Take Off Your Mask

I’ve entitled our sermon for this morning, “Take Off Your Mask and Be Unafraid.” All of us want to feel as though we have a good handle on life and that nothing ever shakes us; but in reality, we are fearful creatures. So, what are some common fears we might see? Well, some people fear growing old; some fear certain animals, such as dogs or cats; some fear water; many people fear failure; some fear tornadoes and natural disasters; others fear what the stock market is doing; and many fear what the future holds.

Amidst the Corona Virus pandemic, people fear running out hand sanitizer and toilet paper; they fear being infected; and not seeing their loved ones. They fear not graduating from high school or college; not going to the prom; or losing their freedoms. People also fear death for themselves, and especially for their older family members.

Let me transition just a bit and ask: What fears do people have when they attend church? Well, many fears have to do with what people think of us, or even what God thinks. Some fear gossip; some fear meeting new people; some individuals fear that the Lord will convict them of something that’s not right with their lives, and closely related to this is the fear of change. And others fear that certain church members might be conspiring against them. And amid the Corona Virus pandemic, some Christians are judging churches that have cancelled services; and then on the flip side, those who have chosen to cancel are criticizing the ones still holding services.

With this health crisis in our nation, we definitely see the fear of what other people think. What if we work at a factory, or Walmart, or at the hospital? We fear that some will think we are infected. People look at us like we have COVID-19 if we sneeze. Walmart employees are being worn down with questions on why they don’t have Clorox wipes or hand sanitizer, and they fear being hurt by angry shoppers. We also think that people will judge us if we get groceries, or they’ll judge us if we don’t get groceries; if we stay inside, or we don’t stay inside; or that they’ll judge us if stay home and don’t go to work.

We all want to appear confident and unshakable, but most of us aren’t. Fear is part of the human condition; however, our fears would cease if we would place our hope in Jesus Christ, instead of in the false securities that we’ve built up through our occupations, though our social groups, and even our activities – things that just happen to be the masks we wear to hide ourselves from our many fears.

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,(1) which is where we obtain our English word “phobia.” This information helps us to understand a little better the message that’s being presented here. A phobia is defined as “an irrational persistent fear or dread,”(2) and “some mental health professionals would add that a phobia is a fear that interferes in a person’s life.”(3)

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, emotional and spiritual health. We even read in this verse that “fear involves torment.” And this kind of torment is born out of emotional suffering.

Let me give you an 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 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 these things; however, they fail to notice and so he tries even harder.

And 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. This person becomes critical of others and even angers those closest to him; or he hides from people altogether. This is called OCD or Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. So, as we can see, fear can become a crippling and debilitating thing in our lives.