I’m afraid of heights, although I would choose to rephrase that as I have a healthy respect of why God did not give people wings.
I have a fear of being hit by a train when I drive across railroad tracks. Yeah, my family finds that one rather silly too.
Just recently, I learned that my daughter and I both have an aversion, more than a fear, of patterns of bumps—especially on skin.
How about you? What fears do you have? Not fond of crossing railroad tracks either, are you?
Do Not Fear
In Matthew’s Resurrection account, the call to “not be afraid” is recorded twice (v. 5, 10). Have you ever noticed that? Interesting, isn’t it? The first time is when the angel told the two Marys not to be afraid. The second time was almost immediately after when Jesus met them and told them the same.
Do not be afraid.
What an incredible encouragement, especially when we consider that the angel and Jesus didn’t have trains in mind, or even heights. No, their words of encouragement were far more beautiful.
We need not fear death, for Christ has defeated it, proven by the empty tomb.
We need not fear judgment, for Christ has experienced God’s wrath on the cross.
We need not fear rejection, for we are accepted by the Father based on the perfect obedience of the Son that has been credited to us.
We need not fear being alone, for we are adopted children of God’s family.
The list goes on.
Do not be afraid.
Christ has put fear itself to death and left it behind in the empty tomb.
Living Free of Fear
What a joy it is that we can live free of fear. Sometimes I see people who have no fear of heights and I wonder how freeing that must feel. What would it be like to enjoy amazing views without a knot in the bottom of your stomach? How freeing that must be. How much more amazing is it that in Christ, we can live free of fear of death, judgment, rejecting, being alone, and so much more?
We may experience these from time to time—that is part of what it means to live on this side of eternity—but the great thing is that we don’t have to. We don’t have to sit in these fears. We don’t have to let them overcome us or to paralyze us. We can put these fears where they all belong and leave them there: in the grave.
On one hand, the resurrection is a fact to be believed. On the other hand, it is an experience to connect with. If you have one without the other—if you believe in the resurrection as historical fact but never experience the resurrection personally, or if you think of the resurrection as a spiritual experience but don’t believe it was a fact—you come out with a form of religion with no power.” — Tim Keller
Tim Keller, “Knowing the Power of His Resurrection,” in Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross, ed. Nancy Guthrie (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2009), 132.
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