fear on SermonAudio

How our Lord loves us so! Even when we have to go through trials...it's to help us grow our faith!

Message in the Be Joyful series through Philippians. Pastor Robert Rohlin takes up one of the most misunderstood commands in the New Testament: "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12). Paul says work OUT, not work FOR, and that one word makes all the difference. Writing under house arrest in Rome, 800 miles from Philippi, Paul commends a church whose obedience never depended on his being there. So who are we when the teacher steps out of the room? Joseph in Potiphar's house shows what obedience without an audience looks like. Heaven cannot be earned. Our best righteousness is "filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6), as Martin Luther learned on his face in the monastery at Erfurt, and salvation runs in three tenses: penalty, power and presence. The Greek verb pictures working a mine you already own. A rich uncle leaves you a gold mine, and you can frame the deed and stay poor, or go dig out the gold. God got Israel out of Egypt in one night, but it took forty years to get Egypt out of Israel. Fear and trembling is not terror of losing your salvation. It is the careful reverence of a child who does not want to grieve a loving Father, pictured from forty feet up on a wobbling crane. If you have ever wondered whether this verse means you must earn heaven after all, or you are rich in Christ but living like a pauper, this message will settle the question and send you out to dig. Please note: this message covers verse 12. Pastor Rohlin plans to take up verse 13, God at work in us to will and to do, next week.

John 7:1-24 shows why people who knew the Scriptures well still rejected Jesus. His brothers urged him to show his works at the Feast of Booths and win the world's notice, because they did not believe in him. The crowd muttered about him but feared the leaders, and the leaders asked where he had studied instead of whether he spoke the truth. Each group sought its own glory. Jesus sought the Father's glory, and he says that anyone whose will is to do God's will recognizes his teaching as from God. Knowledge alone leaves a heart unchanged, so the Holy Spirit must renew it. A renewed heart judges with right judgment, lets go of the praise of others, and finds joy in obeying the Father.

This sermon examines David's flight from Saul, highlighting his initial reliance on deception and human strength as he seeks refuge with the priest Ahimelech. The text contrasts David's panic-driven lie with the biblical call to trust in God's sovereignty, noting that his actions ultimately led to tragic consequences for the priests. The message draws a theological parallel between the showbread in the tabernacle and the Lord's Supper, emphasizing the importance of communal fellowship and remembrance of Christ's sacrifice. It concludes by illustrating how God uses humiliation to restore faith, encouraging believers to rest in the assurance that God is for them, as expressed in Psalm 56 and Romans 8.

The question isn't "what" you fear, but whom.

Luke 23:39-43 39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. 40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. 42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

This sermon continues the narrative of King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20 from last week. Emphasizing that while spiritual battles are real, God's sovereignty ensures victory. The message encourages believers to interpret crises through the lens of God's character and promises rather than their own limited strength. It highlights the importance of turning fear into faith by seeking God, obeying His commands, and worshipping Him before seeing the outcome. The preacher connects this Old Testament account to the New Testament hope found in Christ, describing the believer's soul as an anchor secured behind the veil. Ultimately, the sermon calls for a steady, obedient trust in God's unchanging counsel, reminding the audience that their safety depends not on the absence of storms, but on the strength of their anchor in Jesus.

God wants us to be victors, not victims, to soar and not sink, to overcome and not be overwhelmed! Whatever challenges or problems you might be facing, the difference between being a victor or victim is how we respond to the challenges we are facing. This sermon looks at one of the most familiar Old Testament stories: David and Goliath. The Challenge that Israel was facing was Goliath, a Philistine fighter who was large, loud, and life-threatening. Saul and his army were the cowards who responded with fear and with passivity, hoping that their problem (Goliath) would go away. But he didn't. The young shepherd boy, David responded with courage and faith. Faith sees the challenges as God's problem. The conflict was not between Goliath and Israel, but between Goliath and the armies of the Living God. Faith also meets the challenges armed with the promises of God. God had promised victory over Israel's enemies. The battle belongs to the Lord! Faith also faces the challenges convinced of God's faithfulness! God n the past had delivered David from the paw of the lion and the bear! David believed that God would deliver him from the "paw" of this Philistine! Believing the problem was God's, armed with the promise of God, and convinced of God's faithfulness, the faith that conquers is a faith of action! David courageously fought and killed the giant! God brought about the victory as a witness to the watching world and as encouragement to others to trust God.

The sermon explores the conclusion of Moses' first address in Deuteronomy, emphasizing that the wonder of God's unique redemption through the Exodus and the covenant at Horeb serves as the foundational ground for obedience. It argues that the Israelites' experience of God's power, authority, and loving presence was designed to instill a deep, internalized awe that compels them to keep His statutes, rather than relying on mere intellectual assent or fear of punishment. The message highlights that God's election of Israel was rooted solely in His grace, not their merit, and that this singular truth of monotheism is meant to transform the heart from the inside out. The preacher connects this ancient history to the ultimate revelation of God in Jesus Christ, whose life, death, and resurrection demonstrate the supreme power and love of the one true God. Ultimately, the sermon calls for a renewed sense of wonder at Christ's work, which should motivate believers to obey His commands out of gratitude and reverence, recognizing that He alone is Lord.

The sermon concludes a study of Ecclesiastes by focusing on the final chapter's call to remember the Creator in youth and to fear God as the ultimate duty of man. It distinguishes between the dread of the wicked and the reverential, affectionate awe that characterizes the believer's relationship with God, noting that this proper fear is the beginning of wisdom. The message emphasizes the distinction between the decaying outward man and the inward man, which is renewed day by day by the Holy Spirit, ensuring that salvation rests on God's mercy rather than human works. Through the example of Jeremiah, the sermon illustrates how God's compassions are new every morning, providing stability and strength to believers amidst life's vanities and trials. The tone is pastoral and encouraging, urging the audience to find their identity and security in the eternal work of Christ rather than in the fleeting nature of earthly existence.