59 Sermon Illustrations on Fear Of God

This year marks the one hundredth anniversary of Alfred Hitchcock's birth, and his fans are celebrating with birthday parties, film festivals, and sales of macabre memorabilia -- such as bars of soap and shower curtains from the Bates Hotel.

Sadly, Hitchcock's later films were marked by the kind of blood and guts that are cast in most of today's horror films. But in his heyday, Hitchcock scared countless millions without the use of graphic gore. He did it simply by depicting a realistic and biblical view of evil.

Critics still consider many of Hitchcock's films the epitome of cinematic art. A few years ago a restored version of Hitchcock's film Vertigo played before packed movie houses around the world.

This was a 41-year-old movie! Why is it that Hitchcock's films continue to grip our imaginations? The answer lies in the worldview that undergirds his movies.

Hitchcock didn't consider himself an explicitly Christian filmmaker. But he once acknowledged to the great French director Francois Truffaut that "one's early upbringing influences a man's life and guides his instinct." Hitchcock's own Catholic education developed in him, as he put it, "a strong sense of ... moral fear -- the fear of being involved in anything evil."

This background is evident in Hitchcock's films. As Maria Kuntz writes in Crisis magazine, the archetypal Hitchcockian situation "involves an ordinary man or woman suddenly [thrown into] an out-of-the-ordinary situation." "This disruption," she writes, "is caused by some manifestation of evil: a malevolent person ... political agents [or] a sinful past."

For example, in a film called I Confess, a man confesses to his priest that he has just murdered a man. Through a bizarre set of circumstances, the priest himself is accused of the crime and must make a fateful decision: Should he break his vows and turn in the killer -- or be hanged for the crime himself?

In Hitchcock's films, resolution of the plot often requires the hero to overcome some shortcoming or sin. For example, in the film North By Northwest, one of my favorites, Cary Grant plays an irresponsible playboy who, through a case of mistaken identity, is pulled into a Cold War plot involving the sale of state secrets. Grant is given a choice: He can back out and save his own skin, or help both his government and the woman he loves -- but at the risk of his own life.

These moral dilemmas are what make Hitchcock's films so popular even today. As Kuntz writes, Hitchcock's films "are not theological ruminations about the nature of evil, but a presentation of its horrific consequences."

Hitchcock's films remind us of the power of art to communicate a fundamentally Christian worldview.

This weekend, why not rent a couple of Hitchcock films and watch them with your family or some unsaved friends. Make sure you rent one of Hitchcock's earlier movies -- not one of the later ones that rely more on graphic violence for thrills than on moral dilemmas.

After watching the films, discuss the portrayal of real good and real evil. It's a wonderful way to point people to the only solution to evil: the cross of Jesus Christ.

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Copyright (c) 1999 Prison Fellowship Ministries. Reprinted with permission. "BreakPoint with Chuck Colson" is a radio ministry of Prison Fellowship Ministries.

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Little Eddie's daddy had agreed to play hide-and-seek with him. So while Eddie counted, Daddy hid. Then Eddie opened his eyes and started to search: Behind the curtains in the living room and the dining room ... no daddy. Under the dining room table, the kitchen table, in the kitchen closet ... no daddy. Which meant Eddie was going to have to look upstairs. Unfortunately, his father was nowhere in the bathroom or either bedroom. Which left only one place to look - the big closet - which had a light switch Eddie couldn't reach. With his heart beating a mile a minute, Eddie opened the closet door and stared into pitch-blackness. He felt to the left. No daddy. He felt to the right - "ROOOOAAARR!" It had to be a big bear! Eddie ran as fast as his little legs could go down the hall - "ROOOOAAARR!" The bear was chasing him! Down the stairs, through the living room, the dining room, into the kitchen, to the back door. "ROOOOAAARR!" He couldn't look back, but the bear was right behind him! And the kitchen door was locked! Suddenly the bear reached out and grabbed Eddie ... and hugged him. It wasn't a bear trying to hurt him ... it was a Daddy trying to hug him!

Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "A Daddy, Not A Bear."

So many of us have made that same mistake - about God. Maybe your whole life you've thought God was a bear you had to be afraid of, a bear who would hurt you. When, all along, He's been a Father who wants to hug you.

Our feelings about God are deeply affected by how our parents treated us, especially our father. If my father hurt me, then God - who's asked us to call Him our Heavenly Father - will hurt me, too. If my father wasn't there for me, then God won't be there for me. If I could never get my father's love, I'll probably never get God to love me. And so on.

And our feelings about God are shaped by our religious background, too. It could be that the God of your religion has been one to fear, for the most part - a God only of rules, of condemnation, and of judgment. Whatever the reasons, you may have never experienced the hug of God because you've always been afraid of Him. So you've run from Him instead of to Him.

It's definitely time for our word for today from the Word of God in 1 John 4:9, then verses 18 and 19. "This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son that we might live through Him ... He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins ... There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear ... We love Him because He first loved us."

Until Jesus died to pay for all the wrong we've done against God, we had reason to fear the eternal punishment of God for our sins. But God loves you so much that He gave His Son so He wouldn't lose you. All God's anger and punishment for all your sin fell on Jesus. What He's offering you this day is not condemnation, but forgiveness ... not anger, but love ... not hell, but Heaven! It's all yours for the receiving - if you'll open up the One Love you can totally trust.

Would you tell Jesus that you're not running any more ... that you want to begin your love relationship with Him right now? You've lived long enough without His love. I would really like to send you the booklet "Yours For Life" that I wrote about this relationship, if you'll just let me know you want it.

You don't need to be afraid anymore. God has been pursuing you to this very moment. He does not want to hurt you ... He wants to hug you.

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Copyright © Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc., PO Box 400, Harrison, AR 72602. Used by permission. Written by Ron Hutchcraft. "Practical Answers to Real Life Issues"

(Verses shown are New American Standard version; look at them in your Bible)

A. A group of related verses

1. 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.

2. 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

3. 15:33 The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom, And before honour comes humility.

4. what three things have their source in fearing God?

a.

b.

c.

5. what is implied about fools?

6. fearing God is associated with what attitude?

B. and some more on attitudes

1. 3:7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.

2. 23:17 Do not let your heart envy sinners, But live in the fear of the LORD always.

3. what are some attitudes consistent with fearing God?

a.

b.

c.

4. what conscious efforts are required?

a.

b.

C. what about longevity!?!?!

1. 10:27 The fear of the LORD prolongs life, But the years of the wicked will be shortened.

2. is this uniformly true? Why or why not?

3. There is statistical evidence of this being the case; why might this be so?

a. as indicated in 14:26–27 In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, And his children will have refuge. The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, That one may avoid the snares of death.

(A)

(B)

(C)

b. as indicated in 24:21 My son, fear the LORD and the king; Do not associate with those who are given to change;

(A)

(B)

D. Other benefits, blessings and rewards

1. 15:16 Better is a little with the fear of the LORD, Than great treasure and turmoil with it.

2. 16:6 By lovingkindness and truth iniquity is atoned for, And by the fear of the LORD one keeps away from evil.

3. 19:23 The fear of the LORD leads to life, So that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil.

4. are …

a.

b.

c.

d.

e.

E. I have tried from time to time, both privately and publicly, to enlarge on just what is involved in “The Fear of the Lord”. What are some of the things that we need to include if we were asked to define this phrase to someone … particularly if it was to an unbeliever?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

There are monsters in this world, but the God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is not one of them.

Yes, Virginia, there are monsters. We have an imagination for monsters because we know of their existence. Venomous and vicious beasts were a daily peril for our earliest ancestors. Volcanoes and tsunamis can swallow whole cities. Hurricanes and tornados roar from the heavens, leaving hell in their wake. Epidemics of disease are lethal predators taking their pitiless toll. Worst of all, there are monstrosities of men — conquerors and warlords, tyrants and despots — galloping across history like ringwraiths bringing conquest, war, famine, and death. We can imagine monsters because we have met them.

But the living God is not one of them. Not the God who Jesus called Abba.

Oh, the gods are monstrous, of course they are. They are mercurial and merciless, petty and vengeful. They have to be mollified by a virgin flung into a volcano or a victim sacrificed on a stone altar. They always demand a violent and bloody appeasement ... or else! But we know about these gods now, we know what they really are. They are personifications of those beasts and disasters and epidemics and wars and tyrants that frighten us so. They are deified projections of our own rage and fear. They are the desperate attempt to deal with our own sin, suffering, and shame.

The good news is that the God revealed in Christ does not belong to the category of Mars and Moloch, of Ares and Zeus. These are the false gods of our frightened and shame-laden imaginations. The Creator God, the One True God, is not vengeful and retributive like those gods of the primitive pantheon. In his triumph Jesus put these petty and vindictive gods out of business. It’s only their fading ghosts that haunt us today.

In the dread of night we may be tempted to think that the true God shares the fearsome attributes of the vanquished monster gods. In our horror we imagine how Scripture confirms our nightmares. In our terror we may use the Bible as a pallet to paint a macabre and monstrous image of God. But then the day dawns and we hear Jesus say, “It is I. Be not afraid.” (John 6:20) With the dayspring of Christ the terrors of night fade away. Jesus is perfect theology. And Jesus saves us from our primeval nightmares about the divine. The hands of God are not hurling thunderbolts. The hands of God have scars — they were nailed to a tree as he forgave monstrous evil.

“I no longer fear God, but I love him. For love casts out fear.”

– Saint Anthony the Great (A.D. 251–356)

I agree with Saint Anthony. I am also well aware that some will vehemently protest Saint Anthony’s words and my agreement with them. (Beware the comment section!) Nevertheless, I agree with the great saint because this has been my experience as well. For many of us, a dread fear of God may be the only place we can begin our journey. It’s how we first take God seriously. But it’s only the starting point and we must not stay there. So, yes, I understand the Bible commends the fear of God, and I do too ... but only as a preliminary beginning. God desires us to grow beyond the rudimentary beginning of fear.

“God is love. And all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. ... Such love has no fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.” – The Apostle John (1 John 4:16–18)

What I fear is not God, but the suffering my sin can inflict on myself and those around me. The malevolent consequences of sin are very real. But I’m not afraid of God. I used to be, but I am no longer. I am no longer afraid of God because I have come to know God as he is revealed in Christ. I have come to know that God’s single disposition toward me is one of unconditional, unwavering love. The knowledge of God’s love has made it impossible for me to be afraid of God.

You may think such language is reckless. It is not. The peace of no longer being afraid of God has been hard won. It has come from relentlessly seeking to know God as he is revealed in Christ. It is not the result of a liberal, sloppy, pick-and-choose theology. Rather, it is the result of pushing through the dark outer courts of the fear of God into the holy of holies where the love of God shines eternally and dispels all darkness. After years of praying, meditating on the Gospels, and sitting with Jesus in contemplation, I am simply no longer afraid of God. Maturing love is driving out fear.

God is not a monster. There are monster god theologies, but they are mistaken.

Accusation and scapegoating, the ravages of war and the wages of sin, these are monsters. The cruel vagaries of chance — until they are tamed by Christ in the age to come — may fall upon us as monsters. But God is not a monster. God is love. Jesus reveals this to us. If we move against the grain of love we will suffer the shards of self-inflicted suffering — and we can call this the wrath of God if we like — but the deeper truth remains: God is love.

So don’t sit in the dark with the tormenting idea that God somehow harbors malice and ill-will toward you. It’s all a cruel fiction. Turn on the light of Christ and realize that the monster you imagined does not exist. Who exists is Jesus. And he is the one who says to you, “It is I, be not afraid.”

In certain places on Alpine summits the way is peculiarly dangerous on account of the frequent falling of avalanches, and the traveller walks in dread of instant destruction. Samuel Rogers puts it thus:—