Fear of Flying, Part 2
Sermon
Notes
August
12, 2007
Rev.
Jim O’Neal, Senior Pastor
(480) 895-8766
Luke 12:1-7 NRSV
1Meanwhile, when the crowd
gathered by the thousands, so that they trampled on one another, he began to
speak first to his disciples, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, that is,
their hypocrisy. 2Nothing is
covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become
known. 3Therefore whatever
you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have
whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed from the housetops.”
4“I tell you, my friends,
do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. 5But I will warn you whom to
fear: fear him who, after he has killed,
has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I
tell you, fear him! 6Are not
five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet
not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight.
7But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than
many sparrows.”
A. Introduction
1. Ray Bradbury
a.
Ray Bradbury writes science fiction and fantasy stories. You know the titles of many of his novels and
short stories: “THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES,”
“FAHRENHEIT 451,” “AHMED AND THE OBLIVION MACHINE,” “R IS FOR ROCKET,” “S IS
FOR SPACE,” and “THE TIME MACHINE” to name just a few of them. In some of his stories his heroes fly through
space at great speeds, even faster than light!
They engage evil alien ships in twisting and turning “dog fights.” In 1968 the Aviation and Space Writers
Association voted him top writer of the year.
He was invited to attend an awards presentation in
b.
Of course there are other fears.
And we all seem to have some.
2. Today’s Scripture: Luke 12:1-7
a.
Today’s scripture is Luke’s version of last week’s Scripture from
Matthew. It, also, gives us hope. Jesus and his followers have just endured some
criticizing questions by the Teachers of the Law. Jesus tells His followers not to be afraid of
these persecutors.
b. Once
again Jesus reminds us that God is in control.
God loves us so much that the Almighty will not let evil destroy us. God takes
care of the birds of the air, and God will take care of you. You are God’s special creation, made in the
image of God. “So don’t be afraid,”
Jesus says. (Luke 12:7 CEV)
B. Realize that fear limits you.
1. Giraffes
a.
At our Phoenix Zoo, I enjoy visiting the African Savanna and
watching the tall giraffes. One summer I,
also, went to the San Diego Zoo and visited the giraffe compound there. Enclosed in a natural looking exhibit are
several of these magnificent animals.
They are every bit as tall as one might imagine. They are far more muscular than some would
think. Indeed their necks are thicker
and their legs more powerful than one might anticipate. Grown lions fear the kick of a giraffe. And giraffes move at great speeds for their
size. Such an animal you might think
would be hard to contain. Yet their
compound has no walls or bars. There is
only a simple moat, no deeper than a giraffe’s knee, which circles the exhibit. Freedom for a giraffe would take only two big
steps. Yet they never try to escape the
compound. They are trapped. Not one of them will take the risk of
stepping down and walking across the moat for fear of breaking its neck.
b. I wonder how many of us are limited
like that by our fears. Whether it is a
phobia about flying or being in crowds, or some other fear such as: fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of
looking foolish, fear of being hurt, fear of being alone, fear of intimacy,
fear of criticism, fear of authority, fear of change, or fear of death, your
fear is limiting your joy, your potential, and your being the person God made
you to be.
2. Linus in the Peanuts Comic
Strip
a. In the Peanuts Comic Strip, Charlie
Brown may be wishy-washy, but it is Linus who is the most fearful. Linus once gave this advice to his
friends: “I don’t like to face problems
head on. I think the best way to solve problems
is to avoid them. This is a distinct
philosophy of mine. No problem is so big
or so complicated that it can’t be run away from!” Linus is afraid of his big sister Lucy. Linus is afraid of audiences and does not
want to be in the Christmas Play. Linus
is afraid to try something new. He doesn’t
want to make a fool of himself like Charlie Brown. So Linus always plays it safe. And to escape dealing with life he sits in a
pumpkin patch hoping that the Great Pumpkin will solve his problems for
him. Linus believes not in himself and
puts his trust in the wrong things instead of trusting God.
b.
Does this sound too much like you? Are you a Linus letting your fears rob you of
life? Jesus says, “Do not be afraid.” (Luke
12:7 NRSV) And today’s Scripture offers
us two truths to help us overcome our fears.
C. Believe in yourself!
1. Oliver Wendell Holmes
and Mary Susanna Brown
a. When
someone hears the name Oliver Wendell Holmes, they might think of Oliver
Wendell Holmes, Jr. the Supreme Court Judge.
On the other hand, they might think of his dad. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. was an author,
poet, physician, professor, and popular public speaker. He was one of the best known and famous men
of his time. One evening Holmes “Sr.” went
for a walk around his neighborhood block.
He found it to be good exercise and that it gave him a time of
reflection from the rigors of his day.
However, this particular evening a little neighbor girl came up and
tagged along next to him. Holmes didn’t
mind because she was quite the conversationalist. When they got back to the famous man’s home,
he told her he enjoyed the walk and was now going to go inside. Then Doctor Holmes said, “When your mother
asks you where you’ve been, tell her you’ve been walking with Oliver Wendell
Holmes.” To which she confidently
replied, “And when your folks ask you where you’ve been, tell them you were
walking with Mary Susanna Brown.”
b. I
like that. This little girl knew that
she was a person of worth and value. So
are you. Whatever your name, whatever
your circumstances, and whatever accolades the world has given or not given to
you, you matter to God. And joy of joy, not
only are you valuable to God, in addition the Almighty has, also, put within
you tremendous potential. Stop letting
fear and doubt control your life.
Believe in yourself.
2. Today’s Scripture: Luke 12:6-7
a.
Again, as I said last week, this is what the Bible tells us. In today’s Scripture we hear Luke’s
remembrance of these words of Jesus: “Are
not five sparrows sold for two pennies?
Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.
Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many
sparrows.” (Luke 12:6-7 NIV)
b.
You are of infinite value to God!
You have vast potential to love and bless others, and to make a
difference in the world. God has made
you able to do far more than you ever imagined or dreamed! (See Ephesians 3:20-21) Believe in yourself, and trust that God has
made you to overcome your fears.
D. Trust God!
1.
Jesus and the can of soup
a.
Billy’s mom was very busy cooking and she needed one more can of
soup. She said, “Billy, will you go into
the pantry and get me a can of mushroom soup?”
Now the light switch in the pantry was broken and so the room was a big
dark closet. And Billy replied, “Mommy I
don’t want to. It’s dark in there!” Mom paused, looked at her hands covered with
sauce, and said, “Don’t you know that Jesus will be in there with you?” So Billy went to the pantry and opened the
door a few inches. He peeked in for the
longest time, and then yelled, “Jesus, since you’re in there anyways, how about
rolling the can of soup out to me?”
b.
Do you trust that God is with you? Do you believe that Jesus is always there for
you?
2.
Guideposts Story: “All My Heart
This Night Rejoices”
a. Judy Stanfield Corley lost her child,
her first and only child. There is
perhaps no pain quite like that.
Everything had been fine. Then after
eight months of pregnancy, the baby died in the womb. Then there came some additional bad
news. There were complications. And the doctor said, “Your womb is scarred. You will never have a baby.” The first Christmas after this was a
blur. Judy’s heart was filled with
doubts and fears about life.
b. The second Christmas was made even
more difficult because her close friend Naomi’s twelve year old son, Naomi’s
only son Jimmy was ill. The boy had
cancer. Then the call came. Jimmy had lapsed into a coma. The doctors gave little hope. Judy thought, “So much for Christmas
miracles.” She decided to skip the
Christmas party she and her husband had been invited to. She went to sit with Naomi beside Jimmy’s
bed. The rest of Naomi’s family had gone
for a break. Judy began to cry. “Where is God?” she thought. Naomi said, “Have faith. Jimmy always asked me to sing when he felt
down. I brought my guitar to sing for
him. Let me sing for you and him and all
the children who are here.” Naomi sang “What
Child Is This.” Some people carried
their sick children to the door to listen.
Naomi got up and singing Christmas carols went from room to room singing
to the children. Finally Naomi came back
to her son’s room. Her family had come
back from their break and joined them.
They formed a circle around Jimmy and held hands and prayed. Naomi then sang “All My Heart This Night
Rejoices.” Naomi knew that God would
take care of things. Judy thought,
“Where is my faith?” Suddenly Jimmy
opened his eyes and said, “Sing, ‘O holy Night.’” Everyone hugged and kissed Jimmy. Then they hugged each other, and finally
someone ran out to get a doctor. Naomi,
as asked, began to sing “O Holy Night.”
Jimmy would recover. His cancer
would go into full remission
c. Judy discovered that God did take care
of her. The Lord did not abandon
her. She did not have to fear. God was there to overcome her fears. The Lord was there to get her through the
process of grief. And today twenty-two
years later Judy smiles as she hugs her three boys: The children she was told she would never
have! And she trusts God! How about you? Do you trust God to get you through all
difficulties? Do you trust the Lord Jesus
to help you overcome your fears? The
Lord will take care of you in the here and now, and the Lord will take care of you
in the Hereafter. Remember His promise: “I will never leave you or forsake you.” (Hebrews
13:5 NRSV) He is always there for
you. Just believe and reach out.
E. Conclusion:
Recap
1. Recognize
that everyone has fears. (from last week)
2.
Realize that fear limits you.
3. Believe
in yourself!
4.
Trust God!
Fear of Flying
1. Recognize that everyone
has fears.
2. Realize that fear
limits you.
3. Believe in yourself!
4. Trust God!
Luke 12:1-7 NRSV
1Meanwhile, when the crowd
gathered by the thousands, so that they trampled on one another, he began to
speak first to his disciples, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, that is,
their hypocrisy. 2Nothing is
covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become
known. 3Therefore whatever
you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have
whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed from the housetops.”
4“I tell you, my friends,
do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. 5But I will warn you whom to
fear: fear him who, after he has killed,
has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I
tell you, fear him! 6Are not
five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet
not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight.
7But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than
many sparrows.”