Latest / truthunedited / Fear God_ Not Man_Luke 12_5 Explained Like Never Before
Transcript
- 0:00Speaker 1: Have you ever made a decision not because it was right,
- 0:03Speaker 1: but because you were afraid of what people might think.
- 0:06Speaker 1: Maybe you kept quiet when you should have spoken up.
- 0:10Speaker 1: Maybe you compromised your faith to avoid rejection. Maybe you
- 0:15Speaker 1: lived one way in church but acted differently around friends
- 0:18Speaker 1: because you didn't want to seem too Christian. We don't
- 0:22Speaker 1: like to admit it, but fear controls more of our
- 0:26Speaker 1: decisions than we realize. We fear losing our jobs, so
- 0:30Speaker 1: we stay silent when the company promotes something unbiblical. We
- 0:35Speaker 1: fear losing friendships, so we avoid talking about Jesus. We
- 0:39Speaker 1: fear being mocked, so we conform to the culture instead
- 0:43Speaker 1: of standing firm in truth. But Jesus warned us about
- 0:48Speaker 1: this very thing in Luke twelve five. He said something
- 0:51Speaker 1: that should shake us to the core. But I will
- 0:54Speaker 1: show you whom you should fear. Fear him who, after
- 0:58Speaker 1: your body has been killed, as authority to throw you
- 1:01Speaker 1: into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. This isn't
- 1:06Speaker 1: the comforting, soft spoken Jesus people like to imagine. This
- 1:10Speaker 1: is Jesus telling us to fear God more than anything
- 1:14Speaker 1: or any one else. At the time Jesus spoke these words,
- 1:18Speaker 1: his disciples were beginning to experience the full weight of
- 1:21Speaker 1: what it meant to follow him. The religious leaders were furious.
- 1:26Speaker 1: The Roman government was watching, and simply being associated with
- 1:30Speaker 1: Jesus could mean exile, imprisonment, or death. The fear of
- 1:34Speaker 1: man was very real, and yet Jesus didn't tell them
- 1:37Speaker 1: to be careful. He didn't tell them to play it safe. Instead,
- 1:41Speaker 1: he told them to fear God, because in the end,
- 1:44Speaker 1: only God has true authority. But let's be honest, this
- 1:48Speaker 1: verse is rarely preached to day. Why because we live
- 1:52Speaker 1: in a world that says fearing God is outdated and
- 1:56Speaker 1: fearing people is normal. Society teaches us that our reputation
- 2:01Speaker 1: matters more than our convictions, that we should avoid offending anyone,
- 2:06Speaker 1: even if it means compromising truth, that keeping the peace
- 2:10Speaker 1: is more important than standing for what's right. And isn't
- 2:14Speaker 1: that exactly what's happening today? Look at how quickly people
- 2:18Speaker 1: back down when the world pushes against biblical values. Christians
- 2:24Speaker 1: who once stood strong are now staying silent, not because
- 2:28Speaker 1: they stop believing, but because they started fearing. How many
- 2:32Speaker 1: times have you felt convicted to say something but held
- 2:35Speaker 1: back because you didn't want to stir the waters. How
- 2:38Speaker 1: often do you find yourself more afraid of people's opinions
- 2:42Speaker 1: than of disobeying God? Jesus words in Luke twelve five
- 2:46Speaker 1: force us to ask a hard question, who do we
- 2:48Speaker 1: really fear God or people? Because here's the truth. If
- 2:53Speaker 1: we fear people more than we fear God, we will
- 2:56Speaker 1: always compromise. But if we truly fear God, we will
- 3:00Speaker 1: never be controlled by the fear of man. So let's
- 3:04Speaker 1: go deeper. What does it mean to fear God? How
- 3:08Speaker 1: is this different from fearing people? Why does fearing God
- 3:11Speaker 1: actually set us free from every other fear? And most importantly,
- 3:16Speaker 1: what happens when we stop fearing man and start living
- 3:19Speaker 1: for God alone. We're about to break this down like
- 3:23Speaker 1: never before. But before we go further, let me ask
- 3:27Speaker 1: have you ever struggled with this? Have you ever felt
- 3:31Speaker 1: pressured to stay quiet about your faith? Let us know
- 3:34Speaker 1: in the comments, and if there's a specific topic in
- 3:38Speaker 1: this Deep Bible Stories video you'd like us to cover
- 3:41Speaker 1: in more depth, let us know. We have in depth
- 3:45Speaker 1: Bible study videos on many other powerful scriptures. Check them
- 3:50Speaker 1: out after this teaching. We also have e books available
- 3:54Speaker 1: for our most requested videos. If you'd like this one
- 3:58Speaker 1: turned into an e book. Let us know in the comments,
- 4:02Speaker 1: and if this message is already speaking to you, like
- 4:05Speaker 1: and share this video so more people can break free
- 4:09Speaker 1: from the fear of man and start living boldly for Christ.
- 4:14Speaker 1: With that being said, let's get started. Many people hear
- 4:18Speaker 1: the phrase fear God and immediately think it means to
- 4:22Speaker 1: be terrified of him, to cower before him, as if
- 4:25Speaker 1: he were a cruel ruler waiting to strike at any moment.
- 4:29Speaker 1: But that's not what Jesus meant in Luke twelve five
- 4:32Speaker 1: when he told his disciples to fear God rather than man,
- 4:37Speaker 1: he wasn't calling them to live in dread. He was
- 4:39Speaker 1: calling them to live in reverence awe, an absolute surrender
- 4:44Speaker 1: to God's authority. The believers in Jesus' time were facing
- 4:48Speaker 1: real persecution. Following him wasn't just about attending church on Sundays.
- 4:54Speaker 1: It meant risking everything. The religious leaders were furious at Jesus.
- 5:00Speaker 1: One who associated with him became a target. The Roman
- 5:03Speaker 1: Empire was watching, ready to silence any movement that challenged
- 5:07Speaker 1: their power. The fear of man was everywhere, and yet
- 5:11Speaker 1: Jesus turned to his disciples and said fear God. This
- 5:17Speaker 1: was radical. These men had been raised in a culture
- 5:21Speaker 1: where they feared the Pharisees, the Roman government, and the
- 5:24Speaker 1: threat of death. But Jesus was telling them that there
- 5:28Speaker 1: was only one authority. They should truly fear the one
- 5:32Speaker 1: who had control not just over their earthly lives, but
- 5:35Speaker 1: over their eternal souls. But what does that actually mean
- 5:39Speaker 1: for us today? How do we fear God without misunderstanding
- 5:44Speaker 1: his character? The Bible makes it clear fearing God is
- 5:48Speaker 1: not about running from him, It's about running toward him
- 5:52Speaker 1: in obedience, reverence, and worship. Proverbs nine ten says the
- 5:57Speaker 1: fear of the Lord is the beginning of win wisdom.
- 6:01Speaker 1: This kind of fear is not about anxiety. It's about
- 6:05Speaker 1: understanding who God is, recognizing his power, and aligning our
- 6:10Speaker 1: lives with his will. It's the difference between a child
- 6:13Speaker 1: who fears a harsh, abusive father and a child who
- 6:16Speaker 1: deeply respects his loving but firm father. One runs in terror,
- 6:22Speaker 1: the other seeks to honor and obey. Look at Moses
- 6:25Speaker 1: on Mount Sinai in Exodus nineteen. The mountain was covered
- 6:29Speaker 1: in smoke, thunder roared, and the earth shook. The Israelites
- 6:33Speaker 1: were terrified, but Moses he stepped closer. He understood that
- 6:38Speaker 1: this fear of God wasn't about running away, It was
- 6:43Speaker 1: about drawing near with the right heart. That's the kind
- 6:47Speaker 1: of fear Jesus was talking about, the kind that says, God,
- 6:51Speaker 1: you are holy, you are powerful, You are the authority
- 6:54Speaker 1: over all things. My life belongs to you, and I
- 6:59Speaker 1: so render to your will. But here's the issue. Many
- 7:04Speaker 1: Christians today have lost this fear. In modern culture, God
- 7:08Speaker 1: is often presented as a soft, easy going figure who
- 7:12Speaker 1: asks for nothing and accepts everything. Many churches avoid teaching
- 7:17Speaker 1: about his justice, his holiness, and his commands. People want
- 7:22Speaker 1: a comfortable Jesus, one who forgives but never corrects, one
- 7:26Speaker 1: who blesses but never disciplines, one who saves but never
- 7:30Speaker 1: calls for obedience. But that's not the Jesus of the Bible.
- 7:34Speaker 1: In Acts five we see the story of Anonius and Sapphira,
- 7:39Speaker 1: a couple who lied to God about their offering. They
- 7:42Speaker 1: wanted to appear generous while secretly keeping money for themselves.
- 7:47Speaker 1: What happened, God struck them dead, and what was the
- 7:51Speaker 1: response of the early Church. Acts five eleven says, great
- 7:55Speaker 1: fear sees the whole church and all who heard about
- 7:59Speaker 1: these events. This wasn't fear in the sense of terror.
- 8:03Speaker 1: It was a wake up call. It reminded the believers
- 8:06Speaker 1: that God is not to be treated lightly. He is
- 8:09Speaker 1: not someone we can manipulate, lie to, or take advantage of.
- 8:14Speaker 1: He is holy and a holy God deserves to be
- 8:18Speaker 1: feared in the right way. So what happens when we
- 8:20Speaker 1: truly fear God? First, fear of God leads to wisdom.
- 8:24Speaker 1: When we recognize that God's ways are higher than ours,
- 8:28Speaker 1: we stop making foolish choices. We seek His word, his guidance,
- 8:33Speaker 1: and his truth instead of trusting in our own understanding
- 8:37Speaker 1: Prover three five six. Second, fear of God leads to obedience.
- 8:43Speaker 1: People who truly fear God don't just listen to his commands,
- 8:47Speaker 1: they live by them. Look at Noah when God told
- 8:50Speaker 1: him to build an ark. He obeyed despite never having
- 8:54Speaker 1: seen rain before. Hebrews eleven seven says by faith, Noah,
- 8:58Speaker 1: when warned about things no not yet seen, in holy fear,
- 9:02Speaker 1: built an ark to save his family. That's what fearing
- 9:05Speaker 1: God looks like. It means obeying even when it doesn't
- 9:08Speaker 1: make sense. Third, fear of God leads to boldness. This
- 9:12Speaker 1: might sound strange, how does fearing God make you fearless?
- 9:16Speaker 1: But look at Daniel in the Lion's Den. He wasn't
- 9:20Speaker 1: afraid of the king's decree. He feared God more. Look
- 9:24Speaker 1: at Shadrak, Mishek and Abednego. They weren't afraid of the
- 9:27Speaker 1: fiery furnace because they feared disobeying God more than they
- 9:31Speaker 1: feared death. That's what Jesus meant in Luke twelve five.
- 9:34Speaker 1: When we truly fear God, we become untouchable in the
- 9:38Speaker 1: face of worldly fear. Because when you fear the one
- 9:41Speaker 1: who holds eternity, you stop fearing the ones who hold
- 9:45Speaker 1: temporary power. So let's be honest, what do you fear more?
- 9:48Speaker 1: Do you fear disappointing God or do you fear disappointing people?
- 9:53Speaker 1: Do you fear breaking God's commands or do you fear
- 9:57Speaker 1: standing out in the crowd? Do you fear what will
- 10:00Speaker 1: happen if you obey God fully? Or do you fear
- 10:02Speaker 1: what will happen if you don't? Because here's the truth,
- 10:06Speaker 1: every one fears something. The question is who or what
- 10:10Speaker 1: do you fear most? And if your answer is anything
- 10:13Speaker 1: other than God, then something needs to change. Jesus didn't
- 10:18Speaker 1: call us to live in fear of man. He called
- 10:21Speaker 1: us to live boldly for him, knowing that our eternity
- 10:24Speaker 1: is in his hands. So let's go deeper. What did
- 10:28Speaker 1: Jesus mean when he said God has the authority to
- 10:31Speaker 1: cast people into hell? How do we balance fearing God
- 10:35Speaker 1: with loving him? And what happens when we stop fearing
- 10:39Speaker 1: people and start living in holy reverence of God alone,
- 10:43Speaker 1: because that's where real freedom begins. Jesus did not soften
- 10:48Speaker 1: his words when he spoke about eternity. He did not
- 10:52Speaker 1: sugarcoat the reality of God's authority or the consequences of
- 10:56Speaker 1: rejecting him, And in Luke twelve five he gave one
- 11:00Speaker 1: of the most sobering warnings in all of scripture. But
- 11:05Speaker 1: I will show you whom you should fear. Fear him, who,
- 11:08Speaker 1: after your body has been killed, has authority to throw
- 11:11Speaker 1: you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. This
- 11:16Speaker 1: is not the version of Jesus that people like to
- 11:19Speaker 1: talk about. This is not the gentle teacher image that
- 11:23Speaker 1: modern culture prefers. Yet these were his words, and we
- 11:28Speaker 1: must ask why did Jesus say this, Why did he
- 11:32Speaker 1: choose to speak about hell, and why is this warning
- 11:33Speaker 1: so often ignored to day. At the time Jesus spoke
- 11:38Speaker 1: these words, his disciples were living in a world dominated
- 11:42Speaker 1: by fear. The Roman Empire ruled with an iron fist.
- 11:46Speaker 1: The religious leaders held power over people's reputations, livelihoods, and
- 11:51Speaker 1: social status. If you spoke against Rome, you could be crucified.
- 11:56Speaker 1: If you challenged the Pharisees, you could be excommunicated. The
- 12:01Speaker 1: fear of man was a daily reality, and yet Jesus
- 12:06Speaker 1: told his followers not to fear those who could only
- 12:09Speaker 1: kill the body. He shifted their perspective to something far greater,
- 12:14Speaker 1: the one who had power beyond death itself. This was
- 12:18Speaker 1: a shocking statement. The Jews believed in God's authority, but
- 12:22Speaker 1: they often saw him through the lens of their religious traditions.
- 12:27Speaker 1: Many believed that being part of Israel automatically placed them
- 12:31Speaker 1: in God's favor. But here Jesus was making it clear
- 12:36Speaker 1: God alone determines the eternal destiny of every soul. No
- 12:41Speaker 1: earthly power could override his judgment. But here's the problem.
- 12:45Speaker 1: This message is rarely preached to day hum h because
- 12:51Speaker 1: people don't want to hear about hell. Modern Christianity often
- 12:55Speaker 1: presents a version of God that is only love, only mercy,
- 13:00Speaker 1: only acceptance. People love to quote John three sixteen, but
- 13:04Speaker 1: they avoid verses like Matthew ten twenty eight, where Jesus says,
- 13:09Speaker 1: do not be afraid of those who kill the body
- 13:12Speaker 1: but cannot kill the soul. Rather be afraid of the
- 13:16Speaker 1: one who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
- 13:21Speaker 1: The world tells us a loving God wouldn't send anyone
- 13:24Speaker 1: to hell, but Jesus tells us fear him who has
- 13:28Speaker 1: authority to cast into hell. These two messages are completely different.
- 13:33Speaker 1: So what does this warning actually mean? First, it reveals
- 13:38Speaker 1: God's absolute justice. People struggle with the idea of hell
- 13:44Speaker 1: because they think of it as cruel, but in reality,
- 13:47Speaker 1: hell is the ultimate justice of a holy God. We
- 13:52Speaker 1: live in a world where evil often goes unpunished, where
- 13:56Speaker 1: the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer. But God's judgment
- 13:59Speaker 1: is perfect. He sees every sin, every rejection of truth,
- 14:04Speaker 1: every act of rebellion against him, and because he is just,
- 14:08Speaker 1: he will deal with it accordingly. Look at Psalm eighty nine,
- 14:14Speaker 1: verse fourteen, which says righteousness and justice are the foundation
- 14:19Speaker 1: of your throne. Love and faithfulness. Go before you. God
- 14:24Speaker 1: is both love and justice. He does not ignore sin,
- 14:27Speaker 1: he does not sweep it under the rug. He will
- 14:30Speaker 1: judge the world. Second, this warning shows the weight of eternity.
- 14:35Speaker 1: Most people live as if this life is all there is.
- 14:39Speaker 1: They fear losing money, reputation, relationships, but they don't think
- 14:44Speaker 1: about what happens after death. Jesus words in Luke twelve
- 14:49Speaker 1: five are a wake up call. This life is temporary,
- 14:54Speaker 1: Eternity is forever. What happens after we die is far
- 14:59Speaker 1: more in important than anything we fear on this earth.
- 15:03Speaker 1: And Third, it exposes how easily people fear the wrong things.
- 15:08Speaker 1: We live in a time where people are terrified of
- 15:11Speaker 1: losing their social status, being canceled, or being labeled intolerant.
- 15:17Speaker 1: The fear of offending people is greater than the fear
- 15:20Speaker 1: of offending God. Look around today. How many Christians remain
- 15:26Speaker 1: silent when the world pushes against biblical truth. How many
- 15:29Speaker 1: people compromise their values because they're afraid of backlash. How
- 15:33Speaker 1: many churches avoid preaching repentance because they don't want to
- 15:36Speaker 1: lose members. But what does Jesus say? Fear him who
- 15:41Speaker 1: has authority to throw you into hell, that's not a suggestion,
- 15:46Speaker 1: that's a command. If we truly understand God's authority, we
- 15:50Speaker 1: will not live for people's approval. We will live for
- 15:54Speaker 1: His approval. So what does this mean for us today?
- 15:58Speaker 1: It means that our fear must be placed in the
- 16:01Speaker 1: right place. If we fear God above all else, then
- 16:05Speaker 1: we will not be controlled by the fear of man.
- 16:09Speaker 1: If we recognize his authority over eternity, we will not
- 16:13Speaker 1: make decisions based on temporary consequences. Think of the early Church.
- 16:19Speaker 1: Stephen preached boldly even as stones were being thrown at him.
- 16:24Speaker 1: Peter and John refused to stop preaching even when they
- 16:27Speaker 1: were arrested. Paul faced beatings, shipwrecks, and imprisonment, but he
- 16:32Speaker 1: never backed down. Why Because they feared God more than
- 16:36Speaker 1: they feared man. And here's the truth. We are called
- 16:40Speaker 1: to do the same. So let's be real for a moment.
- 16:43Speaker 1: What are you afraid of? Are you afraid of speaking
- 16:46Speaker 1: the truth because of what people might say? Are you
- 16:49Speaker 1: afraid of being rejected if you stand firm in your faith?
- 16:54Speaker 1: Are you afraid of losing your job if you don't
- 16:56Speaker 1: conform to the world's standards. Now ask your this, Are
- 17:01Speaker 1: you more afraid of those things than you are of
- 17:03Speaker 1: standing before God one day and realizing you live to
- 17:07Speaker 1: please people instead of Him. Because here's the reality. One
- 17:11Speaker 1: day you will stand before God. One day every single
- 17:16Speaker 1: person will face judgment, and in that moment, the opinions
- 17:20Speaker 1: of people will not matter. Only one thing will. Did
- 17:25Speaker 1: you live for him? So let's go deeper. How does
- 17:27Speaker 1: this warning challenge the way we live? How do we
- 17:30Speaker 1: balance the fear of God with the love of God?
- 17:34Speaker 1: And most importantly, how do we start living with holy
- 17:38Speaker 1: fear today? Because that's where real faith begins. There is
- 17:43Speaker 1: no greater battle in the human heart than the struggle
- 17:46Speaker 1: between the fear of man and the fear of God.
- 17:50Speaker 1: This war is not new. It has existed for generations,
- 17:55Speaker 1: shaping destinies, determining choices, and deciding whether someone stands firmly
- 18:00Speaker 1: faith or falls into compromise. Jesus warning in Luke twelve
- 18:05Speaker 1: five was not given in isolation. He knew that his
- 18:09Speaker 1: followers would have to make a choice live in fear
- 18:12Speaker 1: of man and conform, or live in fear of God
- 18:15Speaker 1: and stand firm And the same choice is before us
- 18:19Speaker 1: to day. Throughout history, we see two kinds of people.
- 18:23Speaker 1: In scripture, those who feared man and those who feared God,
- 18:28Speaker 1: and their lives turned out completely different. Take King Saul
- 18:32Speaker 1: for example. Saul was chosen by God to be the
- 18:36Speaker 1: first king of Israel. He had everything going for him.
- 18:39Speaker 1: He was tall, strong, and had the anointing of the Lord.
- 18:44Speaker 1: But despite his position, there was one fatal flaw that
- 18:48Speaker 1: led to his downfall. He feared man more than he
- 18:52Speaker 1: feared God. In First Samuel fifteen, God commanded Saul to
- 18:57Speaker 1: completely destroy the Amalekites, every person, every animal, every trace
- 19:02Speaker 1: of them. But Saul didn't obey fully. Instead, he spared
- 19:07Speaker 1: king a gag and kept the best live stock. Why
- 19:10Speaker 1: When confronted by the prophet Samuel, Saul finally admitted his reasoning,
- 19:16Speaker 1: I was afraid of the men, and so I gave
- 19:19Speaker 1: in to them First Samuel fifteen twenty four. Because Saul
- 19:24Speaker 1: feared the opinions of people more than the commands of God,
- 19:28Speaker 1: he lost everything. God tore the kingdom from his hands
- 19:33Speaker 1: and gave it to David, a man after his own heart.
- 19:37Speaker 1: Now contrast Saul's failure with Daniel's faithfulness. Daniel lived in Babylon,
- 19:43Speaker 1: a kingdom completely opposed to the God of Israel. The
- 19:47Speaker 1: rulers there did not tolerate anything that challenged their authority.
- 19:51Speaker 1: And yet when a law was passed forbidding prayer to
- 19:54Speaker 1: any one except King Darius, Daniel did not hesitate. He
- 19:59Speaker 1: didn't pray in secret, he didn't compromise his beliefs, he
- 20:03Speaker 1: didn't try to negotiate a safer option. He went home,
- 20:07Speaker 1: opened his windows, and prayed just as he had always
- 20:10Speaker 1: done Daniel six'. Ten and when he was thrown into
- 20:16Speaker 1: the lion's den for, it he did not beg for his.
- 20:19Speaker 1: Life he did not plead with the king to change the.
- 20:22Speaker 1: Law he did not try to save. Himself he Feared
- 20:26Speaker 1: god more than he feared, man and because of That
- 20:29Speaker 1: god shut the mouths of the. Lions the difference Between
- 20:33Speaker 1: saul And daniel is the difference between fear driven failure
- 20:37Speaker 1: and faith driven. Courage but this isn't just An Old testament.
- 20:41Speaker 1: Issue look At peter Before. Pentecost peter Loved, jesus he followed,
- 20:47Speaker 1: him he was willing to fight for. Him but When
- 20:50Speaker 1: jesus was arrested something. Happened the Same peter who had boldly,
- 20:55Speaker 1: proclaimed even IF i have to die with, YOU i
- 20:58Speaker 1: will never disown. You matthew twenty six thirty five suddenly
- 21:03Speaker 1: became a coward in front of a servant. Girl she
- 21:07Speaker 1: recognized him and, said you were With. Jesus and what
- 21:11Speaker 1: Did peter? Do he denied, It then he denied it.
- 21:15Speaker 1: Again then he swore with curses that he didn't even Know,
- 21:19Speaker 1: jesus and why because he feared. Man in that, Moment
- 21:25Speaker 1: peter wasn't afraid Of. God he was afraid of people's, opinions,
- 21:29Speaker 1: rejection and. Persecution he was afraid of what it would
- 21:34Speaker 1: cost him to stand. Firm but then something changed In acts.
- 21:39Speaker 1: Too the Same peter who Denied jesus stood before thousands
- 21:43Speaker 1: and boldly preached The. Gospel what, Happened The Holy spirit filled.
- 21:48Speaker 1: Him his fear of man was replaced with the fear Of,
- 21:51Speaker 1: god and from that moment, Forward peter never back down.
- 21:55Speaker 1: Again even when The jewish leaders ordered him to stop,
- 21:58Speaker 1: preaching his response was, clear we must Obey god rather
- 22:03Speaker 1: than Men acts five twenty. Nine that is the power
- 22:07Speaker 1: of Fearing god over. Man so here's the, question which
- 22:12Speaker 1: fear is controlling your? Life because the truth is every
- 22:16Speaker 1: one fears. Something some fear, rejection so they hide their.
- 22:19Speaker 1: Faith some fear losing their, job so they compromise their.
- 22:23Speaker 1: Beliefs some fear being, mocked so they remain, silent and
- 22:27Speaker 1: in doing so they become Like saul And peter Before,
- 22:31Speaker 1: pentecost giving in to fear losing opportunities and missing their.
- 22:36Speaker 1: Calling but those who Fear god above all, else they
- 22:39Speaker 1: become Like, Daniel peter After, pentecost and The apostles who
- 22:43Speaker 1: turned the world upside. Down they refuse to. Compromise they
- 22:48Speaker 1: speak truth even when it costs. Them they would rather
- 22:51Speaker 1: lose everything than Disobey. God look at The Early. Church
- 22:55Speaker 1: they were, beaten, imprisoned and even, killed but they never back.
- 22:59Speaker 1: Down In acts, Four peter And john were arrested for
- 23:03Speaker 1: preaching About. Jesus the authorities threatened, them trying to silence,
- 23:07Speaker 1: them but instead of, fear they prayed for even more,
- 23:11Speaker 1: boldness And god. Answered after they, prayed the place where
- 23:16Speaker 1: they were meeting was, shaken and they were all filled
- 23:19Speaker 1: with The Holy spirit and spoke the word Of god.
- 23:22Speaker 1: Boldly acts four thirty. One they didn't pray for, safety
- 23:27Speaker 1: they didn't pray for. Acceptance they prayed for, boldness And
- 23:31Speaker 1: god shook the ground beneath. Them so what about? Us
- 23:35Speaker 1: are we more concerned with pleasing people than Obeying? God
- 23:39Speaker 1: are we holding back from fully living out our faith
- 23:42Speaker 1: because we are afraid of what others will. Think are
- 23:45Speaker 1: we making decisions based on earthly consequences instead of eternal?
- 23:51Speaker 1: Ones because if we, are then we're living in the
- 23:54Speaker 1: fear of man instead of the fear Of. God And
- 23:58Speaker 1: jesus made it clear we cannot live like. That whoever
- 24:02Speaker 1: acknowledges me before, OTHERS i will also acknowledge before my
- 24:06Speaker 1: father in. Heaven but whoever disowns me before, OTHERS i
- 24:10Speaker 1: will disown before My father in. Heaven matthew ten thirty
- 24:14Speaker 1: two to thirty. Three those are heavy, words but they
- 24:18Speaker 1: should wake us up because in the, end the people
- 24:21Speaker 1: we fear to day will not be standing next to
- 24:24Speaker 1: us when we Face. God our bosses won't be, there
- 24:28Speaker 1: our friends won't be, there our critics won't be. There
- 24:31Speaker 1: it will just be us And. God and in that
- 24:34Speaker 1: moment only one thing will. Matter did we Fear him
- 24:38Speaker 1: above all? Else so let's go. Deeper what happens when
- 24:42Speaker 1: we finally stop fearing? Man how does Fearing god set
- 24:46Speaker 1: us free from every other? Fear and most, importantly how
- 24:50Speaker 1: do we start living with unshakable courage to? Day because
- 24:55Speaker 1: this is not just about what we, believe it's about
- 24:59Speaker 1: how we. Live the transformation of the apostles is one
- 25:03Speaker 1: of the most undeniable proofs of the power of the
- 25:06Speaker 1: fear Of. God these were the same men who just
- 25:10Speaker 1: a short time earlier had run in fear When jesus was.
- 25:14Speaker 1: Arrested they had hidden behind locked, doors terrified that they
- 25:18Speaker 1: would be. Next, peter the most outspoken of them, all
- 25:22Speaker 1: had Denied jesus three times out of. Fear and yet
- 25:27Speaker 1: after the resurrection and the coming of The Holy, spirit
- 25:30Speaker 1: these same men became, bold unstoppable preachers who feared no
- 25:35Speaker 1: one But. God what? Changed how did the fear of
- 25:39Speaker 1: man that once controlled them? Disappear and how did their
- 25:42Speaker 1: fear Of god give them the courage to stand in
- 25:45Speaker 1: the face of, persecution, torture and even. Death at the
- 25:50Speaker 1: time of jesus, ministry the apostles had already seen his,
- 25:54Speaker 1: Miracles they had walked with, him heard his, teachings and
- 25:58Speaker 1: even perform miracles. Themselves but despite all of, that when
- 26:03Speaker 1: the pressure, came When jesus was, arrested, beaten and sentenced to,
- 26:08Speaker 1: death they. Scattered why because they still feared man more
- 26:14Speaker 1: than they Feared. God look at what happened After jesus
- 26:18Speaker 1: was taken. Away In matthew twenty six fifty. Six it
- 26:21Speaker 1: says then all the disciples deserted him and, fled every
- 26:26Speaker 1: single one of, them the ones who had declared their,
- 26:29Speaker 1: loyalty the ones who had sworn to follow him even to.
- 26:33Speaker 1: Death And, peter he was the boldest of them. All
- 26:36Speaker 1: When jesus told the disciples that they would abandon, Him
- 26:40Speaker 1: peter was the first to, object even if all fall,
- 26:44Speaker 1: away on account of, YOU i never Will, matthew twenty
- 26:49Speaker 1: six thirty. Three and yet a few hours, later when
- 26:53Speaker 1: a simple servant girl accused him of being With, Jesus
- 26:56Speaker 1: peter denied, it not, once not, twice three. TIMES i
- 27:01Speaker 1: don't know the, man he, swore cursing to prove that
- 27:04Speaker 1: he was not one Of jesus's. Followers that's what the
- 27:07Speaker 1: fear of man. Does it makes bold men. Weak it
- 27:10Speaker 1: turned strong disciples into. Cowards but then something. Happened After
- 27:16Speaker 1: jesus rose from the, dead he met with his. Disciples
- 27:19Speaker 1: he Restored peter and commanded them to wait for the
- 27:22Speaker 1: power of The Holy. Spirit and then In acts two everything.
- 27:27Speaker 1: Changed The Holy spirit filled, them and the fear of
- 27:30Speaker 1: man was completely. Broken the Same peter who had Denied
- 27:34Speaker 1: jesus in front of a servant girl now stood before
- 27:38Speaker 1: thousands and preached the gospel without. Hesitation and what was the.
- 27:42Speaker 1: Result those who accepted his message were, baptized and about
- 27:47Speaker 1: three thousand were added to their. Number that. Day acts
- 27:52Speaker 1: two forty, One, peter the man who had once cowered in,
- 27:57Speaker 1: fear now stood before the very people who had Rucified
- 28:00Speaker 1: jesus and declared that he was the Risen. Lord and
- 28:04Speaker 1: it didn't stop. There In acts, Four peter And john
- 28:07Speaker 1: were arrested for preaching About. Jesus The jewish authorities threatened,
- 28:11Speaker 1: them demanding that they stopped speaking In jesus. Name now
- 28:15Speaker 1: imagine if this had been before the, resurrection the disciples
- 28:20Speaker 1: probably would have fled, Again they would have stayed, quiet
- 28:24Speaker 1: they would have been afraid of the. Consequences but this
- 28:28Speaker 1: time their response was, different which is right In god's.
- 28:32Speaker 1: Eyes to listen to you or to, him you be the.
- 28:35Speaker 1: Judges as for, us we cannot help speaking about what
- 28:39Speaker 1: we have seen and. Heard acts, four nineteen to. Twenty
- 28:43Speaker 1: they refused to. Stop and when they were arrested again
- 28:46Speaker 1: In acts five and beaten for, preaching did they, complain
- 28:50Speaker 1: did they, retreat did they? Compromise number they. Rejoiced The
- 28:56Speaker 1: apostles left The sanhedrin rejoicing because they had been counted
- 29:01Speaker 1: worthy of suffering disgrace for the, Name acts five forty.
- 29:05Speaker 1: One what kind of person rejoices after being? Beaten only
- 29:10Speaker 1: someone who Fears god more than he fears. Man and
- 29:14Speaker 1: this wasn't Just peter And. John every single apostle faced
- 29:18Speaker 1: persecution for preaching the. Gospel james was beheaded By, Herod
- 29:23Speaker 1: stephen was stoned to death while praying for his. Killers
- 29:27Speaker 1: paul was, beaten, imprisoned and ultimately. Executed That john was
- 29:31Speaker 1: exiled To. Patmos yet none of them back, down none
- 29:35Speaker 1: of them, stopped none of them let the fear of
- 29:38Speaker 1: man control. Them. Ever, again this is What jesus meant
- 29:42Speaker 1: In luke twelve five when he, said fear him, who
- 29:46Speaker 1: after your body has been, killed has authority to throw
- 29:49Speaker 1: you into. Hell the apostles understood that their earthly lives were,
- 29:54Speaker 1: temporary but their eternity With god was. Forever and this
- 29:59Speaker 1: is the the same choice we face, today because while
- 30:03Speaker 1: we may not be dragged before kings or thrown into
- 30:06Speaker 1: prison for our, faith yet the pressure to, compromise stay,
- 30:10Speaker 1: silent and blend in is just as. Strong we live
- 30:15Speaker 1: in a world where standing for biblical truth is becoming more.
- 30:19Speaker 1: Costly people are losing jobs for refusing to go along
- 30:23Speaker 1: with worldly. Agendas christians are being ridiculed for holding to biblical.
- 30:28Speaker 1: Morality many are pressured to tone down their faith to
- 30:32Speaker 1: avoid offending. Others and this is the real. Test will
- 30:36Speaker 1: we fear man or will we Fear? God because here's the.
- 30:40Speaker 1: Truth if we Fear, god we will never fear. Man
- 30:44Speaker 1: if we fear, man we will never fully live For.
- 30:46Speaker 1: God the apostles made their, choice and now we must make.
- 30:51Speaker 1: Ours so ask, yourself are you living more Like peter
- 30:54Speaker 1: Before pentecost Or peter After? Pentecost are you willing to
- 30:58Speaker 1: stand firm if when it costs you? Something would you
- 31:02Speaker 1: rather lose people's approval or would you rather lose your?
- 31:05Speaker 1: Soul because at the end of the, day the only
- 31:08Speaker 1: opinion that will matter Is. God's so let's go. Deeper
- 31:12Speaker 1: what happens when we truly let go of the fear of?
- 31:15Speaker 1: Man how Does Fearing god lead to complete, freedom and most,
- 31:19Speaker 1: importantly how do we start living with the boldness of
- 31:22Speaker 1: The apostles to? Day because this isn't just a history,
- 31:26Speaker 1: lesson this is a call to. Action most people misunderstand
- 31:31Speaker 1: what it means to Fear. God they hear phrases like
- 31:35Speaker 1: fear The lord and immediately think of living in, terror
- 31:38Speaker 1: afraid that one wrong move will bring down his. Wrath
- 31:42Speaker 1: but that's not the fear That jesus was talking about
- 31:45Speaker 1: In luke twelve five when he, said fear, him, who
- 31:49Speaker 1: after your body has been, killed has authority to throw
- 31:52Speaker 1: you into. Hell at the Time jesus spoke these, words
- 31:57Speaker 1: his disciples were surrounded by. Fear The Roman empire ruled
- 32:01Speaker 1: with absolute, power executing any one who challenged. Them The
- 32:06Speaker 1: jewish leaders held control over the religious, system excommunicating any
- 32:10Speaker 1: one who dared oppose. Them for an ordinary, person fear
- 32:15Speaker 1: was a daily, reality and Yet jesus told them to
- 32:19Speaker 1: Fear god, instead not as a terrifying, dictator but as
- 32:23Speaker 1: the only one worthy of ultimate reverence and. Trust because
- 32:28Speaker 1: when we truly Fear, god something amazing. Happens every other fear.
- 32:33Speaker 1: Disappears look at The Apostles Before, pentecost they lived in
- 32:38Speaker 1: fear of. Man they were afraid of, rejection, persecution and even.
- 32:44Speaker 1: Death but after they fully surrendered to the fear Of,
- 32:47Speaker 1: god they became, bold, unstoppable. Fearless why because they understood
- 32:53Speaker 1: something that most people to day do. Not Fearing god
- 32:57Speaker 1: doesn't lead to, Terror it leads to. Freedom imagine a
- 33:01Speaker 1: child standing at the edge of a busy. Street if
- 33:04Speaker 1: that child fears, nothing they might run straight into traffic
- 33:07Speaker 1: and be hit by a. Car but if that child
- 33:10Speaker 1: has a healthy fear of, danger they will step, back
- 33:13Speaker 1: listen to their, parents and avoid. Disaster that's what the
- 33:19Speaker 1: fear Of god. Does it's not about walking in panic or.
- 33:22Speaker 1: Anxiety it's about walking in wisdom and. Security it's knowing
- 33:29Speaker 1: That god is, holy, powerful and, just and because of
- 33:33Speaker 1: that we can trust him. Completely look at what The
- 33:38Speaker 1: bible says about those who Fear. God proverbs nine. Ten
- 33:42Speaker 1: the fear of The lord is the beginning of, wisdom
- 33:46Speaker 1: and knowledge of The Holy one is Understanding proverbs fourteen twenty.
- 33:52Speaker 1: Seven the fear of The lord is a fountain of,
- 33:55Speaker 1: life turning a person from the snares of. Death psalm
- 34:01Speaker 1: thirty four. Nine fear The, lord you his holy. People
- 34:05Speaker 1: for those who fear him lack. Nothing the fear of
- 34:09Speaker 1: The lord brings, wisdom, life and. Provision it keeps us
- 34:13Speaker 1: from making foolish. Decisions it protects us from, Sin it
- 34:17Speaker 1: keeps our hearts humble Before, god and most of, all
- 34:21Speaker 1: it sets us free from every other. Fear think about.
- 34:25Speaker 1: It if you truly Fear, god what else is there
- 34:28Speaker 1: to be afraid? Of what can people do to you
- 34:31Speaker 1: That god has not already accounted. For The apostles understood this.
- 34:35Speaker 1: Deeply that's why when they were, arrested beaten and, threatened
- 34:39Speaker 1: they didn't beg for. Protection they prayed for boldness In
- 34:43Speaker 1: Acts For peter And john had just been arrested for
- 34:46Speaker 1: preaching About. Jesus the authorities threatened, them demanding that they
- 34:50Speaker 1: stopped speaking in his. Name but instead of shrinking back in,
- 34:54Speaker 1: fear they gathered with other believers and, Prayed, lord consider
- 34:59Speaker 1: their threats and enable your servants to speak your word
- 35:03Speaker 1: with great. Boldness acts fourth twenty. Nine and how Did god?
- 35:08Speaker 1: Respond after they? Prayed the place where they were meeting was,
- 35:12Speaker 1: shaken and they were all filled with The Holy spirit
- 35:15Speaker 1: and spoke the word Of god. Boldly acts four thirty.
- 35:20Speaker 1: One god didn't take away the, danger he didn't remove the.
- 35:24Speaker 1: Persecution he gave them boldness in the middle of. It
- 35:28Speaker 1: that's what happens when we truly Fear. God we stop fearing,
- 35:32Speaker 1: rejection we stop fearing, persecution we stop fearing failure because
- 35:38Speaker 1: we know that our lives are in his hands and
- 35:40Speaker 1: he alone holds our. Eternity look At, David he Faced
- 35:45Speaker 1: goliath without, fear not because he was, stronger but because
- 35:49Speaker 1: he knew that the battle belonged to The Lord First
- 35:52Speaker 1: samuel seventeen forty. Seven look At. Daniel he faced the
- 35:57Speaker 1: lion's den with, confidence not because he was, reckless but
- 36:00Speaker 1: because he Knew god was sovereign over life and Death
- 36:04Speaker 1: daniel six twenty. Two look At. Esther she risked her
- 36:08Speaker 1: life to save her, people not because she had nothing to,
- 36:11Speaker 1: lose but because she knew that Obeying god mattered more
- 36:15Speaker 1: than personal. Safety esther four. Sixteen the common thread they
- 36:20Speaker 1: all Feared god more than they feared their, circumstances and
- 36:24Speaker 1: because of, that they had supernatural. Courage but here's the.
- 36:28Speaker 1: Problem Many christians today do not Fear. God they fear
- 36:33Speaker 1: losing their reputation more than they fear Dishonoring. God they
- 36:37Speaker 1: fear being called intolerant more than they feared disobeying. Scripture
- 36:41Speaker 1: they fear what people will say more than they fear
- 36:43Speaker 1: What god will say on Judgment. Day and because of,
- 36:47Speaker 1: that they live in constant fear of man instead of
- 36:50Speaker 1: boldness In. Christ jesus said In matthew ten twenty, eight
- 36:55Speaker 1: do not be afraid of those who kill the body
- 36:57Speaker 1: but cannot kill the. Soul rather be afraid of the
- 37:00Speaker 1: one who can destroy both soul and body in. Hell
- 37:05Speaker 1: that's a wake up. Call when we truly Fear, god
- 37:08Speaker 1: we are unshaken by everything. Else we are unshaken by
- 37:11Speaker 1: rejection because we know That god accepts. Us we are
- 37:15Speaker 1: unshaken by trials because we know That god is in.
- 37:18Speaker 1: Control we are unshaken by persecution because we know That
- 37:23Speaker 1: god is our. Defender and this is where real boldness comes.
- 37:28Speaker 1: From it's not about having a loud. Personality it's not
- 37:32Speaker 1: about being naturally. Brave it's about knowing Who god is
- 37:36Speaker 1: and trusting him. Completely so ask yourself what is holding you?
- 37:40Speaker 1: Back are you living with boldness or are you letting
- 37:44Speaker 1: the fear of man keep you? Silent are you standing
- 37:48Speaker 1: firm in your, faith or are you compromising to keep the?
- 37:51Speaker 1: Peace are you afraid of what people will, say or
- 37:54Speaker 1: are you more concerned with What god has already? Said
- 37:58Speaker 1: because at the end of the, day you cannot fear
- 38:01Speaker 1: Both god and. Man you must, choose and when you
- 38:05Speaker 1: choose the fear Of, god you will experience a freedom
- 38:09Speaker 1: like never, before a freedom from, anxiety a freedom from people,
- 38:14Speaker 1: pleasing a freedom to walk boldly in the Purpose god
- 38:17Speaker 1: has given. You because once you Fear god, alone you
- 38:22Speaker 1: will never fear anything else. Again something incredible. Happens when
- 38:26Speaker 1: a person stops fearing people and starts Fearing god, alone
- 38:31Speaker 1: their entire life. Changes their decisions are no longer dictated
- 38:35Speaker 1: by the opinions of. Others their faith is no longer
- 38:38Speaker 1: weakened by the pressure to. Conform their boldness is no
- 38:42Speaker 1: longer dependent on whether people accept. Them they become unshakable
- 38:47Speaker 1: because their foundation is no longer in what people. Think
- 38:51Speaker 1: it's in What god has already. Said When jesus spoke
- 38:55Speaker 1: In luke twelve, five he wasn't just giving his disciples a.
- 38:58Speaker 1: Command he was preparing them for a life of persecution and.
- 39:03Speaker 1: Courage he knew that after his, resurrection they would be
- 39:07Speaker 1: faced with impossible choices obey man or Obey. God and
- 39:13Speaker 1: he made it clear only one holds the power over.
- 39:17Speaker 1: Eternity the apostles took that message to, heart and because of,
- 39:22Speaker 1: it they changed the. World look at what happened After.
- 39:26Speaker 1: Pentecost the same disciples who had once fled in fear
- 39:30Speaker 1: When jesus was arrested were now standing in front of
- 39:34Speaker 1: crowds boldly declaring his. Name In acts, five the apostles
- 39:40Speaker 1: were arrested and thrown into prison for preaching About. Jesus
- 39:44Speaker 1: the authorities warned, them commanding them to. Stop and what
- 39:48Speaker 1: did they. Do did they apologize and back? Down did
- 39:53Speaker 1: they compromise to keep the? Peace did they try to
- 39:55Speaker 1: find a way to fit in in? Number they, answered
- 39:59Speaker 1: we must Obey god rather than, Men acts, five twenty.
- 40:04Speaker 1: Nine this is what happens when we stop fearing. People
- 40:09Speaker 1: we stop being controlled by their. Opinions we stop making
- 40:12Speaker 1: decisions based on what is acceptable to the. World we
- 40:16Speaker 1: stop allowing fear to dictate our. Faith, instead we live
- 40:20Speaker 1: in the freedom of absolru obedience To. God but this
- 40:24Speaker 1: kind of boldness isn't just found in the pages of.
- 40:26Speaker 1: Scripture it's happening. Today think about the believers in countries
- 40:32Speaker 1: Where christianity is. Illegal in places Like, China North, korea
- 40:37Speaker 1: and parts of The Middle, east Following jesus isn't just,
- 40:41Speaker 1: unpopular it's. Dangerous churches are, Burned bibles are. Confiscated christians are, imprisoned,
- 40:49Speaker 1: tortured and even. Executed and yet despite all of, that
- 40:55Speaker 1: they refuse to Deny. Christ why because they have stopped fearing.
- 41:01Speaker 1: People there are countless testimonies of believers who have Chosen
- 41:05Speaker 1: god over, comfort truth over, compromise and eternity over temporary.
- 41:11Speaker 1: Safety there's the story of a Young christian woman In
- 41:15Speaker 1: iran who was arrested for Distributing. Bibles she was thrown
- 41:19Speaker 1: into prison and told that if she Denied christ she
- 41:23Speaker 1: could go, free but she. Refused she understood that Fearing
- 41:28Speaker 1: god was more important than saving her own. Life there's
- 41:32Speaker 1: the story of A chinese pastor who was beaten for
- 41:35Speaker 1: leading underground. Churches his persecutors told, him if you keep,
- 41:40Speaker 1: preaching we will kill. You his, response THEN i will
- 41:44Speaker 1: See jesus. Sooner this is what it looks like when
- 41:48Speaker 1: the fear of man is completely. Broken this is the
- 41:52Speaker 1: courage that comes from Fearing god. Alone but this isn't
- 41:56Speaker 1: just about extreme. Persecution this applies to our daily lives,
- 42:00Speaker 1: Too because the truth, is fear of man is what
- 42:04Speaker 1: keeps Most christians. Silent fear of offending people keeps believers
- 42:09Speaker 1: from speaking the. Truth fear of losing relationships keeps people
- 42:14Speaker 1: from sharing the. Gospel fear of being labeled intolerant keeps
- 42:18Speaker 1: churches from preaching. Repentance and because of, that so many
- 42:23Speaker 1: people live as Hidden, christians afraid to let the world
- 42:27Speaker 1: know who they really. Are but imagine for a, moment
- 42:30Speaker 1: what would your life look like if you completely stopped fearing.
- 42:34Speaker 1: People what if you stopped worrying about what others think
- 42:38Speaker 1: and lived with total confidence In god's. Will what if
- 42:42Speaker 1: you stopped holding back your faith at, work at, school
- 42:45Speaker 1: or in conversations and spoke the truth with. Boldness what
- 42:49Speaker 1: if you truly believed that Pleasing god was the only
- 42:53Speaker 1: thing that. Mattered because the moment you, do you will
- 42:57Speaker 1: experience a freedom like never. Before look at what happened
- 43:01Speaker 1: To paul before he Met. Christ, paul then Called, saul
- 43:05Speaker 1: was a pharisee obsessed with the approval of. People he
- 43:09Speaker 1: built his entire life on religious, status power and. Recognition
- 43:14Speaker 1: he was, respected, feared and, Admired but after he Encountered
- 43:19Speaker 1: jesus he lost it. All and what was his? Response
- 43:24Speaker 1: whatever were gains to? ME i now consider laws for
- 43:28Speaker 1: the sake Of Christ philippians three. Seven paul didn't care
- 43:33Speaker 1: what people thought any. More that's why he was willing
- 43:35Speaker 1: to be, beaten, imprisoned and, shipwrecked because he knew that
- 43:39Speaker 1: the approval Of god was worth more than the approval of.
- 43:43Speaker 1: Man that's the kind of Fearlessness god is calling us.
- 43:47Speaker 1: To the fear of man is a, trap but the
- 43:50Speaker 1: fear Of god is. Freedom so ask, yourself where are
- 43:54Speaker 1: you still living in fear of? People what areas of
- 43:57Speaker 1: your life are being controlled by the need for? Approval
- 44:01Speaker 1: what would happen if you finally let go of that
- 44:04Speaker 1: fear and fully surrendered To. God because here's the, truth
- 44:08Speaker 1: you will never experience the full power Of god if
- 44:12Speaker 1: you are still trying to please. People jesus himself, said
- 44:17Speaker 1: no one can serve two. Masters matthew six twenty. Four
- 44:22Speaker 1: you cannot live For god's approval and the world's approval
- 44:25Speaker 1: at the same. Time so make the choice to. Day
- 44:28Speaker 1: choose to Fear god over. Man choose to obey even
- 44:32Speaker 1: when it's. Hard choose to stand, firm even when it costs,
- 44:36Speaker 1: you because when you, do you will never be controlled
- 44:40Speaker 1: by fear. Again Fearing god is not something that just happens.
- 44:45Speaker 1: Overnight it's something we, cultivate something that grows as we
- 44:49Speaker 1: draw closer To, him understand his, holiness and choose obedience over.
- 44:55Speaker 1: Comfort the Early church didn't just wake up one day
- 44:58Speaker 1: with unshakable. Boldnes their fear Of god was developed through
- 45:02Speaker 1: their walk With, him through, trials and through an increasing
- 45:06Speaker 1: awareness of Who he truly. Is at the Time jesus
- 45:11Speaker 1: spoke In luke twelve, five The jewish people had a
- 45:14Speaker 1: religious structure built around, rituals, sacrifices and strict. Laws many Respected,
- 45:21Speaker 1: god but they didn't necessarily fear him in the right.
- 45:24Speaker 1: Way they feared breaking, rules but they didn't always have a,
- 45:28Speaker 1: deep reverent ore of his. Presence jesus was challenging that.
- 45:34Speaker 1: Mindset he wasn't telling them to live in, terror but
- 45:36Speaker 1: to have a fear that leads to, obedience, devotion and
- 45:40Speaker 1: complete trust In god's. Authority this is the same fear
- 45:44Speaker 1: that we are called to develop. Today but how do
- 45:48Speaker 1: we do? That how do we cultivate the fear Of
- 45:50Speaker 1: god in a world that constantly tries to distract us
- 45:54Speaker 1: numb us and pull us into. Complacency the answer is
- 45:58Speaker 1: found in three, areas, prayer Studying god's, holiness and stepping
- 46:04Speaker 1: out in obedience despite. Fear the first way to cultivate
- 46:09Speaker 1: the fear Of god is through. Prayer this isn't just
- 46:13Speaker 1: about Asking god for. Things it's about seeking, him spending
- 46:17Speaker 1: time in his, presence listening for his, voice humbling ourselves before.
- 46:22Speaker 1: Him When isaiah had a vision Of god's throne room
- 46:25Speaker 1: In isaiah, six he wasn't making casual. Requests he was.
- 46:30Speaker 1: Undone woe to, ME i, CRIED i am, ruined FOR
- 46:34Speaker 1: i am a man of unclean, lips AND i live
- 46:37Speaker 1: among a people of unclean. Lips and my eyes have
- 46:40Speaker 1: seen The, king The Lord Almighty isaiah six. Five that
- 46:47Speaker 1: is what happens when we come into true. Prayer we
- 46:50Speaker 1: realize who we are compared to Who god. Is we
- 46:53Speaker 1: recognize his, power his, holiness and our desperate need for.
- 46:57Speaker 1: Him too many people pray Like god is their, servant
- 47:01Speaker 1: expecting him to adjust to their. Will but when we
- 47:04Speaker 1: pray with the fear of The. Lord we come to
- 47:07Speaker 1: him as the sovereign king that he, is and we
- 47:09Speaker 1: submit ourselves fully to. Him the second way to cultivate
- 47:13Speaker 1: the fear Of god is by studying his. Holiness one
- 47:17Speaker 1: of the biggest problems in Modern christianity is that many
- 47:21Speaker 1: people have a small view Of. God they see him
- 47:24Speaker 1: as a, friend a, helper or a, comforter which he,
- 47:28Speaker 1: is but they forget That he is also the all,
- 47:32Speaker 1: powerful consuming, fire sovereign over all. Creation when we read,
- 47:36Speaker 1: scripture we don't just see a Loving. God we see
- 47:39Speaker 1: a holy and Just god who cannot be. Mocked The
- 47:43Speaker 1: israelites learned this In exodus nineteen When god descended On Mount.
- 47:47Speaker 1: Sinai the mountain shook with fire and, smoke And god
- 47:52Speaker 1: warned the people not to come too close because his
- 47:55Speaker 1: presence was too holy for them to. Handle take care
- 48:00Speaker 1: not to go up the mountain or touch its. Base
- 48:02Speaker 1: whoever touches the mountain must be put to. Death exodus nineteen.
- 48:07Speaker 1: Twelve that's the holiness Of. God when we truly study
- 48:11Speaker 1: who he, is we stop taking his presence. Lightly we
- 48:15Speaker 1: stop making excuses for. Sin we stopped treating him like
- 48:18Speaker 1: a distant idea and start recognizing him as The lord of.
- 48:22Speaker 1: All the third way to cultivate the fear Of god
- 48:26Speaker 1: is by stepping out in. Obedience even when we are,
- 48:29Speaker 1: afraid fear fades when we face it with. Faith peter
- 48:34Speaker 1: could have spent years studying, courage but he didn't fully
- 48:37Speaker 1: understand boldness until he stepped out of the boat and
- 48:41Speaker 1: walked on Water matthew fourteen twenty. Nine moses could have
- 48:46Speaker 1: prayed for, confidence but he didn't experience the power Of
- 48:50Speaker 1: god until he stepped Before pharaoh and, declared let my
- 48:55Speaker 1: people Go exodus five. One the Early church could have
- 49:01Speaker 1: waited until they felt, brave but their boldness came when
- 49:05Speaker 1: they preach despite the. Threats this is how the fear
- 49:08Speaker 1: Of god grows by acting on. It every time we
- 49:12Speaker 1: Obey god instead of our, feelings our faith. Grows every
- 49:16Speaker 1: time we choose truth over. Comfort our boldness. Increases every
- 49:21Speaker 1: time we Trust god's will over our, fears the fear
- 49:24Speaker 1: of man loses its. Grip but the opposite is also.
- 49:28Speaker 1: True every time we choose fear of people over, obedience
- 49:32Speaker 1: our faith. Shrinks every time we compromise to fit. In
- 49:36Speaker 1: our boldness weakens every time we let fear stop us
- 49:41Speaker 1: from stepping. Out we give more power to the world
- 49:44Speaker 1: than To. God and this is exactly why so many
- 49:48Speaker 1: believers to day live in fear and, uncertainty because they
- 49:52Speaker 1: have not made small choices of obedience that lead to great.
- 49:56Speaker 1: Faith so ask, yourself are you Seeking god in prayer
- 50:01Speaker 1: or are you just going through the? Motions are you
- 50:03Speaker 1: studying his holiness or are you only focusing on the
- 50:07Speaker 1: parts Of god that are. Comfortable are you stepping out
- 50:10Speaker 1: in obedience or are you letting fear hold you? Back
- 50:15Speaker 1: because the truth, is you cannot develop the fear Of
- 50:18Speaker 1: god without. Action you cannot grow in. Boldness if you
- 50:21Speaker 1: never put your faith to the. Test you cannot expect,
- 50:25Speaker 1: confidence if you never take a risk for the. Gospel
- 50:28Speaker 1: you cannot expect fear of man to disappear if you
- 50:32Speaker 1: are still feeding it by seeking. Approval the fear Of
- 50:36Speaker 1: god isn't just a, Feeling it's a. Lifestyle it's choosing
- 50:40Speaker 1: to seek him when no one is. Watching it's choosing
- 50:43Speaker 1: to obey when it costs you. Something it's choosing to
- 50:47Speaker 1: trust when the world tells you not. To and when
- 50:49Speaker 1: you start living this, way something amazing. Happens you become
- 50:54Speaker 1: fearless not because you are, strong but because you finally
- 50:58Speaker 1: realize That god is greater than anything you could ever.
- 51:02Speaker 1: Fear the apostles didn't just wake up. Fearless they cultivated
- 51:07Speaker 1: the fear Of. God, daily they, prayed they studied his,
- 51:11Speaker 1: Holiness they stepped out in obedience no matter the, cost
- 51:15Speaker 1: and because of, that they lived in absolute, boldness changing
- 51:19Speaker 1: the world while others lived in. Fear so what about.
- 51:23Speaker 1: You are you ready to stop fearing man and start
- 51:27Speaker 1: Fearing god? Alone are you ready to walk in, boldness
- 51:31Speaker 1: confidence and complete. Faith are you ready to live with
- 51:34Speaker 1: the kind of fear that leads to unshakable, Courage because
- 51:39Speaker 1: once you, do you will never be the. Same let's
- 51:42Speaker 1: take a moment to pray. Together if you've been struggling with,
- 51:45Speaker 1: fear fear of people's, opinions fear of, rejection fear of
- 51:50Speaker 1: standing for, truth this is your moment to. Surrender this
- 51:55Speaker 1: is your moment to Ask god to fill you with
- 51:57Speaker 1: the kind of boldness that cannot be. Shaken so wherever you,
- 52:00Speaker 1: are whether you're sitting in your, room on your way to,
- 52:04Speaker 1: work or watching this late at, NIGHT i invite you
- 52:07Speaker 1: to pray with. Me Heavenly, father we come before, you
- 52:11Speaker 1: recognizing that so many of us have been living in
- 52:15Speaker 1: fear of the wrong. Things we have allowed the opinions
- 52:18Speaker 1: of others to control. Us we have hesitated when you
- 52:22Speaker 1: told us to, Move we have remained silent when you
- 52:26Speaker 1: called us to. Speak And, lord we. Repent we repent
- 52:29Speaker 1: for the times we have chosen comfort over, conviction safety over,
- 52:33Speaker 1: surrender approval over. Obedience, god we confess that we have
- 52:38Speaker 1: feared rejection more than we have feared. Disobedience we have
- 52:43Speaker 1: feared losing relationships more than we have feared losing intimacy with.
- 52:47Speaker 1: You we have feared the judgment of, man while forgetting
- 52:51Speaker 1: that only you have the power over. Eternity and to
- 52:55Speaker 1: day we lay that fear. Down, lord we ask that
- 52:59Speaker 1: you break the chains of fear that have held us.
- 53:02Speaker 1: Captive every time we have watered down the truth to fit.
- 53:05Speaker 1: In god forgive. Us every time we have chosen silence
- 53:10Speaker 1: when we should have. Spoken god forgive us every time
- 53:13Speaker 1: we have valued people's opinions more than we have valued your.
- 53:17Speaker 1: Word god forgive. Us and, Now, lord we ask you
- 53:21Speaker 1: to replace that fear with holy, boldness the kind of
- 53:25Speaker 1: boldness That peter had when he stood before The sanhedrin
- 53:29Speaker 1: and refused to stop preaching your. Name the kind of
- 53:32Speaker 1: boldness That daniel had when he continued to pray even
- 53:36Speaker 1: when it meant the lion's Den the kind of boldness That,
- 53:40Speaker 1: Shadrach meshach And abednigo had when they refused to bow
- 53:44Speaker 1: even when the flames were waiting for. Them, god give
- 53:47Speaker 1: us the boldness of the apostles who faced death with
- 53:51Speaker 1: joy because they knew that Obeying you was worth. Everything
- 53:57Speaker 1: give us the boldness to stand firm in a world
- 54:01Speaker 1: that is pressuring us to. Conform give us the boldness
- 54:05Speaker 1: to speak the truth in, love even when it costs us, relationships,
- 54:10Speaker 1: status or. Security give us the boldness to live in full,
- 54:14Speaker 1: obedience knowing that nothing we lose for your sake will
- 54:18Speaker 1: ever compare to what we gain in. Eternity, lord we
- 54:22Speaker 1: ask that you open our eyes to see you for
- 54:25Speaker 1: who you truly, Are, holy, sovereign and all. Powerful we
- 54:30Speaker 1: don't want to just know about. You we want to
- 54:33Speaker 1: walk in awe and reverence before. You we want to
- 54:37Speaker 1: have a fear of you that leads to, wisdom, obedience
- 54:41Speaker 1: and unshakable. Faith And, god we ask that you would
- 54:45Speaker 1: remove anything in our hearts that keeps us chained to
- 54:48Speaker 1: the fear of. Man if there are relationships that are
- 54:52Speaker 1: pulling us away from, you give us the courage to walk.
- 54:55Speaker 1: Away if there are compromises we've, made give us the
- 55:00Speaker 1: strength to. Repent if there are areas in our lives
- 55:03Speaker 1: where we have been ashamed of The, gospel give us
- 55:06Speaker 1: the boldness to stand without. Fear, father help us to
- 55:11Speaker 1: remember that we are not alone in this. Battle just
- 55:15Speaker 1: as you stood With shadrak in the, fire just as
- 55:18Speaker 1: you shut the mouths of the lions For, daniel just
- 55:22Speaker 1: as you Filled peter with the spirit to preach before,
- 55:24Speaker 1: thousands you are with us. Now you have given us your,
- 55:28Speaker 1: spirit the same spirit that Raised jesus from the, Dead
- 55:32Speaker 1: and because of that we have no reason to fear
- 55:35Speaker 1: anything in this. World so today we choose to trust.
- 55:39Speaker 1: You we choose to fear you. Alone we choose to
- 55:42Speaker 1: live boldly for your glory In Jesus mighty. Name we, Pray. Amen,
- 55:48Speaker 1: now if this prayer spoke to, you don't just walk
- 55:50Speaker 1: away from it. Unchanged take. Action if there is an
- 55:53Speaker 1: area in your life where you have been living in,
- 55:56Speaker 1: fear face it to. Day if there is a conversation
- 55:59Speaker 1: you've been of, voiding have it to. Day if there
- 56:02Speaker 1: is a step of obedience you've been, delaying take it to.
- 56:06Speaker 1: Day because here's the. Truth fear loses its power the
- 56:10Speaker 1: moment you decide to act in. Faith and if this
- 56:13Speaker 1: video has encouraged, you share it with someone who needs
- 56:17Speaker 1: to hear. It we have covered so many powerful biblical
- 56:21Speaker 1: truths in our other, videos so check them out and
- 56:25Speaker 1: keep growing in your. Faith stay, bold stay, faithful and above,
- 56:29Speaker 1: all stay. Blessed