Fear is conditional!

That is good news. Fear only works in the right conditions.
Fear needs a dark and stormy night. Fear needs secluded woods. Fear needs a deserted house with lots of spider webs. Fear needs the right conditions.

If you can change the conditions you can change the effect of fear.

The condition that fear capitalizes on most is LACK.

Lack is Fear’s open door.

a LACK of knowledge
a LACK of resources
a LACK of strength

Where is the lack in your life? That is the open door for fear to enter.
If Fear attacks from a place of lack then you need to counteract from something that does not lack.
If Fear attacks from a conditional place then you need to resist fear with something that is unconditional.
Jesus does not LACK! And the savior gives us 3 things that do not LACK and will defeat fear.

Faith
Hope
Love

Fear 2 – Fear is Conditional from Redemption Church on Vimeo.

Fear 2 Fear is Conditional

Sermon notes by Chris Fluitt

Redemption Church Plano Tx

Help Bumper2
Welcome to Redemption Church! We are a fun loving church in Plano Tx.
My name is Chris Fluitt. I am lead pastor here at Redemption I greet you in Jesus name.
1 Fear title
We are in the 2^nd week of our fear series.
Last week we told you that Fear positions itself behind us
F1 3 Fear Positions itself Behind us
Fear likes to lurk. Fear likes to haunt. Fear hangs out where you can’t see it, but where you can absolutely FEEL it.
This is where all the WHAT IF fears are. What is I get sick, What if I fail, What if other people think bad things…
We have an opportunity to change positions with fear.
F1 4 Change Positions
You can face your fear. Facing your fear takes away the spooky power it holds over you.
Don’t try to hide from your fear. Don’t try to outrun your fear. That doesn’t work in the horror movies and it does not work in real life either.
But don’t try to face fear on your own. Make the Lord you Shepherd.
F1 7 God in Front
God’s Word says the Lord will go before you. He will fight your fear.
God’s Word also says the Lord will be your rear guard. You are protected front & back by the Lord your Shepherd. His goodness and love will follow after you all the days of your life.

F2 1What are you afraid of?
Text us at 214-856-0550
There are some 530 documented phobias. The truth is that the number of phobias is endless because we can be afraid of anything.
You can be afraid of being around people – Anthropophobia You can be afraid of being alone – Monophobia.
You can be afraid of wide open spaces – Agoraphobia. You can be afraid of confined spaces – claustrophobia.
You can be afraid of cats – Elurophobia. You can be afraid of dogs – Cynophobia.
What Are you afraid of. Text our anonymous line at 214-856-0550.
Today I want to tell you that Fear needs the right conditions.
F2 2 Fear needs the right conditions
Fear doesn’t work in every setting. Do you agree?
Fear needs a dark and stormy night. Fear needs secluded woods. Fear needs a deserted house with lots of spider webs. Fear needs the right conditions.
Imagine a dark secluded alley. You hear strange sounds. The suddenly you see… a ballerina eating a pizza. That is unexpected but it is not scary. Agreed?
Before the ballerina with the pizza showed up it was scary. The information of the ballerina did not fulfill the conditions that fear needs to thrive. In most cases more information leads to less fear. The added info changes the condition.
Fear is conditional. You know this. You may not have it defined well but you know that there are some things that are not scary when you turn on the lights.
I know everyone can relate to this.
You are a kid. It is nighttime and you are in bed. The lights are off. You look across the room and see something staring back at you. You freeze trying not to trigger the scary zombie ghost demon gnome into attacking.
But what is it really? When you turn on the lights the zombie ghost demon gnome turns into your chair with your school bag and clothes thrown across it.
What changed? The conditions changed. The conditions change certain death into a messy room.
Fear is conditional. If you can change the conditions you can remove the fear.
Whatever you are fearing today you can change the conditions that lead you to fear.

The condition that fear capitalizes on most is LACK
F2 3 Lack is fear’s open door
A lack of knowledge – It is dark and you don’t know what could be in the room with you. You hear a sound and don’t know what it is. You get a phone call and it could be bad news ringing. You are getting news later this week about an important medical test.
A lack of resources – You don’t have enough time to do this important thing. You don’t have enough money in your bank to solve this problem. You don’t have anyone that you can call on for help.
A lack of strength – You don’t have enough inside of you to answer the challenge. Not enough physical strength, not enough intelligence, not enough talent, not enough “it factor.”
Fear always capitalizes on your lack. Where there is lack in your life you will find fear.
Do an inventory. You will see that it is true.

Is your relationship suffering from a LACK OF TRUST?
Is your spiritual life suffering from a LACK OF FAITH?
Is your heart and mind suffering from a LACK OF CONFIDENCE?

Where is the lack in your life? That is the open door for fear to enter.

F2 4 We avoid fear by avoiding lack
{Fear Enters}
Fear is out there. So we try to create a buffer between us and fear. If lack is the open door then we assume that having a surplus will defeat fear.
Let’s see what that looks like…

Health – We want to live long lives. We want to stay healthy. We don’t want to lack in this area.
Happiness – We try to have a surplus of good vibes. We try to have enough of the things that make us happy.
Job – We need a good answer to the question “what do you do?”
House – We need a house we can be proud of. We need a house others can be jealous of. If we didn’t have that then people might doubt our success in life.
Relationship – We want the perfect marriage and the perfect family life. We want others to look at us and wish they were us. Anything less would be lacking.
Finances – We need money in the bank. We need as much as possible because it would be scary if we didn’t have it.

So we build this wall against fear. As long as we aren’t lacking we are able to close the door on fear.
But the problem is, this kind of life is built on conditions.. Didn’t we tell you that fear is conditional?

Finances
Relationships
House
Job
Happiness
Health
If one of the conditional areas of your life begins to lack then Fear has found the open door.
The truth is, the moment you decide to build your life on conditional things is the moment you lost to fear. Every conditional area of your life is prone to lack. Fear need only wait for the open door.

And when you start fearing… you will almost do anything.
Spy on your spouse.. Because you are afraid they aren’t being faithful.
Kill someone for their shoes.. Because you don’t have the money to buy them and your friends will judge you for wearing anything less than Jordans.
Say something stupid.. make a dumb decision..
When fear is in control you really spin out of control.

Fear is conditional. Lack opens the door for fear…

If Fear attacks from a place of lack then you need to counteract from something that does not lack.
If Fear attacks from a conditional place then you need to resist fear with something that is unconditional.

Can we think of something or someone that does not lack? Can we think of something or someone who does not have condition?
{THE CROSS}
F2 5 No Lack & No Condition in Jesus
Jesus has no lack. Jesus has no conditions. Fear does not have a chance against Jesus.

The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 13 that we operate from lack in every situation in life except for 3 things…
Even much of the things we consider ministry is from a place of lack… It says it in 1 Cor 13.
The chapter reveals to us that there is a time coming when Jesus will make everything complete and whole.
1 Corinthians 13:10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.(NIV)
When perfection comes… Jesus is the perfection that is coming to earth. When Jesus returns all lack will disappear. Everything will be made complete. Fear will have no place when Jesus rules and reigns.
Revelation 21:4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”(NIV)
Fear your days are numbered.
When Jesus reigns, fear will be completely wiped off the face of the earth. He will make all things new and complete. Lack, the open door of fear, will be no more.

We want this day to come, but it has not happened yet. So here we are still facing fear and lack…
But in the last verse of the 13^th Chapter of 1 Corinthians it says something important. It reveals 3 things that abide now, and will remain after Jesus returns.
1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.(NIV)
Jesus is coming to make everything perfect, but until that day He has given us 3 things that are complete and without lack already.
A complete FAITH in Jesus will defeat fear.
A HOPE that doesn’t change or give up will defeat fear.
An unconditional LOVE will defeat fear.

Jesus is coming to tack away all our lack… but He has already given us a faith, a hope, and love that does not lack.

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear..(NIV)
The word PERFECT does not mean without error… it means without lack.. it means complete and whole.

Do not operate from lack. Do not operate from conditional things.
Operate from Faith in Jesus. Hope in Jesus. And the Love of Jesus.
Do you realize the power of faith hope and love?

Your bank account might not be where you want it to be. Your relationship may be lacking. The Doctor might have told you your health is failing. If you are getting life from these conditional things then fear will jump out of the shadows.
The enemy called fear wants you to think you do not have enough, but the truth is you are serving the God who is MORE THAN ENOUGH.
We need to operate from faith, hope, and love in this wonderful God.

Do you have faith that God will provide all your needs? Is Your hope in Jesus. Do you know that no matter your mistake God loves you unconditionally?
F2 6 Seek an unconditional Kingdom
When you put your trust in Jesus and seek first his kingdom it is the best thing.

You look to the unconditional
You defeat fear
And then Jesus adds all the conditional things you need.

Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.(NIV)
F2 2 Fear needs the right conditions
Fear you are conditional. You only work in the right conditions.
But the God we serve is unconditional. Jesus works in every situation.
He works in failure.
He works in jail cells.
He works when you are betrayed by brothers.
He works when you are outnumbered.
He works when Giants threaten you.
He works when there is no food in the house.
He works when there is no money.
He works when it seems you have lost everything.
Even in Death Our God works. He raised Jesus from the dead. Not even the condition of death can stop you.