Not the Spirit of Fear
2 Timothy 1:7
We live in fearful times. A pandemic has struck. People are afraid. The are afraid of dying from the disease. They are afraid for their loved ones. They are afraid of other people. We are all potentially biological weapons. We may infect others unwittingly. We are afraid of the economic repercussions. Will we lose our jobs permanently or even our home? Because the world is unstable, will this lead to a world war? The result is a general panic which threatens to engulf us.
One of the things we must understand about fear is that there is nothing new about fear and fearful times. Ninety years ago, the Great Depression filled most of the world with fear. World War 2 followed. Then the Cold War and fallout shelters. I could give many examples from various times and places. There is an existential quality about fear. We are not afraid of being consumed in the bubonic plague of the Middle Ages. It was certainly terrifying to them, but not to us because we did not live during these times. We live in the now. If someone 20 years from now were to read this sermon. They would have some other fearful situation to replace what I have just described. In some ways it might be familiar. We have suffered from the four horsemen of the Apocalypse from the time of the fall. The particulars and the names might be different. But you too will have to deal with fear.
What does the Bible have to say about fear. Since fear is a timeless reality of life, then the timeless Word of God should inform us of how to handle fear. And it does. I would like to read a verse from 2 Timothy 1:7 this morning: “For God has not given us the Spirit of fear, but of power, and of love and of sound mind.” Let us see this morning how this verse in particular and the Bible in general can help us deal with fear.
Paul was writing to Timothy in very troubled times. He was in prison for the sake of the Gospel. He knew his death was close at hand. He had been forsaken by a lot of his associates such as Demas. In many ways, Paul relived the sufferings of Jesus, even as we are all called to bear our own cross and follow Him. Paul also was deeply concerned for Timothy, his son in the faith. Timothy was timid. This is the first step to being fearful. Paul knew this could hinder Timothy’s ministry. He would see the example of Paul’s martyrdom, knowing that being bold like Paul could result in Timothy’s own death. It would be fair to say that Paul also feared death. Even Jesus in the Garden drew back from the cup before taking it. How Paul died would affect Timothy. It was necessary for him to be bold in the face of death, our greatest fear. Paul being bold in the face of death would embolden Timothy to proclaim the gospel. 2 Timothy, or perhaps Philippians, was the last will and testament of Paul.
In the verse we just read, we are reminded of how we are to deal with our own fear. The first step to confront fear is to remember who and whose we are. We have been given the Holy Spirit. This means that we are not alone, not even in the face of death. We need to remind ourselves of this often. We need to remember the examples of Scripture as a whole. Paul reminds Timothy of the Scripture that had been planted in him by his mother and grandmother. Timothy could be reminded of the timid Gideon in the Book of Judges. The Sprit emboldened Gideon to do great things. Things that were far above him. Scripture is full of such examples. Paul reminds Timothy and us that every Scripture is God-breathed and is profitable for our instruction and admonition. It is through this study of Scripture that we find our identity as the people of God.
Paul’s mention of his mother and grandmother also shows us the importance of community. We learn of our identity in community. In difficult times, we do not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as the habit of some in the Hebrews community was. We learn together and teach one another. We face the trials of life together. Because we are together, we embolden one another. The people who laid hands on timothy at his ordination stood with him. But even if some fell away, this does not cancel the fact that God stands with us.
The tone of 2 Timothy breathes prayer as well. The identity of God’s people is tied up in our prayers, both individually and as a community. We can think from the Book of Acts of how Peter and John had been beaten and threatened with death if they continued to preach and heal in the name of Jesus. They returned to their church, and the church joined in prayer, a prayer so powerful that the place shook. And they were emboldened. They were reminded by their reciting the 2nd Psalm that God was in control, Fear was vanquished.
Paul reminded Timothy that the indwelling Spirit was not a Spirit of fear. It is quite the opposite. The Spirit is characterized by power, love, and sound mind. Because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, we no longer draw back from God with cringing fear. We know by the Spirit that we are indeed loved. We are also reminded from Scripture that “Perfect love casts out all fear,” the converse would also be true that perfect fear casts out all love. The one who is not a Christian cannot love God and draws back in fear from God, just like Adam and Eve did in the Garden. Paul reminds us that we now have boldness to come to God. We have been granted access. In Revelation, we see God’s throne room and all its glory. We see four fearsome beasts protecting God’s holiness. Nothing unholy can pass into the presence of God. But there is an altar of incense before that throne which John tells us is the prayers of the saints. Again. We have special privilege and access to the most exclusive place in the universe. And this great God loves us and has sent His Spirit to us to remind us of His love. God the Son became flesh for us, and God the Holy Spirit lives in us. And the Father hears our prayers. Now we can see the importance of reminding ourselves through the Scripture.
We have the power of God in us by the Spirit. This power is not to be considered in the way the world sees power. The people of this world seek power to dominate others, even if this causes suffering. The lust for power is a far greater virus than any natural virus. It has killed countless millions over the ages. The power which God gives us is the power to endure suffering for Christ’s sake. This is indeed the greatest power. The world sneers at this as weakness. But how many have been converted to Jesus Christ by the patient suffering of His saints. The world realizes the Christian had a special power that even the most powerful on earth do not have.
The Spirit gives us a sound mind. Whereas fear does have some useful effects in that it urges caution, panic is deadly. I could give many examples from history for this; but let me go back to Scripture. Peter reminds us to consider the power of the Devil. We need to soberly assess who Satan is. He is like a roaring lion seeking to devour you. But how do roaring lions kill? We might say with powerful jaws and claws. This is the end result, but this is not the greatest power of the lions. It is instead the roar of the lion. There as large herds of beasts on the Serengeti, many more than the pride of lions which hunt them. If it were a matter of pure power, the wildebeests could easily turn en masse and destroy the lions. A few of the beasts might die, but they would be rid of the lions. Then what kills the wildebeest’s? It is fear and panic. A few lions expose themselves to the herd and roar to start a panic. The herd runs off in the opposite direction. Little do these beasts know that the rest of the pride is lying in ambush. They can easily pick off their target. If the wildebeests could just have soberly considered the facts and acted accordingly, the result would have been much better. God has given us the Spirit of sound mind. We need to think and not simply react to the situation around us.
We face fearful times. But we should not be overcome by fear. We need to stop, pause and reflect on the truth. When we need to face the things which cause our fear and not run. We need to remember that God has promised to lead us through, even the shadow of death. Let us not be so caught up by the panic mongers in the government and press. We know that “all things work together for good for those how love God, who are the called according to His purpose.”
