Are You Too Afraid To Follow Jesus?

Are You Too Afraid To Follow Jesus? 

Good Morning Friends,

Halloween is just around the corner so I am not out to scare you, but you need to know the dangers…you need to know that life on this earth is so short and we all die and yes evil is out to get you. So how we live makes a difference. And one of the most important things is to realize that we play a role in shaping our realities. What we believe makes a big difference. And doubt can be a big stumbling block if we are to leave a legacy. So maybe you are chasing after rainbows and maybe you are building bridges, but as it relates to being wise, it comes down to this question. Are You Too Afraid To Follow Jesus? 

Scripture: I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Ephesians 1:15-23 (NRSV)

“And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God; but whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, do not worry about how you are to defend yourselves or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what you ought to say.”

Luke 12:8-12 (NRSV)

Message:  There are passages of scripture that should give us pause each time we read them. They are to draw us into a time of prayer and self-examination that is to give us the right mindset to believe in something that is more than the fleeting. You see, worry is the opposite of prayer, and people who only please others to get something from them in return, such as attention, acceptance, and friendship end up disappointed. And the pleaser though kind can be taken advantage of and hurt, and if they are a self-pleaser, it is a dead end too for that results in isolation. The only option is to please God. So, contemplate who you fear and why and who you try to please. And here you might just learn that it is living in the joy and fear and love of the Lord that gives us a faithful purpose that lives on. You see, fear and joy and love are related to whom we try to please. We please people because we fear they will not like us. We please ourselves because we are afraid people will hurt us or not meet our needs. But when we fear God, we live in a way that glorifies God, and the amazing thing is that when we do God provides joy and even greater love that allows us to please others in a way that pleases God. The thing is that we each will please who we fear. And we will learn from the experience. Thankfully in fearing the Lord we gain wisdom and not disappointment…and we get to know God and to know ourselves. This is the back drop for our message and the question before us about who oversees this relationship if our fear turns to worry and inaction. What today’s scripture presents is a reality that if we are not following Jesus we are following the Devil. And we must wonder if evil will challenge the rule for control of earth even though Jesus has defeated sin, death and Satan, but has not destroyed them. Thankfully in this situation Jesus shows real leadership and fills our hearts and minds with the joy of the Gospel. And if you think for one moment that you are in control, think again. We are to intuitively understand that the Devil has not been exorcised from our world, but God is still available to create, sustain and redeem if we follow in the Way fearlessly. Perhaps we need to learn from Jesus, God in the flesh, what it means to be in the Father’s will.

Pray we have the wisdom of fear of God but not the fear of life. Pray we realize that all relationships can bring us some degree of suffering and that not all of them are worth it. Pray we want to be more like Jesus. Pray Jesus loves us and we love back in a way the spills over into the lives of others. Pray our prayers honor God. Pray we embrace a theology that is the birthright of every Christian. Pray we trust and obey God. Pray we realize that beyond our doubt is the possibility of a strong conviction. Pray therefor we are not afraid of taking a stand for Jesus. Pray we glorify God in how we live and in what we believe. Pray we have faith in the promises of God. Pray we are moved by the Holy Spirit. Pray our actions please God. Pray we build bridges of hope for others to believe. Pray we build bridges for others to experience heaven on earth and the hope of heaven in our future. Pray we face doubts and uncertainties and triumph over them by giving the glory to God. Pray we only fear God and in the process, learn to love.

Blessings,

John Lawson