When was the last time that you were afraid?
What was the last thing that you were afraid
of? And we can think of kind of funny things,
but we can also think of more serious things
in life. The front row. So what is the last thing
that you have been afraid of? Even today, how
has fear occupied your mind? How has fear manifested
itself in your mind? Even today, even within
the last hour, I dare say that there are some
in this room who possibly were... dealing with
fearfulness even before coming to worship this
evening. We read in 2 Timothy, the Apostle Paul
writing to young Timothy, we read these words,
For God has not given us a spirit of timidity,
but of power and love and discipline. The true
spirit of Christianity is not one of fear, timidity,
or cowardice. The true spirit of Christianity
is a spirit of power, love, and discipline. And
what he's teaching us there is that God has given
us power or strength to face difficulties. God
has given us a love that is outward looking,
that compels us and drives us to others to embrace
hardship or things that might be fearful for
the sake of others. But it also teaches us that
the Christian can control their minds in order
to deal with the fear at hand. Let's go ahead
and pray. And then we'll start our message. Father,
we come to you tonight and we thank you this
evening for the many good things that you have
given to us in life. We thank you that we can
come together and worship. Father, we thank you
that we can come together and laugh and fellowship
and encourage and strengthen one another. Father,
we thank you most of all that we can come together
and worship you. Lord, that we can come together
and hear from your word, that we can hear from
you. Lord, bless our time as we consider what
it means to understand fear and what it means
to overcome fear as believers in Jesus Christ.
I ask a special blessing upon these messages,
Lord. I ask these things in Christ's name. Amen.
Fear is one of the most universal realities in
existence. It transcends age, culture, personality,
social status, and even historical period. It's
present everywhere. Every human being, in one
way or another, has been afraid, and experiences
fear in their life. Some fears are outward and
visible. They're obvious and clear. Others are
hidden deep within the heart. Some fears come
suddenly in moments of crisis, while others quietly
linger in the soul, unseen over long periods
of time. Fear may arise through suffering, uncertainty,
guilt, danger, loneliness, rejection, persecution,
sickness, failure, or the approach of death.
Whether it is acknowledged openly or remains
unseen, in the heart, fear is a prevalent aspect
of life in a fallen world. And I would even say
that fear is something that is propagated and
encouraged on social media platforms. It is something
that the world seeks to enhance and expand to
obtain your attention. Scripture speaks frequently
about fear. The Bible does not present fear as
something experienced only by... weak people
or immature believers, nor is it presented as
a rare or isolated reality. Rather, fear is shown
to be a common part of human experience, even
among faithful believers. Abraham feared, Moses
feared, David feared, the list goes on, and we'll
consider some of those later. It's apparent that
even strong and godly believers wrestle with
fearfulness in their lives. Understanding this
reality is important because the Christian is
called to be courageous in faith, to be bold
in faith, and not to be dominated and mastered
by fear in their lives. Some imagine that fear
itself automatically indicates spiritual failure,
or sin. Others minimize fear altogether, treating
it merely as an emotional weakness or personality
temperament or personal flaw. Scripture, however,
presents fear as a powerful reality that is connected
to human weakness, the fall, sin, guilt, and
unbelief in this world. To understand fear rightly,
the first thing we have to grasp is this. Fear
is universal. It is universal. Because all mankind
lives under the effects of the fall. Since sin
entered the world, suffering, uncertainty, weakness,
pain, and death have become part of human existence.
Fear is a reality for every person because every
person lives in a broken and fallen world. Ecclesiastes
describes life in the fallen world as marked
by uncertainty. Man does not know his time. Like
fish caught in a treacherous net and birds trapped
in a snare, so the sons of men are ensnared at
an evil time when it suddenly falls on them.
Ecclesiastes 9 .12. Human beings cannot control
the future. Human beings cannot guarantee safety.
Human beings cannot secure perfect health and
fitness. They cannot make absolute provision
in their life or others. They cannot guarantee
relationships that are unbroken. They cannot
guarantee life itself. Tomorrow is not promised
to you and it is not promised to me. Sickness
comes to those who never expect it. Bankruptcy
strikes those who never wanted it, never longed
for it, never thought about it. We lose loved
ones suddenly out of nowhere. These realities
create vulnerability, and vulnerability often
exposes and produces what? Fear in the life of
God's people. Even those who appear confident
and courageous are not free from it. That's important.
Maybe you have this individual in mind. They're
strong. They're firm. They're like an oak tree.
They don't move. They don't go to the right.
They don't go to the left. They've never changed.
They're infallible. They're inerrant. They've
never feared in their life. No. That's not a
reality. Every single person has been afraid
of something. Whether it's suffering, While others
fear rejection, maybe some are afraid of failure
and others the appearance of failure or the appearance
of weakness. Others fear loneliness, instability,
shame, death, judgment. Some fear the future
or abandonment or the idea of loss of control.
Fear manifests itself differently and in a variety
of forms from person to person. How does fear
manifest itself in your life? How does it show
its ugly little head, we could say, in your heart?
How does it manifest itself in your thinking,
in your heart? There are even specific seasons.
which make people especially prone to fear, such
as sickness, war, persecution, financial hardship,
a variety of things. A brief summary of history
reveals that people do, in fact, understand the
nature of fear to some degree. And why do I say
that? Because entire nations have leveraged fear
for profit, motivation, and for different agendas.
Isn't this why nations have used propaganda in
times of war? Fear and to bolster confidence
and courage? Isn't this why newspapers have leveraged
certain headlines? Because they understand that
fear can be played upon. They understand that
fear can be manipulated. Tyrants and monarchs
use threats to persuade the masses. Legal systems
utilize fear in dealing out penalties and fines.
Humanity understands the reality of fear to some
extent. Young children know this. Isn't this
why they so often or sometimes try to jump out
and scare their moms or their dads with snakes?
Whatever it might be, fear is a universal reality.
Among all people, everywhere, for all time, and
something for which everyone always needs a remedy.
If you are here today, you have fear that needs
to be remedied. If you are present, you have
fearfulness in your heart that needs an antidote.
Now we also must understand that fear entered
the world through sin. The Bible teaches that
fear, in its sinful and tormenting form, entered
the world through the fall of man. Before sin
entered creation, Adam and Eve lived openly,
freely, and transparently before their maker.
There was no sinful... tormenting fear in their
hearts. There is no alienation between God and
man. There is no dread of judgment or condemnation.
There is no fear of death. Before, there was
no fear. After the fall, there was fear. Immediately
after sin enters the world, Fear follows the
fall. When God called to Adam after the fall,
he responds, I heard the sound of you in the
garden and I was afraid because I was naked.
So I hid myself, Genesis 3 .10. This is the first
explicit mention of fear in the scriptures. Adam's
fear arose from sin, guilt, and unbelief. The
one before whom Adam once walked freely, he now
is the one that Adam is afraid of and he runs
away from. He hides himself. This moment reveals
something really, really helpful about the nature
of fear. It reveals that fear is not primarily
something that's superficial. or even external,
outside of us or at the surface. But the fear
is something that is theological and spiritual.
Fear is connected to the broken relationship
between God and man. Something that's brought
about as a result of sin. The fall introduced
guilt before God is judged. Shame upon the conscience,
corruption in the heart, judgment upon creation,
suffering in the world, sorrow into human experience,
and mortality, and ultimately, what? Death. Fear,
therefore, became woven into the fabric of creation
and existence because humanity now lives in a
world under the judgment of God, and men are
rebels before their maker. Now, there's a third
thing we have to understand if we're going to
grasp the reality of fear. And that is that fear
exists because humanity is finite and weak. Fear
is also connected to human weakness and finiteness.
Human beings are creatures. Human beings are
not God. Human beings do not possess infinite
wisdom. Human beings do not possess infinite
power and knowledge or control. We cannot see
the future. You cannot see the future. We cannot
control outcomes. No matter how hard a person
wants to carnally manipulate or work a situation,
human beings do not have the ability to control
outcomes. Human beings cannot eliminate suffering
and make perfect ease. We cannot prevent death.
No matter how hard the world tries, death will
always come to them. We cannot govern providence.
That's because we are creatures in this world.
We are part of the created order, brothers and
sisters. We are not God. This limitation is part
of our creatureliness. Humanity was never designed
to function independently from God. Fear often
intensifies when people become deeply aware of
their inability to control circumstances. Things
such as illness and suffering and whatever else
reveals to them that they are weak, that they
are needy, that they are a creature. The Psalms
interact with this reality a great deal. David
says this, when my anxious thoughts multiply
within me, your consolations delight my soul.
Psalm 94, 19. Think about those anxious thoughts
multiplying within him. This multiplication of
anxious thoughts reflects the reality that David
is a creature. He is feeble. He is finite. He
is frail. It reflects the reality of human weakness
in a world filled with uncertainty. Scripture
never presents believers as naturally fearless
people. Rather, the people of God are repeatedly,
time and time again, shown to be prone to fear,
as those who are learning to trust God. in the
midst of difficult situations. That's what the
Bible presents regarding the people of God. John
Calvin has a great statement. He says, we are
not iron. Now, it's short and sweet, but what
a great statement. What does Calvin mean when
he says, we are not iron? Well, he means this,
that we are not impervious. to trials. We are
not unaffected by hardship. We are not machines,
brothers and sisters. We are people with affections.
We have feelings and emotions and affections
and longings. We are creatures made by God. Believers
wrestle with anxiety. Believers wrestle with
confliction in their soul. They wrestle with
struggles in their hearts. Christians have to
deal with anxiety and stress. Why? Because Christians
are still weak, needy, and finite. That doesn't
change when you become a Christian. Christians
are still weak. They're still needy. And they're
still... finite creatures. Now we also have to
understand the fourth thing, and this is that
fear is not limited to the ungodly. There may
be the temptation to think, well, it's the sinners
who don't know Christ that struggle with fear.
It's those outside of Christ that don't know
Christ that wrestle with these realities. Scripture
teaches that fear is experienced by believers
and unbelievers alike. It is not limited to the
wicked or the ungodly. Even faithful, godly men
and women struggle with fear. Abraham feared
Pharaoh and lied concerning Sarah. Isaac feared
the men of Gerar and lied concerning Rebecca.
Jacob feared Esau when preparing to meet him
again. Joseph's brothers feared judgment because
of their guilt concerning Joseph. Moses feared
speaking because of his weakness and inability.
Joshua feared the immense responsibility of leading
millions of people. Gideon feared his own family
and the men of the city. Manoah feared death
after seeing the angel of the Lord. David feared,
and he repeatedly wrote of it, the Psalms are
full. of David's fearful confessions, brothers
and sisters. Psalm 56 .3 says, When I am afraid,
I will put my trust in you. That has the expectation
that he will be afraid. Elijah feared Jezebel
and fled into the wilderness after witnessing
God's great power at Mount Carmel. The disciples
feared storms, persecution, suffering, death,
despite walking with the Lord Jesus Christ himself.
Paul said, I was with you in weakness and in
fear and in much trembling, 1 Corinthians 2 .3.
We've only touched on a small number of the saints
of old, brothers and sisters. We don't have the
time to speak of them all. We could talk about
Hannah, Eli, Elijah, Elisha, and we could go
on and on and on. Time doesn't allow us to touch
on all of them. The reality is that fear is a
part of the believer's life, just as it is a
part of the unbeliever's life. A simple lesson
seems appropriate at this juncture. If you're
here today and you struggle with some sort of
fear, as a believer in Jesus Christ, if you wrestle
with things in your heart that make you anxious,
if you wrestle with things that make you afraid,
listen well. You are not abnormal. You are not
strange or deranged. And don't let anybody tell
you that you are. You are not the weird one because
you wrestle with fearfulness in your life. The
truth is that the word of God testifies that
fear is a common struggle in the saint's heart
all throughout redemptive history. The experience
of fear is not a novelty. in the Christian life,
brothers and sisters. This is important to acknowledge.
And why is this important to acknowledge? Because
many believers do, in fact, wrongly assume that
fear itself, the reality and the struggle of
fear itself, proves spiritual failure or is evidence
of spiritual immaturity. Yet scripture, repeatedly
presents godly people wrestling with this reality.
Learning to trust God in the midst of the valley,
brothers and sisters. Learning to trust God as
the darkness is looming, as it's going over them.
It's not a novelty. Sinners living in a fallen
world. Fear is a normative reality and experience
for which there is a remedy, for which the word
of God provides remedies. It is always needed
in the life of the believer. It's guaranteed
that if you go to one of the godliest people
you know and you say, have you struggled? with
fear in your life? They would inevitably say,
yes. Fear is not a novelty in the Christian life.
The difference we'll see is not the presence
or the reality of fear, but how one relates to
fear and how one responds to the reality of fear
in their life. The last thing we have to consider
is the reality of fear in the Christian life.
So the issue is not whether believers will experience
fear. They will. You will. I will. We all will.
The issue is how believers respond to and remedy
the fear that arises in their hearts. Believers
are not instantly delivered from all difficulty
and hardship upon conversion. Christians will
face trials and suffering. Thus, they will experience
fear in this life. Believers still have a remnant
of sin. They're susceptible to backsliding, the
effects of the fall, ignorance, and sin. Christian
experience bears witness to this reality, that
believers will face fear in their life. And the
ultimate proof is that every believer still must
face that one great enemy at the end of their
life, the grave and death. But the difference
is this. Though conversion doesn't remove all
the difficulties and struggles, Upon conversion,
the Christian's relationship to fear fundamentally
changes because the believer now belongs to God
through Christ and has been justified by the
righteousness of Jesus Christ. They have been
made new creatures in Christ. The truth is that...
often it's upon conversion that a person actually
begins to wrestle with their fears. They don't
just bow down to them anymore. Now they start
standing up to them and they start fighting back.
Whereas the unregenerate man just receives and
accepts and takes the beating over and over and
over. The believer fights back in the inner man
when fear rises. Because the converted man or
woman as a new creature in Christ, they can now
relate and respond to their own sin differently.
And they do. The great hope of the gospel is
this. Though, yes, Christians do have to deal
with fear, the work of Jesus Christ has already
dealt with their deepest, most essential fears,
regardless of their experience of fear. in this
life. So do you know what I'm saying there? Regardless
of your experience of fear in this life, Christ
has already dealt with the deepest root and the
deepest problems in your life in the gospel.
He's already dealt with the fear and the source
of the fear. The gospel itself addresses Humanity's
deepest fears. Those deep troubles of heart out
of which come so many other anxieties and issues
of life. Fear of condemnation. Fear of abandonment.
Fear of death. Fear of judgment. Yet, because
of the gospel and the work of Jesus Christ, God
is reconciled to his people and his people are
reconciled to him. Sin has been pardoned and
forgiven in Christ. Death has been conquered.
Providence is governed by a loving father for
his people. Nothing can separate believers from
the love of God. Christians still experience
fear, but they no longer face it in the same
way. The Christian is no longer mastered by fear
in this life as one reconciled to God through
Christ. Those in Christ are no longer rebels
before God. They have been given a new position
before the Lord, a new ruling principle in their
hearts and a promise of a future where fear will
be non -existent and be no more. No matter what
a believer must endure, the gospel remains true,
brothers and sisters. Hallelujah. Amen. Yes,
the believer must endure pain and hardship in
this life, but that doesn't change the fact that
Jesus Christ died for sinners. Yes. The believer
must experience opposition and suffering and
persecution in this life, but that does not alter
the reality of Christ's atoning death and his
powerful resurrection. Yes, the believer must
face trials which will induce fear in your hearts,
but that does not negate the truth that Christ
has satisfied the wrath of God. Yes, the believer
must wrestle with sin and corruption, but that
can't change the fact that the Spirit of God
dwells within you, brothers and sisters. Yes,
the believer must endure to the end, facing trial
after trial and many dangers, but this does not
change the reality that Jesus Christ is reigning
and he will return one day in glory and power.
None of that changes based on your experience.
of fear in this life. Because of the gospel of
Jesus Christ, the Christian relates to fear in
a radically different way than those who don't
know Jesus Christ. God, in his grace, has given
believers remedies for fear, which, because of
his grace, aid them in overcoming that fear in
this life. Fear is an unavoidable reality in
a fallen world. The Bible speaks honestly and
openly about this reality. Fear reveals the frailty,
the weakness, and the instability of men. Yet,
God does not leave us without hope and help in
this fight. God in his word repeatedly addresses
fearful, frightened people. God in his word repeatedly
over and over gives hope to fearful hearts. To
understand fear rightly, we must understand both
its nature, its cause, and its effects. Only
then can we begin to understand the remedies
that God has given for fear. So tonight, we considered
the reality of fear. Next time, we'll consider
the nature of fear.