WEBVTT 00:00:00.650 --> 00:00:08.369 How sweet the name of Jesus sounds in a believer's 00:00:08.369 --> 00:00:15.570 ear. It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds, 00:00:15.810 --> 00:00:23.030 and drives away his fear. It makes the wounded 00:00:23.030 --> 00:00:29.910 spirit whole and calms the troubled breast. Tis 00:00:29.910 --> 00:00:35.890 manner to the hungry soul and to the weary rest. 00:00:37.990 --> 00:00:46.409 Father God, in this moment, that weary one needs 00:00:46.409 --> 00:00:55.490 the touch of the Master. Give peace of mind. 00:00:55.770 --> 00:01:01.329 Give peace of soul. Hear the prayer in that falling 00:01:01.329 --> 00:01:13.810 pier. Hear the prayer in that sigh. Be real to 00:01:13.810 --> 00:01:21.750 that one. Give peace and rest for Jesus' sake. 00:01:21.989 --> 00:01:26.290 Amen. For a few minutes, you and I are going 00:01:26.290 --> 00:01:27.250 to have one of those little heart -to -heart 00:01:27.250 --> 00:01:30.989 talks together about something that concerns 00:01:30.989 --> 00:01:38.170 practically all of us. And that is how to overcome 00:01:38.170 --> 00:01:45.469 fear. Some little while ago, the New York Herald 00:01:45.469 --> 00:01:49.109 Tribune published a number of articles in answer 00:01:49.109 --> 00:01:55.819 to the question of how mentally fit Are We New 00:01:55.819 --> 00:01:59.379 Yorkers? And in one of the most penetrating, 00:01:59.540 --> 00:02:04.120 one of the most alarming of the series, the writer 00:02:04.120 --> 00:02:09.900 pointed out that after an eight -year study by 00:02:09.900 --> 00:02:14.500 a five -man team based at New York Hospital, 00:02:14.699 --> 00:02:19.599 Cornell Medical Center, the conclusion was reached 00:02:19.599 --> 00:02:28.159 that only one out of five is mentally well. Get 00:02:28.159 --> 00:02:36.599 it? Just one person out of every five is mentally 00:02:36.599 --> 00:02:41.560 well. Just one out of four is so psychologically 00:02:41.560 --> 00:02:47.800 disturbed as to be impaired in his social relations. 00:02:49.199 --> 00:02:52.379 The rest have some symptoms of psychological 00:02:52.379 --> 00:02:56.099 illness, but they do not interfere with their 00:02:56.099 --> 00:03:01.020 lives. And just in case this analysis might be 00:03:01.020 --> 00:03:04.520 thought to relate only to New York City alone, 00:03:05.219 --> 00:03:10.259 the researchers added, and I quote, the frequency 00:03:10.259 --> 00:03:14.860 of symptoms does not appear to differ much from 00:03:14.860 --> 00:03:19.319 other parts of the United States. So that includes 00:03:19.319 --> 00:03:22.860 you and includes me, includes those living in 00:03:22.860 --> 00:03:29.099 California, Washington, Pennsylvania. You know, 00:03:29.180 --> 00:03:34.319 reading these reports make it clearly evident 00:03:34.319 --> 00:03:39.099 that the basic problem in most instances was 00:03:39.099 --> 00:03:45.620 that of fear. Fear of not achieving. the desired 00:03:45.620 --> 00:03:49.099 social status, fear of failing in business, fear 00:03:49.099 --> 00:03:55.500 of divorce, fear of advancing age, fear of an 00:03:55.500 --> 00:04:01.020 atomic war. We're afraid of the dark. We're afraid 00:04:01.020 --> 00:04:05.340 of disease. We're afraid we might have cancer. 00:04:07.000 --> 00:04:10.060 We're afraid of what's going to happen. We're 00:04:10.060 --> 00:04:11.759 afraid of the future. We're afraid of death. 00:04:13.360 --> 00:04:16.660 And if we were only honest with ourselves, we 00:04:16.660 --> 00:04:18.480 would have to confess that we're not only afraid 00:04:18.480 --> 00:04:21.339 of our enemies, we're even afraid of our friends. 00:04:24.339 --> 00:04:32.500 We're sometimes even afraid of ourselves. Fear 00:04:32.500 --> 00:04:34.720 seems to be the climate in which we live today. 00:04:35.860 --> 00:04:41.180 The very atmosphere is just filled with fear. 00:04:43.120 --> 00:04:47.300 The very language that we speak is one of fear. 00:04:47.980 --> 00:04:53.120 I have always appreciated this 91st Psalm. But 00:04:53.120 --> 00:04:59.360 somehow today I appreciate the truth. I appreciate 00:04:59.360 --> 00:05:09.689 the promise. I appreciate the power. of that 00:05:09.689 --> 00:05:15.009 91st psalm as I have never appreciated it before. 00:05:16.009 --> 00:05:21.149 How comforting. Let me just give you a few words 00:05:21.149 --> 00:05:27.509 again. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror 00:05:27.509 --> 00:05:30.490 by night nor for the arrow that flyeth by day. 00:05:30.970 --> 00:05:34.949 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder. The 00:05:34.949 --> 00:05:39.069 young lion and the dragon shalt thou... Trample 00:05:39.069 --> 00:05:44.230 under feet. Oh, beloved. Those are glorious. 00:05:44.470 --> 00:05:47.810 Those are powerful words. And they come from 00:05:47.810 --> 00:05:50.970 the highest authority in heaven and earth. And 00:05:50.970 --> 00:05:53.529 pause a moment. Consider. The one who spoke those 00:05:53.529 --> 00:05:57.189 words knew from experience how to face, how to 00:05:57.189 --> 00:06:01.149 fight, how to forget his fears. He knew. You 00:06:01.149 --> 00:06:04.620 can only give. to another, that which you have 00:06:04.620 --> 00:06:07.339 actually experienced yourself. You cannot give 00:06:07.339 --> 00:06:12.560 to anyone else more than you yourself have experienced. 00:06:14.339 --> 00:06:19.639 That's the reason he could say, I know from experience. 00:06:21.040 --> 00:06:24.220 He was a friend of God. He lived in God's presence. 00:06:25.240 --> 00:06:29.240 He could face his generation. He could face his 00:06:29.240 --> 00:06:35.920 tasks without a fear. He knew whereof he spoke. 00:06:37.480 --> 00:06:44.300 Now, just for a minute or two, let us consider 00:06:44.300 --> 00:06:51.060 how to face our fears. Let's get right down to 00:06:51.060 --> 00:06:59.120 everyday living. Thou shalt tread upon the lion 00:06:59.120 --> 00:07:04.019 and adder. The young lion and the dragon shalt 00:07:04.019 --> 00:07:08.899 thou trample under feet. Perhaps you have never 00:07:08.899 --> 00:07:14.899 really understood those words. Half the battle 00:07:14.899 --> 00:07:19.560 in fighting an enemy is facing the enemy. That 00:07:19.560 --> 00:07:23.579 is to say, recognizing him for what he is, you 00:07:23.579 --> 00:07:29.750 have got to face the enemy. The verse before 00:07:29.750 --> 00:07:32.990 us describes the instigator of human fears as 00:07:32.990 --> 00:07:40.589 a lion, a serpent, a dragon. Ultimately, this 00:07:40.589 --> 00:07:45.329 description spells out the one supreme enemy 00:07:45.329 --> 00:07:48.509 of all mankind, the one who brought sin and suffering 00:07:48.509 --> 00:07:51.050 in the world, and therefore spread the unwholesome 00:07:51.050 --> 00:07:53.050 fears that we are thinking of today, and his 00:07:53.050 --> 00:07:56.759 name is Satan. The fear in that life of yours 00:07:56.759 --> 00:08:01.420 comes from Satan. He's the instigator. He's the 00:08:01.420 --> 00:08:05.720 one who puts that fear in that mind of yours. 00:08:07.480 --> 00:08:11.839 Now, in terms of fear, he comes to us in three 00:08:11.839 --> 00:08:20.560 forms. First, the undisguised fear. Thou shalt 00:08:20.560 --> 00:08:25.420 tread upon the lion. Now the lion is an animal 00:08:25.420 --> 00:08:29.819 who can never disguise himself. Never. His form 00:08:29.819 --> 00:08:36.220 is huge. It's big. His roar is loud. And his 00:08:36.220 --> 00:08:40.000 destructive forces can never be mistaken. If 00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:43.399 ever you go to a zoo, you'll always hear the 00:08:43.399 --> 00:08:47.279 lion roar even before you get inside the gates. 00:08:47.379 --> 00:08:55.299 He's there. Never mistaken. Never hidden. Sure. 00:08:55.299 --> 00:09:00.320 That's the reason, in God's Word, he is used 00:09:00.320 --> 00:09:05.500 as a figure of speech to illustrate the undisguised 00:09:05.500 --> 00:09:09.980 fear. In this dramatic and figurative language, 00:09:10.279 --> 00:09:13.899 we have a picture of the undisguised fears that 00:09:13.899 --> 00:09:17.539 terrify people like you and like me. Anything 00:09:17.539 --> 00:09:19.779 that spells death frightens young, frightens 00:09:19.779 --> 00:09:27.899 old alike. Death, the king of terrors. It may 00:09:27.899 --> 00:09:31.120 be the threat of war, the discovery of some disease, 00:09:31.240 --> 00:09:33.620 the news of an accident, or 101 other things. 00:09:33.740 --> 00:09:37.960 These are all undisguised fears. We know them 00:09:37.960 --> 00:09:42.240 to be real. They're factual. We can hear their 00:09:42.240 --> 00:09:46.299 roar. We see their form. We sense their danger. 00:09:47.240 --> 00:09:52.899 They're not figments of our imagination. We know 00:09:52.899 --> 00:09:56.399 we've got to face them. In the final analysis, 00:09:56.500 --> 00:10:00.299 however, what we really fear is not death as 00:10:00.299 --> 00:10:05.799 much as what happens after death. Unless we've 00:10:05.799 --> 00:10:08.259 made our peace with God, the Bible tells us, 00:10:08.360 --> 00:10:13.519 and our hearts confirm it, judgment awaits us. 00:10:14.759 --> 00:10:19.519 It isn't that we fear death. All of us know that 00:10:19.519 --> 00:10:20.720 the day is going to come when we're going to 00:10:20.720 --> 00:10:24.519 have to face death. It is pointed out to man 00:10:24.519 --> 00:10:31.700 once to die. The thought of death isn't so frightening. 00:10:33.240 --> 00:10:38.639 The fear that is associated with death is that 00:10:38.639 --> 00:10:46.299 which will happen to us after death. That's it. 00:10:48.840 --> 00:10:53.120 So much then for undisguised fears. Let's go 00:10:53.120 --> 00:10:59.879 to the second, the unexpected fear. Thou shalt 00:10:59.879 --> 00:11:05.360 tread upon the adder. Now, the movements and 00:11:05.360 --> 00:11:09.039 the haunts of the adder are generally unexpected. 00:11:09.539 --> 00:11:12.340 Indeed, the serpent serves in the scriptures 00:11:12.340 --> 00:11:16.200 and in natural life as the symbol of something 00:11:16.200 --> 00:11:22.440 very subtle. and the unexpected attack. That's 00:11:22.440 --> 00:11:25.159 the reason the serpent, the snake, is used here 00:11:25.159 --> 00:11:32.919 as a figure of speech. The unexpected fear. The 00:11:32.919 --> 00:11:36.440 snake rarely gives warning, usually strikes from 00:11:36.440 --> 00:11:41.240 the place of hiding. Once again, in this figure 00:11:41.240 --> 00:11:44.220 of language, this figure of speech, we have the 00:11:44.220 --> 00:11:47.809 very real picture of the... unexpected fears 00:11:47.809 --> 00:11:53.370 which confront us in our daily life. Oh, we start 00:11:53.370 --> 00:11:58.450 the day careful, optimistic. The sun is shining. 00:11:58.470 --> 00:12:01.610 We could just conquer the whole world. And then, 00:12:01.629 --> 00:12:08.629 wham, something happens. The unexpected happens. 00:12:09.350 --> 00:12:13.610 And we're thrown in the very depths of despair. 00:12:16.800 --> 00:12:23.399 paralyzing our spirits with despair. And so we 00:12:23.399 --> 00:12:29.000 have the lion and the adder. Let's go to the 00:12:29.000 --> 00:12:35.980 third enemy, the unfounded fear. Thou shalt tread 00:12:35.980 --> 00:12:41.690 upon the drag. Now this... Much described beast 00:12:41.690 --> 00:12:47.269 is only a creature of the imagination. No one 00:12:47.269 --> 00:12:52.009 has ever seen a dragon. That's right. Oh, sure. 00:12:52.470 --> 00:12:58.649 In the children's storybooks, often the dragon 00:12:58.649 --> 00:13:02.190 is spoken of. Every little youngster will talk 00:13:02.190 --> 00:13:05.789 about the dragon. And yet, no one has ever seen 00:13:05.789 --> 00:13:11.009 a dragon. The dragon doesn't exist. And that's 00:13:11.009 --> 00:13:14.070 the reason the dragon is used as just a figure 00:13:14.070 --> 00:13:20.710 of speech here. How many people have come time 00:13:20.710 --> 00:13:24.909 and time again to me to share their fears of 00:13:24.909 --> 00:13:28.350 what never happened. It's only things that they 00:13:28.350 --> 00:13:34.250 are afraid might happen. It's therefore a good 00:13:34.250 --> 00:13:39.480 thing to ask ourselves sometimes. Of what are 00:13:39.480 --> 00:13:45.340 we really afraid? Do our fears actually exist? 00:13:47.240 --> 00:13:49.879 Or is it that we have allowed our imaginations 00:13:49.879 --> 00:13:55.799 to run riot? It's important to recognize that 00:13:55.799 --> 00:14:03.440 fear is faith in reverse. Faith creates in the 00:14:03.440 --> 00:14:07.870 realm of the positive. Faith blesses. Faith makes 00:14:07.870 --> 00:14:11.610 us a blessing. Whereas fear creates in the realm 00:14:11.610 --> 00:14:16.009 of the negative. Fear disturbs. Fear depresses. 00:14:16.990 --> 00:14:21.690 And ultimately, fear will destroy. And you cannot 00:14:21.690 --> 00:14:27.370 have faith and fear in the same heart. One or 00:14:27.370 --> 00:14:31.429 the other will have to go. If there is fear, 00:14:31.710 --> 00:14:38.210 there cannot be faith. your heart and mind is 00:14:38.210 --> 00:14:43.549 filled with faith, it will crowd out the fear. 00:14:45.490 --> 00:14:52.070 Right now, look yourself directly in the face 00:14:52.070 --> 00:15:08.639 and say, what is it that I fear? Why do I fear 00:15:08.639 --> 00:15:12.620 this thing? Let's be practical. You've got to 00:15:12.620 --> 00:15:15.480 face your enemy. You'll never have victory until 00:15:15.480 --> 00:15:18.200 you face the thing. It isn't something you can 00:15:18.200 --> 00:15:21.700 just push aside. Send in a prayer request and 00:15:21.700 --> 00:15:25.980 say, Oh, please, Ms. Kuhlman, pray because I'm 00:15:25.980 --> 00:15:32.720 being mastered by fear. Instead, you, through 00:15:32.720 --> 00:15:35.960 the power of the Lord Jesus Christ, through faith 00:15:35.960 --> 00:15:40.860 in him, can conquer, can be the master over every 00:15:40.860 --> 00:15:48.220 fear in that life of yours. How to conquer your 00:15:48.220 --> 00:15:53.580 fears. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder. 00:15:53.620 --> 00:15:57.220 The young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample 00:15:57.220 --> 00:16:00.159 under feet. Now, the person referred to in this 00:16:00.159 --> 00:16:03.759 verse, as the conqueror of the lion, the arrow, 00:16:03.820 --> 00:16:06.200 and the dragon is Jehovah God, the Lord Jesus 00:16:06.200 --> 00:16:09.779 Christ of the New Testament. And no one can read 00:16:09.779 --> 00:16:13.179 this psalm and be in any doubt about that whatsoever. 00:16:14.399 --> 00:16:18.519 We cannot cope with these beasts and these reptiles, 00:16:18.559 --> 00:16:26.980 but He can. The Son of the Living God can. The 00:16:26.980 --> 00:16:31.419 mighty Jehovah God can. He met them once and 00:16:31.419 --> 00:16:37.340 for all in the person of Satan when he died on 00:16:37.340 --> 00:16:45.000 Calvary's tree. And you and I are not only conquerors, 00:16:45.019 --> 00:16:49.000 we are more than conquerors over all of these 00:16:49.000 --> 00:16:53.899 things through Christ Jesus, who was the mighty 00:16:53.899 --> 00:16:59.169 conqueror when he died on Calvary. You don't 00:16:59.169 --> 00:17:00.830 have to be defeated on a single score unless 00:17:00.830 --> 00:17:04.049 you consent to be. You do not have to be mastered 00:17:04.049 --> 00:17:13.390 for one minute by those fears. Know that. To 00:17:13.390 --> 00:17:18.309 trust him as resurrection life is to conquer 00:17:18.309 --> 00:17:26.250 the undisguised fears. Listen to his words. Fear 00:17:26.250 --> 00:17:34.000 not. I am he that liveth and was dead, and behold, 00:17:34.339 --> 00:17:40.480 I am alive forevermore. He holds the keys of 00:17:40.480 --> 00:17:45.700 hell and death. The significance of the gospel 00:17:45.700 --> 00:17:50.720 is that when Christ died at Calvary, he overcame 00:17:50.720 --> 00:17:56.059 these things that I'm talking to you about. Know 00:17:56.059 --> 00:18:00.130 that. The person who really trusts Christ as 00:18:00.130 --> 00:18:02.349 his resurrection life has nothing to fear when 00:18:02.349 --> 00:18:06.769 he comes face to face with death. His language 00:18:06.769 --> 00:18:09.970 is that of the psalmist who could exclaim triumphantly, 00:18:10.170 --> 00:18:12.269 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the 00:18:12.269 --> 00:18:18.490 shadow of death, I will fear no evil. That fear 00:18:18.490 --> 00:18:22.789 has been conquered through resurrection life 00:18:22.789 --> 00:18:29.009 in Christ Jesus. To trust him as redeeming love 00:18:29.009 --> 00:18:33.750 is to conquer the unexpected fears. And the Bible 00:18:33.750 --> 00:18:40.309 teaches us that there is no fear in love. But 00:18:40.309 --> 00:18:47.089 perfect love casteth out fear. Therefore, to 00:18:47.089 --> 00:18:49.890 trust the redeeming love of God in Christ Jesus 00:18:49.890 --> 00:18:56.180 is never to be afraid of the unexpected. As long 00:18:56.180 --> 00:19:00.680 as sins are forgiven and fellowship with God 00:19:00.680 --> 00:19:05.900 is established, there is absolutely nothing to 00:19:05.900 --> 00:19:12.460 fear. Nothing, I promise you that. To trust him 00:19:12.460 --> 00:19:16.599 as revealing light is to conquer the unfounded 00:19:16.599 --> 00:19:19.500 fears. Oh, listen to the words of David when 00:19:19.500 --> 00:19:23.589 he cries. The Lord is my light and my salvation. 00:19:23.950 --> 00:19:28.869 Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of 00:19:28.869 --> 00:19:35.109 my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? To follow 00:19:35.109 --> 00:19:38.390 the Lord Jesus Christ is never to walk in darkness, 00:19:38.609 --> 00:19:48.250 but to have the light of life. There is no fear 00:19:48.250 --> 00:19:53.829 of the unknown. with god for he knows the end 00:19:53.829 --> 00:19:58.009 from the beginning in him and with him there's 00:19:58.009 --> 00:20:02.670 no darkness at all even in circumstances that 00:20:02.670 --> 00:20:08.430 appear to be dark we need have no fear with the 00:20:08.430 --> 00:20:13.509 lord by our side for his presence his very presence 00:20:13.509 --> 00:20:19.569 guarantees that we shall break in the glorious 00:20:19.569 --> 00:20:27.450 daylight before long. And so, beloved, the secret 00:20:27.450 --> 00:20:38.349 of victory over fear is trusting Jesus. One of 00:20:38.349 --> 00:20:42.849 the most frequent expressions on his lips throughout 00:20:42.849 --> 00:20:53.299 his life was always, Fear not. Fear not, beloved. 00:20:53.539 --> 00:21:00.740 Look up. You are not only a conqueror. You can 00:21:00.740 --> 00:21:07.900 be more than a conqueror through him who loves 00:21:07.900 --> 00:21:08.319 you.