- Good morning. Good to have all of you here safely together in the midst of whatever's going on out there. We won't even comment on it, right? God is with us here. So I want you to do a couple things for me as we continue in this series, "Multiplying Disciples," which is a study in second Timothy. And we've decided to jump into a short three part series on fear last week, this week and next week in light of our times. But it's all based off of 2 Timothy 1:7. So I want you to take your Bibles out and I want you to go directly to 2 Timothy 1:7, and we're gonna come there in just a minute. The second passage though that we're gonna spend most of our time in which is really parallel to what we're talking about here is Romans 8:14. So I want you to go to Romans 8:14, in addition to 2 Timothy 1:7. We'll start in second Timothy and then we'll jump over to Romans chapter eight and jump in the really parallel ideas. Now, as we have found our way there let me pray for us, for God's guidance. Father we thank you for the truth of your Word and I ask today that it would wash over us in a very powerful way. That Lord as we humbly look at the truth of your Word we would begin to understand the depth and the power of truth versus what we oftentimes call fear in our world. So guide us, give us eyes to see your truth and hearts that are willing to obey, it's in Christ's name, that we pray, amen. Fear can absolutely wreck your life, and if you're not careful, it becomes a phobia and it really can inhibit your ability to live a healthy life. It can put you at the mercy of events that are taking place around you and instead of trusting the Lord by faith, you are walking in fear. And that's why today's subject is so critical and that is that we are no longer a slave to fear. It's found in one of our passages today and it's important to understand why we're no longer a slave to fear and that God has given us some enormous gifts as followers of Jesus Christ to walk by faith and not by fear. Now, one of the principles that is absolutely essential to what we're gonna talk about today but it's also absolutely essential to living out the Christian life is one that perhaps you're familiar with, but perhaps you're not. And that's why I wanted to take just a moment and explain it. We are never to live out our Christian life based on feelings and emotions. We are to base living our Christian life following after Jesus Christ as a disciple of Jesus Christ based on fact and not feeling. Now I know that for many of you, you've heard that since you were probably three and a half or two but you can't remember that anyway. But it's so essential to what we're talking about, especially with the subject of fear. And the reason is this, emotions and feelings are terrible decision makers. They will lead you down a road that will wreck your life and it'll keep you in subjection to something you've already been delivered from. It is so critically essential to understand that feelings and emotions can only feel, they can only emote. They are not truthful in and of themselves, they must have truth speaking into the situation and then it is emotions that are real reactions to life but they need to line up with the truth otherwise they'll mislead you. And many times they're neutral, sometimes they can be bad, sometimes they can be good and they need somebody to wrap a rope around them and guide them in the right direction. That's kind of the idea, that's the point I want you to understand. In Matthew chapter 22, don't go there just listen to the story. It's one, that's familiar to some of you if not go back and read the account. Matthew chapter 14, starting in verse 22 it's this incredible account that takes place in the life of Jesus Christ and the disciples. He just feeds the 5,000. He puts the disciples in a boat and He sends them out into the sea of Galilee. Now in Mark, we find out that Jesus goes up into the mountain and He begins to pray. He begins to pray 'cause He knows what's coming. And I think He's praying specifically for the disciples, here's the reason why. There's a wind storm that comes up and all of a sudden the boat is being thrown around there's water, pouring into the boat and they're in the midst of this storm and they are afraid. Jesus walks out onto the water, it's an absolute, incredible miracle. And when they see Jesus out in the midst of this storm they think it's a ghost and they are afraid. But at that moment, Jesus says, no need to fear it's I, it's Jesus and Peter he says, "Lord, if it's you, I wanna walk out towards you," okay? So for us northerners, it wasn't a frozen lake, okay? And so Peter probably still had his sandals on when he steps over the side of the boat and he actually begins to walk on water. It's an astounding miracle, you gotta read the account, it's absolutely incredible. Now, as long as he focused with faith on Jesus he was doing great, but the trouble was he started noticing his pants were getting wet and he started noticing the waters washing on him and splashing and the storm is there and he puts his eyes on the circumstances of this fallen world. And he begins to sink and he cries out the Lord, the Lord reaches down, grabs him, picks him up. They get back into the boat, notice this, don't ever miss the details in God's Word, then the storm stops. Now that is an insight you need to hear about this morning. You see the storm didn't stop until Jesus got back in the boat. He didn't take Peter out of the storm, He didn't take him out of life, He doesn't take us out of the suffering and the sorrows and the difficulties and the fears that we experience in this fallen world. He actually walked with Peter, He didn't drag him through the water, gulping up water. He picked him up and then He walked with him safely back to the boat. And that's oftentimes what happens in our lives. You are a child of God if you've trusted Christ as savior, it is the Lord Jesus Christ that does not take you out of this world but He walks with you in the midst of this storm. That's what's so cool about that miracle. And then you get back into the boat one day all this stuff will pass away. It's a fantastic miracle, I'd encourage you to go back and read the account but it serves as the basis of everything we're talking about today. Now, when I went through Matthew, Mark, Luke and John I counted up the number of times where the words are stated do not fear or fear not, 10 different times. And it is the most frequently stated command in all of the Bible. It occurs 366 times. It is given directly as a command to you as a follower of Jesus Christ, not to fear and it is because God has dealt with this. Now you're already in 2 Timothy 1:7, so look there with me as we read it. For God, Paul says to Timothy sitting in a prison he says, "For God, gave us a spirit, not of fear "but of power and love and self-control." And as we saw last week, he didn't give us a spirit of fear, He gave us the Holy Spirit that produces, we'll come back to this, this morning, power and love and self control. Now the parallel idea to what Paul is saying here is found in the passage that I've told you to go to and that is Romans 8:14. Paul wrote this book as well and here's what he says. "For all who are led by the spirit of God." He's talking about the Holy spirit. "Are sons of God, for you did not receive "the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear." He's essentially using the same idea, almost the exact same words that he wrote to Timothy. And in Timothy he's talking about the Holy Spirit in verse 15 or verse 14 of chapter one in second Timothy he's talking about the Holy Spirit. The idea is the Holy Spirit produces these things. You're no longer a slave to fear, but you have received the spirit, the Holy Spirit of adoption as sons by whom we cry Abba Father. The spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God and if children then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ provided we suffer with him because suffering and persecution will come to a believer. With him in order that we may also be glorified with Him. For, I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed. There are some enormous gifts given to you as a child of God. And I want you to understand that you are no longer a slave to fear. But there have been given to you as a follower of Jesus Christ, some enormous gifts, enabling you to look at fear and face it and walk through this world. And it begins with this powerful truth, you are adopted into God's family. If you are gonna face fear in this world and we're facing it today, if you're gonna look into the world in which we live, if you're gonna live a victorious Christian life you must understand exactly what Paul is saying here. Now we're gonna look at a massive passage, we are not gonna cover every detail here but we're gonna hit the highlights that directly relate to facing fear with faith so that we can understand we're no longer slave to fear. And it begins here with the fact that we are adopted. We are not a slave to fear, and we're also not a slave to the genesis of fear, which is sin and we've been adopted into God's family. We don't have to fear God's judgment, we don't have to fear shame. We don't have to fear anything that this world or evil or Satan throws at us because we've been adopted now into the very family of God. We don't have to fear His judgment, we don't have to fear His approval or any of the circumstances around me. The moment I put my trust and faith in Jesus Christ as my savior, as my Lord the leader of my life, I've turned to Him, I am focusing on Him by faith. And as I keep my gaze there, as Peter learned you begin to walk by faith. God begins to supernaturally do an incredible work of transforming you. And in the midst of that moment of trusting Christ as savior and Lord, it is God, the Father that takes you and places you into His very family so that we can walk into His presence and we can actually cry out Paul says, it's a very intimate word that's used even over in Israel today, Abba Father, daddy father. He's my father watching out for me, in the midst of all this I've been adopted into his family. Now notice you're not born into His family. You don't become a Christian or a disciple follower of Jesus Christ because your mom and dad were. It doesn't happen because of confirmation, it doesn't happen because of baptism. It happens when you make a personal decision to trust Christ as savior and Lord and He transfers you into His family. Now it's fascinating when Paul used this word adoption, he was thinking from a first century mindset. Let me give you an insight here from the Roman world. When someone didn't have an heir, they could adopt someone, let's say a slave that worked for them to be their heir. And the way that they would be their heir or receive all of these things, there's actually four parts to it. First, the moment they decided to adopt this slave, let's say it was a male slave to be their son. Then they were all of a sudden responsible for all their legal obligations, all of their debts any crime that they had done, anything. Second, they would cover the cost for all that. They'd pay for it, they would take care of it, so his slate was wiped clean. Then he was given a new name and then he was given to be a son who would receive all of the wealth of that land owner, let's say. And then number four, this is important that slave who's now a son would have a sense of obligation to honor, respect and live in a way that would please the father. Now that perfectly parallels what happens to us when we Christ as savior and Lord as we saw last week. It was Jesus Christ perfect death on the cross that paid for our sin. God canceled that, Jesus said it is finished. You are no longer held responsible for your guilt and shame your sin past, present, and future. Your debt has been paid by the perfect work of Jesus Christ that cross covers the sin. And it not only deals with the genesis of fear, it deals with death, physical death and deals with the spiritual separation between us and God. You are brought into his family and I'll tell you what, when you begin to grasp the power of knowing I'm not guilty ,I am forgiven and given new life that creates in someone who is genuinely put their trust in Jesus as savior and Lord a sense of motivation to want to please and follow Jesus Christ. I'm not earning the Father's love anymore, I'm living from His love. There's a sense of pleasure in knowing that God has done something that I could never do for myself. And by the time you get to verse 16 which he says here, "The spirit himself bears witness." That's where assurance comes from, with our spirit that yes we are indeed children of God, because we've put our trust and faith in Jesus Christ as savior and Lord, I can't give you that, the spirit does now why would Paul bring up assurance at this point? Because you're gonna talk about persecution and suffering, which comes to us in the midst of the trial, in the midst of the difficulty, in the midst of the storm, Jesus didn't leave Peter and God doesn't leave us. He walks with us in the midst of those moments, why? Because while this world is temporary and it is not my home, I'm moving towards heaven. I've got an eternity that is secure in the hands of Almighty God. And no matter what I experienced in this life, it really can't harm me for eternity sake because I've got glory that's coming. Paul actually refers to that when he says that we will be glorified with him. And then in verse 18, he says very clearly that we're anticipating this glory to be revealed. He puts it this way in Philippians 3:20. He says, "But our citizenship is in heaven "and from it, we await a savior the Lord, Jesus Christ.? We're going, this world is not my home and what happens to me is temporary. And I'm in the very family of God adopted as His child and nothing is going to come to me that hasn't carefully been sifted through his hands first. Now notice he goes on with this, if you'll look at verse 19. "For the creation waits with eager longing "for the revealing of the sons of God. "For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly "but because of him who subjected it in hope "that the creation itself will be set free "from its bondage to corruption "and obtain the freedom of the glory "of the children of God." All of creation was affected by sin. Sin brought about fear. This world is broken, it's fallen, there's real pain, there's real suffering, there's real fear that we face as a follower of Jesus Christ. We go through that storm. The world is falling. The circumstances around us can provide an opportunity to demonstrate by faith the victory that we can have over fear, but even creation in its sinful state is being redeemed. Now I'm building a case here and it's really gonna be incredible when we all get to it at the end here in just a minute. for we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. You see that creation is looking forward to that day and so should you, because we can face whatever we can because we've been given victory. And not only the creation but we ourselves who have the first fruits of the spirit groan inwardly, as we wait eagerly, for here it is, adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope, the hope of the redemption of our bodies we are saved. Now, hope that is seen is not hope for who hopes for what he sees, but if we hope for what we do not see we wait for it with patience. His point is there's a day coming when we will enter into that experience. And no matter what we go through in life, we are part of his family, that day is secure, this world is temporary and this too shall pass. And he even brings up the fact that my body which is being decayed and moving towards physical death that can't even harm me. The sinful world can't harm me, the stuff that comes against me can't harm me. My sin, my guilt, my shame paid for done with, I'm part of God's family. Even this body is being redeemed by God in the midst of all of this, you begin to see how the genesis of fear of sin has impacted every area. And it's almost as if, as we walk through this passage keep this in mind, everything that Satan meant for evil and sin, God flips it around and turns it on its head. It's an amazing account. And then he says, my body's being redeemed, even when I look at the ultimate fear of death I don't have to fear it anymore, it's been taken care of. Here's the point. Once I'm prepared to die, now I'm ready to live 'cause I got nothing else to worry about. You see, that's the point that he's after here and we can focus on the care of a loving Father who watches out for us, no matter what we go through. Now, I share this experience just carefully here, but in my life growing up, if I was fearful I ran to my parents and in particular I wanna focus in on my dad, because I had a good relationship with him. I knew he loved me and he cared for me. So this passage, I can understand how God treats me because of that. There are many of you that didn't have that, there's no baseline there for you. So here's what you have to do to practice the truth of what we're talking about. You're not living by emotions, you're living by truth. As you walk through this passage, as you evaluate and look at not evaluate but look at the very character of God on the one hand and then you compare it with the tragedy of growing up in a home where you didn't have a good dad. Here's what you have to do and it really is just like this. You say, wait a minute, that's not true. Here's what my loving father says to that, so with every lie, you combat it with the truth. So that when you feel devalued, you combat it with the truth, I'm valued before the Father. When you think I've got guilt and shame you combat that with the truth of the scripture. In every case, this is so critical when it comes to the issues of our time, you have to speak truth into the moment to combat the lie. And when you do that, you walk away with this awesome understanding of who God is and how He's changed me and put us into His family. Now, the second thing I want you to focus on that's the gift is you're given the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is where we were last week and that's why I wanted you to look at this powerful, powerful verse that is found in 2 Timothy 1:7. You see, we have the Holy Spirit which provides power, love and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7 you don't need to go back there again, it's up on the screen. He says, "For gave us a spirit, not of fear," just the opposite the Holy Spirit that brings about power love and self-control. This is what the spirit brings into our life in the midst of a fallen world that Paul says so we can face fear with faith, keeping our eyes on Jesus. He's given us power. This is power to walk in the midst of it to have the endurance, to stay strong for the gospel, to communicate the gospel and not give into fear. Jesus made this remarkable promise to His disciples before He left the planet. Acts 1:8 says, "But you will receive power "when the Holy Spirit has come upon you." Paul picks up on this, You've been given power by the Holy Spirit, that's what he's after here in second Timothy. "And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem "in all Judea, Samaria and to the end of the earth." I mean, in verse eight of chapter one in second Timothy, Paul says, "Don't be ashamed of the testimony of the Lord, "nor of me as prisoner." You can have confidence and boldness to communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ. To face fear, regardless of what it is because of the power of God. We're gonna see in just a minute in verse 31 of chapter eight back in Romans that if God's for us there's nobody that can be against us 'cause we got the all powerful one on our side. Second word is love, right? He's given us power and love. The kind of love he's talking about is love from the father that adopts us into his family. Paul says it this way earlier in the book of Romans 5:5 he says, "And hope does not put us to shame "because God's love has been poured out into our hearts," here it is through the Holy spirit who's given us that. He's given us this and it is the Holy Spirit that provides the power, He provides the love and why is that the case? Well, John says in a little book 1 John 4:18, "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. "For fear has to do with punishment "and whoever fears has not been perfected in love." The kind of perfect love he's talking about is the perfect love that God has given to us by perfectly dealing with our sin. The genesis behind fear. At the cross, the debt's been paid folks, you can say, amen, hallelujah, you can do a Southern . Hey, praise the Lord brother, I don't care what you say but that is the truth that you gotta start living by. He is forgiving you the guilt, the shame it's gone and because of that, I'm adopted into his family. He's dealt with the sin, He's dealt with anything there and therefore the third piece comes along. It is the Holy Spirit who teaches us God's Word and gives us self-control. That's the other gift given by way of the Holy Spirit. This means a sound mind, discernment, the ability to speak truth into the lie. Remember I gave you the illustration. If you were raised in a home where you didn't have this baseline, you take the truth, you go through the transformation process, it renews your mind so you can speak truth back into that situation and start living by facts and not feelings, not the circumstances around you, facts and not fear. Now I have to say, personally I am constantly doing this in my life. Even though I came from a healthy home or whatever you wanna call... We're all sinners, right? Can you agree with me on that? I am constantly having to do this and if I'm not doing it then lovely Lynette who's the Holy spirit in my life, she says you gotta do this. So you need a partner, somebody, a friend whatever to help you walk through this. But the reality is that I'm constantly having to say, wait a minute, that's a lie, that's not true. It's not good, it's not right, it's not pure, it's not lovely, it's not just. God is the author of those things, He's breathing life back into me in the midst of these moments so that I walked by faith and not fear. Now, if we go back to verse 26, look down there, "Likewise, the spirit helps us in our weakness "for we do not know what to pray for as we ought "but the spirit himself intercedes for us "with groanings too deep for words. "And He who searches hearts knows "what is the mind of the spirit. "Because the spirit intercedes for the saints "according to the will of God." What he says here, is the gift of the Holy Spirit given? The Holy Spirit prays and intercedes for us, even in the moment, living in a fallen world where we face fear, we are adopted into His family. So nothing comes to us unless it's first been filtered through the Father's hand. He's watching out for me, He is this caring, loving father that knows the beginning and the end of my life. And I need to know that when I go through these times, I am not alone. The spirit of God is right there with me when I face a bully at school. The fear of God is right there with me, when I go through COVID-19, the fear of God is right there with me when I'm questioning what the future holds for me. Because even in my weakness, He's right there injecting truth into the harsh reality of my life as a follower and disciple of Jesus Christ. Here's the prayer, I want you to pray and it really is, it is this simple, and it is the step of faith. And it is just a simple, next step of faith. The moment you get afraid, whatever that is future job loss, COVID-19, friend, family, bully at school whatever that might be, I'm not sure you can fill in the gaps. Here's the principle, at that moment you stop and you say, God, I'm afraid I need you in this moment. That's it. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, I'm telling you God will show up, try it. Step out in faith and try, get out of the boat put your feet in the water and run towards Jesus. God, I'm afraid, I need you to show up right now but I'm gonna put my gaze on you and walk by truth and not the emotions. And then verse 27 is so powerful, look at that. And He that's God who searches hearts, God knows the fears you're going through, God knows the circumstances you're going through, God knows what you are experiencing right now in your life. And God who searches our hearts, watch this knows what is the mind of the spirit because it's God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. You haven't figured that out yet, they're all God and they know exactly what's going on together, okay? Perfect union. Because the spirit intercedes. Now it is the spirit who intercedes for the saints according to the will of God 'cause he just told you, he's praying for you. Even if you don't even know what to pray for, he's praying for you. He's bringing it out because he knows what's going on in your life. I love this because God knows what you need, He's given you the gift of the Holy spirit who not only knows what you need but knows what the Father needs. And when you can't even pray for it, he's interceding. And the whole point is you got God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit working on your behalf in the midst of a fallen world facing fear so you can have victory. I would say you have everything you need to live out this Christian life. It's an amazing story. And the thing that's so powerful about this is He not only knows what I need right now, He knows what I need in the future, why? Because He's God, you believe that? He's God and if He's God, He knows what's coming so He's preparing me. He's getting me to that point to where I'm able to face it under His power and strength and not under my own at all. Now, if you look at verse 28 he continues to add in these gifts. "And we know that for those who love God "all things work together for good. "For those who are called according to his purpose "for those whom he foreknew He also predestined "to be conformed to the image of His Son "in order that He might be the firstborn "among many brothers. "And those whom he predestined, "He also called and those whom he called He also justified "and those whom He justified, He also glorified." What he's talking about here is that now that we've been adopted, now that we have a loving caring father, who's watching out for everything. Now that we've been given the gift of the Holy spirit, that gives me everything I need to face this and the spirit interceding on my behalf when I don't even know what I'm supposed to be doing out here, I'm facing this fear of God, you gotta show up in my life. And then he says, even in the midst of those moments which are difficult, he doesn't pull you out of the storm. He actually uses the fear, He uses the struggles, the trials, the difficulties in your life, the pain of this life and get a load of this one, this one blows my mind. You'll think about this one for the next year, 'cause I've been thinking about for a long time. He even takes the very sin in my life and the mistakes I make and He somehow manages to use that, to conform me to the image of Jesus Christ. And I have to tell you that just blows my mind. I have such a hard time wrapping my mind around that concept. That He loves me so much, that He is walking with me all along the way and He takes all of that and he uses it for my good and my growth and his incredible glory. To conform me! I mean, that's amazing. Not only does he protect me and guide me and lead me, He gives me everything I need and then in the midst of the storm He actually uses it to flip it on its head, to flip evil and flip the mistakes and all the shame and all the guilt and the stuff that maybe you even carried into this room. He's working on you and He hasn't forgotten you and He's gonna take you to a new level with Him because you can face this fear and walk in victory. Now I have to pause here just for a second and share something. Several years ago we went hiking outside of Steamboat, Colorado, and I had to face a fear of my life 'cause I hate heights, I just hate 'em. And I don't like getting up anywhere, I don't like getting on my roof. And we were going on a hike because our kids talked us into it. And Lyn and I protested, it was over 12,000 feet and there was this thing called the Devil's Causeway. And it's about a stretch of 25, 30 yards long, maybe 50 and it's in between two peaks, over 12,000 feet. It's about, I would probably say two and a half yards wide with uneven rocks and you'd have to walk across this thing. There's a sheer drop off on both sides. You lose your foot, you're gone. I mean, it's hey Rockpoint he's dead find another pastor. And so we had to face this, now our kids are Billy goats, they just or she goats, whatever you call them they were kind of walking back and forth. But Lynette, and I are like, we were licking the stones we were so far down because we didn't wanna fall off the edge. Now, amazing thing happened though as I had everything in me to do this, I mean I don't have an equilibrium problem. I'm really small anyways, so it's not like I got a height issue. I got great balance and I thought, I've got everything I need but I had to face the fear. And when I trusted what was within me, okay I was able to go back and forth, back and forth. I gotta tell you what, I can do it now in a heartbeat. I'm just over it because I faced it. Same thing's true in the Christian life, you have everything you need. You are adopted, you walk out with the power and the authority of Jesus Christ chosen child of God. He's gonna use everything according to His will and His design purpose to guide you and move you to face that fear. You have everything you need. And the amazing thing about the next set of verses in verse 29, I'm not gonna get caught up in all the theological lingo here, but He foreknew you, intimately knew you before creation began, 'cause He's not time bound, before you were even conceived. And then He predestined, what does that mean? Well, that means that He appointed in advance to make sure that you would be like Jesus Christ. Why? Because He's gonna call you to be His own and then He's going to justify you. He doesn't make you righteous or justified. He declares you, you're not there yet, okay? We still have to in this Christian life but you are positionally declared holy, you are positionally declared righteous. In other words you don't have to earn the Father's love anymore, you're living from His love. Remember, you're adopted in His family, so now I wanna live for Him. He's changed the motivations of my life. I'm living life now from a point of victory not defeat. Sin, shame, it's all done, okay? I walk in truth now and now I am justified right before a Holy God. So now He's given me the gift of His Holy Spirit and He's moving me towards that day where I will find Jesus Christ perfected in His image in glory. And the point I want you to see here is you've gotta remember the fact that God is in charge of your salvation from beginning to end. And it doesn't matter what happens to you in this life because you are adopted into His family. He's in complete control of everything, nothing comes to you unless has been sifted through His hand. You've been given the Holy Spirit to walk in power and strength so that you can have an understanding of His perfect love and then self-control over what is happening. And then the amazing thing about it is He even takes the tough stuff of life, uses it for His glory and grace. It's incredible. And then He conforms us to walk in His ways because He is going to make sure no matter what your going to get to heaven. This world is not your home, He's in charge of your life right now. So whatever fear comes your way, you need to go talk to the heavenly daddy about it because truth overcomes error and lies every time. You can rest in the assurance of knowing you're a child of God and walk by faith in the midst of fear. You see his point? Now, here's how he ends this thing. If you'll look at verse 31, he wraps it up with a final point that says, look you're His and you are secure in the Father's love. So notice 31, "What then, shall we say to these things?" Let me ask you a question, you got anything to say to that? You got anything to say to that? I don't, I'm speechless. Why? 'Cause there's nothing else to be said. I mean, God took care of everything, I've got totally victory through this, I need to walk in it. If God is for us, who can be against us. He who did not spare his own son, but gave Him up for us all how will He not also with him graciously give us all things. He dealt with the genesis of fear at the cross, the resurrection deals with sin and death. You're forgiven, you're given new life He dealt with it because He dealt with the genesis of fear, you don't have to fear it anymore. You don't have to fear, fear anymore, you can walk in truth and victory that's his point. Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? I don't fear judgment, I don't fear, shame and guilt. It is God who justifies He's in charge. Who is to condemn, well there's nobody left, why? Because the judge keeps driving towards the truth of knowing we're a child of God, we are His, He's responsible for your salvation from beginning to end. And we are going someplace, this world's gonna pass away but ultimately my faith is in Him and He's gonna get me there. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died more than that, who was raised He dealt with it all. Who was at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword. As it is written for your sake we are being killed all the day long. We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. He quotes from Psalm 44:22 to remind us that the waves will steep, keep crashing against you you will continue to get wet. There is real pain and suffering, but you don't have to walk by fear anymore. You keep your gaze upon God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. And as you do, you remember that you are no longer a slave to fear. And that you have been given hope and joy and you can walk in that truth. You've been given victory by these gifts. Now here's how we're gonna close this. I want you to look down at verse 37 and Doug's gonna come out here and just lead us in a couple of quick words together as we sing. But before we do, here's how we enclose the message. I think it's critically important to speak truth into errors and lies in our lives. And I also think that it's very important for us to speak truth out loud and the reason is this, Fear, and I think you can probably make a case that there is some demonic force behind fear might be the spirit of fear, they can't read your mind, Satan, can't read your mind and the demons can't read your mind. And yet they can drop thoughts into your brain. And you live in a world that is sin soaked and you're gonna be inundated with thoughts and fears and things that come your way. And it is so important to speak out loud, this is important, the truth of what God says. 'Cause they can't read your mind and you are a child of God, you are covered. Everything is true of you. So now you speak the truth into this situation and as Jesus spoke the truth Satan left. As you speak truth into this, in the midst of what you go through, the demons flee. As you speak truth into this, you walk by faith the truth and not fear. So we're gonna say these words together. Look down there and let's say them out loud, scream it through your crazy mask that you wear. And let's fill this place with God's Word, you ready? Here we go. No in all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For, I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord. And all God's people said, amen.