Living Without Fear #2-The Dangers of Fear

“LIVING WITHOUT FEAR #2-THE DANGERS OF FEAR”

NUMBERS 14:1-14

INTRO: Fear is a feeling that every one of us have experienced. If you do an

internet search for the word “fear” you will find many phobias that

humans face. In fact, a Googlesearch of the word “fear” lists 496

phobias. Here are just a few: Aulophobia: fear of flutes. Cacophobia:

fear of ugliness. Chaetophobia: fear of hair. Ecclesiophobia: fear of

church. Ephebiaphobia: fear of teenagers. Geniophobia: fear of chins.

Homilophobia: fear of sermons. Omphalophobia: fear of belly buttons.

Peladophobia: fear of bald people. Soceraphobia: fear of in-laws.

Theophobia: fear of religion.

Fear is something that every man has felt, but we must remember

that fear can be good or bad. Every week before I stand in this pulpit

to preach, I experience a small amount of fear. We all know the

feeling. We could call it anxiety. We could call it having butterflies in

our stomach. Good fear causes you to be on the alert. It helps us to

not be complacent. This small fear I experience before I preach serves

to humble me and remind me that my preaching is not about me. It

is about Jesus Christ, the Lord!

Fear can also be a bad thing. It can paralyze us. It can consume

our lives. It is the bad side of fear we want to look at this morning. In

Numbers 14 Moseshad led the Israelites our of bondage in Egypt.

They had arrived at the Promised Land. Back in Numbers 13, Moses

sent out a small group of men to spy out the land. They came back

and gave their report to Moses and all the people. They told of the

beauty of the landbut also that the land was full of giants. (Numbers

13:26-33). Joshua and Caleb were the only two of the spies that did

not let fear overwhelm them. The Israelites could not see how it was

possible for them to take the land from such a strong people. That

brings us toNumbers 14:1-4. You might find it interesting but the

words “fear,” “scared” or “afraid” are not found in these verses. But

we can see clearly that the people’s problem was “fear”. In fact, the

last part of v9 tells us—“Do not fear them.” I want us to see this

morning four dangers of fear. Let us note first that…

(1) FEAR CAUSES US TO LOOK BACKWARD INSTEAD OF FORWARD

NUMBERS 14:2-4—“And all the children of Israel murmured against

Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto

them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would

God we had died in this wilderness! And wherefore hath the LORD

brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and

our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into

Egypt? And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let

us return into Egypt.”

A. A WAVERING FAITH. The people were so frightened they wanted to go

back to Egypt. They wanted to go back in bondage rather than taking the

land God had promised them. The Israelites had experienced fear before. It

was not something new to them. They had been in bondage—slaves in

Egypt for 400 years. All they knew was slavery. They were not trained

warriors. In Exodus 14:5-14 they faced a similar situation as this one. We

read there—“And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the

heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they

said, Why have we done this, that we have let Israel gofrom serving us? And

he made ready his chariot, and took his people with him: And he took six

hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over

every one of them. And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of

Egypt, andhe pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel

went out with an high hand. But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the

horses and chariotsof Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and

overtook themencamping by the sea, beside Pihahiroth, before Baalzephon.

And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and,

behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the

children of Israel cried out unto theLORD. Is not this the word that we did tell

thee in Egypt, saying, Let usalone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it

had been better forus to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the

wilderness. And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see

the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: forthe Egyptians

whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them againno more for ever. The

LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace”. Pharaoh had just let

them go. But then he changed his mind and began to chase after them.

When the people saw the Egyptians coming after them, they told Moses to

leave them alone andlet them return to Egypt. But God was about to show

them us His great power. God told Moses to raise his staff and stretch forth

his hand. Moses obeyed, and theRed Sea parted and the Israelites crossed

over on dry ground. Now in Numbers 14, the people are at the edge of the

Promised Land. They are at the edge of the blessings that God has

promised them. But then theirfaith begins to waver and they start acting

like they did when they left Egypt. Friend, if you allow fear to control you, it

was cause you to go backward instead of forward.

B. A WRONG FOCUS. Instead of looking forward the people are looking

backward. Here the people are staring their future square in the face—they

are about to see God give them the reward they dreamed of—and all they

can think about is the past. Sometimes we allow something bad that

happened in our past keep us from moving forward into our future. It

might be a bad relationship, a deep hurt, or a painful loss. If we continually

focus on our past we will never be able to move forward in our lives. Paul

gives us some advice in Philippians 3:13-14 where he tells us we should

be—“forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those

things which are before, [and] press toward the mark for the prize of the high

calling of God inChrist Jesus.”

The Israelites in Numbers 14 were staring God’s reward right in the face

and could not move forward because of fear. Friend, can you relate to that?

Fear can cause us to have the wrong focus—we look backward instead of

forward. FEAR CAUSES US TO LOOK BACKWARD INSTEAD OF FORWARD

but also…

(2) FEAR CAUSES US TO LIVE WITH LIMITED BLESSINGS INSTEAD OF

FAITH

A. WE FORGET GOD’S POWER. The people had seen the plagues God sent

on Egypt. They had seen God part the Red Sea so they could pass over on

dry land. They had been led by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire

by night. Do remember what God did for them recorded for us in Exodus

17? The Israelites were at war with the Amalekites. Moses went up on a

hill, and as long as his arms were held up, the Israelites prevailed. But

when his arms grew weary and fell, the Amalekites prevailed. Aaron and

Hur went up and help Moses’ arms up until sunset, and Israel was

victorious.

The people had seen God do some incredible, miraculous things. And now

because of fear, they had forgotten about all that God had done. They were

so overwhelmed by fear they could only think of themselves. The old

saying is, “They couldn’t see the forest for the trees.” Friends, that’s what

fear does. It causes us to forget God’s power. We focus on our problems

instead of God’s power. The psalmist said in Psalm 121:1-2—“I will lift up

mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh myhelp. My help cometh from

the LORD, which made heaven and earth.” Friends, we have the greatest

possible help available to us! Why then do we become afraid? The

psalmist declared—“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I

fear? TheLORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When

the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon meto eat up my

flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my

heart shall not fear:though war should rise against me, in this will I be

confident. One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I

may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the

beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. For in the time of trouble he

shall hide me in his pavilion: in thesecret of his tabernacle shall he hide me;

he shall set me up upon arock.” (Psalm 27:1-5). The psalmist realized,

“This light can never beextinguished by man; the Lord is my salvation, my

safeguard, my shield,and my defense; of whom then should I be afraid?”

(CLARKE’S COMMENTARY OT, VOLUME 3 JOB - SONG OF SOLOMONby Adam Clarke. The Master Christian

Library Version 5. Copyright 1997.AGES Software. Albany, OR). Friends, this is something we

need to realize also!

B. WE FORGET GOD’S PROVISION. They had seen food fall from heaven and

water flow from rocks. God had sustained them for forty years of wandering

in the wilderness. There was never a need they had that God did not fulfill.

And yet in fear, they forgot God’s provision. Friends, I want us to make

sure today that we realize how blessed we are of God. We must not let fear

cause us to forget God’s blessings to us. We should use our fears to

motivate us to accomplish great things for the Lord. God still does great

things. He is still in the miracle business! The Bible promises us in

Philippians 4:19—“But my God shall supply all your need according to his

riches inglory by Christ Jesus.”

FEAR CAUSES US TO LOOK BACKWARD INSTEAD OF FORWARD, FEAR CAUSES US TO LIVE WITH LIMITED BLESSINGS INSTEAD OF FAITH, and thirdly…

(3) FEARS CAUSES US TO LIVE WITH DIVISION IN LOVE AND

FRIENDSHIPS

NUMBERS 14:5-9—“Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all

the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel. And

Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which

were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes: And they

spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The

land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good

land. If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land,

and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel

notye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for

they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the

LORD is with us: fear them not.”

A. THE CONSEQUENCES OF FEAR’S DIVISION. The people are so divided

that v10 tells us they even are considering stoning Joshua and Caleb for

still desiring to go and try and take the land. What caused this division?

FEAR. Joshua and Caleb desired to take hold on the promises of God but

the people were so fearful they could not believe they were able to secure

God’s promise. Fear causes division. What are some the consequences of

fear’s division? :

DISTRUST. When we are fearful we tend to have a lack of trust. We are skeptical of other’s opinions and doubtful of other’s motives. We question their words and are skeptical of their ways.

DISUNITY. Fear divides but fervent love unites.

DISLOYALTY. Fear causes us to lose respect and regard for others who do not share our fear.

B. THE CAUSALTIES OF FEAR’S DIVISION. Fear causes division in

relationships. Fear causes division in marriages, friendships, and in our

work environments. Friends, it is time we exchange fear for courage. Our

marriages depend on it. We cannot live in fear of what might happen. Our

friendships depend on it. And I want you also to know this morning that

our spiritual health also depends on exchanging fear for courage and

focusing on God’s best for us. We will never reach great heights for the Lord

if we are constantly living in fear of where His will might lead us. Someone

has said, “The will of God will never take you where the grace of God cannot

keep you.” We must simply love the Lord and let Him lead us where He

wants us to go. As the old hymn says, “Trust and obey, for there’s no other

way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”

FEAR CAUSES US TO LOOK BACKWARD INSTEAD OF FORWARD, FEAR CAUSES US TO LIVE WITH LIMITED BLESSINGS INSTEAD OF FAITH, FEAR CAUSES US TO LIVE WITH DIVISION IN LOVE AND FRIENDSHIPS, and finally…

(4) FEAR CAUSES US TO FORGET GOD’S PLAN

NUMBERS 14:3—“And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this

land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be

a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?”

A. FEAR BLINDS. The people allowed fear to cause them to forget God’s plan.

They ask in v3 why the Lord would bring them to this point only to let them

fall by the sword. They recognized that God had brought them this far. But

fear had caused them to lay aside their faith in the promise of God and

replace it with the lie that they were not able to take the land God had

promised them.

B. FEAR BINDS. Fear is one of the devil’s favorite tools. He uses it to keep us

from following and doing God’s will for our lives. Friends, God is not the

God of fear. Satan is the author of fear. His desire is to keep us afraid so

We will not follow and do the will of God. 2 Timothy 1:7 tells us—“For God

hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound

mind.” Friends, God has given us a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline.

Let me ask you today, “Do you feel as if you have the spirit of power or a

spirit of fear? Do you feel like you have a spirit of love or a spirit of fear?

Do you feel like you have a spirit of self-discipline?” God has great plans for

your life and mine. We must not let the lie of fear keep us from those plans!

God’s plans will take us places we could have never imagined. But fear will

be our biggest obstacle.

CLOSING: Recently, there was a news story about two firemen who lost their

lives in a fire. The story was tragic. Those men were killed doing

what they were trained to do. They are trained to run into a

building that is on fire. I don’t know about you but I have been

trained to run out of a building that is on fire. Firemen see it as

their mission to run into that burning building to make sure

everyone is out of danger. And they are not scared. Why?

Because their minds are fixed on their mission. If they were

thinking only of themselves they would never run into those

buildings. They have to focus on their purpose.

Friends, we need to do the same. FEAR CAUSES TO LOOK

BACKWARD INSTEAD OF FORWARD, FEAR CAUSES TO LIVE

WITH LIMITED BLESSINGS INSTEAD OF FAITH, FEAR CAUSES

US TO LIVE WITH DIVISION IN LOVE AND FRIENDSHIPS, and

FEAR CAUSES US TO FORGET GOD’S PLAN. Fear keeps us from

our purpose. God has a plan and purpose for each one of us. We

must not let fear come between us and God’s purpose. We must

keep our eyes on our mission. We must keep our eyes on God!

With God’s power, there is nothing really for us to fear!

(PREPARED BY BROTHER BRYAN L. BROWNING, PASTOR OF BEECHMONT BAPTIST CHURCH, BEECHMONT, KY FOR SUNDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 20, 2009).