Deut 20:3+4. And he shall say to them, 'Hear, O Israel, you are approaching the battle against your enemies today. Do not be fainthearted. Do not be afraid, or panic, or tremble before them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.' 
    	We are continuing our consideration of the fact that we have nothing to fear in this realm. Because we belong to the Lord, because He is the One Who has us in His hands of protection and guidance and mercy and love and provision, there is no reason to allow ourselves to give in to some sense of fear and dread at what the future may hold. He knows the end from the beginning and His desire for us is to shower us with all the manifold treasures of Heaven in Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Our Savior. 
This does not mean that we can take advantage of that so great and awesome love and try to use the Lord to accomplish our goals and our ends on this earth. There are many who believe that we can demand anything of God and He has to give it because we insist upon it, attaching His name to our prayer. And when He does not do what we want, we act like spoiled little children, throwing a temper tantrum because we didn’t our way. 
No, the Lord knows that often, those things that we think we need or want will not bring the full glory of God into our lives. He will make every provision for our lives in full line with that which is eternally a blessing for you and for me. He does not withhold any good thing from us because all that He gives is done to the perfection of His plan and His purpose in our lives, and not necessarily those of our own desire and our plotting and our scheming. 
Since The Lord God has us well in hand, it would show extreme disloyalty and dishonor if we were to think and to act as if He were not Omnipotent or Omniscient or Omnipresent in our lives. If we allowed fear to rule our hearts and minds, it would be a declaration on our part that God is not strong enough to protect us. He is not wise enough to guide our every step. He is not rich enough or beneficent enough to provide for our every need. 
That is the jist of the testimony that we project when we are ruled by fear and distrust in the all-sufficiency of the Lord God Almighty. That was the essence of why the first generation of the Children of Israel were prevented from entering into the Promised Land and were sentenced to die in the wilderness. After all that God had done for them, they still did not trust that the Lord would go before them and fight their battles. They were afraid.
We have looked at some of the examples of this need to fully trust in the Lord and not be characterized by fear last week. We will continue to do so again today since this is something that needs to be completely established in the life of every believer, young or old, rich or poor, healthy or sickly. It makes no difference because the Lord is our everything and we can count on Him no matter what our circumstances and issues.
We continue with that which is portrayed for us in 2 Kings 6:15-17 wherein we read of the servant of Elisha who was so afraid when they were surrounded by the army that was arrayed against them. 2 Kings 6:15-17, Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" So he answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." Then Elisha prayed and said, "O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." And the Lord opened the servant's eyes, and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 
	The servant needed to have his eyes opened to the truth of Who it was that was their shield and their protection. Elisha asked the Lord to open his understanding to the fact that there was nothing to fear, even though the odds seemed to be so much against them.
	Next we can read the Word of the Lord given to Isaiah, as recounted in Is 8:11-13. This is something that many of us, today, seem to have a most difficult time setting aside. We see so many things that seem to show that the whole world is conspiring against us. Rather than being sidetracked and befuddled by all that is going on in this world, we are to focus on the One to Whom we owe everything. He has this whole world well in hand to function according to that which will accomplish His perfect will. 
Isa 8:11-13, For thus the Lord spoke to me with mighty power and instructed me not to walk in the way of this people, saying, "You are not to say, 'It is a conspiracy!' In regard to all that this people call a conspiracy, And you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it. "It is the Lord of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, And He shall be your dread. 
Despite all the perceived and actual conspiracies that mankind is plotting and putting into place, we can absolutely trust the Lord! He is Divine and He is Omniscient. All the plans that man makes are nothing and will not stand against the very breath of God which scatters it all as if it were merely dust in the wind.
   	Again hear the reinforcement of the Lord through the Prophet in Isa 35:3+4. We are to hold true to the Lord. We need to stand with those who are having such difficulty doing so. 
Isa 35:3+4, Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble. Say to those with anxious heart, "Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; The recompense of God will come, But He will save you." 
	Once more, in Isa 41:10-14, the Lord details precisely why we are to not be ruled by fear or anxiety. He cannot make it any clearer for those who have an ear to hear. He lays His very heart before us and even beseeches and implores us to count on Him! No matter what! We can truly trust God to do everything in our lives to make Himself the whole focus of our walk on this earth and the every sustenance of all that we need today, tomorrow, and forevermore. Please turn to this authoritative proclamation of the Lord’s encouragement to count on Him and to trust in Him. 
	Isa 41:10-14, 'Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.' "Behold, all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored; Those who contend with you will be as nothing, and will perish. "You will seek those who quarrel with you, but will not find them, Those who war with you will be as nothing, and non-existent. "For I am the Lord your God, who upholds your right hand, Who says to you, 'Do not fear, I will help you.' "Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel; I will help you," declares the Lord, "and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel. 
	Now please turn to Matt 10:16-32 as we want to hear what Our Glorious Redeemer has to say to us concerning being afraid in this realm. Jesus, who faced the worst that mankind could ever do to another man chose to take our sin and shame and guilt to the cross in order to give us peace with God. He actually addresses one of the greatest fears of mankind, that of speaking in public. There is no fear that should shake us from our place in Christ and our counting on Him! He will give us the words to speak and the strength and the wisdom and the understanding and the peace that settles our anxious hearts. He is our Assurance in the midst of every single dilemma and circumstance of our lives.
	Matt 10:16-32, "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; therefore be shrewd as serpents, and innocent as doves. "But beware of men; for they will deliver you up to the courts, and scourge you in their synagogues; and you shall even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. "But when they deliver you up, do not become anxious about how or what you will speak; for it shall be given you in that hour what you are to speak. "For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. "And brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death. "And you will be hated by all on account of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved. "But whenever they persecute you in this city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you shall not finish going through the cities of Israel, until the Son of Man comes. "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. "It is enough for the disciple that he become as his teacher, and the slave as his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household! "Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. "What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops. "And do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. "Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. "Therefore do not fear; you are of more value than many sparrows. "Everyone therefore who shall confess Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. 
	Please notice something that many Christians, even well-meaning Christians fail to grasp. The Lord tells us that we will have times of trials and tribulations. This life that we are given in Him will receive the same treatment from this age as He received. However, we are not to be afraid or be fearful of that which will befall us. We are to recognize the truth that we belong to God and He is the only One to fear. The worst that man can do to us is to send us into the arms of our Lord.
	He did not tell us all these things in order to scare us, but rather so that we would know, with utmost certainty, that He is with us and that He is the One in charge and that He has already made every provision in His lovingkindness for us. 
This we know from that so wonderfully commanding declaration of Our Lord in John 16:33. John 16:33, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." 
The Apostle Paul also, in the well known passage of Eph 6:10-20, gives us every encouragement to stand strong in Christ and not fear the onslaughts of this age. Notice, as we read this together, we are not the ones to go out and seek a battle to fight. We are to stand strong in the Lord and in His Word without fear or trepidation at the hosts that surround us. Like Elisha’s servant at the beginning of our study this morning, we look to the Lord. We count on Him in the midst of the every fray, without fear or trembling.
Eph 6:10-20, Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. 
    	The Apostle, in 1 Thess 5:14-18, as well encourages us to stand together in the Lord with one another. This is especially as we see a need arise for the admonition in the power and the might and the wisdom and the understanding and the presence of the Lord for those who are having such a desperate struggle in this age. 
	1 Thess 5:14-18, And we urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all men. See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all men. Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 
    	We are also given an insight into the reason that we are to stand so firmly in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is evident in the manner in which Paul so heartened his protégé Timothy in 1 Tim 6:12-16. Those instructions to the young man are filled with the means by which you and I can stand upon the rock of Jesus without fear of the consequences.
	1 Tim 6:12-16, Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time — He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords; who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light; whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen. 
	The Writer to the Hebrews, in Heb 12:1-14, highlights exactly why we face trials and tribulations on this earth. This is done with the full vision of how the Lord uses those times to work to our good. We are the Children of God and as such, rather than fearing the course of the hard times, we need to see the hand of God upon our lives through them. They are not meant for our destruction or undoing. They are to cause us to grow in the strength and the knowledge and the trust of the Lord dealing with us for our very best interests. It is through the difficulties that we grow in grace and into the maturity of being the sons and daughters of God.
	Heb 12:1-14, Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, Nor faint when you are reproved by Him; For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives." It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed. Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. 
    	Finally, we need to have the confident trust established in us to lean upon the Lord with no fear of the unknown crowding out our joy and our peace in Jesus Christ. Accordingly, we close with the ultimate encouragement of Heb 13:5-8.  Please turn to it and mark it in your Bibles for every time we need to know that the Lord is with us.
Heb 13:5-8, Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you," so that we confidently say, "The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What shall man do to me?" Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever. So be it!
And he shall say to them, 'Hear, O Israel, you are approaching the battle against your enemies today. Do not be fainthearted. Do not be afraid, or panic, or tremble before them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.' Amen.

	
This morning’s benediction is Ps 86:11-13. Teach me Thy way, O Lord; I will walk in Thy truth; Unite my heart to fear Thy name. I will give thanks to Thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And will glorify Thy name forever. For Thy lovingkindness toward me is great, And Thou hast delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol. Amen.