Sermon outline

Fear tries to separate you from the word that feeds your faith, and the way to drive it out is to stay secure in God's love and keep walking in love.

Main text

Mark 4:1-20

Opening

He greets those watching on YouTube, the internet and social media, and says he need not repeat what is going on in the country: a wave of fear has come on people at every level. He brings this word to counteract that fear, titles it "Faith, God's source of power", and reads the parable of the sower from Mark 4 in the NIV.

The secret of the kingdom has been given to you
Reading the parable of the sower, he stresses that the secret of the kingdom was given to the disciples and is given to believers in the same way. The seed on rocky ground died because it had no root, while the good soil hears the word, accepts it and produces a crop. While fear runs through the country and the globe, the word of God must stay our source.
Illustration: The farmer's seed on four kinds of ground: the path, rocky places, thorns and good soil.
“The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to us as believers.”
- Mark 4:1-20
Satan comes to steal the word from your heart
Whenever you hear the word, Satan comes at once to see whether you really understood it, and he only succeeds when you did not. Separating you from the word separates you from faith, because faith comes by hearing. So listen attentively and keep your heart in good condition, because that is the soil the word falls on.
Illustration: A heart kept well is good soil, not wayside, stony or thorny ground.
“When he separates you from the word of God, he separates you from faith.”
- Luke 8:18
- Romans 10:17
Resist the devil by walking in perfect love
You resist the devil not by fighting in the flesh but by being completely secure that God loves you, because there is no fear in love. Love has to be practised intentionally, and it takes effort. Look for opportunities to demonstrate God's love, and fear will lose its grip.
Illustration: A kind deed, a kind word, and genuinely loving someone when they are being nasty towards you.
“The more you walk in love, the more fear dissipates from your life.”
- 1 John 4:16-18
- Ephesians 6:17
- Ephesians 6:12
Stay in love when you are afflicted
When affliction arises, God is not responsible for it; the enemy brings it to separate you from the word. Do not render evil for evil. Those who are established in righteousness cannot be touched by oppression, so take hold of your emotions and exercise self-control instead of saying whatever you feel.
Illustration: Lucifer was created for praise and worship in heaven, but his disobedience earned him the title of waster: everyone he touches, he wastes their life.
“Everyone God touches, he enhances their life.”
- Isaiah 54:11-16
- John 10:10
- Isaiah 54:17
Shut the door to fear and use your authority
By walking in love and in faith you keep everything at bay, and no plague can touch you or your household. Fear only comes in when you open the door to it. Jesus gave believers authority over the enemy, so submit to God, resist the devil, and take every opportunity to hear the word and hide it in your heart.
“What I'm asking you to do this morning is to shut the door to fear.”
- Psalm 91:10
- James 4:7

Putting it into practice

Listen to the word attentively and make sure you understand it.
Be completely secure in the fact that God loves you.
Look for opportunities to practise love: a kind deed, a kind word.
Take hold of your emotions and exercise self-control when you are afflicted.
Shut the door to fear and use your authority against the enemy.

Closing

He asks viewers to stretch a hand towards his as he prays that fear will be eradicated from their lives and that they will walk in love and in faith, steadfast on the word and trusting in the blood of Jesus. He signs off from Rhema Durban and wishes them a blessed Sunday.