Jesus > Nature

Fear is a powerful emotion that we have. Sometimes irrational, sometimes not. It can drive us with into action, or paralyze us causing lack of action. In this passage we are going to see that their is two types of fear. Right fear, and wrong fear.

Wrong Fear

v.23-25a

They are travelling across the lake when a windstorm comes down the lake.

The lake is 700 ft. below sea level and as cold air would drop quickly into the area it was prone to violent wind storms coming upon them very rapidly.

These were men who were fishermen. They were used to spending time on the water sailing. They were the ones who had fear over this wind storm. This tells us that it is a brutal storm. Other accounts say that the waves were breaking on the boat.

It would seem to me that they had a reason to fear, but Jesus critiques them, “where is your faith?”

Fear is opposed to faith

When we fear our circumstances, we are forgetting the one who is in charge of them.

Am I saying we will never fear? NO, but will you be overcome, and have it drive you from God, or will it drive you to your knees; praying to the one who is in control of the thing causing you fear.

Look at David and Goliath

David and Goliath?

1 Samuel 17

David was a kid, not old enough yet to join the army.

1 Samuel 17:10–11 ESV

10 And the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together.” 11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

The Israelites hear the taunts of the Giant and are trembling, greatly afraid.

They had forgotten how great the God is that they serve.

1 Samuel 17:26 ESV

26 And David said to the men who stood by him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

David doesn’t fear the Giant, He knows that Yahweh who he serves is greater than all these false gods and is able to save.

David’s question, who is this that he thinks he can defy God?

1 Samuel 17:45–47 ESV

45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand.”

David is ready to be used as a tool of God, knowing that the victory isn’t from him but from God.

No fear, knowing who he served was great.

People today fear everything

10) Fear of Holes- Sponges, coral, honeycombs.

9) Fear of flying

8) Fear of germs

7) Claustrophobia- fear of small spaces.

6) Fear of Thunder and lightning

5)Fear of dogs

4) Fear of open or crowded spaces

3) Fear of hights

2) Fear of snakes

1)Fear of Spiders

Covid 19 is another one that people fear today.

We are not practicing social distancing out of fear, this is not because we are afraid of getting sick or afraid of death.

I will die, you will die. Whether by covid, a car accident, or old age death will find us all. This virus is nothing to fear.

We are practicing this social distancing because we are submitting to those who God has placed over us who asked us to do so, in order to let this virus burn off.

We do this not out of fear, but out of love for others with compromised immune systems who are at risk.

What was missing from that list? God

Spurgeon says “The fear of God is the death of every other fear; like a mighty lion it chases all other fears before it.”

Right Fear

Not all fear is bad.

v.25- They saw what Jesus had done, and were gripped with fear.

This took place after the storm had calmed, the fear that they had after Jesus calmed the storm was greater than the fear that they had during the storm.

Why? They saw who was really in the boat. They began to realize that this was God in the boat with them.

What we try not to think about, is how Holy God is, and how unworthy we are.

Daniel 10:5–9 ESV

5 I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, a man clothed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. 6 His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude. 7 And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision, but a great trembling fell upon them, and they fled to hide themselves. 8 So I was left alone and saw this great vision, and no strength was left in me. My radiant appearance was fearfully changed, and I retained no strength. 9 Then I heard the sound of his words, and as I heard the sound of his words, I fell on my face in deep sleep with my face to the ground.

This is an angel, not even the son of God. His unseen presence was enough to cause those with Daniel to hide in fear and enough to make Daniel pass out.

The angel, was radiating the glory of God, and it was this fearful. Can you imagine what it would be like to stand in the presence of the one who created that angel.

The fear that you would have would make you say “I don’t want to make Him angry.”

Joshua 24:14 ESV

14 “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.

Let your fear, your awe and respect compel you to not want to cross God.

This fear isn’t a terror that drives us away from God, but one that compels us to follow His commands.

Kids

My kids, I love them and want to be approachable to them. I want them to know that they can come to me with any problem.

But I also want them to have a health fear of me. Where they know that if they are doing what is wrong, there will be consequences for their actions.

We have kids over at our house all the time. You tell which kids don’t have a fear, a respect for authority. They will not do anything you ask them to do.

God doesn’t want us to be disobedient kids.

2 Corinthians 7:1 ESV

1 Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.

The fear that God is calling us to have, is a fear that causes us to obey His commands.

A awe of God that moves us toward sanctification, where we do away with the sin in our lives.

Jesus is God

This is what the apostles realized on that boat. The one on the boat was the one who nature itself listened to.

His holiness was enough to strike fear and awe into their hearts.

Don’t fear the circumstances, God is in control of all your circumstances. Let the fear of God, the awe of God; drive away the fear of anything else in this world.