OVERCOMING FEAR!

Yesterday, I had the joy and privilege of preaching at the Tulsa International Baptist Church on “Overcoming Fear.” Several members of the church told me that it was a timely message. During the preaching, I sensed the Lord was speaking to His people through the message that was translated into Chinese. In fact, three individuals came to the front of the church requesting for prayer when we did the Altar Call. As I prayed for them, I trust the Lord met them at the points of their needs. Afterwards, I also got an opportunity to talk with two others who found the message encouraging. I will stay in touch with them for continued encouragement. To God be the glory!

Below is the outline of the sermon I preached yesterday. Please leave a comment on this post if it is a blessing to you.

Sermon title and text:

“OVERCOMING FEAR” 

“Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
(Isaiah 41:10, NKJV)

Central Idea:

FAITH, accompanied with the Word, prayer, and love, OVERCOMES FEAR

 Points to Ponder:

A.     Overcoming Fear with Faith in God’s Word

1. “365 ‘Fear Nots’ in the Bible,” e.g. Joshua 1:5-9; Isaiah 35:4; Daniel 10:19; Jeremiah 10:17, etc.

2. An intake of God’s Word eliminates Fear (cf. Romans 10:17) 

B.     Overcoming Fear with Faith in Prayer

1. “The Word of God produces faith that makes prayer dynamic and vital.” Taken from Jim Cymbala’s DVD teaching titled, “When God’s People Pray”

2. James 5:16b, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (NLT)

C.      Overcoming Fear with Faith and Perfect Love

1. “...perfect love casts out all fear” (cf. I John 4:17-18)--

“17And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. 18Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.” (NLT)

2. When we seek the Lord, He delivers us from all our fears (cf. Psalm 34:4)--

“I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me.
    He freed me from all my fears.” (NLT).

Conclusion:

FAITH, accompanied with the Word, prayer, and love, OVERCOMES FEAR. Therefore, without God’s Word which is “the sword of the Spirt” (Ephesians 6:17), we have nothing to draw and defend ourselves from fear. Similarly, without prayer, our lifeline to God, we have no way to seek for God’s deliverance from fear and we will be dragged away into Satan's den of fear. Lastly, without a perfect love relationship between us and the Lord, we give the devil a foothold through which he can bombard us with fear.Though we don’t know what the future holds, for instance, we know Jesus who holds the future. We, therefore, don't have to fear the future. Instead, let us trust Jesus with our future and everything else about our lives. When fear knocks at the door, let us send faith to answer the door. 

"²⁴May the Lord bless you
    and protect you.²⁵ May the Lord smile on you
    and be gracious to you.²⁶ May the Lord show you his favor
    and give you his peace." (Numbers 6:24-26)