Welcome to the official podcast of the Church
of Christ Wheeler area. We're so glad that you've
tuned in for today's message. Whether you're
on your morning commute or if you're relaxing
at home, we're here to share the strength and
truth of God's Word with our community. If you're
in the neighborhood, we'd love to meet you in
person. Come see us at 1500 South Allen L. Bean
Boulevard right here in Wheeler, Texas. We gather
every Sunday morning at 1030 a .m. and in the
afternoon at 230 p .m. We meet again on Wednesdays
at 7 p .m. Right now, let's open our Bibles together
and dive into today's sermon. You know, this
world presents many challenges for us, especially
as God's people. There are things that we don't
like that occur in this world. There are things
about our government we don't like. There are
things about society we don't like. There are
things about pop culture that we don't like.
And that's because they stand in direct contradiction
to what we believe, which is God's Word. But
it goes beyond that. There are multiple wars
going on in this world. There's just a lot to
worry about. And we as a people have so many
things coming at us at any given time. We have
all of those things. And then we have all of
these things in the news that come toward us
and then we have all of the things in our society
that comes toward us. It's a lot to digest and
it's a lot to process. Where do we spend our
time? Where do we spend our effort? Do we seek
out to find things that give us hope? Or do we
spend our time looking at things that help us
grow fears within ourselves? And that's the question.
Are we cultivating a life that is built on hope,
or do we keep going back to that same thing that
gives us those fears that keep cropping up in
our lives? You know, if you look at social media,
what we know about social media is if there's
something that you like to read about or something
like that, it's gonna keep feeding that. And
so if I'm looking at these things that give me
fear in my life, it's gonna keep showing things
that cause fear. And we have to recognize that
and know that, that those things are what this
world has to offer us. It's not what God wanted
in our lives. He did not expect us to be a people
of fear. Quite the opposite. He gives us hope
through His Son, and that's the life that He
wanted us to have. A life of hope. Fear as we
know is an unpleasant often strong emotion caused
by anticipation of awareness of danger anxious
concern Now we look at that and we often think
well fear is must be physical things not so In
our case many of times. It's not a fear of physical
harm It's more of a fear of what may happen in
our lives if some adverse event occurs And that
can be something as simple as you're afraid you're
going to fail a math exam. That causes us to
have fear in our lives. And that's not what we
want. On the other hand, hope is the desire of
a company by expectation of or belief in fulfillment
or success. Now we look at that and we think,
okay, I want to hope for certain things. I can
hope for certain things, but unless there's an
expectation, or belief in fulfillment, that's
actually not a hope. I have no hope in certain
things. I have no hope of becoming president
in the next 10 minutes. It's just not going to
happen. But if I have hope in things that are
able to be accomplished, then I start setting
goals, I start setting milestones toward that
hope to help me accomplish that thing. So as
we go through here, keep those two in mind. That
hope should have an expectation of success. In
Proverbs 10 and 24, it says, the fear of the
wicked, it shall come upon him, but the desire
of the righteous shall be granted. You know,
fear gone unchecked will consume us. It'll take
everything we have, all of our emotion. It'll
take all of our energy. It'll take our motivation
to do things. It'll take all of that from us
if it's gone unchecked. And too many times we've
seen in the past in history different events
that have occurred where people gave into that
type of stuff. You know, one of the lesser known
events like that was back in 2012. The end of
the Mayan calendar. It was known as the Mayan
calendar apocalypse. And many of you may have
never even heard of this because really the only
reason I know about it, I remember Logan asking
about this when he was really young. Well, they're
saying it's gonna be the end of the world Because
some calendar by a certain people Didn't have
a next year on it. That was all there was to
it There were movies made about this where there
was all kinds of newsreels and everything all
of this to cultivate fear in people You know
serious enough that NASA actually came out and
did a Frequently asked questions on what it meant
what it was You had all of these things and these
fears built up in people over a non -event. When
they asked the Mayan people, okay, what does
it mean? There is no continuation after this.
They said it's the end of a period. That's it.
Much like when you go to the bank on January
1st, you get your new calendar. You take the
old one down, you put the new one up. That's
all this amounted to. It was blown out of proportion
and people were fed these things over and over
and they stockpiled food And they made preparations
for the end of the world that never came Now
that seems kind of kind of funny doesn't it and
we look at that To think that people got that
worked up over a non -event, but how many things
do we have in our minds? That we succumb to Things
that we hear about these things and it's just
constantly a barrage of these things coming to
us. And we worry about that. And it creates fear
in us. And we waste time and resources and all
of these things. Once again, that's not what
God wanted in our lives. He wanted a life of
hope. And this verse explains that the desire
of hope of the righteousness, desire or hope
of the righteous, will be granted. For the righteous
the hope would have been to continue to serve
God in that event What hope would we have if
that had been the end of whatever? It would be
our hope to continue to serve God and we should
always keep in mind that God is in control And
he is not bound by man or events that occur in
this world When we hear about those things understand
that God is not controlled by any of that He's
not bound by anything that happens in this world
and the funny thing when you look at that is
When we think about things and we think oh man
things have just gotten so bad here Surely the
end of the world is about to be the wind of the
world's got to be upon us because things are
so bad And I think about that and I think you
know what if Sean tried to go to Nigeria and
explain that to these people The US is so bad
It's got to be the end of the world. They would
think he was crazy to think that we've got all
of the resources and all of the things that we
have and to think this is a terrible place because
of whatever. That would be very hard to explain,
wouldn't it? Because of their conditions and
the conditions that they live in. And to think
that we've got it so bad, it just must be the
end of the world. When you think about that,
it seems humorous. In John 20 and verse 19 it
says, Now this was actually a great time of uncertainty.
This was a great time of fear, where people actually
had a reason. to fear what was going on around
them, what was going on in society, what was
going on that these people would come to them
and actually threaten physical harm against them.
Jesus has been crucified. These people had no
idea what to expect at that time. They did not
know, and yet they assembled together. And Christ
is there, and He enters in, and what did He say?
peace be unto you. Now I don't know what kind
of mindset I would have been in at that time.
That would have been a tough time, wouldn't it?
And there would probably be some fear in all
of our hearts if we were in that position, if
we were there at that time. But Jesus said, peace
be unto you. That's hard to do, isn't it? We're
given those same Words of encouragement. We're
told that very thing that no matter what's going
on in this world To have that peace to have that
hope that Christ allows us And I'm thankful we
have these types of examples to look to when
we think about these types of things to see that
people were challenged in those times and their
their faith and and their hope in Christ Was
enough to deliver them No, God didn't interior
intend for us to live in fear His desire was
for us to live in love and serve him in second
Timothy 1 in verse 7 It says for God hath not
given us the spirit of fear but of power and
of love and of a sound mind You know fear is
not what God intended Fear of physical danger
fear of what could be fear of failure and probably
the most common fear of the unknown. You can
see here on a slide, this was a study done back
in 2019 at Penn State. Hundreds of people that
were in this study reported worrying about at
least one thing or event. And it was only things
that could happen during the study. In other
words, like we said, you may fear you're going
to fail a math test, well okay, that happened
during the study, we'll take that one. Fear that
I may get cancer in my lifetime, they didn't
use those types of fears because that was beyond
the study. But of these things, 100 % of the
people in the study report worrying about at
least one thing or event. 91 % of all fears reported
in the study never came true. Of the other 9
% of worries that did come true, 33 % of the
time the outcome was better than expected. And
for 25 % of participants, exactly zero of their
worries materialized. That tells you we waste
a lot of time worrying about things that are
never going to happen. We let those things come
at us. And what we also know is we are an overstimulated
population. And that has to do with the conveniences
we have in this life that has to do with the
communications we have in this life. It has to
do with all sorts of things. But the bottom line
is we are overstimulated with this type of stuff
because it constantly comes at us. Remember,
most of those fears are unfounded. especially
the ones where we have the fear of the unknown.
We don't know what's going to happen on this
event so it creates fear in us. How do you solve
that fear if we don't even know what it is we're
afraid of? We just know we're afraid because
we don't know what the outcome is going to be.
Don't waste our time on that. Concentrate on
hope rather than those fears. In Proverbs 29
and 25 it says, the fear of man bringeth a snare,
but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall
be safe. The Lord says, it will be okay, so I
can do what I need to do. When we're caught in
this snare, we can't do what we need to do. I
think it would be unwise to throw caution to
the wind. There are certain things we should
have caution about. We should make preparations
and there are occurrences in our lives that we
have no control over. And I'm not saying we should
just throw all that away. What happens today
happens today. We should make plans. We should
make contingencies. But all of our effort, all
of our concentration should not be on the things
that may happen in this life. And to allow fear
to consume and hold us captive prevents us from
serving God as He would have us to do. In 1 John
4, In verse 18, we read, You can't live in peace
if you're trapped in fear, can you? You can't
do it. Because that fear tries to consume you.
It will take all the resources, all the emotion
that you will give it. If I listen to everything
in the media on the internet and that is my only
consideration Then I'm leaving here and I'm going
home and I'm boarding up my house and don't bother
coming by I'm shutting it down Because the media
all of those things they're after one thing attention
their purpose of being there is to gather attention
and So when we look at those things we have to
understand that we have to weigh it that it's
for attention. And while the information given
there may be useful, it may be something that
we can use, we have to take it for what it is.
You know, if I were looking for a job right now,
and these were the things I trusted with the
media and the internet, then my approach would
be very undesirable. And I heard this example,
I think it was Dave Ramsey, several years ago.
He gave this example. when talking about looking
for a job. And it may have been through COVID
or something like that, but there was something
going on at that time. And I think it's very
comparable to now because things I see on the
internet says, nope, you're not finding a job.
There's no sense in trying. But the example that
he gave went something like this. First, I'd
have to make the decision to get out of bed in
the morning, but I've been told I won't find
a job. So I really don't have much motivation
to even do that. However, If I do decide to get
out of bed, then I'll have to put some effort
into looking for opportunities which I'm told
don't exist. Once I'm granted an interview, I
go where I'm told I won't be given a job in order
to plead my case on why they should hire me.
My fear of failure prevents me from putting my
best foot forward, and the fear of not getting
a job that I harbored is manifested in my poor
performance. All of this because I had a fear
of something unfounded. That is the torment that
comes with fear. It keeps us from doing the things
we know to do and that includes serving God.
How many times have we been faced with something
similar? How many times do we worry about the
fears that we have and they keep us from doing
what we know to do? It's one thing to not know
how to go about doing something, but it's quite
another when we have these fears that keep us
from doing it. Unfortunately, that's within our
control. We can choose. I'm not going to let
that fear stop me. I'm going to do the things
that I know I need to do. In 1 Peter 3 and verse
13, It said, and who is he that will harm you
if you be followers of that which is good? But
and if you suffer for righteousness sake happy
are ye and be not afraid of their terror neither
be troubled It's like we said fear will consume
you God has not given us the spirit of fear.
We read that and love is not fear and fear is
not love We're gonna harbor one of the other
We're gonna harbor that fear or we're gonna harbor
hope which comes from love and Fear will preoccupate
occupy you with all the terror of what may or
may not happen So why put so much effort into
something that should be placed on Christ the
things we have in this life, we know Prayer study
those types of things that we can overcome these
types of things and Yet we fail to do that If
we subscribe to the spirit of fear, then we most
certainly fail in everything we do. But lucky
for us, God had a plan. The hope that we have
has so much more power than the fear that we
can place on ourselves. Remember, fear doesn't
come from God, but a sound mind. And that's what
he wants from us, is a sound mind. A mind focused
on hope. And we can't concentrate on what's important
in this life when we're frozen by fear. In Psalms...
33 in verse 22 it says let thy mercy O Lord be
upon us according as we hope and the You know
the spiritual blessings we have in the far out
way what anyone can do to us in this life We
have those spiritual blessings They've been given
to us and they could take our ability to assemble
openly, but they can't take our ability to worship
him. Can they? We've proven that we've gone out
outside of here of this building, of this gathering
together, in order to do that. We have examples
where God's people worshipped in caves and under
cover of night. They were not deterred out of
fear from serving God. And that goes for every
aspect of our life. Don't let fear hobble you
from doing the things you know to do. In Psalms
43 and verse 5, We read, Why art thou cast down,
O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within
me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him,
who is the health of my countenance and my God.
We can have many misplaced hopes in life that
are outside of God. And I can hope for riches,
thinking they'll solve my problems. But how many
of us know people that have endless amounts of
money, but a life full of problems? We all know
those people. We can't assume that that's going
to fix everything that we have a problem with.
You know, there was a time when certain businesses
were giving out these massive bonuses. You know,
oh no, I've come in all this money. And we know
at that time the government came in and taxed
90 % of those bonuses. It was given and it was
taken. It was lost as soon as it was granted.
You know, you can't assume that one thing or
another is going to solve all of our problems.
But we can have hope of a different leadership.
Or I'm sorry, we can have hope of a different
leadership that will solve our problems. But
the things we face today came from decisions
made under several different leaderships. We
can't think that one person is going to change
all that. Or one person led to all of the problems
that we have in this country. We can't assume
that. And when we hope in God, we can trust that
our loyalty and desire is placed on the right
thing in this life. Psalm 71 and 14, but I will
hope continually and will yet praise thee more
and more. That's where we concentrate on what's
important in life. We find fear in ourselves
and we place that on Jesus. Those fears can be
taken from us and we should avoid them where
possible. You know, that verse doesn't say, but
I will worry continually, morning, noon, and
night, does it? That's not what it says, because
worry doesn't fix any of our problems. It only
makes them worse. You know, I used to ride bikes
with a bunch of guys, and we would go to these
races, and a new guy went with us one time. And
so the main guy that we rode with, he was talking
to this guy and he said, now you're going to
want to be careful because that part of the track,
you know, it gets very narrow. And the guy says,
well, what if there's a rock in the track? And
he says, don't look at the rock. He said, okay,
don't look at the rock. I won't look at the rock.
So we went through all of this and we got back
and we waited and we waited for this guy and
he finally showed up. And he said, what happened?
Where were you? He said, well, I hit a rock in
the track. He said, did you look at the rock?
What do you think he said? He looked at the rock.
Why is that a problem? He had told him, don't
look at the rock. Look beyond the rock. Look
where you're going to. Because if you look at
the rock, the bike goes where you're focused.
Focus down track. And he didn't do that, did
he? He looked at the rock. He made a problem.
out of a non -issue by placing his focus on the
rock. If you learn nothing more this afternoon,
learn this. Don't look at the rock. Don't look
at the rock. Look beyond the rock. Look beyond
whatever it is that's holding you back. You can't
talk about fear and hope without talking about
faith, and I want that to be first and foremost
in what we learned this afternoon. Hope alone
won't make us follow through with the things
we need to do. It won't do it. We've got to have
a faith that drives us, a faith that drives us
to make those goals, a faith that drives us to
meet those milestones to whatever it is we're
trying to accomplish. If we bring that back to
the study this afternoon, God gives us hope of
a better life to come and our faith prompts us
to do the things we have to do in order to obtain
that life that we claim we want. We can do those
things and our faith should drive us to do it.
We have to be people of action. I want you to
know that. We've got to be people of action.
We've got to do the things we know to do. We've
got to pursue the Christian life. We can't just
let it happen to us because it's not just going
to happen to you. We've got to pursue it. If
we don't like our present situation, then we
have to make changes to obtain a different situation.
And this is true in our spiritual life as well
as our physical life. If we don't like it, we
have to change it. And if I don't have the spiritual
life I want and God wills me to have, then I
make changes to conform to His will. Not mine.
I don't force His outcome to be what I want it
to be. I have to force myself to conform to His
will. And anything in my physical life that I
don't like or need to change requires action
in order to obtain a different set of characteristics.
You know, it sounds simple, but once again, what
often prevents us is fear. We have this fear
to us as a people. We're scared of everything,
it seems, in one way or another. And some people
may not get it. No, I've just got a strong concern.
That's fear. We've got to be able to make the
changes that are required to have the life that
we want. And again, whether that's physical,
whether it's spiritual, either way, that's what
has to be done. In Hebrews 6 and verse 18, that
by two immutable things in which it was impossible
for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation
who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the
hope set before us. which hope we have as an
anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast,
and which entereth into that within the veil.
That hope is an anchor for the soul. When we're
pushed about by the world, and you will be pushed,
we are anchored through His hope. We will be
pushed, and we will be nudged. It's going to
happen. And if we have that anchor like we're
supposed to and that hope in our lives, that's
what will keep us in line. And it gives us a
hope of something far and above anything this
life can offer. In Colossians 1 and verse 23,
it says, who now rejoice in my sufferings for
you and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions
of Christ in flesh for his body's sake, which
is the church. This is the refuge he's provided
us in our current life. That's it. That's what
we're looking for. That's where our focus has
to be. The opportunity to gather here with those
of like minds. That's what he's given us in the
present time to help that focus stay on hope.
When my hope is fainting, I can draw it from
those around me, the others that are here, the
ones that aren't harboring fear, the ones that
have hope, the ones that exemplify hope. And
when they're down, they can draw that from me.
Just as pessimism is contagious, so is optimism.
It's just as contagious, and we need to remember
that and have an influence on those around us
to keep that optimism in their lives. I may spend
an entire week surrounded by pessimism, negativity,
all of those things. But when I come here, I'll
be uplifted by a people whose hope is centered
on Christ. That's what he's given us in the current
time. 1 Corinthians 13 and 13, the love chapter.
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three,
but the greatest of these is charity or love.
Love brings about the other two. If I love God
and those around me, then I have faith and I
have faith. I have hope of something better to
come. Remember that. In Romans 12 and verse 12,
it says, rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation,
continuing instant in prayer. We have much to
be thankful for. I think we all know that. I
don't think there's anybody here that takes what
they have for granted. We know we're blessed
and we should. Be thankful for those things.
And this verse sums up what I hope we take with
us this afternoon. Rejoice because we have hope
in this life and for much more to come. Be patient
in tribulation. When we're faced with things
we don't like from this world or anything else,
remember, God is in control. He's in control.
And no one or no thing can change that. Take
the hope we have through Christ and pray on those
things. The effects will be much more positive
than isolating ourselves. You know, I hope as
a result of this study we'll have a better outlook
on the current things we face. And that's the
idea. Concentrate on what we have to face these
things. Avoid those things that cause us to harbor
fear, no matter what it is we're thinking of.
Use what he's given us to get in through this
life. You know, we've never been taught that
hard times would not come, that challenges would
not come, that fear wouldn't come. I think just
the opposite. He's told us those times will come.
And it's through hope that we'll make it through
those times. And I hope that you'll get that
from the study of this afternoon. Thank you for
listening to today's sermon from the Church of
Christ Wheeler area. We hope this message encouraged
you and strengthened you in your faith this week.
Don't forget the doors always open at 1500 South
Allen L. Bean Boulevard at 10 30 a .m on Sundays,
2 30 p .m on Sunday afternoons and recharge with
us midweek on Wednesdays at 7 p .m. For more
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blessed week and we'll see you next time.