WEBVTT - Fear Pt. 3

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<v Speaker 1>Good morning. I love meeting with you each weekday morning

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<v Speaker 1>at this time and just sharing with you as we

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<v Speaker 1>go together to spend some time with God. Opening the

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<v Speaker 1>Bible and letting God speak to you is meeting with God.

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<v Speaker 1>God is here. He's right here with you right now,

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<v Speaker 1>and he wants to speak to you through the Bible.

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<v Speaker 1>That's why we call it God's Word.

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<v Speaker 1>He wants to speak into your life. You know, sometimes

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<v Speaker 1>we think, well, it's just words on the page, people

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<v Speaker 1>have been reading it for thousands of years, uh, how

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<v Speaker 1>can you say it's for me? Well, that's the work

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<v Speaker 1>of the Holy Spirit, of God. He takes what he's

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<v Speaker 1>said generally and makes it specific for your life, and

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<v Speaker 1>that's what he wants to do today. We're talking all

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<v Speaker 1>this week about fear and how to respond to fear

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<v Speaker 1>in our lives, and we've been looking at a story

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<v Speaker 1>from the Old Testament.

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<v Speaker 1>Where the people of Israel have been led out of

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<v Speaker 1>their slavery in Egypt by Moses, but Pharaoh has decided

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<v Speaker 1>he wants to keep them. He's chasing them down with

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<v Speaker 1>the whole army of Egypt, and the people of Israel

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<v Speaker 1>are in such fear. What have we done? Why have

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<v Speaker 1>we come this way? It's all going to turn out

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<v Speaker 1>to be calamity.

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<v Speaker 1>And isn't this what fear is in our lives, this

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<v Speaker 1>perception of what might happen, what could happen, what's going

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<v Speaker 1>to happen, because of the choices we've made or the

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<v Speaker 1>situation we find ourselves in, and we have this fear

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<v Speaker 1>of calamity that just takes over our mind, grips us,

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<v Speaker 1>so that we can't even process our thoughts properly or

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<v Speaker 1>think of a way through it.

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<v Speaker 1>And we see here that God says to the people

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<v Speaker 1>of Israel, don't be afraid, I'm going to get involved

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<v Speaker 1>in this situation. And God does, and you remember that

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<v Speaker 1>Moses stretches out his,

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<v Speaker 1>Staff over the sea and God causes the sea to part,

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<v Speaker 1>and all night the wind blows and there's dry ground

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<v Speaker 1>for the nation of Israel to walk over in, and

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<v Speaker 1>the Egyptians see that and they start to follow them

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<v Speaker 1>and

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<v Speaker 1>God says to Moses, Stretch out your staff again, and

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<v Speaker 1>the seas crash together and kill the entire Egyptian army,

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<v Speaker 1>and the people of Israel are saved.

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<v Speaker 1>And it says at the end of that story, thus

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<v Speaker 1>the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of

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<v Speaker 1>the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.

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<v Speaker 1>Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against

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<v Speaker 1>the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they

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<v Speaker 1>believed in the Lord and in His servant Moses.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, what does this tell us about fear in our

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<v Speaker 1>lives and how we respond to it?

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<v Speaker 1>Here's the thing

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<v Speaker 1>The fear of God is different than the terror of

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<v Speaker 1>calamity that we are paralysed by.

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<v Speaker 1>When the Bible talks about the fear of God, it's

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<v Speaker 1>not talking about being in terror of what God's going

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<v Speaker 1>to do to us. It's talking about confidence we have

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<v Speaker 1>because we respect who God is and what he can

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<v Speaker 1>do for us as we walk his way in life.

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<v Speaker 1>So here's the thing.

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<v Speaker 1>The fear of God puts your fear of that other

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<v Speaker 1>thing in your life into perspective.

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<v Speaker 1>And greatly reduces its significance, right? You're afraid of this,

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<v Speaker 1>but then here's this amazing God who can do so much,

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<v Speaker 1>and who has done these things for you in the

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<v Speaker 1>past when you've trusted Him, and when you start to

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<v Speaker 1>look at God instead of the thing, your fear starts

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<v Speaker 1>to dissipate. You remember when,

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<v Speaker 1>Jesus was walking on the water in the storm and

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<v Speaker 1>the disciples were terrified, and he said, don't worry, it's me.

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<v Speaker 1>And Peter said, well, let me come out on the

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<v Speaker 1>water too, and Jesus says, come on. And Peter gets

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<v Speaker 1>out and he's walking on the water, but then he

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<v Speaker 1>stops looking at Jesus and starts looking.

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<v Speaker 1>At the waves around him, and suddenly he's terrified of

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<v Speaker 1>the impending calamity, and he starts to sink. Why? Because

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<v Speaker 1>he stopped looking at Jesus and started looking at the waves. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>what are the waves in your life today? You think

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<v Speaker 1>they're so big, you think there's nothing you can do

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<v Speaker 1>to get out of this terrible situation.

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<v Speaker 1>Don't forget there is someone much bigger than this situation

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<v Speaker 1>who is in your life, and that is Jesus Christ.

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<v Speaker 1>Keep your eyes on Him and rest in the knowledge

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<v Speaker 1>that He is with you in whatever you're facing. I'm

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<v Speaker 1>John North.

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<v Speaker 2>To go deeper in your faith, visit AFCI.com.au.