West Park Baptist Church

fear

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Advent 2020 – Isaiah 7:10-14 (Dec. 22)

[10] Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz: [11] “Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” [12] But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test.” [13] And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? [14] Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:10–14, ESV).

Recently my son showed me the book on the 9/11 tragedy that he borrowed from the library. That watershed day stands out in vivid detail in my memory, but he wasn’t alive then, and the culture after that day in America is all he’s known. We talked about surprise attacks from enemies; why people planned to cause so many deaths, and whether that could happen again. It was a day of great fear, and it still tempts us to fear.

Has anything caused you fear this year? Fear is a crucial tool God uses to reveal in us where we place our confidence: in God or in our own resources.

King Ahaz faced the threat of two kingdoms uniting against Judah and camping outside the city of Jerusalem waiting to attack. Ahaz’s solution was to send a bunch of gold to the king of Assyria in a cry for help. Ahaz trusted in his own resources during a time of great fear. 

God’s mercy is so vast. Even after Ahaz had betrayed the Lord that way, God still gave him a chance to repent and believe! That’s why God offered Ahaz a sign. But, since Ahaz had already declared his god to be gold, he refused to ask God for a sign. That’s when God introduced the biggest sign of all: Immanuel. 

It’s a name, and it means “God with us.” But it’s so much more than a name: it’s a Person. Specifically it’s a prophecy that was ultimately and fully accomplished in and by Jesus Christ. The foundation of our hope is the God Man Jesus Christ. Our hope is not that something bad won’t happen. It’s not that something good will come. Our hope is God with us, Jesus Christ. 

My son spoke such an encouraging truth about 9/11 and the threat of war. After we talked he concluded with this: “Buildings will fall down, but heaven is forever.” Amen. That’s true. Fear reveals where we place our confidence. It can’t be in things of this world, but in the One who entered this world.

The Lord gave Immanuel, God with us, as the sure and final word of promise. Lean into Jesus, fully trusting Him to keep you through whatever comes. As the prophet Isaiah said about the Lord, 

[3] You keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you. (Isaiah 26:3, ESV)

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Counsel for the Heart: Battle Unbelief (Heb. 13:5-6)

Are you ready to say this week’s memory verses?

Hebrews 13:5–6

[5] Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” [6] So we can confidently say,

“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?” (ESV)

How did you do memorizing the passage this week? Maybe you could say this verse to a family member or friend today. I even challenge you to submit a video of yourself saying the passage in the comment section below this article on Facebook!

As we finish this week’s focus, let’s look more in depth at our memory passage. We’ll once again see the way contentment helps us to battle fear.

Getting to the Heart

Recently I decided to try intermittent fasting along with my wife, and our goal was to eat only between noon and 8pm each day. We did that in order to help us maintain our health during a time when we needed it. Overall we did feel healthier and it helped us deal with some underlying health issues. But I also realized something about myself: I can very easily covet food! My stomach might have been full, or at least not experiencing any hunger pangs yet I wanted to eat! It’s amazing how I could fill myself with good, satisfying food yet still want more and more. While that time of intermittent fasting is mostly behind me, the lessons I learned through it stick with me. Covetousness: the desire to have more, is always with us.

The Hebrew church had experienced tremendous loss amidst persecution. The writer of this letter has acknowledged that the people “joyfully accepted the plundering of [their] property” (Heb. 10:34). They endured this by faith that in Christ they already had a better possession and one that would last! But by chapter 13 the author of this letter urges his brothers and sisters not to turn back to a life driven by the desire for more and more in this life. It’s not wrong to be wealthy. What he actually says is to “Keep your life free from the love of money.” This is the drive to get security, protection and prominence from what we can get. Yesterday I mentioned that these are fears, either that we will lose what we have or miss what we want. At the root of this is unbelief. Lack of faith in God. Believing that He is unreliable, untrustworthy, or even selfish – keeping from us what we need.

The way to battle these unbelieving thoughts is to repent of them, and to turn to the truth about God, the same way the writer of Hebrews did. Do you notice how he turned to scripture to counsel the believers? He quotes Joshua 1:5, Psalm 118:6 and Psalm 56:4 and 11.

Friends, this is the way to cultivate the contented faith to battle fear: hold on with spiritual tenacity to the promises of God! Here are a few to help you:

  • My God is absolutely good, and He does only what is best for me. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28, ESV)
  • God is my Father, and He supplies what I truly need before I ever ask. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. (Luke 12:30, ESV)
  • What I have currently is more than I deserve. [The Patriarch Jacob’s prayer] I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant… (Genesis 32:10, ESV)
  • My Lord is absolutely in charge, and I am His servant, entitled to what He wills for my life. I will not compare my life to another’s. Remembering the words of the Lord to Peter, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” (John 21:22, ESV)
  • My hope, my future, my people, my treasure, my home, my country and my God are in the Kingdom to come, not in this life. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. [16] But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. (Hebrews 11:15–16, ESV)
  • My God is with me all the time, and He is my Helper. So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6, ESV)

Let’s talk it over:

  • Covetousness is a hard sin to spot. We don’t typically confess it. But like I’ve had to learn how easily I can covet food, have you seen how easily you can covet things? What are things that we often covet? Why do we covet those things?
  • I’ve listed many truths and scripture passages today to get you started in meditation on God. Now, what are some of your favorite promises in scripture passages that help you battle your unbelief of fear and covetousness?

Prayer:

Blessed Father in heaven, most holy God, we submit to You today, acknowledging Your supreme authority in our lives, Your will to do according to all You please. Yet we believe the promises You give us in Your Word that You are near to the broken-hearted, that You love us, Your people, with an unquenchable love, and that all You do is for our good, all thanks to Christ our Savior and Lord. We love You! Help us today to be faithful to You in all things. Amen.

Worship in Song: 

All I Have is Christ

“Hallelujah! All I have is Christ!
Hallelujah! Jesus is my life!”

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Counsel for the Heart: Contentment (Phil. 4:11-13)

One of the brothers from church that I miss is John McClellan Sr. Since he and I work at the church building together I often see him when I start work in the morning. Each time I ask, “How are you, John?” he sincerely answers, “Better than I deserve!”

John reminds me each time that it’s a blessing from God to be content.

Contentment is recognizing, through good times and bad, that God is dealing with us not according to what we deserve but according to His grace.

The Apostle Paul wrote about that in Philippians 4:11-13 about contentment and how we can regard whatever comes our way each day as “better than we deserve.”

Philippians 4:11–13

[11] Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. [12] I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. [13] I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (ESV)

Getting to the Heart

The Apostle Paul wrote from prison, “Not that I am speaking of being in need.” Can you imagine being in prison and unjustly treated yet saying you don’t need anything! Sometimes it seems like Paul writes from the locker room of Major League Christianity while I am still playing on faith’s elementary playgrounds.

I’ve been challenged in this area of contentment, especially during this time of extended quarantine. Typically my lack of contentment is expressed in the opposite of Paul’s statement: “If I could only have ______ I’d be happier,” or “By now I should have ______ if it wasn’t for this virus!”

Can you relate?

Since I wrote about fear earlier this week, I’ve recognized that we experience fear in two key  ways: fear of losing what we have and fear of getting what we don’t want. Both those fears are preoccupied with the future, living in the land of “What-ifs?” and losing out on the present blessings that dominate the Christian’s life thanks to the sustaining grace of God.

I will write more about practical ways to cultivate contentment tomorrow on Counsel for the Heart, but for today let me suggest a couple of reasons why our current circumstances are “better than we deserve.”

First, think of what you and I really do deserve. Honestly friends, it’s hell. Each day we wake up not in that fiery place of punishment and separation from God is a gift of grace. I have another friend who often prays, “Father, thank you for this unpromised day.” It’s true: this day was not promised to me, and I didn’t wake up this morning entitled to blessings and favor because of who I am. By myself, I’m only a sinner separated from God, and I deserve the punishment of hell. That’s one reason we are doing “better than we deserve” today.

Second, think of the Lord Jesus. He was not content to leave us in that lost and terrible state. He saw our true need and entered this world to save all those who put their hope in Him and see in Him their truest need. I know that’s how the imprisoned Paul could say, “not that I am speaking of being in need.” Paul focused his mind and heart on Jesus Christ. Actually, the whole point of Paul’s life was looking to Jesus for what He wanted of Paul that day and tackling that day’s challenge in the power of Jesus Christ.

Let’s talk it over:

  • How would you complete the following statement? – “My life would be better right now if I had ___________.” Or “My life would be better right now if I didn’t have to deal with ___________.”
  • In addition to the two reasons listed above to cultivate contentment, what other reasons can you think of to help you be content and “not speak of being in need”?

Prayer:

Almighty Father, all around and within us are enticements to want more and to be dissatisfied with our current situation in life. Forgive us, Lord. You have redeemed us to be about Your business in this life in this today of either abounding or being brought low. Strengthen us to live with great contentment in Your grace, to remember we’ve been delivered from Hell, and to rejoice this day in Your Son! Help us Lord, and thank You. Amen.

Worship in Song:

It is Well With My Soul

The link above is unique today. Clicking it will take you to a Nashville News source with a video featuring Nashvillian singers singing “It is Well With My Soul” as a choir… over their cell phones. It’s a witness to the praise that can still offered to the Lord when we can’t be where we want or even have the worship we need. It is still well with our souls.

Memory Passage for this Week:

____________ 13:5–6

[5] ____ your ___ _____ from ____ of ______, and be ______ with what you _____, for he has said, “I will _____ _____ you nor ______ you.” [6] So we can ________ say,

“The ______ is my _______;
I will not _______;
what can ____ do to me?” (ESV)

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Dealing with Depression and Anxiety

Written by James Lynch (4/29/2020)

This current season of difficulty and uncertainty with the Covid-19 crisis has brought many challenges for all Americans, and believers in Christ are not exempt. We watch the same news reports, we hear the same controversies, we experience many of the same hardships that the rest of the world is going through currently. The coronavirus is, of course, a health concern, but the measures that have been taken to slow the spread of the disease have caused additional stress to many. This is a perfect environment for anxiety and depression to take root and grow. So, how can believers cope with these challenges and uncertainties? In this article, I would like to talk about these very real battles in which many believers find themselves in their daily lives.

First, let me state clearly that anxiety, depression, and other mental and emotional disorders like them are real. It is unfortunate that many who suffer from these conditions have often been ignored, dismissed, or even chastised by other Christians for feelings that they seem to have no control over. If you have ever been treated that way by another believer, please allow me to apologize for their ignorance. There has been a culture in many Bible-believing churches that seems to give a message that real Christians do not have problems and are always happy. This is simply not scriptural! David spoke of feelings that we would call depression: “Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck.  I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me. I am weary with my crying out; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God.” Psalm 69:1-3.

In fact, there are other examples of God’s servants in scripture struggling with both anxiety and depression. Daniel was anxious at what God was showing him about future events (Daniel 7:15), and even the Apostle Paul wrote this to the Corinthian church in his second letter, “For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.” II Cor.1:8

Let’s take a moment and consider what anxiety and depression are, and why I have linked the two in this article. Anxiety is basically worry. Modern psychology has a term G.A.D. or Generalized Anxiety Disorder. It is characterized by constant worry, often about things that are unlikely to happen. Depression is a persistent sadness or depressed mood. The reason I wanted to talk about them both is because they often go together, and both can cause a person to lose interest in normal activities causing serious disruption in every area of life. Anxiety can show itself in many different ways. A person can be withdrawn and fearful as a result of anxiety, another may resort to excessive efforts to control everything and everyone around them in an effort to keep their worries from being realized. This can result in obsessive behaviors or unreasonable demands and angry outbursts toward others. Depression often comes into play because the anxiety causes behaviors with negative results. The fearful person is depressed because they begin to lose hope living in a constant state of worry and fear. The controlling person ruins relationships, and eventually realizes that they cannot control everything, and they lose hope as well. Both these conditions can bring a person to a place of hopelessness, and that is an extremely dangerous place to be.

As you can see, these conditions can seem overly complicated and they can have far-reaching consequences to those who suffer with them, as well as those who are around them. The fact is, they are not really complicated at all, but they are difficult to work through. If you know and love someone who has one or both of these challenges, please be patient and prayerful. You need the power of God to navigate through these issues, especially if you have never struggled with anything like this yourself. If you are a generally positive person, it may be hard to imagine why someone cannot just “ tough it out” or “get over it”. You do not have to understand to empathize, and you do not have to understand to pray. Ask God for wisdom, believing that He will give it to you (James 1:5-7).

If you are a person who fights feelings of anxiety and depression, let me tell you that there is hope! That hope is in non-other than Jesus Christ. It is not in a medication or a human counselor, but it is in Christ Himself. Don’t misunderstand, there may be a place for medicine and there is certainly a place for counseling, but the only true and lasting hope is in the person and work of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If you believe that, you can move toward a road to recovery, because that road is a walk of faith.

I cannot possibly explain all the principles you need to follow in an article. Each person and their experience are unique, but the basic problem and solution are the same. So, I will share just a few basic truths and some action points to begin with.

Four Vital Truths for battling Negative Emotions

  1. You are not in this alone. 1Co 10:13a … “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man”…  Many others have and are where you are.
  2. God will make a way out. 1Co10:13b … ”God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” Even though it may not feel like it, God has promised to make a way for you to endure.
  3. The feelings of anxiety and depression are not necessarily sin, but how you manage them is where the temptation lies. This is an especially important point. This is not to blame you for the feeling of anxiety, depression, or any other feeling. However, you are responsible for how you respond to the temptation. You may have never thought of your anxiety as a temptation, but that is exactly what it is.
  4. The “way of escape” is the path to enduring the temptation without giving in to it. Not necessarily the removal of the temptation itself…” that you may be able to endure it.”

Action Points for Dealing with Negative Emotions

  1. Recognize that this is a battle that must be fought by faith. Faith chooses God’s truth over present feelings. Rom 10:17 “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Faith is the believing response to God’s revealed Word. Just as David believed that God would fight for him against Goliath, despite all his physical senses telling him otherwise, you must learn to choose to believe God over your emotions.
  2. Make a list with two columns. In the first column, write the specific things that cause anxiety and fear in your heart. In the second column record passages from scripture that reveal what God says about those things, or just worry in general.
  3. Pray through your list, confessing your unbelief to God and asking Him to grant you faith to believe what He has said. Every time you find yourself slipping into anxiety, take it to Him in prayer (Philippians 4:6).
  4. If anxiety or depression has a grip on you that you are having trouble getting free from, please contact the church for counseling help. One of the ways that we love one another is to bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2). We are the body of Christ, and when one member hurts, the whole body hurts with you. You are not alone. You have brothers and sisters who love you.

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Counsel for the Heart: God is For Me (Psalm 56:9-11)

I have a vivid memory of getting lost in the woods at summer camp. I was 9 years old at the time, and it’s undoubtedly fear that seared that event into my memories.

Times of fear heighten our emotions and sharpen our senses. I recall waking up in my bunkhouse in the dim light of late night needing to go the bathroom. I didn’t want to wake anyone up, and I was certain I could find my way to the bath house just a short hike through the woods. So, I got up quietly, set out to find the bathroom and promptly got lost!

I tried backtracking but that didn’t help. I ended up on some small footbridge that I hadn’t seen before and not far away from the cabin full of girls – an area that at that time in my life I had the firm intention of staying far away from! I remember looking all around me, at the woods rising high above, obscuring sky and stars, and feeling panicked. Not to mention that I still had to go to the bathroom!

So, I stopped and prayed. I asked God to help me, and I remembered a verse I’d learned either at church or at home:

Psalm 56:3 – When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. (ESV)

As young as I was, I was learning to turn to God when overwhelmed with fear. And as I repeated that verse I continued to ask God to help me get to the bathroom and get back to my cabin. Not long after that I calmed down, and by looking around I could see that the bathroom was just a short distance away from the footbridge I was on. And from the bathroom another small path back to my cabin.

By remembering God, His nearness to me and His promised help, I triumphed over fear.

Psalm 56:8–11

[8] You have kept count of my tossings;
put my tears in your bottle.
Are they not in your book?
[9] Then my enemies will turn back
in the day when I call.
This I know, that God is for me.
[10] In God, whose word I praise,
in the LORD, whose word I praise,
[11] in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can man do to me? (ESV)

Getting to the Heart

David had his own times “lost in the woods.” In this Psalm David remembers the time when he first fled for his life from Saul and ran straight to Gath in Philistia. It was a foolish move motivated by fear. David was fleeing for his life, not thinking straight. When he arrived in Gath (with the sword of G0liath of Gath tucked in his belt!), the Philistines recognized David and seized him. How did David escape? He started acting insane, letting spit run down his beard and scratching the gate posts in Gath. It was the Lord’s mercy and protection that allowed this façade to work, and David gave God the full credit by writing Psalm 56.

“This I know,” David says in reflection on that occasion when he was gripped by enemies, “that God is for me. In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

Ultimately believers feel afraid. We get in situations like I did that night on the footbridge, or like David did by running into enemy territory. Often those situations are the result of our fears, and we face real threats due to making fear-motivated choices. David did wrong in 1 Samuel 21. He should not have run to Gath, and he might have lost his life, if not for the truth that God was for him. David worshipped God in repentance in Psalm 56:1 “Be gracious to me, O God.” David was counting on the Lord’s character of absolute graciousness toward him, and the Lord was true to His character.

Are you in a mess due to fear-motivated choices? Turn to the living God. Seek His forgiveness for choices made by fear. Trust Him for His grace and deliverance as you re-orient your life to “walk before God in the light of life” (Psalm 56:13).

Let’s talk it over:

  • Have you ever gotten in trouble by running  scared like me in the woods or like David in Gath? What happened?
  • What truths about God from Psalm 56 can you find to pray to God and remember about God the next time you feel afraid?

Prayer:

O God, You are so gracious to us! We are prone to fear over things small and big. You know this about us, but You have promised to be for us as we follow You and live life according to Your Word. Sometimes we fail You and wander away from Your path because we feel afraid. Forgive us for those times and help us to worship You and trust You from Psalm 56 and other verses that remind us of Your graciousness and help in times of fear. We love You and thank You that You are our Helper! Amen.

Worship:

Great is Thy Faithfulness

“Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!”

Thomas Chalmers, 1923

Memory Passage for this Week:

Hebrews 13:5–6

[5] Keep your ___ free from ____ of ______, and be ______ with what you have, for he has said, “I will _____ _____ you nor ______ you.” [6] So we can ________ say,

“The Lord is my _______;
I will not _______;
what can man do to me?” (ESV)