As we continue in our series through the Fruit of the Spirit, still focusing upon the fruit of self-control, we remind ourselves of these verses from Galatians 5, verses 22 through 23, but the Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. And then, in addition to that, our text, as it's taken from 2 Timothy 1, verse 7, For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. All of us have had a common experience in this life. We've all been afraid. You see, there was no fear as long as Adam walked. in obedience to God and enjoyed that blessed fellowship and communion with the Lord. But when Adam sinned and transgressed by eating the forbidden fruit, fear made its first appearance in the heart of man, as we read in Genesis chapter three, verses nine through 10. And the Lord God called unto Adam and said unto him, where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked and I hid myself. You see, when sin was committed, fear paralyzed the heart of man, beginning with a slavish fear of God himself. and then a fear of everything else that follows from that. Try as we may to disguise the fear that's in our hearts by way of laughter, by way of anger, by way of our wealth and possessions, by way of spending time with people, by way of drunkenness, by way of pleasure-seeking, by way of bodybuilding and making ourselves appear stronger, learning martial arts in order to defend ourselves against the fear that we have of men, or by way of hypnosis, as some seek to overcome that fear. Fear, dear ones, is now bred into the very fabric of man's nature. Fear even makes us at times a terror to ourselves. Being all alone can at times be the occasion of our greatest fears. As we lay our heads upon our pillow, and all of these thoughts begin to go through our minds, then we have the time to play and to replay in our minds those Goliath-like fears that shake us from the top of our heads to the trembling of our knees. What are your fears today? We all have them. What are your fears today? From what are you running? Are you trying to escape a guilty conscience? Are you trying to escape an overpowering individual or group of individuals in your life? Do you fear the loss of work? The loss of family? Do you fear the loss of your home? Or perhaps you fear the ruin of your health due to some disease or the loss of freedom within this country, which seems to be vanishing very quickly. You may fear the consequences of being wrong, or at times you may even fear the consequences of being right. Maybe you are overcome with a fear of the threat of war which is all around us. Fear of economic disaster. Fear, ultimately, of death itself. Regardless of what your fears, dear ones, may be, today we want to face those fears rather than pretending that they do not exist, and learn the divine way to fortify the wall of godly self-control against all those fears. The fruit of the spirit of temperance or self-control, has been given to all Christians for the purpose of defending your heart and your mind against the attack of fear, worry, and distress over what you and your family presently face or what you and your family may face in the future. Fear of man, Fear of circumstances will not only destroy your health, dear ones, but it is also a sin into which we As Christians, sadly, fall into, and if we do not see that we have fallen into that sin and continue in that sin, everything will become dark and bleak and there will be no hope or reason for living because of the darkness that fear brings into the life of even Christians at times when fear overtakes us. So falling into fear, dear ones, As we all do, we cannot remain in fear. We cannot stay there. The righteous man falls seven times, but he gets back up. He gets back up those seven times as well. We cannot remain in fear, for fear, like all sin, shall not have dominion over you. because your life is hid in Christ. Because Jesus Christ has died and been raised from the dead to overcome, not only sin so that it does not overtake you and have dominion over you, but in particular, so that fear does not control you and exercise dominion over you. Fear, dear ones, is legally, like all other sin in our lives, a defeated foe through Jesus Christ. Thus, the Christian and non-Christian are, in the scripture, distinguished one from the other by what characterizes their life, fear or boldness. In Proverbs 28 1, we read The wicked flee when no man pursueth, but the righteous are bold as a lion. Isn't that what you want to be? Bold as a lion, not fleeing at your shadow. Fleeing at the shadow of the enemy. At the enemy of fear. Likewise, in Revelation 21, verses 7 through 8, We read, he that overcometh shall inherit all things. This is speaking of the new heaven and new earth, that eternal state. He that overcometh shall inherit all things and I will be his God and he shall be my son. But, here's the distinction between the Christian and the non-Christian. But, the fearful and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. That's sobering. But the fearful, those who are given over to fear, which comes from being unbelieving, the fearful and unbelieving, who do not trust in the Lord, who through fear of losing their friends, losing their family, losing approval, losing jobs and possessions, and losing their own life, cast Christ and His truth behind them, and choose rather to walk the broad path. They're afraid of losing all these things if they follow Christ. Our main points for the sermon this Lord's Day, dear ones, are the following. Number one, what God has not given to us. Fear. Fear. Number two, what God has given to us. Power. love, and a sound mind. Our first main point then, what God has not given to us, fear. We read in 2 Timothy 1.7, For God hath not given us the spirit of fear. As we consider our Texas Lord's Day, Paul delivers his last will and testament to his beloved son in the faith, Timothy. Timothy had been designated for assignment in Ephesus to firmly establish the church there in Ephesus after the Apostle Paul and his co-labors had firmly established, had planted this particular church, Timothy was to take a new church, a church plant as it were, and establish it upon a firm footing. That was his calling in this important city of Ephesus. And Paul writes from a Roman prison as he sends this second letter to Timothy in Ephesus, knowing that his time is very short here upon the earth. His life is drawing to a close. These are, in effect, Paul's dying words. to Timothy as he faces the sword of Nero for having been faithful to Jesus Christ in preaching and teaching the whole counsel of God. Paul in this final letter is passing along the baton to the next generation in this great relay race of faith. He wants to make sure that Timothy grasps the baton and carries that baton of faithfulness to the Lord Jesus Christ, to his generation, and he likewise would take that baton and pass it on to the next generation, which is what should be our desire, our goal, is that we as parents pass that baton on to the next generation. and that we be praying for their generation, that they would pass the baton on to their children and to that next generation, that God would preserve his faithful people, a faithful remnant throughout history. Interestingly, though Timothy had been hand-picked by Paul to accompany him and had been chosen by the Apostle Paul to build up and establish this church, this newly planted church in Ephesus, Timothy apparently did not manifest the same boldness and courage of iron that was so evident in the Apostle Paul's life. Timothy, it would seem, was more like many of us by nature, certainly like me by nature, timid, shy, fearful of others. Paul uses this letter to admonish and to encourage his beloved son in the faith not to be ashamed of Jesus Christ, not to be ashamed of the testimony for Jesus Christ, not to be ashamed of Paul who is a prisoner of Jesus Christ and suffering for the cause of Jesus Christ, but rather to stand against, stand against that temptation to be fearful and to be timid in the face of opposition from others that he would face. In fact, we read this in 2 Timothy 1.8. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God. You see, Paul wants Timothy not to be a bystander, not to be a spectator, Looking on the afflictions of the Apostle Paul for the testimony of Jesus Christ, Apostle Paul wants Timothy to be a partaker of those afflictions and suffering for the cause of Jesus Christ. That is my prayer for all of you. that the Lord would make each of you a partaker of the afflictions of Jesus and for the cause of Jesus Christ. Whatever it means, whatever it takes to follow faithfully Jesus Christ, to be willing to do so. Timothy was a younger man. and was distressed to some degree in facing people and problems within the Church of Ephesus. We read in 1 Timothy 4.12, ìLet no man,î this is Paul speaking to Timothy, ìLet no man despise thy youth, but be thou an example of the believers in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, impurity. Literally, Paul says, let no man continue despising thy youth. It wasn't as if this was a possibility because he was young that they might despise him. But because he was young, they were despising him. There were some in the church of Ephesus who were despising him. That's why Paul puts it into the present tense. Let no man continue despising thy youth. We get a little further insight into the timidity of Timothy. from Paul's words to the Corinthian church. In 1 Corinthians chapter 16, verses 10 through 11, where he exhorts at the end of this first letter to the Corinthians, he exhorts the Corinthian believers there, now if Timotheus come, that's Timothy, see that he may be with you without fear. See that he may be with you without fear. For he worketh the work of the Lord, as I also do. Let no man therefore despise him, but conduct him forth in peace, that he may come unto me, for I look for him with the brethren. So Paul sends ahead a letter with the possibility that Timothy is coming. And Paul is saying to them, in effect, Timothy should have no opportunity to fear because of the way you treat him. Do not put him in that position where he would be fearful. So this is the exhortation to others. The one we find in 2 Timothy 1 is an exhortation to Timothy himself. Even if others do oppose you, even if others do mistreat you, even if others may give you some opportunity to fear, God has not given to you that spirit of fear. Don't fear. Perhaps this fear of others also contributed in some degree to the stomach problems with which Timothy was afflicted. We find in 1 Timothy 5.23, drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities. We all know how stressed, how fear, how worry, how distress plays upon our health, upon our bodies. People develop ulcers all the time as a result of the stress and the worries, the fears that they face. Perhaps Timothy was going through some of this himself. We can empathize with Timothy, can't we? He's one of us. Maybe a little more difficult to associate with and to see myself like the Apostle Paul, but I can certainly see myself like Timothy. Many of us should be able to identify with Timothy's fear of people and circumstances that faced him. Timothy was clearly gifted and qualified as a minister of Jesus Christ. Otherwise, Paul would not have laid his hands upon him, as we see in the previous verse, 2 Timothy 1.6, to ordain him to that gift and that calling of being a minister. Dear ones, no matter how gifted one is, no matter how well-trained one is, no matter how morally and biblically qualified one is to serve Christ, if one is controlled by fears, he will not speak. Or if he does speak, he will not speak that which offends those who are listening. He will compromise. He will avoid the truth when it hurts. He will tickle the ears of people so as to fill and to keep the seats within the church filled and people continuing to support financially the ministry. because he fears what might happen if he were to actually preach the Word of God faithfully and to be honest with the people who have gathered. So in the preceding verses of this first chapter, Paul expresses, first his longing to see his beloved son in the faith, Timothy, in 2 Timothy 1-4, He then recounts to Timothy the godly heritage of his grandmother and his mother. His father was apparently not a believer, but was raised by, in the Lord, in the truth. Those truths were instilled within him by his grandmother and his mother in 2 Timothy 1.5. And Paul calls Timothy to remember. and to exercise the gift of his calling as a minister despite the opposition that he may face in 2 Timothy 1.6. And that brings us to 2 Timothy 1.7, which begins with the word for, for, F-O-R. Here is the reason stated by Paul, why Timothy can and must exercise his ministerial gift boldly. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear. Paul is emphasizing to Timothy that the fear he has was not the gift of God to him. God gifted him to be a courageous minister. but did not gift him or any of us for that matter with fear so as to negate the gifts he has given to us to use to serve him and to serve others. The Greek word for fear here is Delia. The various nuances of this word move from fear to timidity shyness, cowardice. In other words, fretting about having to stand before people, fretting about having to deal with people, fretting about having to resolve difficult situations involving people. That was very specifically, it would seem, where Timothy's fears lay. And all of such fears would, in fact, detract from him giving himself to the ministry which the Lord had given to him, which the Apostle Paul, through the laying of hands, and Timothy's ordination had bestowed upon Timothy. Well, let's consider briefly, first of all, what fear is not, and then let's consider what fear is. What fear is not? Fear is not a due respect for lawful authority. In Proverbs 24 verse 21, My son, fear thou the Lord and the king. That would imply a lawful king, not one who usurps the authority of God and does whatever he pleases. This applies, dear ones, likewise to all lawful authority, whether in the home, lawful authority in the home, that there is a due respect, that's not a fear, an unlawful or sinful fear to have due respect for the authority within the home, or in the church, or at work, or in the civil realm. For this respect that we have for lawful authority is founded upon the fifth commandment. Honor thy father and thy mother. Secondly, fear is not a cautious determination to avoid danger, sin, or temptation. This is actually keeping the sixth commandment, wherein we are taught to endeavor by all lawful means to preserve our own life and the life of others. Therefore, walking away from a fight that one can walk away from Reasoning with one who is angry or fleeing persecution in order to preserve one's life is not sinful in itself as long as the testimony for Jesus Christ is not abandoned or forsaken in the process. Very important qualification, as long as the testimony for Jesus Christ is not forsaken or abandoned. We cannot do that. Whatever we must suffer, we cannot do that. Jesus says in Matthew 10, 23, but when they persecute you, speaking to his disciples, when they persecute you in this city, flee ye unto another. Historically, there was a group of people that came to be called the Nicodemites during the time of Calvin. The Nicodemites were those who, in order to avoid persecution because of the fear that they had of what they would lose for the cause and sake of Jesus Christ, said that they would gather in the Roman Catholic churches And they would go through outwardly what happened and the various rituals and things of that nature. Outwardly, they would go through, but inwardly, they would be hating and despising what they're going through outwardly. The Nicodemites, dear ones, were condemned by the reformers because they weren't willing for the testimony of Jesus Christ to stand courageously for the truth. That's not what Jesus meant when he said, flee persecution. We do not give up our testimony for Christ in fleeing persecution. Thirdly, fear is not a serious concern or burden for oneself or for others. In Galatians chapter six, Verse two, bear ye one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. The burdens of others should become our burdens. As fellow Christians, as brothers and sisters in Christ, we should have a burden for others. We should have a burden for the lost. But that serious concern and burden that we have is not sinful fear. that is here forbidden. Likewise, the Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 11 28, Beside those things that are without, that is external suffering as a faithful minister of Christ. He's been talking in this portion of the letter about what he as a faithful minister of Christ has suffered outwardly. And so he says, besides those things that are without, that is external suffering for the cause of Christ and as a minister of Christ, he goes on to say, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. inwardly, the concern and care that he has for the church of Jesus Christ. But that was not a sinful fear. It is not sinful to have a burden, a concern for others, for Christ's church. God places such burdens upon our hearts, not that we might plunge ourselves into fear, but rather cast ourselves and others upon the strong and mighty arm of the Lord. It is when we do not cast these burdens upon the Lord that we are led into sinful worry and anxiety. In 1 Peter 5, 7 we are exhorted, casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you. But when we do not do that, Very often these cares, these concerns become worry, become anxiety, become fears that we have because we don't cast them upon the mighty arm of the Lord our God, trusting them unto the Lord our God. And fourthly, fear that is a sinful fear, is not a holy reverence for the Lord. For God has indeed given us, dear ones, the spirit of a holy fear of Him. In Proverbs 9, 10, we read, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. In 2 Corinthians 7 verse 1, the Apostle Paul says, Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord. How do we perfect and grow in holiness but through the fear of the Lord? taking God seriously, taking His promises seriously, taking His commandments seriously, taking His warnings seriously, holding Him in great awe and wonder. We come as children to the throne of grace. Yes, we call Him Abba, Father, but He is a Father who is due all. of our reverence, our holy awe and wonder for who He is and what He has accomplished in this world and in our lives. And in Hebrews 12, 28 we read, Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, the spiritual kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. With reverence and godly fear. We treat him, dear ones, not with disrespect or irreverence. When we have godly fear, we treat him not with disrespect or irreverence. in our thoughts or words or our deeds, but rather seek to preserve the infinite and holy dignity of His name and works by which He has revealed Himself to us." You see, that's what it is to profane God. To treat God as common is to profane God. To treat God's word, to treat God's works To treat God's nature, to treat God's blessings as common and ordinary is to profane God, but to hold God up in the highest honor is to fear with a godly fear, the Lord our God. What fear is then? Having considered what fear is not what fear is, Fear is being overwhelmed by anxiety, worry, or even terror of people or circumstances in life or in death. It is to be controlled by our fears, led by our fears, tormented by our fears. An example from the scripture would be that of Elijah, who in 1 Kings 18 was fearless, courageous, stood before the 400 prophets of Baal, and called upon the name of the Lord, and God consumed his sacrifice, you'll recall, after dousing it with more and more and more water, so that it filled the trench around the altar. God consumed his sacrifice. He had the courage to slay those false prophets right on the spot. He went to the mountain because it hadn't rained due to God's judgment upon Israel. He went to the top of the mountain to pray boldly that God would bring now an end to the drought. Three and a half years of drought. and in faith he calls forth the Lord to bring rain and God brought rain. But in chapter 19, chapter 19 begins with Jezebel issuing a threat against Elijah and his life. And he runs in fear as fast as he can to escape and to get out of her grasp. having climbed to the heights of courage so quickly plummeting to the depths of fear. But that's the way we are as human beings. We cannot guarantee Because we show such courage one day that we'll show the same courage the next day, or that the temptation to fear will not overwhelm us. That's why we cannot rest upon our laurels. We cannot simply say, well, I was courageous and bold yesterday. Praise the Lord. That means I'm going to be the same today. Well, not if you don't trust the Lord. Not if you don't realize how weak you are in the flesh to stand against your enemies. You'll be exactly like Elijah. Though Peter, dear ones, did not literally run in fear, he did in a sense run each time he was confronted with knowing the Lord. and ran to a denial of the Lord three times, you'll recall, out of fear. Secondly, fear, dear ones, is to see the giants in the land, but not to see the God who made the giants and can crush the giants with a single word. It's to see the giants very clearly, but it's not to see the Lord our God. Consider the servant of Elisha. The Syrian armies had completely surrounded the town in which Elisha was dwelling, the town of Dothan. Elisha received knowledge from God as to where the Syrian troops were camped. Wherever they were camped, God gave Elisha word, which he passed along to the king of Israel. So the king of Israel knew at every stage where the Syrian troops were. The king of Syria said, how is this happening? And it was revealed. It's God revealing his word to Elisha. And so he sends all of his armies and surrounds, completely surrounds and besieges the city of Dothan. And this servant wakes up in the morning and sees this and he's paralyzed with fear. But we read, when Elisha came out and saw the Syrian troops, we read in 2nd Kings chapter 6 verses 16-17 the following, this is what Elisha said, And he answered, Fear not, for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed and said, Lord, I pray Thee, open his eyes that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, And he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. Who was besieging whom? And that was not as the eye appeared. It was not that which one could see that God had completely surrounded the enemies of Elisha. what we need are eyes to behold by faith the Lord who promises never to leave us nor to forsake us. You see, dear ones, this fear of the giants and the land at times paralyzes us so that we cannot get out of bed, cannot make a decision that needs to be made in fear of making the wrong decision. cannot utter a word at times, or if there is a word, it's a word of compromise, not a word of testimony and standing for the Lord. Fear, dear ones, does issue so often in paralysis and speechlessness and not being able to make decisions. Thirdly, Fear, dear ones, is also a slavish dread of a condemning God. This servile, slavish fear may result from one actually being under the covenant of works wherein one awaits the infinite judgment of God's all-consuming fire. Or, dear ones, even as Christians at times we can fall into a servile and slavish fear of God, who although we may be in fact redeemed from the curse of the law through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, yet mentally we remove ourselves from under the covenant of grace, where Christ accomplishes all righteousness and favor with God on our behalf, and we rather cast ourselves under the covenant of works where we must accomplish our own righteousness and favor with God for ourselves, thinking that it is something that we are doing. Christians can fall into this, not live in it, but can fall into it, wherein we think that it is something that we are doing, and doing well, that saves us. All that we secure, dear ones, if we do that, all that we secure for ourselves in such a state of mind, I submit to you, is torment and fear of God's condemning wrath and anger. Our conscience becomes guilt-ridden, even when we try our hardest to please Him. Dear ones, if we're living under a covenant of works, and as Christians, we know we can never be perfect. We know that we can never, therefore, do enough. And when we fall short, if we have fallen under this covenant of works, there's only condemnation that awaits us. There's only wrath that awaits us. And so, at times, Christians can fall into that mindset and that way of thinking, even if it is not actually true. We can be deceived, we can be misled, and we suffer for it as a result. However, dear ones, there is hope in Christ, for God, as we have read, has not given us a spirit of fear. God has not given us a spirit of fear. No doubt as Christians, we realize that The more extreme degrees of fear are sinful and not from God, like panic and terror and phobias. However, what Paul refers to here in 2 Timothy 1.7 are, we might say, the less extremes of fear, like timidity, worry, or anxiety. fretting about certain circumstances or people. These also God has not given unto us. Not only has he not given us the more extreme, but he has not given us even the less extreme. God says here. Being timid, dear ones, is often the result of simply being intimidated, intimidated by what others think of us or what others have said to us. Such a fear grows out of our pride, grows out of our pride in our seeking the approval of others and craving to be accepted by others. But such a fear, dear ones, will ensnare us. and in doing what is contrary to what God commands and will render us powerless in standing against compromise so that we can fit in rather with the crowd. You see, if we give in to intimidation, we're basically again serving self. We don't want to look bad in front of others. We want to be accepted by others and therefore we're intimidated by others. And then it becomes a snare to us. That fear, that anxiety, that timidity becomes a snare to us. Proverbs 29 verse 25 says, the fear of man bringeth a snare But whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe. You see, if we are intimidated by others, we'll be ensnared. But if we put our trust in the Lord, not caring what others think about us, so they think, that we're religious freaks and fanatics because we stand for the cause of Jesus Christ. So what? I care more, we care more about what God thinks, what Christ thinks, than what the world thinks. Thus Paul writes to set Timothy and all of us free from the snare of the fear of man when he writes in 2nd Timothy 1.7, for God hath not given us the spirit of fear. No Christian will be controlled by the fear of man, dear ones, who is trusting an Almighty Heavenly Father who loves His dear child with an infinite love, an eternal love, and has given His only begotten Son to suffer the torment of hell, that he or she might know deliverance from the torment, the timidity, the worry, and the anxiety of fear. You can't fear, dear ones, and trust the Lord at the same time. If you are fearing, you're not trusting the Lord. If you are trusting the Lord, you're not going to fear. To wallow in fear of people, whether fear of standing for the truth, whether fear of confrontation, whether fear of looking foolish, or whether fear of being rejected, to be overwhelmed by anxiety, over financial insecurity, over troubles that are all around us in the world, over family and friends, and to quake under the shadow of the giant, but not to have the eye of faith upon the giant crusher, Jesus Christ, I submit to you, is a form of idolatry. For it is to fear to take man more seriously than we fear and take God seriously. It is to bow before the power of man and circumstances rather than to bow before the power of Almighty God. And so the question simply is, dear ones, how big is your God? Because if He is not big enough to overcome your fears, then you need to seek His face. You need to study. You need to pursue God and to learn of Him in order to know how big is your God. Our second main point, and this one will go more quickly, what God has given to us. Power, love, and a sound mind. For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2nd Timothy 1.7. Paul now turns from what God has not given to us, namely fear, timidity, to that which God has given to us to combat fear and to fortify the wall of self-control around our hearts and our minds, namely power, love, and a sound mind. are the mortar to fortify the wall of self-control. It's as if Paul were saying to Timothy here, Timothy, or better yet, put your own name here. Instead of Timothy, put your name. You do not have to live in fear. because God has already given you the very spiritual graces that will keep the wall of self-control standing against those very fears. These graces of power and love and a sound mind are not somewhere millions and millions of miles away. but are already yours. God has given them to you. They are yours. They've already been deposited into your spiritual bank account. When Jesus Christ purchased them for you as your inheritance and his last will and testament unto you, his dear children, A part of that inheritance was power and love and a sound mind. The problem, Timothy, put your name, the problem is not that you do not have the resources to overcome your fear. This is not a hopeless situation. Your fears are not hopeless. The problem is that you are not signing the withdrawal slip by faith to access these treasures that already belong to you as a part of your inheritance in Jesus Christ out of that spiritual bank account. Simply take what is yours, what Christ has given to you. Withdraw it by faith from that spiritual bank account in the fears that you face and you will find that there is more than sufficient power and love and sound mind to fortify the wall of self-control in order to keep fear from overwhelming you. It's kind of like The poor widow, you'll recall, of Zarephath in 1 Kings 17, you'll recall that had run out of, during this famine, had run out of meal and had run out of oil, was gathering sticks to prepare the last meal for herself. her obedience and faith to the word of Elijah who said, use it and go to prepare me a cake, bread, a loaf for myself. It was not because Elijah was selfish, it was because this was a means of testing her faith. And she, in faith and obedience, followed the Lord, the word of the Lord. And you recall, that as often as she went to that barrel to draw meal or to that cruise to draw oil, she never had the less from drawing as often as she drew upon it. And so it is, dear ones, with that spiritual bank account that the Lord has purchased for us and made that deposit no matter how often we withdraw and sign our name by faith to withdraw, of those graces of power, love, and a sound mind. They are never the less full. It does not deplete that amazing inheritance which the Lord has given to us. Well, let us very, very briefly consider these three graces that will fortify the wall of self-control against the attack of fear in your heart and mind. First of all, power. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power. The Greek word here is dunamis, dunamis, from which we derive our word dynamite. The Lord has already given to you his dear children whom he has chosen from before the foundation of the earth and given faith to lay hold of Jesus Christ. He has already given to you spiritual dynamite. in Christ Jesus to prevent fear from breaking in. This is not, dear ones, the worldly power to control and manipulate others for your own ends. That's not the power we're talking about here. This is not the power of the flesh as seen in assertive training types of classes. This is the power of the Holy Spirit and clinging to the promises of God, clinging to the character of God, that He is a faithful God who cannot lie when He promises He will fulfill His word, clinging to the inheritance that the Lord has given to you and has deposited in your heavenly bank account. The goal of this power is not for you to control others, but rather the goal of this power is for you to be under the control of the Holy Spirit, so that the wall of self-control stands, so that it doesn't fall before fear. It doesn't matter, dear ones, who opposes you. It doesn't matter what their resources may be. The power of the Holy Spirit, dear child of God, is infinitely more powerful than anything in this world. that you may fear. And the power of the Holy Spirit that is yours in Christ Jesus was revealed marvelously in the resurrected power, the resurrection power of the Lord Jesus Christ that rose Christ from the dead. on that very first Lord's Day. Listen to this power as Paul explains it in Ephesians 1 verses 19 through 20. And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us who believe? He's going to describe what is the exceeding greatness of the power toward us who believe. That this is the power that you can access by faith in your spiritual bank account. according to the working of His mighty power which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places. That's the power that you have available to you to overcome fear in your life. Can the resurrection power of Jesus Christ overcome fear? Well, dear ones, if it can't, then we are still lost souls. If it cannot overcome fear, if it cannot overcome whatever the temptation, the sin that we have fallen into, then our Christianity means nothing. Our faith is in vain. But the resurrection power of Jesus Christ overcomes all. The second grace that is mentioned is love. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love. The Greek word here is agape. That's the very first fruit of the Spirit that we considered in our series on In the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5 verse 22. Dear ones, agape love is a self-sacrificial love that does not count the cost too dear to give to and to serve the one who is loved, whatever it may be, even to the point of laying down one's life. It was agape love that sent Christ to suffer, to suffer and die for unworthy sinners, chosen in Christ Jesus before the world began. There was nothing beautiful, there was nothing attractive, there was nothing loving about us, dear ones, that God saw. It was not our love for Him, it was His love for us that sent His only begotten Son to be rejected, hated, despised, beaten, spat upon, and crucified. And it is that sacrificial agape love that has been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit according to Romans 5.5. This agape love is described for us in 1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter, verses 1-8. And what we notice in all of those descriptions about agape love, it is not consumed with self. It is not consumed with and concerned primarily with self, but with others. And see, see dear ones, when we're not consumed with self, but rather concerned and consumed with others, we do not fear what man will do unto us. Our concern is what man may do to others, what circumstances may happen to others. That becomes our preoccupation, not what might happen to me, but what is happening to others. That's the nature of agape, and that's why agape casts out Fear, because it's not consumed with self. It's willing to sacrifice itself for others and for the cause of Jesus Christ. 1 John 4, 18 says, 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. That's simply to say that if we are falling into fear, we have a lot more room to grow in love and understanding the love of God for us. Because when we truly understand the love of God for us, like with faith, faith and fear cannot stand together. Love, agape love, and fear cannot stand together. When we understand how much God loves us as his own dear children, fear vanishes. We're overwhelmed by the love of God. We're lost, not in fear, we're lost in the love of God for us. Many think of power in terms of how much we can control others, but Christ's power is expressed in how much we can love God and others. The expression of our self-sacrificial love for Christ and others will really tell us very much about the kind of power that we claim to have. If power is all about us, it's not the power that Paul is talking about here. But if the power that we are talking about is Christ's power to control us for His glory, then we understand the power of God and we understand the love of God. Ultimately, dear ones, the same point that Jesus made in the previous sermon that we mentioned with regard to the love of money applies here as well. Where your treasure is, there will your love, your heart, and your affections be. If your treasure is here, then that's where your heart will be, and you will fear whatever man may do unto you, or what circumstances may do unto you. But if your treasure is Jesus Christ, if your treasure is the gospel of Jesus Christ, if your treasure is the commandment of God in the hand of Christ the mediator, if your treasure is in heaven, there will your heart, your love, and your affections be as well. And whatever you must do by way of sacrificing your part, you will not count it a huge cost. Any more than a parent who loves their dear little ones will think about themselves if their child is in danger. If their child is in danger, all fear of what might happen to me ceases and vanishes. What counts is rescuing that child. And so it is when our love is wrapped up in Jesus Christ, fear vanishes. And thirdly, a sound mind. For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. The Greek word that's used here is sophronismos, which means a sound or orderly mind, moderation, self-discipline or self-control. This is not the same Greek word that's used for the fruit of temperance or self-control that we find in Galatians 5.23, enkrateia. It's not the same word, but it is a synonym of that same word that we have translated as temperance or self-control as the fruit of the Spirit. It is a synonym to that. The soundness of mind. and self-control of 2 Timothy 1.7 is the grace Christ gives in a fearful world to regulate, to bring fears and worries and anxieties in life and death under the sovereign, loving and wise control of the Holy Spirit. This is the calm of Christ in the midst of the storm. while the waves are crashing against the boat and the winds are blowing and the sail seems to be tottering and touching as it blows each direction, touching the water and the waves. This is, dear ones, the soundness of mind and self-control. because the Christian knows, believes, and responds to fears with the affirmation, my almighty and loving Savior may appear to be asleep in that boat, but that is only my faulty perspective, for he that keepeth me neither slumbers nor sleeps. In fact, my boat cannot go down while Christ even appears to be sleeping in my boat, in my life. Dear ones, the enemy of worry, anxiety, and distress can only strike fear in our hearts when we forget that our Savior has promised, I will never leave thee. nor forsake thee, so that we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. Hebrews 13, verses five through six. Fear arises in your heart when you think you are all alone to face that person, to face that dark, foreboding situation by yourself. much like a child very early on may fear the dark. Just can't seem to, without fear, walk into that dark room. Can't see what's in that room. Imagine all kinds of things being in that room. And many of us as children remember very well those fears of walking into that dark room. But when, dear ones, you are persuaded that the Lord is with you, and that he supplies you with power, love, and sound mind to overcome your fears. You become like a child that can walk without fear into that dark room. As the parent places his or her hand upon the child's shoulder. That child can walk into any dark room as long as that child feels the hand of the parent, the secure hand of the parent, that visible hand of the parent on the shoulder. Well, dear ones, that invisible hand of your Heavenly Father upon your shoulder is more sure more powerful and more loving than the visible hand of any earthly father. For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Amen. Let us stand in prayer. Our Heavenly Father, glory be to Thy most holy and mighty and wise and loving name. We come unto Thee as Thy blood-bought children, trusting in Jesus Christ, but Lord, seeing how we cower before the shadows of the enemy of fear in our life, hating and despising how we cower Lord, we pray that we would this day realize there is hope for thou has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Oh Lord, may we flee. unto thee. May we understand, Lord, what thou hast purchased for us. Grant to us, O Lord, the faith to withdraw what is already our inheritance. Grant to us, O Lord, the love and understanding of the love which thou dost have for us in thy presence that we are never left nor forsaken. So we need not be afraid. We ask, Lord, stir up our hearts. Encourage, Lord, those who have been overwhelmed by fear. Cast them upon their Almighty Savior, even now. For we ask these things. In the name of Him who is the King of kings and Lord of lords, the Lord Jesus Christ, amen. Still Waters Revival Books is now located at PuritanDownloads.com. 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