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Fear
Nehemiah 6:9-19
In chapter 6 it's the
devil's last ditch effort to stop the good work on the wall.
We have seen him use distraction and slander, and now fear - [worry,
anxiety, nervousness.]
Twice in our passage we see
'afraid' and also 'fear.' The
enemy said, 'run for your life Nehemiah', but in v. 11 he said, 'should such
a man as I flee?'
The devil is the sinister
minister of fear. It's the
opposite of faith, which is what pleases God.
3 points on fear:
1.
Fear Degrades our Lord.
It's an insult to God.
An
insult to His sovereignty - He
is in control, but fear says no He's not.
An
insult to His providence - He
guides us, but fear says, no He doesn't.
An
insult to His power - He
protects us, but fear says, no He doesn't.
ill.--When Israel left
Fear degrades our Lord.
He is insulted as we forget His presence and stop trusting in Him.
So, God parts the waters
for
2 Timothy 1:7-8
7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power,
and of love, and of a sound mind.
8
Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor
of me his prisoner:
Get the picture, here's
Paul in prison, telling a guy who is free not to be afraid.
This means that fear should have nothing to do w/ our circumstances.
Fear is a choice. So is
trust!
2 Timothy 1:12
12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless
I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he
is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
I'm in prison, but I know
who's in control, who's with me, who's providing for me, and who's guiding
me. He's trusting in the
sovereignty, providence, and power of God!
Like Paul, Nehemiah isn't
focused on the enemy but on God.
v. 11-12a, 9b
When we are
fearful, we have forgotten 3 things:
·
Who
God is.
·
Whose
we are.
·
What
God has done for us.
Fear degrades our Lord.
2.
Fear Destroys our Lives.
Proverbs 29:25
25 The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his
trust in the LORD shall be safe.
A snare is a trap.
What does a trap do?
Immobilize! Render ineffective!
In our text the enemy wants
to trap Nehemiah w/ fear. There
was a prophet named Shemaiah, not a real man of God, but a hireling who did
it just for money. The enemy
uses Shemaiah by paying him to set a trap.
He hid in his house and pretended his life was in danger.
He got Nehemiah's attention and urged him to flee ... an attempt to
get him to leave the work of the wall.
v. 12 Nehemiah recognized Satan's
fear trap.
Satan is still laying that
trap for us today.
Fear brings a snare, and it
also brings torment.
1 John 4:18
18
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear:
because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
You can torment yourself
physically with fear. Anxiety,
ulcers, high blood pressure, stomach problems of all kinds.
Who here is terrified of
public speaking? Come on up and
finish the message will ya?!
Fear is to the body what
sand is to machinery. But faith
is like oil.
ill.--a man was getting up
in years. His brother died,
leaving him a million dollars.
The kids were afraid to tell Grandpa about this big inheritance because he
had a weak heart. They didn't
want him to have a coronary.
They said, let the pastor tell him, he's trained at breaking bad news.
They instructed the preacher and he agreed.
He joined grandpa on the porch, rocking.
A little small talk, then he broached the subject.
"Just hypothetical, what would you do if you inherited a million
dollars?" He said, "Well, at my
age I don't really need it. I
guess I'd just give it all to the church."
The preacher fell over dead of a heart attack.
Fear
bring a snare, torment, and...
Fear brings
bondage.
Hebrews 2:15
15
And deliver them who through fear of death were all their
lifetime subject to bondage.
Many cannot the enjoy the
moment because they are so afraid of what might happen.
Some can't fully enjoy
their own children because they're so afraid of what might befall them.
They become overprotective, and that breeds fear into those children,
and it becomes a vicious cycle.
Some can't focus on their
job because they are so afraid of losing it.
Some can't enjoy life because of fear of death, or losing their
health. Every time they hear
about a disease they think they've got it.
They hear symptoms and think they are developing them,
psychosomatically.
Fear destroys our lives, degrades our Lord...
3.
Fear Delights our Enemy.
Nehemiah was a gifted
leader, but it doesn't matter if he is paralyzed w/ fear, his talents would
be of no value.
And if we don't use our
gifts, we fail to be a blessing to God, but we delight the enemy.
Some can sing but won't, out of fear.
[teach, pray aloud, come
forward to altar, surrender to preach, get assurance of salvation]
Matthew 25:25
25
And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth:
What is the answer to fear?
Do what Nehemiah did.
Stay God focused, rather than enemy focused.
Remember His sovereignty, providence, and power.
1 John 4:4
4
Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because
greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
Psalm 27:1
1
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I
fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Romans 8:31
31
What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who
can be against us?
Fear of God alleviates all
other fears. And if you kneel
before God, you can stand before man!
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All Sermons and PowerPoint Slideshow Presentations ©Copyright Jerry Shirley and Grace Notes Ministries® unless otherwise credited. These resources are yours to use freely, but only in public worship services or private study groups and devotions. They may not be sold, republished or retransmitted in any form without written permission.
