Fearless

Sermon Notes: Fearless.

How can you learn to trust in Jesus and experience his peace when your heart is filled with so many fears? Matthew 8:23-27 and Mark 4:35-41

Fears, anxieties, worries, we all have them, we all struggle with them, we battle against them. Fears of insects, mice, dogs, the dark, heights, water, job fears, redundancy fears, financial fears, fears of test results from hospital and exam results from school / college. Fears of failure, fears of rejection, fears of what others think of us, fears of being unloved and unlovely, fears of the future, fears of getting older, fears for ourselves, our children, grandchildren, fears for our world, this planet, fears of the known and fears of the unknown.

Question: What are your greatest fears at this moment?

What are the situations in your life that keep you awake at night, tossing about in fear, anxiety, and worry!

1: Are you still prepared to follow Jesus, even though, to obey Him may mean that your life will not necessarily be comfortable, easy or safe?

‘Then Jesus got into the boat and his disciples followed Him, v23.

‘I Jesus have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have tribulation but take heart; I have overcome the world.’ John 16:22

Question: What does it really ‘cost’ you to love, follow and obey Jesus in your life day by day?

Question: Would you be willing to love, follow and obey Jesus and work that through in your life this week, even if it makes life more difficult?

2: Where is Jesus – when you are being tossed about by the storms of fear and anxiety, blowing like a gale through your life right now?

‘Without warning, a furious storm (seismos) came up on the lake so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus continued to sleep.’ V24.

‘The disciples woke Him and said to Him, ‘Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?’ Mark 4:38

Question: Why are you filled with so many fears, anxieties, worries in your life? What would strengthen your faith and calm your fears?

Question: How do you practically take the words and the promises of JESUS in the Bible and apply them to your life today, in a way that will calm the storms of fear that are threatening to overwhelm you today?

3: Who is this Jesus that is right here with us in our times of trouble? Have we really begun to grasp how great our God is and how good our God is? V27

‘They were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this?’ Even the wind and the waves obey Him?’ Mark 4:41

‘Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper and the waves of the sea were hushed. Psalm 107:29

‘O Lord God Almighty, who is like You? You are mighty O Lord and Your faithfulness surrounds You. You rule over the surging sea; when it’s waves mount up, You still them.’ Psalm 89:8-9

Question: How do you get your eyes of faith away from the storm and onto the greatness and the goodness of our God?

Question: We want God to still our storms but what if God wants to still us instead, even when the storm is raging around us?

What one thing are you going to DO to put this message into action in your life? I will_____________________________