Fear Not!
Revealing Hope in our Midst • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Prayer
Prayer
Most loving Father, you will us to give thanks for all things, to dread nothing but the loss of you, and to cast all our care on the One who cares for us. Preserve us from faithless fears and worldly anxieties, and grant that no clouds of this mortal life may hide from us the light of that love which is immortal, and which you have manifested unto us in your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(ACNA BCP 2019, Collect 80)
Introduction
Introduction
[SERIES SLIDE]
I want to begin this morning, by asking a question: “What do you fear? What truly terrifies you?”
For me, it’s roller coasters!
I simply … don’t … trust … engineers.
Look, it’s nothing personal against engineers.
I’m a software engineer myself. I know how complicated the world is. When I’m writing software, I constantly battle with the crazy things my software’s users try to do to it. It’s not just from malicious computer viruses but also from the (let’s say) “creative” ways people interact with their computers.
For roller coaster engineers, they not only have to deal with people’s “creativity” (for example, “What happens if I try to stand up on the ride!” or “I’m sure pouring my drink on this electrically charged wire won’t hurt anything!”) but with the billions of dangerous variables the world can throw at us. Roller coasters have to battle wind, rain, lightning strikes, rust, decay, and, above all, gravity!
I’ll stay safely on the ground, thank you very much.
Now, you may very much love roller coasters and I hope I haven’t scared you away. My wife would tell you that I’m being irrational. And she’s probably right. My fear is purely irrational. I know that millions of people around the world safely use them every day and the science of their design has advanced so much over the past 100 years that they're only getting safer.
But, I simply want to make a point: each one of us, likely, has something we fear. If the statistics are anywhere near accurate, just looking out at this room:
3 out of 4 (73%) of us experience a fear of public speaking [1]
4 out of 10 of us have experienced a fear of flying sometime in our lives. [2]
More than half of us are afraid of:
visiting the dentist. (> 60%) [3]
loved-ones becoming serious ill or dying (> 57%) [4]
not having enough money for the future (> 55%) [4]
becoming involved in another world war (> 55%) [4]
some sort of terrorist attack. (> 52%) [4]
Fear, it seems, is simply part of America’s — if not all of humanity’s — psyche.
The Apostle Paul writes in 2 Timothy:
7 … God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
So, how, as Christians, do we combat fear?
We must combat it with hope.
For the next four Sundays, Elaine and I will preach from the book of Revelation. We will reflect on the hope that God brings to his people. As Christ dwells in our midst, it’s this hope we can call upon when fear attempts to overwhelm us.
This morning, I pray that you will allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you these words when fear overwhelms hope:
“Fear not!”
[BLANK SLIDE]
The Book of Revelation
The Book of Revelation
Once again I am forgoing slides this morning as most of our text comes from a single chapter in the book of Revelation. Please pull out your bibles and turn to Revelation chapter 1 - it’s the last book in the Bible, so it should be easy to find.
Before I dig in, I want to provide some context into this amazing book. If you’re anything like me, I avoided reading Revelation for years as a young Christian. It seemed far too complex and mystical. It, unlike most of the New Testament, takes some care to read it thoughtfully. I believe some background will help us in our task this morning.
The book of Revelation was probably written in the 80’s or 90’s AD; about 60 years after Jesus’ resurrection. The book’s author only makes himself known by his first name: John. Who exactly this was, we do not know. Contained in its pages is a vision transmitted from God the Father to Christ, the Son, to the angels and, finally, to John.
John’s audience was a small group of house churches in the westernmost part of Asia - what is known today as the Republic of Turkey.
However, it is particularly important for us this morning to understand that these early Christians truly knew the meaning of fear.
The past 60 years had brought so much devastation:
In 64 AD, after a devastating fire in Rome, Emperor Nero falsely blamed Christians for setting the fire. Many Christians were arrested, tortured, and killed by wild animals or crucifixion.
In 70 AD, the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed after an uprising. Thousands (perhaps millions) of Jews and Christians were murdered.
When John wrote Revelation, persecution had not become an everyday event, but it loomed over their heads like a cloud. Pergamum had lost a man named Antipas (Rev 2:13) to Rome’s persecution. John, himself, had been exiled to the island of Patmos, 70 miles from the mainland, for his faith.
And yet, the stage was set for Christians to face the wrath of the empire. Domitian, the emperor, declared his deceased family as gods who must be worshiped. Some Romans even called him “Lord and God.” Cities, especially in Asia, were vying for the emperor’s favor by building magnificent temples for his worshipping his kin. And anyone who refused to worship the “gods” were considered hostile to society and, if not high enough in social status, could be summarily executed.
Thus, the book of Revelation was written to for a small group of social outcasts, whose every word or action could condemn them to horrible deaths.
Refusing to worship the Emperor, his family, or the Roman deities could be a death sentence.
Proclaiming the name of Jesus could be a death sentence.
And the were all alone
They could not call on the wealth or status of the Jewish people to protect them.
They could not rely on city governments that solely wanted to please Rome.
They were
frightened,
alone, and
had no hope.
And that is precisely what God wanted to give John’s audience: Hope.
But it wasn’t just about a future hope. The entire book is filled with hope:
a hope for the present … in our midst … in the here and now.
Attributes of God
Attributes of God
Many (including myself) have summarized this book in two words: “God wins!” I would humbly like to offer a correction. Revelation doesn’t just declare “God wins in the end;” it more boldly proclaims: “God rules … in the past … the present … and the future.”
The hope God calls us to is His very nature. Thus, the book of Revelation is not a revelation about the future, per se, but it is a revelation of who God is.
Our passage this morning lays out the foundation for the rest of the book, providing a succinct reminder of that very nature. And although the entire book seems shrouded in confusing and obscure images of the supernatural realm, we will seek to pull back the veil of obscurity and get to the heart of God’s message.
This morning, I propose part of Revelation’s message is that, when we live in fear of things outside of our control (rulers, false gods, war, famine, persecution, etc.), we often forget three very basic attributes of the true God.
God is Eternal
God is Almighty
God is in our Midst
God is Eternal
God is Eternal
First, our passage reminds us that God existed before time began and will remain even after this creation passes away. No other “god” can truthfully make this claim.
From our passage this morning, we start at verse 8, where God says:
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega … who is and who was and who is to come....”
and in verse 17:
17 … I am the first and the last ...
Looking outside of our passage, the prophet Isaiah likewise records the Lord declaring,
6 Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.
In common English, this would be like saying, “I am the A to Z. I am everything that is and was and is to come.” Only God, the Lord existed before the beginning of time and beyond its end. No other “god” made by man is the true God — they are only poor copies.
God is eternal — those “other gods” simply cannot say the same.
God is Almighty
God is Almighty
When John turns to see the voice speaking to him beginning in verse 13, he sees an image of the Jesus Christ:
13 ... one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow ...
He is “like a son of man” in appearance. He looks like a man; like us — human.
He is clothed in a long robe and golden sash indicating dignity and authority. His snow white hair exudes the wisdom of old age.
And yet as John continues to look, the image before him takes on a glory not possessed of any human man. In the middle over verse 14. he writes,
14 … His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters.
His eyes were like a flame of fire, suggest divine power of vision and understanding.
His feet were “like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace.” Not made of clay, or even flesh. They won’t bend or break — they hold firmly to the ground and will not falter.
Later, in verse 16, John writes:
16 ... from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
The two-edged sword represents the power of God’s words
cut both ways; ... [they] bring comfort and salvation as well as warning and judgment
His face, shining like the sun, recalls Jesus at his Transfiguration, Moses’ face as he returned from Mt. Sinai after being in the presence of God, and Daniel’s vision of the radiant coming Messiah.
None of these images would be new to the Christians in Asia. The prophets Daniel, Ezekiel, and Isaiah all used similar imagery pointing to the son of man (Jesus’ favorite term to describe himself) who would also be the Son of God. These images reminded the early Christians (and us) that Jesus truly is God. His power encompasses all of what the “other gods” might claim. Our God is the true source of all power and authority, salvation and judgment.
John’s response to this vision was fit and proper. In verse 17, he writes, “I fell at his feet as though dead.” On that day when we face the full glory of God, our first response will not be to run into his arms but to fall at his feet in worship!
God Is In Our Midst
God Is In Our Midst
Our final source of hope reminds us that our God — the Eternal, the Almighty — also dwells in our midst.
Of all the imagery in our passage, there are two that I have avoided thus far. The seven stars and the seven lampstands. Verse 20 helpfully explains that
20 … the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
Well, perhaps it isn’t as helpful as we would like. I’m going to avoid a discussion on celestial beings at the moment and focus on the crux of the matter. Each of these symbols — stars and lampstands — represent the seven churches in John’s audience.
With this in mind, look back at verses 12-13 and note where the Lord is standing.
12 … on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man …
Not only is Christ standing in the midst of the churches, but note in verse 16:
16 In his right hand he held seven stars …
Let this sink in for a moment.
The God of the universe, the Lord of all creation, the Alpha and Omega, beginning and end, the firstborn of the dead, the King of kings and the Lord of lords
dwells in our midst
and
has us in his right hand.
In verses 17 and 18, with that same right hand upholding the churches, Christ reaches down and says:
17 … “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.
I don’t think I even have to say much more. The image here is so clear. God, in the person of Jesus, in all of his eternal and almighty glory,
resides in our midst,
upholds us against the evils and fears that surround us,
and reaches down to speak these words: “Fear not!”
The Caveat
The Caveat
Before I conclude, I would only be telling you half-truths if I did not provide one warning that isn’t covered in our text this morning.
If you read a little further in Revelation, chapters 2 and 3 give us a glimpse of the “sharp edges” of that two-edged sword we read about earlier.
God promises that he will continue to uphold us as long as we remain faithful to Him. In these two chapters, each of the seven churches in John’s audience receives both praises and rebukes (comforts and judgments). Here are just a few examples:
The church in Ephesus is
praised for patient endurance
rebuked for failing to continue to do the works they once did (whatever they were) (cf. Rev 2:1-7).
The church in Smyrna is
praised for enduring under tribulation and poverty
rebuked for their temptation to accommodate their oppressors in the face of persecution (cf. Rev 2:8-11)
The church in Pergamum is
praised for not denying their faith
rebuked for eating food sacrificed to idols and sexual immorality (cf. Rev 2:12-17)
All in all, the faithful protection offered by God’s very nature — that the Ever-living, Almighty God who dwells in our midst — comes only as we are likewise faithful to Him. Our call is to trust in Him with patient endurance.
Application
Application
[SERIES SLIDE]
Finally, with all this in mind, let us return to where we began, the question I asked, “What do you fear?”
Most of us in the United States don’t face the same fears as the first century Christians in Asia, though many Christians around the world, do.
As Americans, if we proclaim Jesus’ name in public, we are not at risk of torture or execution. We are not seen as “disturbers of the peace” and cut off from the benefits of civil society. We are not viewed as the lowest of the low.
And yet, the message John gives to the churches in Asia still resounds for us. Like those churches, we must sometimes be reminded who is in charge of the universe.
When we look outside the window in the morning, or read the news, or watch our Facebook, Insta, or TikTok feeds, the world outside looks like utter chaos. Corruption, violence, autocratic leaders, death, destruction, disease, and so much more fill the newspapers, airwaves, and the Internet. It is easy to feel like no one is in control. It is easy to feel like our very lives, finances, jobs, and families teeter on a knife’s edge.
And yet, for those who rest their faith in the Ever-living, Almighty God who dwells in our midst, God speaks these words to us:
17 … “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.
When
fear rises up within us
the world seems beyond our control
our anxiety threatens to overwhelm us
Remember these words from our Lord:
Fear … Not!
Footnotes
Footnotes
https://nationalsocialanxietycenter.com/2017/02/20/public-speaking-and-fear-of-brain-freezes/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/lots-of-americans-have-a-fear-of-flying-there-are-way-to-overcome-the-anxiety-disorder/2019/10/11/d4746d84-d338-11e9-86ac-0f250cc91758_story.html
https://www.dentalproductsreport.com/view/study-finds-more-60-percent-people-suffer-dental-fear
https://news.chapman.edu/2024/10/01/what-scares-you/#fear
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Annals_(Tacitus)/Book_15#40
Champlin, Edward (2005). Nero. Harvard University Press, 121. ISBN 978-0-674-01822-8.
