The break is over...

For those who read this blog, thanks for your patience as I have take a half time break and am now ready to resume... Thanks for your prayers.

Fear that hopes

Ro 8:14-17 - For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Slavery produces fear. Serving produces trust. When we don’t fear God, we will fear something else. Those who fear God receive a Spirit of Adoption that allows for an intimate relationship where instead of a cold, dead relationship, there is an intimate fatherly relationship. The Spirit bears witness that we are children of God, who have all the rights of being a son and a heir to all that is ours for inheritance. It is true that we will suffer, but it isn’t nothing to be afraid of, because we have the promise of a God who cares for us and a future inheritance awaiting us.

Fear works

Ac 10:1-8 - At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the seaside.” When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.

This is a great story of fearing God and then being in terror of God. Cornelius gets both. Look at the description of him, a gentile and centurion. He was a devout man who feared God in such a way that his entire household had been influenced by his faith. And his fear of God worked itself out in works, as he gave money to the poor and prayed continually to this God. When he was praying he saw and angel and he was terrified. But, the angel spoke good words to him. The outworking of this faith that he had, which he didn’t fully understand at the time, the alms and the prayers, had become a memorial before God. And now he was going to be rewarded by sending Peter to teach them about the faith that he would come to know. This story is important on many levels. Faith should lead us to works. Fear leads us to faith. We will be influenced by our faith if we fear God honesty and personally.

Fear doesn't matter...

Ac 27:21-26 - Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. But we must run aground on some island.”

I have always heard that the safest place to be is in God’s will, and this verse kind of proves that point. It really is about God’s purposes for us. We will live as long as he wants us to live and no more. God wanted Paul to stand before Caesar and Paul was going to stand before Caesar. There wasn’t any storm that was going to be able to change the plan of God.

Ac 9:31 - So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.

I don’t think it is a coincidence that the church was being built up when it was walking in the fear of the Lord. And I think the comfort of the Holy Spirit is a direct result of walking in the fear of the Lord. When we fear God, meaning when we consider him above all fears, and obey him because of our fear of Him, we will be built up and comforted.

Ps 96:4-5 - For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.

Our God is to be feared above all Gods. There is no God as great as our God. He has made the Heavens and the earth and all that are in them. He is sovereign over all the earth. Therefore nothing can happen outside his control. Though you may not have an angel come down today, be encouraged that God has a plan for your life. Nothing can keep you from that plan except yourself.

A fear that rules...

Ac 18:8-11 - Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized. And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

These are encouraging word from Paul who after a difficult experience with the Jews, was going to the Gentiles. I am sure Paul was both discouraged and depressed. His own people not only rejected Jesus, but also threatened Paul. The encouraging words to Paul are that God has chosen some in the place to believe in Christ and that he will be free from attacks for a period of time. As it is, he stayed there for a year and six months teaching the Word of God to them. When Christ said in a vision, “Do not be afraid,” he was basically saying, “Don’t fear them, fear me.” It is really one or the other. If Paul feared them more than God, he would not have been obedient to the command to stay and preach. Fear keeps us from obeying God. Therefore, fear rules our lives. Which fear will you allow to rule your life?

Fear that is elminated by peace

Jn 20:19-23 - On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld.”

It seems that Jesus has told the disciples countless times to fear Him only, but with Jesus now gone, and with only rumors of his resurrection, they are locked in a room because the fear the Jews. It is hard to blame them. After seeing how Jesus was brutally murdered, the disciples wanted none of it. Jesus had to prove that he was the only one to fear, and he first started with the physical barriers, a locked door. Jesus came and stood among them. Then, he said the words that eliminated all fear – peace. The word peace is a the Hebrew word shalom which is a word that both secures composure in difficult trouble and dissolves fear. He said it twice. Peace be with you and then he said that he is sending them out to do what he had done. And to give them the security and the assurance and the power, he breathed on them the Holy Spirit. Jesus would not always be with them, but the Holy Spirit would be, and the results would be the same: peace and not fear.

Fear that stays above ground

Jn 19:38 - After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body.

This verse really stuck out to me. A disciple of Jesus but he was a secret disciple because of the Jews. It is admirable that he came and took the body of Jesus and buried him, and maybe this was his breakout time, where he didn’t care what anyone thought anymore. But it is clear that when we fear something more than we fear God, it drives us underground. We are not witnesses as we should be when we fear something that is not God. Fearing people or circumstances or religion or reputations can lead people to be less than disciples of Christ. Fear is detrimental to being a disciple of God because we allow something with more power to earn our worship. Is there anything you fear more than God right now that is causing you to go underground?