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Copyright December 12, 2021 by Rev Bruce Goettsche
The question we are asking in our Advent sermons is “Who are you looking for?”
Today we are going to look at those who are looking for someone who can calm their fears.
In the King James Bible, the phrase “fear not” is used 70 times.
However, we live in a “culture of fear.”
It seems every day we learn of new variants to the virus that has impacted our lives so drastically.
In addition, there is global terrorism, political turmoil, political correctness, riots and looting.
Candidate ads routinely use fear as the appeal to voters because attacks catering to our fears are very effective.
In our digital world, information and news is distributed so quickly that we feel like we are witnesses to every tragedy and we are aware of every “cause” on the planet.
Author Michael Reeves wrote,
Our private, daily routines are filled with still more sources of anxiety.
Take our diet, for example.
If you choose the full-fat version on the menu, you’re heading for a heart attack.
Yet we’re regularly confronted with the latest discovery that the low-calorie alternative is actually carcinogenic or harmful in some other way.
And so a low-grade fear starts with breakfast.
Or think of the paranoia surrounding parenting today.
The valid but usually overblown fear of the kidnapper lurking online or outside every school has helped fuel the rise of helicopter parenting and children more and more fenced in to keep them safe.
Small surprise, then, that universities are now expected to provide previously unheard-of “safe spaces” to protect or quarantine students.
Children have grown up so protected that they are not expected to be able to cope with opposing viewpoints or criticism.
It is just one indicator that they are considered more fragile than students were a generation ago.
(Rejoice and Tremble)
Fear is Not All Bad
We are not going to conclude, as some have, that taking precautions, getting vaccinated, adjusting your diet, or any other response to the fears of life is a lack of faith.
Fear is not necessarily bad.
It makes us alert and ready!
When we are teaching a person to drive we want them to fear the destructive power of a car or truck.
When someone is learning how to handle a gun, they need to learn to keep that weapon pointed away from people and fear the danger such weapons can cause.
When a person starts taking flying lessons, they must know that their mistakes could cause them to lose their life.
Fear is a heightened awareness that promotes a readiness for action.
At times we need this “rush” to do what needs to be done to protect ourselves or get motivated to action.
However, when we are at this heightened state of alert and alarm all the time, it is hard on our system and can have damaging and even deadly effects.
Sinful Fear
Fear is sinful when we choose to be afraid rather than trust God.
The Bible teaches that our fears increase as our fear of God decreases!
The “fear of the Lord” is indeed the beginning of wisdom when it comes to overcoming ungodly fear.
Ungodly fear comes from loving the things of the world too much.
The more we love something, the more we fear losing it.
As such, the more we begin to cling to the things of this world, the more we fear losing these things.
They become our comfort and strength rather than the Lord.
That is called idolatry.
Godly Fear
We read all these verses that tell us not to fear and then we are told: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
(Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 9:10 NIV) What does this mean?
We are supposed to fear God instead of fearing others and the bad circumstances of life?
In a word, YES!
This is the key to overcoming the debilitating fear that can paralyze our lives.
The less boundaries there are in life, the more we have to fear.
No craziness seems to be restrained so now we must keep our heads on a swivel.
Schools must beware of the mental unbalance of a student who owns a gun; Managers in a business must fear that a former employee may come back and get even with everyone and anyone.
You don’t know what word will provide a spark to set off an explosion in another person.
You are even more scared to drive in bigger cities because of road rage or people shooting at folks from an overpass.
When law is eliminated, you are left with anarchy where we must then fear the people in power who can arrest and kill at will.
Oswald Chambers has written, "The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.
To fear God is to recognize His superior strength, wisdom, and authority.
Just as a police officer carries a gun, a baton, and possibly a stun gun to enforce their authority; God has the power to destroy, afflict and to send someone to Hell.
Law-abiding people don’t have to fear a police officer (and we know there are some bad ones which we would fear), only the criminals do.
Likewise, someone who respects and heeds the authority of God need not be in terror of God.
He is a loving God.
The Apostle Paul wrote
“Notice how God is both kind and severe.
He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in his kindness.
But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off.”
(Romans 11:22)
We should rightly fear God when we understand the holiness of God.
There are times when policeman may overreact or skirt the law, God never does.
He is pure and will not tolerate sin and rebellion.
He possesses all power and will punish eternally those who spurn Him.
No one can stand against Him and survive.
We fear God because we know we are sinful people who cannot save ourselves.
We deserve the judgment of God! Bethlehem is a picture of God’s rescue plan!
Our fear of God includes our awe for His incredible love.
One of the two Hebrew words that are used for “fear” denotes a physical experience: of being overwhelmed, of weak-kneed trembling, of being staggeringly discomposed.
This can take place with a positive or negative experience.
We can shake in terror or shake with adoration.
Think about meeting your favorite singer, ballplayer, author, or someone else you admire.
You might tremble to meet them and become completely undone.
This is what the fear of God does for the believer.
We see Him in His power, excellence, justice, and also in His grace, mercy, and love.
That combination is the fear of the Lord for the Christian.
When we have seen God in His staggering greatness, the fears we face daily begin to seem puny by comparison.
As Paul said in Romans 8,
31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these?
If God is for us, who can ever be against us?
32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own?
No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself.
34 Who then will condemn us?
No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.
So once again we discover that the key to overcoming our fear is to understand and embrace the reason Jesus came to earth in Bethlehem.
He came to live a life free of sin, to die for our sin, and rise for us to know we are forgiven.
He came to teach us and show us how to live the life that is now ours because of Christ.
Dealing with Fear in Life
So far, we have been dealing with the theological distinctives about fear.
Let’s get practical.
How do we keep from being afraid . . .
· When life suddenly takes a seemingly bad turn
· When the Doctor delivers a bad report
· When you feel you are beginning to “slip” in your cognitive abilities
· When the company is downsizing, or your income is being threatened
· When children are rebellious and making bad choices
· When you are in new and seemingly dangerous surroundings
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