Fear Not!

Intro

There are times in world history that call special attention to our faith. What do I mean by that?

Studies show that with most every disaster to touch earth’s soil, church attendance rose drastically.

Things like war, terrorist attacks, and natural disasters cause people to think deeply about life and death. For many, it causes fear.

Whatever else it causes, we know that it also causes questions. Questions about the why and how certain events can take place and even more so, how can we move on from it.

Right now, our world is questioning. If you spend any time on social media at all (though I wouldn’t recommend it!) you will find a questioning world.

Many of these questions right now come from fear, fear of war, fear of pain, fear of government, but, arguably the one thing the world fears now above all else is… death.

People, when they witness disaster, begin to wonder, what comes next and where do I fall into play. You could argue that often the Holy Spirit is working in their lives to bring them closer to him for comfort and peace.

I want to take a few moments with you today and, without touching politics, speak to how we can and should respond when our world is shifted and our faith is not only potentially shaken, but in the lime-light for the world to see.

In moments like this, especially with Israel involved, our world looks to Christians to set the example of how to respond, not politically, but emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

And, as the Lord tells us all throughout Scripture, we must Fear Not!

Isaiah 41:10 “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: Be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; Yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”

Before we dive in, understand this verse with me for just a moment. In Isaiah 41, God The Lord challenges the idols to do what only he can do: predict the future and then carry it out (Andrew M. Davis, Exalting Jesus in Isaiah (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2017), 236.)

In verse 10, He is speaking to His chosen people, Israel. Is he speaking directly do us? Not in the original context. But, that is what is great about Scripture and the New Covenant. All who are saved are not God’s chosen people, and in our lives, we can know that He is with us too and we can live fearless lives. The principle of this passage is for us just as much as it was for Israel when it was written!

When we think of ways we can live without fear, we must look at four separate life moments wherein fear could reign.

Fear Not the Past

When we think about fear, often we think about things present or things to come, rarely things that are behind us.

However, when we think about things behind us, we can realize that there are some fears that lie in our past.

Think about trauma, trauma is a disturbing experience that happened to a person in the past that affects their present. It is a response in fear to things that have happened.

And in order to live a life with no fear, we must start with addressing our past.

Haggai 2:4–5 “Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the Lord; And be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; And be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the Lord, and work: For I am with you, saith the Lord of hosts: According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, So my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not.”

In this passage, the Lord is prophecying to the remnamt, the few faithful followers of God who remained. He is telling them to look to the past, see what He did for them, but fear not.

When you think of the past of the Israelites, you would likely give them a pass to fear, many bad bad things happened to them all throughout their history from conquests, to captivities, to slavery, you name it!

However, the Lord is telling them to remain strong and fear not. Why? For He is with us! Yes they were enslaved in Egypt, but the Lord brought them out.

He is reminding them that although bad things happen, God is with his followers and will bring them out.

Yes you have had fears in the past, there are things going on in your life and in this world that look like history repeating itself. You may fear.

However, let me encourage you with God’s Word, Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

So, yes, although the world may be crumbling around us, although you may look to things happening and be reminded of your past or past events, remember, fear not the past, rather glory in how the Lord has brought you through your past!

Allow your past to be what the Lord wants it to be, a reminder of His faithfulness and fear not.

Fear Not The Present

Once we are reminded by the Spirit of God of His faithfulness in our past, we can more easily remain fearless in the present.

I believe this is the hardest fear to overcome because it is here and now, things that unfold before our eyes will cause fear very quickly.

Fear for what is going to happen now and (as we will touch on later) what will be the cause in the future.

Fear is like a domino effect, one things leads to another, then to another, then to another, and before you know it, you are fearful and anxious over the most minute details of your life, even the details that are taken care of day in and day out by God.

Fear is a tool of the enemy to distract us from the goodness of God. but, the fear you feel for the here and now, whatever it is that is causing you fear, can be overcome.

Luke 12:4–7 “And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.”

Fear not those who can hurt you here, powers that can harm you here, anything on this earth today that can cause you harm, fear not.

Why?

Because we have a God who intimately, personally cares for you and I. So much so that each of your hairs on your head are numbered by God, meaning He knows every detail about you, and that includes the things you are more prone to fear.

So, cast those things on the Father, He wants you to trust Him and, as this passage reminds us, you can trust Him. He is easy to trust!

As the temptation of fear will enter into your heart and mind at times, we must come to the Father through Christ Jesus for help, for security, for comfort, and for reminders of all He has done for us. We must go to His word for reminders of His promises that He will never leave us or forsake us as Deuteronomy 31 and Hebrews 13 remind us. We must cling to Christ for all of our needs, and for the power to overcome fear.

When we remember the cross, fear can flea.

He takes care of you, will you let Him? Will you allow Him to have control? Will you cast your fear on Him?

Fear Not the Future

Much of our fear of the present is really a fear of what the present may cause in the future.

We become concerned with “what will happen later because of what is happening now?”

With world events, we worry about the economy, food and gas prices.

With health concerns we worry about bills and continuing conditions.

With financial problems we worry about what we will have to slash to make ends meet.

There is always a cause and effect to fear, and that causes us to worry more and more.

When we think about fear, this type especially, we are forgetting one valuable detail to the Christian life.

Hebrews 13:14–15 “For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”

This world is not our permanent residence. It is a temporary existence.

Should we be concerned if we cannot provide or if the world is at war? Sure, a healthy concern to protect what God has given you is okay.

But, why are you concerned? Is it our of fear, or is it because you want to glorify God with what He has given you?

This life will be gone before we know it, so although things in this life are important, we can look to a living hope, something better, something more just waiting around the corner.

1 Peter 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”

Because of Jesus, because He lives, the fears of this world cannot lead to fear of the future, for our future is set in the living hope of Christ Jesus.

Our future is heaven and peace. So, why live this whole life in fear knowing what awaits you?

Oh there are so many passages in Scripture that encourage us to remain fearless, though is all crumble around us, we have Jesus, we have a sure and final hope in the resurrection, we have heaven!

So, as Joshua 1:9 reminds us, be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord is with you wherever you go!

Fear Not Eternity

One of the greatest fears humanity shares is a fear of what happens after this life is all said and done, and the enemy even puts this fear into the hearts of those who follow Jesus!

Should we fear eternity? Should we be secure? Is there an in between?

When we think of eternity, there are a few different thoughts that cause fear.

Is heaven real?

Is hell real?

Once I get saved, what then? Am I eternally secure and can live however I want or can I lose my salvation?

First, read with me John 14:3 “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

Jesus, as He was preparing to depart to heaven, spoke these beautiful words. Proclaiming the reality of heaven and his part in preparing a place for those who are born again.

He continues a similar thought in John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

As He is preparing to depart, He encourages us to tap into his peace (which is the absence of fear) because He is going to prepare a place.

Because Heaven is real, we can rest.

And, we can live without fear once we are born again because, although we are not eternally secure (meaning we can live in sin once we are saved) we also cannot lose our salvation at the drop of a hat.

Forfeiture of salvation is legitimate, but if you are truly born again, the desire to follow God will be so strong that the chances of you doing that are slim. Not only that, but the grace of God, though it is not an allowance for sin, exists to cover our slip ups.

The point is this: if you are a born again child of God, there is no reason to fear eternity.

Follow the Scriptures, follow Jesus. If you are truly saved, you will have a desire to!

We can rest assured of our salvation. We can rest assured of heaven. We can rest assured of the resurrection of believers.

In our world, there are a lot of things that can truly frighten us. But, may we never forget that nothing frightens or surprises the Lord. When we truly trust God, we can have peace that everything will work out the way He wants it to both in this world and in our lives.

And, when those things are finished, we can be sure that our living hope Jesus Christ is awaiting our arrival in paradise.

1 Peter 5:7 “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

Cast all your fear on the Lord today, trust in Him for each of your needs, for the state of the world, for the issues on the news. Cast your fear, your care, your anxiety on the Lord and focus on Him and His promises.

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Conclusion

Are you fearful today?

Does the state of the world make you anxious?

Do you fear things from your past?

Do you fear things in your future?

Are you certain of your eternity?

The Scriptures make a promise that we don’t have to fear, so why do we?

Would you give up your fears to Jesus today? Would you pray?

When terror comes, natural disasters come, wars and rumors of wars come, would you trust God?

When you are in financial distress, when work isn’t what it should be, when family fails you, would you trust in God?

Would you be reminded of all the good God has done in your past? Would you allow those reminders to shape how you view present troubles? Would you allow your future to be held by God? Would you repent so that your eternity would be set in heaven?

Would you come pray?

*salvation plea*