Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20040111.htm

SAMPLING GOD'S "FEAR NOTS"
Part II: God's Solution To The Fear Of Our Child's Harm
(Genesis 21:8-21; Luke 8:41-56)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

In today's world, parents often struggle with the fear that serious harm may come to their children:

(1) Television talk show host and psychologist, Dr. Phil recently had a mother on his show who was so concerned about her children that she did not sleep in her husband's bedroom; rather, she bunked below one of her small children in the child's bedroom so she would be able to address any cry or murmur he might make.

(2) Such fears are easy to understand in view of what we have heard happen to children through the news media: (a) In the last five years, we have heard of criminals kidnapping children out of their bedrooms. (b) Several public schools in our land have faced the tragic loss of children's lives at the hands of troubled schoolmates who have opened fire on them with guns. (c) Then this past week, 34-year-old Jerry Jones of Georgia shot to death some of his wife's relatives in two different homes, including a ten month old baby, and then kidnapped three other children and drove them out of the sate. Thankfully, he was captured outside Chattanooga, Tennessee, and the three kidnapped children were found unharmed. However, such events lead many parents and even children to fear they might seriously be harmed.

(3) The January 3, 2004 issue of World magazine, p. 83 reports that efforts are being made by a pro-pederasty group, NAMBLA to support sexual contact in the gay community between adults and children. If this group's influence succeeds, it may one day be impossible for charges to be leveled against any adult for sexually abusing a child.



So, in TODAY'S world, HOW are parents supposed to DEAL with the FEAR of all the terrible things that COULD happen to their children? What is the solution?



(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )



Need: "Though I hope my child will be blessed of God in life, I know many pitfalls that can do him emotional, mental, physical or spiritual HARM! How may I handle my own FEAR of his being harmed beyond my power to shield him?"
  1. Case Study One: God's Solution For The Fear Hagar Had For Her Son With His Disadvantaged Lot In Life, Genesis 21:8-21:
    1. Hagar's son, Ishmael was born into a disadvantaged position in life:
      1. Ishmael had been born from the union of Abram with Hagar, a mistress to Abram's wife, Sarah to "help God out" in producing a child for Abram in a faithless act by him and Sarah, Gen. 16:1-4:
        1. God had told Abram he would have father a son, Genesis 15:4.
        2. However, since there it been ten long years since this promise had been made, and still there was no son, Sarah suggested Abram employ the culturally accepted practice of elevating her mistress, Hagar to be his concubine so that by her he could produce an heir, Gen. 16:1-3; Ryr. St. Bib., KJV, ftn. to 16:2-3.
        3. Abram heeded his wife's suggestion, and Hagar thus gave birth to Abram's son, Ishmael, Genesis 16:4, 11.
      2. Yet, when Ishmael was born, Hagar viewed Sarah with contempt possibly since Sarah reduced her from the status of concubine back to her former slave position; Sarah reacted by making life so hard for Hagar that she in turn fled with her son from Sarah's control, Genesis 16:5-6; Ibid., ftn. to Genesis 16:4-6.
    2. The Angel of the Lord, the Preincarnate Christ (John F. Walvoord, Jesus Christ Our Lord, p. 44-46) told Hagar to return and submit to Sarah as He would bless her son; also, Hagar was to name him, Ishmael, meaning God had heard her cry for help, Genesis 16:7-12.
    3. Well, noting his disadvantaged lot, Ishmael struggled to improve his position by mocking Isaac only to suffer a disheartening setback:
      1. Ishmael adopted Hagar's attitude, and mocked Sarah's son, Isaac at the feast Sarah held to celebrate Isaac's weaning, Genesis 21:8-9.
      2. Accordingly, Sarah urged Abraham to expel Hagar and Ishmael to protect Isaac's heirship status from Ishmael's influence, 21:10.
      3. God supported Sarah's word, so Abraham sent Hagar and Ishmael away, and they went off into the inhospitable wilderness, 21:11-14.
    4. God's "Fear Not" solution for Hagar was that Ishmael's experiences fit His purpose for him to excel regardless of his disadvantaged lot:
      1. Deeply frustrated and fearing her son would die, Hagar witnessed the Preincarnate Christ again called to her, telling her to "Fear not," for God would help Ishmael due to his cry for help, 21:15ff.
      2. The Preincarnate Christ said He would make of Ishmael a great nation and led Hagar to meet her boy's immediate needs, 21:18-21.
  2. Case Study Two: God's Solution For The Fear Jairus Had That His Daughter's Life Would Be Tragically Cut Short, Luke 8:41-56:
    1. The daughter of Jairus, a synagogue official experienced a life-threatening condition that was tragically blocked from being met by Christ's healing due to another needy woman's interruption:
      1. A synagogue official, Jairus asked Jesus to heal his daughter who was near death, Luke 8:41-42b.
      2. However, Jesus was interrupted on His way to help the girl by the crowds and a healing He performed for a woman who had suffered for years under many physicians from a socially inhibiting, ceremonially unclean hemorrhage, Lk. 8:42c-48 with Lev. 15:1-2.
    2. Due to this interruption, Jairus' daughter tragically died, Luke 8:49.
    3. God's "Fear Not" solution for Jairus was his daughter's experience fit His purpose for her to live regardless of the tragic interruption:
      1. When Jairus heard his daughter was dead, Jesus told him to "Fear not," but to trust in Him and his girl would be made well, Lk. 8:50.
      2. Accordingly, Jesus raised Jairus' daughter from the dead in spite of the interruption by the woman with the hemorrhage, Luke 8:51-56.
      3. We note that the interruption and this little girl's death are joined in God's PLAN: the woman suffered with her affliction as long as Jairus' daughter had LIVED -- for twelve years, Lk. 8:42, 43.
      4. Thus, even the humanly "tragic" interruption FIT God's PLAN both for Jairus' daughter and the woman with the hemorrhage!
Application: If we fear some great HARM may come to our child, a harm we can not thwart, (1) trust in our child's Creator, Jesus Christ, for forgiveness from sin to become related to God, John 1:3, 12-13; 3:16. (2) We can then obey Scripture and pray effectively to God for help, cf. 1 John 3:22. (3) God will direct us to FOCUS on the GOOD PURPOSE He has for our child's life, so we then can (4) follow God's lead in each experience our child faces as God fulfills His purpose for that beloved child.

Lesson: HOPE in God's GOOD PLAN for the FUTURE of Ishmael and Jairus' daughter, (not to mention for the woman with the hemorrhage) were the FOCUS God gave for encouraging Hagar and Jairus to "Fear not" the dire threats they saw to the welfare of their respective children!

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

 Over forty years ago, in Jos, Nigeria, a son of SIM missionaries was playing at the edge of his mission's compound when he spotted a large truck rig parked along the road that ran by the mission compound. Fascinated by such hug deisel rigs he had often seen pulling large loads beside the compound, he approached the rig and was addressed by the driver who sat behind the wheel.

The man had a clipboard, and told the boy he was filling out a report for the test drive he was taking for the truck company. He then invited the boy to join him in the passenger side of the rig, so the boy jumped up on the running board, opened the door, hopped into the seat and closed the door.

The boy's mother, an SIM missionary, had spent much time in prayer for her children, and had dedicated them to the Lord, seeking to work with the Lord that His will for them might be done in their lives. About the time her son was settling himself into the truck seat, she was walking from her house to the SIM Business Department, the "BD" located at the back end of the compound. Suddenly, to her own surprise, she suddenly choose to take a path she had never taken to the "BD" before, a path that took her toward the parked truck.

As soon as she saw her boy in the passenger seat, she called out loudly for him to get out and join her. Shocked at his mother's upset demeanor, and wondering what he might have done wrong, her son quickly go out and joined her as she walked toward the "BD."

Then she told him of the slave trade of children, especially foreign children in Third World countries; boys like himself could be kidnapped and sold as slaves for a very high price, and terribly mistreated, so it was unsafe for him to get into such a parked truck!

Her son was shocked at this insight, and decided to avoid all such trucks. The mission then arranged for the truck company to use other routes for testing, routes that did not come near the compound.

That missionary mother was my Mom, and I was the boy who got into the truck!

If we PARENTS relate well to GOD OURSELVES, and seek HIS will for our child, HE equips us to do what what helps fulfill HIS PLAN for our child BEYOND even our OWN ability as He did for Mom the day I got into that truck!

May we PARTNER with God this way!