http://bible.com/events/7017982
Afraid Not: Fear and Faith

The first example of fear in Scripture is from Adam in the garden:
He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3:10‬ ‭

* When sin enters the world (in Genesis 3), fear is rampant.
* While it began at the fall of creation, in 2020 we are being tormented by fear, anxiety and worry like never before.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)

* Spirit of fear – pneuma deilos – fearfulness, torment, dread, cowardice
* The term gives the sense of being tormented or haunted by something that begins outside of oneself but, once entertained, enters in.
* Paul contrasts the idea of this spirit with three things:
    * Power
    * Love
    * A sound mind
* The term “sound mind” doesn’t really mean “peace” or “calm” but rather self-control or self-discipline.
    * Freedom from fear means it doesn’t control you anymore.

Romans 8:15

Fear is the perversion of faith.
* Fear is faith that God can’t be trusted
* Fear is faith that God will abandon you
* Fear is faith that God is not in your future

Matthew 8:23-27

* Jesus presents two ideas that are deeply connected: Faith & Fear
* Consider Jesus’ response to fear in John 14:1, “Do not LET your hearts be troubled…”
    * Jesus is saying “Don’t allow it!”
    * The battle against fear is not passive.
Bottom Line:
Passive faith cannot defeat pervasive fear.
* Fear loves the passive soul.
* You can build your faith or build your fear but you can’t build both

How to Build Faith: 
Immerse yourself in the word 
Focus your thoughts on your faith 
Linger on the promises of God 
Surround yourself with hopeful people 
Listen diligently to words of Truth.

How to Build Fear:Immerse yourself in the worldFocus your thoughts on your fearsLinger on the pains of lifeSurround yourself with doubtful peopleListen lazily to words of Truth
Other verses for reflection:
Proverbs 12:25
Isaiah 41:10
Joshua 1:9

http://bible.com/events/6928282

Luke 2:41-52 (2011 NIV)

The Boy Jesus at the Temple

God with us (Emmanuel), became God like us.

I. Gives value to our humanity.

a. Wesley’s Explanatory Notes on Luke 2 (John Wesley)

i. St. Luke describes in order Jesus the fruit of the womb, Luke 1:42; an infant, Luke 2:12; a little child, Luke 2:40; a child here, and afterward a man. So our Lord passed through and sanctified every stage of human life. Old age only did not become him.

b. Our value and our worth does not come from what we can produce, what we can do, what we have, who we know, or how attractive we are. We are loved, we are valued, and we have dignity because of who we are before God. Human beings, created in his image.

II. Shows our need for a Savior

a. Romans 5:12-17

III. Provides Opportunity

a. Hebrews 2:14-18

b. Hebrews 4:14-16

IV. Points to our mission

a. Matthew 28:16-20

http://bible.com/events/6761338

Here Comes Heaven – Christmas Eve

Luke 1:26-38 
There are so many things about Mary that we do not know, but what we do know is how she responded in the midst of fear and uncertainty.

Luke 1:38

•At no point are we told Mary understands all this, but she believes and obeys.
•And her response – “I am the Lord’s servant…” can be your response – to every call of God on your life, whether you understand it or not, whether you can grasp what the future holds or not.

Perhaps God is calling each of us to respond exactly like Mary did:
“Lord, I don’t know how and I don’t know why, but I know You and I trust You.”

http://bible.com/events/6761259
Here Comes Heaven – Our Place

Luke 2:1-20
Often we invite Jesus into our story, asking Him to bless what we are doing. The truth of Christmas is Heaven is interrupting our story. It’s not inviting God to join into my story, but rather God inviting us to enter into His story. 
The reason the shepherds are so important in this story is because they most clearly represent us.
-By society’s standards, they were not considered exceptional or significant.  

Bottom line: 
Christmas means He came for you.

Jesus is the Savior of all, but often we think that means everyone else except me.

The shepherds help us clearly see that Jesus is the Savior of all, even the ordinary, the outsider, the excluded.

Jesus’ divine interruption is truly a divine invitation….
Christmas means He came for you.

https://www.bible.com/events/6704550

Here Comes Heaven (The Dream)Often God’s plans for our lives are much different than what we imagined for ourselves, but they are ALWAYS better! Thank you for joining us today for our third message of this season of Advent!Last week’s truth: Your greatest interruption may be your greatest opportunity.

Matthew 1:18-25

This series addresses the fact that God intervened in the world through the coming of Christ the Messiah. God didn’t just interrupt history, he interrupted people.In marrying a woman who is already pregnant, Joseph is being asked to do something that would have been socially unacceptable. This interruption was not just surprising or confusing, it was shameful.The bottom line:Sometimes what you have planned isn’t what God has purposed.

Here’s what we know about Joseph:

He was a righteous man

His capacity to love overwhelmed his temptation to be bitter

He was open to hearing from God•Ultimately…he obeyed-He allowed his plans to be interrupted-He trusted God enough to obey
Perhaps the Christmas story asks whether this is true of us today.

The question today is not…-will it be easy?-will it be convenient?-will it make sense?
The question today is…-will I obey?