Have you ever heard of a condition called homilophobia? A homily is a sermon. A phobia is a fear. Homilophobia is a fear of sermons! The clinical definition for homilophobia is, "a persistent, abnormal, and unwarranted fear of sermons, despite the understanding by the phobic individual and reassurance by others that there is no danger." A second definition is, "a strong fear of, dislike of, or aversion to sermons."
There are clinics that specialize in treating patients with a fear of sermons. Consider this online promotional advertisement from the Phobia Clinic. "Defined as 'a persistent, abnormal, and irrational fear of sermons', each year, this surprisingly common phobia causes countless people needless distress. To add insult to an already distressing condition, most therapies for fear of sermons take months or years and sometimes even require the patient to be exposed repeatedly to their fear. We believe that not only is this totally unnecessary, it will often make the condition worse. And it is particularly cruel because fear of sermons can be eliminated with the right methods and just 24 hours of commitment by the phobic individual. Known by a number of names, homilophobia and fear of sermons being the most common, the problem often significantly impacts an individual's quality of life. It can cause panic attacks and keep people apart from loved ones and business associates. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, rapid breathing, irregular heartbeat, sweating, nausea, and overall feelings of dread, although everyone experiences fear of sermons in their own way and may have different symptoms. Though a variety of potent drugs are often prescribed for fear of sermons, side effects or withdrawal symptoms can be severe. Moreover, drugs do not 'cure' fear of sermons or any other phobia. At best, they temporarily suppress the symptoms through chemical interaction. The good news is that the modern, fast, drug-free process we use at The Phobia Clinic will train your mind to feel completely different about sermons, eliminating the fear so that it never haunts you again."
I think there is something to this. No one sits in the front rows on Sunday morning. Everyone take a deep breath and move forward two rows. All together now. Okay, maybe we should just try one row at a time. One, two, three. (Note to reader- no one moved!)
The list of things we fear goes on and on.
There are so many fears. Many are fears we don’t hear much about. Acrophobia, the fear of heights (root word- acrobat). People are also treated for the fear of air, flowers, bees, lighting, flutes, being confined, dogs, vomiting, public speaking, fear of being naked (root word- gymnophobia). Why’s that called gymnophobia? Since this is a sanctuary, maybe it's not homilophobia but gymnophobia that keep you sitting in the back rows!
There is fear of rust, ghosts, snakes (Lara has that one), odors, and the fear of 'everything'. There is the fear of having phobias, fear of cold, embarrassing oneself, and of the number thirteen. Of course we are just scratching the surface when it comes to fear.
When I was in high school there was a guy named Kevin who used to threaten me. Kevin was much older than me and was heavy into guns, alcohol, and drugs. He was terribly unstable. One time he aimed a revolver at a neighbor kid’s head and threatened to blow him away. In tears, the kid begged him to put revolver down. But with the revolver still pointed at the kid’s head, Kevin pulled the trigger several times. The barrel was empty. Kevin loved terrorizing people.
One summer I had the misfortune of wrecking Kevin’s moped. From that point on, I was a marked man. He went out of his way to bully and harass me. He had this big blue and white truck with a loud muffler. You could hear him coming from blocks away. He would track me down on my paper route and demand money from me. He was so angry and impulsive. As a grade school student the sound of his truck coming down the street sent chills up my spine. I did everything I could to avoid Kevin. I’d hide in the bushes. I would turn the other way. I would run. As I got older I saw through Kevin’s intimidation tactics and stood up to him.
Fear can be debilitating or protective.
But such fear is debilitating. It paralyzes us. It demoralizes and distracts us. It disorganizes our thoughts. It enslaves. It destroys our quality of life. It's irrational. But not all fear is necessarily bad. Fear can be a defense mechanism, an adrenaline trigger, or a fight or flight response that can protect us from perceived danger.
When we were younger my oldest brother was mowing along the fence line in tall grass. My other brother Mike and I were playing in a sandbox nearby. All of a sudden the mower stuttered and our oldest brother Chris let out a blood-curdling scream. We watched as Chris fled for the house in sheer terror. He’d struck a bee hive with the mower and dozens of angry bumble bees were in hot pursuit. We think he set a state record for the 50 yard dash! And we never let Chris live that moment down. He was in track, so whenever he was going to a track meet we would say, "May the bees be with you."
In the first instance my fear was destructive. In the second example fear was useful for Mike's self preservation. When we fear something, that something becomes part of our calculation in life. When it was my turn I never mowed along that fence line in the same way. I was cautious. I was watchful and alert. I was very careful where I placed those mower wheels. I was prepared to run at the first buzz of danger.
What is the correct way to fear God?
Let’s shift gears for a moment. In the Bible we are instructed to fear God. But in what sense are we to fear God? Are we to hide in terror? Are we to flee for our very lives? I am not suggesting that we should fear God in the same way that my brother feared those bumble bees or in the same way that I feared Kevin. God doesn’t seek to terrorize us. He doesn’t want us to flee out of dread and utter horror. So in what sense should we fear God? At what point does that fear cross the line and become unhealthy? Or perhaps even destructive?
The absence of a fear of God.
First, let's talk about the absence of a fear of God. This is so predominant in our culture. When I was young I would spend a lot of time mudding around in Horse Creek. I would fish, build forts, skip rocks on the water, and start small brush fires. I didn’t fear much of anything except maybe a snake or two. One day, I saw the largest snapping turtle I had ever seen. It swam across the creek and beached on a sand bar. So I jumped across the creek, snuck up behind the turtle, and tried to pick it up. It was as mean and nasty as it looked. Its head and powerful jaw lashed out, just missing my fingers. I tried poking it with a stick, but it only grew more hostile. That turtle taught me real quick that it was a force to be reckoned with and should be left alone!
We tend to approach life with this same absence of fear. "No fear" seems to be the wisdom of our day and age. God has warned us about the dangers of evil and the consequences of sin. But instead of fearing God, we let our curiosity get the best of us. Instead of hating evil and avoiding it, we draw near to it. We poke at it with a stick. We taunt and play with evil. We partake of the forbidden fruit. We slip into that casino. We take that gamble. We test our parents' wisdom. We sneak out to that party with questionable friends. We take that swig, we sniff that substance, we compromise our sexuality, we expose ourselves to foolish risks, we push that boundary, we let our guard down, we let our tongue slip, we tell that little lie, we exchange that dangerous glance, we surf into those dangerous waters on the internet or television, we dishonor marriage by living together, we recklessly charge our way into debt, we break that rule, and we forsake God’s command. And pretty soon, sin rears its ugly head back and snaps at us. And all too often, not even the thought of losing our fingers or even our soul dissuades us from our sins.
Consequences of a "no fear" lifestyle.
As a consequence of this "no fear" lifestyle, our lives are riddled with insecurities. These insecurities compound our phobias and problems, deepen our emotional and psychological trauma, increase our feelings of emptiness and despair, create selfishness and conflict, and inflict deeply rooted pain. The Proverbs are quite clear about where our infatuation and curiosity with sin leads. Proverbs 1:27 (NIV) speaks of calamity that, "overtakes you like a storm", disaster that, "sweeps over you like a whirlwind", and the, "distress and trouble" which overwhelm you. Those who are enticed by the "no fear" lifestyle of sin find themselves swept up into unending troubles; family troubles, marriage troubles, personal troubles, financial troubles, work troubles, health troubles, and dissatisfactions.
I mentioned last week that the book of Proverbs is, in essence, a book of comparisons. We are being invited to compare and contrast those who fear God with those who do not fear God. And we're being challenged to intelligently choose the better way. There isn’t any mystery about where sin leads us. We don’t have to read the Bible to discover how sin wrecks our world. We just need to open our eyes and look around.
Watch the news. Read the newspaper. Talk to parents and school teachers. Talk to a counselor or a pastor. Talk to a police officer. Talk to those who have gone through life and lived out their choices to their conclusions. The absence of any fear of God is destroying our lives, our communities, our churches, our marriages and families, and our workplaces.
In Proverbs the absence of any fear of God leads to discontentment, distress, anguish, insecurity, harm, trouble, death, shortened life, deceit, pride, arrogance, perverse speech, perverse lifestyles, hotheadedness, recklessness, envy, and rebelliousness. Nothing good comes to those who lack any fear or regard for God. Sin ruins our lives. Sin destroys our souls. Sin never brings about anything good in our lives. And common sense reveals this truth!
A lifestyle of fearing God.
Now what about this lifestyle of fearing God? There is such thing as healthy fears. I used to have an unhealthy fear of heights. I dreaded roller coasters. I would have a panic attack when I thought about riding one. I refused to climb ladders. Eventually I overcame my unhealthy, neurotic fear of heights. But does this mean you will find me standing on the edge of a two story roof trying to touch my toes? Does this mean you’ll find me climbing a three hundred foot radio tower without safety gear? What remains is a sensible, healthy fear of heights.
God doesn’t want us to dread him. He doesn’t want us having panic attacks, fearing the worst, doubting our salvation, or viewing every misfortune as his judgment. Like other fears, the wrong kind of fear of God can destroy us. It can paralyze us, demoralize us, confuse us, distract us, and enslave us. But the right kind of fear can protect us and even save us from danger.
Those who fear God in a healthy way measure their steps before God. They work God’s perspective into every area of their lives. God is part of their calculations. Those who have a healthy fear of God exercise caution. They are mindful of the living God. They respect God’s authority, his power, his majesty, his holiness, his will, his purpose, and especially his wisdom. Those who have a healthy fear of God don’t presume upon God, dismissing him or supposing him to be a non-factor which is irrelevant to living life. Only the fool ignores God, supposing that he will never have to answer to God or be made accountable or be judged or face the consequences of his or her choices.
But the wise man does just the opposite. The one who fears God considers God in all he does. He puts God in the center of his choices and thoughts and plans. He respects God’s authority. He is humbled by God’s power and holiness. He is awestruck by God’s majesty. He is obedient to God’s purpose and will. He fully embraces God’s wisdom. He disciplines himself. He gladly receives God’s correction. He is accountable for his choices. He pursues righteousness. He avoids temptation. He flees from the presence of evil.
What the Bible says about the fear of the Lord.
Consider a few passages in Proverbs that describe the fear of the Lord.
Proverbs 8:13 (NIV), "To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior, and perverse speech.”
Proverbs 3:7-8 (NIV), "Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones."
Proverbs 16:6 (NIV), "Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the Lord a man avoids evil."
Proverbs 14:16 (NIV), "A wise man fears the Lord and shuns evil."
Proverbs 14:2 (NIV), "He whose walk is upright fears the Lord, but he whose ways are devious despises him."
So often, fear translates into suspicion, distrust, and defiance. The fear of the Lord translates into optimism, hope, trust and obedience. Those who fear God are less afraid of God and more afraid of a life without God.
Are you afraid of living life without God?
In fact, why don’t we just lay all our cards face up and have a moment of honesty? What are you the most afraid of? Are you more afraid of living your life with God? Or are you more afraid of living your life without God? Are you more afraid of what will happen when you resist sin? Or are you more afraid of what will happen when you embrace sin? Are you more afraid of following God’s will? Or are you more afraid of following your own will?
Proverbs 1:33 (NIV) says, "whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear or harm."
Proverbs 29:25 (NIV) says, "whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe."
Proverbs 19:23 (NIV) says, "The fear of the Lord leads to life: Then one rests content, untouched by trouble."
Proverbs 10:27 (NIV) says, "The fear of the Lord adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short."
Proverbs 14:27 (NIV) says, "The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death."
To fear or not to fear? That is the comparison Proverbs calls us to make for ourselves. That is the decision you need to make for yourself each and every day.