Fear is a powerful emotion that can prevent us from experiencing the fullness of God’s love and the abundant life He promises. This message explores the crippling effects of fear, drawing insights from the story of Lazarus in John 11, and offers practical steps to overcome it and embrace a life of faith.
Fear can blind us to the reality of God’s love and power, hindering our ability to trust Him fully. (Sermon by Craig Smith)
The Paralyzing Power of Fear
The Bible repeatedly commands us to “fear not,” highlighting God’s concern about fear’s impact on His people. In John 11, we witness the resurrection of Lazarus, an undeniable miracle performed by Jesus. Yet, instead of embracing this powerful demonstration of God’s power, some went to the Pharisees, driven by fear. To understand their reaction, we must delve into the context of the four Jewish groups of the time: the Zealots (advocates of force), the Essenes (seeking spiritual purity), the Sadducees (compromising with Roman rule), and the Pharisees (strict adherence to the Law). The Pharisees, fearing the Romans’ response to Jesus’ growing popularity, prioritized self-preservation over acknowledging the undeniable truth of Jesus’ miracles. This fear led them to compromise their principles and collaborate with the Sadducees, a group they vehemently opposed.
The Cost of Fear
Fear can cause us to ignore undeniable truths, compromise our principles, overvalue what we have, and undervalue God’s potential. The Pharisees, blinded by fear, overlooked Jesus’ miracles and the implications of His Messiahship. Their fear drove them to compromise their principles by aligning with the Sadducees. They overvalued their precarious position under Roman rule and undervalued the potential for true freedom and blessing that Jesus offered. Ultimately, their fear led to the very outcome they sought to avoid – the destruction of their temple and nation. This exemplifies how fear often accomplishes what we are most afraid of, while faith, focused on God’s promises, leads us towards His blessings.
From Fear to Faith: Practical Steps
Overcoming fear requires a conscious shift from feeding fear to nurturing faith. This transformation involves three key steps:
Remembering God’s Faithfulness: Reflect on God’s past interventions in your life. Establish a practice, whether through journaling, creating art, or other means, to remember these “stones of remembrance” (Ebenezer) and reinforce God’s consistent faithfulness.
Evaluating True Value: Honestly assess what you are clinging to out of fear versus what God is calling you towards. Recognize that anything God may ask you to surrender will be replaced with something infinitely more valuable.
Claiming God’s Promises: Immerse yourself in the promises of Scripture. Meditate on them, memorize them, and allow them to fuel your faith and dispel fear.
The Pharisees’ fear of losing their status and power blinded them to the transformative power of God’s love revealed in Jesus. (John 11:45-57)
Choosing Fruitfulness Over Wilderness
John’s description of Jesus withdrawing to Ephraim, a village meaning “doubly fruitful,” near the wilderness, offers a powerful image. No matter how bleak our circumstances may appear, when we abide in Jesus, we find fruitfulness, abundance, and the fullness of life. Fear keeps us from following Jesus, the source of true life. The abundant life is not a static gift but a proximity effect; we experience it by staying close to Jesus.
Conclusion: Embracing God’s Abundant Love
Fear chains us to the past, while faith propels us into the future. By actively choosing to feed our faith and starve our fear, we can step into the abundant life Jesus offers. This involves remembering God’s past faithfulness, evaluating the true value of what we hold dear, and clinging to the promises of God. Let us renounce fear and embrace the transformative power of God’s love, which empowers us to overcome fear and live in the fullness of His blessings.
