Fear Class – Week 4
This week we will be talking about how a sense of righteousness or being in right standing with God will eliminate fear and oppression in your life. Knowing God is with you, for you, completely on your side is a permanent cure to fear. This knowledge will in time as your sense of righteousness becomes stronger and greater completely override and case aside fear in your life. Knowing how much God loves you will expel every trace of terror!
Fear brings with it the thought of punishment. To get rid of fear, you will have to get rid of the sense of guilt and the feeling that you always deserve punishment. When you know His love in its fullness, you will no longer have fear.
1 John 4:18 – There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love’s complete perfection].
1 John 4:17 – In this [union and communion with Him] love is brought to completion and attains perfection with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment [with assurance and boldness to face Him], because as He is, so are we in this world.
For your love to be brought to the place of completion that will eliminate fear, you will need to spend time in union and communion with God. Come to know and believe and trust in the Lord that God has for you, and fear will be a thing of the past in your life regardless of how big a stronghold it has been.
1 John 4:16 – And we know and believe (adhere to and put faith in and rely on) the love God cherishes for us. God is love, and he who dwells and continues in love dwells and continues in God, and God dwells and continues in him.
Fear hath punishment or torment
Vine – This describes a process, not merely an effect; this kind of fear is expelled by perfect love; where God’s love is being perfected in us, it gives no room for the fear of meeting with His reprobation; the “punishment” referred to is the immediate consequence of the sense of sin, not a holy awe but a slavish fear, the negation of the enjoyment of love.
Full-grown, complete and perfect love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror.
To get rid of the sense of guilt that hounds you and the fear that comes as a result, you will have to know what the Bible teaches on righteousness. You will need to replace your old ways of thinking with the truth of the Word. As you mind is renewed concerning your righteousness, your life will be completely transformed (Rom 12:2).
Isaiah 54:14 – In righteousness you will be established; you will be far from oppression for you will not fear and from terror, for it will not come near you.
You can live in a place where fear and terror do not come near you. How? Become established in your righteousness.
Established – rooted, grounded, settled permanently, immovable.
Righteousness – right standing with God.
Being established in righteousness is being rooted and grounded immovably in the reality of having right standing with the God of the universe! It the same as knowing that since God be for me, who can be against me?
In righteousness (right standing with God – based not on my good behavior but on Him – based on faith on my part) I will be established (rooted and grounded immovably). As I establish this reality, I will be far from oppression, for I will not fear and from terror, for it will not come near me.
I come to know and believe the love which God has for me…and His love is perfected in me…There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.
If God is for me, who can be against me?
Psalm 112:6-8 – Surely he will never be shaken; the righteous will be in everlasting remembrance. He will not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is established; he will not be afraid, until he sees his desire upon his enemies.
When my heart is established in truth, I will no longer be afraid.
Romans 8:31-32 – What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
Psalm 118:6-7 – The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The Lord is for me among those who help me; therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me.
The more assured you are of God’s presence with you, there to help you in all of life’s problems, the less fear you will have.
Isaiah 32:17-18 – The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever. My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, In secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places,
A sense of righteousness produces peace, quietness and confidence. If you are plagued with fear, terror, worry, oppression, turmoil or lack of confidence – this is the sure and permanent way out!
2 Kings 6:15-16 – An example of someone who was not afraid in a time of trouble because of his relationship with God and because he knew the truth and trusted it more than what he saw.
Hebrews 11:27 – Moses endured seeing Him who was invisible. The spirit realm should be as real to you as the world around you.
How do you get righteous?
Romans 10:10 – With the heart a person believes resulting in righteousness…
It is what I believe not what I do that results in my righteousness.
Romans 5:19 – For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.
It was by His obedience that I was made righteous not my own.
Romans 5:17 – For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)
I receive righteous as a free gift.
2 Corinthians 5:19, 21 – God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them…He made Him to be sin who knew no sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
His is the One who made me righteous not myself. He is no longer counting my sins against me, so I shouldn’t be either.
Philippians 3:9 – and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.
My righteousness doesn’t come from myself based on what I do; it is from God, and I receive it by faith.
Titus 3:4-5 – But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.
It is according to His mercy that I am saved and made righteous. My righteousness isn’t based on the works of righteousness which I have done but on works of righteousness which HE has done that I receive by faith.
But what if I sin? What if I miss it? God has provided a way for me to be restored to righteousness in a second. Just confess or acknowledge that you have sinned, and you are instantly cleansed from all righteousness.
1 John 1:7-9 – but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus His son cleanses us form all sin. If we say we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleans us from all unrighteousness.
You may have to take the time to convince yourself of these truths by going over and over them, but as time goes on, the truth will become more real than your feelings and the wrong beliefs you have held, and your sense of righteousness and acceptance with God will cast out all guilt and fear. You will truly know that God is for you, and therefore NONE can be against you!
