Deuteronomy 33:27
Chuck Smith teaches that faith in the eternal God and the everlasting arms can cancel our fears of the future and the present.
Chuck Smith emphasizes that fear often stems from uncertainty about the future and present circumstances, urging believers to find refuge in God. He reassures that the eternal God is our dwelling place, reminding us of His faithfulness throughout history and in our personal lives. Smith encourages looking beyond our fears to the everlasting arms of God, which provide strength and support in times of trouble. He concludes that fear arises from a lack of faith and encourages focusing on God rather than our fears.
Text
"FAITH THAT CANCELS FEAR"
Intro: There are two fears that seem to constantly assail our souls. Fear of the future,
fear of the present. Moses in these final talks has been encouraging them, "Fear
not, be of good courage, be not dismayed"
I. THE NATURE OF OUR FEARS.
A. Fear of the future.
1. Why do we fear future?
a. Always a certain fear of unknown.
b. We fear because we look to the wrong place, to the uncertainty.
2. We fear for future of this world, church, Christ, ourselves.
a. What is this world coming to?
b. The Church seems so apostate.
c. People seem to reject Jesus more & more.
d. What's going to happen to me?
B. Fear of the present.
1. How am I to escape my present dilemma?
2. It seems at times the bottom has fallen out from under us.
3. I fear those forces around me that seem to threaten the things I love.
4. Daily we are faced with situations that would tempt us to fear.
II. THE ANSWER TO OUR FEARS.
A. As to the fear of the future "the eternal God is our refuge" or dwelling place.
1. Word eternal interesting, root is (sun rising. hence the beginning.
2. How would God help me as I fear what tomorrow might hold?
a. He would have me look at the past, He was there at the beginning.
1. World (He brought order out of Chaos).
2. Church (He founded it on Rock & Gates of Hell cannot
prevail against it;
3. Christ (To an unbelieving world filled with paganism He
manifested His power to heal & to save..
4. Myself (It was God who drew me to Himself to begin with.
He did not draw me so He could later cast me away.
"looking unto Jesus..."
The God of the beginnings is my refuge.
B. As to fear of present "underneath are the everlasting arms."
1. How low can you get?
a. What is the point of absolute bottom.
2. When you get down to the very lowest possible position "Underneath."
3. Arms always a symbol of strength.
a. Next time fear grips your heart and you begin to wonder if God
can hold you up in this situation-Look up: See the heavens.
"When I see the heavens the work of thy fingers.
b. The heavens are work of His fingers, but underneath of you is
everlasting Arms.
c. Word everlasting in Heb. much stronger than eternal vanishing
point.
III. WHY DO WE BECOME GRIPPED WITH FEAR?
A. I fear what I don't know & fear what I do know.
B. Fear is the result of an absence of faith.
C. We have our eyes on wrong things, "They endured as seeing the invisible" Start
looking to God!
Sermon Outline
- The Nature of Our Fears points: - Fear of the Future - Why do we fear the future? - Always a certain fear of the unknown - We fear because we look to the wrong place, to the uncertainty
- How am I to escape my present dilemma? points: - Fear of the Present - It seems at times the bottom has fallen out from under us - I fear those forces around me that seem to threaten the things I love - Daily we are faced with situations that would tempt us to fear
- The Answer to Our Fears points: - The Eternal God is Our Refuge - He would have me look at the past, He was there at the beginning - World (He brought order out of Chaos) - Church (He founded it on Rock & Gates of Hell cannot prevail against it) - Christ (To an unbelieving world filled with paganism He manifested His power to heal & to save) - Myself (It was God who drew me to Himself to begin with. He did not draw me so He could later cast me away)
- How low can you get? points: - Underneath Are the Everlasting Arms - What is the point of absolute bottom - When you get down to the very lowest possible position 'Underneath' - Arms always a symbol of strength
- Why Do We Become Gripped with Fear? points: - I fear what I don't know & fear what I do know - Fear is the result of an absence of faith - We have our eyes on wrong things, 'They endured as seeing the invisible'
Key Quotes
“The eternal God is our refuge.” — Chuck Smith
“Underneath are the everlasting arms.” — Chuck Smith
“They endured as seeing the invisible.” — Chuck Smith
Application Points
- We should look to the past and see God's faithfulness to understand that He is our refuge.
- We should focus on the strength of God's everlasting arms to overcome our fears.
- We should trust in God and look to Him for guidance and protection in times of uncertainty.