Good morning: I came up with a rule last week I want to implement. The rule is, “you must greet the pastor either before service starts or when the service is over. I want to make sure I shake your hand or give you a hug and thank you for worshipping with us. I’m going to have minister Morris give the benediction allowing me to be in the foyer as you leave.

Last week I preached on forgiveness verses unforgiveness. We had a good discussion on the zoom call on Wednesday evening. Many of the storms we face in our lives, not the rain, thunder, and lightening kind of storms, but storms of disagreement and unrepented sin are the result of a root of bitterness that is growing in us because of unforgiveness. If we are not forgiving others, God is not forgiving us. The result of our disobedience are the storms we face.

Hillview Family and Friends!

 Ushers and greeters. We can create an alternate schedule. If anyone is interested, please see LaTanya Dunn.

Sis. Debbie will be having Children’s ministry 1st through 4th Sundays.  On the 1st Sunday the children will  do special projects. Please text Sis. Debbie if your child will not be in attendance. 5th Sunday no children’s ministry.

Jan 7th Bible Study on Zoom 6pm.

Jan 17 Board Management meeting 9am.

Jan 19th Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Jan 31st Women’s Prayer Breakfast at 10am.

We are needing 2 candidates for the Management Board position. If anyone is interested. Please contact Pastor Dexter White

Offering Envelopes are located on the wall outside of the sound booth.

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I looked up a definition of fear from a spiritual perspective. So, we won’t be talking about a fear of snakes or a fear of the dark. We’re going to be talking about fearing God and the fearing that causes us to oppose or resist God. Fear is defined as a negative, paralyzing force that hinders growth and separates us from God, or a positive, reverential awe (fear of the Lord) that signifies deep respect, wisdom, and right living, prompting us to honor God’s power and holiness.

Let’s look to the scripture at some of the positives of fear first.

Proverbs 9:10

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

Don’t you long for wisdom and understanding, especially when it comes to our knowledge of God? This Bible verse reveals that genuine wisdom doesn’t begin with human intellect or worldly knowledge but with proper reverence and awe toward God.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 (Amplified Version)

13 When all has been heard, the end of the matter is: fear God [worship Him with awe-filled reverence, knowing that He is almighty God] and keep His commandments, for this applies to every person.

Solomon’s final words in Ecclesiastes refine humanity’s entire purpose into two essential elements: fearing God and obeying His commandments. Jesus summed the commandments up with “love the Lord your God” and “your neighbor as yourself.” We are complete only when we fear God and obey His commandments.

Psalm 33:8

Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!

The psalmist expands the scope from individual experience to worship by all humanity. The parallel between “fear” and “stand in awe” in this Scripture verse clarifies the nature of this reverence—it’s the breathtaking recognition of God’s majesty that should characterize every human heart.

Proverbs 19:23

The fear of the LORD leads to life and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm.

This Bible verse addresses a common misconception about the fear of God by showing its results: satisfaction and protection rather than anxiety. Those who maintain proper reverence toward God experience a deep contentment and security that comes from walking in alignment with their Creator’s design.

Psalm 147:11

… but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.

This verse resolves any tension between fear and love by showing they’re complementary rather than contradictory. God delights in hearts that hold both reverent awe and confident hope in His faithful love.

2 Corinthians 7:1

Since we have these [great and wonderful] promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, completing holiness [living a consecrated life – a life set apart for God’s purpose] in the fear of God.

Cleansing ourselves is a twofold action, turning away from sin, and turning toward God.

These 6 verses point us to a loving heavenly Father that wants to be in relationship with each of us. I know we want to be on the winning side while we sojourn down here, understanding this world is not our home.

Romans 8:31 tells us, “What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?” This statement affirms that no opposition, hardship, or power can overcome those aligned with God, as His love and power are supreme, offering believers ultimate victory and hope in Christ.

We allow worldly fears to keep us from being all we can be for God. There’s a verse that at least challenges me to consider my actions when it comes to me obeying God.

Mt 10:28

28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

God gives us the ability to withstand everything the world has to attack us with while we stand for Christ. The world might take my life, but my soul will be with the Lord.

Have you ever not done something because you had a fear of what might happen? Statistics show that 85 – 90% of the things people think might happen never happen. Let’s consider the Children of Israel. They were led out of Egypt by Moses, they crossed through the Red Sea on dry ground, and they prepared to enter the Promised Land.

Moses sent 12 spies to spy out the land. Ten spies returned with an unfavorable report.

Numbers 13:1-3

1 The LORD said to Moses,

2 “Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders.”

3 So at the LORD’s command Moses sent them out from the Desert of Paran. All of them were leaders of the Israelites.

What was the unfavorable report that caused the Israelites to fear invading the Promised Land even though they knew God was giving it to them.

Numbers 13:26-33

26 They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land.

27 They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit.

28 But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there.

29 The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.”

30 Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”

31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.”

32 And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size.

33 We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”

Ten of the spies gave a bad report to the people and they became afraid, causing them to rebel against God.

The way to fight worldly fears is with facts. “Fears about what might happen lead us to forget how God has been with us in the past. Joshua and Caleb, the two spies who did not agree with the ten, attempted to offer a counter-narrative that hinged on two facts. “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us.” The children of Israel did not listen to Joshua or Caleb, but their attempt to persuade shows us a way forward: fears must be met with facts.”¹

Worldly fear causes us to cower in secrecy.

“When Adam and Eve sinned, how did they respond? They hid from God. Why?

Genesis 3:10

10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so, I hid.”

Adam’s sin led him to fear, and fear compelled him to hide. We conceal ourselves because we fear what God, or others might think about our transgressions or our faults. We hide our sins because we fear the sacrifices that may be required to right our wrongs. It hurts to change, so we bury the sin and practice it in secret.

We defeat worldly fear by acting in urgency, not in complacency. There is a saying we’ve heard, “don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today.” When it comes to the things that impact our walk with God, we need to deal with the matter right away. Fear tells us we have time to deal with the matter, but the Bible urges us to act and to act quickly. We say it all the time, “tomorrow is not promised to any of us.” How many times did you hear the Gospel, but fear prevented you from responding because you were afraid what others might think. God was gracious to you, and it might have taken you months, but finally you responded and you’re saved today.

Worldly fear leads to hopelessness. There’s probably not an adult present that hasn’t done something in their past, a sin, they would rather you not know about them. They feel we would treat them differently if we found out.

Whatever sins you have committed, Jesus died on the cross to pay for those sins, past, present, and in the future. “No matter how far you think you have fallen, no matter what you have done, you are not beyond the grace of God. God is not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance. If you genuinely believe in Jesus and repent, God will receive you.

Worldly fear is an effective deceiver. Fear leads to secrecy and secrecy keeps us from confronting our sin. Hence, secrecy also strengthens sin. The longer a sin stays secret, the stronger it grows because consequences aren’t immediate. The reality is there are no secrets from God. God knows everything.

While King David was having an affair with Bathsheba, he thought he was being discrete. Doing things in secret, only to find out God knew. Secrecy rooted in fear only hurts us.

We can overcome fear with confession. Confession, not suppression, is how we heal the pain, hurt, and guilt that results from our fear. Confession is how we defeat worldly fear. After the prophet Nathan told David you are the man, referring to his affair with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, David said, “I have sinned against the LORD.” Nathan replied, “The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the LORD show utter contempt, the son born to you will die.”

Our sinful deeds must be repented of. Even after repentance and confession, there are consequences that must be endured.

“Like the children of Israel, worldly fear leads us to fixate on what “might” happen rather than remember what God has done for us. Fear tells us to keep our sin secret and thereby keep ourselves safe. Worldly fear tells us we will always have time to confront our sins tomorrow. But all of these are lies in one way or another, and the solutions are found in doing the exact opposite. Focus on facts, on what you know, on what you have experienced, rather than on what you imagine might happen. Confession, not suppression, brings healing. We don’t have all the time in the world; our sins need to be confronted with urgency. All hope for you is not lost; God’s grace is greater than our sins!²

 

Study Questions for

Defeating Worldly Fear in our Lives

1. From a spiritual perspective, what is the negative definition of worldly fear?
2. What is the positive definition of fear from a spiritual perspective?
3. Of the six passages of scripture that emphasized the fear of the Lord, which one helped you the most?
4. What is your response to Mt 10:28, Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
5. Are you guilty of not doing things because of a fear of what might happen?
6. How do you fight against worldly fears because what might happen?
7. Are you guilty of not dealing with your fears with a sense of urgency? What is the danger of that?
8. Have you ever had the fear that God would not forgive you of your past sins?
9. How secret are the things you do from your friends, from God?

1 The Gospel Saves, article by Wade Stanley, Worldly Fear versus Godly Fear.

 

Continue to pray for the sick and shut-ins and their caregivers. Prayer is needed for our entire congregation as we are all dealing with spoken and unspoken needs and requests.

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