Don't Be Afraid: Part 1

Take your Bibles if you would. Turn to second Timothy chapter one. Might mark your place in Joshua if you like. We'll be referring to both this morning. Second Timothy chapter one I preach a message on this topic about at least every other year because I believe it is something we all need to be reminded of regularly.

Fear is something that we too easily succumb to in our lives. And so God wants to remind us. If you are a child of God, you have no reason to be what? To be afraid. Today, people are afraid of many things.

It maybe when we shook hands a few minutes ago, you maybe were a little reluctant to shake hands with everybody in the building. Because of this virus that we call COVID-nineteen or the coronavirus. And that's understandable. But it does bring fear. Viruses like these, diseases, sicknesses, wasn't long ago.

It was the Ebola virus. Before that, there was a flu virus called Hone N one and you everybody remember that? Hone N one virus, you go back and you know, there's always some sickness, illness, disease that is being passed around and sometimes it seems worse than others and people are afraid. Some people are afraid of diseases. Some people are afraid of the government.

Praise the Lord. We live in a land where we get to elect most of our government officials. And, we can have a say in that. So, we don't need to fear like some people who live in other countries who do not have that privilege, but still some people seem to be afraid of the Republicans or afraid of the Democrats or just afraid of government in general. Some people today are afraid of global warming.

They think we're all going to burn up here in the next few years and they're all in a tizzy about global warming, natural disasters. Some people are afraid of violence, war. Some people are just afraid of their own shadow. Ever known? Somebody like that?

And to be honest, most of us are afraid of what others think. About us. Which is a big fear. One often goes unnamed and unmentioned is going to be a good part of our message this morning. What others think about us.

Well, child of God, your God does not want you to live in fear of others. Your God does not want you to live in fear of war, death, or eternity, or failure. He wants you to live in hope, in peace, in joy, in love, in faith. Our God does not want us to live in fear. He wants us to learn instead to trust in who?

To trust in him. And therefore, not to fear tomorrow. For he holds it in his hands. As he holds his children. In his hands.

And we don't need to be afraid. He wants us to have peace. Peace that passes what? All understanding. Look if you would in second Timothy chapter one.

As we read from Joshua just a moment ago, Moses had passed off the scene and now God had called Joshua to lead over a million people into the land of Canaan. To lead them into the land to conquer foes that had walls that were impenetrable. To the army of man. To fight against foes who were much better armed. They had chariots and a lot of iron weapons.

They were warring people. And many of them were large like Goliath, remember him? And there was much to be afraid of. I think probably Joshua's greatest fear is, how am I going to lead all these people? That's a lot of people to be in charge of, is it not?

And so this This man that Joshua that God picked Joshua had a really great task ahead of him and I can imagine a tendency to be afraid. In the New Testament, we have here Timothy. Now, Timothy was a young man who lived in a city called Lystra. When Paul came through on his first missionary journey, he brought the gospel to the city of Lystra. When he came back on his second missionary journey, he picked up among young man who probably was saved as a result of the first missionary journey and became a Christian named Timothy.

Excuse me. Timothy felt called to minister in the gospel as Paul and Paul took Timothy under his wing and he traveled with Paul. He left his home to travel with Paul and to minister and to serve Paul much like Joshua served Moses at the beginning of his ministry and so, as time went along and Timothy grew, Paul trained him in the word of God, trained him in the ministry of the gospel and eventually, after a time, Paul began to send Timothy, now an adult, out on errands for him. He would send him to Corinth. He would send him to Thessalonica.

He would send him to Ephesus with letters to the different churches and then he would come and bring back word to Paul what was happening at these churches. Sometimes, Paul was excited about the news he heard like the Thessalonians were studying. We we've been staying on Sunday night. Sometimes, he was discouraged when he heard about what was going on at the church of Corinth but Timothy was a large part of Paul's ministry but now, Paul has sent Timothy to the city of Ephesus where Timothy is not just going to take a letter and come back with a report but Timothy is there to be the acting pastor of the church for an extended period of time. Paul who is now in prison is writing Timothy with some encourage words of encouragement because this young man has a lot on his what?

Has a lot on his shoulders. And Saul Paul writes in second Timothy chapter one beginning in verse six. Wherefore, I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Be not therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord nor of me his prisoner but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God who has saved us and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.

But now is made manifest by the appearance of our savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. Whereunto, I am appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher of the Gentiles. For the which cause, I also suffer these things, nevertheless, I am not ashamed. For I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him. Against that day.

Let's go to the Lord in prayer once more. Lord, thank you for your word today. Lord, pierce our hearts with it. Open up our understanding that we might be able to grasp what the message you have for us today is. Lord, change our hearts.

Give us boldness. Give us faith. Help us to be the ministers that you have called us to be. In our homes, in our neighborhoods, in our places of work and worship, Lord. That we might honor you and serve you in faith and without fear.

In Jesus name, we do pray. Amen. In this passage, we're going to focus on verse seven this morning. Paul said to Timothy, for not, God has not given us. Speaking of Christians, speaking of Paul and Timothy, God has not given us spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

The Greek word deilia used only here in scripture can also be translated timidity or cowardice. God has not given us the spirit of fear or timidity or cowardice. It maybe that Timothy was a young man like many of us who may have been by nature a bit shy or timid and at times felt overwhelmed with the responsibilities and the calling of God and Paul encouraged him. God has not given us a spirit of fear, timidity, or cowardice. God has given us a spirit of power.

This spirit of fear, this fear that Paul talks about here is one which causes you to shrink from following the Lord, from doing your service for Christ, for living life to the fullest. This this spirit of fear is a a negative fear. It's in contrast to a healthy fear. There are healthy fears like, you know, don't touch the burner when it's red hot. That's a healthy fear.

Not all fear is negative. The Bible says, blessed is the man who feareth the Lord. That is a healthy fear, a healthy respect for our authority in heaven for the God who created us. In Greek, that's the word phobos. That's a healthy fear but this is a different word and a different kind of fear.

It's not a fear that causes you to run to God. It's a fear that causes you to run from God or to keep you from serving God from doing the things you ought to do. Often, it is an irrational fear. I do not like flying in airplanes. I do not like flying in airplanes at all and I would say that that is a very rational fear.

There are some of you that would say, well, that's a little bit irrational of fear. Why? Well, because people are killed more often in far more often in car wrecks than they are in what? In airplane crashes. And my response to that is yes, but if you're in a car on the road and the car, the engine breaks down, you're okay.

If you're in an airplane in the sky and the engine breaks down, that's a problem. Over which you have no control once you're up there. You see, Here's the thing. I can either let that fear keep me from making trips I need to make or I can overcome that fear and take those trips anyway. Back a few years ago, my dad had a heart attack.

He was having open heart surgery in Virginia. I needed to get up there. Guess what I did? I flew on an airplane. I needed to.

I had to overcome my fear. A few years back, about ten years ago, my parents were with their church were going to Israel and they they offered to pay for my brother and I to go with them and I've so badly wanted to go to Israel but you know what it meant? It meant I had to fly for fourteen hours there and fourteen hours back. You know what I did? I went to Israel.

I flew and it erased all fear. No, it didn't. I still don't like flying. But sometimes, you have to overcome. Those things you see.

Paul wasn't saying it was wrong for Timothy to fear but what it was wrong for was for Timothy to allow the fear to what? To overcome him, to keep him from doing. What God wanted him to do. To move backwards when he should be moving what? Forwards.

For being obedient to the Lord and going to this place or doing that ministry. Here in context, the apostles encouraging Timothy to be bold and confident in his service for Christ and not ashamed of the Lord or afraid of serving him. He says in verse eight, be not there, be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of the our Lord nor of me his prisoner but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God. Says, don't be ashamed, Timothy. We're told in Romans one sixteen, Paul also wrote there, for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God and the salvation to everyone that believeth to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

I am not ashamed, Paul. What is Paul saying? He says, no matter what others may think of me, no matter what others may do to me, I'm not ashamed and I'm not afraid. I'm going to give them the what? I'm going to give them the gospel.

I'm not going to shrink in fear. There are four different things I thought of this morning. Areas in which sometimes people might find or Christians in particular might allow fear to trip them up and get in their way and their service to Christ. The first thing as a Christian that you need to realize that you don't need to be afraid of is this, if you're a child of God, you do not need to be afraid of eternity. Eternity, is a wonderful thing.

Eternity is our reward. We need not be afraid of eternity. If you're here today and you're not a child of God, you've never put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, then, you do have reason to be afraid of eternity. But if you are a Christian, you don't. John three sixteen, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoso believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Have you put your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior? Then, you have what? Everlasting life. Verse 18, he that believeth on him, that's Jesus is not what? Is not condemned by their sin.

Which is carried out in the lake of fire in Revelation 20. He that believeth in him is not condemned. May he that believeth on him is not condemned. He that believeth not is what? Condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten son of God.

It's simple this morning. If you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, you do not need to fear eternity. Christ took your punishment on the Christ of Calvary. Your sins have been washed away in light of eternal judgment. You have been forgiven.

You have been pardoned. And it says in Romans eight one, there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. It says in John ten twenty eight, I think I have that up here. Let me get there. There it is.

I give unto them what? Eternal life and they shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. If you're a child of God, you've been born again by the spirit, you are in the hands of who? God and God says, no one and nothing can pluck you out of my hands.

You are safe. You are secure. You do not need to be afraid of what? Eternity. Because eternity for the Christian is your reward.

It is your inheritance. Not because that you have earned it but because Jesus Christ earned it on the cross for you. And you are secure. In him. When Christians run around in life insecure in their relationship with God or in their eternity.

It is an obstacle in their service to Christ. That's why the Bible says, make sure of your calling and election. Make sure you put your faith in Christ and if you have, if you have, then you have no fear of what? Eternity. And you can focus not on escaping the fires of hell.

But you can focus on serving Christ in the here and the now. So, first of all, we need not fear eternity. Second of all, Christian, you need not fear the unknown. You need not fear the unknown. Is there a lot to us that is unknown?

Yes. It is ten minutes to noon. I don't know what's going to happen at noon. That's still what? Future.

That is what? Unknown to me. Is it unknown to God? No, it's not unknown to him but it is unknown to me. I don't know what is going to happen tomorrow because it is unknown to me.

I don't know how you may respond to this I say or to that I do. It is unknown to me. There is much in our life that is what? Unknown. We don't know how somebody's going to respond.

We don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. We don't know if this project that we're working on or this goal that we're endeavoring to reach, we're going to reach or it's going to go like we expect it to go. A matter of fact, one thing I have learned in life is that the vast majority of the time what I expect to happen isn't going to be what happens, okay? Because I don't have control of many things and they are therefore to be unknown and that unknown causes many people to what? It causes them to fear.

Well, can I should I say this to this part? Should I go to this? Should I do this thing? Can I can I do this ministry? Can I witness to that person?

I don't know what they're going to say. I don't know what they're going to think. I don't know what's, I'm just going to stay in my house and not go anywhere for fear I might get in a car accident or for fear that the plane might fall out of the sky. Those things are unknown. And they tend to bring us fear.

But they don't need to. They don't need to. Christian, you shouldn't make yourself like a hermit or and hide yourself away for fear of the unknown. There was a great engineer aeronautic engineer. His name was Howard Hughes.

Very well-to-do man. He spent the last several years in his life as a hermit hid away. Nobody knew where he was. For fear of germs. For fear of the unknown.

Sad end to life of somebody who achieves so much but he let fear get the best of him. But Christian, that does not need to be you. Sad to say, some people, even Christians, don't enjoy their life in Christ. They're not willing to step out in faith to serve the Lord and why is it? Because they are afraid.

Of what the future might bring. What if this happens? What if that happens? What if we just learn to trust who? What if we just learn to trust the Lord?

And let what happens happen. While we are following Jesus. We don't need to be afraid. We needn't be afraid of eternity or the future. Why?

Because as a child of God, you will not face eternity or the future alone. As he said to Joshua, he says in Hebrews, I will never what? Leave thee nor forsake thee and whatever it is that's coming down the pike, A, God knows and B, God's going to be what? God's going to be with you. That's what David understood when he walked into the camp and all the soldiers were shaking in their boots because of Goliath and David said, well, won't somebody fight him?

Well, here, give me a shield. Give me some. I'll go fight him. Why aren't you going? They were what?

They were afraid and maybe your Goliath in your life is what's going to happen when you talk to this family member or what's going to happen if you move to this new job or if you go talk to that neighbor about Jesus or you accept God's calling to this mission field. Maybe that's your Goliath. We need to learn to be like David. We need to follow his example. We need to step up to that giant with our sling and our stone.

And trust our who? And trust our God. That he keeps his promises. That he will not leave you nor forsake you. Look if you would in Matthew chapter six.

Matthew chapter six. Matthew six. Look in verse 25. You know something? Jesus' disciples were what?

They were afraid at times. They had left their businesses, their jobs to follow Christ, and Jesus knew of their insecurity and of their fear. In verse 25 of Matthew six, Jesus says, therefore, I say unto you, take no thought for your life or what you shall eat or what you shall drink nor yet for your body what you shall put on. Is not the life more than meat in the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air for they sow not, neither do they reap nor gather in the barns yet.

Your heavenly father feedeth them. Are you not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought or worry can add one cubit unto his stature? Why take you thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they toil not, neither do they spin.

And yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass, the field which today is and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you? Oh you of little faith. Therefore, take no thought saying, what shall we eat or what shall we drink or wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek, for your heavenly father knoweth that you have need of all these things.

But seek you first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. All these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself, sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Christ wasn't saying his disciples that they didn't need to take responsibility for themselves or their families. What he was telling them is this, choose Christ.

Put God first. Trust him. Follow him. He will not what? He will not fail you.

He will not fail you. So, don't worry. Don't shrink from serving him. Out of fear. He will take care of you.

He'll take care of you in the place that he puts you of ministry, work, If he calls you to be a missionary or a pastor, he will take care of you. I have, the Lord has taken such good care of my family. I can't begin to express. In the ministry. And we've never had a million dollars in the bank.

But we've always had what we've needed. The Lord takes care of you. When you're willing to trust him. Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid of eternity.

Don't be afraid of the unknown. Don't be afraid of failure. Some people are just afraid to try anything because they're afraid they're going to fail. Well, guess what? If you never try, you're never going to what?

You're never going to fail, but you're also never going to what? Succeed. Michael Jordan was on a Nike commercial several years ago, and he started out the commercial with, I miss this basket, and I've missed these many baskets, and I've ruined the end of this many games by missing the basket when it was entrusted to me. And then he around and says, and because of those failures, I have succeeded. It's because we get up and try again.

A good man gets is knocked off the horse and he gets back what? He gets back on. He gets back on and God has promised to help us his children to do that. We must not be afraid to fail because if we are afraid to fail, then we will never succeed. Joshua one eight, Joshua one eight, Jesus said to Joshua, this book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth but thou shalt meditate therein day and night that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein.

Then, thou shalt make thy way what? Prosperous and then thou shalt have good success. The verses before he says, don't be afraid. The verse after he says, have not I commanded thee, don't be afraid. Don't be afraid.

You don't need to be afraid because if you'll just want, if you'll step out in faith and trust my word, you will what? Succeed. Doesn't promise that you won't fail here and fail there but in the end, you will succeed. You will prosper in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Don't be afraid of failure.

Failure is part of life. Be afraid of standing before God, having hidden your talent in the dirt, and have nothing to what? And have nothing to offer him. Because you allowed fear of failure to keep you from serving your Lord and then finally, don't fear eternity, don't fear the unknown, don't fear failure, and don't fear men. Don't fear men.

The Bible says, the fear of man brings a snare but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be saved. The fear of man ensnares us. The fear of man keeps us from doing what God tells us to do. In teenagers, we call that peer pressure. But that doesn't just happen with teenagers, does it?

No. It also happens with adults. We're afraid of what our neighbor will say. We're afraid of what our family member may do. We're afraid of what our neighbor may think of us or do and we don't go with them to the gospel.

We don't tell them about Christ. We're afraid that somebody's going to shut the door in our face and so we don't knock on their door. And we allow fear to keep us from being the messengers of the gospel that God has called us all to be. Fear of man is one of the most insidious and dangerous fears that you can have as a Christian. Because it will cause you to spin your wheels and waste your life.

Because you're too concerned about what others think. And not just concerned about what God thinks. You're more concerned about what they may think of you than you are concerned about their soul and where they will spend eternity. That it keeps you. From ministry That was a fear that Timothy might have had.

God had called Timothy to preach the word, confront the sinner, warn the wayward, encourage the weak, engage the enemy, stand resolute for the Lord, endure persecution, remain faithful under the threat of death. But Paul and his associates, the disciples, were said to turn the worldwide upside down. Because they weren't afraid and so he's telling Timothy, you don't be afraid either. God is with you. Don't let fear of the unknown failure or man keep you from serving the Lord.

God has given you a different spirit his spirit, the holy spirit which communes with our spirit and emboldens us, teaches us, guides us, helps us, and he's given his word that promises us that he will be with us. And that if we will trust him, it will succeed. The spirit of fear binds one in slavery. To that fear, but the spirit of God is freedom. The law of Christ liberates men.

If you are still in bondage to fear, then you don't fully understand the law of Christ which has freed you to serve him. It says in Galatians one five one, stand fast therefore and the liberty there with Christ hath made you free or made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Stand fast in your liberty. Don't be afraid. Serve the Lord with boldness.

Trust him. Don't allow the spirit of fear. To stop you. Greater is he that's in us than he that's in the world. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart.

Lean not unto thine own understanding. All thy ways acknowledge him and he shall what? He shall direct thy past. Child of God, if there's something in your life that's causing you to fear, to keep you, from being free in Christ, to keep you from serving the Lord with boldness. If that fear is holding you back, that fear is a sin.

Confess it. Allow God to conquer it today. And if you're here and you've never been born again, You're unsure of your salvation in Christ because you've not sure that you've ever received him. You have reason to fear. But those fears can be taken away today.

If you will trust Jesus. Let's pray. Dear heavenly father, thank you Lord for your word. Thank you Lord that we needn't be afraid because you are with us. You will never leave us nor forsake us.

You'll take care of us. You'll guide us. And if we'll trust in you, you will cause us to succeed. No matter how many times we fail in the process. Lord, we thank you that we have a merciful savior.

We thank you for the grace of God that been bestowed upon us, Lord. Help us to live in that grace. And Lord not to be entangled again with the yoke of bondage and fear. Lord, we pray if there's one here today that's never trusted Christ as savior. That they would come this morning as we sing this hymn of invitation.

That they might learn how to be saved. From your word and become a child of God today. Lord, please help them to overcome the pride and fear that maybe in their heart. And help them to walk the aisle today and come. That we might show them how to know Jesus Christ.

In Jesus name, amen.