True Identity | Sermon Three

You Are Secure | Ephesians 1:11-14

Phobia “a persistent, excessive, unrealistic fear of an object, person, animal, activity or situation.” (Harvard Medical)

Top 100 Phobia List
88. Coulrophobia – The fear of clowns.
80. Chaetophobia – The fear of hair.
78. Omphalophobia – The fear of belly buttons.
75.Pogonophobia – The fear of beards
26. Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia – The fear of long words.
13. Glossophobia – The fear of public speaking.
10. Trypophobia – The fear of holes. 
4. Agoraphobia – The fear of open or crowded spaces.
3. Acrophobia – The fear of heights.
2. Ophidiophobia – The fear of snakes.
1. Arachnophobia – The fear of spiders.Psalm 46:1-2, 11 “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea…11 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”

John 8:44 “…the devil…When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

Four Categories of Insecurities

1. Fear of physical harm or death
2. Fear of rejection or of being alone.
3. Fear of punishment or judgment.
4. Anxiety, guilt, doubts, and condemnation.

Matt. 28:20b  “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age”.

Key Point: The things that make us most insecure often are the very things that are designed to increase our awareness of our security.   

What is God’s plan to provide us security?

1 Peter 3:18a  “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God…”.

Romans 8:38-39 “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

You can’t control what happens to you but you can control how you respond. Ephesians 1:11-12 “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.”

Ephesians 1:13-14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.”

Ephesians 1:13a “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation…”

Ephesians 1:13b “When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,”.

4 Maneuvers to Break the Grip of Fear

1. When fears come, identify them.
2. Commit the fear to the Lord.
3. Release your fear.

Psalm 55:22 “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken”.

4. Stand firm.

Take Action:
1. Write down the lies of how you see yourself.
2. Start reading the Gospels.

Romans 12:2a “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”

3. Praise God for His grace.