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 f the fear of man leads us into bondage, how do we get out? The fear of God. A healthy fear of God can break all kinds of bondage, setting us free to live the lives we were created to live. And when we're free, not only will we be blessed, but others will be blessed as we begin to do all the God has called us to do. (Message: Eric Elder; Worship Song: "Holy And Anointed One" written by John Barnett, led by Al Lowry and James Olmos; Running time: 31:22) Lesson 2 - The Fear Of God Leads To FreedomWatch The Video
Read The Transcript Hi; this is Eric Elder and welcome to The Ranch. Tonight we're going to look at a lesson on how we get out of bondage. Last time we talked about what causes bondage, and this week we're going to do an even more exciting lesson to me, because it talks about what we do to get out of bondage. And we're going to take a look at Exodus and what some midwives did when they were in a dilemma in Egypt. And I think it unlocks a key, this lesson tonight unlocks a key for us on how we can get out of bondage as well. Why don't we open our Bibles, and if you're watching us on-line, click on your Bible there or open one on your desk and look at Exodus Chapter 1. And we're going to start reading in Verse 15 and we'll go to the end of the chapter. (If you'd like to try an online Bible, take a look at http://biblegateway.com and search for Exodus:1) So if the guys in the room, if you want to read nice and clear here, I'd like to read maybe two or three verses each and we'll pass it around the room. Somebody have that, Exodus 1 starting in Verse 15?
ERIC: So here we have Pharaoh, and remember, the last time we talked he was afraid, and he was afraid that the Israelites would become so numerous that he would have to put them in bondage, so he made them slaves. It was the fear of man that caused them to be in bondage. They were afraid that they would become too numerous, which is what God said they would. One day they would be so numerous it was more than the sands of the seashore, more than the stars in the sky. So it was exactly what God said would happen. But Pharaoh was afraid of them and that caused their bondage. But here we see the midwives do something, and what is it that the midwives did in this story? What did they do? Kind of like a deception. In order to what? In order to protect? The Hebrew children. What does it say was the reason that they did this? What was the reason that they did this? They were doing it to protect the children, but it says, if you look in Verse 17, they feared God. Here this man, Pharaoh, put them in bondage and that fear of man got them in bondage. So what is it that starts getting them out of bondage? The fear of God. The fear of God. When we can stop fearing man and we can start focusing on God and fearing God, that's when we start getting free. I'm talking here about a healthy fear of God. And there are a lot of things that we do in our life that if we had a healthy fear of God we would not be doing them quite honestly. If we had a healthy fear of God, we wouldn't be getting involved in some of the stuff we're involved in. And we'd be doing some other things that we're not doing. That fear of God kept a bunch of kids alive, because these Hebrew women, they could have chosen to fear men, right? They could have chosen to fear Pharaoh, but instead they chose to fear God. And what happened as a result? Take a look down at Verse 20. Anybody? What happened as a result of their fearing God? DALE: God dealt well with the midwives. The people multiplied and got very strong. ERIC: The people multiplied. He dealt well with the midwives. Look in Verse 21. He not only blessed the other people because of the midwive's decisions. He let the children live, but what did he do for the midwives themselves who made that decision in Verse 21? He gave them family of their own. Wow. I love that. When we fear God and do what He wants and stop fearing men, He will bless other people through us and through our actions, but He'll also bless us, give us families of our own. I was talking last week about this guy. Let me finish up some of this story. Do you remember the guy that I was mentioning in high school and just getting pummeled, pow, pow, pow. And when he was getting pummeled it struck a fear in me, and I didn't want to mess with that senior that was dealing with that. I didn't want to have to face him again and various other things had happened. And for you guys that didn't come to this lesson, just to recap, this guy just got in the way on the football field of this other guy when we were in PE. And he was a freshman and a senior came and just pounced on him. And I had somebody tell me that he was going to kill me when I went into high school, so I was already nervous enough that I was going to get killed. And various things that I did in high school, I mentioned how I excelled at things like playing the piano or dance or drama and I didn't do all the things that the other guys were doing, the sports and athletics. And so a lot of times I would take abuse from these guys who would call me a fag or a sissy or whatever it might be. And I started taking in those things and thinking about those things, and it affected me, and it made me not want to do some of those things. But you know how I came out of that fear of man, was when I became a Christian and I began to fear God and do what He said. Things like playing the piano, I just always sort of associated that with what girls did. All the piano teachers were girls, women, you know, and other people did that. And since I've become a Christian, now I have new eyes. I see a lot of guys play the piano, a lot of guys play musical instruments. I read in the Bible where King David, I mean he killed thousands, tens of thousands, and what did he play? Anybody know? A harp, a harp. Not a very manly thing in today's society. But it blessed the king and it drove away evil spirits from the king when he played that harp. And he did all kinds of wonderful praise to God and wrote many of the psalms in the Book of Psalms. So I've since come to realize as I've feared God, and said God, this is a gift that you want me to use, don't you? And as I've begun to now play in churches and play in worship and play the piano for other people, and just this last Sunday I was playing in church and I played for worship service, played probably a dozen songs as the piano player in our church. You play them throughout the whole service. And I get pretty nervous doing it. It's pretty petrifying, I would say, to me to play, and yet I know that I need to use this gift and be playing for people, because God gives us our gifts for the benefit of the body of Christ, for the benefit of others. And so as I played, I just began to enjoy it more and more during the service. And I've enjoyed it more and more over the years as I've have been playing for Christ. And even when I was done, Tim, in his prayer afterwards, he was praising God for people that would use their gifts for God and for His kingdom. And I just received that from God as speaking to me and saying you chose, Eric, to fear me instead of fearing men, not worrying about what other guys say, but worry about what I say and what I think. And when you play the piano to me in worship to me, that pleases me so much. Do you see how the fear of God can pull you out of the fear of man, when you're afraid of what other people are going to do to you? It makes you close down, shut down. Maybe you've had this happen in your life where you feel like you've been shut down in some area of your life. I want to encourage you to look up and look to God and see what He says about you. Because it's a whole different story when you ask God about your gifts and talents, and maybe, and quite possibly, those are the very talents that God has put within you for His purposes and that's why Satan is so eager to shut them down in your life. Just like these Israelites were made slaves. When God said what? He called them his what people. His chosen people. He said "oh, you're my chosen people, you're going to be numerous and prosperous and one of the greatest nations on the earth." Well, Satan knows that and so he tries to put people in bondage and hold them down. I mentioned last week, too, about this pastor who, when I came to Streator, and I had preached at his church, and a woman got saved and she came and asked me and my wife about doing Bible studies and we were recommending some different places where she could go. She eventually left that church and I heard from that pastor, got a letter from him and he wanted nothing to do with me or my ministry ever again. I mentioned how he was the president of the ministerial association at the time, but now I'm the president of the ministerial association! And I've been back and I've spoken to that church again, and I've been back and I've led worship at his church again. How is that possible? Well, the only way is because I fear God more than I fear him. Sure, it hurts me for a couple days. Those things can really wound you. But I put a call into one of my friends, we talked about it, decided I better call this pastor, let him know that it was a misunderstanding, whatever he thought we might have done that caused this member to leave. I talked to him, we talked it out a bit. I can't say we're best buds right now, but I can say we can work together in the community and we can reach people for Christ. Because I care more about reaching people and doing what God's called me to do. But I could have shut down and said "man, I'm not going to preach in any church in Streator ever again. If this is the kind of reception I get, this is the kind of thanks I get when people come to the Lord in their service, I guess I just don't want to do that, I don't want to deal with that." But instead of fearing man, I chose to fear God and He called me to preach and to speak and to lead worship. And so now I lead worship and preach in churches all over town. I'm the president of the ministerial association and lead events of all these cooperating pastors. But you can see how Satan wants to keep us down. The very thing that God called me to do and raised me up for, one of the things here in Streator, to help lead some of these events, Satan was trying from the beginning to pummel me back down. Has that happened in your life? Where you feel pummeled by things? I would say everybody in the room feels pummeled by something. And I'm not giving you guys much chance to talk; we'll have some more chance to talk, too, but anything come to your heart? AL: The last two weeks. I'm getting my eyes slit open right now; I'm in the 14th round and Rocky's coming, baby. You know what I'm saying? I mean, really, I mean it's one thing right after another. Just keep hanging on though, you know, and trusting God, you know what I mean? I know it's not about me; it's about Jesus. And if I ever want people to look at me, you know, but that's wrong. It's about Jesus. But I feel bad when I do things because I'm also a representative, you know, of Christ, that I'm a Christian and I'm to live a higher standard, you know, than regular men. Really. You know, it hurts when I feel like I've let God down, you know. And when you walk in the real victorious life, it's easy and you're happy and you got a lot of joy. But when you start making bad decisions and doing wrong things and you see the old self there, you know, then it isn't so easy no more, because then your own self tells you, you know, the voice in your head, you know, maybe that's Satan. And you just got to learn to discern, you know, what's God telling me. Like you said, the fear of God and what He says, you know. And that's hard, that's a difficult thing to do because you're trusting another voice in your head that you're hoping is God in your heart and you're hoping that everything lines up with this. And the results that you see aren't always the results that you get, you know. They want the results that you get and it's difficult, man. But that's all about faith, you know. God cares about that faith and that trust in Him, you know, so. And realizing that is the only thing that helps me through, honestly. ERIC: You mentioned that Rocky feeling, being pummeled down. There's a scene in one of those movies where he's down on the ground, down for the count, out, and his coach, isn't it, comes up to him at the end? I don't remember the exact words, do you remember? Basically, he says "get up, you bum, I love ya." And when he hears that coach's voice, it's like a father speaking to him saying somebody up here loves you, get up. It's just like God speaking to us and saying "Al, get up, you bum, I love ya." And it just gives you something and then you see Rocky and you hear the music. Some of you younger guys, you haven't seen it? See the movie. But yeah, God loves you and He says get up. And it could be that this is the very thing God's called you to do. For me, things like leading worship, playing the piano, preaching, singing, all those things that I felt so belittled about, those are the very things that God is using now in my life most powerfully. And I believe He's wired me to use from the beginning. I hope there's a connection in your minds going on as we're talking about the things where you feel pummeled down, that maybe those are the things that are your greatest strengths. Dale? DALE: There's a story about there was this guy who had a black book of different people he knew and that came up to him and he said, "what you got in your book?" He said "this is a book of people." And he says, "well what's in it?" He said, "oh, just some names." He says, "well, what kind of names?" He said, "well, these are people that I can beat up." And the young guy says "well, is my name in that book?" "Well, let me look and see" and he flipped it open and he goes "yeah, it's right here." He says, "I don't think you can beat me up." He says "really?" "No." He says, "well, in that case I'll just cross your name off." And I got to thinking, the devil thinks he's got us whipped and our name may be in that book. But I don't think the devil can whip us. We have power and authority. The Bible promises that we're overcomers. "He that is in us is greater than he that is in the world." So he can just take my name off that list. I don't think he can beat me up. ERIC: That's good. DALE: The only thing is, if we allow it, He'll allow what we allow. ERIC: Yeah, there are definitely wrong choices we make. But a lot of times we make those wrong choices because of the fear of man. We get angry, we get frustrated, we take to heart what people say about us or say to us and we go and react to those things, or the way they treat us. DALE R.: Well, was it Rob said the other day that communication was 10 percent of what words you use, 40 percent was your tone, and 50 percent was your body language. But you can say three or four different things with different tones and different gestures and mean totally different things. ERIC: Yeah. There's one guy...you mentioned about Promise Keepers, talking about going to Promise Keepers... And there's this guy that we were trying to get to go to Promise Keepers in this town that I used to live in. And he said yeah, he'd go and he even gave us a check. And he wanted to learn more about the Bible, and so I said "okay, I'll come and study the Bible with you." I brought my Bible to his house and every week we were getting together and looking at the Bible. And one week he said, "you know, I think I'm not going to go to Promise Keepers." And I said "oh, why not?" And he said, "I just don't think I'm going to go." And he was backing out. And he'd backed out on a few other things as well; he'd start getting involved and then he'd back out. And he was talking about what a nice guy he was. He was a pretty nice guy; he was meek, mild. He'd just been talking to me about this, just saying this. And he was, he appeared to be a church-going nice, meek, mild guy. And I said well, "you know, I need to tell you this, that this is why they have Promise Keepers, is because they want to see you keep your word. And you said you'd come and I think it will really help you if you come." That guy came across the counter, picked me up by my shirt, escorted me to the door, said "you get out of my house, I don't want you back here ever again, I don't want to see your face again, you get out, you leave me alone." And I'm saying the mild version. I walked out a little shaken. Like, what was that, God? Somehow I had stepped on something that was very crucial in his life. I have to go back to the Lord and say God, see if I ever go back and lead a Bible study with this guy again! Especially the meek and mild ones, no way! And God says "Eric, that's what I've called you to do. You keep doing it; you keep doing it." And I could let that intimidate me, but here I am in Dale's house leading a Bible study again. I saw that guy a few years later at Promise Keepers with his son, said I'm glad to see you here. He said yeah, came for my son, thought he might enjoy it. I said, well, I'm glad to see you both here. God works in people's lives. And I could let the fear of man keep me down, or I could do what God calls me to do. I could go on story after story. I don't get kicked out of a lot of places. I got kicked out of one of my girlfriend's houses. Her mother said never come back here again. I made some offhand comment. We were doing a slide show; I was talking about something, mentioned something that tripped her trigger and I didn't know what happened. I just made, it was a totally innocent comment. But it was something that had been gnawing at her for years that other people had said and she took it the wrong way. And she threw me out of the house literally, never come back again, and I don't want to see you again. I married the girl, we see them all the time, I'm in her house regularly. AL: That's something that happens because, you know, sometimes I notice other people's actions or what they're doing, and there's something inside of me that gnaws at me, and little things, you know, that I let upset me and all of a sudden that person comes and pulls the trigger and then that, all that anger from everything just seems to come and pour right out on that person, you know. And I got that problem, I confess and realize it. Sometimes I can stop it, you know, but sometimes, man, there's no stopping. ERIC: Yeah. We do that to other people, too, We'll do that, don't we, to other people? And it's not really related to them, but they sort of trigger it. AL: Yeah, and then it's boom, and you don't realize. You know, I don't realize things I'm holding on the inside that I'm thinking that I'm laying down at the feet of the Lord. I lay this down for you, Lord, I'm laying this at your feet and then I'll walk away. And every time that thought will come back, I just got to try to push that out and say Lord, I'm laying this at your feet, you know what I mean? That's something that I was taught to do, you know, and I don't think I'm laying everything down like I'm supposed to, you know. But I keep trying, you know. I'm not going to quit. I just really got to keep, keep going. ERIC: Amen. Amen. Keep focused. Yeah, definitely it's shifting our eyes and putting them on God, away from man. When we get focused on man and worried about what they think or what they're saying, we get off track. But when we can focus on God, we'll stay on track. I mentioned the midwives were blessed as a result, but things didn't go totally well for them, did they? Look again at Verse 22. What happens next in the story? What happens next? Pharaoh gets madder still, doesn't he? He's sort of got a problem, doesn't he, Pharaoh? Throughout this whole book, he just gets madder and madder, doesn't he? What's he do? Said every boy that's born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live. He says okay, the midwives won't do it, then anyone that’s there when they are born are to throw them into the Nile. So just because we're following God, sometimes we will be blessed, sometimes the punishment increases as far as what men do to us. When I follow God, it doesn't always go totally well for me. But it didn't really go that well for Jesus either or the disciples, did it? Getting thrown in jail, shipwrecked, beaten, stoned, left for dead. The Bible goes on and on about things that happened to them. But even in prison Paul and Silas are singing praises to God, aren't they? Why? Because they're free inside. They're free because they have feared God and they don't fear man. So even when they get pummeled, they're free to worship God, right? And that's what we're after in this whole study, is how we can have that same attitude, how can we be free to worship God in our hearts regardless of what goes on around us. Not let the fear of man get in front of us, but look to the fear of God, and let that healthy fear of God cause us to do what's right and do what God's gifted us to do. I'd like to just spend a few minutes in worship to God. Maybe this has unlodged a few things in your life that you may think about and dwell on this week. And I think God's up there and He's saying, "you, bum, get up, I love ya, I love ya. I love ya; get up." And let that music start playing in your head. Start standing up for the things that God's called you to do. We're going to sing Holy and Anointed One with Al Lowry and James Olmos out in California. Just join us here in song. If you're at home watching, just sing along with us. Worship song: "Holy And Anointed One" written by John Barnett, led by Al Lowry and James Olmos. Used by permission. Jesus, Jesus |
