Overcoming Fear: Empty Guts and The Glory of God
Overcoming Fear:
Empty Guts and The Glory of God
Opening Illustration:
The other day I was reading an interesting article about the Golden Gate Bridge. The Golden Gate Bridge is a national treasure and a feat of engineering. At the time that the Bridge was completed in 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world. Sadly, during the first phase of building the Bridge, 23 brave men fell to their deaths. You see, back in those days there were very few safety devices that would have protected the workers. As the project lingered on, more men fell and died. It seemed a daily occurrence that the local newspaper would report that another man had perished. The work on the Golden Gate Bridge slowed because the workers were afraid that they might fall to their end.
So when the Bridge was halfway completed, the architects and foremen decided to implement some changes in hopes that it would protect their worker’s lives but also in hopes that it might speed the project along. Their question, “what can we do to remove the fear of our workers so that they can focus on finishing this project”. The answer came in the form of a net! They built the largest net ever made and suspended it underneath the entirety of the Bridge where the men were working.
Was the net worth the cost? Ask the 10 men who fell into it after it was installed. That’s right, 10 men fell into the net and to their great delight, they survived the fall. An added benefit of the net was that the project sped up. The Golden Gate Bridge was finished ahead of time. Why? Because the men were no longer afraid of dying. They could focus on their work knowing that if they made a mistake, if they fell, that they had a safety net to catch them.
Point:
Surely you see the spiritual connection! People, all people, everybody wrestles with fear and anxiety. We are afraid that our mistakes could end to our destruction. We are afraid that our mistakes could lead to our termination at work, they could lead to divorce, our mistakes could damage important relationships. Sadly, most people feel that they have no safety net. Nothing to catch them if they fall. Did you know that anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the US, affecting 40 million adults. Did you know that Christians are not immune to fear, worry, and anxiety? Sadly Christians struggling with anxiety and fear are given advice that makes thing worse. A lot of times, this advice makes them question their faith, their walk with God, or if they are even saved.
Read your Bible more.
Pray more.
Go to church more.
Memorize Scripture.
Serve more.
We often times answer our anxieties with performance. If we perform these rights and rituals, if we perform this work or service, then we will feel better. To many times that is not how it works. Brothers and sisters, if you are struggling with anxiety and trying to weave a safety net woven with spiritual performance, you will fall into deeper misery. God does not want you to carry your burdens! He does not expect you to heal your own hurts by slapping self help bandaids on top of your pain. God wants you to rest. He wants you to be still. He wants you enjoy the peace He provides, not tire yourself out in our performative measures.
So how do you react to life’s problems. Do you pout? Woe is me! Poor pitiful Stuart. Ive been done wrong! Life aint fair. Do you sit in your miser and wish that life would have been kinder? Lots of people do. Do you point? The reason that I am struggling is because of so and so. It’s their fault not mine. Im a victim. They hurt my feelings or did something that I didn’t like. Spiritual immaturity is always marked with a level of pouting and pointing.
Or, do you pray? Do you turn your eyes upon Jesus?
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O soul, are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness you see? There’s light for a look at the Savior, And life more abundant and free. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace.
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Today’s Thought:
How Do You React To Life’s Problems? Do You Pout, Point, or Pray?
Point:
Charles Stanley is one of my all time favorite pastors. He reminds us that we are never really alone when we go through the troubles and difficulties of life. “As you walk through the valley of the unknown, you will find the footprints of Jesus both in front of you and beside you.” Jesus is always with us in our trials and hardships. Isn’t that comforting to know? No matter how far you stray, no matter how far removed I am from God, He is always present!
Today’s Quote:
“As you walk through the valley of the unknown, you will find the footprints of Jesus both in front of you and beside you.”
~ Charles Stanley
Background and Context:
Last week we were in Exodus 14. The Israelites had just crossed the Red Sea. The people of God crossed on dry ground as God held back the waters. When they finally arrived on the other side, God released the waters upon the army of the Egyptian Pharaoh, drowning them beneath the murky deep. God’s children were not free, able to chart their own path. I would love to tell you that that was the end of the story. God showed up. God showed off. The people all saw God and they wondered at His works and worshiped Him. Exodus 15 captures Moses singing before the Lord. He sings of God’s greatness and splendor. God will never abandon His people and He will protect them. Even when their faith is weak, God will be there to help them. Exodus 16 we find the people of God wondering in the wilderness near Elim and Sinai. The same people who spoke out against Moses do the same in Exodus 16. Their grumbling is fueled by worry. They are worried that they will not have enough to eat. Their empty guts lead to a near mutiny. Yet again, the Lord provides for His people in the midst of their trials and hardships. God makes, and this is no joke, angel food bread fall from heaven. So, let’s read through this passage together and discover some answers to our modern day worries.
Today’s Scripture:
Exodus 16:1-15 ESV
They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. 2 And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, 3 and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”
4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. 5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.” 6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, “At evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 7 and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against the Lord. For what are we, that you grumble against us?” 8 And Moses said, “When the Lord gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the Lord has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him—what are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the Lord.”
9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, ‘Come near before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’” 10 And as soon as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. 11 And the Lord said to Moses, 12 “I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’”
13 In the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning dew lay around the camp. 14 And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. 15 When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.
The Israelites Were Worried! Why?
Use Matthew 6:25-30 As A Guide!
Point:
That’s right, Jesus spends a great deal of time talking about worry and anxiety. Isn’t it funny that anxiety and worry are as old as the Old Testament. The people of God were worried about God’s protection last week. This week they are worried about His provision. “He got us out of Egypt last week but He is going to let us starve this week”! How silly does that sound to us today? Still, we do the same even today. We have all the hindsight in the world but we still are afraid that God will take care of our needs. Let’s look briefly at what Jesus says about worry and how we can overcome worry. Let’s read from Matthew 6:25-30.
Matthew 6:25-30 ESV
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
I. Worry Is Unreasonable
Point:
The first point that I want us to all understand this morning is that worry is unreasonable. The Israelites had been set free from Egyptian oppression. God had sent plagues, angels, pillars of fire, spilt seas, and drown their greatest enemies. Still they worry. How silly. To see God move in such mighty ways and still wrestle with disbelief and doubt makes no sense.
Worry—feeling uneasy or troubled—seems to plague multitudes of people in our world today. It's human nature to be concerned about the bad situations in our world and in our personal lives, but if we're not careful, the devil will cause us to worry beyond what's reasonable.
Like a rocking chair, worry is always in motion, but it never gets you anywhere. So why do we struggle with it? And what good does it do?
Worry is the opposite of faith. It steals our peace, physically wears us out, and can even make us sick. When we worry, we torment ourselves—we're doing the devil's job for him! Worry is caused by not trusting God to take care of the various situations in our lives. Too often we trust our own abilities, believing that we can figure out how to take care of our own problems. And yet, after all our worry and effort to go it alone, we come up short—unable to bring about suitable solutions.
Matthew 6:25 says, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” (NIV). Jesus is saying, if it’s not going to last, don’t worry about it. To worry about something you can change is unwise and unuseful. To worry about something you can’t change is useless. Either way, it’s unreasonable to worry.
The best thing to do when you start to worry is pray. Prayer has power! It has the power to change your perspective. It has the power to change your heart. It has the power to change your life! Worry, on the other hand, has no redeeming power. In fact, it’s worthless. Worry is unreasonable. It is irrational. Plus, we typically worry about the wrong things: how we look, what we say, the people we’re talking to, what we are or aren’t accomplishing—stuff that isn’t going to matter in five years. To worry about something you can’t change is illogical. If you can’t change it, why worry about it?
Matthew 6:25 NLT
“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?
I. Worry Is Unreasonable
II. Worry Is Unnatural
Point:
The people of Israel began to grumble against Moses saying, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” What a horrible unnatural feeling for them to have. They have seen God move in mighty ways, slay their enemies, set them free, and still they want to die under the horrible rule of a tyrant. There is nothing natural or normal about those feelings. Sadly, many of us have the same sorts of feelings. When life is hard, we just want to sit in the dark. We just want to cry. Sometimes it is easier to just give up rather than to go on. I get it! Ive been there before.
Jesus gives us an illustration from nature in Matthew 6:26: “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (NIV). There’s only one thing in all of God’s creation that worries: human beings. We’re the only things God has created that don’t trust him, and God says this is unnatural. Worry is unnatural. You weren’t made to worry. Nature does not worry. Human beings are the only creatures that worry.Have you ever seen a bird walking around the backyard worried that it might not find a worm to eat? If birds don’t have to worry about how God takes care of them, then neither should you.
Speaking of birds, I have a bird house in my back yard. There are I think 5 birds living in that house. Two adult birds and they have a nest of three baby birds. I have given some time to watching those little birds. They come and go. They bring food into the house. I can hear the little baby birds fighting with each other over worms I guess. Eventually these two adult birds will push the baby birds from the nest. As I have watched them come and go, I don’t get the feeling that they are stressed or worried about life. They dont seem stretched thin, lives out of control. Then I look at my house. There are two big birds living in my house and we have 3 baby birds living with us. The three baby bird argue with each other all the time and I can promise you that the two big birds stress all the time about finances, our future, how are we going to pay for college, how can we afford the tutors, car insurance and the list goes on and on. Oh to be like the birds living in my back yard.
Then it hit me! Why can’t I be like the birds in my backyard. It is just a mindset. It is just a choice. Will I trust God? Will I believe in His provision? Or will I choose to life on my terms?
The only way to have victory in our lives is to play by God's rules, and He says we must quit worrying if we want to have peace. So, when things come our way that cause us to be concerned, we need God's help. But how do we get it? I Peter 5:6-7 lists two important steps: 1) humble yourselves, and 2) cast your anxieties—or cares—on Him.
All of us would be better off if we'd learn to lean on God and ask for His help. But as long as we try to do everything ourselves, God will let us. He won't take care of our problems and worries—our anxieties—until we turn loose of them and give them to Him. Either we're going to do it or God's going to do it, but both of us aren't going to.
Now, casting your care doesn't mean you can be irresponsible. God won't do for you what you can do yourself. You must do what you can do, and then trust God to do what you can't. When we humble ourselves and ask for His help, then He will release His power in our situations. It's only then that we can really enjoy life.
So the cure for worry is humbling ourselves before God, casting our cares on Him, and trusting Him. When we are able to believe and say, "God, I trust You," it will literally change our lives.
Matthew 6:26 NLT
26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?
I. Worry Is Unreasonable
II. Worry Is Unnatural
III. Worry Is Unhelpful
Point:
So the people are worried, then they grumble against Moses and God. Worry often leads to grumbling is never very helpful. Friends did you know that grumbling doesnt help? Grumbling, like worry is unhelpful. It doesn’t change anything. Worry cannot make you bigger or smaller, thinner or fatter. Worrying about any problem will never move you one step toward a solution. It just makes you tired and stressed. “Worry weighs us down” (Proverbs 12:25 The Message). It doesn’t change anything. Matthew 6:27 says, “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (NIV). When you worry about a problem, it doesn’t bring you one inch closer to the solution. It’s like running on a treadmill — a lot of activity, energy, and motion, but no progress. Worry doesn’t change anything except you. It makes you miserable!
I've learned that my attitude has a lot to do with living a worry-free life. There will always be situations that cause us concern, but with God's help, we can live above all of it and enjoy life. However, when you give your problems to God, you must also decide to be satisfied with His answers.
See, trusting God to do what's best for us also involves dying to self. Paul said, ...It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20). You can trust God to do what's best for you, so you don't have to worry about it. When you have a positive attitude and keep your faith in God, you can't be defeated.
Together, faith and the Word of God will help you overcome worry. Worrying involves negative thoughts, but speaking positive things out of your mouth will interrupt those negative thought patterns. When we are full of the Word of God, we can speak it out of our mouths in faith. Faith is stronger than doubt, negativism and unbelief. It has a positive attitude that can overcome our past and lead us into a great future.
Faith is a powerful force that cannot be conquered.
Matthew 6:27 NLT
Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
I. Worry Is Unreasonable
II. Worry Is Unnatural
III. Worry Is Unhelpful
IV. Worry Is Unnecessary
Point:
I wonder if Moses ever asked his people, “do you really believe that God went through all this trouble to abandon us today”. I remember when my parents dropped me off in Birmingham,AL when I was 18 years old. I was attending Samford University and for the first time in my life I was on my own. I remember when they pulled out of of the Chick fil a parking lot being eaten up with fear. How would I make it? I just knew that I was going to fail. God was with me. He never abounded me. My fears were unnecessary.
Then I asked Angela to marry me. When she said “yes” an overwhelming fear washed over me. How would I ever be able to take care of her? How could I provide for her. I just knew that I was going to fail. God was with me. He never abounded me. My fears were unnecessary.
I remembered when we had our first, second and adopted our third child. How in the world would I be able to raise these boys? Did I really think that I could be a good Dad? I just knew that my children would be disasters. God was with me. He never abounded me. My fears were unnecessary.
Then God called me to Eastern Shore Baptist Church. Young. Green. Inexperienced. Filled with doubts. Oh I have made plenty of mistakes along the way. Plenty. I just knew that I would fail. After all I was following the great Grant Barber. I’ll be lucky to make it 6 months here. When I first came here, we had an interim staff member that told me that I would probably not make it 6 months. What if he was right? What if I would not make it six months? God was with me. He never abounded me. My fears were unnecessary.
I have discovered over my 44 years of being on planet earth that worry is unnecessary. Do you know what is necessary? Worship. That’s correct, worry is unnecessary but worship is necessary.
Worry and worship are exact opposites, and we'd all be much happier if we learned to become worshippers instead of worriers. Worry opens the door for the devil, but worship is reverence and adoration for God that leads us into His presence. God created us to worship Him, and I don't believe we can walk in victory if we don't become worshippers.
Sometimes, when we don't have what we need or want, the enemy tries to discourage us and keep us from worshipping God. But when we know that God has our best interests at heart, we can worship Him regardless of our circumstances. Remember, God is good, even when our circumstances are not! God may not always give us our heart's desire right away. But He always wants us to develop a deep, personal relationship with Him and an outrageous love for Him—so much so that we can't live without it. This kind of relationship and love brings about worshipful attitude that God wants us to have.
When Satan throws worry on you, I challenge you to stop what you're doing, get down on your knees before God, and begin praising Him. Worship is a spiritual weapon, a warhead or bomb you can use against the enemy. Your prayers and worship will get you heavenly help, and you won't have to fight your own battles alone. God's grace and power can make things happen with ease that you can't bring about no matter how much you struggle.
So stop worrying about everything, give it to God, and live in grace. Grace isn't just divine favor—it's power! Don't waste another day of your life worrying. Determine what your responsibility is and what it is not. Don't try to take on God's responsibility. When we do what we can do, God steps in and does what we can't. So give yourself and your worries to God and begin enjoying the abundant life He has planned for you.
Matthew 6:28-30 NLT
28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
There Is No Room For Worry Because God Is Always At Work!
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