Living Fearless: The Power of Presence
One of the things we consistently hear from Olympic athletes, no matter what the sport, is that there’s nothing like the roar of the crowd. The terrifying, pressure-filled experience of being in the center of the stadium is instead encouraging as teammates and others cheer them on.
And that’s a part of what the writer of Hebrews is saying to some very fearful Christians. The book is called the Epistle to the Hebrews because they are new converts from Judaism. They had come to faith in Jesus Christ and were suffering serious persecution. The issue behind the letter, in fact, was that because of their fear, some were wrestling with whether to return to Judaism or not.
And this seems to be an age of fear as well. Daily the news reports frightening tragedies. People on both sides of the presidential election have expressed fear about what lies ahead. But as Christ-followers, we are to be filled with faith, not fear. Let’s look at two reminders from Scripture about living fearless:
- We are in the presence of a great cloud of witnesses, there to encourage and support us.
To encourage the Hebrews, the writer recalls a historic incident. Remember the scene in the movie The Ten Commandments where Moses (Charlton Heston) climbs Mount Sinai to receive the commandments?
But the writer tells us our walk with Christ isn’t like that Spielberg-type special effects scene. He says it’s not like that, where people were terrified and where God’s presence came down upon that mountain in a way that no one was allowed to approach it, neither man nor beast, except for Moses himself. And even Moses himself, during the coming-down of the presence of God, said, “I am terrified” (cf. Heb. 12:18-21).
The writer is trying to draw a contrast, and he says, “You know, that’s not who you are in Christ at all. Instead,” he says, “You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel [which means judgment] (Heb. 12:22-24).
These familiar words help form the basis for the line you hear each Sunday in our churches, “Therefore, with angels, archangels, and all the company of heaven.” In other words, when we gather together in the name of Jesus Christ for worship, we’re not just with the group in front of us, those we can see with the naked eye. Jesus says when we gather together “in his name,” he is here. And the lovely wonder of it is that he is never alone.
Think of yourself in a stadium, just like the people in the Olympics. And who’s in the stands? Angels. Archangels. All the company of heaven. People who have been witnesses for the gospel in ages past. People around the world who have shown faithfulness to God. All of them are surrounding you, and what are they doing? They’re cheering you on.
Because you see, you’re on the field now. Now it’s your turn. You’re up. What are you going to do? The recipients of the letter to the Hebrews wanted to walk off the field. And the writer was saying, “You’re not doing this alone. You’re surrounded by legions, thousands who are there to cheer you on, to support you.”
- We also have, in our midst, the very presence of God that we see in Jesus.
You see, a part of what it means to walk as a Christian is that you live simultaneously in two different worlds. The world of the senses is what most of us know and experience. But scripture again and again says, “There is another world, and it’s not ‘up there somewhere,’ it’s right here. It is the one where we in God ‘live and move and have our being’” (Acts 17:28).
In other words, God is not up there somewhere like some benevolent but judgmental Santa Claus. No. The whole point of the gospel is that when God comes down to us in Christ Jesus, he is intimately among us. Jesus, in fact, says something important, not just about who he is, but who God is: “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father” (John 14:9b).
In other words, we have in our midst the very presence of God that we see in Jesus. And reality is meant to inform how we think and live.
You see, we have this idea—a wicked but pervasive one—that we’re on this planet on our own. God exists, but he doesn’t have any real involvement in what’s going on in my life, unless I ask him, and then I don’t know if he’s going to answer me or not. It depends on how good I’ve been.
That is exactly wrong. Wrong. We live in this space thick with the presence of God. And when we call upon him, when we invoke his presence, we’re not asking him to come from some far-away planet. Instead, we’re turning the focus of our attention to the God who is already here. We’re making a conscious decision to connect with the presence of God, which is always wherever the world is. He’s just as present in one place as in another.
The Power of Presence
We often have the mistaken sense that we’re safe in our churches or with our Christian friends, but if we go out into the world, we’re alone, and we need courage to speak up.
While we often feel that way, the reality is that no matter where I am, I’m still surrounded by angels and archangels and all the company of heaven. And I’m still immersed in the presence of God, who has said very clearly in Jesus, “I will never leave you or forsake you. Nothing can take you out of my hand.” And that’s not predicated on my geographic location.
Knowing that gives me the strength I need to step out in those places where I might feel nervous and alone. I am in the presence of God. I don’t need to ask Jesus to come join me; he’s already here. He is the one in whom I live and move and have my being. And I’m surrounded with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven.
So I would urge you to examine the places of fear in your life. Fear of stepping out. Fear of being talked about. And ask God to take those fears away, to put new courage into your life. And to not turn away when you see human suffering, but to say, “OK, God, what would you have me do, that the world may know that the Jesus whom we love and adore loves them, too?”
How does your faith help you overcome fear? Share this blog and your comments on Twitter and include my username, @revgregbrewer.
(This post is an adaption of Bishop Brewer’s sermon on August 21, 2016, at St. Sebastian’s-by-the Sea, Melbourne Beach, Fla.)
Unless otherwise noted, scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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