SERMON TITLE: Overcoming Fear
TEXT: Psalm 3 Sermon (ESV)
SPEAKER: Robert Tansill
DATE: 2-6/7-21
You can watch the sermon here.
You can find the sermon notes here.
Good morning, Gateway! I'm Robert Tansill. And as always, it is a joy to be worshiping with you. Every week you are reminded that God loves you. And it's this love of God that we need to keep in mind continually. Why? Because when life gets tough and our fears begin to overwhelm us, remembering that God loves us sustains our faith, strengthens our trust, gives us hope, and drives away our fears. But it’s not always easy. And for most people, it doesn’t come naturally. So, this morning I want to look at what Scripture has to say about how God’s love can help us overcome our fear and the part we play in it.
And to do that, please turn with me to Psalm 3 as we look at words attributed to King David in the Old Testament when he is running for his life. In fact, the opening words of our Psalm, according to the translation called the Message, say that this is, “A David Psalm, When He Escaped For His Life From Absalom, His Son.” Psalm 3, known as an “individual lament,” reflects what David was feeling as one of his sons, Absalom, was trying to take over David’s throne in an attempted coup. You can read about it in 2 Samuel 15 where we are told this, “A messenger soon arrived in Jerusalem to tell David, ‘All Israel has joined Absalom in a conspiracy against you!’ ‘Then we must flee at once, or it will be too late!’ David urged his men. ‘Hurry! If we get out of the city before Absalom arrives, both we and the city of Jerusalem will be spared from disaster.’” (2 Sam. 15:13-14, NLT)
Can you imagine the fear that must have swept over David when he got that news? Absalom’s attempted coup is a national emergency! David’s son was trying to kill him and take over his throne, and he has thousands and thousands of people backing him. This is the same son who previously killed, Amnon, another son of David’s from a different wife, for having an incestuous relationship with his sister, Tamar (2 Sam. 13:19–39). And all of this is occurring because of David’s sin with Bathsheba when he not only committed adultery with her but then had her husband killed to cover it up (2 Sam. 11–12). So now, in this Psalm, we hear what David was thinking and feeling. And we also hear how he overcame his fear in the middle of all that he was facing.
Listen to his words in Psalm 3. David writes...
Psa. 3:1 O LORD, how many are my foes!
Many are rising against me;
2 many are saying of my soul,
“There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah
3:3 But you, O LORD, are a shield about me,
my glory, and the lifter of my head.
4 I cried aloud to the LORD,
and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah
3:5 I lay down and slept;
I woke again, for the LORD sustained me.
6 I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around.
Psa. 3:7 Arise, O LORD!
Save me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
you break the teeth of the wicked.
Psa. 3:8 Salvation belongs to the LORD;
your blessing be on your people! Selah
(Psalm 3:1-8 ESV)
As we listen to David’s words and think about overcoming our fears, the first thing I think this passage teaches us is that…
Point 1: To Overcome Fear…
Do Not Listen to it’s Voice (Vv. 1-2)
What is “fear” saying to David? Look again at verses 1-2, "O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; 2 many are saying of my soul, “There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah One of the hardest things to keep in mind about fear is that so much of it is based on the unknown. In fact, it has been said that 90% of what you fear won’t happen. And I would love to confidently stand up here and tell you that that is completely true. But I can’t because many times I feel the weight of my own fears. One day, a while back, one of my closest friends who knew I was struggling with something and could hear the fear in my voice when we talked on the phone, said to me, “Robert, you know what FEAR stands for, don’t you? False Evidence Appearing Real!” Now that is a pithy little statement that’s worth keeping in the ol’ memory bank, isn’t it? I mean, who could argue with that?
So much of what we fear is based on false evidence that looks real to us. You go to the doctor, and on a return visit he sits you down and tells you that they found a spot on the X-ray. And what do you do? You begin to think the worst. You start thinking, “I need to get my life in order because this is probably the end.” And you know what? I completely understand. In fact, when my friend said, “You know what FEAR stands for, don’t you? False Evidence Appearing Real!”, I didn’t say, “Man, thanks for reminding me of that. I really appreciate the reality check.” Nope! Instead, I said, and I quote, “That may be what FEAR means to you, but for me FEAR stands for, ‘Forget Everything And Run!!”
Folks, if we are honest with ourselves, that’s how we often want to respond to fear. Fear has this uncanny ability to speak into our situation and make us believe things that are just not true. We get bombarded with all sorts of thoughts of what could happen in a given situation when in reality we have no idea what the outcome is going to be. And why do we do that? Because we believe deep down that we are in control of our lives. And when something happens that we can’t fix or resolve, it sends us into a tailspin of fear. And it’s been this way since the beginning (Gen. 3:1).
Newsflash: You are not in control of your life! Sure, there are some things that you can exert some control over, but at any given moment that could all change. As James reminds us in the New Testament, “What is your life like? For you are a puff of smoke that appears for a short time and then vanishes.” (James 4:14, NET)
And it’s this truth, which David is aware of, that makes him choose a different course of action rather than listen to the voice of fear. What does he do? He looks outside of himself to His God. Listen to how the New Living Translation puts verse 1, “O LORD, I have so many enemies; so many are against me. 2 So many are saying, “God will never rescue him!”
Using the word, LORD, six times in this Psalm, it becomes clear who David is really relying on. This word, which is typically in all-caps in the English Bible, is the Hebrew word “Yahweh,” which means “I Am.” However, numerous scholars expand that to mean, “He Brings Into Existence Whatever Exists.” LORD is the personal name that God has given to his people to use for Himself. And because it’s personal, it implies a relationship, which David has with God. And that’s why David makes the choice to not listen to the voice of fear even though what he is experiencing is very real. His life really is in danger as his enemies continue to grow in number and are reminding him that his God has abandoned him, leaving him to fend for himself.
But because David has a personal relationship with God, he knows that the One who “brought all things into existence” cares for him as well, and will protect him in spite of the voices of his enemies or the voices of fear in his head. And if you have a personal relationship with God then you are called to do the same thing.
So, Believer, as you make the choice to stop relying on yourself and look instead to God in the midst of your trials, do your best to stop listening to the voice of fear. Like David, if you have placed your trust in God through Christ then you are His child. And if that’s true, then who better to protect you than the One who created all things and holds them together. Take some time to think about that when the voice of fear is speaking to you. That is what the text is calling you to do by using the word, “Selah” at the end of verse 2. It’s a word that would alert the choirs singing this Psalm to pause, and catch their breath. And for us, it’s calling us to, “pause, and calmly think about this truth,” which is how the Amplified Bible translates this word.
But that’s not all. As we choose not to listen to the voice of fear and rely on God rather than ourselves, a second thing we need to do is seen in verses 3-6, which could be summed up this way...
Point 2: To Overcome Fear…
Remember God’s Faithfulness In the Past (Vv. 3-6)
After telling the LORD what his enemies are saying about him, knowing that they want to kill him, in verses 3-6 David makes a dramatic shift in his thought with these words, “But you, O LORD…” Keeping in mind that “many thousands are rising up against” him, David once again reminds himself of who God is using three different descriptions.
First, he says that God is “a shield about me.” By using this phrase, David has in mind a protective barrier used to inhibit and frustrate those who plan to harm him. The “shield” itself refers to a smaller round shield held in the hand and is designed to protect the arm and upper torso of a soldier in battle while allowing freedom of movement to maneuver and counterattack. However, in our passage the LORD is viewed as offering complete protection for His people in times of trouble which is why many of our translations read, “a shield around me.” (cf. NIV, NLT, Message) As you think about David’s description here, is that how you view the LORD? Do you view Him as your shield, protecting you on all fronts in your struggles? Or do you question either His ability or desire to protect you? For David, there was no question that God would protect him, even as the odds were stacked against him.
A second way that David describes God is seen in the words “my glory.” Even though David is the King of Israel and enjoys all the glory and honor that goes with that position, he knows that any glory he has comes from Yahweh, the King of Glory. As one commentator said about this phrase, “Human glory is that recognizable dignity or honor a person can lay claim to in public circles. Some humans receive glory by virtue of their status (e.g., the king) or wealth and impeccable splendor; others are recognized because of their wisdom or righteousness. But for all humans, there is a basic human dignity conferred by God. Any kind of human glory or dignity, whether basic or elevated, divinely given or conferred by public opinion, is at risk when the enemies seek to destroy the psalmist’s very ‘glory’. So in our context, when the psalmist’s own glory is under attack, he recognizes that his only hope is in the unimpeachable honor and dignity supplied and guaranteed by Yahweh alone.” Knowing that the LORD is his only hope of survival, even as he is running for his life, David places all of his confidence in the One whose glory is greater than any human glory.
And finally, David describes God as “the lifter of my head.” The “lifting up of the head” is a Hebrew expression for confidence in the Lord, the One who has the power to raise up the humble and bring down the proud (1Sam. 2:7–8; Ps 103:7–9). For the one who lifts up their own head, it is a sign of arrogance and pride in their accomplishments and self-sufficiency.
As John Piper reminds us, “Pride is the preference for man over God—the man in the mirror, the man who knows better than God where pleasure and significance are to be found, the man with power who can provide better security than God. Pride is every form of self-exaltation, preferred above joyful God-exaltation. Therefore, pride is the destruction of the glad-hearted praise of the glory of God’s grace — which is the ultimate goal of the rightful ruler of the universe. Therefore, pride is the height of treason and the end of human happiness.” (John Piper, Providence.)
By describing God as the “lifter of his head,” David acknowledges the vulnerability of his own honor and dignity in his circumstances and turns in confidence to the true source of glory and the one who establishes human dignity, being the LORD Himself. God will exalt whoever he wants when he wants because He is sovereignly in control of all things. His plans can not be thwarted!
But why does David have so much confidence in God? Look at verses 4-5, where he says, “I cried aloud to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah 5 I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the LORD sustained me.” (ESV) As we read these verses, there are a couple of things we need to notice that help us understand David’s confidence and trust in the LORD in the middle of his fear.
One of the first things David does is acknowledge God’s sovereignty over all things. How does he do that? By referring in verse 4 to “his holy hill.” Also known as Zion, this phrase refers to the place where God reigns and rules (Psa. 2:6, Rev. 14:1). And this is where David looks for comfort. For David, knowing that God is in complete control of his situation gives him comfort in spite of what he’s facing. And it should give us comfort as well.
Folks, life doesn’t just happen. Even though we live in a fallen world where people make choices that hurt others and bad things happen, God is orchestrating it all for our good and His glory. And David knows this, which is why he cries out to God. But he has a reason for doing this, which we see in verses 4-5.
As you look at our passage, notice how the verb changes from the present tense in verses 1-3 to the past tense in verses 4-5. In verses 4-5, as David thinks about his current situation, he reflects back on all the previous times when life got tough and fear overwhelmed him. He remembers when he faced Goliath (1 Samuel 17), when Saul was trying to kill him (1 Samuel 19), and all the battles he fought as King (2 Samuel 5), just to name a few. And in all those times, God, the Sovereign LORD who brings into existence whatever exists, showed up to rescue and sustain him! David’s word for “sustained” in verse 5 literally means “to lay your hands upon, or to grasp”. What does that look like?
Let me give you an example. When my son, Jonathan, was little, he used to have seizures. The first time it happened I was sitting at my desk just outside of his bedroom, and he came stumbling out of his room with one whole side of his body convulsing. It was one of the most heart-wrenching things I’ve ever witnessed. And my first reaction when I saw it was to run to him, wrap my arms around him, and hold him as tightly as I could. Why did I do that? Because I wanted to protect and comfort my son.
And that’s the picture that David has in mind when he uses the word “sustained.” It’s the picture of a loving, compassionate, and caring God wrapping his arms of protection aroundhis people in the middle of their fear as the trials of life rage against them. He is the shield around you, and the lifter of your head. And what is really interesting, which we don’t see in our English translations, is that the verbs, which are past tense, are also continuous in action. What does that mean? Listen to how one commentator puts it, “The change from present tense to the past tense brings out how the psalmist had habitually trusted in the Lord. The patterns he had set, over years of experience with the Lord, had led him to rest quietly.” (Expositor’s Bible Commentary Revised)
As David recalled all the things God had done for him in the past, he was reminded that the LORD is the one who really is worthy of David’s trust and is able to protect him in whatever trials he might face in the future. And once again, it is based on the relationship that David had with the LORD over years of interaction with Him. And this should force each of us to ask ourselves what our relationship with the Lord looks like.
As you look back over your life, can you see how God has protected, cared for, and sustained you over the years? Do you believe that God loves you? And more importantly, do you love God? And do you believe that as fallen and chaotic as our world is, and as much pain as you might have experienced in the past, God is still sovereignly in control of all things for His glory and our good?
That is what David believed, which is why he says in verse 6, “I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.”(ESV) Once again, notice the wording in verse 6. When David says he’s not afraid of “many thousands of people,” he’s not talking about just two or three thousand; as if that alone would not overwhelm us. Rather, it is more like “ten thousand” (NLT), or better yet “tens of thousands” (NIV). Talk about feeling overwhelmed! For David to be able to say he’s not afraid, he’d better have a BIG GOD! And he does because that’s who God is. He is a Big God. And, for many of us, we only see how big He really is when our backs are up against the wall.
I could tell you story after story of people in this church body who have experienced firsthand how God protected and sustained them in their darkest times. A friend told me a couple of weeks ago over coffee that there were at least ten times in his life when he should have died. Another friend told me how God, time and time again, intervened in protecting his infant daughter as she was rushed to the hospital due to a life threatening illness. And another person told me how relieved they were when the doctor confirmed that their results didn’t reveal that the cancer had returned when all the other signs previously pointed to that happening. And these stories barely scratch the surface of what God has done in our lives as we reflect on and remember how good He’s been to us in the past. That’s why David is not afraid when “tens of thousands” of people are surrounding him to take his life. And it should be no different for us in the midst of the trials and struggles we face. Folks, we serve a BIG GOD!
And because we serve a big God, David mentions one more thing we need to keep in mind when our fear begins to overwhelm us, which is…
Point 3: To Overcome Fear…
Call Out For God’s Help, Expecting Him To Act (Vv. 7-8)
With his back against the wall, and remembering God’s sovereign authority over all things, and His faithfulness to David in the past, David does the only thing he knows to do which is to call out for God’s help, expecting Him to act. Look at what he says in verses 7, “Arise, O LORD! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.” This phrase, “Arise, O LORD!”, which is used at least eight times in the Psalms (Psa. 3:7; 7:6; 9:19; 10:12; 17:13; 74:22; 82:8; 132:8), is a call for God in His sovereignty to act on behalf of David. And even though David’s description of God striking all of his enemies “on the cheek and breaking the teeth of the wicked” sounds really violent, it is really an expression of humiliation. David wants his enemies to be humbled before the mighty hand of His God! Remember what they said in verse 2, “There is no salvation for him in God.”
But there is a larger point that I think this Psalm is making which I hope we will all see and acknowledge as true this morning. As I was looking at a commentary on verse 7, I ran across these words, “This expression of vindication may seem harsh to our ears, but the psalmist is putting before us the hope that, regardless of what enemies may arise from inside or outside the kingdom of God, God will be victorious.” (Expositor’s Bible Commentary Revised)
And this got me thinking about a question we all have to answer. How do you define Salvation? In verse 8, David concludes our Psalm with these words, “Salvation belongs to the LORD; your blessing be on your people! Selah” The translation called, The Message, puts it this way, “Real help comes from GOD. Your blessing clothes your people!” As you think about trusting God in your fears, does it make any difference that, as believers, our greatest fear, being death, has been conquered? Because of what Christ has done on the Cross by taking our sins upon Himself, we now have eternal life as we stand in His righteousness by faith alone.
I’ve really been thinking a lot about this lately. Some of us in this body are going through some really tough things. And as we do, is our goal to see those things, which are driving our fears, go away? Or is our goal to see God glorified through those things. As David says, “Salvation belongs to the LORD,” his greatest desire is to see His God, “the One who brings all things into existence” and who he had a personal relationship with, glorified. And that should be our goal as well.
As Scott Christensen in his book, “What About Evil” reminds us, “There is no evil that anyone can do to disrupt the blessings of those who love God and are predestined to salvation and then effectually called by him to adoption as sons and daughters of his kingdom (Rom. 8:29-30; Eph. 1:4-6). All the ill-treatment, injustice, and cursed adversity that slam us on the cold, hard floor of this life have already been ordained by God so that his atoning grace in Christ will redeem them [those acts] for our good (Rom. 8:28). Our present redemption does not relieve all the burdens of the evils we suffer in this life. But it points to the consummation of redemption in Christ's glorious kingdom when our merciful Father "will wipe away every tear from" our weary eyes, 'and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away" (Rev. 21:4). There is more than enough hope for us, in the present along with a down payment of hope for the future, contained in the riches of Christ's treasury of grace.” (Scott Christensen, What About Evil?, p. 311)
And because we know how this story ends, as we do life in a fallen world let’s do our best to give our fears over to One who promises to protect us and be the Lifter of our heads. This doesn’t mean that we won’t suffer or experience incredible pain in this life. But it does mean that as we suffer, just as our Savior did, a day is coming for us all when God will stand as the Victorious One; and we will be standing with Him in all His glory and ours. Why?
Because we serve a Big God who loves us and is sovereignly working all things together for our good and his glory (even though at times it makes no sense to us!). And because we are convinced of that truth, in spite of our fears, we will continue to look forward to the day when our Salvation is realized no matter what this life throws at us. As the Apostle Paul said in the New Testament as he faced his own fears, “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” (2 Cor. 4:17-18; NLT)
This should be our mindset when fear wants to overwhelm us. And we also need to remind ourselves, as my wife reminded me recently, of this simple truth. For the one who trusts in God through Christ, this life is as bad as it’s going to get for us. This is our hell! The suffering and trials we experience and the fear that we will be fighting to not overwhelm us, “won’t last very long”, and will usher in for us all “a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!”
So, until that day, let’s continue to look to the LORD who we know to be Sovereign, good, loving, our protector, our glory, the One who lifts our heads, and who is really, really BIG as we strive to rest in Him in the midst of our fears, confident that He will sustain us yet again. For He loves us! And to Him, and Him alone belongs all the glory.
Let's pray together.
Father, words can not express how grateful we are for all that you have done for us in Christ, for the salvation that you have given us by faith, and for the love that you show us every day. Forgive us when we take Your love for granted. As we leave this place, may we do so as people fully convinced of the Sovereign Goodness of our Big God who has the power to take the evil and pain of this fallen world and use it for our good and Your glory. And in those times when fear seeks to overwhelm us (and it will!), may we not listen to its voice, but rather remember Your faithfulness to us in the past, and as a result call out to you for help, expecting You to act. For this is Your promise to your people. And as we anticipate the day of your return, may we continue to, “fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen, remembering that the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” For to You alone belongs all the glory. Amen.
“Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault.” - Jude 24; NLT
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