From Fear to Faith

Moving from Fear to Faith

I titled this message "Moving from Fear to Faith."Right now fear is robbing you of some of God’s richest blessings. Until you overcome your fears, your life isn’t going to improve much. You are going to be stuck living at the same level. Every day our fears limit us. They keep us from living at our fullest potential in Christ. Fear constrains us.

Unfortunately, we do not readily recognize our fears. A while back I was preaching about fearing God when a guest sitting in the second row stood up, grabbed his wife by the arm, and stormed out right in the middle of the sermon. He huffed at those sitting near him, "I’m not afraid of anything." Not afraid of anything? Give me a break. Your wife’s probably scared of you. Let me introduce you to the King of kings and Lord of lords.

The truth is that fear is one of the greatest limiting factors in our lives. It paralyzes us. Our fears are like a glass ceiling. We look up and can see where God wants us to be in Christ. But the moment we try to rise up to the next level, we bump up against our fears. We have all fabricated for ourselves a glass ceiling made outof fear.

There are different levels of fear.

At an extreme level, fear can be this sense of terror, dread, horror, fright, panic, or alarm.
Your ears pop as a tornado approaches.
Flames unexpectedly engulf your kitchen.
An oncoming vehicle crosses the median into your lane.
You awake to the sound of an intruder who is breaking glass.

Fear is a powerful emotion. Its our innate fight or flight response. The sheer adrenaline rush of fear alone can disable our ability to think, act, react, focus, breath, pray, and trust God.

Last year Lara and I rescued a Schnauzer. When we first met Rock E, he just trembled with fear from nose to tail. We hoped thatgiving him the name Rock E would give him courage. But when I come home each night to let Rock E out, he cowers in the back of his cage, trembling in fear with his paw raised. If a leaf falls out of the tree, he runs for cover. If he hears a noise, he leaps around like a wild bull.

But most fear is far less dramatic. At its most basic level fear reveals itself in the form of worry, concern, nervousness, or anxiety.
You worry about losing electical power, pumps failing, and your basement flooding.
You are concerned about the choices your teenager is making.
You are anxious about hearing your test results.
You are nervous about what people think about you.
Your wife is trying a new recipe for dinner.
You are preoccupied with how to pay the bills, have a difficult conversation, fix a problem, or meet a deadline.

Here is what we know. Fear paralyzes us—sometimes physically. Fear preoccupies our minds in an unhealthy way. Fear distracts us. Fear robs us of life. Fear steals away some of the greatest blessings of God’s kingdom. It is hard to stop and smell the roses when all you can think about is getting pricked by thorns.

Some fear is necessary for survival.

It’s good to be afraid of hippopotamuses, sharks, alligators, and killer bees. But these aren’t the fears that disable us. In Matthew 6:25-33 (NIV)Jesus talks aboutfears like, "What shall we eat? What shall we drink? What shall we wear?"

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"

"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Decades ago a psychologist by the name of Maslow observed the danger of being afraid of what to eat, drink, or wear. If we are preoccupied with our basic biological needs,if we are obsessed with our need for security and stability,if we fear what people think about us,if we fear losing control, then we stop growing. We don’t self-actualize. We don’t reach our fullest potential.

How can we seek God's kingdom if we areconsumed by fear?

How can we possibly seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness when our thinking is so cluttered with fear?The truth is that we are in a foot race, chasing after all the things that pagans chase after. We are running from the same things that pagans run from.

In Numbers God captivates the imagination of the Israelite nation. First, in Numbers 6:24-26 (NIV) he promises to bless them."TheLORD bless you and keep you;theLORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;theLORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."

Second, in Numbers 13:1-2 (NIV)God gives the Israelites the promised land. "It is yours! Go take it!" "TheLORD said to Moses, '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.' "

The problemwasthatthe Israelites were consumed with fear. Remember the litany of complaining and excuse making from last week?"Lord, it's just too hard. Lord, we're hungry and thirsty. Lord, we don’t trust the leaders you appointed. Lord, we can’t take the land becausethe inhabitants are too fierce. Lord, things were so much better back in Egypt."

People who complain are oftenjust afraid.

All this grumbling and complaining was nothing more than a cover for fear. Instead of trusting God, moving beyond fear, and claiming God’s richest blessings, the Israelites just complained.

People who complain are really afraid. Complaining is nothing more than a passive way to protect the status quo, to set a glass ceiling for ourselves, to rebel against God, and to reject his purpose and blessing. When God commanded the Israelites to take the promised land, they came up with a million reasons why they couldn’t take the land.

Numbers 13:26-29 (NIV) tells us,"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. 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. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. 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.' "

Numbers 13:31-33 (NIV) continues,"But the men who had gone up with him (Caleb) said, 'We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.' 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. 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.' "

Two words summarize the firsttwenty-five chapters of Numbers: "We can’t." Ever hear yourself saying those words? That’s fear talking.

But with God, all things are possible.

In Romans 8:28-32 (NIV) Paul says,"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?"

With God all things are possible! With God there is no, "We can’t." In Numbers 13:30 (NIV) it is Caleb who stands up and silences the people."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.' "

In Numbers 14:6-9 (NIV) it is Joshua and Caleb who speak against fear."Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothesand said to the entire Israelite assembly, 'The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If theLORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but theLORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them.' "

Do you want to know what happens next? Numbers 14:10-12 (NIV) tells us,"But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. (Caleb and Joshua) Then the glory of theLORD appeared at the Tent of Meeting to all the Israelites.The LORD said to Moses, 'How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them? I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they.' "

Here is the moral of the story. If we don’t move from fear to faith in the living God, then God will give the blessing to someone else. God gave the land to the first generation of Israelites, but it was Caleb and Joshua and the second generation who got to live in the land.

Friends, we will never inherit God’s richest blessings with a spirit of fear. Fear paralyzes. Fear robs us. Fear limits us. God commands us to set our hearts and minds on heavenly things, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. But if we cannot trust God, if we cannot put faith in the living God, we’ll never ascend to such heights. Like the fallen generation of Israelites, we’ll live our days in the desert picking sand out of our teeth while another generation inherits the blessing.

Numbers 14:20-24 (NIV) says,"TheLORD replied, 'I have forgiven them, as you asked. Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of theLORD fills the whole earth,not one of the men who saw my glory and the miraculous signs I performed in Egypt and in the desert but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times—not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their forefathers. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.' "

What fears do you need to let go of this morning?

Are you so preoccupied with the basic necessities of life such as what you will eat, drink, and wear, thatyou will not bring yourself to trust God?
Are you so comfortable and content that you will not risk your security, venture out into the world, and claim God’s blessings?
Are you so worried about what people will think or say that you will not resolve to live a holy life in their midst?

If you will not trust the living God, then who will you trust? I put three questions in your bulletin this week and last week for you to consider. You can read the passages corresponding with each question. These questions hold the key to moving from fear to faith.

Do you see God’s mercy?

God certainly forgives our fears. He is gracious and merciful. But there is a difference between forgiveness and blessing. Forgiveness preserves our relationship. Despite their sins, Israel remained God’s chosen people. However, blessing enhances our relationship with God. Despite being forgiven, the first generation of God’s chosen people did not inherit the promised land. As we will see later the land fell to their children, who would walk obediently in faith. A lot of Christians have been forgiven, but have let fear rob them of God’s richest blessings.

Do you respond in worship?

In Numbers 18 and Numbers 19 it is abundantly clear that God wants us to celebrate his generosity. Fear is ingratitude. Fear doubts God’s blessings. In contrast, faith celebrates God’s generosity. Faith says thanks. Faith lays hold of God’s promises. Faith sacrifices, lets go, and gives back.Faith orients itself around the living God instead of around a preoccupation with self and the things of this world. Faith says that with God, all things are possible. With God, WE CAN!

Are you passing the test?

God continually tests our faith. He calls us to dwell in the land just beyond our fears. The only way to dwell there is to walk by faith and not by sight. Ultimately, the only thing that can keep us from the promised land is fear itself.