A Little Validation Goes a Long Way

Salient points in the sermon, John 20: 19-33 on April 23, 2017  What are our fears this morning? Tertullian, third-century church father, in speaking of death, states “Keep your fears to yourself; share your courage with others.”  We have many fears----fear of terrorism, fear of death, fear of being separated from people we love, and fear of losing control. A news commentator once stated that people are hesitant to take vacations or sick leave on their jobs because they fear a lack of control, not being in the loop, or losing their job).  Do we shut doors to close relationships because we fear being hurt? Do we shut doors to opportunities because we fear that we may not be accepted? Do we our shut doors because we fear the unknown? W. A. Criswell once said that, "what worrisome fear does to us. It hurts our health, it shortens our days. It clouds our vision. It saps our inner strength. And it's easy to fall into." Church, God is in control. God can bring good out of the bad. 2 Timothy 1: 7 "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." God has promised never to leave us or forsake us.  It was fear that brought the disciples together behind locked doors. Jesus enters the room to give them the only thing that can take the fear away, "Peace be with you." What were the disciples afraid of? Were they worried that those who killed Jesus, would kill them also? Maybe they did not want to deal with the rejection of those who knew they had failed. After all, they had failed to protect Jesus. Like the disciples, do we try to hide when we are ashamed? I believe that fear can be cured when God is in control of our lives. Trust in God.