Conquering Fear

Fear can either motivate a person or paralyze a person. On the baseball field, a runner has a fear of the ball getting to the base before he does, so he churns his legs as fast as possible to get to the base safely. If a giant lion came bounding up to you and roared, hopefully, you would run for shelter. However, you might be frozen in fear. We realize that fear can be a great motivator. Yet, things that seem out of our control and a seemingly constant barrage of attacks can certainly cause fear to take over our lives.

2 Timothy 1:7 NASB95

For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.

What a great reminder about the negative side of fear not coming from God.

1 John 4:18 NASB95

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.

John lets us know that our loving Lord does not want us to live our lives in fear. However, those reading Peter’s letters were being bombarded by persecution and problems that would naturally lead to fear. Peter has been busy writing words of encouragement from a theological perspective by reminding them who they were in Christ. Then he gave some very practical encouragements as to how to live out daily their walk with the Lord in the midst of a horrible environment that sets itself up against God and His children.

It seems that now, it is as if Peter is hearing them say Sure, but what about . . . ? So, Peter refers back to a verse from and builds on it. Here is where I believe that we can see the theme of today’s section.

1 Peter 3:15 NASB95

but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;

The Lordship of Christ - 3:13-15

Lately, we are again hearing the phrase that was shared by a president many years ago: We have nothing to fear, but fear itself. It would seem that the Bible does speak of one healthy fear which is the cure for every other fear. That would be the fear of the Lord.

1 Peter 3:13–15 NASB95

Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;

In view of our current crisis, COVID-19, there is no shortage of opinions, informed and uninformed. In the midst of all of these clamoring voices, it could be easy to give in to fear and end up making very foolish decisions. However, just looking at our theme verse for today, and these verses preceding it, it seems to me that if we have set apart Christ as Lord, there is nothing and nobody that should cause us to fear. That even includes the fear of the unknown, which it seems we are watching take place all around the world.

It is helpful to realize that the word for sanctify, in this context especially, carries the idea of complete worship of the Lord; keeping our focus upon Him in every area of our lives.

What if we are attacked by someone or something? How does this even make sense for the follower of Christ? It has been said that other people, things, and circumstances might actually hurt us, but we can never be truly harmed. Harm seems to be a non-issue if we are living our lives for Christ. Yet suffering very well might happen at the hands of someone else. They very well might have evil intention towards those who follow Christ. Our bodies can be destroyed, but our souls cannot, for we belong to Christ.

Peter says, that if this is the case, we are blessed. We can have joy, peace, and contentment in Christ, if we are truly honoring Christ, as the ESV translation states.

I mentioned in a video chat this past week, how Christ can use a crisis for His glory. We see this taking shape in the latter part of verse 15. . . . always being ready to make a defense. Some translations use the word answer in place of defense.

The Greek word for defense is where we get the English word for apology. It doesn’t really mean that we’re offering an apology for our beliefs. It carries the word picture of a defense presented in a courtroom. It is also where we get our section of theological study called apologetics.

Some might get a little nervous with Peter using the word always. It’s simply a way of reminding us that we must keep in the forefront of our minds to Whom we belong and why we live the way we live. In other words, I can be so sure of my salvation and my willingness to live my life for Christ, regardless of the circumstances, that I can readily and at any time answer other people’s questions about my Savior.

We might wonder what exactly this has to do with our sanctifying or setting apart Christ as Lord in our hearts. Think about this scenario. As the COVID-19 crisis has come upon us and will most likely get worse before it gets better, how will those of us who are Christians respond? Will we respond in fear? Or will we recognize that we should live our lives in view of the fact that we belong to Jesus Christ and we do not have to live in fear of this virus, or any persecution of any kind?

Now consider what those who are unsaved are thinking as they observe our reactions and actions. They will most likely result in unbelievers paying close attention while beginning to wonder about why we respond the way we do. We then will have the opportunity to proclaim Christ and why we have hope and confidence in Him, trusting Him entirely for every detail of our lives.

Lest someone misunderstand me and begin to go out and annoy and harass people in an attempt to get them to come to salvation; don’t. Peter says to do this with gentleness and reverence or respect. It does not bring any glory to the Lord when Christians come across as knowing more than everyone else or that we are the experts in everything. We won’t win anyone if we are busy arguing with others or trying to prove them wrong. I’ve often encouraged people to simply tell their story of what God has done in their lives. Explain lovingly to others what we believe and why we believe what we believe and pray that God would do the work that only the Holy Spirit is capable of doing in their lives.

Whatever is going on , we can leave it all in God’s hands, trusting Him, since He is totally in charge. As we do this, we are able to live in such a way that He receives all the glory that is due Him. Regardless of what is happening now or tomorrow, I can live my life for Jesus and not fear whatever may come my way. I could be killed by a virus, a stroke, a heart attack, a hostile attack by someone who opposes Christ and all that we represent, but I don’t fear. The reason is that Jesus Christ is Lord of my life. Therefore, I don’t need to fear. I might lose my earthly life, but I shall not lose my eternal life. It has been guaranteed by the One Who never fails.

A Light Conscience - 3:16-17

In view of what we’ve learned about the Lordship of Christ removing fear from our lives, we know far too well, that there will be those who will do whatever they can to destroy us. Let’s look at how Peter addresses this.

1 Peter 3:16–17 NASB95

and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.

Peter is not talking about taking care of Jiminy Cricket, who acted as the conscience of Pinocchio. Peter is referring to what you and I might think of as that inner voice that speaks to us. You know what I mean.

When you are faced with a choice as to whether or not to do something good, you have that inner feeling that you must do this or you will feel guilty. Or if you feel obliged to have that fourth helping of chocolate cake, you have that inner voice that asks, what do you think you’re doing to your body.

The Greek word actually means to know with. It is the idea that Paul expresses when he speaks of either approving or accusing us in our actions.

For some people, it seems that their conscience has taken an extended vacation. I believe, in looking at the whole Word of God, that when we avoid the Bible, we become hardened in our hearts or our conscience. However, when we spend a good deal of time in the Bible and in prayer, we are much more attuned to what God wants of us so that our conscience is more sensitive.

Wiersbe likened it to our conscience being like a window in which God’s truth can come in to us. If a person makes choices to disobey God, then the window has become dirty and increasingly restricts the light of God’s Word to enter in to make a difference.

In other words, for our conscience to be of any value, we have to depend on God’s Word to enlighten our spiritual minds.

The question comes at this point as to how this has any impact during fearful times. How does a good conscience benefit me when others want to destroy me? How does a good conscience help me when facing the COVID-19 crisis? It seems to me that if I have indeed in my heart set apart Christ as Lord, then I know I am focusing on my relationship with Him and wanting to serve Him as He wants me to serve. Thus, I have no reason to fear.

I also am at peace in my own heart, knowing that I am fully at peace with God. If there is peace in our hearts, then we are able to face whatever may come our way. We see this in the last part of verse 16, when Peter speaks about the believer being slandered. I have no need to succumb to fears about someone threatening me or telling lies about me, my family, my livelihood, etc. I am comfortable with those who disagree with me, because I am at peace with who I am in Christ. Even if those opposing the Gospel personally come to attack us, we can be at peace, because we have a clear conscience knowing that Christ is our Lord.

Going back to the window illustration regarding our conscience; may I suggest that sometimes smudges and dirt can happen because we get a bit lazy. That’s why it is important for us to make sure that we do not treasure sin in our hearts, nor that we become lazy in our walk with the Lord.

Conclusion

Conclusion

During this particular season of our lives, we are seeing changes and situations that are unprecedented. Do not allow fear to rule your lives.

Also, do not be discouraged by the fact that we’re not meeting together as the larger church body here in St. Albans. As the leaders in this church have noted with me, that we live in a time that I believe God has blessed us in that we have the technology that allows us to practice being the church in ways we never have experienced before. Could it also be preparing us for something really big where we will get to see God working in such powerful ways we would not have believed before?

Encourage others in participating in the many online opportunities there are for the church to truly be the church. If you need suggestions, feel free to check out our church website at www.saintalbansunionchurch.org. Or call the church office at 207-938-4484 and we’ll do our best to walk you through various options.

Brothers and sisters, none of us has any idea where this all is going. But we can most definitely place our hope and confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Make sure you are living under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Be certain that you have a light or clear conscience

but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;