Don’t Be Afraid – Psalm 27:1-6 – September 28, 2025

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve had discussions with people who hold to God’s Word to be true, and yet holding a different belief system than you and I do.
I’m not talking about slight theological differences (within our congregation and every congregation, we have that).
I’m referring to those who will take one single verse of scripture and create a complete doctrinal belief system, with just one verse of scripture; out of the 31,103 other verses of the Bible.

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With just one verse, you can make the Bible say whatever you want it to say.
With just one verse, you can justify and endorse and defend any position or subject in life.
With just one verse, you can make the Bible say whatever you want the Bible to say.
In fact, most of the distorted doctrine and cultic beliefs in the world were created by just one verse. Taking it out of it’s context.
With just one verse, you can make the argument that women should sit down, be quiet, and not do anything in the church; with just one verse.
With just one verse, you can make an argument that you must speak in tongues to prove that you have the Holy Spirit; with just one verse.
With just one verse, you can argue that the only name to be baptized in is in the name of Jesus, and not the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; with just one verse.
With just one verse, you can make the Bible say whatever you want.
With just one verse, you can justify any sin you want to commit; with just one verse.
With one verse, you can justify alcoholism – “The Bible says, Take a little wine for your stomach’s sake.”
With just one verse, you can justify fornication – Ecclesiastes 4:11 says, “How can one be warm if you lie alone, but if two lie down it will be alright.”
With just one verse, you can justify being prejudiced, bigoted, and violent against people whose life choices you don’t agree with; with just one verse.
With just one verse, you can justify hurting those who hurt you – an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
With one verse, you can make the Bible say whatever you want it to say.

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May I suggest to you this morning that we not take any one verse of the 31,103 verses of the Bible and build our doctrinal beliefs on, but rather take God’s Word as a whole.

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As you read and study your Bible, you will see that many themes are peppered throughout God’s Word.

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For example:
1. God is merciful. At the end of the day, you don’t really reap what you’ve sown. That’s a reason to rejoice and say “Amen.” We serve a merciful God who does not impute to us our iniquities and transgressions, but because of his mercies that are new every morning, we have a God who does not punish us as he ought. (That message is brought out time and again in scripture.)
2. God is with us. God repeatedly says throughout scripture, “I am with you.” When you go through the waters, I’ll be with you. When you walk through the floods, I’ll be with you. When you journey through the fire, I’ll be with you. When you travel through life, you will know that God’s Word says, “I will never leave you, I will never forsake you.”
3. Another theme repeated throughout scripture is that nobody and no sin is outside the saving grace of God through Jesus Christ. No matter how far you’ve fallen, we know by repeated scripture that grace is greater than all my sins. Whatever you’ve done in this life is covered by the blood of Jesus Christ on Calvary.
4. We are commanded to love people. We are to love those who are not easy to love. Spread throughout the Bible, the Word of God.

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5. “Don’t be afraid.”
a. When Abram was to leave his fathers house, God said, “Don’t be afraid.”
b. When God was preparing to send Moses to Pharaoh, Elijah to Ahaziah, Jeremiah to the children of Israel, and Ezekiel to the Israelites, God told them when they were called, “Don’t be afraid.”
c. When Nehemiah stood on the wall, God said, “Don’t be afraid.”
d. When the children of God were to enter the promised land, God told them repeatedly, “Don’t be afraid.”
e. When Joshua stepped up in leadership and received the mantle from Moses, God continually told him, “Don’t be afraid.”
f. The angel of God told Gideon, “Don’t be afraid.”
g. The angel appeared to Zachariah, Joseph, and Mary and told them, “Don’t be afraid.”
h. When the angels appeared to the shephard’s on the hill outside of Bethlehem, they told them, “Don’t be afraid.”
i. When Jesus was walking on the water and came upon the disciples, he said, “Don’t be afraid.”
j. When the women arrived at the tomb of Jesus, an angel told them, “Don’t be afraid.”
k. When Jesus converts Saul on the road to Damascus, he tells Annanias, “Don’t be afraid.”
l. When Paul was ready to speak to the church at Corinth, God told him, “Don’t be afraid.”

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DON’T BE AFRAID!

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Paul writes to Timothy, God has not given us a spirit of fear, but power, love, and self-discipline.

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Operating in fear keeps you from operating in the gifts God has given to you.

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Why does God continually command us to “Not be afraid.” Perhaps Satan knows that the induction of fear in a Christians life will prevent them from doing what God has called them to do. (Charlie Kirk assassination). Causing us to be afraid.

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