Title: Fear vs. Faith – 4
Breaking the Bondage of Fear
Text: Hebrews 2:14-15
Five-year old Johnny was in the kitchen as his mother made supper. She asked him to go into the pantry and get her a can of tomato soup, but he didn’t want to go in alone. “It’s dark in there and I am scared.” She asked again, and he persisted. Finally she said, “It’s OK, Jesus will be in there with you.” Johnny walked hesitantly to the door and slowly opened it. He peeked inside, saw it was dark, and started to leave when all at once an idea came, and he said: “Jesus, if you’re in there, would you hand me that can of tomato soup?”
So far, throughout this series, we have talked about the Biblical definition of fear, we have also talked about the two laws that are in effect today that govern each of our lives. Every one of us is living under the law of sin and death or the law of life. The force behind the law of sin and death is fear. The force behind the law of life is faith. Fear and faith are two absolute opposites. This is what determines which law you live under.
This morning we talked about life and death are in the power of the tongue and you determine what quality of life you are living by the words that you speak. You cannot speak death and receive life-oriented results, just like you can’t speak life and receive death-orientated results. It cannot happen.
I. FEAR BRINGS BONDAGE
Tonight I want to go a little deeper concerning fear. FEAR BRINGS BONDAGE! There is no getting around that fact. When a spirit of fear, (remember, fear is a spirit) takes root in your life, you become a slave to that fear. This fact is a principle that is found right in our text:
Hebrews 2:14-15; ¶ “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”
A fear of death or of any other aspect of the law of sin and death brings with it an awful bondage. The good news is that Jesus paid the price for our freedom. The two verses in Hebrews tells us that one of the purposes in allowing Himself to be crucified upon the Cross of Calvary was to “deliver them who through fear” have spent their lives in bondage to fear. In other words, He died upon the Cross to deliver us from that bondage or that spirit of fear. Fear is a spirit and it has such a grip on some people’s lives that they can hardly move and be free. Fear brings bondage, always, not sometimes, but always brings bondage.
Whatever type of bondage you are involved in this morning, whether it is cigarettes, drugs, sex, food, alcohol, money, or anything else, fear is what produced that bondage. There is no way that fear will bring anything to your life but bondage.
II. FAITH BRINGS LIBERTY
If fear produces bondage in people’s lives, then what does fear’s opposite, faith produce? Faith produces the opposite of bondage and that is total, complete, liberty. Faith brings freedom, which is why the devil works so hard to keep Christians in fear and out of faith. The devil works overtime to try to keep you fearful of things and people because he knows that as long as you have fear in your life, you cannot have faith. They cannot co-exist in the same body. If the devil cannot take a person to hell, he will at least try to keep that person bound up, paralysed, and ineffective as a Christian. If any Christian gets hold of faith and the liberty that faith brings, the devil knows he is in trouble.
For a believer to live in bondage to fear is as unnatural as a fish trying to live out of the water. Part of being born again is being born to freedom, being released from bondage to sin. So how is it that so many believers are in bondage to fear? Most of us look at fear as just something that we need to work on, but do you realize that fear is sin? The Bible makes it very clear for us that anything that is not of faith is sin. Come on Pastor, the Bible doesn’t really say that! I think you are exaggerating just a little. Listen to what Paul says:
Romans 14:23; “And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”
The Apostle Paul wrote: Romans 8:15; “For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but you have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”
Fear is totally against the grain of your reborn spirit. In fact, your spirit cannot produce fear in your life. Paul says, “You have not received the spirit of bondage or fear.” You cannot manufacture fear from your inside. Fear has to come from the outside. You can receive fear, but you cannot manufacture it. You can act on fear, you can be choked by it and let it paralyse you, no doubt about that. But only you, by an act of your will, can keep fear out of your life.
II Timothy 1:7; “For God hath not give us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
FEAR IS NEVER FROM GOD! I have heard religious people talk about God giving us a “healthy fear” for something or other. Let me proclaim this from the mountaintop, child of God, there is no such thing as a “healthy fear.” Some may say, well I have a healthy fear of a hot burner on a stove. Why would you have a fear of something of that nature when you know how to stay away from it and you know the law of physics that say if you touch that hot burner you will get burned? I am not afraid of it, I have sense enough and respect of that burner enough to know not to touch it, but I am far from fearful of it. When Ryan was a baby, he was fearful of the hot burner because he touched it one day and learned that it is hot and if you touch it, you will be hurt. But that fear stems from immaturity. He received that fear from an external circumstance, not from the inside. If you have fear in your life, it did not come from Jesus Christ. If your fear came from the Lord, then His Word is a lie; He says He did not give us a spirit of fear.
There are some of you that are so bound by fear and the devil has tricked you into thinking that that fear is from God. Fear is never from God. Remember, faith always brings liberty, not bondage.
Once you realize who you are in Christ, that brings with it a tremendous liberty that you have never experienced before. You are an heir of salvation, which also means that you are an heir of protection, an heir of righteousness. You are wrapped up, tied up, and tangled up in the righteousness of God. You have absolutely nothing to fear.
III. FEAR NOT
An average person’s anxiety or fear is focused on the following:
40% - Things that will never happen
30% - Things about the past that cannot be changed
12% - Things about criticism by others, mostly untrue
10% - About health, which gets worse with fear and stress
8% - About real problems that will be faced
From these statistics, only 8% of the things that you fear will actually come
to pass in your life. That is a staggering statistic. God makes it very clear to us that He wants us to stay free from fear in our lives. It is never God’s will that we live in a fearful state.
God knows that nothing of spiritual value can be accomplished in your life until you get rid of fear once and for all. Over and over in Scripture, God commands His servants not to be afraid. This is found all throughout the Old Testament as well as the New.
Genesis 26:24; “And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake.”
Isaiah 41:10; ¶ “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”
Isaiah 43:1-3; ¶ “But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. 2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. 3 For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.”
Matthew 10:26-31; “Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. 27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. 28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.”
Luke 8:50; “But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.”
Luke 12:7; “But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.”
Acts 27:21-25; ¶ “But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. 22 And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship. 23 For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, 24 Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. 25 Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.”
Hebrews 13:6; “So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”
I John 4:18; “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”
Revelation 1:17-18; “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: 18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”
God has commanded each and every one of us to live free from fear, because fear keeps you in bondage. A Christian should never fear because the Lord promises us that He will never leave us nor forsake us. He also promises that the battle is not yours, it is the Lord’s. It is an insult to God to allow circumstances to cause you to fear when the all-powerful Creator of the universe has sworn to stand by you.
Fear is sin because it means that you are not trusting Jesus Christ and you are not believing His Word.
Fear has a companion that sticks very close to it. Next week we are going to talk about that companion and it is called doubt. Doubt and fear go hand in hand. It is very unlikely that you will have one without the other.
