Opening and Introduction
We live in a wild world today, don’t we? There’s a lot of things that can cause us to be uneasy and afraid of how things might turn out. I know I’ve gone through a lot of experiences like that. Many things can make us anxious, and get us concerned, get us worried about what’s going to happen next.
There are a lot of people around us, living in a constant state of fear. First the pandemic, then the lockdowns and the loss of jobs and income. Then, if that wasn’t enough, protests, have sometimes turned into riots and looting. There’s a lot going on in the world right now that’s driving fear. Are you worried about anything?
Today, I want to talk about fear and how we respond to the difficult situations in and around our lives. I want to look at how our faith fits into all of this.
To help us, we’re going to take a look at how fear has been in the center of much of Biblical history. We’ll also look at the fear in, and around us. Finally, we’re going to look at faith, and how God is always there, He can calm us when we’re concerned, and fill us with hope.
Bible Filled with Fear
Worry and fear are in and around our lives, whether it’s something on the news, a story that we hear, or something that deeply affects us.
But, fear is also part of our faith journey as we look to get connected to God, and find a path away from anxiety, and toward hope.
That first uncomfortable feeling of fear began with Sin. Shortly after Adam and Eve bit the forbidden fruit, it was then that they hid from God. God asked them “where were you?” Adam’s response was, “I was afraid!” There was no fear before there was sin. But our world is filled with sin and so fear thrives too.
Even the story of Jesus and the cross is filled with fear. As Jesus’ ministry gained followers, the Pharisees were concerned that His popularity was too great, that they would lose their position, and their influence. Jesus was threatening to upend their world.
Fear drove them to send soldiers to arrest Jesus in the middle of the night. They brought him to the high priest and held a trial away from most of the public. That wasn’t normal.
After Jesus’ arrest, the disciples feared for their lives; afraid that they might be the next to be arrested or even executed. Three times someone accused Peter of knowing Jesus, and three times he denied knowing his Lord. When we’re afraid, our faith might not feel as strong as it usually is.
Then Jesus was crucified, and He died. But fear didn’t stop with Jesus’ death.
A few days later, on Easter morning, soldiers who were guarding the tomb were frightened by the stone rolled away and the angels who were there. The two Marys found the tomb empty and they were afraid that someone stole Jesus’ body.
And when Jesus finally appeared to His disciples, He had to say to them “peace be with you” just to get them to calm down. In all the chaos, and uncertainty, questions of what the future holds seem to produce a steady stream of fear.
In our text from Matthew today, Jesus told his disciples that they’ll carry the Gospel message. They were going to be required to leave their comfort zone, and walk into hostile situations. Just like Jesus received a lot of opposition, many would be violently against the disciples too.
That sounds like a pretty scary situation to me. Jesus was trying to prepare them for what they would face later. But also remind them, that it was going to be ok.
We’re Filled With Fear
Fear is one of the strongest emotions that we can feel. It can paralyze us, and keep us from doing anything, or have us run in the other direction. It can control our lives, affect our words, and impact our actions.
All of us can be afraid from time to time. But, we might call it by another name: stressed, worried, anxious, concerned, troubled… for those more severe problems it might be panic, hysteria or even a long-term fear known as a phobia.
When we’re young, we might experience fear of the dark, or fear of being away from our parents. We might be afraid of getting caught at raiding the cookie-jar mom told us to leave alone.
As we grow up, our fears may change. We might feel uneasy around heights or confined spaces, or we might fear spiders or snakes. These can be hazardous situations and God built a mechanism into us to avoid danger and keep ourselves safe.
Some fears are rational because they may happen and affect us directly. Other fears are irrational, because we’re afraid of something, but we may not know why. Fear can impact how we live, as we avoid those things that cause distress. But it can also our affect our faith journey too.
Sometimes we might fear those things that affect our walk with God. We could be afraid that God won’t forgive us of the terrible things that we’ve done, or that we didn’t read the Bible enough, pray enough or take care others enough. We might feel that our misfortune is because we’re being punished by Him. We might feel that God doesn’t pay attention to us and doesn’t love us. Fears like this can really challenge our relationship with God, doubt his freely given Grace for us, and question our faith.
Grace, after all, is a gift that we didn’t earn, don’t deserve and can’t do anything to pay for. We’re all sinners, and can never do anything good enough to gain a gift from Him. Yet, God freely gives gifts to us every day; gifts of food, gifts of shelter, gifts of friends and family, and the greatest gift of all, the gift of a savior.
Recognizing that God is There for Us
Maybe fear isn’t something you’re struggling with, and then again, maybe it is. Either way, there’s probably someone around you that needs to get away from fear, and get closer to hope.
In the time that we have remaining, I’d like to three ways that we can use God as our crutch, and get us through the rough spots in life.
First, don’t let fear affect your faith.
One example of a Biblical hero who went through a lot was Daniel. When the King of Babylon, King Nebuchadnezzar, went to war with Jerusalem, he defeated Judah. In his victory he pillaged the temple and raided the vessels within the House of God. But, he didn’t stop there. He took some of the people with him back to Babylon. Daniel was one of the captives taken out of his home country, destined to become a slave to this foreign king.
Daniel experienced war firsthand, saw the defeat of his own country, and was put into service of his oppressor. Years later, Daniel gained a reputation for interpreting dreams. This pleased the king, but not everyone else.
Some worked against Daniel and convinced the king to pass a law against worshiping anyone but the king. Daniel’s faith was strong, and he chose to continue his routine of praying to God. He was noticed, and found guilty of this new law, and was punished by being thrown into the Lion’s Den. Daniel 6:16 reads:
“Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” (Daniel 6:16, ESV)
Daniel wasn’t in a comfortable place. He didn’t have a support system to save him from what should have been a death sentence. But, God had a different plan for him, and He shut the mouths of the lions.
In the morning, the king found Daniel unharmed in the lion’s den.
Daniel said: “My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him” (Daniel 6:22, ESV)
When we’re facing a lot of difficulties, perhaps we might feel like Daniel who lived through a war zone, then was thrown into an unbelievably difficult situation. We may feel like were surrounded by those who choose to do us harm. When we feel like the world is collapsing around us, maybe we can remember Daniel and try to follow his example of hope, and faith. God is there for us, even when we might feel the breath of the lions, and feel the fear that grips our life.
First, don’t let fear affect our faith and…
Second, don’t underestimate what God can do in your life.
The story of Moses is one of an amazing journey. A Hebrew boy born of a Hebrew family was saved from Egyptians who chose to kill many Jewish children. But, Moses escaped as his mother floated him in a bassinet and Pharaoh’s daughter rescued him from the water.
He was raised in the Pharaoh’s household, but he eventually learned of his Hebrew family. He committed a crime against Egypt and fled the country. A burning bush and a few years later, and God used Moses to return to Egypt to demand Pharaoh to “let his people go”. Plagues of blood, hail, boils, and the death of the first-born children and the Egyptian king was finally convinced. In Exodus 12:31-32 it reads:
“Pharaoh “summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, “Up, go out from among my people, both you and the people of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as you have said. Take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone, and bless me also!”” (Exodus 12:31-32, ESV)
Moses was just a man. But God uses ordinary people to do otherwise impossible tasks.
Moses was raised as a prince, even though he should have lived his whole life as a slave. He was an insignificant Hebrew and should have been killed when he challenged Pharaoh to let the Israelites go free. Even after freedom was achieved, he should have been cut down by the pharaoh’s army as they chased after such a large group of people of all ages, running away in open desert.
God used this ordinary man Moses to free His people, and to lead their way to the promised land.
If God can use a humble slave to save a nation, he can use you and others in miraculous ways too. When we think that all of the possibilities have been exhausted, we forgot what God’s capable of. He can use ordinary events to create the impossible and achieve miraculous results. God isn’t limited like us.
First, don’t let fear affect faith…
Second, don’t underestimate what God can do… and
Third, we’re all likely going to face some sort of storm in life, but God is always right there next to us.
Early in Jesus’ ministry, He went with his disciples into a boat to travel to the other side of the sea of Galilee. Jesus was probably tired from preaching and teaching and dealing with the crowds, so He laid down and went to sleep in the boat.
As the boat traveled, a great storm developed and tossed the boat around so that the waves were breaking into the boat and filling it with water. Remember who the disciples were. Some of them experienced fishermen, they knew how to handle the waves, how to direct the boat and how to move in rough water. This storm was something different. The disciples got scared! They woke up their master, in near panic, and ask him “Teacher! Don’t you care that we’re going to die?” (Mark 4:33, CSB)
In Mark 4:39, Jesus wakes up and rebukes “the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” and the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” (Mark 4:39, ESV)
I can just imagine Jesus looking around at his disciples, and perhaps shaking His head, and “He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” (Mark 4:40, ESV)
We all can have storms in life, when we feel like the world’s dumping on us, when we can’t control where our path is going and we’re fighting through the waves wondering what’s going to happen next. Some of our storms are small showers that we walk through without a whole lot of difficulty. But some are hurricanes that we can’t see past the hand in front of our face.
When we’re in those terrible storms, it’s good to remember that Jesus is in the boat right next to us. What looks like a disaster to us, is something that God can heal with only a word.
Maybe there’s times, that we need to be remined that God is in this journey with us too. Perhaps we can learn from the disciples’ fear, and remember that God is always with us, even with the waves crashing on top of us.
Conclusion
When we look at our lives and the lives of those around us, we can see that worry, and fear are going to continue to be with us. Sin still exists, and so does fear that often comes with sin.
So, next time you get worried about something, remember that: God still loves you. Like Daniel, hold your faith close.
God is still in control. Like Moses, don’t underestimate what He can do in your life, or anyone else’s life.
God is always right next to us in every situation we face. Like the disciples, don’t forget to ask for help, and lean on His understanding when things get beyond our control.
We can learn a lot from those who feared. God won’t abandon us. God won’t forget us. God will always love us.
Amen.
