Grace Church
257 Kendall Street
Burlington, WI 53105

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How to be free from the Fear Factor 2 Timothy 1:7 Dealing with Feelings Sermon Series  Sermon #4 [Open with Film Clip from Signs in the cornfield at night] If you swore that you would never take another shower after Psycho or swim in the ocean again after Jaws, then you’ll probably never walk through another cornfield after seeing Signs. What’s amazing is that Americans still enjoy horror movies when life itself has become so frightening. It’s a terrifying day and ours is a frightening world. Terrorism, war, bio-terrorism, carjackings, West Nile Virus, economic melt down – are just a few things that the general public is afraid of. During the Cold War we had fallout shelters. Today we’re stocking up on duct tape, plastic sheeting and gas masks. “Weapons of mass destruction” was voted 2002's word of the year. Then, there are still natural disasters like tornadoes and more than a third of us are petrified of snakes. How about relational fears? Noted youth authority, Josh McDowell, says, “Two of the greatest fears people struggle with today are the fear that they will never be loved and the fear that they will never be able to love.” What parent, as they held their first child, hasn’t feared that they just weren’t up to the task or feared for the future for their kids? Then, there is a dread of conflict, fear of what others might say or do, death, failure, commitment, not being accepted, etc., etc...   H.P. Lovecraft said, “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear.”  We are a frightened culture and it is painful. The Apostle John wrote, “fear involves torment” (1 Jn. 4:18, NKJV). But our loving Heavenly Father does not want us to live in fear. Turn to 2 Timothy 1:7 (p. 842). I like the NKJV translates this, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Nearly 100 times in Scripture you will find God encouraging His people, “Do not be afraid.” God does not want us to suffer from fear and He certainly does not want us to be, as so many are, imprisoned by our fears. Our loving Heavenly Father wants you and I to be free from the Fear Factor. That’s the purpose of our talk this morning, to help you understand and control your fear. 1. What is fear? Webster’s defines fear as “an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger.” Everyone deals with fear at some level. It’s part of the human condition.   Whoever came up with the popular slogan “No Fear” probably ate too many psychedelic mushrooms. An absence of fear in a sin-contaminated world is impossible and foolish. The words fear or afraid are found close to 500 times in the Bible. Several Greek words are used for fear in the New Testament with various depth of meaning related to fear. Phobos is a general term for fear or terror. Deilia refers to timidity. Eulabeia refers to caution and ekphobos means greatly terrified.   Note: What does the Bible mean by “the fear of the Lord?” Frequently, Scripture refers to “the fear of the Lord.” The most familiar passages are in the Book of Proverbs where this phrase occurs fourteen times, Prov. 1:7 (p. 449). The fear of the Lord is a reverential trust in God that make us want to please and obey Him. It means to respect or reverence Him, which in turn will produce obedience. It protects us from carelessness or being sacrilegious. Fearing the Lord is the key to successful living. This healthy reverence enables us to know God, praise Him, enjoy His many benefits and blessings and to rest in His peace and security. Martin Luther said, "Being afraid of God is different from fearing God. The fear of God is a fruit of love, but being afraid of Him is the seed of hatred. Therefore we should not be afraid of God but should fear Him, so that we do not hate Him Whom we should love."   But there are two sides of “the fear of the Lord.” The one God wants for us produces reverence and obedience. The other “fear of the Lord” is a result of not knowing Him and causes us to cower in dread and terror in anticipation of His wrath and judgment. 2. All fear has a common root. Dr. Myron Hofer of the New York State Psychiatric states that “Anxiety is probably the first emotion that an infant experiences, at the moment of birth and separation from the mother.” Isn’t it interesting that you do not have to teach a child to have fear? And yet God is never afraid. Fear then is not part of our original design as image-bearers, those made in the image of God. Though Jesus experienced the vast array of human emotions, never once was He afraid, even when facing the horror of the Cross. So where does fear come from? Gen. 3:10 is the first time fear is mentioned in Scripture. Adam said to God after the Fall, after He had disobeyed God, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid...” Fear is a result of sin. Before Adam and Eve sinned there was no death. They were in perfect harmony with God, each other and all of nature – there was nothing to fear. Prior to the Fall Adam and Eve lived out 1 John 4:18, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” When Adam and Eve experienced perfect love with their Creator and with one another, wonderfully, there was no fear. While it is not a sin to feel fear, fear is a by-product of sin.   Please be aware that fear is used by Satan against us to thwart God’s will and plans. Dr. Roland Leavell in his book, Evangelism: Christ’s Imperative Commission, wrote that fear is the number one cause that hinders Christians from witnessing. It’s fear that hinders us from trusting God. Fear is what caused Abraham to lie and deny that Sarah was his wife. Fear is what caused the Children of Israel to doubt God and believe the ten spies. And they wandered the wilderness for forty years as a result. Fear is what caused Peter to deny the Lord. Fear finds its roots in sin and often causes us to sin more. 3. Fear falls into three basic categories. So, what are you afraid of? What is it that sends goose bumps up and down your spine, brings your heart up into your throat and makes you want to throw up just thinking about it? Snakes, heights, spiders, enclosed spaces?   Most of those things have been explored at some point on one of the new shows...Fear Factor. The typical show begins with six contestants, three male and three female. During the next hour these people compete to see who will win the $50,000 prize that’s given away each week. Contestants have jumped between moving trucks, leapt out of twelve story buildings, bobbed for plums in a tub of snakes and been buried in 300,000 worms. Add to that they’ve eaten eyes, brains, bugs and body parts we don’t discuss in polite company. When Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” he obviously hadn’t watched this show. Basically, Fear falls into three basic categories: Healthy, Imagined and Irrational.   A. Healthy Fear – An article in one Medical Journal stated, “The man who knows no fear is not only a gross exaggeration, he is a biological impossibility.” That’s the case with the contestants on the Fear Factor. All you have to do is watch their faces to know that in many cases it’s not a matter of not being afraid, as much as it is of conquering fear. It’s fear that helps us protect ourselves. It provides us with sudden bursts of energy and strength when we need it. It’s a basic survival instinct.   It’s healthy fear that protects us when we’re driving on the highway and a drunk driver careens into our lane. Healthy fear is what keeps us from playing with fire or being cautious with electricity. Fear often keeps us alive. Leonardo Da Vinci made this comment, “Just as courage imperils life; fear protects it.”   Sometimes it’s healthy fear that motivates a student to study or an athlete to practice. They fear failure and shame. Even God uses a healthy fear of hell and judgment to bring men to Himself. God uses fear to keep us from sin. All fear is not bad.   B. Imagined Fear – Many small children are afraid of the dark. They’re afraid of the “bogey man.” When we become adults, we’re often still afraid of the “bogey man.” He’s just a little more sophisticated. According to one source, our top fears are: speaking before a group, heights, insects and bugs, financial problems, deep water, disease, flying, dogs, driving or riding in a car. Most of those fall into this category of imagined fears. It’s imagined fear that causes many to be paranoid of going to the dentist, or crowds, or even driving in Chicago.   Many believers live spiritually emaciated lives because they are victims of imagined fear. They fear being unemployed, or some disease, or that their mate or children will abandon them. And they are violating Phil. 4:8 which commands us to think on things that are true!      One study estimates that 60% of our fears are unfounded; 20% are already behind us; 10% are so petty that they don’t make any real difference; about 5% are real but they are out of our control and we can’t do anything about them. The bottom line is that about 5% of our fears that we think about are “real” fears that we can actually do something about.   And imagined fear can cause us to do some really silly things. An older woman decided to go to Las Vegas even though she was advised not to because of the possibility of being mugged or robbed. She got on an elevator in her hotel only to have four large black men get on with her the next floor. After the doors closed one man said "Hit the floor." And she did. She got on her hands and knees immediately, as these four men were first shocked and then amused. The told her to get up as they had meant to tell the one near the controls to push the button for their floor. The woman was mortified and embarrassed and left to go to her room. Later that afternoon flowers along with a note were delivered to her. The note said "Thanks for the best laugh I’ve had in a long time!" and it was signed “Lionel Richie.” Please don’t let imagined fear contaminate your life?   C. Irrational Fear – Healthy fear is like a fire alarm. It signals us of danger and calls our mind and body to respond for survival. Unfortunately, many people’s alarm and their responses to the alarm have been set incorrectly over the years. Some parents program their children with repeated lies such as, "If you don’t get A’s in your report card, you will be a failure in life." We produce perfectionist adults who are afraid of ever failing. The media has programmed the fear alarm of many Americans. The responses are paranoid thoughts that interfere with reality. Even painful childhood experiences program many to fear things that adults need no longer to fear. Sexually abused children have problems with intimacy as adults. And finally, distorted concepts of God produce fear in people. Many want nothing to do with God. Others have relationships with God that are characterized by guilt and shame.   Those are irrational fears and if they are not controlled, they can result in psychotic behavior. Proverbs 28:1 says, “The wicked man flees though no one pursues...” He’s succumbed to irrational fear.   Linda Welch had the painful experience, at the age of 35, of seeing her mother die from cancer. The suffering was horrible. Linda nursed her until the end. She did all she could to make her mother more comfortable, but mostly she had to just sit and watch her slowly getting worse. As the disease progressed, Linda was affected by it as well–in her emotions and thoughts. A few months later, Linda had a severe and persistent sore throat and became convinced that it was cancer. She knew she couldn't go through the pain and suffering her mother had endured. She reasoned that this world was a cruel place and that she and her two children would be better off in heaven. Notes that she left indicated that she was extremely anxious about the cancer in her throat. So one day Linda took a gun and shot her five‑year‑old daughter, her ten‑year‑old son, and finally herself. Her actions were the horrible end result of irrational fear. The tragic thing is that an autopsy revealed that Linda's throat condition was not cancer, but simply a strep infection. 4. Fear is costly. Katherine Paterson said, “To fear is one thing. To let fear grab you by the tail and swing you around is another.”   Fear takes a toll on our bodies. Dr. Walter Cannon, a pioneer researcher in psychosomatic medicine at Harvard University describes what happens to the human body when it becomes fearful: "Respiration deepens; the heart beats more rapidly; the arterial pressure rises; the blood is shifted from the stomach and intestines to the heart, central nervous system, and the muscles; the processes of the alimentary canal cease; sugar is freed from the reserves in the liver; the spleen contracts and discharges its contents of concentrated corpuscles, and adrenalin is secreted." Fear is costly. It can make you sick and even kill you prematurely.   While fear costs us emotionally, physically and relationally, fear costs us the most spiritually. Scripture contains several illustrations of this. The Jews certainly lost much because of their fear when they came to the borders of Canaan. But let’s look at one in the New Testament this morning, John 11:1-16 (p. 760). Fear cost the disciples. F. B. Meyer said, “Unbelief puts our circumstances between us and God but faith puts God between us and our circumstances.” Look what fear cost the disciples.   A. Fear blinded them to the needs of others. While Jesus had an eternal purpose in delaying going to Judea so that He would have the opportunity to demonstrate His power in raising Lazarus and demonstrate that He truly was the Messiah. That wasn’t why the disciples delayed. Though they cared for Mary, Martha and Lazarus, they cared for their own skins more. Bethany was a place of danger for Jesus and his disciples, v. 8. Fear blinded them to the needs of others, even those that we love. Many times fear so distracts us that we don’t care for our families or others in the Body of Christ.   B. Fear causes us to doubt God’s power. While the disciples were concerned for Jesus’ safety, the bottom line is that they did not have confidence in His power. When sudden fears come upon us we tend to forget Jesus’ words in Matt. 28:18: “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Jesus is omnipotent, not impotent. The victory over terrorism out there and in our own hearts will only be won on our knees. Fear is always the enemy of faith. It was fear that kept Israel from entering the Promised Land for forty years. Fear paralyzes us spiritually. Sadly, when we are afraid – we tend to focus on our fear – which only causes our fear to grow.      Fear can render us unmovable, even leading us to do irrational things. People wonder why Elizabeth Smart’s sister didn’t alert her parents when her sister was abducted; but we’ve learned now that she actually tried to. She got up to tell her parents, but saw the kidnapper still in the house and ran back to her bed. She was undoubtedly frozen in terror, frightened into inaction.   C. Fear causes us to lose time. Jesus’ allusion in verse 9 is that God is sovereign and in control. We are invulnerable in this world until our work for the Lord is done. For example, as much as the Jews wanted to kills Jesus, He did not go to the Cross until His hour, which was already predetermined in eternity past, had come. The Apostle Paul was not taken home to be with the Lord until he had finished the race. We need remember that God is in control and not allow fear to cause us to lose precious time.   D. Fear clouds our spiritual understanding. Remember the expression, “blinded by fear?” That problem occurs spiritually. That’s Jesus’ point in vss. 10-15. The disciples had no spiritual discernment because they were overwhelmed by fear. But the term “asleep” is common in the Old Testament as a reference to death. Finally, Jesus tells them, “Lazarus is dead.”   And He makes His purpose clear in verse 15: “And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him.” Jesus is perfecting what is lacking in their faith. He is showing His disciples how to win the war against fear: We must live by faith not by sight. We must live by faith, not by our feelings of fear.   E. Fear causes us to be pessimists. Doesn’t Thomas sound like Eyeore from Winnie the Pooh in v. 16? In his mind the outcome had already been determined – they would die. What He failed to do was to trust God with the results; He left God out of the formula. The end result of this trip to Bethany was not death but resurrection, the miraculous resurrection of Lazarus. And God was glorified!   One day in July, a farmer sat in front of his shack, smoking his corncob pipe. Along came a stranger who asked, "How’s your cotton coming?" "Ain’t got none," was the answer. "Didn’t plant none. ’Fraid of the boll weevil." "Well, how’s your corn?" "Didn’t plant none. ’Fraid o’ drought." “How about your potatoes?" "Ain’t got none. Scairt o’ tater bugs." The stranger finally asked, "Well, what did you plant?" "Nothin’," answered the farmer. "I just played it safe." Fear causes us to “play it safe” and it costs us spiritually. What’s fear costing you? What’s the bill? 5. You really can be free from fear...Whenever John Wesley felt afraid he would just pause to pray and praise God for the fact that He was still on the throne of heaven ruling all things well. Wesley wrote, "I have never known more than fifteen minutes of anxiety or fear. Whenever, I feel fearful emotions overtaking me I just close my eyes and thank God that He is still on the throne reigning over everything and I take comfort in His control over all the affairs of my life.” How can you and experience that same freedom that Wesley had?   A. Honestly confront your fear/s. Most long for fear to simply vanish or to magically disappear. It isn’t going to. If you want to defeat fear, you take it on. You have to go nose to nose with it, just like David did with Goliath. Pick up your stones and step forward. Seek to determine what’s at the root of your fears. Sometimes we don’t know what we’re afraid of. Look a little deeper and get a specific reading on what is causing your feelings. Ask God for wisdom and to search your heart for you. He knows where the problem lies, but you need to let Him show you. Take a stand and face your fear in God’s power.   B. Confess surrendering to fear as sin. Surrendering to fear is doubt and the sin of disobedience. God commands us to “Fear not.” When we dwell in fear, we are staying in sin. Now everyone will have fleeting moments of fear. The problem is when we make our “home” there. When we do and we realize it, then we need to come to God and confess it as sin.   Now some are going to say, “I can’t help the way that I feel.” To a point that’s true. I can control continuing in those feelings. Just as my thoughts are under my control so are my feelings. While I cannot control what pops into my head, I can control what stays there. The same is true with feelings of fear. We can volitionally choose to obey God’s voice and replace fear with the fruits of the Spirit. Why not ask God to help you replace fear with His peace. Ps 34:4  promises “I sought the LORD, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears.” To walk with God is to walk fearlessly. Identify the fear, then confess it. As we bring our fear before God and own up to it, we do one other thing. We repent. That means to turn our back on the sin and go another direction. We set aside fear and begin taking steps of victory in Christ.   C. Claim the promises of God’s protection. Scripture is the Sword of the Spirit. Victory over fear means that we have to pick up the Sword. Many believers simply do not realize the treasure that lies at their fingertips. The Bible is filled with practical promises. If you struggle with fear, let me encourage you to buy some three‑by‑five cards. Write down promises in the Bible about victory over fear. Memorize them. Put them in places that you’ll see them every day like the visor in your car or inside your medicine cabinet or in your wallet or purse. God’s Word has power. Claim His promises. When Satan attacked Jesus in the wilderness, He repelled him with Scripture.   D. Cultivate a closer relationship with God. When children are frightened, who do they run to? Their parents. They feel safe in their parents’ presence. The same is true spiritually. Do you practice the presence of God? He’s always there. Are you faithfully in His Word? Are you letting Him speak to you? Do you spend time with His people? Our fear level is ultimately a referendum on the closeness of our friendship with God. It’s a spiritual yardstick. Do you see things in human dimensions or godly ones? As we spend time with our Heavenly Father, it becomes easier to stand against fear. We’ve seen His power, His love and faithfulness. We’ve seen that His purposes are the best for us. If you have “the fear of God,” you won’t fear the things of this world. If you don’t have the fear of God, then everything else is to be feared.   I John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” The opposite of fear is not courage or trust, it’s love. Parents understand this principle. They know that little children often wake up in the dark of night and are afraid of the darkness. They don’t rush in the room and say, “Be courageous” or “Trust me.” No, we assure the child of our love.    Trusting and resting in God’s love frees us from fear. We’ll lift that child in our arms, hold them tightly to us and speak softly with assurance. We tell them that we love them and everything is all right. We help him realize he’s in a safe place, and that we’re very near as he sleeps, even if it’s dark; we will always protect him. And we pour in all the love we can until the fear is cast out, and our little child sleeps in peace. That’s exactly what our Heavenly Father does for us when we call on Him.   Harry Ironside, a great preacher from years ago, told the story of playing a game called Bears with his young son. The grownup would be the bear, and he’d chase the boy all over the house. But one day the game got a bit too intense. The boy was cornered by the “bear,” and he suddenly became truly frightened. It wasn’t a game anymore. He hid his face, trembling, and then turned around quickly and threw himself into his father’s arms with the words, “I’m not afraid of you! You’re my Daddy!”   Our Heavenly Father wants us to leap into His arms that way when we’re afraid. He wants us to realize who He really is, and that we do not need to ever fear. The key to that assurance is love, the opposite of fear. To experience fully the love of God is to sense the deepest security in our hearts. It’s to trust that God loves us so much He’ll always fold us in His arms; that He’ll always be near, even when it’s dark; that He’s our “Daddy” and we do not need to be afraid.   E. Commit Your Life to Jesus Christ. There is one huge fear that each human being must face...the greatest fear that we all face is Death itself. God does not want death to terrify us. Death was conquered on the Cross. But you cannot have freedom from the fear of death unless you have committed your life to Christ, unless Jesus Christ is truly your Lord and Savior. Is He?   Personally, I’m not eager to die. I happen to love life. I’m devoted to this ministry and my family. Yet it is a wonderful thing to come to a sense of peace about the finality of this life. It’s good to be able to say, “I’m not afraid to die.” The Apostle Paul understood that it’s a win‑win situation for God’s people. He wrote, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21). We can stay on earth and experience the joy of Christ or move on to the next life and occupy those mansions He’s gone to prepare. Either way, we’ve got it made. Why fear the doorway that leads to the next one? God does not want us to fear even death. Conclusion: In an interview for Discipleship Journal, J. I. Packer, the eminent British theologian who wrote Knowing God, was asked what gives him joy.  "The first and basic thing," he responded, "[is] knowing that I am a child of God‑‑knowing that I am secure in His hands, that He is my Heavenly Father, that this is His world and everything that happens to me is programmed by Him for my good, so that in the deepest sense I have nothing to worry about. I would testify in any company," Packer went on, "to the fact that this is the complete opposite of where I was and what I was before I became a Christian...Because then I was running, if not scared, at least nervous.  I was insecure. I didn't know where I was.  I was frightened of many things.  And God has changed all that.  There is joy in the knowledge of that relationship."   Do you want freedom from fear? Accept the Father’s love and salvation. Claim His promises and cling to Him, knowing that you are safe in the arms of the Father.   During World War II when the Holocaust took the lives of millions of people, Solomon Rosenberg, his wife, their two sons, and his mother and father were arrested and placed in a Nazi concentration camp. It was a labor camp, and the rules were simple. "As long as you can do your work, you are permitted to live. When you become too weak to do your work, then you are exterminated." Solomon Rosenberg watched his mother and father marched off to their deaths. He knew that next would be his youngest son, David, because David had always been a frail child. Every evening Solomon Rosenberg came back into the barracks after his hours of labor and searched for the faces of his family. When he found them they would huddle together, embrace one another, and thank God for another day of life. One day he came back and didn’t see those familiar faces. He finally discovered his oldest son, Joshua, in a corner, huddled, weeping, and praying. He said, "Josh, tell me it’s not true." Joshua turned and said, "It is true, Poppa. Today David was not strong enough to do his work. So they came for him." "But where is your mother?" asked Mr. Rosenberg. "Oh Poppa," he said, "When they came for David, he was afraid and he cried. Momma said, `There is nothing to be afraid of, David,’ and she took his hand and went with him."    My friend, even with our worst enemy, even in death, there is no reason for fear. Place your hand in the hand of the Father and let Him walk you through the valley of the Shadow.   God does not want us to live in fear. This morning please give Him all of your fears and replace them with His promises. Let Him fill your heart with the assurance of His love and His peace. You can be free. But you can only be free if you trust Him!