Don't be afraid, Part 2

When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.

“It is I; don’t be afraid.”

Do not be afraid. Four words that are so easy to say, but so difficult for us to follow.

We all deal with fear in our lives. It is one of the first effects of sin entering this world. Adam and Eve dealt with it. Their children dealt with it, their children’s children dealt with it, and so forth right down to our grandparents, our parents, and now we deal with it in our own, daily lives.

Fear grips us when we least expect it, and it comes in all the familiar times and places.

Fear keeps us from things, and separates us from friends and family. Fear is destructive.

As we examine the fears in our lives, we find some fears that are common to others… fear of the dark, fear of what other will think of me, fear of heights, fear of death.

Yet we also find that our fears are personal. What I fear is not what you fear. The degree to which I fear is greater than you . What I fear may seem ridiculous to you. What you fear may be ridiculous to me. Get over it already.

We don’t like it. We do not want to be afraid. We realize how bad fear is, and we do not like what it does to us.

We try many techniques that the world says will help us overcome our fears: think about something else; consider the facts; calm yourself, your physical response to fear; face your fears... Yet, we are still afraid.

Is this all there is? Living with fear all our days?

No. Jesus came to give us life, eternal life. And the way he describes the eternal life He gives is this way…

John 10:10 NIV

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Fear is a thief that robs us of life, kills us slowly and destroys us from the inside out.

Jesus came that we may have life and have it to the full.

Jesus knows us, and came to give us a greater life, a life where we no longer have to live in fear.

Jesus came and died for our sin, taking the punishment we deserve for our sin, and rising from the dead to give us a new resurrected, powerful life. One in which we are no longer slaves to sin, but slaves to righteousness and the freedom that comes from righteousness.

But what does His death for my sin have to do with my fear?

Well, let’s consider our fears. This was the homework from last week.

We were to consider our fears, and answer the questions Jesus asked of His disciples when they were in fear.

What John records in chapter 6 is not the first time Jesus and His disciples were in a storm on the sea of Galilee. Matthew records the other instance in chapter 8 of his gospel. On that occasion, when His disciples were fearful of dying in the storm,

Matthew 8:26 NIV

He replied, “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.

“Why are you so afraid?”

Jesus asked them, “Why are you so afraid?” What is it that we fear?

First, we only fear for what we love. His disciples were loving something. There was something very dear to them, and when they were in the storm, they started to predict what was going to happen next… “We are going to die!”

What did they love? Their lives! Sounds reasonable doesn’t it? How many of us would be just like them? I would.

Well, Jesus knew what was in their hearts, yet He still asked the question. I believe He asked it for their benefit, to have them look into their hearts. “Why are you so afraid?”

We need to answer the question Jesus asked of His disciples. We need to ask, “Why am I so afraid?” “What is it that I love so much that I am so afraid?”

We do not fear for things we do not love or cherish. How many of us were fearful of tropical storm that was heading toward the gulf coast last week? We were not fearful because we do not cherish those people’s homes. But if a storm was coming to our neighborhood, we may be fearful, for our home… not our neighbors’ homes.

Fear shows me what I love.

If we are having trouble deciphering what we love, we can consider, “Why am I so afraid? What am I predicting?”

Just as the disciples’ prediction, “We are going to die,” showed what they loved, so too, our predictions show what we are loving in that fear.

Our predictions not only show what we love, but our predictions feed our fears. Our predictions act like miracle grow for our fear. Have you ever experienced that? The more you think about your fear, and what is going to happen, the more fearful you become, right?

Yet if we were honest, in a time when we are clear-minded, we do not know the future, and our predictions have not come true. We have a really bad track record when it comes to our predictions. So, why do we do that? Why give and listen to our predictions which do not help, but only make things worse?

Because even though we have been proven to be false prophets on so many occasions, we trust ourselves, and our predictions!

Our fear show us what we love. Our fear shows us what we care about most. Our fear shows us how we tend to predict, and feed the flames of our fears concerning the things we love, and how we do not want to lose those things we love. Our fears and predictions show us what we trust most, ourselves.

That leads us to our next question, the one Jesus asked on the second occasion when the disciples were caught in a storm on the sea of Galilee.

Well, lets move on to the next question Jesus asked. This question was from the second storm, the one John recorded. However it was in what Matthew recorded that happened with Peter specifically.

Matthew 14:31 NIV

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

“Why did you doubt?”

Peter heard Jesus say, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” Then, Peter, said if it is you, then tell me to come to you.

Jesus said, “Come.”

Peter believed Jesus, got out of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus!

Then, he saw the wind, was afraid and began to sink.

Jesus saved Peter and then asked, “Why did you doubt?”

To doubt something means you were not trusting.

Fears show us what we are truly trusting.

My fear shows me who or what I am trusting. In some cases, it is another person.

My fear shows me most often that I am trusting myself. However, I know my limitations, and therefore I doubt myself and my ability to handle this situation, therefore, I give in to fear and predict, “I’m going to fail! I’m gonna die!”

When we are in fear, we see that we are not trusting God. We say we trust Him. However, if we are honest, when we are in fear, we are not trusting Him.

We say we are trusting God… but if we were truly trusting would we be afraid?

NO. Living in our fear shows that we are not trusting in God.

Fear is an enemy, and we want to be free!

Fear is an enemy. Fear is a thief that robs us of joy and life.

We need to break free of fear. We grow tired of living in fear. We grow tired of the physical drain of fear. We grow tired of the mental anguish caused by our fears. We grow tired of the relationship and opportunities we lose because of living in our fear. We want to be free.

And that is what Jesus wants for us as well.

As we said, Jesus came to give us eternal life, and that life is an abundant life, rich and full. Not empty and fearful. He wants so much more for us.

He came to give us that eternal, abundant life by dying on the cross for our sin, and rising from the grave to give us new lives of freedom!

What does Jesus coming to die to give us eternal, abundant life have to do with our fears?

What if there is a greater reason to dealing with our fears than just being free? What if there was a deeper problem with fear than just loss of peace of mind?

I believe there is a deeper problem with fear, that we have begun to see.

What have we learned so far by answering the questions that Jesus asks of us when we are afraid?

What do we learn from answering why we are so afraid?

We have learned that there are things that we love so much that they are the top priority to us. More than anything else in the moment. They are what we love most.

What, or rather whom are we to love most?

Matthew 22:37–38 NIV

Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.

So, if we are loving things more than God, what would you call that? The Bible calls it sin.

But should we not care about our lives? Our lives are in danger here? Yes, we should care about our lives. God gave them to us.

However, we are to love the Lord more than even our life in this world.

John 12:25 NIV

Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

For the disciples, and for us, when we are in situations where we fear for our lives, we need to realize that loving life in this world more than God is sin.

If we love something, even our own life more than we love God, it is sin.

Life is more than just living in this world. Life is more than what we have or do not have. Life goes on for eternity. The question is not whether we will live. The question is are we living with God?

Loving something more than God is sin. Fear shows me my sin.

What did we learn from the second question? What am I trusting?

If we are honest, we are not trusting God. If we are not trusting God, would that be righteous living, or sinful?

Fear as God designed it in us to help us react to situations of immediate danger, like swerving to avoid an accident, is good.

However, living in fear shows me that I am not truly trusting God.

Not trusting God is sinful.

Loving other things more than God, and failing to trust Him is in fact, sinful. It separates me from my loving Father.

What is interesting is that while I could find 46 passages where God either commands us to love Him, or makes statements about the blessing of loving Him, I found 114 passages where God tells us to not be afraid.

God knows my wandering heart. He knows that I get the commands to love and trust Him.

And He also knows how my fear is a big part of what keeps me from loving and trusting Him.

So, He is trying to show that to me over and over in the scriptures.

And each time He tries to help us in our fear in the scriptures, He points to the secret for overcoming this sinful fear.

The secret for conquering fear is running to the One who says, “It is I. Do not be afraid.”

John 6:20 NIV

But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.”

It is I

What a difference it makes when we are not alone in our fear.

Have you ever noticed that fear makes us want to run? But run to where? To what? To whom?

Talking with my kids about fear this week, we talked about how if there were a bear, or something bad coming to our house, would we feel better if someone was with us?

Yes… and no. For example, if a stranger were to come in, we might not feel better or safer. In fact, our fears might increase!

But if a friend were to come, we feel safer, and our fears are calmed. Why?

Because we trust our friend to be with us, and help us.

Of course it depends on the friend. If the friend was smaller and more fearful than I, then that friend would not be a help for my fear.

What if we learned to run to Jesus? What if we learned to hear his voice when we are in the storm?

That is what David learned. Remember Psalm 3 and Psalm 4?

David was in really bad situations. He was fleeing for his life when his son and other rose up to take the kingdom from him. Who do you trust? Where can you go?

Yet even in that situation, David called out to God. He gave the things that were causing him to fear to the Lord, and remembered God’s past faithfulness. Then, he slept. He slept!

Psalm 3:5 NIV

I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.

David learned the secret to overcoming fear. It was the same thing Jesus shared with His disciples. “It is I.”

David learned to love and trust His Lord above all else.

He learned to

Psalm 46:10 NIV

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

David took that time when He was still to know the Lord.

Then, He learned to take time to be still when He was in the storms of life to be still and know that He is still God. He is still the One who sustains. He is still the One who provides. He is still the One who protects.

David knew that times of fear would come, but he learned to run to His Lord and Savior. He learned, and purposed that

Psalm 56:3 NIV

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.

How can we do that? How can we be more like David, or the disciples?

The disciples were afraid in this storm, but later in the book of Acts we see them acting with boldness and confidence, even when their lives were on the line.

What made the difference?

They learned to love and trust their Lord and Savior.

That is the secret to overcoming fear—learning to love and trust our Lord and Savior.

How do we learn to love and trust someone?

We need to take time to get to know them.

As we get to know them, we get to know we can trust them.

Who do you trust for your mechanical work on your car? Who would you go to? What if your car broke down here at church? Who would you ask to help?

Me or Joseph? Joseph of course! Because if you took the time to know us, you would know that Joseph is good! Joseph knows about mechanics. Joseph has experience with mechanics. Joseph is capable with mechanics. So, you would not have to be afraid if your car broke down here. You can trust Joseph.

But if you do not take time to get to know Joseph, you would not have that comfort would you? No.

If the way to overcome fear is to know and trust the Lord, what do we need to do? We need to get to know and trust the Lord?

How will we do that? Spend time with Him in His Word, and in prayer.

The problem is, too often we take time for the Word for 30-40 minutes per week. Or, maybe 90 minutes more during the week. (15 minutes for devotions each day other than Sunday.) So out of 10,080 minutes of the week, or 6,720 waking minutes of the week, we take maybe 150-200 minutes to get to know God. Hmm. Is there maybe a reason we do not love and trust the Lord more? Is that the reason we fail to overcome our fear?

And what is more, there is an even bigger issue with fear...

Please turn to Matthew 13. Did you know that Jesus talks about our fear in the parable of the sower? I was surprised by this a couple weeks ago. Let’s read it together.

Matthew 13:1–9 NIV

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

hmmm… Where is fear in this passage? Let’s look down further at Jesus’ explanation of the parable.

Matthew 13:18–23 NIV

“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

Do you see that in verse 21 and 22? Why would trouble or persecution make us fall away? Because we are afraid of what people think more than we fear what God thinks. Therefore we don’t focus on the Word of God. We listen to the world.

And notice verse 23. Jesus specifically states that the worries of this life choke our the word.

If we only receive a small seed of the word of God each week, how easy is it for the weeds of our fears to choke it out?

Our fears choke out the very thing we need to know God and overcome the fear!

What do we need? More seed! We need to get so much seed planted that some of it will fall on some good soil, and start to take root and grow and spread in our lives.

We need to spend more time in the Word getting to know the One who says, It is I. You are not alone. I am here. I am the One who can make you walk on the waves of the storm. I am the One who can calm the storm. I am the One to give you freedom from your fears!

We need to get to really know the One who… well, that is the homework this week.

This week, I have put together 114 passages where God speaks to our fear. He says, do not be afraid. He speaks into real life situations to help His people. What is interesting is that in these 114 passages, He does not just say, do not be afraid. There is one occasion where that happens, but I did not include that one in the homework. Out of 115 passage where God speaks to our fear, 114 have the reason for not being afraid. And that reason is always related to “It is I.” God is our reason we do not have to fear. If we love and trust Him, we will know that He is the One who… well. read it for yourself this week.

Let’s spend more time in the Word. Let’s spend more time getting to know Him, so that we will love and trust Him more than the things related to our fears.

Homework:

The following 114 passages are what God says to us about fear. Many are commands, others are statements. Make a list of the reasons we should not be afraid as you go through the verses. Also, take time to look at the context of the verses to see what the situation was in which God said to not be afraid. These are real people in very real, difficult, circumstances. Take time each day to ask God to speak to you so that you will know Him, and love Him. Ask Him to make you love Him more than the things for which you fear. Ask Him to make you know Him so that His presence is real, and overcomes your fears.

Do not be afraid, worry, anxious, terrified, fear, doubt, tremble, discouraged, dismayed in NIV

Genesis 15:1

Genesis 21:17

Genesis 26:24

Genesis 46:3

Exodus 14:13

Exodus 20:20

Numbers 14:9

Numbers 21:34

Deuteronomy 1:17

Deuteronomy 1:21

Deuteronomy 1:29–30

Deuteronomy 3:2

Deuteronomy 3:22

Deuteronomy 7:18

Deuteronomy 7:21

Deuteronomy 20:1

Deuteronomy 20:3–4

Deuteronomy 31:6

Deuteronomy 31:8

Joshua 1:9

Joshua 8:1

Joshua 10:8

Joshua 10:25

Joshua 11:6

Judges 6:23

1 Samuel 12:20

2 Kings 1:15

2 Kings 6:16

2 Kings 19:6–7

1 Chronicles 22:13

1 Chronicles 28:20

2 Chronicles 20:15

2 Chronicles 20:17

2 Chronicles 32:7

Nehemiah 4:14

Psalm 3:5–6

Psalm 27:1–3

Psalm 46:1–2

Psalm 56:3–4

Psalm 56:10–11

Psalm 91:4–6

Psalm 118:6

Proverbs 3:21–26

Isaiah 7:4–7

Isaiah 8:12–13

Isaiah 10:24–25

Isaiah 12:2

Isaiah 35:4

Isaiah 37:6–7

Isaiah 40:9

Isaiah 41:10

Isaiah 41:13

Isaiah 41:14

Isaiah 43:1–7

Isaiah 44:2–4

Isaiah 44:8

Isaiah 51:7–8

Isaiah 54:4–5

Isaiah 57:11

Jeremiah 1:8

Jeremiah 1:17–19

Jeremiah 5:22

Jeremiah 10:1–16

Jeremiah 17:5–8

Jeremiah 30:10

Jeremiah 42:11

Jeremiah 46:27

Jeremiah 46:28

Lamentations 3:57–63

Ezekiel 2:6

Ezekiel 3:8–9

Daniel 10:12

Daniel 10:19

Joel 2:21

Zephaniah 3:16–17

Haggai 2:4–9

Zechariah 8:13

Zechariah 8:15

Matthew 1:20

Matthew 6:25–34

Matthew 10:19–20

Matthew 10:26

Matthew 10:28–31

Matthew 14:27

Matthew 17:7

Matthew 21:21

Matthew 28:5–6

Matthew 28:10

Mark 5:36

Mark 6:50

Mark 11:23

Mark 13:11

Mark 16:6

Luke 1:13

Luke 1:30

Luke 2:10

Luke 5:10

Luke 8:50

Luke 12:4–7

Luke 12:11–12

Luke 12:22–34

Luke 21:14–15

John 6:20

John 12:15

John 14:27

Acts 18:9–10

Acts 27:24

Philippians 4:6–9

Hebrews 11:27

Hebrews 13:6

1 Peter 3:14–18

1 John 4:18

Revelation 1:17

Revelation 2:10

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