FEAR ONE
- 2 Timothy is a letter written by the Apostle Paul to his son in the Lord, Timothy
- Timothy at this time was pastoring the church at Ephesus, one of the churches Paul himself had planted on a previous missionary journey
- 2 Timothy, written about AD 66 or 67 is Paul’s last letter before his execution but he takes one last opportunity to encourage the young church and its leaders ……..he begins to write:
2 Tim 1:3-4
3 I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day,
4 greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy,
- he talks of the great faith that Timothy’s mother and grandmother had and says ….“I am persuaded that that faith now lives in you”
2 Tim 1:6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
- stir up the gift of God, stir it up, kindle it, get it going, let it burst into flame
- Timothy, ……. there is a deposit of Christ in you, stir it up, let it come forth, don’t let it stay buried
- and then Paul addresses something that can stifle that gift
2 Tim 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
- the word “fear” is from the root of a Greek word meaning "faithless, fearful, cowardly"
- so we could also say:
- God has not given us a timid spirit
- God has not given us a faithless spirit
- God has not given us a cowardly spirit
- God has not given us a fearful spirit
- two important things to see from this passage:
1) fear is not from God, so if it does not come from God, then where does it come from?
2) fear is a spirit, it is not a character quality, it is a spirit ….a spirit of fear, not merely an emotion a spirit of fear, a demonic spirit
- Paul is speaking here of the kind of fear that disabilitates someone, a fear that causes you anguish or does not allow you to do certain things
- a fear of flying, fear of public speaking, fear of closed spaces, fear of death … the fear Paul speaks about here is that type of fear that hinders your walk in Christ, it limits you, prevents you from doing certain things
- on the positive side, as this verse points out, we have a sound mind
- there are certain things we do not do, because of that sound mind, like jumping off a bridge with a rope tied around your ankle
- some might say well you are fearful of jumping off this bridge with a rope around you foot
- that is not really a fear issue, but a healthy respect for the law of gravity, because we have a sound mind…… but we need to use it
- the fear Paul addresses here in this verse…..is that kind of fear that cripples, it stops you dead, it shuts your mouth, it disabilitates you
- then after you beat yourself up and say “next time I am going to be an over comer”
- and we battle our own flesh and blood, often beating ourselves up, because ..well we messed up again…. Why couldn’t I be stronger .. we ask ourselves
- your aiming at the wrong target, because fear is a spirit
- to the same church that Timothy is pastoring, Paul writes:
Eph 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
- be bold, be strong for the Lord Thy God is with you!!!
- almost the same words that the Lord spoke to Joshua, after the death of Moses
Josh 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."
But let me continue in Ephesians:
11 Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
- Paul is saying “know what your target is” ..........you fight a spiritual battle, with spiritual weapons
- if you get nothing else from this message please get this:
Our battle is not against flesh and blood, our battle is not against other people, people are not the enemy, our own selves are not the enemy
Our enemy is Satan and the demonic realm that have one purpose and that is to devour you, to destroy you.......... stop fighting people, stop beating yourself up and learn to target your real enemy
- 2 Cor 2:11 reminds us ........For we are not unaware of his schemes.
- Ephesians 6:11 told us to “stand against the devil’s scheme’s”
- this word “schemes” means..........cunning arts, deceit, craft, trickery
- and one his major weapons is “fear”
- here is an example: .........Toronto Star a while back had an article on Cancer with the headlines that
1 in 4 Canadians will die of cancer
- 30 million of us in this country, so 7.5 million will die
- what does that do in people’s minds.......creates fear
- the average family is 4 people............. one will die...... creates fear
Prov 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
- we can either bless with our mouths or we can curse…. we can either build up or tear down
- God’s word reminds me of this:
Isa 54:17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn.
- so we can either choose to live our lives based on fear or live our lives based on God’s Word
- there are so many fears and phobias out there it is incredible
- understand that fear is a prison, it will cripple, confine and shut you up, it will prevent the gift of God from coming forth, just as Paul reminded Timothy
- it is like a straight jacket that can render you useless
- on the one side of 2 Tim 1:7 is fear and on the other we have power, love and a sound mind
- notice there is no middle ground
- these things are like oil and water.... they don’t mix
- we are either ruled by the kingdom of fear or the kingdom of power, love and a sound mind......................... the two are opposed to each other
- Jesus Himself said .......”you cannot serve 2 masters”
- our lives are either ruled by God’s power, love and a sound mind or we are ruled by FEAR, to be more accurate, a spirit of fear
QUOTE: I am inwardly fashioned for faith, not for fear. Fear is not my native land; faith is. I am so made that worry and anxiety are sand in the machinery of life; faith is the oil. I live better by faith and confidence than by fear, doubt and anxiety. …E. Stanley Jones
- do not underestimate the power of these two kingdoms
- they will set the course for your lives
- if we are ruled by fear then we shall live a life in constant bondage to that fear and it will direct our path
- if we are ruled by power, love and a sound mind then we will live a life of freedom and be able to know God’s plan and purpose for our lives
- for example, and the bible is full of examples
- remember the 12 spies that were chosen to go in and spy out the promised land
- they had seen mighty miracles of deliverance in Egypt, seen the Red Sea become dry land, Pharaoh’s army destroyed, they had stood in the awesome presence of God at Mt. Sinai and now before them was the fulfillment of all that God had said
- into the promised land go the 12 spies, checking things out.........all 12 saw the exact same things
- 10 brought back this report
Num 13:27-28
27 ……….: "We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit.
28 But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there.
- yes what you say is true, but look at the facts, look at reality
- look at us and them look at them, we can’t do it, the land, the people are too strong
- Joshua and Caleb saw the exact same things and brought back this report
Num 13:30-32
30 Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it."
- they had seen the same giants, the same problems yet came to a different conclusion because it was based on power, love and a sound mind
31 But the men who had gone up with him said, "We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are."
32 And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, "The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size.
- 10 were overcome with fear and considered themselves nothing more than grasshoppers but the ridiculous thing is they also put God into the same category
- they spread an "evil report" among the people......... remember “life and death are in the tongue”
- the people because of their own fear believed the report and so it set the course for the rest of their lives
- they missed the promised land, they died in the desert
- the spirit of fear had stolen their God given destiny, they exchanged the truth of God for a lie
- Caleb and Joshua saw the exact same things yet had a totally opposite report of the other 10
- the 10 based their report on fear of what was in the promised land
- Caleb and Joshua based their report on faith in the God who knows no defeat
2 Cor 4:18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Tim 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (NKJ)
Isa 43:1-3
1 But now, this is what the LORD says-- he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
3 For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour;
-by the way , that is a command from the Lord “Fear not”!
- at the birth of Jesus the angels told Zacarias “fear not” ............ and Mary “fear not” ............ to the shepherds in the fields .......Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
- to Simon called Peter:..............Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.
- to Jarius, whose daughter had just died Jesus says: "Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well." (NKJ)
- to Paul “Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar”
- to John the Apostle “And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
- TO ALL OF US...”Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
