Pastor Dan's Blog - St Louis

Jesus Dispels Fear

Pastor Dan Walker — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 22:15:47 +0000

Christmas is the time of year we remember when God came to this earth as a baby boy named Jesus. We send all those Christmas cards with pictures of Jesus in the manger. Underneath our Christmas trees are Nativity sets with baby Jesus next to the donkeys and sheep. There’s nothing wrong with that, as that’s what happened 2000 years ago. However, somehow, subtly, what gets etched into our minds is Jesus as a baby.

What thoughts come to your mind when you think of Jesus as a baby? Probably sentimental thoughts of a sweet cuddly baby. What can babies do for you? Not much, they need to be taken care of. So when you’re facing a big problem in your life, the thought of baby Jesus coming to your rescue doesn’t lead to much confidence. In fact, if our view of Jesus is too small, than our view of our problems will be too big. Your view of Jesus will determine the amount of fear and worry you have in your life. The smaller your view of Jesus, the more you will fear. The bigger your view of Jesus, the less you will fear.

How big is Jesus in your mind? The Jesus that was born on Christmas was God Himself, the God that created the universe. That’s pretty big. There’s no one bigger than that. Here’s what Jesus told His disciples about fear.

Matthew 10:28 (NLT) Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

A believer should not fear even if someone is out to kill you. Why? Because even if they kill you, your soul will be safe in heaven. However, there is one fear that every believer should have, the fear of God. Jesus gives the ultimate reason to fear God. We fear God because our lives and our eternal destiny are in His hands. In other words, when you fear God completely, you will fear nothing else.

The fear of God is mentioned throughout Scripture, yet is not talked about much today.

Proverbs 3:7 (NIV) Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.

The fear of the Lord will keep you humble and keep you from sinning.

Psalm 34:7 (NIV) The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.

God sends His angels to protect those who fear God.

Proverbs 14:26 (NIV) He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge.

Those who fear God will be secure and so will their children. We’re going to look at an incident in the life of Jesus to teach us more about the fear of God.

Listen to my December 27, 2009 message “Jesus Dispels Fear” (message notes).

Download audio file (091227-jesus-dispels-fear.mp3)

Jesus Brings Hope

Pastor Dan Walker — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 22:08:11 +0000

Christmas is a wonderful time of the year. It’s a time to take a break from work, at least for a few days and spend time with our families. Christmas is a time to think of giving to others. Christmas is a time to be thankful for the good things that God has brought into our lives in the past year. Yet, for some people, Christmas is a difficult time. Perhaps, someone dear to you is no longer around. Maybe this past year had more sorrows and hardships than joys. For many, finances are tight and the cost of gift-giving raises the stress level. Worry of what may happen in 2010 can also put a damper on the holidays.

If Christmas is just a holiday, than it will come and go with little change in our lives. The worries and fears that we carried into Christmas, we will carry right into the New Year of 2010. However, Christmas is more than just a happy holiday. Christmas is all about the birth of Jesus. Jesus, God Himself, came to this earth as a baby, ultimately to die for us.

Why did He do it? Jesus came to this earth on that first Christmas night because He loved you. Jesus came to save you from your sins, worries and fears. Jesus came to have an eternal relationship with you that would last forever. Jesus came to bring hope into our lives. On that first Christmas, hope was born into our world.

Matthew 12:21 (NLT) And his name [Jesus] will be the hope of all the world.”

What is hope? Hope is a confidence that something good is going to happen in the future. Hope is the opposite of worry. Worry is the concern that something bad is going to happen in the future. Jesus gives confidence that good will happen to those who put their trust in Him. This Christmas, 2010, God wants to give each person here hope, hope for the New Year. Here’s God’s purpose for you and your family.

Romans 15:13 (NIV) May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

God is a God of hope. What goes along with hope? We see in this verse that joy and peace will fill your life when you have hope. We’re going to look at how each person here can overflow with hope. You see, when you overflow with hope, you have so much hope that you can lead others into that same hope from Jesus Christ.

Listen to my December 20, 2009 message “Jesus Brings Hope” (message notes).

Download audio file (091220-jesus-brings-hope.mp3)

Fear of Disaster

Pastor Dan Walker — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 22:03:35 +0000

What is the most fearless animal you can imagine? The animal that comes to my mind is the lion, the king of beasts. Are you as fearless as a lion? The Bible says that you should be.

Proverbs 28:1 (NIV) The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

Fear is a characteristic of wicked people, they are afraid even when there is nothing to be afraid of. The righteous person, the believer, on the other hand is as bold as a lion. Maybe you don’t feel as bold as a lion this morning. Begin to pray and ask the Lord to give you the boldness and courage of a lion. When you are tempted to fear or be worried, just say, “I am bold as a lion.”

We all need to be fearless today and will need that boldness even more in the days to come. I’m going to discuss “Overcoming the Fear of Disaster.” The top disaster story these days is the fear of economic or financial disaster. Whatever financial meltdown happened last year, the result has been a huge increase in the number of people unemployed in our country. A lot of people are afraid that the economy may get worse in the future.

Then we have the fear of pandemics, viruses or infections with the power to kill millions of people. 9/11 awakened us to the fear of terrorist attacks on our own soil and caused us to send soldiers to war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Natural disasters, such as tornados, hurricanes and earthquakes cause fear in different parts of the country. I wish I could stand up here today and tell you that there aren’t going to be anymore disasters, that everything is going to just get better and better. However, I wouldn’t be preaching the Word of God is I did.

We’re going to look at what Jesus told us was going to happen in the future. One day, Jesus’ disciples asked him the question

Matthew 24:3 (NIV) … What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

Since Jesus hasn’t returned yet and world has not yet ended, Jesus’ answer applies to our time right now. We are 2000 years closer to the second coming of Jesus and the end of the age than Jesus’ disciples were. As you’ll see today, I believe the pace of events is picking up.

Listen to my December 13, 2009 message “Fear of Disaster” (message notes).

Download audio file (091213-fear-of-disaster.mp3)

Fear of Death

Pastor Dan Walker — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 21:57:05 +0000

God can help you overcome fear in your life. Fear takes many forms. Most people don’t say I’m afraid very much. We soften it. We say things like, I’m worried about … . Worry is just another form of fear. Worry is fear of what may happen in the future.

God’s Word tells us not to fear and not to worry. There is a fear that I believe is at the bottom of all fears. It is the big fear that many people don’t even want to talk about or think about. However, if you can overcome that big fear, then all other fears won’t bother you. This message is about “Overcoming the Fear of Death.”

What is it about death that scares us? First of all, death can cause fear because it’s irreversible. Once you’ve died, you’re not coming back. If you view death as the end of everything, that’s a fearful thought. People are afraid of death when they’re uncertain of which destination they’re going to end up in. Many people hope they go to heaven, but they’re not certain, so they’re fearful.

The fear of death keeps people in bondage, it negatively affects all of life. You’re not free to really live when you’re afraid of death. Jesus came to set people free from the fear of death.

Hebrews 2:14-15 (NIV) … so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death–that is, the devil– and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

By Jesus’ death and resurrection, He destroyed Satan, who held the power of death. Jesus set free from the fear of death all who believe in Him. So today, if you’re not a believer, if you’re not certain where you’ll go when you die, you’re still in bondage to the fear of death.

Some might say, I’m a believer, but I still worry and I’m still afraid of death. Think about it this way. When someone is an unbeliever, they live in a prison of fear. When a person becomes a believer, Jesus opens the lock to the prison. However, some people don’t walk out of the open prison door. They remain bound to fear and worry, even though Jesus has set them free.

Jesus wants to release every person from the prison of the fear of death. He wants you to walk free and not worry or fear again. You can do that by believing the promises of God’s Word.

Listen to my December 6, 2009 message “Fear of Death” (message notes).

Download audio file (091206-fear-of-death.mp3)

Fear of Failing God

Pastor Dan Walker — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 21:52:01 +0000

God wants His children to be free from all fear. That’s why Jesus told so many people to “Fear not.” Not only does God want you as a believer to be fearless, He wants to use you to help others who are bound up with fear and worry.

Psalm 27:1 (NLT) The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?

There is no reason for a believer walking with God to be afraid or to tremble in the face of danger. We’re going to talk about a different kind of fear. It’s the fear of failing God. Some people are afraid to try anything new, because they’re afraid of failing. They’re afraid of what God or other people may think if they fail. Not all failure is sin, but all sin is failure. We’ve all failed at one time or another in lives. We’ve all dropped the ball when we should have caught it.

I’m reminded of a recent baseball game. The Cardinals were playing the Dodgers in the National League Division Series. The Cardinals were looking to tie the series with a win in the second game. It was the ninth inning, the Cardinals were up 2-1, two outs and James Loney of the Dodgers hit a ball right to Cardinal Matt Holiday in the outfield. An easy catch, right? Wrong, he dropped the ball. In baseball, a failure is called an error. That was a big error. The Dodgers went on the win the game and the series.

There’s times when we’ve dropped the ball for God in the past. I’m not talking about just a mistake, but a time when we’ve sinned. Those times can come back to haunt us, to discourage us, to keep us from doing the things God is calling us to. We fear that we may fail again. We fear that maybe God doesn’t love us anymore or care about us, now that we’ve failed him. Some people feel that their past sins are so great, maybe God won’t forgive them. Let’s see what the Bible has to say about failing God.

Listen to my November 29, 2009 message “Fear of Failing God” (message notes).

Download audio file (091129-fear-of-failing-god.mp3)

Fear of Insignificance

Pastor Dan Walker — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:40:51 +0000

Our society and culture is full of people who are afraid. God doesn’t want His children to be afraid. He wants you to be fearless as you follow Him. Fear is a negative emotion that is uncomfortable. We don’t like to be afraid. However, fear is not just a minor inconvenience. Fear can lead you to miss God’s plan for your life. Fear makes people afraid to do the right things in life, fear stops people from obeying God. Fear causes people to do the wrong things in life.

The fear of insignificance is the fear of not mattering, it is the fear of not being important, fear of one’s life not having meaning, of being powerless to do anything. Now if you don’t overcome the fear of insignificance, you will end up embracing insignificance. You will feel like your life doesn’t matter, that no one cares about you, that you’re just lost in the crowd.

Have you ever wondered why people care about their lives mattering? People are afraid of not mattering because God created people for significance. Every person is born with a God-given desire to accomplish something significant with their life. Every person is born with a God-given desire to be significant to others. I’m going to show you how that desire can fill your life with hope.

However, many people have given up hope that their lives will have any significance or they are looking for significance in the wrong places. People who feel insignificant …

Will achieve little in life
Will have no purpose or hope in life
Often fall into addictions and other harmful lifestyles
Tend to have problems with relationships
Can even succumb to suicide

Think about yourself. Ask yourself the question “Does my life really matter?” When I’m gone – will anyone notice? As we study God’s Word, I trust you will be able to answer those questions with an definitive Yes. Yes my life really matters. Yes, when I’m gone, I’m going to leave a powerful legacy. So, let’s look at some principles from God’s Word that will help us overcome the fear of insignificance.

Listen to my November 22, 2009 message “Fear of Insignificance”.

Download audio file (091122-fear-of-insignificance.mp3)

Facing Your Fears

Pastor Dan Walker — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:36:52 +0000

Think back on what was your earliest fear in life. I remember being afraid to let my leg hang off my bed at night, because I wasn’t sure what might lurk underneath. If I had to get out of my bed at night, I leaped off, so whatever was underneath couldn’t get a hold of me.

As we grow our fears change. Young people have fears about not doing well in school or sports. They may fear not being popular or having the right friends. As adults, we could take most of this morning listing the various kinds of things that we may be afraid of. Take a look at the news and all kinds of fearful questions are raised in our minds.

Is the recession over or will it get worse? Is my job secure? Are my savings safe? Will my taxes go up soon? What about our national debt? Will I be able to put my children through college? What will happen if Iran gets nuclear weapons? Are we safe from terrorism? What about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? Will my family get the swine flu? What is going to happen with health insurance in this country? And we could go on and on.

God wants you to face your fears and move from being fearful to being fearless. Fearless is the opposite of fearful. Being fearful comes naturally. Being fearless comes from God. As we’ll see today, Jesus was fearless, he was never afraid. So it makes sense that the most common command of Jesus in the Gospels was to not fear or not be afraid.

Matthew 10:28 (NIV) Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

God wants to deliver you from fear of man and the things on this earth. As believers, we are to fear God alone. When you fear God you won’t fear anything else. If you don’t fear God, you will fear everything else. Fear and it’s smaller cousin worry, are very detrimental to our lives. Fear is the major component to stress, which can wreak havoc on your health. Fear tends to paralyze people into inaction, they’re not able to accomplish the things God has for them to do. Fear makes it hard for you to think and make decisions. God wants you to be fearless and courageous.

Joshua 1:9 (NIV) Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.

Courage and strength and the opposite of being terrified and discouraged. As we look at a story from the life of Jesus and His disciples, I pray that God will help each one of us move from fearful to fearless.

Listen to my November 1, 2009 message “Facing Your Fears” (message notes).

Download audio file (091101-facing-your-fears.mp3)

Looking Forward With Faith

Pastor Dan Walker — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:59:55 +0000

As a church family, we want to celebrate as we move forward with faith. God has done great things in and through our church in the past, but we believe that the future holds even greater things. To get to where God wants to take us, we must do more than just look forward, we must take action to move forward with faith. What is faith?

Hebrews 11:1 (NIV) Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

You and I cannot see the future. We don’t know exactly what it holds, but God does. Moving forward with faith is to see God’s vision for our church and then take action to bring that vision to pass.

Hebrews 11:7 (NIV) By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family.

Noah obeyed God. He prepared to build the ark and then he built it, even though everyone said he was crazy. He moved forward with faith. When we look forward as a church family, what is God’s vision for us? God’s vision is for us to grow. God wants each of us to grow in spiritual maturity and He wants our numbers to grow as we reach more people for Jesus.

Ephesians 2:21-22 (NIV) In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

These verses tell us that you and I are part of a spiritual church or temple that God is building right here at Full Life. God’s vision is for that spiritual church made of believers to continue to grow.

Listen to my October 25, 2009 message “Looking Forward With Faith” (message notes).

Download audio file (091025-looking-forward-with-faith.mp3)

Looking Up For Guidance

Pastor Dan Walker — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 20:58:30 +0000

Who knows what tomorrow holds? Not you, not me, no human being knows what tomorrow holds. Oh, people can make general predictions, but even those often turn out to be wrong. Virtually no one predicted the financial meltdown of 2008. Will 2010 be the end of the recession or the beginning of an even greater depression? No one knows. I believe the world is entering into a phase of every increasing changes and challenges.

Daniel 12:4 (NLT) But you, Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret; seal up the book until the time of the end, when many will rush here and there, and knowledge will increase.

We are living in the time of the end. The pace of life will continue to increase, as will knowledge. Increases in knowledge lead to constant change. How can we navigate such uncertain times? A lot of people think if they just keep on doing what they’ve always done, everything will work out. Well, it’s not going to work out for them without the right guidance. Where can you go for guidance about future decisions?

Only God knows the future, so we must look, not within, but up to receive guidance for the future.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

God knows the future and He has a plan for you to navigate successfully through that future. Each of us has important decisions to make about our future, about our finances, about our jobs. In order to receive God’s guidance, we need to hear God speak to us. Yes, God still speaks to people today. Jesus said …

John 10:27 (NIV) My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

Every believer is able to listen to Jesus’ voice and follow His direction.

Listen to my October 11, 2009 message “Looking Up For Guidance” (message notes).

Download audio file (091011-looking-up-for-guidance.mp3)

Looking Back With Thanksgiving

Pastor Dan Walker — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 20:52:56 +0000

There are two basic ways to look at tomorrow. The first way to look at tomorrow is with worry and fear. We let our minds race over what possibly could go wrong in the future. When we look at tomorrow with worry and fear, we are expecting tomorrow to be worse than today. God does not want us to look at tomorrow with worry and fear.

The second way to look at tomorrow is hope and faith. Our minds think about the dreams we have for a good tomorrow, both for ourselves and our church family. Hope dreams of a tomorrow that is better than our todays. Faith looks for a tomorrow in which dreams are fulfilled. God wants you to look at tomorrow with hope. Which way are you looking at tomorrow, with worry or with hope?

We’re going to see that paradoxically, the key to looking to the future with hope is looking to the past with thanksgiving. The difficulty in facing tomorrow is that tomorrow is full of challenges and the unknown. Unknown challenges can be scary. Will you be up to the challenge or will it be too big for you?

How can you deal with the challenges of the future? We might call the challenges of the future the giants that we must face. When you are called on to face a giant, it’s easy to be terrified. However, God wants you to face giants and challenges with hope and faith. The message today can be applied to challenges that you may be facing in your own life and family. Likewise, the principles we’re going to talk about today can also be applied to the challenges that our church will face in the future.

Let’s look at a story from the Old Testament found in 1 Samuel 17. I’d encourage you to read the chapter this week. In this chapter, the army of Israel was facing the Philistine army when out of their ranks emerged a giant of a man named Goliath. He challenged anyone in the Israel army to fight him alone. Goliath was over 9 feet tall and a strong warrior. How would you like to face Goliath in hand to hand combat?

1 Samuel 17:11 (NIV) On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.

However, there was one Israelite who was not dismayed or terrified at the thought of fighting Goliath. His name was David. Here’s what he said.

1 Samuel 17:32 (NIV) David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”

King Saul replied to David.

1 Samuel 17:33 (NIV) Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth.”

How could a boy have the courage to face a monumental challenge like Goliath without fear? How could David have the faith to face a fearful tomorrow? We’re going to look at how David thought about his challenge to learn how we can meet our own challenges.

Listen to my October 4, 2009 message “Looking Back With Thanksgiving” (message notes).

Download audio file (091004-looking-back-with-thanksgiving.mp3)