WEBVTT 00:00:09.740 --> 00:00:14.599 When was the last time that you were afraid? 00:00:15.640 --> 00:00:19.320 What was the last thing that you were afraid 00:00:19.320 --> 00:00:25.379 of? And we can think of kind of funny things, 00:00:25.500 --> 00:00:28.379 but we can also think of more serious things 00:00:28.379 --> 00:00:39.380 in life. The front row. So what is the last thing 00:00:39.380 --> 00:00:45.259 that you have been afraid of? Even today, how 00:00:45.259 --> 00:00:53.719 has fear occupied your mind? How has fear manifested 00:00:53.719 --> 00:00:58.219 itself in your mind? Even today, even within 00:00:58.219 --> 00:01:03.039 the last hour, I dare say that there are some 00:01:03.039 --> 00:01:08.500 in this room who possibly were... dealing with 00:01:08.500 --> 00:01:13.939 fearfulness even before coming to worship this 00:01:13.939 --> 00:01:19.939 evening. We read in 2 Timothy, the Apostle Paul 00:01:19.939 --> 00:01:24.040 writing to young Timothy, we read these words, 00:01:24.900 --> 00:01:28.159 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, 00:01:28.340 --> 00:01:33.540 but of power and love and discipline. The true 00:01:33.540 --> 00:01:40.670 spirit of Christianity is not one of fear, timidity, 00:01:40.790 --> 00:01:46.150 or cowardice. The true spirit of Christianity 00:01:46.150 --> 00:01:56.469 is a spirit of power, love, and discipline. And 00:01:56.469 --> 00:01:59.269 what he's teaching us there is that God has given 00:01:59.269 --> 00:02:04.120 us power or strength to face difficulties. God 00:02:04.120 --> 00:02:07.120 has given us a love that is outward looking, 00:02:07.299 --> 00:02:11.740 that compels us and drives us to others to embrace 00:02:11.740 --> 00:02:16.139 hardship or things that might be fearful for 00:02:16.139 --> 00:02:20.020 the sake of others. But it also teaches us that 00:02:20.020 --> 00:02:25.360 the Christian can control their minds in order 00:02:25.360 --> 00:02:30.879 to deal with the fear at hand. Let's go ahead 00:02:30.879 --> 00:02:35.719 and pray. And then we'll start our message. Father, 00:02:35.800 --> 00:02:40.259 we come to you tonight and we thank you this 00:02:40.259 --> 00:02:44.520 evening for the many good things that you have 00:02:44.520 --> 00:02:46.639 given to us in life. We thank you that we can 00:02:46.639 --> 00:02:49.840 come together and worship. Father, we thank you 00:02:49.840 --> 00:02:53.439 that we can come together and laugh and fellowship 00:02:53.439 --> 00:02:57.569 and encourage and strengthen one another. Father, 00:02:57.789 --> 00:03:00.250 we thank you most of all that we can come together 00:03:00.250 --> 00:03:04.490 and worship you. Lord, that we can come together 00:03:04.490 --> 00:03:07.509 and hear from your word, that we can hear from 00:03:07.509 --> 00:03:12.150 you. Lord, bless our time as we consider what 00:03:12.150 --> 00:03:17.810 it means to understand fear and what it means 00:03:17.810 --> 00:03:22.849 to overcome fear as believers in Jesus Christ. 00:03:23.659 --> 00:03:27.699 I ask a special blessing upon these messages, 00:03:27.900 --> 00:03:31.259 Lord. I ask these things in Christ's name. Amen. 00:03:32.500 --> 00:03:36.840 Fear is one of the most universal realities in 00:03:36.840 --> 00:03:41.639 existence. It transcends age, culture, personality, 00:03:42.180 --> 00:03:47.439 social status, and even historical period. It's 00:03:47.439 --> 00:03:51.560 present everywhere. Every human being, in one 00:03:51.560 --> 00:03:57.219 way or another, has been afraid, and experiences 00:03:57.219 --> 00:04:02.699 fear in their life. Some fears are outward and 00:04:02.699 --> 00:04:07.080 visible. They're obvious and clear. Others are 00:04:07.080 --> 00:04:12.460 hidden deep within the heart. Some fears come 00:04:12.460 --> 00:04:16.300 suddenly in moments of crisis, while others quietly 00:04:16.300 --> 00:04:21.079 linger in the soul, unseen over long periods 00:04:21.079 --> 00:04:24.899 of time. Fear may arise through suffering, uncertainty, 00:04:25.379 --> 00:04:28.920 guilt, danger, loneliness, rejection, persecution, 00:04:29.279 --> 00:04:33.439 sickness, failure, or the approach of death. 00:04:34.279 --> 00:04:37.360 Whether it is acknowledged openly or remains 00:04:37.360 --> 00:04:42.519 unseen, in the heart, fear is a prevalent aspect 00:04:42.519 --> 00:04:47.100 of life in a fallen world. And I would even say 00:04:47.100 --> 00:04:51.170 that fear is something that is propagated and 00:04:51.170 --> 00:04:56.430 encouraged on social media platforms. It is something 00:04:56.430 --> 00:05:01.709 that the world seeks to enhance and expand to 00:05:01.709 --> 00:05:06.649 obtain your attention. Scripture speaks frequently 00:05:06.649 --> 00:05:10.509 about fear. The Bible does not present fear as 00:05:10.509 --> 00:05:13.129 something experienced only by... weak people 00:05:13.129 --> 00:05:16.730 or immature believers, nor is it presented as 00:05:16.730 --> 00:05:21.689 a rare or isolated reality. Rather, fear is shown 00:05:21.689 --> 00:05:25.290 to be a common part of human experience, even 00:05:25.290 --> 00:05:30.129 among faithful believers. Abraham feared, Moses 00:05:30.129 --> 00:05:32.970 feared, David feared, the list goes on, and we'll 00:05:32.970 --> 00:05:36.490 consider some of those later. It's apparent that 00:05:36.490 --> 00:05:40.089 even strong and godly believers wrestle with 00:05:40.600 --> 00:05:45.060 fearfulness in their lives. Understanding this 00:05:45.060 --> 00:05:48.459 reality is important because the Christian is 00:05:48.459 --> 00:05:54.360 called to be courageous in faith, to be bold 00:05:54.360 --> 00:05:58.959 in faith, and not to be dominated and mastered 00:05:58.959 --> 00:06:05.319 by fear in their lives. Some imagine that fear 00:06:05.319 --> 00:06:10.050 itself automatically indicates spiritual failure, 00:06:10.110 --> 00:06:15.110 or sin. Others minimize fear altogether, treating 00:06:15.110 --> 00:06:18.649 it merely as an emotional weakness or personality 00:06:18.649 --> 00:06:23.329 temperament or personal flaw. Scripture, however, 00:06:23.490 --> 00:06:26.730 presents fear as a powerful reality that is connected 00:06:26.730 --> 00:06:31.529 to human weakness, the fall, sin, guilt, and 00:06:31.529 --> 00:06:36.600 unbelief in this world. To understand fear rightly, 00:06:36.839 --> 00:06:41.579 the first thing we have to grasp is this. Fear 00:06:41.579 --> 00:06:50.399 is universal. It is universal. Because all mankind 00:06:50.399 --> 00:06:55.279 lives under the effects of the fall. Since sin 00:06:55.279 --> 00:06:58.300 entered the world, suffering, uncertainty, weakness, 00:06:58.540 --> 00:07:02.519 pain, and death have become part of human existence. 00:07:03.529 --> 00:07:06.269 Fear is a reality for every person because every 00:07:06.269 --> 00:07:12.009 person lives in a broken and fallen world. Ecclesiastes 00:07:12.009 --> 00:07:14.490 describes life in the fallen world as marked 00:07:14.490 --> 00:07:20.189 by uncertainty. Man does not know his time. Like 00:07:20.189 --> 00:07:23.750 fish caught in a treacherous net and birds trapped 00:07:23.750 --> 00:07:27.170 in a snare, so the sons of men are ensnared at 00:07:27.170 --> 00:07:31.589 an evil time when it suddenly falls on them. 00:07:31.959 --> 00:07:37.259 Ecclesiastes 9 .12. Human beings cannot control 00:07:37.259 --> 00:07:42.300 the future. Human beings cannot guarantee safety. 00:07:43.199 --> 00:07:48.019 Human beings cannot secure perfect health and 00:07:48.019 --> 00:07:51.920 fitness. They cannot make absolute provision 00:07:51.920 --> 00:07:55.500 in their life or others. They cannot guarantee 00:07:55.500 --> 00:08:00.250 relationships that are unbroken. They cannot 00:08:00.250 --> 00:08:05.110 guarantee life itself. Tomorrow is not promised 00:08:05.110 --> 00:08:08.750 to you and it is not promised to me. Sickness 00:08:08.750 --> 00:08:12.589 comes to those who never expect it. Bankruptcy 00:08:12.589 --> 00:08:15.689 strikes those who never wanted it, never longed 00:08:15.689 --> 00:08:19.790 for it, never thought about it. We lose loved 00:08:19.790 --> 00:08:24.930 ones suddenly out of nowhere. These realities 00:08:24.930 --> 00:08:28.629 create vulnerability, and vulnerability often 00:08:28.629 --> 00:08:35.129 exposes and produces what? Fear in the life of 00:08:35.129 --> 00:08:39.090 God's people. Even those who appear confident 00:08:39.090 --> 00:08:44.389 and courageous are not free from it. That's important. 00:08:45.789 --> 00:08:48.830 Maybe you have this individual in mind. They're 00:08:48.830 --> 00:08:51.330 strong. They're firm. They're like an oak tree. 00:08:51.509 --> 00:08:53.889 They don't move. They don't go to the right. 00:08:54.070 --> 00:08:56.009 They don't go to the left. They've never changed. 00:08:56.610 --> 00:08:58.889 They're infallible. They're inerrant. They've 00:08:58.889 --> 00:09:03.389 never feared in their life. No. That's not a 00:09:03.389 --> 00:09:08.909 reality. Every single person has been afraid 00:09:08.909 --> 00:09:13.840 of something. Whether it's suffering, While others 00:09:13.840 --> 00:09:18.940 fear rejection, maybe some are afraid of failure 00:09:18.940 --> 00:09:24.779 and others the appearance of failure or the appearance 00:09:24.779 --> 00:09:28.259 of weakness. Others fear loneliness, instability, 00:09:28.639 --> 00:09:32.500 shame, death, judgment. Some fear the future 00:09:32.500 --> 00:09:36.759 or abandonment or the idea of loss of control. 00:09:37.450 --> 00:09:40.710 Fear manifests itself differently and in a variety 00:09:40.710 --> 00:09:46.730 of forms from person to person. How does fear 00:09:46.730 --> 00:09:51.590 manifest itself in your life? How does it show 00:09:51.590 --> 00:09:55.710 its ugly little head, we could say, in your heart? 00:09:56.350 --> 00:10:00.909 How does it manifest itself in your thinking, 00:10:01.090 --> 00:10:05.370 in your heart? There are even specific seasons. 00:10:06.669 --> 00:10:10.750 which make people especially prone to fear, such 00:10:10.750 --> 00:10:15.250 as sickness, war, persecution, financial hardship, 00:10:15.529 --> 00:10:19.669 a variety of things. A brief summary of history 00:10:19.669 --> 00:10:23.970 reveals that people do, in fact, understand the 00:10:23.970 --> 00:10:27.250 nature of fear to some degree. And why do I say 00:10:27.250 --> 00:10:32.090 that? Because entire nations have leveraged fear 00:10:32.090 --> 00:10:37.100 for profit, motivation, and for different agendas. 00:10:37.779 --> 00:10:41.159 Isn't this why nations have used propaganda in 00:10:41.159 --> 00:10:44.879 times of war? Fear and to bolster confidence 00:10:44.879 --> 00:10:49.659 and courage? Isn't this why newspapers have leveraged 00:10:49.659 --> 00:10:53.679 certain headlines? Because they understand that 00:10:53.679 --> 00:10:57.799 fear can be played upon. They understand that 00:10:57.799 --> 00:11:01.899 fear can be manipulated. Tyrants and monarchs 00:11:01.899 --> 00:11:05.460 use threats to persuade the masses. Legal systems 00:11:05.460 --> 00:11:09.820 utilize fear in dealing out penalties and fines. 00:11:10.799 --> 00:11:14.860 Humanity understands the reality of fear to some 00:11:14.860 --> 00:11:19.100 extent. Young children know this. Isn't this 00:11:19.100 --> 00:11:23.820 why they so often or sometimes try to jump out 00:11:23.820 --> 00:11:27.000 and scare their moms or their dads with snakes? 00:11:27.679 --> 00:11:32.899 Whatever it might be, fear is a universal reality. 00:11:34.000 --> 00:11:38.679 Among all people, everywhere, for all time, and 00:11:38.679 --> 00:11:44.320 something for which everyone always needs a remedy. 00:11:45.220 --> 00:11:49.000 If you are here today, you have fear that needs 00:11:49.000 --> 00:11:52.779 to be remedied. If you are present, you have 00:11:52.779 --> 00:11:56.720 fearfulness in your heart that needs an antidote. 00:11:57.120 --> 00:12:01.440 Now we also must understand that fear entered 00:12:01.440 --> 00:12:05.559 the world through sin. The Bible teaches that 00:12:05.559 --> 00:12:10.559 fear, in its sinful and tormenting form, entered 00:12:10.559 --> 00:12:15.320 the world through the fall of man. Before sin 00:12:15.320 --> 00:12:18.639 entered creation, Adam and Eve lived openly, 00:12:18.820 --> 00:12:22.820 freely, and transparently before their maker. 00:12:23.340 --> 00:12:30.070 There was no sinful... tormenting fear in their 00:12:30.070 --> 00:12:34.409 hearts. There is no alienation between God and 00:12:34.409 --> 00:12:39.149 man. There is no dread of judgment or condemnation. 00:12:40.629 --> 00:12:47.730 There is no fear of death. Before, there was 00:12:47.730 --> 00:12:53.909 no fear. After the fall, there was fear. Immediately 00:12:53.909 --> 00:12:58.690 after sin enters the world, Fear follows the 00:12:58.690 --> 00:13:02.110 fall. When God called to Adam after the fall, 00:13:02.250 --> 00:13:05.070 he responds, I heard the sound of you in the 00:13:05.070 --> 00:13:09.970 garden and I was afraid because I was naked. 00:13:10.370 --> 00:13:14.690 So I hid myself, Genesis 3 .10. This is the first 00:13:14.690 --> 00:13:19.929 explicit mention of fear in the scriptures. Adam's 00:13:19.929 --> 00:13:24.590 fear arose from sin, guilt, and unbelief. The 00:13:24.590 --> 00:13:29.029 one before whom Adam once walked freely, he now 00:13:29.029 --> 00:13:32.129 is the one that Adam is afraid of and he runs 00:13:32.129 --> 00:13:38.090 away from. He hides himself. This moment reveals 00:13:38.090 --> 00:13:43.029 something really, really helpful about the nature 00:13:43.029 --> 00:13:48.230 of fear. It reveals that fear is not primarily 00:13:48.230 --> 00:13:52.870 something that's superficial. or even external, 00:13:52.970 --> 00:13:57.230 outside of us or at the surface. But the fear 00:13:57.230 --> 00:14:00.750 is something that is theological and spiritual. 00:14:01.809 --> 00:14:04.750 Fear is connected to the broken relationship 00:14:04.750 --> 00:14:10.649 between God and man. Something that's brought 00:14:10.649 --> 00:14:16.269 about as a result of sin. The fall introduced 00:14:16.269 --> 00:14:20.649 guilt before God is judged. Shame upon the conscience, 00:14:20.990 --> 00:14:23.970 corruption in the heart, judgment upon creation, 00:14:24.429 --> 00:14:27.529 suffering in the world, sorrow into human experience, 00:14:27.710 --> 00:14:33.870 and mortality, and ultimately, what? Death. Fear, 00:14:33.870 --> 00:14:40.789 therefore, became woven into the fabric of creation 00:14:40.789 --> 00:14:45.690 and existence because humanity now lives in a 00:14:45.690 --> 00:14:49.429 world under the judgment of God, and men are 00:14:49.429 --> 00:14:54.350 rebels before their maker. Now, there's a third 00:14:54.350 --> 00:14:56.470 thing we have to understand if we're going to 00:14:56.470 --> 00:15:01.350 grasp the reality of fear. And that is that fear 00:15:01.350 --> 00:15:07.049 exists because humanity is finite and weak. Fear 00:15:07.049 --> 00:15:11.929 is also connected to human weakness and finiteness. 00:15:12.649 --> 00:15:18.029 Human beings are creatures. Human beings are 00:15:18.029 --> 00:15:23.230 not God. Human beings do not possess infinite 00:15:23.230 --> 00:15:28.070 wisdom. Human beings do not possess infinite 00:15:28.070 --> 00:15:34.870 power and knowledge or control. We cannot see 00:15:34.870 --> 00:15:40.730 the future. You cannot see the future. We cannot 00:15:40.730 --> 00:15:45.450 control outcomes. No matter how hard a person 00:15:45.450 --> 00:15:49.169 wants to carnally manipulate or work a situation, 00:15:49.549 --> 00:15:53.110 human beings do not have the ability to control 00:15:53.110 --> 00:15:58.009 outcomes. Human beings cannot eliminate suffering 00:15:58.009 --> 00:16:03.029 and make perfect ease. We cannot prevent death. 00:16:03.389 --> 00:16:07.210 No matter how hard the world tries, death will 00:16:07.210 --> 00:16:12.159 always come to them. We cannot govern providence. 00:16:13.320 --> 00:16:16.980 That's because we are creatures in this world. 00:16:17.019 --> 00:16:22.159 We are part of the created order, brothers and 00:16:22.159 --> 00:16:26.419 sisters. We are not God. This limitation is part 00:16:26.419 --> 00:16:31.899 of our creatureliness. Humanity was never designed 00:16:31.899 --> 00:16:38.940 to function independently from God. Fear often 00:16:38.940 --> 00:16:43.200 intensifies when people become deeply aware of 00:16:43.200 --> 00:16:47.600 their inability to control circumstances. Things 00:16:47.600 --> 00:16:50.059 such as illness and suffering and whatever else 00:16:50.059 --> 00:16:57.460 reveals to them that they are weak, that they 00:16:57.460 --> 00:17:01.549 are needy, that they are a creature. The Psalms 00:17:01.549 --> 00:17:04.890 interact with this reality a great deal. David 00:17:04.890 --> 00:17:07.789 says this, when my anxious thoughts multiply 00:17:07.789 --> 00:17:12.430 within me, your consolations delight my soul. 00:17:12.769 --> 00:17:17.170 Psalm 94, 19. Think about those anxious thoughts 00:17:17.170 --> 00:17:22.930 multiplying within him. This multiplication of 00:17:22.930 --> 00:17:27.210 anxious thoughts reflects the reality that David 00:17:27.210 --> 00:17:33.259 is a creature. He is feeble. He is finite. He 00:17:33.259 --> 00:17:38.740 is frail. It reflects the reality of human weakness 00:17:38.740 --> 00:17:43.559 in a world filled with uncertainty. Scripture 00:17:43.559 --> 00:17:46.660 never presents believers as naturally fearless 00:17:46.660 --> 00:17:50.599 people. Rather, the people of God are repeatedly, 00:17:50.839 --> 00:17:54.140 time and time again, shown to be prone to fear, 00:17:54.279 --> 00:17:59.690 as those who are learning to trust God. in the 00:17:59.690 --> 00:18:03.769 midst of difficult situations. That's what the 00:18:03.769 --> 00:18:07.509 Bible presents regarding the people of God. John 00:18:07.509 --> 00:18:11.890 Calvin has a great statement. He says, we are 00:18:11.890 --> 00:18:17.650 not iron. Now, it's short and sweet, but what 00:18:17.650 --> 00:18:20.809 a great statement. What does Calvin mean when 00:18:20.809 --> 00:18:25.529 he says, we are not iron? Well, he means this, 00:18:25.529 --> 00:18:31.920 that we are not impervious. to trials. We are 00:18:31.920 --> 00:18:36.240 not unaffected by hardship. We are not machines, 00:18:36.420 --> 00:18:40.579 brothers and sisters. We are people with affections. 00:18:41.279 --> 00:18:44.759 We have feelings and emotions and affections 00:18:44.759 --> 00:18:49.920 and longings. We are creatures made by God. Believers 00:18:49.920 --> 00:18:56.119 wrestle with anxiety. Believers wrestle with 00:18:56.119 --> 00:19:00.799 confliction in their soul. They wrestle with 00:19:00.799 --> 00:19:04.640 struggles in their hearts. Christians have to 00:19:04.640 --> 00:19:08.900 deal with anxiety and stress. Why? Because Christians 00:19:08.900 --> 00:19:15.980 are still weak, needy, and finite. That doesn't 00:19:15.980 --> 00:19:19.180 change when you become a Christian. Christians 00:19:19.180 --> 00:19:23.019 are still weak. They're still needy. And they're 00:19:23.019 --> 00:19:27.180 still... finite creatures. Now we also have to 00:19:27.180 --> 00:19:30.220 understand the fourth thing, and this is that 00:19:30.220 --> 00:19:34.339 fear is not limited to the ungodly. There may 00:19:34.339 --> 00:19:38.200 be the temptation to think, well, it's the sinners 00:19:38.200 --> 00:19:42.920 who don't know Christ that struggle with fear. 00:19:44.079 --> 00:19:47.819 It's those outside of Christ that don't know 00:19:47.819 --> 00:19:53.619 Christ that wrestle with these realities. Scripture 00:19:53.619 --> 00:19:57.480 teaches that fear is experienced by believers 00:19:57.480 --> 00:20:01.880 and unbelievers alike. It is not limited to the 00:20:01.880 --> 00:20:06.240 wicked or the ungodly. Even faithful, godly men 00:20:06.240 --> 00:20:10.339 and women struggle with fear. Abraham feared 00:20:10.339 --> 00:20:14.380 Pharaoh and lied concerning Sarah. Isaac feared 00:20:14.380 --> 00:20:16.779 the men of Gerar and lied concerning Rebecca. 00:20:17.339 --> 00:20:20.880 Jacob feared Esau when preparing to meet him 00:20:20.880 --> 00:20:24.200 again. Joseph's brothers feared judgment because 00:20:24.200 --> 00:20:28.240 of their guilt concerning Joseph. Moses feared 00:20:28.240 --> 00:20:31.099 speaking because of his weakness and inability. 00:20:31.700 --> 00:20:35.099 Joshua feared the immense responsibility of leading 00:20:35.099 --> 00:20:38.420 millions of people. Gideon feared his own family 00:20:38.420 --> 00:20:40.980 and the men of the city. Manoah feared death 00:20:40.980 --> 00:20:44.420 after seeing the angel of the Lord. David feared, 00:20:44.519 --> 00:20:47.220 and he repeatedly wrote of it, the Psalms are 00:20:47.220 --> 00:20:51.259 full. of David's fearful confessions, brothers 00:20:51.259 --> 00:20:55.420 and sisters. Psalm 56 .3 says, When I am afraid, 00:20:55.680 --> 00:21:00.059 I will put my trust in you. That has the expectation 00:21:00.059 --> 00:21:06.920 that he will be afraid. Elijah feared Jezebel 00:21:06.920 --> 00:21:09.940 and fled into the wilderness after witnessing 00:21:09.940 --> 00:21:13.869 God's great power at Mount Carmel. The disciples 00:21:13.869 --> 00:21:16.849 feared storms, persecution, suffering, death, 00:21:17.130 --> 00:21:20.549 despite walking with the Lord Jesus Christ himself. 00:21:22.009 --> 00:21:26.069 Paul said, I was with you in weakness and in 00:21:26.069 --> 00:21:30.029 fear and in much trembling, 1 Corinthians 2 .3. 00:21:31.130 --> 00:21:35.029 We've only touched on a small number of the saints 00:21:35.029 --> 00:21:37.809 of old, brothers and sisters. We don't have the 00:21:37.809 --> 00:21:41.019 time to speak of them all. We could talk about 00:21:41.019 --> 00:21:43.299 Hannah, Eli, Elijah, Elisha, and we could go 00:21:43.299 --> 00:21:48.059 on and on and on. Time doesn't allow us to touch 00:21:48.059 --> 00:21:53.640 on all of them. The reality is that fear is a 00:21:53.640 --> 00:21:58.339 part of the believer's life, just as it is a 00:21:58.339 --> 00:22:02.660 part of the unbeliever's life. A simple lesson 00:22:02.660 --> 00:22:07.730 seems appropriate at this juncture. If you're 00:22:07.730 --> 00:22:10.569 here today and you struggle with some sort of 00:22:10.569 --> 00:22:16.450 fear, as a believer in Jesus Christ, if you wrestle 00:22:16.450 --> 00:22:18.690 with things in your heart that make you anxious, 00:22:19.049 --> 00:22:22.430 if you wrestle with things that make you afraid, 00:22:22.670 --> 00:22:31.430 listen well. You are not abnormal. You are not 00:22:31.430 --> 00:22:37.039 strange or deranged. And don't let anybody tell 00:22:37.039 --> 00:22:43.240 you that you are. You are not the weird one because 00:22:43.240 --> 00:22:47.700 you wrestle with fearfulness in your life. The 00:22:47.700 --> 00:22:51.579 truth is that the word of God testifies that 00:22:51.579 --> 00:22:54.480 fear is a common struggle in the saint's heart 00:22:54.480 --> 00:22:59.880 all throughout redemptive history. The experience 00:22:59.880 --> 00:23:04.369 of fear is not a novelty. in the Christian life, 00:23:04.430 --> 00:23:08.029 brothers and sisters. This is important to acknowledge. 00:23:08.430 --> 00:23:12.250 And why is this important to acknowledge? Because 00:23:12.250 --> 00:23:16.970 many believers do, in fact, wrongly assume that 00:23:16.970 --> 00:23:20.210 fear itself, the reality and the struggle of 00:23:20.210 --> 00:23:26.690 fear itself, proves spiritual failure or is evidence 00:23:26.690 --> 00:23:33.039 of spiritual immaturity. Yet scripture, repeatedly 00:23:33.039 --> 00:23:38.180 presents godly people wrestling with this reality. 00:23:38.440 --> 00:23:43.279 Learning to trust God in the midst of the valley, 00:23:43.500 --> 00:23:48.400 brothers and sisters. Learning to trust God as 00:23:48.400 --> 00:23:54.819 the darkness is looming, as it's going over them. 00:23:55.720 --> 00:24:00.759 It's not a novelty. Sinners living in a fallen 00:24:00.759 --> 00:24:05.259 world. Fear is a normative reality and experience 00:24:05.259 --> 00:24:13.299 for which there is a remedy, for which the word 00:24:13.299 --> 00:24:18.359 of God provides remedies. It is always needed 00:24:18.359 --> 00:24:21.619 in the life of the believer. It's guaranteed 00:24:21.619 --> 00:24:25.579 that if you go to one of the godliest people 00:24:25.579 --> 00:24:31.730 you know and you say, have you struggled? with 00:24:31.730 --> 00:24:35.650 fear in your life? They would inevitably say, 00:24:35.869 --> 00:24:41.230 yes. Fear is not a novelty in the Christian life. 00:24:42.049 --> 00:24:46.390 The difference we'll see is not the presence 00:24:46.390 --> 00:24:51.329 or the reality of fear, but how one relates to 00:24:51.329 --> 00:24:57.009 fear and how one responds to the reality of fear 00:24:57.009 --> 00:25:00.970 in their life. The last thing we have to consider 00:25:00.970 --> 00:25:04.829 is the reality of fear in the Christian life. 00:25:05.589 --> 00:25:09.170 So the issue is not whether believers will experience 00:25:09.170 --> 00:25:14.750 fear. They will. You will. I will. We all will. 00:25:14.890 --> 00:25:21.250 The issue is how believers respond to and remedy 00:25:21.250 --> 00:25:27.200 the fear that arises in their hearts. Believers 00:25:27.200 --> 00:25:30.559 are not instantly delivered from all difficulty 00:25:30.559 --> 00:25:34.960 and hardship upon conversion. Christians will 00:25:34.960 --> 00:25:38.240 face trials and suffering. Thus, they will experience 00:25:38.240 --> 00:25:41.299 fear in this life. Believers still have a remnant 00:25:41.299 --> 00:25:44.640 of sin. They're susceptible to backsliding, the 00:25:44.640 --> 00:25:48.660 effects of the fall, ignorance, and sin. Christian 00:25:48.660 --> 00:25:52.559 experience bears witness to this reality, that 00:25:52.559 --> 00:25:57.500 believers will face fear in their life. And the 00:25:57.500 --> 00:26:01.000 ultimate proof is that every believer still must 00:26:01.000 --> 00:26:03.420 face that one great enemy at the end of their 00:26:03.420 --> 00:26:08.220 life, the grave and death. But the difference 00:26:08.220 --> 00:26:11.880 is this. Though conversion doesn't remove all 00:26:11.880 --> 00:26:15.430 the difficulties and struggles, Upon conversion, 00:26:15.750 --> 00:26:20.750 the Christian's relationship to fear fundamentally 00:26:20.750 --> 00:26:25.509 changes because the believer now belongs to God 00:26:25.509 --> 00:26:28.690 through Christ and has been justified by the 00:26:28.690 --> 00:26:32.750 righteousness of Jesus Christ. They have been 00:26:32.750 --> 00:26:37.410 made new creatures in Christ. The truth is that... 00:26:37.559 --> 00:26:41.559 often it's upon conversion that a person actually 00:26:41.559 --> 00:26:45.460 begins to wrestle with their fears. They don't 00:26:45.460 --> 00:26:47.839 just bow down to them anymore. Now they start 00:26:47.839 --> 00:26:50.599 standing up to them and they start fighting back. 00:26:51.299 --> 00:26:54.359 Whereas the unregenerate man just receives and 00:26:54.359 --> 00:26:57.099 accepts and takes the beating over and over and 00:26:57.099 --> 00:27:00.920 over. The believer fights back in the inner man 00:27:00.920 --> 00:27:05.920 when fear rises. Because the converted man or 00:27:05.920 --> 00:27:09.759 woman as a new creature in Christ, they can now 00:27:09.759 --> 00:27:14.599 relate and respond to their own sin differently. 00:27:15.180 --> 00:27:19.460 And they do. The great hope of the gospel is 00:27:19.460 --> 00:27:23.660 this. Though, yes, Christians do have to deal 00:27:23.660 --> 00:27:27.500 with fear, the work of Jesus Christ has already 00:27:27.500 --> 00:27:32.460 dealt with their deepest, most essential fears, 00:27:32.619 --> 00:27:36.960 regardless of their experience of fear. in this 00:27:36.960 --> 00:27:43.380 life. So do you know what I'm saying there? Regardless 00:27:43.380 --> 00:27:48.059 of your experience of fear in this life, Christ 00:27:48.059 --> 00:27:52.440 has already dealt with the deepest root and the 00:27:52.440 --> 00:27:55.660 deepest problems in your life in the gospel. 00:27:56.359 --> 00:28:00.539 He's already dealt with the fear and the source 00:28:00.539 --> 00:28:06.130 of the fear. The gospel itself addresses Humanity's 00:28:06.130 --> 00:28:11.970 deepest fears. Those deep troubles of heart out 00:28:11.970 --> 00:28:15.609 of which come so many other anxieties and issues 00:28:15.609 --> 00:28:21.789 of life. Fear of condemnation. Fear of abandonment. 00:28:22.630 --> 00:28:28.970 Fear of death. Fear of judgment. Yet, because 00:28:28.970 --> 00:28:33.019 of the gospel and the work of Jesus Christ, God 00:28:33.019 --> 00:28:35.960 is reconciled to his people and his people are 00:28:35.960 --> 00:28:39.980 reconciled to him. Sin has been pardoned and 00:28:39.980 --> 00:28:42.859 forgiven in Christ. Death has been conquered. 00:28:43.480 --> 00:28:47.279 Providence is governed by a loving father for 00:28:47.279 --> 00:28:51.059 his people. Nothing can separate believers from 00:28:51.059 --> 00:28:55.119 the love of God. Christians still experience 00:28:55.119 --> 00:28:58.460 fear, but they no longer face it in the same 00:28:58.460 --> 00:29:03.309 way. The Christian is no longer mastered by fear 00:29:03.309 --> 00:29:07.730 in this life as one reconciled to God through 00:29:07.730 --> 00:29:11.029 Christ. Those in Christ are no longer rebels 00:29:11.029 --> 00:29:13.589 before God. They have been given a new position 00:29:13.589 --> 00:29:17.029 before the Lord, a new ruling principle in their 00:29:17.029 --> 00:29:20.650 hearts and a promise of a future where fear will 00:29:20.650 --> 00:29:25.970 be non -existent and be no more. No matter what 00:29:25.970 --> 00:29:30.309 a believer must endure, the gospel remains true, 00:29:30.490 --> 00:29:35.210 brothers and sisters. Hallelujah. Amen. Yes, 00:29:35.329 --> 00:29:38.809 the believer must endure pain and hardship in 00:29:38.809 --> 00:29:41.450 this life, but that doesn't change the fact that 00:29:41.450 --> 00:29:46.619 Jesus Christ died for sinners. Yes. The believer 00:29:46.619 --> 00:29:50.740 must experience opposition and suffering and 00:29:50.740 --> 00:29:53.940 persecution in this life, but that does not alter 00:29:53.940 --> 00:29:56.799 the reality of Christ's atoning death and his 00:29:56.799 --> 00:30:03.220 powerful resurrection. Yes, the believer must 00:30:03.220 --> 00:30:07.920 face trials which will induce fear in your hearts, 00:30:08.059 --> 00:30:12.319 but that does not negate the truth that Christ 00:30:12.319 --> 00:30:17.339 has satisfied the wrath of God. Yes, the believer 00:30:17.339 --> 00:30:20.359 must wrestle with sin and corruption, but that 00:30:20.359 --> 00:30:22.460 can't change the fact that the Spirit of God 00:30:22.460 --> 00:30:25.819 dwells within you, brothers and sisters. Yes, 00:30:25.880 --> 00:30:28.960 the believer must endure to the end, facing trial 00:30:28.960 --> 00:30:33.160 after trial and many dangers, but this does not 00:30:33.160 --> 00:30:36.460 change the reality that Jesus Christ is reigning 00:30:36.460 --> 00:30:38.960 and he will return one day in glory and power. 00:30:39.960 --> 00:30:43.119 None of that changes based on your experience. 00:30:44.059 --> 00:30:48.700 of fear in this life. Because of the gospel of 00:30:48.700 --> 00:30:53.079 Jesus Christ, the Christian relates to fear in 00:30:53.079 --> 00:30:56.519 a radically different way than those who don't 00:30:56.519 --> 00:31:02.319 know Jesus Christ. God, in his grace, has given 00:31:02.319 --> 00:31:07.619 believers remedies for fear, which, because of 00:31:07.619 --> 00:31:12.910 his grace, aid them in overcoming that fear in 00:31:12.910 --> 00:31:18.089 this life. Fear is an unavoidable reality in 00:31:18.089 --> 00:31:21.829 a fallen world. The Bible speaks honestly and 00:31:21.829 --> 00:31:26.690 openly about this reality. Fear reveals the frailty, 00:31:26.769 --> 00:31:31.769 the weakness, and the instability of men. Yet, 00:31:31.769 --> 00:31:37.250 God does not leave us without hope and help in 00:31:37.250 --> 00:31:41.809 this fight. God in his word repeatedly addresses 00:31:41.809 --> 00:31:48.269 fearful, frightened people. God in his word repeatedly 00:31:48.269 --> 00:31:55.789 over and over gives hope to fearful hearts. To 00:31:55.789 --> 00:31:59.950 understand fear rightly, we must understand both 00:31:59.950 --> 00:32:05.309 its nature, its cause, and its effects. Only 00:32:05.309 --> 00:32:09.180 then can we begin to understand the remedies 00:32:09.180 --> 00:32:14.180 that God has given for fear. So tonight, we considered 00:32:14.180 --> 00:32:17.559 the reality of fear. Next time, we'll consider 00:32:17.559 --> 00:32:20.480 the nature of fear.