Freedom From Fear
The Beginning of Knowledge and Wisdom
Gives Way to Perfect Love
A Sermon by Rosco Brong
Former Dean of Lexington Baptist College

"...Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am He that liveth and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." Revelation 1:17, 18.

      Fear is not always a bad thing:though we do not generally enjoy being afriad, where there is real danger we had better fear it and avoid or defeat it than foolsihlyring upon our selves injury or destruction. On the merely human level, the man who is not afraid in our present world situation is not brave - he is just itgnorant, foolish, or mad.

      In the Bible we find commands to fear and commands to fear not. There is no contradiction here: where there is danger we need to fear, and where there is no danger we need not to fear.

THE FEAR OF THE LORD
      More important and more needful than all other fears is "the efar of the Lord," which is "the beginning of knowledge" and "the beginning of wisdom." (Proverbs 1:7; 9:10) This does not sound like the sentimental swill slopped out by the popular preachers of our day, but it is still sound scriptural advice.

      All men are sinners, and the sinner who never learns to fear God is as surely appointed to everlasting fire as if he were already there.

      It was the loving Savior Himself Who faithfully warned:

All men are sinners, and the sinner who never learns to fear God is as surely appointed to everlasting fire as if he were already there

      It was the loving Savior Himself Who faithfully warned:

"Fear no them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 12:28).

      True, "perfect love casteth out fear" ( John 4:18), but until we are made perfect in love, "let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverance and godly fear" (Hebrews12:28)

FEAR NOT FOR THE SAVIOR
      "It is I; be not afraid." said Jesus to His disciples. Though His wrath will strike terror to the hearts of the lost (Revelation 6:15-17)