Sermon June 21
Nehemiah 2:1-20
Faith is Greater than Fear. God-sized burdens require God-dependent courage. Fear is an invitation to Faith. Jesus invited Peter to walk on water which he did, but when he began to look at the wind and the waves he began to sink. Are you looking at the waves or at the Savior? Fear looks at the wind and waves. Fatih looks at Jesus. Many Christians believe that if they were really trusting God, they wouldn’t feel afraid. Yet Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, Elijah, Esther, Mary, Peter, Paul, and Nehemiah all faced fear. What distinguishes them is NOT that they were FEARLESS but that they were FAITHFUL. GOD’S PRESENCE BECAME MORE DETERMINITIVE THAN THEIR FEAR. “FEAR NOT” appears hundreds of times in the Bible. Almost always it’s paired with “I AM WITH YOU.” WHEN YOUR TRUST IN GOD IS GREATER THAN YOUR FEAR, FEAR LOSES ITS POWER. Choosing Faith over Fear is not a one-time decision. Fear comes back again and again and again. Each time you must choose faith instead of fear. SERVING GOD DOES NOT MEAN that you are FEARLESS but that your FAITH IS GREATER THAN FEAR. GOD’S PRESENCE BECAMES MORE DETERMINITIVE THAN YOUR FEAR. YOU ALIGN WITH GOD AND YOU TRUST IN HIM.
Discussion Questions
- What fears are most likely to grab ahold of you? Where do you find it most difficult to trust God?
- Have you ever tried living in faith instead of fear as a deliberate choice? How did this change your feelings? How did this effect your outcomes?
- Who have you seen live fearlessly in the bible because of faith? Who have you seen do this in your lifetime?
