Sermon Tone Analysis

*Inappropriate Fear*

New Hope Baptist Church

February 25, 2007

9:30 a.m.

 

*Isaiah 41:10*

 

Introduction:

 

    When is the last time that you experienced real fear?

We usually use the one word-fear-to describe all kinds of dread that we experience.

We fear pain; we fear tests; we fear confrontation; we fear discovery of wrong doing; we fear God; we fear people; we fear the unknown; we fear planes; we fear loneliness; we fear poverty; we fear aging and we fear death.

We use the word fear in verb forms to describe things we are *afraid* of, but we also use the same word, fear, in noun forms, to describe those *things* that bring us trepidation.

We use fear to emphasize terror or panic and apprehensions.

We use the word fear to describe worry, concern and phobias.

When we experience reactions to what we perceive as fear, the brain triggers a response that causes the heart rate to increase, blood to pump to large muscle groups to prepare for physical action (such as running or fighting – the flight or fight syndrome), blood pressure to increase, skin to sweat to keep the body cool, and so forth.

The body stays this way until the brain signals that it's safe to relax.

This is a form of appropriate fear.

This type of fear is automatically built into our physical being.

When triggered, it comes as easy as yawning.

We all need this type of fear at times in our lives along with the proper wisdom to survive.

This is appropriate fear.

The problem is that we usually use the same word and implied meaning for all types of fear.

Not so in Scripture, especially in the text before us today.

The Bible clearly delineates between types, causes and reactions to fear.

For example, in the */Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament/* Bruce K. Waltke describes 1) the emotion of fear, 2) the intellect of fear that is the intellectual anticipation of evil without emphasis upon the emotional reaction, 3) the reverence or awe of fear, 4) the righteous behavior or piety of fear, and 5) the formal religious worship of fear, all of which are expressed throughout Scripture.

What/ /I want to bring/ /to/ /our consciousness today is/ /*inappropriate fear*; the intellect of fear that depends on and requires the cooperation of our minds and decisions; the type of fear that borrows from the unknown, the unseen and dresses it up in unfounded and whimsical fashion; that makes it palatable to our hungry imaginative appetites and entices us to feast on that poisonous fruit.

*Inappropriate fear*.

I believe, in fact I know this morning that this message is perhaps more for me that many of you.

I have been and am now acquainted with this type of fear.

Oh, we don’t like to admit it.

Men want to appear macho on the surface and in total control about situations that come upon them.

Many times they harbor the fear within and *pre-sent*, instead, a hardened shell that they suggest will buffer any attempted intrusions into their world.

Women, on the other hand, usually fall into two extremes:  1) they either fall to pieces or 2) they live in denial of the fear that may be plaguing their lives.

Usually, it’s a subtle fear that creeps in over time that gets the best of women.

When faced with a flight or fight type of fear, usually both men and women will react quickly.

Sometimes, we can walk away from a situation and look back, and realize how we *should have* feared or how we inappropriately we reacted *out of* our fear.

Such is the circumstance in our text today.

I think it would benefit us if we had a little refresher on the situation of this Jewish nation.

The Lord had become tired of the sin and idolatry of the Jews, so He sent foreign troops and powers in to invade the land to force them back to Himself.

Their captivity was over but many were still in the land of their captors.

The Jews had been in wars and battles, and with the last one behind them, there was now only a remnant in Babylon.

The Jews were about to return to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple, and they now pause to look back at their actions and decisions to circumstances.

As the remnant in Babylon looked back, they saw failure and sin; the nation had sinned greatly against the Lord, with their idolatry, injustice, immorality, and insensitivity to His messengers and they needed encouragement.

Isaiah described them as a people who had given up hope.

Sometimes, we need to just stop and take a look back.

We often say we need to remember “where we came from”, but not only that, we need to see just *how* we came.

Some of you came kicking and screaming all the way; others pouted and like a mule, dug your heels into the sand and made your journey quite difficult.

You hated to give up the things of the world; you did not want to leave that easy money, that roaring lifestyle; your corral of women and sexual escapades.

We need to *look back* and remember just *how* we came.

We didn’t all walk down the isle to Jesus with a smile on our faces.

Some of us, like these Jews, belonged to Jesus but we faltered when we had to go into battle with the pulls of the world on our lives; some of us gave in and returned to our old ways and habits; some of us found more comfort in the things of old than in our new lives in Jesus.

We need to *look back*.

We may find, like these Jews, that we too need encouragement.

You may even find as Isaiah witnessed, that you have given up hope in some areas of your life, but I want to tell you today that *God will not forsake you*, all is *not* lost.

If you take into account the preceding chapter and the one following, you will find that God was well aware of the actions of the Jews during their times of trials.

You see, the word *warfare* that is used here denotes severe trials.

They experienced some hard things and they faltered under the trials, but God had four admonitions for them.

Yes, He chastened them, for He is a just God and He can not and will not let sin go unnoticed.

But His chastening was not without mercy, for Ezra told the people and God that what had happened to them was a direct result of their evil deeds and their guilt, yet, God was merciful and punished them less than their sins deserved.

Even in His need to correct, He is merciful.

The remnant of Jews heard four voices from God, found in the preceding chapter:  even though they had grossly sinned against God, He allowed them to hear of His voice of pardon, for they were still His people, He let them hear of His voice of destiny, even though they now had a rough road ahead of them to go and rebuild the temple, He would go before them and make their way plain; He let them hear of His voice of promise; Assyria was gone, and Babylon was gone, like grass these nations had fulfilled their purposes and now faded away, but the Word of God will remain forever; and He allowed them to hear voice of hope.

They had witnessed God’s victory of the enemy Babylon and they could go from the valley to the mountain tops and declare the good news of the captive Jews and their God.

But as they are on the road home, as they contemplate the long road before them, as they determine the many uncertainties that surely lay ahead of them, the children of Israel begin to *fear*.

That’s usually what causes us the most fear in life, isn’t it?

The unknown.

No matter how much faith we claim to have, no matter how often we read or hear of the wonders of the Lord, no matter how many assurances we may have, if we can’t see it, if we can’t make sense of it, if we can’t alter the perception, we fear.

Though this chapter and the succeeding chapter, God tells the Israelites more than seven times, “Fear Not”, yet, they are afraid.

But there is some good news today about our fears.

This was good news to the remnant and it is also good news for us today, because God is immutable.

He does not change, and we can also benefit from the promises that He gave to the Jews at that time.

We often fail to experiences the reality of God’s promises because we have a skewed view of Him and ourselves.

In order to realize His promises in our lives, we must have a correct view of God in order to view ourselves and others correctly.

Isaiah said that in the year of King Uzziah’s death he saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.

Then, later, in verse 5 he saw himself and said, “Woe to me!”  “I am ruined!

For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty”.

You’ve got to see God and yourselves in His light.

We find four promises in our text today:  God’s *Promise of His Presence; *the* Promise of His Peace*; the *Promise of His Power*; and the *Promise of His Provision.*

*Promise of His Presence:*

    Sometimes, we fail to rely on God because His presence is not always evident.

As Cyrus moved across the territory east and north of the holy land (41:25), the nations were afraid and turned to their idols for help.

They could not see God’s hand in their circumstances.

You may not be aware of the people God employs to accomplish His will for His people.

Sometimes, they are very unlikely people but God is using them for your good.

Cyrus may have thought that he was accomplishing his own plans, but actually he was doing the pleasure of the Lord (44:28).

By defeating Babylon, Cyrus made it possible for the Jewish captives to be released and allowed to return to their land to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple (Ezra 1:1–4).

God said of Cyrus in (Isa.

45:13) “I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways; he shall build My city, and he shall let go My captives”.

Sometimes we forget that God can use even unconverted world leaders for the good of His people and the progress of His work.

He raised up Pharaoh in Egypt that He might demonstrate His power (Rom.

9:17), and He even used wicked Herod and cowardly Pontius Pilate to accomplish His plan in the crucifixion of Christ (Acts 4:24–28).

Prov.

21:1 reminds us that “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord (*Hallelujah!*),

like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes”.

No matter what your circumstances, no matter how dastardly your enemies and obstacles may appear, they just may be pawns in the hand of our God, used by Him to accomplish His will for your lives.

God has *promised His presence*.

He has said that He will never leave you or forsake you.

Wherever you are, God is!  Sometimes we bring malevolent circumstances on ourselves, but God is still present.

Sometimes the load seems unbearable, but God is still present.

Where are you right now?  Are you indecisive about the future?

God is present.