To Overcome Fear 10/23/49
Scripture: I John 4: 7-21
Text: I 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 asserted by students of the matter that everyone, even the bravest, has some fear.
Children have easily-induced fears (of lightning & thunder)
Adults - fear of disease, or loss of security.
We fear the future - because it is uncertain and we know it will be changed.
Vast misgivings haunt the world today.
1) There is a certain virtue to our fear.
A. If no fear - no courage. (Soldier, somewhat tauntingly asked if afraid of battle assignment: “Of course I’m afraid. If you were as afraid as I am I doubt if you’d go!”
B. Fear keeps us within normal limits -honorable safeguard
“Stop, Look, Listen”
Fear of hunger keeps us at work.
Fear of cold -- get those storm windows on!
Fear of fire - precautions against it.
Fear of infection -- hygienic habits.
Some nonsense about “old fashioned preaching” and its appeal to fear. “Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God” - Jonathan Edwards.
It may not now seem reasonable to fear the torments of Dante’s Inferno (more vivid than anything in Bible.) But our age is fast re-learning that a man may land in a hell of his own making. And he may not have realized it as he went along. We are not so all-sufficient as we have sometimes supposed.
The appeal to fear is not necessarily unintelligent, nor coercive.
Doctors - “Go on living as you do now and you’ll die in 5 years (or 5 months).”
Books - “Road to Serfdom.”
Teachers and Preachers can use fear within limits -- for fear, if normal, acts as a deterrent -- even as a guide.
2) Of course, fear can become abnormal.
--so afraid of hunger - miser - or death from overexertion.
--so afraid of infection -dies of “nerves” instead of germs.
Virtue of self respect, driven to self conceit, becomes a vice.
Such overdrawn fears become blackmailers. - the more a man yields to them the more he has to yield.
Some fear being “scrawny” - so “ad” features cadaverous man captioned, “Is this you?”
Others fear being “brawny.” So ad pictures a mountainous woman and an urgent recommendation for some “slenderizing” garment or exercise or diet.
“Ads” have unwitting pathos - reminding one of the fears of people, fanned up by those who would live off them.
3) What are we to do with our fears? This - not the deepest question. Direct dealing with our fears -- not necessarily the best way to deal wiith them. But question - worth asking.
A. Fears should be faced.
Fear of shadow -- turn around and see.
Fear of ridicule - stage fright - speaker who faced
great audience -- friendly!
Fear of poverty - St. Francis chose poverty for his “bride.”
B. Face fear with action. Some think even unwise action is better than none. -- that is better than living with fear until one is mesmerized by it (like bird by smoke).
Shakespeare:
Or in the night, imagining some fear,
How easy is a bush supposed a bear!
If we know it is a bush (we usually do!) shake it,
If we have good reason to suspect bear, shout!
(Bear usually more afraid of us than we of him)
If suspect disease, go to doctor and get the facts.
4) All these above are wise, but mostly palliatives.
Suppose one is ridiculed
Suppose one does encounter bad health.
Suppose one does become poverty stricken.
Suppose life becomes a torture, defeats us, and
means to defeat us. What then?
There are still signs of a friendly universe. We read, and repeat to ourselves: “Underneath are the everlasting arms.”
Our very fears of evil are prophetic of good.
In our fears of sickness, we feel we are intended for health.
In our fears of deserved punishment we understand that we were made for holiness.
“As the hart (the deer) panteth after the waterbrooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God.” [Psalm 42: 1].
The real conquest of fear is not an act of our own will, or anything we do, but some sign given by God that these deep yearnings are known and satisfied.
There are signs
Friends - signs we were not intended for lonelinesss.
Doctors - signs our health is a birthright.
But these signs are not enough, for
Friends fail or leave
and even doctors at length sicken and die.
We need such a sign as to make us say, “God is speaking!”
For “If He is so, there is no need to worry.”
When Jesus came to die, everyone but he was afraid. He took no joy in it, and his heart was broken by men’s hatred, disloyalty and treachery, but he was not afraid.
Priests were afraid -- threat to their places and pride.
Pilate was afraid -- Caesar might depose him.
Soldiers afraid -- army is always the sign of a vast fear.
Disciples afraid -- of what they dared not think.
But Jesus was not afraid. He had prayed and renewed his faith in God. Of all actions by which fear can be met, there is no action like prayer.
5) Overcoming of fear is by compulsive power of love. “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear.” - mother - caring for sick child - does not fear weariness, or sickness or death herself. Will sit up all night if need be. Even human love casts out fear - or would if it were perfect.
-- Christian saints -- not different from ourselves. Same temperament (Paul’s stubbornness); same passions (anger, lust, self concern); hard environment -- harder for some of them than for some of us. They had exposed themselves to Jesus. They found that his spirit ran out to meet theirs. This was perfect love, his love for them. .. Not because they were perfect - they were not - but because he was perfect.
Here is what our text tells us. “Fear hath torment” (The word is “punishment” - like lashes laid on slaves.) But “we may have boldness in the day of judgment” [I John 4: 17]; (not brazenness, but freedom, that is the word.) It is used of sons. God, by the coming of Christ, has loved us up from the slavery of sin and fear into the confidence of sonship. The “perfect love” is His, not ours; then may become ours by response. It makes us adequate to our vigils; fires our wills; knows itself to be stronger than death. Faith in Christ by prayer is a saving act. -- Notes in English inn: “Fear knocked at the door. Faith answered. None was there.”
6) --First words about Jesus: “Fear not (don’t be afraid); for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy.” [Luke 2: 10].
Among his own last words: “Fear not, I am the first and the last, I am he that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore; and have the keys of death and of hell.” [Revelation 1: 17-18]. victory over fear!
---Ancient band marching against enemy -- fell upon a band of the foe. One, fear-stricken, said to the leader: “We have fallen into the hands of our enemies!” Leader said, “Why not they into our hands?”
Have we fallen into the fear of sickness, loneliness, sorrow? Rather let fear fall into our hands, to be controlled by the peace of God that passes all human understanding.
“Fear hath punishment” - as for slaves.
“But there is no fear in love” -- such love as is kept for sons. “Perfect love casteth out fear.”
Today - observed widely as World Order Sunday.
One of our great fears is that of another great, general, deadly conflict.
Better than cowering in helpless apprehension -- to support, in prayer and hand, the work of the churches in the new World Council of Churches. Better to be about the business of making manifest the love of Christ in mercy and encouragement for peoples nigh unto despair. Let Christians be very busy in the love that alone can cast out fear. (end)
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Delivered in Wisconsin Rapids, October 23, 1949.