John 14:27

²⁷ Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. 

One of the greatest enemies to a thriving Christian faith is fear.  Not a fear of God, but a worldly fear.  The fear Jesus warns us against is a fear that robs us of our peace, comfort, trust, hope, faithfulness, love, joy, patience and even paralyzes us in disobedience.  How many times has fear prevented us from sharing the Gospel, or prevented us from seeking reconciliation?  Maybe fear has caused you to live in isolation from the body, or prevented you from confessing a sin.  Fear can cause us to become irrational, inconsolable, and even cause us to fall into the depths of a terrible depression.  Many people have lived in such fear that they have feebly attempted to control every situation of life.  Constantly fearful of what might happen, or what could happen, they seek to control every outcome, which of course is impossible, which only accelerates their fearfulness.   Ultimately, if we are not careful to keep fear in check, it will eventually rob us of our very security in Jesus Christ.  In short, fear is a terrible companion.  And if you have ever lived in fear, then you know just how terrible of a companion it is.  So, what is the remedy then?  Let us consider Jesus Christ.  When Jesus spoke these words, He was on the eve of His crucifixion and yet, He did not fear.  He didn’t fear man, He did not even fear sorrow, pain, suffering, trouble, or even death.  He stood firm as the storm around Him swelled and eventually swallowed up His very life.  What was Jesus’ secret in such a seemingly hopeless situation?  He understood that His life was not His own.  It belonged to the Father.  No matter, where the Father led Him, He would never lead Him astray.  Jesus would never find Himself in a position of hopelessness and despair, because He was always right where the Lord wanted Him to be.  Dear Christian, the reality of life is that we will never know exactly what lies before us.  There may be illness, death, loss of income, suffering, or many other toils ahead.  However, in spite of all of this, Jesus says something very interesting, “Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”  The scriptures tell us that the Spirit of God within us is a Spirit of power, love, and self-control.  Walking in the Spirit never produces fear.  Jesus says that He has given us a Spirit of peace, and if we find ourselves living in fear it is only because we have allowed fear into our lives.  We have looked upon the situation or circumstance that lay before us and we have surrendered to the enemy of fear, and we have done it willfully.  We must remain strong as to never let fear control us.  Do you want true, lasting peace?  Well, peace begins with this most wonderful and peace producing truth; our lives are not in our own hand, or under our own control.  When we come to terms with this reality, that is when we can finally, and truly live in a lasting peace.  Our lives are in the hands of the Living God!  Our days are in His hands, the circumstances of life are under His watchful care, and His promise is that no matter what may come, He will use all things for our good and for His glory.  What a freeing truth!  I may not know what the future holds, but I know the One who holds it!  And I know that He is faithful, trustworthy, wise, powerful, loving, and good.  Even if our suffering leads to our own death, we know, that even then, we have no fear, because death has lost its power over us.  Even in death we have joy, peace, and life…and it is eternal!  And so, the Christian truly has nothing to fear, except for one thing; the Christian should be very afraid of being afraid. Dear Beloved, today is the day to let go of any fear that has gripped your heart in recent weeks or months.  Do not let your hearts be troubled any longer, do not give in to the temptation of fear, reclaim the spirit of peace by letting go of your feeble attempts to control life.  Let go of your unproductive anxiety and fix your eyes on Jesus Christ.  Even in the midst of uncertainly, trouble, and suffering, the truth is that every day is full of meaning, hope, encouragement, purpose, and joy.  You may not see it, or even understand what God is doing now, but in His time, He will reveal His purpose to you.  And that truth is enough to set our hearts and minds at ease! 

Yours in Christ,

Pastor John