Jeff Schreve - Fear VS. Faith
Summary:
Jeff shares how God stirred a holy restlessness in him to leave a comfortable career and enter ministry despite intense fear, emphasizing that fear is normal but faith must be greater to step out in obedience. Drawing from Isaiah 43:1-5, he highlights God’s direct assurances to His fearful people: «Do not fear, for I have redeemed you,» «I am with you» through trials, and «I love you» as precious and honored in His sight. The key takeaway is that meditating on these truths from God’s Word builds faith to overcome fear and live the exhilarating life of trusting Him fully.
A Personal Story of Holy Restlessness
That was in my early 30s. I was working at a job that paid really well. I was doing really well in it, selling specialty chemicals, had a beautiful wife, and three kids. I had a really good church in Houston, and I taught a Bible study class. We had a really good class, and it was growing. From the outside looking in, everything was going great for me, but I was restless inside.
I kept thinking about my life, looking at my life, and especially where I was going in my career. I thought, «I don’t want to do this for the rest of my life. I don’t want to be 70 years old and say, 'Well, you know, I just stayed at this chemical company because it paid well, and it was comfortable, and it had good benefits, and it was good for my family.'» God just began to create, as Henry Blackaby says, a holy restlessness inside of me. I started to think about what I would really like to do with my life, and what I really wanted to do was preach. I wanted to go into the ministry, but I didn’t think the Lord had called me to the ministry. So I was praying and praying about that decision.
In July of 1995, God called me very clearly, and it was powerful in my life, but I was struggling with one major thing: fear. How was I going to do this? There was a little bit of fear when I got off my knees to tell Debbie, «Hey, I’ve got some news for you,» because she wasn’t going for that at all. She didn’t want to go into the ministry; her dad was a pastor, and she didn’t want that for herself or for the girls. But that was very minor. The big fear was: How am I going to leave my job and go into the ministry? How am I going to leave my job and go to seminary? How am I going to pay for everything? I had people depending on me, and I was really dealing with fear. The Lord had to really impress upon my heart, «Jeff, you can trust me. You can get out of the boat and step on my promises, step on my word, and step on my call, and I will meet your needs.»
And that’s what we did. I left my job in June of 1996. We got out of the boat—Debbie, me, and the girls in tow—and we got into another boat to walk on the water with Jesus. I didn’t have a job; we moved from Houston to North Carolina with no job, just trusting God. It was exhilarating, but it was scary all at the same time.
Fear in the Christian Life
Now, we’ve been talking about fear in this series, «Fear No Evil.» As David said, «Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil because you are with me.» Here’s the thing about fear: Fear is something that the devil uses. Fear is not of God. Scripture says God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear but of power, love, and discipline. The devil uses fear, and the way the devil uses fear is to keep us from getting out of the boat and walking on the water with Jesus. He uses it to keep us from trusting God, to keep us from really living the exhilarating life of faith.
One of the things I learned that was so helpful—and I’m still learning and reminding myself of this often—is this truth: Fear is okay as long as your faith is greater than your fear. See, if you wait for all the fear to go before you take a step of faith, you’ll never take a step of faith because the devil will use the fear, and it will play on your emotions, and you’ll always feel some fear. Fear is okay as long as your faith is greater than your fear. I’ve entitled the message today «Fear Versus Faith» because I think that really takes place in so many believers' hearts. Christians struggle with fear; they have faith, and they have fear, and these things are almost battling it out.
As we talked about last week, what happens when fear wins? Well, in Abraham’s life—the father of all who believed, the man who is known for his faith—he let fear take control, and he made terrible decisions that really, really cost him. So today, we want to look at what happens when fear is defeated by faith and how you can build up your faith so that your faith is greater than your fear.
Now listen, God knows that we fear. That’s why He says so much in His Word, «Do not fear, do not fear, do not fear, do not fear.» God doesn’t really get mad at us for fearing. He speaks to us to comfort us and to give us assurance in our fears. God wants our faith to be greater than our fear. The scripture says in Romans 10:17, «So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God,» and today we’re going to look at the great passage in Isaiah 43 where the Lord speaks to His people directly concerning their fears and gives them assurances concerning their fears.
God’s Word in Isaiah 43
Isaiah 43:1 begins, «But now thus says the Lord Yahweh, your Creator, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name; you are mine.» When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you; for I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I have given Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in your place. Since you are precious in my sight, since you are honored and I love you, I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life. Do not fear, for I am with you.»
God’s answer to our fears, God’s word to help our faith defeat our fears, is because fear is out there, and all of us deal with fear. If you’re getting ready to really take a step of faith, just know that fear is going to be there. But fear is okay as long as your faith is greater.
So, what does the Lord say to us to help us conquer our fears? Three assurances from God’s Word, straight from God’s voice: Thus says the Lord. First of all, «Thus says the Lord, do not fear, for I have redeemed you.» God’s Word to His ancient people.
Historical Context of Isaiah
Now, the Book of Isaiah was written during the ministry of Isaiah. Isaiah ministered from 739 BC to 681 BC. He was a prophet in Judah, overseeing spiritually what was going on in Israel. It wasn’t good. The nation had already split into ten tribes to the north and two tribes to the south. He was part of the two tribes to the south, with Jerusalem as its capital city. That tribe, the two tribes of Judah, was the more faithful tribe to the Lord. The ten tribes called Ephraim (also known as Samaria) had fallen away from God and were taken captive in 722 BC by the Assyrians; they were wiped out. You never really heard from them again.
The two tribes of Judah were still intact, but they were going in the direction of their brothers to the north. They were stepping away from God. When Isaiah gave his prophecy, the first 39 chapters of Isaiah talked about judgment. Then, in Chapter 40, it changes, and the theme is not judgment but redemption. Isaiah 40:1 says, «Comfort, O comfort my people.»
So when we read in Isaiah 43, we see God’s comfort, God’s promises, God’s assurance: «Do not fear, for I have redeemed you,» He says in verse 1. Now, when He used the word «redeemed,» it would set off an alarm for the Jews; they would ring bells. It would remind them of Egypt because their fathers were slaves in Egypt for over 400 years. The Lord heard their cries, raised up a deliverer named Moses, and brought their forefathers out of Egypt. He redeemed them from Egypt. The word «redeemed» means to buy back. He bought them back and delivered them from Egypt, bringing them into the Promised Land.
That was significant; they were never to forget what happened in Egypt. It says in Deuteronomy 24:18, «But you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt and that the Lord your God redeemed you from there.» They were never to forget that.
The Meaning of Redemption
If you remember how that came about, God showed up and showed out against Pharaoh, the king in Egypt. The Lord broke Pharaoh’s back through plagues—a series of plagues. The tenth plague was the most notable: the plague of the Death Angel. God said, «I’m going to kill every firstborn in the land of Egypt, but this is what you need to do, Moses: You need to tell the people to take an unblemished lamb, sacrifice that lamb, take the blood of that lamb, and put it on the doorposts and on the lentil (the top part of the door). When the Death Angel comes and I see the blood, I will pass over you.»
It’s known as the Passover. They were to celebrate that every year—the feast of Passover—to remember what happened when God delivered them from Egypt. «Do not fear,» the Lord says, «for I have redeemed you.» Those people were redeemed through the blood of the lamb. This is significant because it’s the Old Testament picture of the New Testament reality. When Jesus comes on the scene, John the Baptist says, «Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.»
We are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. «Do not fear, for I have redeemed you,» He said. «I have called you by name, and you are mine.»
Paul says in Colossians 1 that we should be joyously giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light, for He delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us through the blood of the Lamb into the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Just as they were taken out of Egypt and redeemed from slavery and brought through the Red Sea into the Promised Land, the Lord has delivered us from darkness—from under the thumb of Satan, from being children of wrath—and He has delivered us through the blood of the Lamb. His deliverer has transferred us into the kingdom of His beloved Son, and now we experience the wonderful truth of being His: «I’ve called you by name; you are mine,» says 1 Corinthians 6.
«What? Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price; therefore, glorify God in your bodies.» You belong to Him; you’re His. «I’ve called you by name; you are mine.»
Personal Redemption Experience
In January of 1980, that was the month I got saved. It was a Monday night in January of 1980. So many wonderful things happened when I prayed to receive Christ. Although I didn’t understand it at the time, I was delivered from the domain of darkness, and the Lord transferred me into the kingdom of His beloved Son. I went from being a child of the devil to a child of God just like that. He came to live inside of me, and my life became a temple of the Holy Spirit who was in me—the one that God gave and gifts to every believer. What ought to be the Lord’s is so wonderful.
Here’s the thing: «Do not fear, for I have redeemed you.» When the Lord redeems you and you become His, He’s going to take care of what is His. My kids, especially when they were little, knew, «Dad takes care of us. We don’t need to worry when Dad’s around because Dad’s picking up the tab; Dad’s going to take care of us.» If we have needs, we just look to Dad. Little three little girls, they don’t have anything, but they know to call on Dad. They call on Mom sometimes, and if Mom says no, then they call on Dad because Dad is not good at telling his daughters no. They were pretty good to not abuse the system, but they knew that. Why? Because they belonged to me, and they knew that I would take care of them.
«Do not fear,» the Lord says, «because I have redeemed you.» Now, you know when it says He’s called you by name, it’s pretty cool to think that God knows your name.
God knows everything about you, but He knows your name. John 10 says, «My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.» When I prayed in January of 1980 to receive Christ as my Savior and Lord, when I gave my life to Him, you know what He did? He gave His Spirit to me. He gave His life to me. He transferred me from the domain of darkness, delivered me into the kingdom of His beloved Son, and He also wrote my name in the Lamb’s Book of Life. My name is there. Is your name there?
But you know what? Your name is not only in the Lamb’s Book of Life. The scripture says in Isaiah 49, the people were saying, «Oh, God has forgotten us; God has abandoned us.» The Lord says, «Can a woman forget her nursing child or have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you. Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands.»
I’ve written your name on the palms of my hands—on the palms of the Lord’s hands are nail scars, the price of your redemption and my redemption. «Oh, do not fear, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name; you are mine.»
Assurance: God Is With You
Not only does the Lord say, «Do not fear, for I have redeemed you,» assurance number two: The Lord says, «Do not fear, for I am with you.» He says in verse 2, «When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you; for I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.»
«I have given Cush as your ransom, and Egypt as your ransom—Cush and Seba in your place.» Cush was the son of Ham, Noah’s three boys—Ham, Shem, and Japheth. The Jews came from Shem. Ham was the father of Cush; Cush was the father of Seba, and they populated Egypt and Ethiopia down south. He says, «I’ve given Cush and Seba in your place,» and then He says in verse 5, «Do not fear, for I am with you.»
«Do not fear, for I am with you.» Now, verse 2 is a favorite of many: «When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you.»
You think about the waters, rivers, fire, and flame. Those are all disaster things; those are bad things—those are trials and problems and tremendous difficulties. And He says, «When,» not «if.» He doesn’t say, «If you ever pass through the waters, I will be with you.» He says, «When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. When you’re in the fire, I will be with you.» Every one of us will face the difficulties of life. There’s no getting around it.
There are scary things, and there are fiery things, and there are foul things that come to your life and mine. But the Lord says, «Do not fear, for I am with you.» God will never desert you in your difficulties. He’s never going to desert you in your storm, in your water, in your fire, in your sewer pipe. He’s never going to leave you because He’s promised, «I will never leave you, nor will I ever desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.»
Many of us know that verse, Hebrews 13:5. We know it in maybe the King James Version or maybe the New American Standard Version. But my favorite version for Hebrews 13:5—I will never leave you nor forsake you—is in the Amplified Version because the Amplified brings out the richness of the Greek text: «For He has said, 'I will never under any circumstances desert you, nor give you up, nor leave you without support; nor will I in any degree leave you helpless; nor will I forsake you or let you down or relax my hold on you, assuredly not.'» That’s what God has said.
So maybe you’re here today, and you’re going through a flood. Maybe you’re going through the fire. Maybe you’re going through the junk of life that you don’t like at all, and it’s awful for you. The Lord says, «I’m going to be with you every step of the way, and when you pass through the waters, you don’t need to fear for I am with you.»
Did you notice that it said, «When you pass through the waters, I will be with you»? «When you pass through the rivers, they will not overflow you; when you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched.» «Through, through, through.»
Listen, the Lord says difficulties come to every life. I’m going to carry you through those difficulties. I’m not going to leave you to face this alone, but I didn’t bring you through into this difficulty to have you out here. We’re going through it together. That’s why it says in Psalm 23:4, «Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil because you are with me.»
God brings us through. He takes us by the hand and says, «Alright, we’re going to go through this together, and I’m never going to leave you or forsake you.»
It’s important when you go through the storms and when you go through the fire to keep moving— to keep moving—to not get stuck there. To not get stuck in grief, to not get stuck in loss, to not get stuck in reversal, and then just say, «I can’t move from here.» You’ve got to keep moving forward.
Example from Daniel’s Friends
When I think of «When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched—nor will the flame burn you,» Isaiah lived and wrote about 80 years before Babylon came and took captives. We know Nebuchadnezzar, who was king of Babylon, came into Jerusalem in 605 BC, took back captives, slapped Jerusalem around, defeated them, and put them under his thumb, saying, «Hey, I’m the boss around here.»
He took back captives—three or four that we know of: Daniel and his three friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. We don’t know them that way; we know them this way: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. We read about this in Daniel chapter 3, when Nebuchadnezzar had this big gathering and wanted everybody to bow down to his golden statue. He said, «If you don’t bow down, I’m going to throw you in the furnace. I’m going to throw you in the fiery furnace. What God is there who can deliver you from my hand?»
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego wouldn’t bow down, so Nebuchadnezzar got mad. He threw them into the fire, tied them up, and threw them into the fire. Then he looked in the fire and said, «Did we not throw three men into the fire?» All his little sycophants said, «Certainly, O King.» He said, «But I see four men loose and walking about, and one is like the Son of God.»
Jesus Christ was in the fiery furnace. He’ll be in your fiery furnace. He’ll never leave you, nor forsake you, no matter what’s going on, no matter what you’re going through, no matter the waters, flames, or the sewer pipes of life. He’s going to be with you. And He says, «Don’t be afraid; we’re going through it together.»
Assurance: God Loves You
«Do not fear, for I have redeemed you. Do not fear, for I am with you.» And thirdly, the Lord says, «Do not fear, for I love you.»
Look at verse 4: «Since you are precious in my sight, since you are honored and I love you, I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life.» Since you are honored—since you are precious. The word «precious» means highly valued, costly, prized. The word «honored» is an interesting Hebrew word.
The Hebrew word «kavadi» (though it is pronounced like a V) means to be heavy, to be weighty. That word is used of God to express His glory. «Lord, show me your kavod,» Moses prayed. «You weight the splendor of who you are, Lord; don’t just put a toe on the scale. Put Yourself on the scale; let me experience the weight of who You are.» And God uses that same word about His people: «You are precious in my sight; you are honored. You have weight with me and carry weight with me. You’re a heavy hitter in my book, and I love you.»
That’s amazing that God says that. He’s speaking to disobedient people here—these are people for the first thirty-nine chapters—saying, «Judgment is coming, judgment is coming, judgment is coming.» But He also said to them, «Come now, and let us reason together. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Come to me; if you consent and obey, you’ll eat the finest of the land. But if you refuse and rebel, you’ll be devoured by the sword.» Truly, the mouth of the Lord has spoken—Isaiah 1:18 and 19.
So even in judgment, God was giving an invitation to come to Him. Then He shifts gears and says, «Listen, you don’t need to be afraid because I love you. You’re precious to me, and you’re honored in my sight.»
Listen, you may not feel this way, but this is true. Truth is not what you think or feel. Truth is what God says, and faith is believing what God says. How do you defeat fear? You defeat fear with faith. And how do you get faith? Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God and believing God.
That’s how you defeat fear. Well, this is what God says: «You are valuable and precious to me.» You may not feel like that, but that’s true. You’re valuable and precious to God. You carry weight with God.
1 Peter 5:7 says we are to cast all our anxiety upon Him. Why? Because He cares for us—literally, because it matters to Him concerning you. Can you imagine that? Think about that: You matter to God.
You’re talking about the King of kings and Lord of lords; you matter to God. He thinks about you all the time. He’s got your picture on His refrigerator. I mean, God just loves you. He’s got your picture in His wallet. And we get that from Job. The Lord says to Satan, «Have you considered my servant Job?»
Wow! Job is such a special guy; just love Job. I think the Lord is like that in heaven. He’s got your picture in His wallet, and He’s always looking for an opportunity to say, «Hey, Gabriel, Michael, come over here. Have I shown you a picture of my son Larry Sims? I just love him so much.»
«What’s that, Gabriel? No, that’s not a bad picture. That’s what he looks like.» God just loves His kids. Don’t you love your kids? You’re precious to Him; you’re valuable to Him; you matter to Him. When you’re hurting, He cares.
Here’s the thing: You’re not valuable because God doesn’t love you. You’re valuable because God loves you, and God has chosen to love you. It says in Deuteronomy, «Why did God choose the Jews?» He said, «I didn’t choose you because you were more numerous than any other nations. It’s because I chose to love you.» That’s why; it’s just God’s choice.
He chose to love you. He chose to love us. When Debbie and I first got married, she made a cross-stitch. We had it on our wall: «Choose your love; love your choice.» Well, God has chosen His love for you and for me, and He loves this choice. Even when you and I mess up royally—and we do terrible things, and we act like the prodigal son, and we leave the love of the Father to find happiness and thrills and end up—I always end up in the same spot—you end up in the pigsty.
God still loves you even in the pigsty, and you’re still valuable to Him even in the pigsty. You are valuable and precious to God, and you will always be valued and precious to God, no matter what.
Conclusion and Invitation
The Lord says, «Do not fear: Why? For I have redeemed you. Do not fear: Why? Because I am with you. Do not fear: Why? Because I love you.» That is God’s Word to you and to me.
Here’s the question: What’s your response to Him? Some of you may never have put your faith and trust in Him. You’re still in Egypt, so to speak, because you’ve never cried out to Him. You’ve never taken the blood of the Lamb and applied it to your sin- sick life. You need to do that today.
If you will do that today and confess your sins to Him, He’ll deliver you. He’ll come into your life, deliver you, and you will become His. He will never leave you, never forsake you, write your name in the Lamb’s Book of Life, and He will love you, change you, and make you the person He wants you to be.