Having No Fear

Our sermon this evening is entitled, “Having No Fear.” I recall how back in the 1990’s there was a popular brand of clothing with the brand name No Fear. I read an Internet article from that same time period, which says the No Fear slogan “has come to symbolize a ‘cutting edge’ lifestyle” and has been adopted “as the motto for daring youth and extreme sports lovers.”(1)

The No Fear logo used to be sold on anything from clothing, to cell phones, to skateboards, and even motorcycles. I believe the No Fear items were so popular because they were icons of a character trait that many people wished they really had. I believe we all want to feel as though we have a good handle on life and that nothing ever shakes us; but in reality, we’re fearful creatures.

If you don’t think that people are fearful, then just take a look around. What are some common fears you might see when you observe the people you know? Well, some people fear growing old, some fear animals, some fear water, many people fear failure, some fear bad storms and tornadoes, others fear what the stock market is doing, and many individuals fear what the future holds.

What fears do we see when we consider the people who attend church? Well, some of them fear gossip, some fear meeting new people, some individuals fear that God will convict them of something that’s not right with their lives, and closely related to this is the fear of change. And some people even fear that certain church members might be conspiring against them. We all want to appear confident and unshakable, but most of us aren’t.

When the No Fear brand was popular, I believe that some people were actually hoping to identify themselves with the slogan or logo in the hope that it would make them less fearful; and perhaps more confident and brave. However, as one young man named Andy tells us, it won’t work. Andy says, “Does walking around in a sweatshirt that says No Fear really make you fearless? Of course it doesn’t . . . Fear is a part of the human condition . . . [however] I know that my security is in God who has promised never to leave me.”(2)

As we’ll see this evening, fear is a part of the human condition as Andy stated; however, our fears would cease if we could learn to place our trust in God, instead of in some man-made logo. Our fears could go away if we would place our hope in Jesus Christ, instead of in the false securities that we’ve built up through our occupations, activities, or the many masks we wear.

Fear Leads to Emotional Torment (1 John 4:18)

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.

The word “fear” is mentioned here four times. The Greek word for “fear” in this verse is phobos,(3) which is where we obtain our English word “phobia.” This information helps us understand a little better the message that’s being presented here. A phobia is defined as “an irrational persistent fear or dread,”(4) and “some mental health professionals would add that a phobia is a fear that interferes in a person’s life.”(5)

The fear that’s being talked about here is one that causes someone to react in ways that can disrupt his or her life in an unhealthy way. It’s a fear that controls a person’s life and can be destructive to personal relationships or even harm one’s mental health. We even read in this verse that “fear involves torment.” This torment is comprised of emotional suffering. Michel de Montaigne says, “The man who fears suffering is already suffering from what he fears.”(6)

Let me give you an extreme, but true example of what fear can do to harm a person’s life. Suppose a child fails to receive attention from his parents, and they tend to criticize him often. This child, who desires to please his parents, will try to do things just perfectly, hoping that they’ll be pleased with how neatly he grooms himself or by how tidy he keeps his room. He wants his parents to love him for doing these things; however, they fail to notice and so he tries even harder.

When this child grows up everything has to be perfect and in order, and since the world is so chaotic he retreats within himself. He can’t hold down a job and he stays at home in his own orderly self-created world. The person becomes critical and angers those closest to him; or he hides from people altogether. This is called OCD or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. As we can see, fear can become a very crippling and debilitating thing in our lives.