Fear not
My husband had a message once……about the first time God says to Abraham…”Fear not, Abraham: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” (Genesis 15:1)
My husband made the comment…and I have not forgotten it…that the Lord only says, “Fear not”…
……when there is something to fear.
That He says it, to remind us…that He is there! To take our eyes off of the thing itself….and put our trust on Him.
There are sixty-one times the Lord says. Fear not, to someone in the Bible…from Genesis to Revelation. (Revelation 1:17 “And when I saw Him, I fell at HIs feet as dead. And He laid HIs right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:”)
The Lord only says this to His own….for they are to look to HIm and be saved….delivered from fear of mind and heart, and embolden with HIs Presence and guidance.
Exodus 14:13 “And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.”
(this is one of my favorites,….because the grandest army was behind them….coming to destroy and re-establish their slavery. They had chariots and horses, weapons and many men…..yet God said….”Fear ye not”,….
…then He said, “Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord.”
At the very beginning of their trip to the Promised Land, God deals with them…to believe Him….to see, that what He says….He will do.)
Exactly what God said, happened. God made a way for His people, delivering them….and taking them out of the circumstances so completely….they did not need to fear the Egyptians anymore.
Fear is one of the many things which the devil uses, to get us to see the circumstances around us…rather than God.
1 Peter 5:7-9 “Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Whom resist steadfast in the faith,…”
To “cast” something, is to stand back from and throw it away from you, a little or great distance.
To cast our care upon God is to put it away from us….and upon the sure shoulders of Christ,…for might; and the sure heart of Christ,…because of HIs love.
“He careth for you”….to be of interest. God is interested in all your cares. We think, of course, the big ones….but He is interested in even goose-quills….the smallest of our concerns.
(The story is told of George Muller, whose ministry was of faith. He prayed for many thousands of dollars for the missionaries of the China Inland Missionary program. He started an orphanage in England….by faith getting land to build on, that was impossible.
Yet when a man came to see him, the man was let in and Mr. told him, “ I am finishing a letter that is very important….please sit down and I will be with you in a minute.”
The man noticed, that Mr. Muller wrote a few words, then quickly bowed his head, and prayed….then finished his letter….and sealing it….he looked up and asked what the man wanted.
The man spoke of his business,….then asked, “Please, tell me what you prayed for when you were writing.”
Mr. Muller said, “As I said this letter was very important….and my pen tip was failing….and I asked the Lord to keep it, till I was finished with the letter.”)
To be “sober” here is to be serious in the work of the Lord….not to fritter away our time on nothing things….things of amusement only. Or on worldly pursuits….but to seriously consider that the time we have is limited….
….and God has called us to walk with HIm.
We have an adversary….an active enemy….”walking about” like a wild lion….looking for food. Lions roar….to scare or cause us to run into something we should not.
He “walks about”,….coming from any direction with trouble, doubt or mistrust,…to cast us down in mind and heart.
He would destroy us, if he could….but works mostly to get us to give up, ourselves, on God, or His Word.
But we are to “resist steadfast in the faith”.
We are to stand in the faith. Faith sees God, and if the roaring adversary can get us to “see” something else—our problem,….our selves,…others…then our faith grows weak…and we are not standing. I want to mention….that “steadfast” means to hold up. It is from the Holy Spirit…a word that denotes inner strength to continue…through battle and storm.
Fear not.
Psalm 31:13 “For I have heard the slander of man: fear was on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life.
But I trusted in Thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my God.”
David had many men try and slander or hurt him….even of his own household….but….David trusted the Lord.
Fear not.
2 Chronicles 20:1,3,17 “It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle.
And Jehoshaphat feared,…..and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.”
But he heard….
“Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you.”
Jehoshaphat feared….but he sought the Lord….getting all the people to do the same….and God delivered them.
Fear not.
Paul, on the way to Rome….in the middle of a terrible storm. All men were shaken.
Yet he hears…
Acts 27:23-25 “For there stood by me this night the angel of God, Whose I am, and Whom I serve,
Saying, Fear not, Paul: thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.
Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.”
It is interesting to note: that there were many people on that ship….yet for Paul’s sake….they all survive.
God is interested in us…and in all our cares….big and small.
When Jesus gave command to the disciples before He sent them out to prepare for HIs coming through the villages….He said,
Matthew 10:24-25, 29-31 “The disciple is not above his Master, nor the servant above his Lord.
It is enough for the disciple that he be as his Master, and the servant as his Lord.
Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.”
The term “value” here has to do with “bearing through”….simply God is going to see us through…because He cares and values us.
Many times we are called to “Fear God”,….and many times we are told to “Fear not,..nor be dismayed.”
Let us know,….trust….believe God….and fear Him…..seeking His deliverance and help….for He will see us through….the largest waters, and the in the smallest cares.
Preaching, Teaching, and Notes 