FearLess 2 - Answers
Part of overcoming obstacles in life is learning to deal with fear.
Doyle Jackson
Jun 3, 2018 36m
This sermon teaches us about overcoming obstacles that cause fear and anxiety. When we face these problems, we need to remember that there is nothing that is stronger than Jesus. If you are afraid, call out to Jesus to shine a light of safety on you, to see you through the darkness. Video recorded at Columbus, Ohio.
TranscriptionmessageRegarding Grammar:
This is a transcription of the sermon. People speak differently than they write, and there are common colloquialisms in this transcript that sound good when spoken, and look like bad grammar when written.
This is a transcription of the sermon. People speak differently than they write, and there are common colloquialisms in this transcript that sound good when spoken, and look like bad grammar when written.
Doyle Jackson: 00:02 Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. It's so good to be with you. Do me a favor, thank the worship team. You know, they're volunteers, they're working hard. We appreciate it. Thank you, Sam.
Doyle Jackson: 00:18 We're in this new series. It's called Fear Less. The goal is this, to lower your fear quotient, increase your hope, your life, your love, your faith in God. That's what we want to do. We want to bring down the fear in your life, make it a little bit less, make it easier for you. Because we realize this, we live in a world that is evil. There is evil in this world, we live in a place where darkness exists, we have to face it. Just because you know God, does not mean that you don't still see it, feel it, and have to deal with it. And that's what we're addressing right now. So today I want to talk about the answers to fear. You remember what it was like to be afraid of the dark as a kid, and your mom or dad came in and they flipped on the light, and suddenly it got all better? That's what we want to do today. We want to turn on the light, we want to expel the darkness, and we want to begin to change our perspective when it comes to this matter.
Doyle Jackson: 01:14 I remember in college, in my freshman year. And one night, he was not my roommate, he lived next door in the dormitory that I was in. And Tom hollered out, he said, hey Doyle. I said, yes. He said, what are you doing tonight? I said, I don't know, what do you need? He said, and he named this girl's name. I don't want to name her name, and I still remember it, even though it was a couple of years ago. And he says, she invited me to go to this whatever, and I don't want her to get the wrong idea. I'm afraid if we go, she'll get some idea, will you go with me? I'm like, I'm all in. I'm all in, I'll go with you. And so, that night I was the third wheel, to dispel his fear, that no romantic notions would arise in this young lady's life. And I have a question for you. What do you do when you're afraid? What do you do? When there's a fear, that you see knocking at your heart, when you kind of sense something going on. Maybe you just see the storm cloud rise. You know what I'm saying? Do you plan to head to the basement? Do you pull the covers over your head? Do you cry? Do you get a quart of chunky monkey and you start eating it? Do you know what I'm saying? Do you look for the Oreo bag and some milk, or do you take another drink? What is it that you look for, to dispel the fear?
Doyle Jackson: 02:41 Because see, my assumption is this, if what you're doing isn't working, you know it. But that does not mean you're not going to continue to use a bad system. Because when that cue hits you, when that thought comes into your mind, when just that feeling, the hair on the back of your neck. It doesn't matter what it is, if you do that, and you've always done that, you're going to go to that. And what I want to do, is I want to help turn the light on it, but I want to give you a new solution for that.
Doyle Jackson: 03:19 When I was a little guy, I remember this particular day. My father was a veterinarian, and so I would go on calls with him. And one day, I was probably between the ages of three and four, and we went to a visit to Vic Thompson's barn in Shelbyville, Tennessee. And he had a breeding farm there, as well as training stable. And we were over on the broodmare side, and we're taking care of some mares that day, doing some trading of them, examinations and whatnot. And I'd remember it clearly, because I was in the hallway of this really big barn, and outside was my dad and the men that we're corralling some mares. And the mares got away, and they headed towards me in the hallway, and I heard my dad's voice holler out. He said, Doyle, stop the mares. And so I turned around and I looked down this dark hallway, where the light was outside, and this group of mares coming my direction. And my thought was, how? You know when you're a three foot tall. And so I decided, my exit strategy, and I jumped into the nearest stall and climbed into the feed trough, and looked through the bars as the mares went running past. I hear my dad and the men coming into the barn, and my dad comes around the corner and he says, why didn't you stop them? I said, they were bigger than me. He says, okay. He said, all you'd had to do is stand there and just wave your arms, they would've stopped. And I know he was convinced of that, but I was not. And see, when someone is trying to talk you through your fear, your reality doesn't matter, what their wisdom and their experience tells you. Okay? And what I'm going to tell you today, at times you're going to feel like a small three footer. And you feel their hot breath, and they're blazing red eyes, and the steam coming out. That really wasn't happening, but that's the way you fear, right? Fear always makes itself much larger than its reality.
Doyle Jackson: 06:03 Now, let me tell you about another day. I remember another day, I was a little bit older, maybe I was 10 years old I'm not sure. It was out on Halls Hill Pike Road, we're on another call. We arrive there's no one there. My Dad knows what's supposed to take place. He says, we'll take care of this. We know the owners not here, but we're going to take care of it. He's got a yearling that he's put up in the barn, it's not broke. Go in there, grab the yearling, put a halter on it. And I'll be right in there, and we're going to pass a tube down its nose. Just can I tell you this? No one likes a tube passed down their nose. Alright? And he says, you get it ready, I'll be in there, we'll pass the tube, will take care of this and we'll be out of here. And I still have this awareness in my life. Oh my gosh, who does he think I am? Grizzly Adams? Does he think that I'm Arnold Schwarzenegger? You know, do I look like Lou Ferrigno? I'm just a kid, you know? And I remember standing outside that stall, in that dark hallway of this small barn, and saying, no Lord Jesus, I trust you and I can do this, I've seen this done, I know how to do this, today I'm going to do it. And I remember walking in there, grabbing that yearling by the ear, because there was nothing on this animal. It is all I had to hold on to. Okay? And wrassling with this animal until I get the halter on it, and get it all ready. I mean we are banging against the walls, it's loud grunting noises, hooves are flying, everything is going crazy in there. Okay. And then I hear my dad walk into the barn, and he peeks his head in, and he said, you okay in there? It sounds like a rumble. I said, we're fine. He's ready, come on in.
Doyle Jackson: 07:55 Now what I'm telling you is this. When I was loading my truck to leave home for college, when I was at different transition points in my life, when I had to move again to graduate school, or I was getting on the plane to go to Israel for the first time, or when I was moving to Columbus, Ohio, and bringing my whole family here. Each one of those instances in my life, there's a moment, there's a time, there's a moment when you hear fear knock at your door. And you have to decide, are you going to run and hide? Are you going to allow fear to come in, and control your reaction? Are you going to reach down, and find something that is greater than yourself, that will help you? Is there a light you can flip on? And I'm telling you, the light is Jesus. The answer is Jesus, and you don't have to be afraid anymore.
Doyle Jackson: 08:58 So it doesn't matter what it is, when you begin to feel that cloud rise, if you feel, oh no, oh no, oh no, I'm going to lose my job. Oh no, oh no, oh, I know this relationship is about to fall apart. Oh no, oh no, I know... And you begin to feel the panic rise, you begin to feel your heartbeat began to pump, you feel your skin began to get clammy, and the world begins to be woozy and you think, oh no, oh no, oh no, my panic attack is coming. And I'm in the middle of...I'm driving down 270, what am I going to do? And you began to feel it. I'm telling you, there's an answer, and it is Jesus.
Doyle Jackson: 09:36 There's a famous story in the Bible. I'll modernize it. There's this young man. He's on a rocket ride of life. I mean, everything is going right for him. He's got trophies on the wall from high school football, where he won against this team, and won on that team. Everybody wants him. He's doing so well. He gets invited to the most powerful corporation of his day, in his community, and he's invited in. He's doing well, he's rising up the ranks, his boss thinks he's so good, that the boss says, you are the future of our company. I want you to marry my daughter. Then the next thing you know, things aren't going right in the company, and he gets kicked out by the boss and everybody. And he's running from the boss, he has to go work for the competition. Then the day comes when they decide that there's going to be a battle between these two companies, and they have to meet in the boardroom room. And all the people in the new company say, no way, he can't go into the boardroom, he'll give our secrets away to them.
Doyle Jackson: 10:41 Well, this is the story of David's life, King David, before he was king. I mean it looked like God's call was on his life, and he was on the rocket ride. And the next thing you know, he finds himself hiding out in caves, living with the Philistines, feigning to be insane. He loses his first marriage. He takes on two other women that were widows, as his wife, and he's living with the Philistines. They go out to battle, and they don't want him to show up to battle, because they're afraid. They send him home to Ziklag, and you need to know Ziklag was no....You think your neighborhood's tough. Ziklag to this day is still down by Gaza, Ziklag is in the negative, on a good year they get one inch of rain every two years. That's where he's making ends meet. If you feel like, oh my gosh, all my dreams are gone, all my future is gone, I'm telling you, David is somewhere between 25 and 30 years old, he feels like his life has already peaked on this day. This no good, very bad day. He would give his right arm to go home, and just be in the shepherd field again. He'd gladly spend the night watching the sheep, and singing to the stars. It would be a great day if he could just sit around the table, and have lunch with his brothers again. But he can't. He's marching home with his men to Ziklag, he can't do what he's best at, and when he rounds the corner to come in to Ziklag, it's all gone. There's nothing but ashes left. His wives and children, and all his men's wives and children, have been whisked away. Along with all their property, all their sheep, all their goats, all their wealth, everything they have.
Doyle Jackson: 13:06 Look what it says, this is in First Samuel, chapter 30, verse 6. It says, "David was greatly distressed, (You think.) because the men were talking of stoning him; Each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters, but David found strength in the Lord, his God." Now what this tells us is this, somehow David, he reached back into his knapsack, and he pulled out the song book from his childhood, and he encouraged himself in the Lord. He said, Lord, I remember the day when I got my first victory over a bear, and it was because of you. I remember when fear left my heart, and I no longer would allow thieves to come in and take what was mine, because I would not allow the roar of the lion. I wouldn't allow those things to make me afraid anymore. And God, I remember the day when I was the only one that was not afraid of Goliath. And God, I remember the day when you delivered me. And he began to recite off to God. God, you are my strong power, you are my deliverer, my soul pants for you. And on this day I will not be defeated, I will not let fear in, I will not go back to that dark place. And what David teaches us is that when fear knocks at your door, don't open the door. You know, you know how it is. You go to watch these silly, crazy, scary movies, right? And you're watching the movie and everybody in the room is like, don't go to the basement. It's bad in the basement.
Doyle Jackson: 15:05 Make a determination in your heart today, from this day forward, I will not open the door to fear, when fear knocks on my door, when I see the clouds rise. And would you want to do is this. You want to change the way you approach life. You want to change the way you approach life. When you see the things coming, when you know you're going to be near someone who's always caused you to be afraid before. You know what I'm saying, you begin to recognize the things that cause fear to encroach upon your heart, and you begin to say no to them ahead of time. This is why, because when you begin to understand how fear has bound you, and held you in the past, you begin to say, no way. I'm not going to let fear run my life. I'm not going to let that...I'm not going back to there, I'm tired of the way it makes me feel. I do not like the way it causes me to react. It takes me to a dark place. It gets me back into old habits that are not good for me, and I will not open the door to fear.
Doyle Jackson: 16:09 You have to understand what fear will do to you, for you to keep it out. Because some people, they've become so accustomed to fear. I hope that's not you. I hope this is not you, but some people have become so accustomed to fear, what happens is fear knocks at the door. What do they do? They open the door and say, oh, come on in, I've got coffee and cookies, it's like their old buddy. And I'm telling you, Jesus is stronger than any fear you have. But listen to this, I wrote this down, to help you understand fear. Fear is an emotional pain, that impacts your soul. That's your mind, your will, and your emotions, and it binds your spirit. Your God given, image bearer, ability to be like God. It turns off your joy and creativity that gives life meaning, and brings glory to our heavenly father. Do you believe that God is afraid? Of course not. See, God is never afraid. Oh, even when you're really mad, and you're giving him one of these, what for you know. God does not tremble, just so you know that. Okay? That's why I think it's perfectly okay, if you've got to share your heart with God, and you get upset with him. Trust me, he's not afraid. You might just temper it down a little bit, but hey whatever, he can handle it.
Doyle Jackson: 17:49 Peter, remember Peter? Peter was the apostle. He walked beside Jesus, lived with Jesus, did life with Jesus. Later in his life, he speaks to the church. He's writes them these letters. He says, let me give you some advice on life, and here he writes a note. And in this section he's kind of dealing with young men, so maybe you can relate. Maybe it's similar to what David was going through as a young man. He says, young men, in the same way, be submissive to those who are older. All of you clothe yourself with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Now listen to this, verse seven, he says, cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.
Doyle Jackson: 18:44 This is what happens, when you feel fear coming towards you, and you say, no fear, you don't have any place in me. And you stir your heart towards God, this is what you're doing. You're taking that anxiety that you're feeling coming towards you, and you say, Lord, I just give it to you. Lord, I give it to you. I give it to you. Because what you're saying by this is this, God, I can't win this battle on my own, I can't do this by myself, I trust in you. That's what David did when he reached into his bag.
Doyle Jackson: 19:16 Let me tell you what I do. I'll give you five things that I do to stir my heart towards God. One, I read my Bible. Two, I sing, I'll just sing songs. That the first song we sang today, this morning. Last night, I just kept waking up all night long singing that Gloria Song, I just kept going back on it. I pray, a couple of years ago, got the phone call, your Dad's not well. His heart's racing, they're taking to the hospital. I said, okay. I went and sat down, found me a seat, I just began to pray in the spirit. I said, Lord, I thank you, Daddy's in your hands, he's fine, he'll be okay. My daddy got on a plane this week, flew back to Israel, I can't keep up with him. See what I'm saying? Cast all your care to the Lord. That's what prayer does for me. Giving, you know what I do, I give regularly. I constantly am finding ways to give to God. Yeah, I do tithes and offerings, I'll help somebody in need. But what that does for me is, it's a reminder to me constantly, God, I trust you. I trust you for all I have, I'll have enough this week, because I know you'll take care of me. And I have a track record, it gives me confidence. Yeah, but what if I don't have enough? You're letting fear win, you're letting fear win. The last thing, number five is, I cultivate relationships with godly people. I have this fellowship with believers, I'm constantly doing. This week I went to breakfast with a godly man, who's a mentor in my life, and we met at Bob Evans. We talk together, we pray, we talk about scripture. I came walking in the door, Ellen was in the lobby working on her big board for you to sign up on, and all these things. And she said, why are you so happy? I said, I just met with my buddy. I said, you need a buddy like that, everybody needs a buddy like that, I feel so good. If you want to stir your heart towards God, surround yourself with people like that.
Doyle Jackson: 21:23 That's what Peter is saying to these young men. He's saying, you've got to have some older brothers, you've got to have some people in your life. He says, cast all your anxiety on him, Jesus, because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Why do you have to be self-controlled and alert? Because you're watching for the storm clouds, you're watching for the signs. Uh oh, I know what this feels like, I know where we're headed here, I'm not opening the door to the basement. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Can I be clear on this? The devil hides, to jump out and get you, so sometimes you won't see it coming. But the moment you hear the roar, lock the door. That rhymes, that's really good stuff. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of suffering. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ Jesus.
Doyle Jackson: 22:29 That's one of the things I remind myself, I'm called, and this is not the end. God has more for me to do. After you have suffered a little while, will himself, restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. See, God is your strength. It's not through your own self. Listen, the yeast of the world, the yeast of the Pharisees, the yeast approach, when Jesus was teaching, he talked about the Pharisees yeast. He said, the Pharisees yeast is self-reliance. Oh, just pull your bootstraps up, you're going to be okay. If you'll just do the right thing, you're going to be okay. Listen, it's more than that. You cannot overcome evil with a lot of good works. In Matthew 16:12, it says, "Then they understood. (This is the disciples.) That he, Jesus, was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and the Sadducees." What did the Pharisees and Sadducees teach? If you keep our list of good things, you'll be okay in life. That's not enough. You need God. That's what Jesus is saying. He's saying, the only way you're going to overcome in this world is if you invite Jesus into your situation, into your life, into your heart, into your home.
Doyle Jackson: 24:05 Paul talked about it another way. He said, don't listen to the hollow and deceptive philosophy of this age. What did the philosophy of Paul's age teach? It was the Greco Roman world. And they just thought that if we could educate our self, if we could just have the right education and philosophy and thinking, then we can overcome any problem. What do we do in our world? If you have a problem, we go google it. Because we believe we live in the information age, and if we have enough information, we can solve any problem. Folks, I hate to tell you, we've got more information than we need. I'm not against Google, it's great if you need to find a restaurant, it's great if you are lost and the place you are going is in the Google map. But when you Google things that have to do with evil, you may not get the right answer there. Look what Paul said to them in Colossians. This is why we read the Bible every day, we're reading it as a church. This week we read in Colossians, and this is what Paul said in Colossians 2, he said, "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition, and the basic principles of this world, rather than on Christ." What's Paul saying? Paul is saying, if you believe that you can educate yourself out of the situation you're in, you're wrong. We're not against education, but he said, the only way to solve the real root problems in your life is Jesus. That's the last word on there. He says, do not be deceived. A better educational system, a better philosophy, will not solve all the problems of your life. The only answer to the hole in the middle of your life, the only answer to the fear that's knocking at your door, is Jesus. Only. Jesus is the answer. Alright?
Doyle Jackson: 26:10 Jesus is the answer. Keep the light on. In the same way that when you were afraid of the dark, your mom flipped on the light, and you feel all better. She got you a nightlight. What does she do? She was trying to help you see, listen, you're going to be okay. There's more to it, than what you see, that’s what the light does. The light reminds you, there's more to it than what you're just feeling in your emotions, in your soul right now. Listen, this is what fear does to you. This is why I said this in this quote I gave you. When fear comes into your life, it damaged your emotions. Let's say you were a kid, and Mama left you in a car alone, and while you were there you got into a panic. That can impact you for the rest of your life, I know it, I've seen it again and again and again. People that feel that fear because of an instance they had earlier in their life, and it just begins to overwhelm you. I'm telling you, that's what fear does, it damages your soul, and you can't read the situation right. And when Jesus comes in, he's the healer, and you welcome him in. He can heal that part of your soul, your mind, your will, and your emotions, and you can be normal. You don't have to be afraid anymore. That's what Jesus does. He's the healer. He is the light. Freedom comes from Jesus.
Doyle Jackson: 27:36 In John 8:12, it says, "When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me, will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." When David felt fear coming in, he reached in, and he said, no, I don't have to be afraid. In the same way he helped me with the lion, and the bear, and Goliath, and with my first wife and with the falling apart of that, he's going to help me again today. God is going to help me, He's always been my strong tower. In the same way in my life. I'm telling you, learn to say, God help me. When I walked into the stall with the horse, God has helped me at every move in my life. God has helped me, I will not be afraid, he is my strong tower.
Doyle Jackson: 28:16 We're at Galilee now. It's Mark chapter 5, Jesus is teaching, the crowds are growing, the ministries doing really well. It's getting out of control, he needs a little bit of break. He gets in the boat, goes across, he gets to the other side, and there's this dude who has been vexed all his life. He has these fits of rage that overcome him, and everybody in town is afraid of him, and so what do they do? They decide they're going to deal with this guy who has fits of rage, anger overcomes him, anger has been controlling his life. It's been destroying him, and his community. And what does the community decide? We can solve this, we've got the smarts. We'll put some big chains on him, and we'll bind this evil. We know how to solve this problem. Our same world does the same thing. We're afraid of X, Y, or Z. We say, we'll put more metal detectors in. Never heard that proposed, have you? I don't know how he did it, but it says that this guy, they would chain him, and he would still break the chains. Evil can break the chains. I don't know if that means that he had the strength like Lou Ferrigno as The Hulk, and he just busted the chains. Or if he went and got tools, and he took the chains off. I don't know. But can I tell you this? My life experience tells me that evil is evil, and evil will do evil, to do evil. Boy that is deep. When he, the man that was vexed, saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. He fell in front of Jesus. Why? He knew who the superior power was. He knew buddy, I'm in deep weeds. He shouted at the top of his voice, what do you want with me Jesus, son of the most high God? He knew who Jesus was. He knew Jesus's power. Let me just tell you something. Evil understands Jesus better than most of us. Swear to God that you won't torture me, he says to Jesus. For Jesus had said to him, come out of this man, you evil spirit. See this evil spirit recognized that Jesus had more power. This evil spirit understood, today I'm moving. Only thing, because he was a bully and he was mean, he thought Jesus would be a bully and mean to him. The way you treat people, is the way you expect people to treat you. Ooh, that's why we need to treat people nice, be kind, it's a reflection of our nature. And Evil's nature is to bully and to be mean. So if you're a bully, you need to repent. But notice how Evil was afraid of Jesus. Jesus says, you can go into the pigs, and what happens? The Evil goes into the pigs, and it kills all the pigs, it's still showing the nature of evil, isn't it? See, all you and I need to know from this story is one thing. Jesus is more power than Evil, Evil is afraid of Jesus.
Doyle Jackson: 32:30 So when you call on the name of Jesus, well how can I do that? Because you have the authority. Jesus said, all authority in heaven and earth, I give to you, in my name. Jesus gives you and I the authority to deal with the evil, and see that is the hope that we have in Christ Jesus. Just address it. When evil is out your door, you tell it, you have to go in Jesus' name. You have no place, get off my porch, get off my lawn, get off my property, get, get, get. If there is a filthy, scroungy, dog, you'd tell it to get. I hope you would. If someone was knocking on your door, and you thought they were going to harm you, you holler outside, Stone Cold Steve Austin is in here. I'm going to send him out in just a second. As a Christ follower. You say, my big brother Jesus is here, now get.
Doyle Jackson: 33:41 This is the prayer I want to recommend to you. It says, fear you have no place in me, no power over me, because of Jesus. The blood of Jesus Christ continually cleanses my life. I'm standing firm on the authority he gave me. If you would, I just want us all to say this out loud, just to experience together for a moment. Okay? Would you say it with me? Fear you have no place in me, no power over me because of Jesus. The blood of Jesus Christ continually cleanses my life. I'm standing firm on the authority he gave me. Now I give that to you, I submit that to you. If you have a friend this week, and you see oh, they're afraid of some situation, some circumstance. You say, well, can I just take from the little bit of the hope that I have and share with you? Would you let me pray with you? And just tell the fear to go for them.
Doyle Jackson: 34:48 Remember last week I told you about Jessie, and how God took fear from her life when I prayed for her? Let me tell you, the forward story. Wasn't long after that my dad and mom said, you know, Jesse, we pick you up and we take you home every day. And we were just wondering, if we were to give you a car so you could drive back and forth to work. So you could have it to go to the grocery store, whenever you wanted to, to deliver your kids around, just to give you greater freedom in life. Would you like that? She said, well, I've always been afraid to drive, but I think I can do it now. She said, yes. My mom and dad gave her the keys and the title to our old Pontiac, and I remember going to the grocery store with Jessie, in her car. That's my dream for you. You will say no to fear, and that you will take on new territory in your life, if you'll just turn on the light of Jesus more and more in your life. To celebrate that, today we're going to receive communion. Okay? So men and women are going to come, and they're going to make stations around here.
Recorded in Columbus, Ohio.
Doyle Jackson: 00:18 We're in this new series. It's called Fear Less. The goal is this, to lower your fear quotient, increase your hope, your life, your love, your faith in God. That's what we want to do. We want to bring down the fear in your life, make it a little bit less, make it easier for you. Because we realize this, we live in a world that is evil. There is evil in this world, we live in a place where darkness exists, we have to face it. Just because you know God, does not mean that you don't still see it, feel it, and have to deal with it. And that's what we're addressing right now. So today I want to talk about the answers to fear. You remember what it was like to be afraid of the dark as a kid, and your mom or dad came in and they flipped on the light, and suddenly it got all better? That's what we want to do today. We want to turn on the light, we want to expel the darkness, and we want to begin to change our perspective when it comes to this matter.
Doyle Jackson: 01:14 I remember in college, in my freshman year. And one night, he was not my roommate, he lived next door in the dormitory that I was in. And Tom hollered out, he said, hey Doyle. I said, yes. He said, what are you doing tonight? I said, I don't know, what do you need? He said, and he named this girl's name. I don't want to name her name, and I still remember it, even though it was a couple of years ago. And he says, she invited me to go to this whatever, and I don't want her to get the wrong idea. I'm afraid if we go, she'll get some idea, will you go with me? I'm like, I'm all in. I'm all in, I'll go with you. And so, that night I was the third wheel, to dispel his fear, that no romantic notions would arise in this young lady's life. And I have a question for you. What do you do when you're afraid? What do you do? When there's a fear, that you see knocking at your heart, when you kind of sense something going on. Maybe you just see the storm cloud rise. You know what I'm saying? Do you plan to head to the basement? Do you pull the covers over your head? Do you cry? Do you get a quart of chunky monkey and you start eating it? Do you know what I'm saying? Do you look for the Oreo bag and some milk, or do you take another drink? What is it that you look for, to dispel the fear?
Doyle Jackson: 02:41 Because see, my assumption is this, if what you're doing isn't working, you know it. But that does not mean you're not going to continue to use a bad system. Because when that cue hits you, when that thought comes into your mind, when just that feeling, the hair on the back of your neck. It doesn't matter what it is, if you do that, and you've always done that, you're going to go to that. And what I want to do, is I want to help turn the light on it, but I want to give you a new solution for that.
Doyle Jackson: 03:19 When I was a little guy, I remember this particular day. My father was a veterinarian, and so I would go on calls with him. And one day, I was probably between the ages of three and four, and we went to a visit to Vic Thompson's barn in Shelbyville, Tennessee. And he had a breeding farm there, as well as training stable. And we were over on the broodmare side, and we're taking care of some mares that day, doing some trading of them, examinations and whatnot. And I'd remember it clearly, because I was in the hallway of this really big barn, and outside was my dad and the men that we're corralling some mares. And the mares got away, and they headed towards me in the hallway, and I heard my dad's voice holler out. He said, Doyle, stop the mares. And so I turned around and I looked down this dark hallway, where the light was outside, and this group of mares coming my direction. And my thought was, how? You know when you're a three foot tall. And so I decided, my exit strategy, and I jumped into the nearest stall and climbed into the feed trough, and looked through the bars as the mares went running past. I hear my dad and the men coming into the barn, and my dad comes around the corner and he says, why didn't you stop them? I said, they were bigger than me. He says, okay. He said, all you'd had to do is stand there and just wave your arms, they would've stopped. And I know he was convinced of that, but I was not. And see, when someone is trying to talk you through your fear, your reality doesn't matter, what their wisdom and their experience tells you. Okay? And what I'm going to tell you today, at times you're going to feel like a small three footer. And you feel their hot breath, and they're blazing red eyes, and the steam coming out. That really wasn't happening, but that's the way you fear, right? Fear always makes itself much larger than its reality.
Doyle Jackson: 06:03 Now, let me tell you about another day. I remember another day, I was a little bit older, maybe I was 10 years old I'm not sure. It was out on Halls Hill Pike Road, we're on another call. We arrive there's no one there. My Dad knows what's supposed to take place. He says, we'll take care of this. We know the owners not here, but we're going to take care of it. He's got a yearling that he's put up in the barn, it's not broke. Go in there, grab the yearling, put a halter on it. And I'll be right in there, and we're going to pass a tube down its nose. Just can I tell you this? No one likes a tube passed down their nose. Alright? And he says, you get it ready, I'll be in there, we'll pass the tube, will take care of this and we'll be out of here. And I still have this awareness in my life. Oh my gosh, who does he think I am? Grizzly Adams? Does he think that I'm Arnold Schwarzenegger? You know, do I look like Lou Ferrigno? I'm just a kid, you know? And I remember standing outside that stall, in that dark hallway of this small barn, and saying, no Lord Jesus, I trust you and I can do this, I've seen this done, I know how to do this, today I'm going to do it. And I remember walking in there, grabbing that yearling by the ear, because there was nothing on this animal. It is all I had to hold on to. Okay? And wrassling with this animal until I get the halter on it, and get it all ready. I mean we are banging against the walls, it's loud grunting noises, hooves are flying, everything is going crazy in there. Okay. And then I hear my dad walk into the barn, and he peeks his head in, and he said, you okay in there? It sounds like a rumble. I said, we're fine. He's ready, come on in.
Doyle Jackson: 07:55 Now what I'm telling you is this. When I was loading my truck to leave home for college, when I was at different transition points in my life, when I had to move again to graduate school, or I was getting on the plane to go to Israel for the first time, or when I was moving to Columbus, Ohio, and bringing my whole family here. Each one of those instances in my life, there's a moment, there's a time, there's a moment when you hear fear knock at your door. And you have to decide, are you going to run and hide? Are you going to allow fear to come in, and control your reaction? Are you going to reach down, and find something that is greater than yourself, that will help you? Is there a light you can flip on? And I'm telling you, the light is Jesus. The answer is Jesus, and you don't have to be afraid anymore.
Doyle Jackson: 08:58 So it doesn't matter what it is, when you begin to feel that cloud rise, if you feel, oh no, oh no, oh no, I'm going to lose my job. Oh no, oh no, oh, I know this relationship is about to fall apart. Oh no, oh no, I know... And you begin to feel the panic rise, you begin to feel your heartbeat began to pump, you feel your skin began to get clammy, and the world begins to be woozy and you think, oh no, oh no, oh no, my panic attack is coming. And I'm in the middle of...I'm driving down 270, what am I going to do? And you began to feel it. I'm telling you, there's an answer, and it is Jesus.
Doyle Jackson: 09:36 There's a famous story in the Bible. I'll modernize it. There's this young man. He's on a rocket ride of life. I mean, everything is going right for him. He's got trophies on the wall from high school football, where he won against this team, and won on that team. Everybody wants him. He's doing so well. He gets invited to the most powerful corporation of his day, in his community, and he's invited in. He's doing well, he's rising up the ranks, his boss thinks he's so good, that the boss says, you are the future of our company. I want you to marry my daughter. Then the next thing you know, things aren't going right in the company, and he gets kicked out by the boss and everybody. And he's running from the boss, he has to go work for the competition. Then the day comes when they decide that there's going to be a battle between these two companies, and they have to meet in the boardroom room. And all the people in the new company say, no way, he can't go into the boardroom, he'll give our secrets away to them.
Doyle Jackson: 10:41 Well, this is the story of David's life, King David, before he was king. I mean it looked like God's call was on his life, and he was on the rocket ride. And the next thing you know, he finds himself hiding out in caves, living with the Philistines, feigning to be insane. He loses his first marriage. He takes on two other women that were widows, as his wife, and he's living with the Philistines. They go out to battle, and they don't want him to show up to battle, because they're afraid. They send him home to Ziklag, and you need to know Ziklag was no....You think your neighborhood's tough. Ziklag to this day is still down by Gaza, Ziklag is in the negative, on a good year they get one inch of rain every two years. That's where he's making ends meet. If you feel like, oh my gosh, all my dreams are gone, all my future is gone, I'm telling you, David is somewhere between 25 and 30 years old, he feels like his life has already peaked on this day. This no good, very bad day. He would give his right arm to go home, and just be in the shepherd field again. He'd gladly spend the night watching the sheep, and singing to the stars. It would be a great day if he could just sit around the table, and have lunch with his brothers again. But he can't. He's marching home with his men to Ziklag, he can't do what he's best at, and when he rounds the corner to come in to Ziklag, it's all gone. There's nothing but ashes left. His wives and children, and all his men's wives and children, have been whisked away. Along with all their property, all their sheep, all their goats, all their wealth, everything they have.
Doyle Jackson: 13:06 Look what it says, this is in First Samuel, chapter 30, verse 6. It says, "David was greatly distressed, (You think.) because the men were talking of stoning him; Each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters, but David found strength in the Lord, his God." Now what this tells us is this, somehow David, he reached back into his knapsack, and he pulled out the song book from his childhood, and he encouraged himself in the Lord. He said, Lord, I remember the day when I got my first victory over a bear, and it was because of you. I remember when fear left my heart, and I no longer would allow thieves to come in and take what was mine, because I would not allow the roar of the lion. I wouldn't allow those things to make me afraid anymore. And God, I remember the day when I was the only one that was not afraid of Goliath. And God, I remember the day when you delivered me. And he began to recite off to God. God, you are my strong power, you are my deliverer, my soul pants for you. And on this day I will not be defeated, I will not let fear in, I will not go back to that dark place. And what David teaches us is that when fear knocks at your door, don't open the door. You know, you know how it is. You go to watch these silly, crazy, scary movies, right? And you're watching the movie and everybody in the room is like, don't go to the basement. It's bad in the basement.
Doyle Jackson: 15:05 Make a determination in your heart today, from this day forward, I will not open the door to fear, when fear knocks on my door, when I see the clouds rise. And would you want to do is this. You want to change the way you approach life. You want to change the way you approach life. When you see the things coming, when you know you're going to be near someone who's always caused you to be afraid before. You know what I'm saying, you begin to recognize the things that cause fear to encroach upon your heart, and you begin to say no to them ahead of time. This is why, because when you begin to understand how fear has bound you, and held you in the past, you begin to say, no way. I'm not going to let fear run my life. I'm not going to let that...I'm not going back to there, I'm tired of the way it makes me feel. I do not like the way it causes me to react. It takes me to a dark place. It gets me back into old habits that are not good for me, and I will not open the door to fear.
Doyle Jackson: 16:09 You have to understand what fear will do to you, for you to keep it out. Because some people, they've become so accustomed to fear. I hope that's not you. I hope this is not you, but some people have become so accustomed to fear, what happens is fear knocks at the door. What do they do? They open the door and say, oh, come on in, I've got coffee and cookies, it's like their old buddy. And I'm telling you, Jesus is stronger than any fear you have. But listen to this, I wrote this down, to help you understand fear. Fear is an emotional pain, that impacts your soul. That's your mind, your will, and your emotions, and it binds your spirit. Your God given, image bearer, ability to be like God. It turns off your joy and creativity that gives life meaning, and brings glory to our heavenly father. Do you believe that God is afraid? Of course not. See, God is never afraid. Oh, even when you're really mad, and you're giving him one of these, what for you know. God does not tremble, just so you know that. Okay? That's why I think it's perfectly okay, if you've got to share your heart with God, and you get upset with him. Trust me, he's not afraid. You might just temper it down a little bit, but hey whatever, he can handle it.
Doyle Jackson: 17:49 Peter, remember Peter? Peter was the apostle. He walked beside Jesus, lived with Jesus, did life with Jesus. Later in his life, he speaks to the church. He's writes them these letters. He says, let me give you some advice on life, and here he writes a note. And in this section he's kind of dealing with young men, so maybe you can relate. Maybe it's similar to what David was going through as a young man. He says, young men, in the same way, be submissive to those who are older. All of you clothe yourself with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Now listen to this, verse seven, he says, cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.
Doyle Jackson: 18:44 This is what happens, when you feel fear coming towards you, and you say, no fear, you don't have any place in me. And you stir your heart towards God, this is what you're doing. You're taking that anxiety that you're feeling coming towards you, and you say, Lord, I just give it to you. Lord, I give it to you. I give it to you. Because what you're saying by this is this, God, I can't win this battle on my own, I can't do this by myself, I trust in you. That's what David did when he reached into his bag.
Doyle Jackson: 19:16 Let me tell you what I do. I'll give you five things that I do to stir my heart towards God. One, I read my Bible. Two, I sing, I'll just sing songs. That the first song we sang today, this morning. Last night, I just kept waking up all night long singing that Gloria Song, I just kept going back on it. I pray, a couple of years ago, got the phone call, your Dad's not well. His heart's racing, they're taking to the hospital. I said, okay. I went and sat down, found me a seat, I just began to pray in the spirit. I said, Lord, I thank you, Daddy's in your hands, he's fine, he'll be okay. My daddy got on a plane this week, flew back to Israel, I can't keep up with him. See what I'm saying? Cast all your care to the Lord. That's what prayer does for me. Giving, you know what I do, I give regularly. I constantly am finding ways to give to God. Yeah, I do tithes and offerings, I'll help somebody in need. But what that does for me is, it's a reminder to me constantly, God, I trust you. I trust you for all I have, I'll have enough this week, because I know you'll take care of me. And I have a track record, it gives me confidence. Yeah, but what if I don't have enough? You're letting fear win, you're letting fear win. The last thing, number five is, I cultivate relationships with godly people. I have this fellowship with believers, I'm constantly doing. This week I went to breakfast with a godly man, who's a mentor in my life, and we met at Bob Evans. We talk together, we pray, we talk about scripture. I came walking in the door, Ellen was in the lobby working on her big board for you to sign up on, and all these things. And she said, why are you so happy? I said, I just met with my buddy. I said, you need a buddy like that, everybody needs a buddy like that, I feel so good. If you want to stir your heart towards God, surround yourself with people like that.
Doyle Jackson: 21:23 That's what Peter is saying to these young men. He's saying, you've got to have some older brothers, you've got to have some people in your life. He says, cast all your anxiety on him, Jesus, because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Why do you have to be self-controlled and alert? Because you're watching for the storm clouds, you're watching for the signs. Uh oh, I know what this feels like, I know where we're headed here, I'm not opening the door to the basement. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Can I be clear on this? The devil hides, to jump out and get you, so sometimes you won't see it coming. But the moment you hear the roar, lock the door. That rhymes, that's really good stuff. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of suffering. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ Jesus.
Doyle Jackson: 22:29 That's one of the things I remind myself, I'm called, and this is not the end. God has more for me to do. After you have suffered a little while, will himself, restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. See, God is your strength. It's not through your own self. Listen, the yeast of the world, the yeast of the Pharisees, the yeast approach, when Jesus was teaching, he talked about the Pharisees yeast. He said, the Pharisees yeast is self-reliance. Oh, just pull your bootstraps up, you're going to be okay. If you'll just do the right thing, you're going to be okay. Listen, it's more than that. You cannot overcome evil with a lot of good works. In Matthew 16:12, it says, "Then they understood. (This is the disciples.) That he, Jesus, was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and the Sadducees." What did the Pharisees and Sadducees teach? If you keep our list of good things, you'll be okay in life. That's not enough. You need God. That's what Jesus is saying. He's saying, the only way you're going to overcome in this world is if you invite Jesus into your situation, into your life, into your heart, into your home.
Doyle Jackson: 24:05 Paul talked about it another way. He said, don't listen to the hollow and deceptive philosophy of this age. What did the philosophy of Paul's age teach? It was the Greco Roman world. And they just thought that if we could educate our self, if we could just have the right education and philosophy and thinking, then we can overcome any problem. What do we do in our world? If you have a problem, we go google it. Because we believe we live in the information age, and if we have enough information, we can solve any problem. Folks, I hate to tell you, we've got more information than we need. I'm not against Google, it's great if you need to find a restaurant, it's great if you are lost and the place you are going is in the Google map. But when you Google things that have to do with evil, you may not get the right answer there. Look what Paul said to them in Colossians. This is why we read the Bible every day, we're reading it as a church. This week we read in Colossians, and this is what Paul said in Colossians 2, he said, "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition, and the basic principles of this world, rather than on Christ." What's Paul saying? Paul is saying, if you believe that you can educate yourself out of the situation you're in, you're wrong. We're not against education, but he said, the only way to solve the real root problems in your life is Jesus. That's the last word on there. He says, do not be deceived. A better educational system, a better philosophy, will not solve all the problems of your life. The only answer to the hole in the middle of your life, the only answer to the fear that's knocking at your door, is Jesus. Only. Jesus is the answer. Alright?
Doyle Jackson: 26:10 Jesus is the answer. Keep the light on. In the same way that when you were afraid of the dark, your mom flipped on the light, and you feel all better. She got you a nightlight. What does she do? She was trying to help you see, listen, you're going to be okay. There's more to it, than what you see, that’s what the light does. The light reminds you, there's more to it than what you're just feeling in your emotions, in your soul right now. Listen, this is what fear does to you. This is why I said this in this quote I gave you. When fear comes into your life, it damaged your emotions. Let's say you were a kid, and Mama left you in a car alone, and while you were there you got into a panic. That can impact you for the rest of your life, I know it, I've seen it again and again and again. People that feel that fear because of an instance they had earlier in their life, and it just begins to overwhelm you. I'm telling you, that's what fear does, it damages your soul, and you can't read the situation right. And when Jesus comes in, he's the healer, and you welcome him in. He can heal that part of your soul, your mind, your will, and your emotions, and you can be normal. You don't have to be afraid anymore. That's what Jesus does. He's the healer. He is the light. Freedom comes from Jesus.
Doyle Jackson: 27:36 In John 8:12, it says, "When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me, will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." When David felt fear coming in, he reached in, and he said, no, I don't have to be afraid. In the same way he helped me with the lion, and the bear, and Goliath, and with my first wife and with the falling apart of that, he's going to help me again today. God is going to help me, He's always been my strong tower. In the same way in my life. I'm telling you, learn to say, God help me. When I walked into the stall with the horse, God has helped me at every move in my life. God has helped me, I will not be afraid, he is my strong tower.
Doyle Jackson: 28:16 We're at Galilee now. It's Mark chapter 5, Jesus is teaching, the crowds are growing, the ministries doing really well. It's getting out of control, he needs a little bit of break. He gets in the boat, goes across, he gets to the other side, and there's this dude who has been vexed all his life. He has these fits of rage that overcome him, and everybody in town is afraid of him, and so what do they do? They decide they're going to deal with this guy who has fits of rage, anger overcomes him, anger has been controlling his life. It's been destroying him, and his community. And what does the community decide? We can solve this, we've got the smarts. We'll put some big chains on him, and we'll bind this evil. We know how to solve this problem. Our same world does the same thing. We're afraid of X, Y, or Z. We say, we'll put more metal detectors in. Never heard that proposed, have you? I don't know how he did it, but it says that this guy, they would chain him, and he would still break the chains. Evil can break the chains. I don't know if that means that he had the strength like Lou Ferrigno as The Hulk, and he just busted the chains. Or if he went and got tools, and he took the chains off. I don't know. But can I tell you this? My life experience tells me that evil is evil, and evil will do evil, to do evil. Boy that is deep. When he, the man that was vexed, saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. He fell in front of Jesus. Why? He knew who the superior power was. He knew buddy, I'm in deep weeds. He shouted at the top of his voice, what do you want with me Jesus, son of the most high God? He knew who Jesus was. He knew Jesus's power. Let me just tell you something. Evil understands Jesus better than most of us. Swear to God that you won't torture me, he says to Jesus. For Jesus had said to him, come out of this man, you evil spirit. See this evil spirit recognized that Jesus had more power. This evil spirit understood, today I'm moving. Only thing, because he was a bully and he was mean, he thought Jesus would be a bully and mean to him. The way you treat people, is the way you expect people to treat you. Ooh, that's why we need to treat people nice, be kind, it's a reflection of our nature. And Evil's nature is to bully and to be mean. So if you're a bully, you need to repent. But notice how Evil was afraid of Jesus. Jesus says, you can go into the pigs, and what happens? The Evil goes into the pigs, and it kills all the pigs, it's still showing the nature of evil, isn't it? See, all you and I need to know from this story is one thing. Jesus is more power than Evil, Evil is afraid of Jesus.
Doyle Jackson: 32:30 So when you call on the name of Jesus, well how can I do that? Because you have the authority. Jesus said, all authority in heaven and earth, I give to you, in my name. Jesus gives you and I the authority to deal with the evil, and see that is the hope that we have in Christ Jesus. Just address it. When evil is out your door, you tell it, you have to go in Jesus' name. You have no place, get off my porch, get off my lawn, get off my property, get, get, get. If there is a filthy, scroungy, dog, you'd tell it to get. I hope you would. If someone was knocking on your door, and you thought they were going to harm you, you holler outside, Stone Cold Steve Austin is in here. I'm going to send him out in just a second. As a Christ follower. You say, my big brother Jesus is here, now get.
Doyle Jackson: 33:41 This is the prayer I want to recommend to you. It says, fear you have no place in me, no power over me, because of Jesus. The blood of Jesus Christ continually cleanses my life. I'm standing firm on the authority he gave me. If you would, I just want us all to say this out loud, just to experience together for a moment. Okay? Would you say it with me? Fear you have no place in me, no power over me because of Jesus. The blood of Jesus Christ continually cleanses my life. I'm standing firm on the authority he gave me. Now I give that to you, I submit that to you. If you have a friend this week, and you see oh, they're afraid of some situation, some circumstance. You say, well, can I just take from the little bit of the hope that I have and share with you? Would you let me pray with you? And just tell the fear to go for them.
Doyle Jackson: 34:48 Remember last week I told you about Jessie, and how God took fear from her life when I prayed for her? Let me tell you, the forward story. Wasn't long after that my dad and mom said, you know, Jesse, we pick you up and we take you home every day. And we were just wondering, if we were to give you a car so you could drive back and forth to work. So you could have it to go to the grocery store, whenever you wanted to, to deliver your kids around, just to give you greater freedom in life. Would you like that? She said, well, I've always been afraid to drive, but I think I can do it now. She said, yes. My mom and dad gave her the keys and the title to our old Pontiac, and I remember going to the grocery store with Jessie, in her car. That's my dream for you. You will say no to fear, and that you will take on new territory in your life, if you'll just turn on the light of Jesus more and more in your life. To celebrate that, today we're going to receive communion. Okay? So men and women are going to come, and they're going to make stations around here.
Recorded in Columbus, Ohio.
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