Fear, Faith and Courage
Tim Keller | May 20, 1990
Overview
It’s clear we don’t see courage the way the Bible sees it. Courage and faith, in the Bible, aren’t really different. Courage is considered a moral trait, along with love, patience, honesty. It’s a moral character, and it’s something God expects from us.
What we’re reading about here has to do with fear. The ultimate fear is a kind of mistrust in God. We cling to these other things because we all believe at the deepest level, that if we clung completely to God, he’d let us down. In fact, if you clung completely to God, if he was your only security, you would be a perfect person.
The process of growth and grace and sanctification is to get to that place where you find out what those other things are that you are basing your security on, what you are really resting on instead of God. Do you know how you find where those things are, how you can find the trail to those security blankets? Follow your fears.
Outline
Numbers 13–14
When we look at what the Bible says about bravery, we see that it’s not just about being strong or fearless. God views courage as something very important, so much so that lacking it is almost like doing something wrong. We, as humans, are naturally scared of dying because we weren’t made for that. This fear can make us lie to ourselves and pretend we’re safe when we’re not. But real safety comes when we trust God completely, letting go of everything else we think keeps us safe.
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