He Lives... Do You?: No Fear

2015-04-19 
Pastor Jonathan Falwell 

Memory Verse:
1 Corinthians 15:22
“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.”

Matt. 28:1 “Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. 5 But the angel answered and said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.’ 8 So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. 9 And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, ‘Rejoice!’ So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid.'”

When we live in the power of His resurrection, there should be no fear. Notice that I used the word “should.” That was deliberate, because unfortunately the majority of Christ followers live with fear, some with constant fear. This is not His plan for us.

1. Human Nature

“v4 And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.”
– Many Christians today live their lives like this guards…as dead men

2. Resurrection Nature

“v8 So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.”

– fear – phobos. (1) of God, as a controlling motive of the life, in matters spiritual and moral, not a mere “fear” of His power and righteous retribution, but a wholesome dread of displeasing Him, a “fear” which banishes the terror that shrinks from His presence, and which influences the disposition and attitude of one whose circumstances are guided by trust in God, through the indwelling Spirit of God (a comprehensive phrase: the reverential “fear” of God will inspire a constant carefulness in dealing with others in His “fear”)

3. How His Resurrection Helps Us Live Without Fear

“v9 And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, ‘Rejoice!’ So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid.”

– What made the difference? His Presence

– Philippians 4 – Perfect peace in the presence of God

What does the resurrected life require?

a. Recognition of who He is
– Jesus IS
– John 14:6

b. Acceptance of His authority

c. Seeking of His wisdom
– Scripture (over 100 times the Bible tells us not to worry, don’t be afraid, etc.) Nearly 400 verses remind us of God’s provision in every situation
– George Mueller – (In later life he lamented that, owing to his neglect of God’s word he remained so long in Spiritual infancy, with its ignorance and impotence.)

d. Clinging to His presence
– Held Him by the feet

e. Celebration of who He is
– And worshiped Him

1 Cor. 15:20 (NLT)
“But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. 21 So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. 22 Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. 23 But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back. 24 After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. 25 For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. 26 And the last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For the Scriptures say, ‘God has put all things under his authority.’ (Of course, when it says ‘all things are under his authority,’ that does not include God himself, who gave Christ his authority.) 28 Then, when all things are under his authority, the Son will put himself under God’s authority, so that God, who gave his Son authority over all things, will be utterly supreme over everything everywhere.”

Footnote:
(1) Vines Expository Dictionary