Warning....sermonette!

Occasionally I have the privilege to speak to a group or fill the pulpit at church. I am strictly a layman who simply knows what and in whom he believes. I hope you enjoy this presentation on how I think Christians should approach the fear in their lives.

The two stones

There once was a princess of renowned beauty and gentleness who fell in love with a poor farmer and they planned to marry. Her father the king was dead set against it and set out to rid himself of the problem by killing the young farmer, so, he trumped up some charge and had him thrown into the dungeon. It was the custom of the kingdom to have a trial and then guilt or innocence would be determined by drawing a stone from a bag. The king would place two stones in a bag, one black and one white, and the accused would have to draw one in front of the king’s court. If he drew the white stone, he would be declared innocent, released, and free to marry the princess, but if black, he would be beheaded. Sounds like a 50-50 chance right? Normally it would be, but, the evil king didn’t want him to have a chance at all, so he ordered that two black stones be placed into the bag for this particular trial. While the king plotted the demise of the young farmer, the princess overheard and immediately went to the dungeon and informed her sweetheart that all was lost. The young man took the news somberly, but after a little thought, he told the sobbing princess “Do not fear, our love will prevail!“. The farmer was in a dire situation. He should have been sorely afraid. He could not escape, he could not accuse the king of foul play for that would mean his immediate execution, yet, he showed no fear, only his undying love for the princess.
 

The next day the trial took place before a huge crowd of lords and ladies as well as common folk and after the accusations and denials of the trial took place, it was time for the poor farmer‘s last word before he drew for his life from the bag containing the two black stones.What in the world would he do?

1 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.

It is normal for a human being to fear. God provided us with the emotion for our protection against bodily harm and in this capacity it is helpful to us. There is also that innate, reverent fear of God as the all powerful One who created us and can at His pleasure take us out. This fear is also helpful to us.

On the other hand, if we let fear hinder our service to God, then it is harmful-- even sinful to us. Wait..could fear be a sin? One of the most repeated commands (if not the most repeated) in the Bible is “Fear not.”. Why is fear so dangerous? It brings upon itself what it fears! You see, fear is the perception of a threat. Remember FDR’s famous line “We have nothing to fear but fear itself”? When we let our fears rule our minds, then it becomes a force rather than a simple emotion. That force is ruled by the devil. Faith is the force of God’s kingdom. We are saved by faith, healed by faith, sustained and strengthened by faith. Faith attracts God’s blessings while fear attracts the curses of Satan. Remember when Peter walked on the water. He did fine until his fear began to overcome his faith. The last statement in Romans 14:23 says “for whatsoever is not of faith is sin”. In Rev. 21: 7-8, we see that the “fearful” are among those who will have their part in the lake of fire. The devil can take our fear and make our lives miserable. He can use our fear to make us ineffective. Fear of witnessing, fear of teaching a class, fear of offending someone, fear of what people may think of me, and on and on are tools of the devil! Fear is a serious thing and we must resist it, just as we do other sins. What is our remedy? “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear”. What father would not run into a burning building to save his child? His love for his child is greater than his fear of the fire, therefore, his love drives off his fear. 1 Tim. 1:7  reads “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” Love and fear cannot exist together. Love is associated with safety and well being while fear is associated with dread and doom--the “torment” spoken of in our verse. They are fundamentally opposites!

Where do we get this “perfect love”? Psalm 34:4 says, “I sought the Lord and He heard me; He delivered me from all my fears.” Look at John’s argument in the earlier verses of chapter 4. Verse 8, “ God is love”, verse 10, “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us..”, verse 11”….we ought to love one another.”, verse 16 and the first part of 17, “God is love and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect…”, so, we get our perfect love from God, and it is an endless supply.

Our verse says perfect love casteth out fear, therefore there must be some power associated with it. 2 Tim 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love… God gives us power to resist the devil and we do it with love provided by God through the presence of the Holy Spirit who lives within us. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah (Ps 46:1-3) God empowers us through His love. Paul states " I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Phil 4:13, so can we.

Fear is a destructive force in our lives, we must guard against it. It can make us miserable. It can make us indecisive, it can make us ineffective, it can take away our confidence, and it can paralyze our minds. The power we receive in union with Christ is sufficient to do his will and to face the challenges that arise from our commitment to doing it. As we contend for the faith we will face troubles, pressures, and trials. As they come, ask Christ to strengthen you. As Jesus once said: “In the world there are tribulations, but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world.”. As I studied for this presentation, I ran across this statement made by a preacher in one of his sermons. The only people who have no fear are the ones in the graveyard! We must daily work to attain that “perfect love” so that we can echo the words of Paul in Hebrews 13:6 : "The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”.  I think the poor farmer in the story had an attitude such as this as he faced his predicament. What did he do? Well…

The farmer stood up and addressed the king in front of the huge audience saying “My king, I am guilty only of loving your daughter the princess, and I know that you think me the lowliest of the low and not good enough to marry your daughter, therefore, I am not worthy even to draw a stone. Sire, I place my life in your hands, you draw a stone and show it to the court, I will live or die by the stone remaining in the bag." Such an humble an honorable request as this could not be denied by the king in front of his kingdom, so of course the king drew a black stone, which meant to everyone present that the remaining stone had to be white! The farmer took the princess by the hand, winked at the king, and they lived happily ever after.

  “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.”

God bless us all with His perfect love that we may not fear. *smile*