"What Are You Afraid Of?" - Ronald L. Dart

what are you afraid of I'll bet you're afraid of something can you put a name on it when you get a little time think about that for a while and try to write it down put it on paper this is what I am afraid of a lot of people say they're afraid of government but Samuel told us right from the get-go what we were all going to be doing to ourselves with government so we really can't complain about that how our forefathers did it and the chances are we'd been there we'd admit precisely the same mistake never make the mistake of looking down on those little people for doing that they are us some people are afraid for their children educationally economically but hey that is a part of what we the people decided long before this country was ever established we decided we wanted a government to fight our battles for us and as a result of that we screwed things up royally but that's what Samuel told us we would do how does the question of fear relate to this festival well let's take a look at the original instructions your old timers already know where they are I'll tell everybody else they're in Leviticus 23 I'll begin reading in verse 34 say to the Israelites on the fifteenth day of the seventh month the Lord's feast of tabernacle begins and it lasts for seven days verse 39 so beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month after you've gathered in the crops of the land for seven days you keep this festival the eighth day is also a day of rest on the first day you take choice fruit from the trees and palm fronds leafy branches and poplars and rejoice before the Lord your God seven days you know this resonated with me I remember when I read this I went way back to the hills and Arkansas to a time when I was out visiting my grand dad on his farm my grandpa so I'll just might as well say it like I said it and they were having a brush Arbor revival out there in the Hills so we walked I don't know how far it was it seemed like an awful long way down through one field up through another one down through the wood and the cops'll over to another road and there the people had put together a brush Arbor what's a brush Arbor I just out of curiosity how many of you have ever sat under what they call a brush Arbor haha there are a few of us then to know what that is you take brush trees branches so forth put up poles on the corners put up a brush Arbor to keep the Sun off of you and you get in there and you worship God doesn't take the temple and it's kind of in a way a tabernacle but anyway it's really in biblical terms a booth a tabernacle okay it goes on to tell us what we're supposed to do celebrate this as a festival of the Lord for seven days each year is to be a lasting ordinance for generations to come celebrate it in the seventh month live in booths for seven days all native-born Israelites are to dwell in booths now what about people who aren't native born well as it turns out later they're supposed to too perhaps for a different reason I've talked about that other festivals I'm gonna go there today anyway we want your descendants to know that I had the Israelites live in booths when I brought them out of the land of each we're gonna camp out all the way down to Mount Sinai and then all the way back up to the promised land that's what I intended to happen okay I suppose the original plan called for a trip of what a year two years three years at the most surely to get themselves organized get down to Mount Sinai get the Covenant of God and then March up and take the Promised Land that was the plan that was supposed to be it turned out to be 40 years and when you ask this question how did a trip plan to last a couple of years the most end up taking 40 years in a word it was fear that made all the difference think about these people here they were they'd spent that born in slavery spent their entire lives as slaves working from dawn to dusk working seven days a week working when they were told and taken off when they were told to take off which wasn't very often this was the life they had but they had food to eat they had a shelter over their heads they were able to have children and grandchildren down there in Egypt but it was not what I would call a good life and the worst part of it us they were not free well God brought them out of there and they rejoiced they were happy to be set free and they had not learned something that a lot of us haven't either you can't just free slaves if you are going to liberate them you have to take them into a new kind of system of thought of work of production of protection and that's what they did at Mount Sinai from there he turned the slaves who had been freed into a liberated people and there is a difference between that he it brought them dry shot across the Red Sea they walked to Mount Sinai they heard the voice of God think of all these people have been through what they had seen what they had heard how that at Mount Sinai they couldn't even stand up when the voice of God came rolling down the side of the mountain their knees gave way the bowels were loosened in some cases and there in Mount Sinai they entered into covenant with God he made promises to them they made promises to him and he gave them a standard of life to go by the Ten Commandments and a few other things that applied to where they were and what they were doing so they went up and sent spies into the land because now the time has come to concur and this isn't very far into this whole episode at all they sent the spies in and when you read the story you kind of wonder if they would have been better off not knowing what was up there forget the spies get your army together and prepare to fight but they sent spies spies came back brought a report two men Joshua and Caleb a lot of kids have been named after Joshua and Caleb in this room I'll bet you and they said we can do this with God's help but the other Scouts who went with him brought back a bad majority report scared the people frightened them half to death and the people whipped and they said all the congregation lifted up their voice and cried but people wept that night and the people of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron and the whole congregation said to them Oh what god we had died in Egypt what God we had just died in the wilderness because we're going to anyway anyway went why is the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword that our wives and our children should be a prey weren't it better for us just to go back to Egypt how many times through this period of time did they say Oh can't we go back to Egypt Oh can't we go back to slavery Oh can't we go back to the security of food in the morning and food and evening work to do a house to live in cover and shelter clothes and so forth I just want to go back to that now I spoke of the danger of freedom what do I mean by that they preferred the safety of Egypt to the danger of freedom what it means is that you take your chances in the world around you each even those of us called of God are subject to time and chance I learned that kind of bit early this last week time and chance happens to all men and what makes the difference is how you handle them because they will things will come your way now it's a long story Joshua and Caleb argued strenuously they lost the argument and the result was that the whole generation that had left Egypt seen God's power and refused to trust him would die in the desert let me ask you everyone in this room under the age of 20 would you please rise this just and up you know everybody under the age of 20 now here's what you need to understand you're going to be the ones that go in and take the land but you're not going to do it now we're going to stay out here for 40 years everybody else in this room is going to die none of them will be allowed because they were afraid to do what needed to be done you understand that are you sure that when a time comes you won't be afraid well that's what you're up against you are the people who are going to have to do the job 20 year olds and under but you will not do it until you are 59 please sit down that's the picture I hope you understand what we're looking at here this terrible result was because of one thing fear now fear is not necessarily a bad thing fear is what causes you to back away from the edge of a precipice you walk over the edge of a cliff look down doesn't something inside of you say what are you doing here step back for all I've done that more times than I could shake aside I would even I don't even like to get close to the edge I'm not afraid of heights I'll fly an airplane I don't have that I'm just worried about being somewhere where you know a breath of air could take me over the edge this fear is a temporary thing and when you make the decision to back away the fear goes away life is never free of risk now if you can't keep that thought in your mind you really ought to write it down and put it on the wall somewhere life is never free of risk so we have to manage our risk to keep fear at an acceptable level at a useful level at a place where it works for us instead of against us that's what I'm talking about here if we overcome fear and if we accept the risk if we I'm sorry if we never overcome the fear and we don't accept the risk there is no way you can win if you overcome the risk and you take the chance you're not afraid time and chance may still take you down I'm sorry that's life get used to it but if you don't take the chance don't take the risk you'll have no chance which is better for you some chance or no chance that's not really a hard call to make that said I really think we only have room in our life for so much fear we can only handle so much if we get too much fear that's destructive so how do we manage our fear so that we can face the world and live to the four full as God intended for us to do I think the answer may lie in two things what is it that you're afraid of what is your fear who is your fear same thing the other is your hierarchy of fear now what I mean by that well I mean the order in which you place the importance of your fears because you got more than one and you have to deal with what's going to be at the top of that list of fear what should it be well you probably are head of me but turn back to Deuteronomy 28 verse 58 Deuteronomy 28 verse 58 this is a latter part of Moses long sermon that he gave last sermon of his life at Mount Sinai I mean actually beyond Mount Sinai just before he left Israel to go to Mount Nebo for his final word he says as if you will not observe to do all the words of this law written in this book that you may fear this glorious and fearful name Yahweh your God now you just that's just par as that sentence for a moment understand what he just said if you will not observe to do the words of this law written in this book that's every word in that is important all the words of this law written in this book he said so that you may fear this glorious and fearful name the Lord your God no your God is so it is very clear when you read some of the stuff and it comes up again and again that the observance of the words of the law written in the book are the evidence of fear of God not that you're afraid of God but that you fear him so commandment-keeping and fear of God that fear should not keep you awake at night and it should not give you acid indigestion at all why because you know what to do about it you repent you try to set things right and you trust in the grace of God which can cover over most of the stuff you do this wrong who can see you through it and even while he may let you suffer a bit for a while because of it he still will carry you on through you just got to hang in there on the other hand if you don't fear God and you show it by your life there's another outcome and it's an outcome that you wouldn't desire at all mind you this is a result of a lack of fear not a fear itself that you don't fear God and then if you that's the way you are you're going to make certain mistakes you're gonna pick wrong roads you're gonna hurt yourself you're gonna hurt the people around you and there's just no way of getting away from it it's painful and it will come simply Deuteronomy 28 verse 66 this is the way it's all gonna work out for you you thought joy that's their choice he said your life shall hang in doubt before you you shall fear day and night you shall have no assurance of your life in the morning you shall say would God it were even and it even used to say all what God it were morning for the fear of your heart which you shall fear and for the sight of your eyes which you will see I guess in a way what he's saying is if you don't put God at the top of your list of fears you're going to have to deal with the worst of them on your own because they won't go away all by themselves so you can tell a lot about yourself by answering the question we started it what are you afraid of what's directing your life what are you laying awake at night worrying about where is your fear I fear God but I'm not afraid of him why not well because of my covenant with him through Jesus Christ which I'm reminded of every Passover that's why I'm not afraid of him and my fear takes the form of reverence and awe and obedience and you've got an underline that obedience not obedience to the letter of the law the letter of the law is a trap it's a very serious trap obedience to the principles that underlie the law the spirit and the intent of what God intended man to live by and how he intended to live that's what I'm talking about that is the foundation I'll explain that elsewhere so I'm not going to go into it here but before I leave Deuteronomy I want to read a portion of Moses last sermon to the children of Israel because I think it's very relevant to what we're talking about this one is Deuteronomy 8 verse 1 Moses said all the commandments which I command you to do this day do that you may live and multiply and go in and possess the land which the Lord swore to your father's and you shall remember all the way that the Lord your God led you these 40 years kids that stood up a while ago the oldest of you are 59 now most of you are in your 50s some in the late 40s is when this was being said to them their mothers their fathers the grandparents are all died off the oldest of them was 59 you shall number remember all the way which the Lord your God led you these 40 years of the lives to Humble you to prove you to know what was in your heart whether you would keep his Commandments or not now here is a sobering thought the time in the desert turned out to be a 40-year boot camp I know I'll bet a bunch of you guys in here have been to boot camp maybe some of the girls have been to boot camp now you know something that goes on there if you've never been there you may not understand my reference the purpose of bootcamp is to find out what you're made of it is to make you stronger I spent three months I guess it was 12 weeks in boot camp in the Navy at Naval Station in San Diego and when I finished that 3 months I was in the best physical condition of my life I had learned a great deal about the Navy I learned a great deal about my country and I came out of there very proud of what I had been able to accomplish in that period of time it was good for me but it was hard the work was hard the discipline was hard to getting up in the morning before daylight was hard having to pass inspections were difficult in other words the whole question we're dealing with here is to prove you to know what is in your heart and whether you will keep his commandments or not boot camp is what waits for the freed slave can you understand that you can't just let them go you can't just open the bar to say going out there they will end up killing one another what you have to do is you have to prove them test them train them and bring them to the place to where they are the strongest they have ever been in their lives that's what this 2 year should have been about turned out to be 40 because God wasn't about to have any of those fearful people trying to take this land on his behalf the purpose of boot camp is to see if you'll break the lay aside the cockiness of youth and develop the confidence of a fighting man because oh and we're 1819 we are so cocky we are so cocky you've heard all the cliches about this stuff I'll tell you who knows it better than anybody your drill sergeant boot camp they know it they see it every time a new group comes through and know exactly what has to be done boys have got to be turned into men girls have got to be turned into women in many cases ready and able to fight for their country for the group that I tend to have the greatest respect for and I imagine you've got a bunch of you here a few of you here today probably not that many a few good men who were Marines the Marines have my highest regard believe me even though as a sailor I used to call you jarheads and I won't bother about your names for me but remember this God humbled you and suffered you to hunger and fed you with manna which you didn't even know what it was all you could do is call it what's it neither did your fathers know that he might make you to know that man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God does man live and where else have you heard that well where oh yes that was what Jesus told the devil when he told him to command this this bread to be made I personally made bread anyway he said you sham and shall not live by bread alone but by every word of God and yet in all this time you guys were out here in the desert you were not without encouragement verse for your arraignment wax not old upon you your foot didn't swell all for 40 years did ya that's really something young 20 year olds you don't know what that means you shall also consider in your heart as a man chases his son so the Lord God chastens you therefore you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God to walk in his ways and to fear Him to fear God is and if all you don't know about computers it's a verbal icon what it means is you've going to walk in the way that he has instructed us to walk that's what it means he's really fascinated fairly consistently the evidence of godly fear his commandment keeping in camp you have to be careful not to take the men further and what they're able to go people who are trained to do this the drill instructors know exactly how far that is and they're going to push you right to the edge of it if they possibly can and this is what Paul was driving at some of these scriptures are interesting when you take them a different context it's in first Corinthians he wrote and you're know you know the scripture you turn to it you can probably repeat it with me there has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man but God is faithful who will not permit you to be tempted or tried about what you're able but will with the temptation provide a way to skate to escape that you can bear it and so here we go out of the wilderness it's going to be hard but it will not be harder than we can manage with God's help but don't expect an easy road don't expect from baptism forward Oh God's just going to make everything work for me don't think that time and chance happens to all men God allows it to happen to us because he wants to see how we will handle it to prove us to test us to see whether we will walk in his ways or we're gonna go off on our own path you might think when we come to the New Testament we can lay that aside this idea of fear but trust me you would be entirely wrong all you've got to do I won't take you through them if you've got a concordance just look them up again and again and again the concept fear God fear God fear God comes up in the New Testament I want to take you though to Malachi chapter 3 in verse 13 they're being called on a carpet these Israelites are the people who have come back with slavery because they've had a hard time keeping their heads on straight he said your words have been stout against me says the Lord and you say well what have we spoken so much against you he answers you have said it's vain to serve God there's no point in serving God what profit is that we keep his ordinance and have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts now we call the proud happy okay they're the ones that are lucky they work wickedness are set up you don't suppose that would happen in a society like ours do you yeah they've attempt God are delivered that's what you're saying then they that feared the Lord spoke often one to another and the Lord listened and heard it and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and and took I'm sorry and thought upon his name and they will be mine says the Lord in that day when I make up my jewels I will spare them as a man spares his own son who is faithful to him then shall you return and then you'll be able to tell the difference between the righteous and the wicked between him that serves God and him that serves him not this scripture has kind of become a a mantra for me then they that feared the Lord spoke often to one another we are coming into a time and this underlines it we're entering an era a different era entirely now on the national and the world stage I think the younger ones among us may not realize entirely how much that is but people getting on up the years have to be aware of the fact that change things are changing in a way that we would not have expected them to change and we can see the handwriting on the wall that they're not likely to change back we're going into a new world a dangerous world a frightening world a world in which there'll be all kinds of new things to be afraid of don't ever let any of those things rise to the top of your hierarchy of fear leave God at the top of that hierarchy and the rest of your fears will be manageable I fear massive loss of life in the next years I see no way can be avoided I really hope in the process of time then we will stay connected as scattered no matter how scattered we may be and it's going to become extremely important to us spiritually morally and even physically that we can stay in touch with one I think it's a time coming was to be more important than any of us can imagine to stay connected and stay in touch God has given us the greatest resources the faints of saints have ever had to hand we've got incredible resources for staying in touch let's learn to use them they're out there get books learn teach yourself if you can't hand in their way hire teenager Randall Anil neighborhood teenager they'll show you how all that stuff works they know all about it and never forget those tho who struggle with technology use the phone use the mail stay in touch you know who your friends in the faith are don't you stay in touch with them work at it because it's awfully easy to let your life cause you to drift away from them support them encourage them pass the word share information to your friends and through them you will be in touch with far more people than you can ever imagine there's a rule somewhere that indicated this to how this sort of thing works if you hear the greatest joke in the world one that's if everyone to anybody has ever heard and you laughed so hard you fall on the floor almost uncontrollably how many people will you tell that joke to in the next week generally speaking and they say probably eight most cases the best one more than that but let's just take a bad joke eight each of the people you tell it to are going to tell it to eight and each of those is going to tell it to eight now I'll let you go home with your calculator and sit down and work that out and see how long it takes for that number to get ready to where you start getting the little eerr on your calculator it will go there and that's the thing I think that we all have got to keep in mind you know who their friends in the faith are stay in touch with them and you can and therefore be in touch with other people now there will always be lines drawn between churches I think they're probably thirty churches represented in this group right here right now and they're always you know sometimes the lines are Geographic sometimes the lines are doctor'll sometimes the lines are cultural I don't know what they are sometimes there's nothing more than temperament that's involved in it it's one of the reasons I didn't start another church when I broke away from jerks got international in 1995 there are no lines here and there are not going to ever be God willing any lines at this Feast of Tabernacles and you must never allow lines between one and other just because old Joe over here goes to this other the intergalactic Church of God there's no reason you should not maintain contact with it stay in touch share information share news share encouragement share prayer requests it's important that we stay in touch that way as much as we can and God thank God he has landed on this generation it's going to face the greatest need for it the greatest collection of tools to do it that his people have ever seen don't waste them we're thinking and every way we possibly can and cem how we can make use of every tool every device that's available known to man to communicate with all of you and you people out there watching us live streaming until they don't think there are some but somewhere between 85 and 100 people who are with us today but aren't in the room I'm we'd have a hard time finding where they all sit but nevertheless we are so pleased that you people have joined us here today we may have to make a lot more use of this in the future than we even imagine today and so it's good thing that we're pushing the edges that we're trying to get out there while we still can and finally on this matter of fear Revelation chapter 19 verse 5 a voice came out of the throne praise our God all ye servants and ye that fear Him both small and great and I heard as it were the voice of a great crowd of people and voice of many waters the voice of mighty thunderings saying hallelujah for the Lord our God reigns what do you think that will do to our hierarchy of fear

Channel: BornToWinCEM

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Keywords: Born to Win, Ronald L. Dart, CEM, Feast of Tabernacles

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Length: 31min 18sec (1878 seconds)

Published: Wed Oct 16 2019