Dr. Jeremiah started out by sharing the story of FDR's history. You could look up the complete history on the internet. Here are some key points:
The trial and tribulations in the life of FDR could invoke terror and fear into anyone. At a time when the polio vaccine was not yet discovered, polio did, in fact, attack Roosevelt's body. He admitted that this devastating blow to his health brought him to the edge of despair and discouragement. However, he overcame the fear of his paralysis and learned to use what was not affected by the polio to build an incredible life.
In addition to his physical ailment, FDR also had a phobia. Being paralyzed, he lived with the constant fear of being trapped in a building on fire; worried that he could not get out in time. These two obstacles made people think that he would never do much with his life.
We now know better. FDR became the 32nd President of the United States. His inaugural speech, one of the longest ever recorded in history, dealt with the subject of fear. In fact, he coined the phrase, "we have nothing to fear but fear itself."
In our current war against terrorism, we could use a speech like that again!
Dr. Jeremiah asked, "What are you afraid of?" He listed several possibilities, such as job concerns, getting a pink slip, business deal failing, a son on drugs, a teen daughter becoming sexually active, health problems, worry over life expectancy. Did you know that our life expectancy has nearly doubled since [I think he said the founding of our country]? Despite this fact, we are more fearful than ever! Why is that?
Dr. Jeremiah then listed what some "studies" have shown when surveys are conducted regarding what people fear about their health. When those who suffered from the ailments of migraines, osteoperosis, cancer, brain injuries etc. the total came out to be 543 million sufferers! But the U.S. has only 266 million people! Someone is "double-dipping!" We see that "fear sells" and the media, of course knows this!
[Note: I wasn't able to keep up with note-taking at this particular point, but I think that Dr. Jeremiah shared a quote from Don Workman. The emphasis was on one portion of that quote.]
Don Workman's quote began with, "The elusive monster of fear...," and ended with "...on days when free-floating anxiety" takes you over. The point that Dr. Jeremiah was making is that many of us "...feel afraid, but don't know why. You just can't pinpoint the reason." [If I can find the entire quote, I will post it later.]
Summary of Dr. David Jeremiah's sermon:
A. Love is the opposite of fear.
The epistle of 1 John shows us how to overcome this fear through love. Some people believe that courage is the opposite of fear. But no, the Bible informs us that love is the opposite of fear.
Think about a child who wakes up in the middle of the night, crying out of fear of the dark or a bad dream. You don't run in there and say, "be courageous!" do you? Of course not! You run in and hold your child, giving him/her love and security by your presence.
1 John 4:17-19 reveals the perfection of love and that perfect love casts out fear!
1Jo 4:17
Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
1Jo 4:18
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.
1Jo 4:19
We love him, because he first loved us.
God's love matures in us; and is then marked by confidence.
1Jo 4:12
No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
Love is mentioned 41 times in this chapter! We can have the confidence that God loves us and thus we can get ahold of this fact. He is your Father and His love gives us the ability to love Him back.
Knowing God's love for you takes away fear!
This is the kind of love that the world needs to see. It is a love that is not "normal or natural."
Dr. Jeremiah then gave and example of such "not normal or natural" love. He mentioned a Chinese leader whose wife was a Christian. Despite the oppression and persecution inflicted upon the Christians in China, the leader noticed that they continue on in their private worship and don't retaliate. He asked his wife why they "put up" with that? And the wife told him that their love is "out of the ordinary." As 1 John 4:17-18 says, "...perfect love casts out fear."
Dr. Jeremiah shared a brief story about an evangelist from England who came to witness to the Indians in America. He was the only "Englishman (a.k.a 'white' person)" to stay there and share the gospel, despite being treated in a bad way. But he remained fearless. He told the Indians, "I am about the work of a great God and I don't fear you. Touch me if you dare."B. Love protects us from discouragement.
We don't usually hear the term "dismayed" much in our time, but it comes from an old Hebrew word that means, "not to be intimidated by fear." The words, "be not dismayed" appear in many verses in the Bible, and each time those words are used, God is in the picture! God is telling His people to not be discouraged or afraid! Here's why:
Deu 31:8
And the LORD, he [it is] that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
Jos 1:9
Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God [is] with thee whithersoever thou goest.
1Ch 28:20
And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do [it]: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, [even] my God, [will be] with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.
2Ch 20:15
And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle [is] not yours, but God's
[ In this portion of Scripture, the armies were coming to destroy them. As we see, in 2 Chronicles 20:16-29, the LORD helped them defeat the enemies of God and His people.]
C. Love protects us from danger.
In an interesting "battle of favorite Bible verses for casting out fear," a woman told famous evangelist D.L Moody that her favorite is:
Psa 56:3
What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
Then, D.L. Moody shared his favorite:
Isa 12:2
Behold, God [is] my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH [is] my strength and [my] song; he also is become my salvation.
Moody's point was it's better to trust God and not fear, than to fear then trust God. It's like a "vaccine you take."
Because God love you - love dispels the fear.
2Ti 4:17
Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and [that] all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.
2Ti 4:18
And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve [me] unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom [be] glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Psa 27:1
[[[A Psalm] of David.]] 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?
Pro 3:25
Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.
Pro 3:26
For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.
Pro 29:25
The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.
Isa 41:10
Fear thou not; for I [am] with thee: be not dismayed; for I [am] thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
We don't have to worry that we will be defeated in some battle.
He was never harmed. His courage of faith is an example for all Christians today. God's love casts out all fear; there is no fear of man.
D. Love protects us from fear of death.
Hbr 2:14
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
Hbr 2:15
And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage
Dr. Jeremiah shared a story about a man who was so fearful of getting Lymes disease from a tick bite (despite being assured by several doctors that he didn't get it), his anxiety and fear of death ended up killing him.
As a Christian believer, Dr. Jeremiah isn't in a hurry to die, but he isn't afraid to die. He knows what's on the other side.
E. Love protects us from fear of damnation.
1Jo 4:18
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.The perfect love of God was displayed for us through Jesus at the cross. As believers, we won't face the judgment for our sins. But you can be "paralyzed on earth" for sin. You won't face the Great White Throne Judgment that non-believers will face.
If you are a Christian and you still sin? It is a relationship issue, not a salvation issue. If you have been genuinely saved, then you may need to go to the Father and repent of those sins to re-establish your relationship in Christ. But you won't be condemned for those sins because Jesus already paid the penalty on your behalf. Once saved, you can never be condemned for sin!
Rom 8:1
[There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.As believers in Jesus Christ, we will face the Judgment Seat of Christ in which loss of rewards may occur because for what has been done in the flesh.
Jhn 5:24
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.Believers in Christ have already made peace with God.
If you are not a Christian? Then I would be very afraid. The only answer for you is Jesus Christ. I can't do anything for you.
One of the awful torments for the lost soul is to think of the days gone by where God's mercies through Christ were rejected. The lost will think, "I might have been saved; now His wrath is upon me forever." The lost men and women will endure that for all eternity.
When you die, you either go to heaven or hell. There is no place called purgatory. You must trust in Jesus Christ alone. Don't believe that? It doesn't mean a thing; it's still true. The mental anguish when you willingly rejected the gospel will cause mourning and regret; when you could have been saved!
Why would you play with that? Why live like that?
Accept Christ and you can live in the love of God!
Do you suppose that because you are young that you can hold off on such a decision? There are no guarantees.
Do you think that because you are old it's "too late?" It's never too late! One minute in hell would negate that premise!
Followers of Christ are protected by God's perfect love. His love will become perfected in you.
Next week: The Life God Blesses.
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2 comments:
”FDR became the 32nd President of the United States. His inaugural speech, one of the longest ever recorded in history, dealt with the subject of fear. In fact, he coined the phrase, "we have nothing to fear but fear itself."
In our current war against terrorism, we could use a speech like that again!”
I agree completely. Too bad we haven’t been given such a speech in the past five years!
”Dr. Jeremiah then listed what some "studies" have shown when surveys are conducted regarding what people fear about their health. When those who suffered from the ailments of migraines, osteoperosis, cancer, brain injuries etc. the total came out to be 543 million sufferers! But the U.S. has only 266 million people! Someone is ‘double-dipping’!”
They must have been rather old “studies”: the current population of the US is now about 296 million people. As for “double-dipping”, doesn’t the good Doctor realize it’s possible to suffer from more than one ailment simultaneously? Someone who’d had a brain injury is also very likely to have migraine headaches too, for example.
” We see that "fear sells" and the media, of course knows this!”
Obviously, so does the current Administration, which uses the media to distribute their own message of fear. The media isn’t responsible for “we need to fight them over there so we won’t have to fight them over here”. The media didn’t use the Weapons of Mass Destruction bogeyman. The media didn’t issue a directive saying air travelers can’t bring hand lotion or bottled water with them on a plane. The media, as it always does, mainly echoes the words of those in power. As someone who pontificates on millions of TV screens every week, Dr. Jeremiah should know this.
The rest of the speech—sorry, sermon, was pretty good; but I Corinthians 1:8 said it more elegantly, without all the politics:
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud; it is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”
Have a good day.
Like gmpilot, I too wish we had a leader like FDR at this time. Heck, I'd settle for a leader like Millard Fillmore at this point.
I've always been partial to the Marines version of that well known psalm, "Yea, though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I shall fear no evil, for I am the meanest, (insert curse word of your choice), in the Valley."
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