Why Are We Afraid?
Scriptures: Second Timothy 1:7; Luke 12:22-32; First John 4:18
The title of my message this morning is “Why Are We Afraid?” This past week a man was charged with murder after he allegedly shot and killed a young woman who was in a car that mistakenly pulled into his driveway in rural upstate New York. A group of four young adults were looking for a friend’s house in the area when they drove their car up the wrong driveway. Upon realizing they were in the wrong driveway, they were in the process of turning around when the homeowner came outside with a gun and fired at their vehicle. There had been no communication, no physical interaction or threat made by the young adults when they were fired upon. There was no reason for the homeowner to feel threatened, especially as it appears the vehicle was leaving at the time. The homeowner and the occupants of the car were White so it was not a racially motivated shooting. So why was he so afraid? Why would he choose to fire at a car that had inadvertently turned into his driveway and was leaving? His neighbor said that he had grown frustrated over the last couple of years of people “turning around” in his driveway.
This next incident occurred a lot closer to home. A White 84-year-old homeowner shot and wounded a Black 16-year-old who went to the wrong home to pick up his siblings. It was immediately assumed that race was a factor. The young man had been asked by his parents to pick up his siblings and he went to the wrong address. The young man, thinking he was at the right address, pressed the doorbell and waited. The homeowner stated that he was in bed when he heard his doorbell ring and grabbed a handgun before answering the door. Once he got to the door and opened it, he said that he believed someone was attempting to break into his house and shot twice through an exterior storm door within a few seconds of opening the main door. There is no indication that anything was said between the two before he pulled the trigger. When questioned by police, the homeowner said he was “scared to death” by the young man’s size and his inability to defend himself at his age of 84. So why was he so afraid of the young man ringing his doorbell?
Jesus said in Matthew 24:12, “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.” I talked about this Scripture last week in my message “Imitators of Love.” I told you that when you read the verses preceding this one, you find that what Jesus was saying was prophetic. He was talking about what would happen to some in the Church after His resurrection, which includes us today. He was explaining the signs of the last days and how Christians, His followers, would succumb to the trials and persecutions surrounding them from the “outside” and the apostasies and false prophets from the “inside”. By reason of these trials and persecutions from without, and the apostasies and false prophets from within, Jesus says some of the Church’s love for Christ and His doctrine and, love for one another would grow cold. These are the days in which we are living, where we have Christians advocating Christianity from a pulpit of hate. Political and religious leaders’ hate-filled speech is our new normal. I told you last week that hate is not of God and if His Church is espousing hate, they have lost their identity! But do you know what one of the primary drivers of hate is? It’s fear!
Martha Nussbaum, the Ernest Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics at the University of Chicago, wrote an interesting book in 2018 titled, “The Monarchy of Fear.” She proposed that the fundamental political emotion is fear, which contributes to other emotions such as anger, disgust, and envy. She wrote that emotions are causally interconnected, with one emotion tending to lead to another. If you fear someone, you may become angry that they have made you fearful. Also, after the Charlottesville travesty a column was written by Beth Lefever in the Commercial Appeal that said the racial anger and hatred behind it should trouble all of us deeply. In the article she wrote, “What causes us to hate in the first place? As we have seen throughout history, fear begets anger begets hatred begets fear in a dangerous and ever-expanding cycle. It goes like this: Almost all anger is preceded by a moment, however brief, of fear. Think about it. We get angry at a driver who pulls out in front of us because, for a moment, it felt dangerous and scared us, or because we fear it will slow us down when we are running late. We get angry at immigrants or minorities because, perhaps, we fear they will become dominant in our culture, leaving us with less power. We almost always, immediately and unconsciously, turn fear into anger, because fear leaves us feeling vulnerable while anger gives us a sense of power. Most of us value power over vulnerability, precisely because power makes us feel safer.”
So why are we so afraid? I believe it’s because we are seeing the love of the Church growing cold. When I was growing up it was not unheard of for people to go to sleep with their doors unlocked or even open to allow some air to flow through on a hot night. I remember one summer night my parents left our front door open so air could flow through and cool the house. Well apparently, there was a tear in the screen and our dog Butch invited a few of his friends over to sleep in our living room. My mother hit the roof when she walked into the room and found Butch (a dog which stayed outside) lying on the carpeted floor with a few of his friends. The screen on the door was repaired shortly after that incident. So here is my point: people were not afraid of someone entering their house or knocking on their door needing directions. But that is not the case today. Hate is running rampant, and fear is the driver behind it.
In my message last week, I told you Paul wrote to the Ephesians that we should be imitators of God. God is love and until we choose to start imitating Him, we will continue down this road of fear driven hate. We know that fear drives the people who are not walking with Christ. But we are not called to walk in this manner. We are called to live beyond our fears! Let me remind you about what Paul wrote to Timothy as he faced resistance from some in the church at Ephesus. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and disciple.” (Second Timothy 1:7) The word “power” in the Greek is dunamis. I want to listen closely to its definition: “inherent power, power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature, or which a person or thing exerts and puts forth.” The power to conquer and subdue fear lives inside of every child of God! What we must do is believe what our Father has placed within us and then put it into action. In the two situations that I mentioned at the beginning of the message, one person “thought” he was in danger. We have not heard what motivated the shooter in New York other than he was tired of people using his driveway to turn around. So maybe he wasn’t afraid at all. Maybe, just maybe, he had grown so frustrated that “his love for others had grown cold” so he fired his weapon at the car. However, in one case we know with certainty that the thought of fear was on display.
Fear, as it relates to thoughts, is defined as, “an idea, thought, or other entity that causes feelings of fear.” Notice that thoughts come before the feelings. Fear, as it relates to feelings, is defined as, “an unpleasant feeling of anxiety or apprehension caused by the presence or anticipation of danger.” Again, the feeling is caused by the thought, the anticipation, that something bad is going to happen. When we examine these two definitions together, we see that the fear generated by our thoughts creates the fear that we actually feel. Thoughts produce fear. Fear produces feelings. Feelings can produce an irrational response. If you are not fearful in your thinking, then you will not feel fearful in your emotions. Feelings of fear are generated by how we are thinking. And, oftentimes, our thinking is based on what our minds are exposed to day after day. And, because no one enjoys being fearful, if that fear is driven by the negative thoughts of an individual of group of people, then it can turn into hate, and this is why living in a state of always being afraid is dangerous for a Christian.
Do you remember why Pharaoh turned on the Children of Israel? It was fear! Exodus 1:9-10 tell why Pharaoh started down a road that brought destruction to his kingdom. It says, “(9) And he said to his people, ‘Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. (10) Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, otherwise they will multiply, and in the event of war, they will also join those who hate us, and fight against us and depart from the land.’” Pharaoh had fearful thoughts about what would happen if the Children of Israel joined forces with his enemies and fought against him. Those thoughts led him to abuse them in order to break their will and ever seeing themselves as a powerful people. But what would have happened if Pharaoh had had a different thought? What if he had thought the Children of Israel could be his partner in wars. This thought would not have made him fearful of them, but the opposite. He would have seen them as allies and treated them accordingly. Do you see how his fearful thoughts led to an irrational response against a group of people that they had lived in harmony with for over a hundred years?
Then there is the record from Numbers chapter thirteen where the Children of Israel, once freed, refused to enter the Promise Land because of the negative report from the ten spies which created fear in the people. You see, it’s the mind (our thoughts) that controls our feelings and subsequently our actions based on those feelings. Think about this: what would have happened if, in their minds, the ten spies thought everything was okay and they would be fine? If their minds had told them that they would not have been fearful and had their fear sown into the hearts of the people. They would have entered the Promised Land and not died in the wilderness. They would not have seen themselves as grasshoppers and being defeated. Everything they felt started with how they were thinking. Imagine the outcome if the homeowner in Kansas City that I mentioned earlier had been thinking in his mind that he was not in danger and the person ringing his doorbell was just someone who needed help. Imagine him opening the door and asking, “Can I help you?” and discovering that the young man was just trying to pick up his siblings and was at the wrong address? Had this been the case, had he operated with a sense of love versus fear, the outcome would have been totally different.
I want to read a story to you from the Gospel of Luke. In this story Jesus explains a Kingdom principle that anyone who finds themselves fearful should understand. Turn to the twelfth chapter of Luke and we will begin reading at verse twenty-two.
“(22) And He said to His disciples, ‘For this reason I tell you, do not worry about your life, as to what you are to eat; nor for your body, as to what you are to wear. (23) For life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. (24) Consider the ravens, that they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! (25) And which of you by worrying can add a day to his life’s span? (26) Therefore if you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about the other things? (27) Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither labor nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. (28) Now if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You of little faith! (29) And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. (30) For all these things are what the nations of the world eagerly seek; and your Father knows that you need these things. (31) But seek His kingdom, and these things will be provided to you. (32) Do not be afraid, little flock, because your Father has chosen to give you the kingdom.’” (Luke 12:22-32)
I want you to see something in this reference because although Jesus was referencing worrying, worrying is a form of fear. Jesus told His disciples not to worry about their life – what they will eat or what they will wear. He told them that life was more than food and the body more than clothes. Then He gives them an example of a raven and how God takes care of them and He asks them are they not more important to God than a raven? He gives them another example of the lilies of the field and how God cares for those lilies. He makes a point of telling them that if God cares for the grass that would eventually be cast into the oven, how much more would He provide for them? He wanted them to understand that God understood their needs and was making provision for them. He tells them because God was already providing for them, instead of them seeking such things in life; they were to seek God and, in doing so, everything they needed would be provided. Now look at verse thirty-two. He tells them to “do not be afraid” because God takes pleasure in giving them the kingdom. I want to read this verse from the Amplified Bible. It reads, “(32) Do not be seized with alarm and struck with fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom!” Do you understand what this means? God takes pleasure in providing for His children. He enjoys doing it! It gives Him joy when He does it! It makes Him happy when He does it! The things that worry us and cause us to fear are the same things that He is willing to handle for us – if we let Him. Now I want you to hear me on this point. There are many people who are against other people because they fear these “other people” will take something from them. The fear of losing “something” is driving them to hate and “fight back.” We are seeing this played out by our political leaders and within our communities. But if I truly believe that God is my source and my first obligation is to seek His kingdom, then everything that “I” need will be provided for me. God will not need to take something from someone else to provide for my needs. He has more than enough for me and everyone else who calls upon His name!
We all know, from this message, that experiencing fear begins with our thoughts, emotions and is a result of living in this world. However, our responses to those times of fear will dictate whether or not we will walk through them, and how we will walk through them. John wrote in First John 4:18, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.” (First John 4:18) The Amplified Bible’s rendering of this verse says, “There is no fear in love, dread does not exist. But perfect (complete, full-grown) love drives out fear, because fear involves the expectation of divine punishment, so the one who is afraid of God’s judgment is not perfected in love, has not grown into a sufficient understanding of God’s love.” This verse is speaking of our relationship with God. In this verse we must distinguish between fear and being afraid; or, in this case, between the fear of God and being afraid of Him. Those who perfectly love God are perfectly assured of His love. And because God loves us, those things that would cause us to fear are to be placed before Him. He can encourage us in our times of weakness. Let’s read a few verses from Psalms that prove this point.
Psalm 23:4: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” I love this verse because “walking” indicates that we will get through whatever situation is before us.
Psalm 27:1-3: “….The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread? When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh, my adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell. Though a host encamp against me, my heart will not fear; though war arise against me, in spite of this I shall be confident.”
Psalm 56:3-4: “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, in God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?”
Psalm 94:19: “When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul.”
Psalm 118:5-6: “From my distress I called upon the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me in a large place. The LORD is for me; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”
Can you see the mindset that David had? Regardless of what he faced; he believed his strength was in God. Now I do not want you to miss this. What we just read from the book of Psalms were statements David made about how he thinks! David wasn’t talking about feelings; he was talking about how he thought. Remember, how we think opens the door to fear. David was repeatedly closing the door to his fears by focusing on God.
Are you starting to see the connection between our fear and God’s response? Peter wrote:
“(6) Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, (7) casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” (First Peter 5:6-7) The Amplified Bible’s rendering of this verse says, “(6) Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God [set aside self-righteous pride], so that He may exalt you [to a place of honor in His service] at the appropriate time, (7) casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully].”
We are living in days that many of us didn’t think we would see based on our upbringing. Some of us remember roaming the streets of our neighborhoods and not being afraid of being harmed. Some of us remember how all the adults on our blocks looked out for their neighbor’s kids and reported back to their parents anything the kids did that were not consistent with their upbringing. I am not saying that everything was perfect “back in the day” but it was not as it is right now. Two young people shot for no other reason than they pulled into the wrong driveway. And dare I mention all of the mass shootings that have taken place in the United States. This is not normal. While we know we are living in the last days that does not mean that we have to walk in total fear of what is happening around us. We do not have to be afraid of helping someone. We do not have to be afraid of leaving our homes or questioning every single person that rings our doorbell. If you are afraid this morning, I want you to think about why. Why are you afraid? What is driving that fear? And be willing to ask yourself the honest question: Do I truly believe that God has given me the power to conquer my fear?
New Light, we’re going to close with a confession – a confession that I want you to repeat when you feel fear rising up in your thoughts and emotions. “My Father has promised to never leave me or forsake me. My Father has not given me spirit of fear. The spirit I have contains His power. The spirit I have contains His love. The spirit I have contains the mind of Christ and that mind is a sound mind. I will never allow fear to derail me or stop me. My Father loves me, and I know that in whatever situation I may find myself, He’s there with me.”
Until next time, “The Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
(If you are ever in the Kansas City, KS area, please come and worship with us at New Light Christian Fellowship, 15 N. 14th Street, Kansas City, KS 66102. Our service Sunday worship starts at 9:15 a.m. and Thursday night Bible study at 7 p.m. Also, for use of our social media, you can find us at newlightchristianfellowship on FB. To get our live stream services, please make sure you “like” and turn on notifications for our page so you can be notified when we are live streaming. We also have a church website and New Light Christian Fellowship YouTube channel for more of our content. We are developing more social media streams so please stand by and we will notify you once those channels are up and running. We look forward to you worshipping with us. May God bless and keep you.)
