What if they don’t like me? What if they think less of me? What if I get laughed at? What if they’re really not cool with me? The second guessing, the worry, the doubt. Fearing what others think can not only make it hard to live authentically, but also to do the things God wants you to do and be the person He made you to be. So how do we get past this?

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MESSAGE NOTES

One of the most frequent commands in the Bible is to “fear not”. It shows up 365 times!!

But then the Bible says we’re SUPPOSED to “fear the Lord”?

 

 

[Proverbs 9:10]

“Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgement.”

 

 

 

Your estimation of the greatness of God will limit your fear of what other people think, your fear of personal failure, and your fear of the unknown.

 

 

[John 3:1]

“There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee.”

 

 

[John 3:2]

“After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”

 

 

Observation: Jesus wasn’t put off by his doubts or the fact that he was still more concerned with what his friends thought of him than what Jesus thought of him

 

 

[Jeremiah 29:13]

“If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.”

 

 

 

[James 4:8]

“Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.”

 

 

  1. IF YOU WANT TO KNOW GOD, COME TO JESUS

 

 

If you right now feel distant from God, he isn’t hiding from you.

 

 

 

[John 6:44]

““For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up.”

 

 

[John 3:3]

“Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

 

 

[John 3:16-18]

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. 

 

 

[John 3:19-21]

“And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.  All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.  But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.””

 

 

2. IF YOU WANT TO EXPERIENCE GOD, FOLLOW OF JESUS

 

 

[John 7:45-49]

“When the Temple guards returned without having arrested Jesus, the leading priests and Pharisees demanded, “Why didn’t you bring him in?” “We have never heard anyone speak like this!” the guards responded. “Have you been led astray, too?” the Pharisees mocked.  “Is there a single one of us rulers or Pharisees who believes in him?  This foolish crowd follows him, but they are ignorant of the law. God’s curse is on them!””

 

 

 

[John 7:50-53] 

Then Nicodemus, the leader who had met with Jesus earlier, spoke up. “Is it legal to convict a man before he is given a hearing?” he asked. They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Search the Scriptures and see for yourself—no prophet ever comes from Galilee!” Then the meeting broke up, and everybody went home.”

 

 

[John 19:38-42]

“Afterward Joseph of Arimathea, who had been a secret disciple of Jesus (because he feared the Jewish leaders), asked Pilate for permission to take down Jesus’ body. When Pilate gave permission, Joseph came and took the body away. With him came Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus at night. He brought about seventy-five pounds of perfumed ointment made from myrrh and aloes. Following Jewish burial custom, they wrapped Jesus’ body with the spices in long sheets of linen cloth. The place of crucifixion was near a garden, where there was a new tomb, never used before.  And so, because it was the day of preparation for the Jewish Passover and since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.”

 

 

Erwin McManus, The Way of the Warrior, “Our fears determine the boundaries of our lives. If you fear heights you will stay low. If you fear your past you’ll always run from it. If you fear the future you’ll live in the past and if you fear people, you’ll live in isolation. But when we fear God, we learn that his perfect love casts out fear.”

 

 

3. IF YOU FOLLOW JESUS, YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE AFRAID

 

 

[Psalm 118:6]

“The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?”

 

Edward Welch, When People are Big and God is Small, “All experiences of the fear of man share at least one common feature: people are big. They have grown to idolatrous proportions in our lives. They control us. Since there is no room in our hearts to worship both God and people, whenever people are big, God is small.”

 

 

[Ephesians 2:10]

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

 

 

[Romans 8:28]

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

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Application Questions

1. What stood out to you from this message and why?

2. What is one thing God is telling you to START doing because of this message?

3. What is one thing God is telling you to STOP doing because of this message?

4. How will this message change how you act at home, work and in the your relationships?