No Fear! II
Lighthouse Fellowship of Friends Sermon
February 6, 2022
Pastor James Barclift
No Fear is a sermon from a series of topics that are close to Pastor Barclift’s heart, so this is from a series I’ll call Sermons from the Heart. The Scripture is Psalm 46. (NIV)
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth. A song.
1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the
mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with
their surging.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy
place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come and see what the LORD has done, the desolations he has brought
on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and
shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among
the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Building on last week’s sermon, Pastor Barclift focused more on the last half of Psalm 46 to show God’s power so we should have no fear! Fear is one of the tools of the devil. The Spirit of fear is demonic. Fear causes us to make poor decisions. Praise God, we have His power to have no fear!
God’s intervention is always on time. Psalm 30:4-5 (NKJV) says 4 Sing praise to the Lord, You saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. 5 For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning. While God may allow trouble to come our way, he intervenes at just the right time. Job is a clear example of this. Job suffered much, but God intervened and gave Job back more than he could have ever expected. Many of our troubles only help us to prepare for the kingdom as we build our faith. Just as Psalm 46: 4 says: “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells” ; God provides life giving water in the midst of his city so it cannot be defeated while under siege. When we find ourselves under siege, God provides us with the life-giving flow that cannot be blocked. So, we need have no fear! God makes war against our enemies and gives us the same power that Christ demonstrated when he calmed the stormy sea and when he rose from the tomb.
Daniel 12:4 notes some of what will happen in the end time. It says: “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” With the huge number of media sources, the internet, ability to look up information of all kinds that we have at our disposal today, certainly knowledge has rapidly increased to proportions we had never previously imagined. There will also be a falling away as noted in 1 Timothy 4:1 – “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 1 Timothy 4:1 – Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;” The devil will put doubt in believers and unbelievers alike that it is impossible for them to return to God because their sin is too great, or they got themselves into this mess so them must get themselves out, or anything else to try to diminish the wonderful saving grace of our Lord and to convince us that God’s mercy is not real or available to us. Satan is a liar and a deceiver. We need have no fear!
Instead of listening to Satan, we have the assurances of Psalm 46: 10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Because of these verses, we need have no fear!
When all the world around us includes the fearmongering media, the ungodly things we see and hear around us, we might think that fear rules our lives. Confidence in God keeps us from the fear-driven frenzy! Judges 7 tells the story of Gideon. Gideon led the Army of Israel against the much stronger enemy of the Midianites. Gideon gathered thousands to fight the battle, but the Lord God had him whittle down the ranks until there were only 300 soldiers left. Each soldier was given a lamp, a pitcher and a trumpet. At the appointed time, the lamps were lit and inside the pitchers, then as they came upon the enemy, the pitchers were broken so the lamps burned brightly, and the trumpets were blown. The mighty enemy was so frightened and confused that they attacked each other. The victory went to Israel, but more correctly to the Lord. The army of Israel could not brag that their strength and great numbers overcame the enemy, but that the Lord had done the work.
Fear is the opposite of faith. God was sovereign and in control in the days of Gideon’s Israel and He is still in control in 2022! God has a plan for this country and our world today. Just as he stood by Daniel in the Lion’s Den, Gideon against the Midianites, Jehosaphat against his enemies, and throughout God’s Word. We are members of an unshakeable kingdom. We are members of a God who fights our battles for us. 2 Chronicles 20 says in the story of Jehosaphat, “Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s…You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.” (verses 15 and 17)
Phillipians 4:6
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
