Fear Not!

Fear Not!

Dave Riddle - 12/3/2023

Key Passage: Genesis 15:1

The Origin of Unhealthy Fear

- Genesis 3:10

- Sin > Shame > Fear > Hiding

Healthy Fear

- Icy roads, dangerous situations, etc

- Reverential awe for God

- Proverbs 9:10

- When this healthy fear is missing the result is not good.

- Romans 3:10-18

- Psalm 36:1

- Matthew 10:28

- Hebrews 10:31

Fear Not / Do Not Be Afraid

- First instance of this common phrase

- Genesis 15

- “I am your shield”

- Your protection. Your security

- God doesn’t want to leave us in a place of fear, shame, sin, and hiding.

- He wants to have a relationship of hope, joy, peace, and love with us.

- James 2:21-23

- Abraham: friend of God

- John 3:16-17

God’s Love Conquers Fear

- 1 John 4:10

- He loved us first. Not because we loved Him.

- 1 John 4:18

- There is no fear in love

- Perfect love drives out fear

- 2 Timothy 1:7

- God did not give us a spirit of fearfulness

- Revelation 2:10

- The last instance of “fear not”

- From Genesis to Revelation

There is nothing that can separate you from the love of God.

Do Not Love the World

Message begins around 32:00

Do Not Love the World

02/13/2021 - Dave Riddle 

Key Passage: 1 John 2:15-17

Do not love the world

• 1 John 2:15a Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world.

• James says it, Paul says it, John says it…

• “Love” agapaō (ἀγαπάω) - unconditional love.

• 1 John 2:15b If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him.

  • You can’t serve two masters.

  • There’s gotta be one Lord, Master, priority, affection of your life.

What are the aspects of the world that are most tempting to give my undivided attention to?

• James 4:4 Adulterers! Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the world’s friend becomes God’s enemy.

• We need to be very sensitive to the Holy Spirit to recognize when things of the world begin to displace our focus on God.

  • Revelation 2:4 - …you have abandoned your first love…

Everything that belongs to the world

1 John 2:16 For everything that belongs to  the world—the lust of the flesh,  the lust of the eyes,  and the pride  in one’s lifestyle—is not from the Father, but is from the world. 

• Not an exhaustive list

• Flesh - Our base physical passions (Hedonism)

  • 1 Peter 2:11

    • We are foreigners and strangers here on Earth. Temporary residents.

    • Our life is not solely about what happens between birth and death.

• Eyes - The tendency to be captivated by the outward appearance of things. An inordinate desire for the finer things in life. (Materialism)

  • Proverbs 27:20 - Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, and people’s eyes are never satisfied. (CSB)

  • Human desires are like the world of the dead - there’s always room for more. (GNT)

• Pride - the trust that we have in our own power, resources, abilities, insight. (Self-sufficiency)

  • Luke 14:11 - Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Why don’t we care about those things?

• 1 John 2:17 the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does God’s will remains forever.

  • Paul says the same thing in Romans 7:31

  • Jesus reframes our thinking in Mark 3:35

We need to do a heart check

• What has your heart?

  • If it’s something other than God… it’s the wrong answer.

• Mathew 6:21 - Your heart will always be where your treasure is.

Our Need for Repentance is Unchanging

Unchanging Truth: Repentance
Dave Riddle - 8/15/2021
Key Passage: Mark 1:14-15

The Problem: Sin

• We can’t do anything about it.

• Only Jesus can.

The Solution: Repentance 

• it’s deeper than being sorry.

• It’s more than regret due to the consequences.

  • Worldly sorrow vs godly sorrow

    • Godly sorrow leads to repentance

• Repentance = Metanoeo: literally to know, after. It signifies a change of mind consequent to the after knowledge; indicating regret for the course pursued and resulting in a wiser view of the past and future. Implied within us a “turning from” and a “turning to”.

John the Baptizer

• Matthew 3:2

  • Repent the Kingdom of God is near

Jesus

• Mark 1:14-15

  • Repent and believe

Peter

• Acts 2:36-39

  • Repent (to those who have not yet believed)

Paul

• Paul’s epistles

  • Repent (to believers)

John the Revelator

• Revelation 2 and 3

  • Repent (to churches)

We are a people who are called to repent.

• not about guilt and shame

• It’s about life!