Why Are You Afraid?
Teachings of Jesus • Sermon • Submitted
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· 767 viewsThis sermon is intended to learn from the teachings of Jesus on our fears and the wonder of our faith's ability to overcome those fears... even fear of eternal damnation.
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Introduction
Introduction
Doesn’t fear and faith seem to oppose each other? If I have faith I should never be afraid, Right?
for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
We see Paul reminds Timothy to not have a spirit of fear. Why? Because that is a difficult thing that will face those who are trying to be obedient to Him. There will be a tendency to feel as though we have no power and no self control. Paul tells Timothy the same thing He would tell you. God gave us a spirit of power and love and self control.
So, do we have something to be afraid of?
Fear has a tendency to either immobilize men or seriously affect their activity.
Having faith doesn’t mean we aren’t scared. We all have many things to be afraid of especially as time goes on and the world becomes less safe to live in. Some are afraid to leave their homes for a number of fears. Is it sinful to fear? Are we supposed to be stoic where the good and bad in life do not affect us one way or another? If that were the case, we would need to stop being human. Those who desire to glorify God with their lives overcome their fear to do what faith requires in their lives.
Jesus Responds to Fear
Jesus Responds to Fear
And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”
After preaching the sermon to His disciples about how God has to be at the center of their lives, Jesus leaves the crowds with His disciples on a boat which is probably a boat just big enough to hold the few of them. This probably isn’t some Yacht or even a boat with some downstairs bedding area because these many of them were fishermen.
The boat is being tossed here and there by the sea and it gets to the point where everyone believes that they will soon go under. The boat was being swamped and there is pretty much no way that anyone would sleep through a storm like that. Yet, Jesus lays there calmly until they wake Him up.
Does Jesus’ appear to think of dying from the storm? Of course not! His faith is so great that any fear of the weather is non existent.
He says, “Why are you afraid? O you of little faith?” The amount of fear that is in them has overcome them. They are unable to see how God could help them stay safe. They are in the boat with the man who God has chosen to be the Christ and they are terrified. They believe they are going to die. Have you ever been scared to death? Maybe you were in the middle of a wreck or maybe a loud gunshot went off right behind you. If you have ever had a near death experience you may have felt a glimpse of the terror they felt and maybe you cried at the realization that you had a close call.
Jesus rose after saying that and changed the weather with a word. In an instant they went from their last hope to complete calm. The men marvelled. Why couldn’t they have seen that the same man who God has granted the power to remove disease and heal all sorts of afflictions has been given more power than that.
As long as Jesus was in the boat with them, they have nothing to fear.
We have nothing to fear either!
We have nothing to fear either!
As the disciples shouldn’t have feared death, we should not be afraid of death. The worse thing that can happen to us is being condemned before God and that is not something we ought to fear. If you do fear condemnation then you need to make a change.
If you remember, the last sermon was all about how Jesus wanted us to have our lives centered on fulfilling the will of God as He did. That is a sign of one who is truly a disciple and follower of His. There is a parallel to this section of that is found in . Paul speaks about having a mind focused on God as well. Then, he helps us see how that is where the true assurance is found.
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
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Because God sent the Christ to set us free, we can now understand that going to God is not just focused on our flesh. We shouldn’t either. We should instead focus on God. All thinking that revolves around sin is killing our love for God. That is the enemy.
The one thing that ought to transform our thinking away from sin is the realization of what God has done for us.
So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
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There is our word! Because we recognize that we are no longer condemned, we respond with a life that is so focused on serving our God of whom we are not afraid. We don’t believe that God wants to crush us. We don’t believe that God has saved us so that we can go on sinning. We believe that God has saved us so that we can overcome sin. Knowledge of His working and expectation LIVES in us! He has given us a spirit of POWER and LOVE and SELF CONTROL through His deeds.
For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
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There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
Conclusion
Conclusion
The life I live, I live for God
Without fear of anything that man can do to me
Without fear of death
Without fear of God’s righteous judgment