No More Fear (Full Sermon)

This expert summary draws from a theological study on Hebrews 2, illuminating how believers can live fear-free by relying on the finished work of Jesus Christ. The message emphasizes that fear, anxiety, and worry are not part of God’s plan for humanity, and that the solution to lifelong bondage is a foundational revelation of God’s perfect love and the efficacy of the Cross.

I. Overcoming Fear: The Power of Perfect Love

Fear is identified as an insidious source of agony that binds the world, leading to worry, anxiety, and even physical restriction. Jesus Christ came specifically to set us free from all fears.

The Antidote to Agonizing Thoughts

Fear manifests as thoughts that hurt, prick the mind, or cause agonizing worry, especially when one wakes up in the middle of the night. The antidote is found by countering these thoughts with God’s thoughts from the Scriptures.

• The Crown of Thorns: When a fearful thought pricks the mind, believers must remember that Jesus bore the crown of thorns so they do not have to. He freed humanity from the affliction of those mental torments.
• Perfect Peace: Meditating on verses like Isaiah 26:3 ensures perfect peace (Hebrew: shalom), which means wholeness, integrated health, and well-being in spirit, soul, and body.
• Love Casts Out Fear: The way to eliminate fear is through a revelation that God loves you. Perfect love casts out fear. The Lord desires for believers to live carefree and know that He is looking after every detail of their lives.

II. Redemption and Righteousness: The Efficacy of the Cross

The entire plan of salvation is anchored in the belief that Jesus’ sacrifice was a complete and final payment for sin, establishing righteousness by faith, not behavior.

Righteousness by Faith, Not Conduct

Believers are righteous by faith, not by their conduct or behavior. The question of why righteous individuals (like Job) suffer is often wrongly framed, because when God sent His Son, there was no good man by God’s moral standard. Everyone was on an escalator to hell, necessitating God’s rescue plan through Christ.

The Resurrection as Testimony

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the ultimate proof that the price for all sins was fully met and paid. God raised Jesus because His work at the cross was efficacious; if even one sin had remained, God could not have raised Him.

• Debt Canceled: The resurrection is a testimony that the full “term” of the sentence for sin has been served. God would be unholy to demand payment for sins again.
• Identity in Christ: Today, God looks at the believer and does not see sin; He sees Jesus, their representative. The believer is now under the light of God’s favor.

The Singular Importance of the Blood

The sacrifice of Jesus fulfilled all the sacrificial offerings of the Old Testament (lambs, goats, and bulls). One drop of Christ’s divine blood—which was holy, as it came solely from the Father and not Mary, whose blood was sinful—is enough to wash out all sins and make the believer whiter than snow. The blood will never lose its power.

III. God’s Love and Empathy: The Principle of Condescension

The sources highlight the profound love demonstrated by Jesus’ act of taking on human flesh, emphasizing that He sympathizes with our suffering.

Jesus Took Our Flesh and Blood

Jesus, who as God was not flesh and blood, “likewise shared in the same”—taking on human flesh and blood through the Virgin Mary. This was an act of holy condescension.

• Empathy Defined: Jesus did this so that He could be where we are and feel what we feel. The Lord is a Great High Priest who can sympathize with our weaknesses and can be touched with the feelings of our infirmities (empathy).
• Identifying with Pain: God identifies with the affliction of His people. Just as God appeared to Moses in a burning bush (symbolizing the people’s suffering), God suffered with the Israelites in the wilderness.

Love in Relationships

Believers are encouraged to model this divine empathy in their relationships, especially with children. Love wants to be where you are.

• Coming Down to Their Level: Parents should come down to the level of their children and care about what they are interested in, even if it seems childish.
• Listening Over Solution: Empathy involves feeling what another person feels and giving them space to pour out their emotions, rather than immediately rushing in with solutions.

IV. Spiritual Protection and Warfare: Destroying the Power of Death

The ultimate goal of Christ taking on flesh and blood was to overcome the final enemy and release humanity from the grip of fear.

Destroying the Devil

Through death, Jesus destroyed him who had the power of death: the devil. This destruction means putting the devil out of action.

Freedom from Bondage

The work of Christ was designed to release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. This fear often manifests as specific phobias, such as the fear of flying or the fear of going to the doctor (which is rooted in fear of disease and ultimately, death).

Angels and Demons

Angels are real, mighty, and strong, and God gives them charge to keep us. However, Jesus did not come to rescue fallen angels (who followed Lucifer/Satan). Demons are sometimes referred to as “wind spirits,” and their achievement is making people think they do not exist so they can influence the mind, leading to oppression and obsession.

The Battle is the Lord’s

Believers do not have to fight their own battles. Whether facing a disease or a marital conflict, the proper response is to turn to the Lord and declare, “This battle is the Lord’s”. When Joshua faced the walls of Jericho, the pre-incarnate Jesus appeared as the Commander of the Lord’s army, stating, “I have not come to take sides, I have come to take over”. We only have to shout and praise, because the fighting has been done.

Protection Through the Blood

Believers overcome the devil by the blood of the Lamb. The blood of Jesus has power to cover and protect. This protection can be declared by drawing the “bloodline of Jesus” around specific areas, such as a plane, a house, or a farm.