HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2005-06-09, Page 15THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2005. PAGE 15.
From the Minister's Study
Pastor talks about facing your fears
By Pastor John Kuperus
Blyth Christian Reformed
Church
My family and I were in Toronto,
and decided to be adventurous by
going up the CN Tower. I am scared
of heights and when I looked
straight out through the glass wall,
my anxiety did not climb, but when
I looked straight down my anxiety
level shot right up.
I prayed that we would arrive
safely and we did.
At the top I walked very carefully
and looked straight out. Once I got a
little comfortable, I got a little braver
and was able to look down.
However, my imagination started to
work again. I acknowledged that I
am putting a lot of faith in t he
architects and builders of that tower.
Did they correctly calculate whether
or not the tower could stand the
wind?
Then we went down to another
level in the tower. There I discovered
these crazy Canadians built the
tower and put a glass floor in part of
the tower. I was told the glass floor
was stronger than concrete, yet when
my kids started to jump on the glass
floor, I became very nervous. This
simply went against the grain. Glass
breaks and is to be handled
delicately. Can I really trust it?
I looked through the glass and it
was a long way down to the bottom.
I was gripped by fear.
We lived to tell about our visit. It
was a memorable experience.
The question that I like to address
is what do we do with dur fear? The
question I like to ask you, is what do
you fear?
Then what does the Bible say we
ought to do with our fears?
Fear and anxiety are an alarm
system that all of us have. A problem
rises when fear and anxiety paralyze
us. God has a plan for you and me.
One of the things that keep us from
reaching our God-given goal for our
lives, is fear.
As a result, in the Bible there are
366 times when God tells his people
“fear not.” Fear does not make the
list of seven deadly sins and does not
seem like it is the most serious vice-,
yet “fear not” or “do not be afraid” is
the single command that is repeated
very often in the Bible.
What do we fear? Kids fear things
like darkness and monsters.
Teenagers fear things like being
rejected or not fitting into the crowd
or failing by not passing a test or
class or failing to live up to the
expectations of parents. Adults fear
things like financial problems,
broken relationships, getting older,
crime, death and more.
because 90 per cent of what we fear
never happens and instead we are to
think of positive things.
In Psalm 27 we find David does
not suppress his fear. He thinks
about his family abandoning him
and having an enemy surrounding
the city. We have no indication that
his family abandoned him or that an
enemy surrounded Jerusalem at the
time of the writing of the Psalm. He
lets his imagination go, yet he had a
tool to deal with the fears in his life.
How did he cope? In verse four he
says, “One thing I ask of the Lord,
this is what I seek: that I may dwell
in the house of the Lord all the days
of my life, to gaze upon the beauty
of the Lord and to seek him in his
temple.”
I do not think he wanted to move
to live in the temple, nor is living in
our church getting near God. So
asking your pastor to live in your
church in order to dwell in God’s
house will not cut it.
What did he mean? In Psalm 19 he
speaks about experiencing God in
nature. In the same way we can get
to know an artist from their work,
we can get to know God from his
creation. But, to get to know a
person personally, we have to meet
them face to face. That is why the
psalmist speaks of God’s face in
Psalm 27: 8 and 9. In face to face
meetings we are able to ask
questions and clarify ourselves.
How can we have a face to face
meeting with God? God meets with
us when we pray, and when we read
his word and worship him in
community by going to church. God
will meet us anywhere and at
anytime.
Yet focused and specific time with
him is very important. This can be
compared with a couple. If you
never take time out for each other
and listen to each other, how good
will your marriage be? If we do not
invest in one another then we drift
apart.
That is the same principle that
works in our relationships with God.
The question that each of us must
ask ourselves is am I spending
intimate time with the creator of the
universe? Am I praying and hearing
what he has to tell me in his word?
Am I in community with God’s
people listening to him and speaking
back to him? Am I meeting God face
to face?
The psalmist says what equipped
him to deal with his fears was to
look at God who is greater than any
of his fears.
How do I apply this to my fear of
heights? Well, at the heart of that
fear is the fear of dying. My
imagination thinks about all these
things that could happen and cause
the tower to crash. What causes me
to fear death? Where is my hope?
How ought I to address my fears
of death? The psalmist points us to
focus upon the Lord. This is
beautifully illustrated by the apostle
Peter in Matthew 14 where Jesus is
walking on the water and about to
pass the disciples by. Peter asked “If
it is you, command me to come to
you on the water.”
This was not about extreme sports
or simply for recreation. Peter
wanted to be in the presence of God
and he was willing to leave the
comfort of the boat to do that.
Put yourself in this situation.
Seasoned fishermen are with you in
the boat and you are with 11 other
men. The conditions are violent and
it is 3 a.m. You do not have any life
jackets. The boat is relatively safe
and comfortable. Would you take the
risk of leaving the boat to be in the
presence of Jesus?
Peter is the only one with the guts
to get out of his comfort zone. What
he discovers is that everything is fine
while he is focused upon Jesus. Then
he gets distracted by the storm and
the wind and fear gripped him. It is
at that point he began to sink. He
took his eyes off Jesus and let the
storm be the focus of his attention.
That is the point he began to sin He
cried out to be saved and Jesus saves
him.
If we do not believe in him, we
have every reason to fear. What is
there in life that is really secure?
Nothing. God wants us to
acknowledge our fears and put our
faith in him. It is hard at times, but
he promises us in Isaiah 41: 10 “Do
not fear for I am with you; do not be
dismayed for I am your God. I will
strengthen you and help you; I will
uphold you with my righteous right
hand.”
Will this cure my fear of heights?
No, but this helps to put things in
perspective. The question we all
need to ask ourselves is, what are we
focused on as we go through life?
The Bible calls us to focus on Jesus
and his word amidst the fears of life.
We need to think of his promises in
midst of our fears. We need to seek
his face in prayer, studying his word
and being in community with other
believers. God tells us to fear not,
because he is in control. That is a
great place to rest in a world Filled
with things to fear that cause us to be
anxious. God is calling you and I to
himself in the midst of our fears. Go
to him.
10:30 a.m. - Contemporary Worship
& Sunday School
at Blyth Public School,
corner of King & Mill
Pastor: Ernest Dow ~ 523-4848 .
http://getlivingwater.org ^z
June 12: Genesis 12
Abraham,
to be
Christ-centred, Bible-believing,
Fellowship-friendly, Growth-geared
&■
THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA
you, to ctuie
SUNDAY, JUNE 12
Trinity, Blyth St. John's, Brussels
9:30 a.m. Il:l5a.m.
The Rev. Tom Wilson, B.A., MDiv. 887-9273
'PCeaae foist ito fo* uwidk/i
Sunday, June 12
Morning Worship Service -10 a.m.
Evening Worship Service - 7:30 p.m.
BLYTH CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH
Pastor John Kuperus
Hwy. 4, Blyth 523-9233
Wheelchair accessible
HURON CHAPEL EVANGELICAL
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
Sunday, June 12
11:00 a.m. - Sunday Morning Service
- Sunday School
9:30 a.m. - Sunday Belgrave Service
Wheelchair accessible
Nursery care available
Rev. Cathrine Campbell - 887-9831
BRUSSELS - ETHEL PASTORAL CHARGE
UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA
Joan Golden - Diaconal Minister
Church Office 887-6259 E-mail - bepc@wightman.ca
Fear and anxiety are part of our
lives. A lot of books tell us the way
to deal with fear is to ignore it,
Unattended cooking is
the number one cause
of home fires.
Pay dose attention
when you're
cooking and
stay in the kitchen.
MISSIONARY CHURCH j
Auburn-526-1131
PASTOR DAVE WOODPASTOR DAVE WOOD
Sunday 9:30 a.m.FamHy Bible Hour
10:30 a.m.- Morning Worship Service
7:30 p.m.- Evening Worship Service
Wednesday 7:00 p.m.- Adult Bible Study
7:15 p.m.— Adult & Youth Bible Study (
Churcji*
..., "The Church is not a
K °4- Building,
5 ?eoPle Touching
= "
Sunday 9:15 a.m.
9:45 a.m.
11:00 a.m.
People"
- Prayer Meeting
- Sunday School
- Worship Service
Phone 523-4875 308 Blyth Rd. E. ~ Pastor Les Cook 523-4590 ’
Sunday, June 12
Ethel United Church
11:00 a.m.
Celebrating our 128th Church Anniversary
Join us in our Celebration and for lunch following the Service
Brussels United Church
11:00 a.m.
Worship Service
Come and join us in worship and celebration
Blyth United Church
Corner of Dinsley & Mill Street
Sunday, June 12
Worship Service & Sunday School
11:00 a.m.
Library Sunday
Minister: Rev. Dr. Eugen Bannerman
Office: 523-4224
Blyth United Church is a welcoming community of faith.
We celebrate God's presence through worship and study, and through
responding to the needs and gifts of each other.
Sanctuary