22 June 2016
Opening
Prayer/Worship
Hymn: Love
Divine, All Loves Excelling
Theme: Spirit
Divine
Topic: Fear Not
Reading: 1
Kings 19:1-15A
Ahab
told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets
with the sword. 2Then
Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, ‘So may the gods do to me, and more
also, if I do not make your life like the life of one of them by this time
tomorrow.’ 3Then
he was afraid; he got up and fled for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongs
to Judah; he left his servant there. 4 But
he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down
under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: ‘It is enough; now,
O Lord,
take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.’ 5Then
he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him
and said to him, ‘Get up and eat.’ 6He
looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of
water. He ate and drank, and lay down again. 7The
angel of the Lordcame a second time, touched
him, and said, ‘Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for
you.’ 8He
got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food for forty
days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God. 9At
that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there. Then the word of the Lord came
to him, saying, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ 10He
answered, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of
hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars,
and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking
my life, to take it away.’ 11 He
said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for theLord is
about to pass by.’ Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting
mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the
wind an earthquake, but theLord was not in the earthquake; 12and
after the earthquake a fire, but theLord was
not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.13When
Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at
the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, ‘What are
you doing here, Elijah?’ 14He
answered, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of
hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars,
and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking
my life, to take it away.’ 15Then
the Lord said to him, ‘Go, return on your way
to the wilderness of Damascus;
Introduction
Fear is associated with emotional, mental and/or physical response to
perceived or real danger of being hurt, maimed or killed. In some instances, the experience of fear is
worse than the event being dreaded.
However, in many occasions fear is a good thing. Healthy fear serves as a warning system for
impending danger enabling us to exercise caution e.g. fear of damage from fire
hazards or other forms of accidents.
Spiritually speaking, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
not because God wants to harm us, but out of reverence for His great love for
us. So when the Scripture says ‘do not be afraid’, it simply means to
trust God even when fearful things are happening around us. Fear can be paralyzing, and as children of
God, we are no longer under bondage, including the bondage of fear.
Questions/Discussion
1) Describe and
discuss different forms and aspects of fear.
Psalm 42:1-11
Refrain: When shall I come to appear before the presence of God?
As the deer longs for the water-brooks, so longs my soul for you,
O God. My soul is athirst for God, athirst for the living God; when shall I
come to appear before the presence of God? My tears have been my food day and
night, while all day long they say to me, "Where now is your God!" R
I pour out my soul when I think on
these things: how I went with the multitude and led them into the house of God,
With the voice of praise and thanksgiving, among those who keep holy-day. R Why
are you so full of heaviness, O my soul? and why are you so disquieted within
me? Put your trust in God; for I will yet give thanks to him, who is the help
of my countenance, and my God. R My soul
is heavy within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of Jordan, and
from the peak of Mizar among the heights of Hermon. One deep calls to another
in the noise of your cataracts; all your rapids and floods have gone over me. R
The Lord grants his loving-kindness
in the daytime; in the night season his song is with me, a prayer to the God of
my life. I will say to the God of my strength, "Why have you forgotten me?
and why do I go so heavily while the enemy oppresses me?" R
While my bones are being broken, my
enemies mock me to my face; All day long they mock me and say to me,
"Where now is your God?" R Why are
you so full of heaviness, O my soul? and why are you so disquieted within me?
Put your trust in God; for I will yet give thanks to him, who is the help of my
countenance, and my God. R
Isaiah 41:8-16,
43:1-7
8 But you, Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
the offspring of Abraham, my friend;
9 you whom I took from the ends of the earth,
and called from its farthest corners,
saying to you, ‘You are my servant,
I have chosen you and not cast you off ’;
10 do not fear, for I am with you,
do not be afraid, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
the offspring of Abraham, my friend;
9 you whom I took from the ends of the earth,
and called from its farthest corners,
saying to you, ‘You are my servant,
I have chosen you and not cast you off ’;
10 do not fear, for I am with you,
do not be afraid, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.
11 Yes, all who are incensed
against you
shall be ashamed and disgraced;
those who strive against you
shall be as nothing and shall perish.
12 You shall seek those who contend with you,
but you shall not find them;
those who war against you
shall be as nothing at all.
13 For I, the Lord your God,
hold your right hand;
it is I who say to you, ‘Do not fear,
I will help you.’
shall be ashamed and disgraced;
those who strive against you
shall be as nothing and shall perish.
12 You shall seek those who contend with you,
but you shall not find them;
those who war against you
shall be as nothing at all.
13 For I, the Lord your God,
hold your right hand;
it is I who say to you, ‘Do not fear,
I will help you.’
14 Do not fear, you worm Jacob,
you insect Israel!
I will help you, says the Lord;
your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
15 Now, I will make of you a threshing-sledge,
sharp, new, and having teeth;
you shall thresh the mountains and crush them,
and you shall make the hills like chaff.
16 You shall winnow them and the wind shall carry them away,
and the tempest shall scatter them.
Then you shall rejoice in the Lord;
in the Holy One of Israel you shall glory.
you insect Israel!
I will help you, says the Lord;
your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
15 Now, I will make of you a threshing-sledge,
sharp, new, and having teeth;
you shall thresh the mountains and crush them,
and you shall make the hills like chaff.
16 You shall winnow them and the wind shall carry them away,
and the tempest shall scatter them.
Then you shall rejoice in the Lord;
in the Holy One of Israel you shall glory.
43:1-7But now thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
3 For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour.
I give Egypt as your ransom,
Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you.
4 Because you are precious in my sight,
and honoured, and I love you,
I give people in return for you,
nations in exchange for your life.
5 Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will bring your offspring from the east,
and from the west I will gather you;
6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up’,
and to the south, ‘Do not withhold;
bring my sons from far away
and my daughters from the end of the earth—
7 everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.’
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
3 For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour.
I give Egypt as your ransom,
Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you.
4 Because you are precious in my sight,
and honoured, and I love you,
I give people in return for you,
nations in exchange for your life.
5 Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will bring your offspring from the east,
and from the west I will gather you;
6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up’,
and to the south, ‘Do not withhold;
bring my sons from far away
and my daughters from the end of the earth—
7 everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.’
Matthew
14:22-32
Immediately he made the
disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he
dismissed the crowds. 23And after he had dismissed the
crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was
there alone, 24but by this time the boat,
battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against
them.25And early in the morning he
came walking towards them on the lake.26But when the disciples saw him
walking on the lake, they were terrified, saying, ‘It is a ghost!’ And they
cried out in fear. 27But immediately Jesus spoke to
them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’ 28 Peter answered him,
‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ 29He said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got
out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came towards Jesus. 30But when he noticed the strong
wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord,
save me!’ 31Jesus immediately reached out
his hand and caught him, saying to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you
doubt?’ 32When they got into the boat,
the wind ceased.
2) What are the
lessons for us in Luke 8:26-39 regarding
fear?
Luke 8:26-39
Then they arrived at the
country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27As he stepped out on land, a
man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no
clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs. 28When he saw Jesus, he fell down
before him and shouted at the top of his voice, ‘What have you to do with me,
Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me’— 29for Jesushad commanded the
unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he
was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the
bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.) 30Jesus then asked him, ‘What is
your name?’ He said, ‘Legion’; for many demons had entered him. 31They begged him not to order
them to go back into the abyss. 32 Now there on the hillside
a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let
them enter these. So he gave them permission. 33Then the demons came out of the
man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the
lake and was drowned. 34 When the swineherds saw
what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. 35Then people came out to see
what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom
the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right
mind. And they were afraid. 36Those who had seen it told them
how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. 37Then all the people of the
surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for
they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. 38The man from whom the demons
had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away,
saying, 39‘Return to your home, and
declare how much God has done for you.’ So he went away, proclaiming throughout
the city how much Jesus had done for him.
3) How do we
overcome fear in our lives?
Psalm 43:1-5
1 Vindicate me, O God,
and defend my cause
against an ungodly people;
from those who are deceitful and unjust
deliver me!
2 For you are the God in whom I take refuge;
why have you cast me off?
Why must I walk about mournfully
because of the oppression of the enemy?
against an ungodly people;
from those who are deceitful and unjust
deliver me!
2 For you are the God in whom I take refuge;
why have you cast me off?
Why must I walk about mournfully
because of the oppression of the enemy?
3 O send out your
light and your truth;
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy hill
and to your dwelling.
4 Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God my exceeding joy;
and I will praise you with the harp,
O God, my God.
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy hill
and to your dwelling.
4 Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God my exceeding joy;
and I will praise you with the harp,
O God, my God.
5 Why are you cast down,
O my soul,
and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my help and my God.
and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my help and my God.
Romans 8:14-17
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into
fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ 16it is that very Spirit bearing witness with
our spirit that we are children of God, 17and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and
joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be
glorified with him.
Galatians 3:23-29
Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under
the law until faith would be revealed. 24Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until
Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith.25But now that faith has come, we are no longer
subject to a disciplinarian, 26for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God
through faith. 27As many of you as were baptized into Christ have
clothed yourselves with Christ. 28There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no
longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are
one in Christ Jesus. 29And if you belong to Christ, then you are
Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.
Intercession/Worship
Conclusion
As children of God, we are no longer under bondage, including the
bondage of fear.
Closing Prayer (Collect for Fifth Sunday after Pentecost)
O God our
defender, storms rage about us and cause us to be afraid. Rescue your people
from despair, deliver your sons and daughters from fear, and preserve us all
from unbelief; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and ever. Amen.
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