A Sunday School Lesson On Fear

Here is a Sunday school or Bible study lesson on fear.

What is Fear?

Our fears can be irrational at times because often we fear things that we have no need to fear and we often have no fear of things we ought to fear. One example is that of a fear of heights which is really a fear of falling, but that fear is good because it keeps a person from taking too great of a risk. You can believe in gravity and still have a fear of it (from falling) so fear doesn’t change what is true. Our fear of falling keeps us alive, for example if you don’t use caution in climbing you fall and break your neck (or die!). From one degree to another, everyone has a healthy fear of something, like a fear of higher insurance premiums which causes them to slow down or in a school zone, we slow down to protect the lives of the children. As long as it’s not a debilitating and paralyzing fear, fear is a good thing; for the preservation of life, like your own!

The Beginning Place

Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.”

In our beginner’s course for the new believer, we begin with all beginnings and that is the fear of the Lord. God considers His name so holy (as do I) that He commanded “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain” (Ex 20:7).  This commandment came with a conviction of guilt with it as God says “the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.” This is the verdict from heaven; use God’s name in vain, which can be used in euphemisms, slang, or curse words, you’ve already been declared, “Guilty!” This commandment has an immediate sentence, unless the person repents and trusts in Christ; if not, “Guilty!” says God by using His name carelessly and in vulgarities, swearing, or profanities. That’s why Solomon wrote that the fear of the Lord and the knowledge of the Holy One is true wisdom.

Why does it say that fearing the Lord is “the beginning of wisdom?”

Does the “knowledge of the Holy One” impart wisdom too?

Are knowledge and wisdom the same thing?

Perfecting Love

First John 4:18 “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.”

What we sometimes fear are the consequences of our actions. Our “fear has to do with punishment” or consequences but if you know that we’ve paid for our actions, the fear should be gone, right? The Apostle John tells us that there isn’t any fear in love because the love’s canceled it out. Jesus said “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life” which is from the love of God, but “whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36) since they reject the only name given to us whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12). I was babysitting as a young boy for my aunt and one of the kids broke something in the house. They had to wait, in fear, for their parents to get home but if they hadn’t done anything wrong, they’d have been glad to see their parents. Same for those who are saved; they don’t fear the wrath of God but to those who reject Him, Jesus says, “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him” (Luke 12:4-5).

Do we realize what the full measure of God’s wrath will be on the lost?

Can we understand how much we’ve been rescued from?

What makes you feel guilty?

Is love the opposite of fear?

Prolonging Life

Proverbs 10:27 “The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be short.”

This is what Proverbs 14:27 says, “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death” meaning that the fear of God, which means obedience to God, can prolong your life. If someone fears God, they will fear disobeying God and this beneficial fear will make them desire to live a life that is pleasing to God. When we live such a life as that, God will bless us in many ways, perhaps financially, with good health, or any other number of ways, which is why, “In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge” (Prov 14:26) for “The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm” (Prov 19:23). For us, it led to eternal life in Jesus Christ.

Does obedience to God show a fear of the Lord?

How can obedience or fear extend someone’s life?

Why are the “years of the wicked” cut “short?”

Conclusion

I urge you in your study to look at all of the Bible verses and read them aloud in the class so that you can get the most out of these lessons. It is no coincidence that the word “fear” appears more often in the Psalms and Proverbs than any other single book in the Bible (89 times). The Psalms contain just as much wisdom as the Book of Proverbs does and more than any other book in the Bible (68 times). That’s because there’s so much wisdom in fearing God, which means you hold a holy, deep, reverential respect of God and His Holy Name. The wisest thing you could ever do is to repent (turn away, forsake your sins) and trust in Christ because then, there is no need to fear since “God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1st Thess 5:9) but not so with the children of wrath who are storing up wrath against themselves and ready to be revealed someday (Rom 2:5) “for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger” (Rom 2:8). Instead of feeling secure in our safety, why not think of those who are in harm’s way (Matt 28:19-20; Jude 1:23)? We are no better than they are. It was only by God’s grace (Eph 2:8-9) that we don’t still have God’s wrath abiding on us (John 3:36b).

What is a “take away” from this lesson?

Has your view of fear changed?

Do you know what fearing God really is?

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.