Victory Over the Fears of Life | Matthew 28:5-6

[00:00:00] Real Truth Daily. This is Daily Truths with Dave Ahlman. Hi everybody, welcome back to Daily Truths. I want to talk today about fear. Do you have a lot of fears in life? A lot of people I talk to really do. I want to identify four different fears today that many people, maybe including you, struggle with.

[00:00:21] The first one is the fear of failure, that somehow we're not going to measure up, that somehow we're not going to succeed. So oftentimes we try to find our identity and how successful we are, how much money we make, what people think of us, fear of failure. Another one is fear of rejection. Sometimes we've been through rejection from other people, it might be a spouse, it might be a kid, it might be a boss, it might be a friend.

[00:00:46] We can't fully meet the expectations of other people and sometimes we disappoint them and as a result of that we might experience rejection from them. Another fear we have sometimes is the fear that our sins really can be forgiven. Sometimes when we look back over our life and we realize all the mistakes we've made, all the sins we've committed, we've wondered, can God really forgive that sin? Can God really forgive someone like me?

[00:01:14] And the biggest fear that people have in life is the fear of death, the uncertainty of where one's going to go when they pass on, the uncertainty if there's really life beyond the grave and victory beyond defeat and heaven beyond this veil of tears that we experience down here. So these are four fears that many times we, even as Christians, experience. Now, we're in the book of Matthew chapter 28.

[00:01:42] And remember, Jesus has risen from the dead and an angel descends from heaven. It's amazing. An angel descends from heaven, rolls back the stone, sits on it, and there's guards who are there and they faint from fear, right? Now the women, Mary, Mary Magdalene and another one are there who are not afraid. Who, well, they're not afraid so much that they're going to faint. And so they're looking and wondering what in the world is going on.

[00:02:12] And the first thing that the angel says to them are these words, three words, do not fear. Now, what were they afraid of possibly? Maybe their enemies, maybe their own failures. And yes, maybe they were afraid of the ankle descending. And of course, his radiance was glowing and brilliant. His appearance was like lightning and his clothing as white as snow. So maybe they were afraid, obviously, of the angel. Not so much. They fainted like the guards.

[00:02:41] So what did the angel tell them? Listen to this. This is awesome. It's Matthew chapter 28, verse 5 and 6. Did you hear that? Don't be afraid.

[00:03:07] Hey, you don't need to be afraid because Jesus, I know you've come here seeking Jesus who was, who was not his, who was crucified. He is not here. He has risen, just as he said. Just as he said. Did Jesus declare that he was going to rise from the dead to his disciples, to his followers, and yes, even to the Sanhedrin?

[00:03:37] He did. And we've talked about it before. Many times he told his disciples, the son of man is going to be handed over the hands of sinful men, be crucified and raised up on the third day. He said this, just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale. So the son of man is going to be in the belly of the ground for three days and then rise again. He said to the Sanhedrin, the religious leaders, destroy this temple. And they thought, of course, he was talking about the physical temple. He said, destroy this temple, my body, and I'll raise it again.

[00:04:07] I'll rebuild it in three days. Did Jesus do that? Did he fulfill his promises? Did he carry out what he predicted? Did he? Absolutely. And the first thing the angel told the women was, don't be afraid. Now, my friends, we identified four fears that many times we have that is comforted and consoled and taken away through the risen Christ. One of them is a fear of failure.

[00:04:35] Hey, we're going to fail people. We're going to let other people down. Sometimes we won't reach our goals. Sometimes we're not going to be successful. But you know what God says about that through his son? I love you. I accept you. You forgive me. And we thought you for I forgive you. And we find our identity in Christ Jesus. We're a child of God headed to heaven and sins forgiven.

[00:05:00] And because of that, because of what God says about us, not what other people say about us, because of what God says about us, we can find our identity in him. Yes, we're going to fail. Yes, we're going to disappoint other people. Yes, sometimes we won't reach our goals. But we're fully loved, accepted and redeemed through the blood of Christ. And God says, I love you and you belong to me. Let's find our identity in the midst of our failures in that.

[00:05:29] Secondly, sometimes we're rejected by other people. God will never reject you. The Bible says, who shall separate us from the love of Christ? And then he says this, for I am convinced, St. Paul says this, I'm convinced that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor things present nor powers nor height nor depth nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. You're rejected by other people. Some people have walked away from you in life.

[00:05:58] Don't worry about it. You're never rejected by God. He fully accepts you and you belong to him. Sometimes we're afraid that, you know, our sins are too great. It's another fear. Our sins are too great for God to ever forgive us. Listen to this. The blood of God's son, Jesus Christ, cleanses us from all sin. And yes, sometimes we're afraid of death. Can really we be certain about where we're going to go?

[00:06:27] What's that dark portal of death really like? Listen to this. Two promises. Number one, God is with us when we're going through the dark valley of the shadow of death. So this is what the psalmist has said in Psalm 23. Yea, though I walk through the dark valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me. And what did Jesus say to Martha about conquering death? He said, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.

[00:06:55] And he who lives and believes in me shall never die. So Jesus, our risen Savior, comforts us with his promises in the midst of our fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of sins not being forgiven, and fear of death. We have a risen, victorious, ever-living Savior that comforts us in the midst of all our fears in life. What a great promise that is. So be comforted by that today.

[00:07:24] And know beyond the shadow of a doubt that the angel, when he said to the women, do not fear, this is exactly what God tells you today. Why? Because Jesus Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia. Thank you for tuning in to Daily Truths with Dave Allman. Pastor Dave Allman is the pastor of Mount Hope Church in Boulder, Colorado. If this ministry is blessing you, please consider supporting us by sharing this channel with a friend.

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