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 Various Scriptures

INTRODUCTION: Jesus came not only to die for your sins, but also to help you with your problems. God offers you new life in Christ, and with his power you can change. Our message series is called, “Lord, I Have a Problem,” and in this series we are looking at how God helps you with your problems. Today we come to the problem of fear. Anyone here struggle with the problem of fear? That’s probably something we all struggle with from time to time. If you struggle with fear, then today’s message is especially for you. (Read 2 Timothy 1:7 and pray.)

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Hurricanes, the economy, Covid, the election, wars and rumors of wars. Just turn on the TV or listen to the radio, and you will easily find a hundred reasons to be afraid.

We seem to have a love/hate relationship with this emotion called fear. We enjoy scary movies, we like the thrill of adventure, but none of us want to be held captive to fear. It seems we like to be scared, but we don’t want to be afraid.

Interestingly, the most frequent command in the whole Bible is “Do not fear!” Over three hundred times in the Bible God tells us not to be afraid. That’s a whole lot of times, so God knew this was going to be a problem for us, didn’t he? And yet we still fear.

Today we will look at how to deal with the problem of fear in your life. And my prayer is that when we are done, you will be able to echo the words of King David in Psalm 34: “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears” (Ps. 34:4).

I. The problem of fear

Let’s talk first of all about the problem of fear. Fear manifests itself in many ways. Some of the more serious ways include panic attacks, which are defined as “sudden, brief episodes of intense fear,” and phobias, which are defined as “persistent, irrational fears of an object or situation that presents no real threat.” Some of the most common phobias include things such as elevators, bridges, spiders, snakes, clowns, flying or confined spaces. Napoleon Bonaparte was afraid of cats, which is why he would be absolutely terrified of the internet!

But even aside from these more serious aspects, we all struggle with fear on a basic level. In the most basic sense, fear is a problem because it makes us focus on our circumstances rather than on God. There may be a hundred reasons to be afraid, but there is one reason not to fear that trumps them all, and that is God in your life. But let’s break this problem down even further. Why is fear such a problem in our lives? Why does God address it over three hundred times in the Bible? Let’s see what God’s word says.

   A. Fear can prevent you from:

      1) serving others (2 Timothy 1:6-7)

First of all, fear is a problem because it can prevent you from serving others. We read from 2 Timothy earlier, but now let me read you Paul’s full instruction to Timothy: “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline” (2 Tim.1:6-7). Why does God give us spiritual gifts? So we can serve other people in the body of Christ. Paul didn’t want fear to prevent Timothy from using his gifts to serve others. God has given each of us gifts for service.

If you are a believer today, God has given you a spiritual gift. God has gifted you to serve, but fear can prevent you from developing your gifts and serving other people as God desires.

      2) sharing the gospel (Acts 4:18-20; 1 Peter 3:14-15)

Secondly, fear can prevent you from sharing the gospel. That’s a big problem. In some countries people who share the gospel are risking their very lives. In our country we mostly worry about what people will think or say. And yet we sill give into fear.

We find an early example of intimidation in the book of Acts when the Jewish authorities tried to get the apostles to stop talking about Jesus:

Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:18-20)

I love that. They couldn’t help themselves. They couldn’t help speaking about Jesus. Thom Rainer comments on this verse: “Early Christians had to be compelled to keep quiet. Christians today have to be compelled to speak.”

People need to hear the gospel, and our fear is a big problem in preventing that from happening. 1 Peter 3 talks about this. Peter writes: “‘Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.’ But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Pet. 3:14-15).

      3) following God’s plan (Genesis 12:1-4; Psalm 78:9)

Thirdly, fear can prevent you from following God’s plan. God has a plan for you and your life. Fear can prevent you from following that. God wants to lead us in new and bold directions, and we often hold back because of fear.

A good biblical example of this is Abraham. When God wanted to form a people he could call his own, he began with one man—Abraham. We read in Genesis 12: “The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.’ … So Abram left, as the Lord had told him (Gen. 12:1-4). It must have been a scary thing just to get up and go, to leave everything familiar behind and travel to a strange country not knowing what’s waiting for you there. Abraham responded to God’s call, but what if he had given into fear? What if he had just stayed where he was?

We don’t want to be like “the men of Ephraim [who], though armed with bows, turned back on the day of battle” (Ps. 78:9). God has good works for you to do. He has equipped you to do those works, but fear can prevent you from following God’s plan.

      4) taking a stand for Christ (John 12:42-43; Matt 26:75)

And then fourthly, fear can prevent you from taking a stand for Christ. We read about the people in Jesus’ day: “Many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved praise from men more than praise from God” (John 12:42-43). They believed in Jesus, but they were afraid to take a stand for him. They were afraid to go public with their faith.

Or think about Peter. Peter was so afraid that he denied Christ three times. Afterwards we read: “Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: ‘Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly” (Matt. 26:75).

It is getting harder and harder to take a stand for Christ in today’s world, and that’s why it becomes even more important to get a handle on this problem of fear.

   B. Fear can lead to:

Fear not only prevents certain good things from happening. It can also lead to bad things as well.

      1) hiding from God (Genesis 3:10)

For example, fear can lead to hiding from God. When Adam and Eve sinned, God called out to them in the garden, “Where are you?” Adam answered: “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid” (Gen. 3:10).

      2) sinful compromise (Proverbs 29:25; Galatians 2:11-13)

Fear can lead to sinful compromise. Proverbs 29:25 tells us: “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.” The apostle Peter discovered this when he stopped eating with the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to what Paul called “the circumcision group” (Gal. 2:11-13). That fear led to compromise. Peter compromised his faith, and he compromised the gospel.

      3) outright disobedience (Genesis 12;13, 20:11, 26:9; Exodus 32:1-4)

And then of course fear can also lead to outright disobedience. Abraham and Isaac lied about their wives being their sisters because they were afraid for their lives (Gen. 12;13, 20:11, 26:9; Ex. 32:1-4). Moses’ brother Aaron built the golden calf because he was afraid of the people (Ex. 32:1-4). Fear can lead to sin and outright disobedience to God.

II. Understanding fear

   A. Understanding the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 9:10; Ecclesiastes 12:13; Hebrews 10:31)

We’re going to talk about dealing with fear in just a few minutes, but first I want to spend some time understanding this whole problem of fear a little better. We have been learning that there is a positive counterpart in Scripture for each of these problems we struggle with. We have seen that the Bible talks about righteous anger, godly jealousy, godly concern and godly sorrow. The positive counterpart to fear is what the Bible calls “the fear of the Lord,” which is overwhelmingly positive in the Bible.

Proverbs 9:10 says: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Ecclesiastes 12:13 tells us: “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”

So, what is the fear of the Lord? The fear of the Lord is a deep reverence and respect for who God is. God is infinitely powerful, holy, majestic and great beyond all that we can say or imagine. The fear of the Lord means standing in awe of God’s awesome majesty. It is our appropriate response to God’s being, and therefore the beginning of wisdom.

We must never forget the awesome power and majesty of God. Hebrews 10 reminds us: “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:31) The fear of the Lord is a good and healthy expression of fear.

   B. What is fear?

But what about the negative expression of fear, the problem of fear that we are addressing this morning? What is fear anyways?

In one sense you could simply say fear is a natural response to threat or danger. Fear is similar to worry that we spoke about a few weeks ago, but worry has more to do with uncertainty, while fear has more to do with feeling threatened.

There is an appropriate fear response God has built into your body that prepares you to deal with an immediate threat or danger. In fact, when we talked about anger, we saw how the physical response attached to anger is exactly the same as the physical response attached to fear—the heart pumping, the rush of adrenaline, the body preparing itself for action.

So, the natural fear response can be a good thing when there’s an intruder in the house or when the bear is attacking. But there’s a difference between being afraid and living in fear. God doesn’t want you to live in fear. It’s like Charlie Brown once said: “I have a new philosophy. I only dread one day at a time.” We don’t want to be Charlie Brown. It’s okay to be afraid when there’s immediate danger. But God does not want you living in fear.

   C. What do we fear?

So, what are some of the things we fear? Here is a list of five things that we fear.

      1) fear of failure (Matthew 25:24-25)

First of all, there is fear of failure. That’s a big one. Remember Jesus’ parable of the talents? The master gave three of his servants talents to put to work until he came back. The first servant took five talents and turned them into ten. The second servant took two talents and turned them into four. But the third servant who received one talent went and buried it in the ground. When the master returned and asked him why, he replied: “I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground” (Matt. 25:24-25). We can miss out on so much in life—so much of the good things God has for you—simply because of the fear of failure.

      2) fear of loss (Luke 12:32-34; Hebrews 10:34)

Secondly, there is fear of loss. We fear losing our jobs; we fear losing our loved ones; we fear losing our savings. We need to hear Jesus’ words to his disciples in Luke 12: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Luke 12:32-34).

      3) fear of harm (Psalm 91:5-10)

Thirdly, there is fear of harm. We fear illness and injury both to ourselves and our loved ones. When fearing harm, we need to take God’s words in Psalm 91 to heart: “You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.… If you make the Most High your dwelling— even the LORD, who is my refuge—then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent” (Ps. 91:5-10).

      4) fear of death (Hebrews 2:14-15; Psalm 23:4)

Fourthly, there is the fear of death. It’s only natural to be afraid of death or dying, and yet one of the reasons Jesus came to earth as a man was to free you even from this fear. We read in Hebrews: “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (Heb. 2:14-15).

The good news of the gospel is you don’t need to be afraid of death or dying anymore. Your times are in God’s hands. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who will safely guide you all the way home. When you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you can claim these beautiful words from Psalm 23 as your own: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Ps. 23:4).

      5) fear of judgment (Hebrews 10:26-27)

You would think fear of death would be the worst fear, but there is an even greater fear, and that is the fear of that which comes after death—the fear of judgment. Hebrews 10 says: “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God” (Heb. 10:26-27).

There is a judgment that comes after death, and if you do not know Jesus as your Savior, you should fear this judgment. But for those who know Christ, Jesus has already suffered the full penalty for your sins at the cross. There is no need to fear, because there is nothing left to pay.

III. Dealing with fear

So, we have talked about the problem of fear, and we have talked about understanding this problem of fear. Let me close by sharing with you seven guidelines from the Bible that will help you in dealing with fear in your life.

   A. Develop a healthy fear and respect for God (Psalm 27:1)

Number one: develop a healthy fear and respect for God. Psalm 27 says, “The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” (Ps. 27:1).

Max Lucado shares how when he was a kid he was scared to death of the Wolf Man. He was convinced that the Wolf Man lurked in the room next to the stairs, and he would often wake his Dad up when he needed to go to the kitchen at night to get a drink. Lucado writes: “He would then climb out of bed, arm himself with superhuman courage, escort me through the valley of the shadow of death, and pour me a glass of milk. I would look at him with awe and wonder, What kind of man is this?” (Max Lucado, Imagine Your Life without Fear)

When we’re afraid, we should look at our God who is bigger than all our fears and ask with awe and wonder: “What kind of God is this?” Derek Kidner writes: “The fear of the Lord is the fear that puts all other fears in their place.” When you fear God, you need fear nothing else.

   B. Remember that God is with you (Isaiah 41:10, 43:2)

Number two: remember that God is with you. We said earlier that “Do not fear” is the most common command in the Bible. The most common reason God gives you not to fear are these simple words: “for I am with you.”

The prophet Isaiah shares these wonderful promises from God to his people: “So do not fear, for I am with you.…When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze” (Isa. 41:10, 43:2).

   C. Know that God loves you (Psalm 118:6; 1 John 4:18)

Number three: know that God loves you. One of my favorite verses as a child was Psalm 118:6: “The Lord is on my side; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” It’s still a great verse, even after all these years! If God is on your side, what do you need to be afraid of? If God is for you, who can be against you?

It was this kind of thinking that gave George Whitefield the courage to keep sharing the gospel even under great pressure. Whitefield was an evangelist back in the 1700’s, and one of his journal entries from 1742 reads: “I was honored today to have a few stones, dirt, rotten eggs, and pieces of dead cat thrown at me.” I’m guessing that would be enough to stop many speakers today! Apparently, it would have been enough to stop Napolean, but Whitefield knew that God was on his side, and that made all the difference.

We read in 1 John 4: “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18). How do you deal with fear? Know that God is on your side. He loves you.

   D. Grow in your faith (Matthew 8:26; Ephesians 3:12)

Number four: grow in your faith. When Jesus and his disciples encountered a storm on the sea, Jesus addressed them: “‘You of little faith, why are you so afraid?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm” (Matt. 8:26). Fear and faith cannot co-exist, so when you grow in faith, you will lessen your fears.

Remember when Adam and Eve hid from God because they were afraid? When your faith is in Jesus, you never need to hide from God ever again. It doesn’t matter how badly you sinned. It doesn’t matter how badly you’ve blown it. You never need to hide from God ever again. Ephesians 3 tells us: “In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence” (Eph. 3:12).

   E. Meditate on God’s Word (Psalm 56:4)

Number five: meditate on God’s word. Psalm 56:4 says: “In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid.” There is power in God’s word, and when you spend time reading and meditating on God’s word, this will greatly reduce your fears in life.

   F. Be strong and courageous (Joshua 1:7-9; Proverbs 28:1)

Number six: be strong and courageous. These were God’s words to Joshua when he took over the leadership of Israel from Moses: “Be strong and very courageous.… Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go” (Josh. 1:7-9).

There are so many examples in the Bible of people who were strong and courageous in the Lord: Joshua, Caleb, Gideon, Deborah, David, Nehemiah, Esther, the apostle Paul. As Christians we should be the boldest, bravest people of all. We can do anything God calls us to do, because we have God on our side!

We do not need to be afraid of anything or anyone. Proverbs 28:1 says: “The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.” That’s who we should be as followers of Jesus Christ—fearless, moving forward, strong and courageous.

   G. Grow in the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)
      – especially love, peace and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7)

And then finally, as always, we need to grow in the fruit of God’s Spirit. When your faith is in Christ, the Holy Spirit works in your life to change your character to be more like Christ. When it comes to the problem of fear, the fruit of love, peace and self-control are especially applicable. Remember the verse we began with today: “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline” (2 Tim. 1:7).

CONCLUSION: Fear can prevent you from serving others, from sharing the gospel, from following God’s plan for you, and from taking a stand for Christ. Fear can lead you to hiding from God, sinful compromise or outright disobedience. But there is a better way. God wants you to choose faith over fear. When you put your faith in Christ, Jesus not only forgives you of all your sins, but he helps you with your problems. And he has promised to help you with this problem of fear.

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Some helpful resources for dealing with fear:

Anger, Anxiety and Fear: A Biblical Perspective, by Stuart Scott (especially directed to men)

Fear: Breaking Its Grip, by Lou Priolo

Fearless: Imagine Your Life without Fear, by Max Lucado

How to Handle Your Emotions, by June Hunt

Overcoming Fear, Worry, and Anxiety, by Elyse Fitzpatrick (especially directed to women)

Running Scared: Fear, Worry, and the God of Rest, by Edward T. Welch

What Are You Afraid Of?: Facing Down Your Fears with Faith, by Dr. David Jeremiah

© Ray Fowler

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