Fearless by Max Lucado - Lesson Five
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Lesson Five" "Fear of Global Calamity"
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In this lesson we will look at one of the most prevalent fears around - the fear of global calamity. We hear about it on the news and online. Our friends and neighbors warn us of the latest disaster rumors. Life is a dangerous endeavor! We pass our days in the shadows of ominous realities. Oft times, we want to avoid "bad news." But, God has diagnosed the pain of the world and written the book on its treatment. We can trust God.
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Key Verses:
"You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed." Matthew 24:6
"Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don't worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes." Psalm 37:7
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What do you wish someone had warned you about in this life?
When you fear global catastrophe, what does it look like to you - invasion by another country's army, mass death through a rare disease, nuclear holocaust?
In his video, Max Lucado talks about pharmaceutical companies invading our nightly entertainment with their promises of renewed vitality, but they also warn against potential tragedy. There's something about that merger of happy faces with voice-over warnings of paralysis and heart attack and liver damage that's not right. Would you agree? There are paradoxes in life, in the media, in our faith that truly bother us then.
Sitting on the Mount of Olives, Jesus issued a "buckle your seat belt, no kidding, life can be fatal to your health" warning. He wanted his followers to know what they were facing because life with Christ is not necessarily an easy journey. Christ promised he would be there for us on the way, though, and his burden is light because we get to walk step-by-step with him. But he began his lecture with the unexpected words, "Watch out that no one deceives you" in Matthew 24:4.
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Small group discussion:
Are you fearful of being deceived about anything ... like global disaster?
Why did Jesus mention deception first in his description of the end of the world?
Jesus has foresight that is much clearer than ours. When we're dealing with traumatic events, we're easily persuaded. Our minds are racing to make sense of what's happening to us, and we can be quite quickly tricked/deceived. Jesus wants us to be prepared for this - and that preparation starts now.
Jesus told about false teachers that will emerge in the final days. Don't be wooed by their slick appearances, silver-tongued speeches, or performances. They'll command multitudes and miracles. Large audiences and spectacular deeds. Throngs of people. Displays of power. When you see them, be careful. High volume doesn't equate with sound faith. Don'be be impressed by numbers or tricks. Satan can counterfeit both.
Can we agree that there are false teachers today? Where?
I believe, along with Max Lucado that America, proud as she is of religious freedom, suffers from increasing anger toward Christians. Professors publicly mock Bible-Believing students. Talk show hosts ridicule people of faith. We can expect persecution to increase. When it does, anyone with afragile faith will collapse. I hope that we will be on the front lines in the defense of Christianity. I do not want our love for God to grow cold as the gospel writer Matthew warned against: "The love of may will grow cold" Matthew 24:12. How do we handle persecution against our Christian faith?
Real courage embraces the twin reealities of current difficulty and ultimate triumph. Christians should live somewhere between Pollyanna and Checken Little, between blind denial and blatant panic. This world needs levelheaded, clear-thinking, and still-believing followers of Christ who will bring others to focus on God and his grace in a time of tragedy.
The Titanic sank because contractors settled for cheap rivets and planned poorly. Rivets are the glue that hold the steel plates together. Facing a shortage of quality bolts, the builders used substandard ones that popped their heads upon impact with the iceberg. Because of this shortsighted construction, hundreds of people lost their lives in a matter of minutes in the icy waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
Questions: How sturdy are the bolts of your faith? Why has God spared us in the US the atrocities other Christians are facing around the world? (See www.persecution.com or www.ijm.org.) How can you remind yourself that God is in control?
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