1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
Love is the way someone feels proven by the way they act. When we are loved with perfect love, there is no need for fear, for we know we will be treated perfectly.
We are currently engaged in two series each week. On Sunday mornings we are learning how to identify and defeat the enemies of the soul. This coming Sunday we will expose the “Perizzite”: An enemy bent on destroying the moral, ethical and social standards of a godly life.
Tonight we will conclude our six part mid-week series by studying Faith that Works in the Face of Fear. In the next few minutes we will answer the two questions for the week namely: What does God want me to believe and What does He want me to do when fear comes knocking at my door.
We have all been surprised with bad news, threatened with uncertainties, and tempted to be afraid. Health, money, marriage, children, crime, violence and war all give rise to the temptations to fear. However, the scriptures encourage us to put our trust in God and to not allow fear to overshadow or consume our faith in Him. God loves us perfectly and is always by our side. However, those without God have cause for great fear. Jesus described the end times and the tribulation in:
Luke 21:26 “men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken."
The Bible speaks of fear more than 400 times and more than 60 times specifically tells us to “fear not”. Fear freezes life. Fear is not the same as hurt, disappointment or regret. Fear is a force that actively tries to pull us away from God, isolate us and destroy our productive lives. We must be both strong in our faith and courageous in our actions in order to address and defeat fear.
Moses was a strong and courageous man. The people who followed Moses out of Egypt and through the wilderness did not doubt Moses’ faith or his willingness to stand face to face with the enemy, including Pharaoh himself. The people saw Moses go up against every obstacle and against all odds as he led the Children of Israel for more than 40 years. They even saw Moses approach God on Mount Sinai while it shook and was covered with thick dark clouds of glory, while the thundering rang loudly with the voice of God. This was something that everyone else feared to do … Moses was definitely a man of great courage and strength and he knew God loved him perfectly. Moses was not afraid.
Moses knew what most do not realize. Facing the enemies of this life is nothing when compared to facing the Creator of the Universe. If you can face God, you can face anything … and Moses knew the secret to facing God. However, Moses could not continue to lead the Children of Israel forever, he was just a man. There came a time when someone else should take over the leadership. Moses knew Joshua would face the same temptations as did he and Moses wanted him to be prepared. Let’s follow this account in:
Deuteronomy 31
1 ¶ Then Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel.
2 And he said to them: “I am one hundred and twenty years old today. I can no longer go out and come in. Also the LORD has said to me, ‘You shall not cross over this Jordan.’
3 “The LORD your God Himself crosses over before you; He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua himself crosses over before you, just as the LORD has said.
4 “And the LORD will do to them as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites and their land, when He destroyed them.
5 “The LORD will give them over to you, that you may do to them according to every commandment which I have commanded you.
6 “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
7 Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it.
8 “And the LORD, He is the one who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”
So many times people quote Joshua 1:9 where God said to Joshua, “Be strong and courageous, do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord you God is with you wherever you go”, without realizing that God was not the first one to say these words to Joshua … Moses was. As well, God and Moses weren’t the only two who made these demands of leadership on Joshua. Moses told Joshua; God told Joshua; The Elders told Joshua; and in the end, Joshua repeated these same words to himself and told them to the people around him. “Do not be afraid!”
Joshua 10:25 Then Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage, for thus the LORD will do to all your enemies against whom you fight.”
Why, because fear freezes us in our tracks! Fear can keep us from moving forward in faith. Fear can freeze and incapacitate, immobilize and render useless. Fear can grip the heart and fill the mind and shut the body down. Moses was a man who did not allow bad news or uncertainties to stop him. Moses knew the secret to facing fear. It is the same secret that gave him the strength and courage to face God in the thick darkness of the unknown. Remember, if we can face God with confidence, we can face anything.
What is the secret to facing God? Being right with Him! We can do this only through our faith and obedience to God’s Word and will. This righteousness comes when we make Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior of our lives. Our faith in Jesus and our obedience to repent and receive Him in our heart is that born-again experience that makes us right with God. Moses did this at the burning bush where he met with Jesus, the Angel of the Lord, and accepted the call of God for his life.
Psalms 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?
When we are right with God, there is nothing to fear … not in this world nor in the world to come. So, providing you are born-again, what are the answers to our questions tonight?
- What should I believe in the face of fear?
2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
- The fear that shuts us down and robs us of confidence is not God! God loves you perfectly. He is not trying to make you afraid. God does not want you to be afraid of anything. Fear won’t help.
- Believe the Word of God … every Word of God brings redemption for the Believer. Believe the simple and powerful Word of God.
- Trust God above the voices which are trying to make you feel afraid and freeze your life.
- You are God’s beloved!
- What should I do in the face of fear?
- Be courageous and face the fear.
- Tell fear it has to go – just like Moses, Joshua, David and Peter did.
- Act in faith. (Don’t react in fear or react to the fear and do something stupid or crazy. Don’t allow fear to push you either way … simply act in faith towards God as you would act if you weren’t afraid.)
- Courage is not the absence of fear, it is facing fear and doing what we would do if we weren’t tempted to let fear rule us. Courage is what we do in the face of the fear.
- What would you do if you weren’t afraid? Well do that! (Providing it does not violate the Word, Will or Ways of God.)
If you are not born-again, the first step is to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior and begin a new life trusting and obeying Him. God loves you perfectly. Get right and stay right with God without regard as to what the enemy of fear says to you.
God has got you covered!
Additional Scripture References:
Psalms 91
1 ¶ He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”
3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence.
4 He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you.
8 Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the reward of the wicked.
9 ¶ Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
10 No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
11 For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways.
12 In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation.”
2 Kings 6:16 “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
John 19:38 ¶ After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus.
Acts 27:24 “saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.’
Hebrews 2:15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
Romans 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
Revelation 2:10 “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
1 Chronicles 28:20 And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.
