Psalm hundred 39 verse 12.

The Scripture says that darkness and the light or the same to God. Notice how God removes the darkness in this particular passage, Psalm 91.

AA says that the Lord takes his his feathers his pinions. His wings the covers over us in times of darkness in times when we are afraid now God doesn't have wings.

He doesn't have feathers but he uses the illustration of a mother hen to show us God's protection over us had a friend who's a fireman and this fireman shared with me that several years ago there was a a fire at an old farmhouse and they went out to the farmhouse in the house and just about been burned down very dry the barnyard and even called on fire that had been all burned up and insisted they were walking through the charred remains and he saw a big lump and city walked over that lumpy took a stick and he stuck it under the loan company flicked it up and he said when he did about six or seven little chicks came flying out and scurried away from from being under that lump and what was the lump. The lump was the mother hen the mother hand that was protecting her chicks and she took them when she knew there was danger and she brought them up under her wings, and she protected them and she say their lives. Psalm 91 says that's exactly what God does to us.

If you concerned about darkness.

Spent some time in Psalm 91, but so fears are very real.

One is the fear of disease. This is the, the, the fear that that so many in our world are dealing with today are members years ago I had a lady from Calvary Baptist Church to call me and she said there's been a terrible accident, not an accident was actually a calamity and there was a deacon in that church, who I knew very well who had committed suicide took up a gun, put it to his head and shot himself to death and she said our pastor is not in town.

She's a duck, could you come was pastor and sell side at that time and and I went I got there and the police were still there. The coroner was still there and his wife was there. I took her off to the side us and what happened. She said last week he went to the doctor and the doctors told him that he had cancer and I told him it was a slow moving cancer and they probably die of old age before he would dive something like this that she said as soon as he heard that word cancer. Fear hit his mind and his mind just snapped and she said he felt that the only way out was to commit suicide when I was in my first church in Creekmore there was a man in our church that had a mole on the back of his head. The mole started changing colors and and he absolutely freaked out over this. It just drove fear in his heart and he was so afraid he didn't do anything about it wouldn't go to the doctor. He didn't even hear about it within headaches came in headaches got worse and worse. Finally went to the doctor and the doctor looked at him and said why in the world did you not come to the earlier and he said I was afraid they did an operation owning and did surgery on his brain for three weeks later he died so there's a difference between fear and common sense. I've had Christians tell me that it's a lack of faith to go through cancer treatments. Baloney. That's garbage funds. I've got so many free and so many people that I love and care for benthic chemotherapy and radiation in these different things in their life is been asked and praise God for that faith means trusting God. It does not mean refusing to use methods and means that the medical field has failed to work when Martin Luther was dealing with the black death plague. He wrote these wise words that can help inform the way we approach things happening in our world right now. He said I shall ask God mercifully to protect us, then I shall fumigate help purify the air, administer medicine and take it. I shall avoid places and persons were my presence is not needed in order not to become contaminated and thus perchance inflict and pollute others, and so cause their death as a result of my negligence. If God should wish to take me. He will surely find me and I've done what he is expected of me and so I'm not responsible freezer my own death with the death of others is my neighbor needs me.

However, I shall not avoid place or person but will go freely. As stated above, see, this is such a God-fearing faith because it is neither brash nor foolhardy and does not attempt God. Another fear that many people have is the fear of poverty. What will I do if my it is my money runs out, we give you few verses to hold onto. If this is a fear that you struggle with Psalm 37 verse 25.

I've been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging bread. Matthew 631 333 therefore take no thought say and what shall we eat or what shall we drink or where shall we be clothed for after all these things do the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things but seek you first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. Philippians 419 for my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory through Christ Jesus. A fear of poverty is acknowledgment that your trust is not truly in God and God's desire is for all of his children to get to the point where they are not controlled by other things bother stuff because none of us can take our possessions with us. Not one material possession will go with us to heaven. It's all gone be left behind.

So when it all comes down to it doesn't really matter what kind of car you drove then really matter how pretty your home is done really matter how much money you have in your bank account. It will all be left behind. First Timothy 66 says, but godliness with contentment is great gain.

For we brought nothing into this world and it is certain that we can carry nothing out. One man said it this way, money is something that can buy anything anything but happiness and can take you any choir, but heaven another fears of fear of old age. One of the reasons that people fear old age is because it means a failing of their strength, and it means that they're probably gonna have to start depending on other people.

When we start getting all our bones get brittle. Our muscles start losing tone and power in the Gospel of John, Jesus is talking to Peter and he tells Peter gives them a prophecy about Peter himself tells him how he's going to die and he says this truly, truly, I say to you when you were young used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted when you are old you will stretch out your hands and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go. Jesus was speaking of the violent death that Peter would die and if you remember how Peter died. He died by crucifixion and as he was getting ready to be crucified. He told the soldiers when you crucify me finally upside down from not worthy to be crucified like Jesus. I had a older man in my former church whose children were getting ready to put them into a a nursing home and he really did not want to go and handed me his Bible and he said Doug turn it to two to John chapter 21 in verse 18 it said read it to me.

I did this is when you are young you pick yourself up and went wherever you wanted to go when you get old. Others will pick you up and carry you where you don't want to go. He said Jesus was talking to Peter, the city was also talking to me. Some fear old age because of the fear of being alone is talking to a man in a in a funeral home not long ago and he said Doug he said my wife is in heaven. My parents are in heaven, my brothers and sisters are in heaven and he said most of my friends are in heaven, to my children are in heaven and he says I'm ready to go. I'm lonely and homesick. I want to see my people. I want to see Jesus. I want to go home. Some fear old age only close this message with three verses that I want you just to take with you.

Psalm 56 verse three what time I am afraid I will trust in you.

Isaiah chapter 12 verse two. For God is my salvation.

I will trust and not be afraid. Psalm 34 verse 90 fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him, have no lack here's the key. The more you fear God, the less you have to fear anything else. If you fear God, you will have to fear darkness.

You don't have to fear disease. You will have to fear death. You'll have to fear poverty. You'll have to fear the coronavirus you have to fear anything for God will deliver us from all of our fears and what did David do for that to happen.

He said salt the Lord. I saw the Lord and he delivered me from all my fears people. Let me encourage you in this time not to let fear control you.

But seek the Lord. Seek his face praise him for who he is and intercede.

He can take us out of our trouble. But if he decides not to. He can take the fear out of our hearts must pray heavenly father we come before your throne today. Today in asked Lord that she be with us. We ask heavenly father that you help us, that we might understand the true's that are laid out for us here in Psalm 34 the triggers that we see all over the Scripture that you are a sovereign God all-powerful God at this coronavirus did not catch you by surprise, you knew exactly what was going to Take Pl. in Lord you are in control of it all. Help us heavenly father that our trust might be not in our government, not in our friends not in ourselves, not in our medicine that our trust might be in Jesus heavenly father, help us, that as a nation. This might be a warning to us that judgment is real helpless heavenly father that we might run to you during this time and that there might be a genuine national repentance and heavenly father that this nation, as well as nations all across our world might see that Jesus Christ is our answer is our only hope that we might bow our knee before you and repentance of sins and trust and faith that Jesus is our only hope of salvation. We love you today. Jesus, we thank you for loving us. I asked that you take care of us. I asked that you minister to those who are sick.

I asked father for healing for them and I asked Lord that you help us, that we might live without fear and is in Jesus precious and holy name we pray. Amen