Fearless by Max Lucado - Lesson Three

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Fearless by Max Lucado

Lesson Three: Fear of Disappointing God

You may think you have no access to God - that you have disappointed God beyond repair. But that's not true! If you fear you have blown it, take heart in these words: "Yes, you failed. We've all failed. But you aren't a failure. God came for people like us." Today we have a chance to hand our embarrassments, failures, and regrets to God so we can start again with a clean slate.

Noble Doss was a successful college and professional football player. In his college career he dropped a pass that cost his team a trip to the Rose Bowl, and although he has accomplished great things in his athletic career since that moment, it's still something he thinks about with deep sadness and embarrassment every day. This example is a good one to begin with because it was an embarrassment, not a sin, but it caused Doss pain over the years.

Small group discussion ...

Do you have a mistake or a regret or an embarrassment that you think of daily?

Describe a major disappointment you have experienced - it can be from childhood or your recent past.

What have you done to overcome a pattern of dwelling on past failures?

We want to avoid self-pity and or self-condemnation as we recall our regrets and then try to move beyond these regrets so they don't linger in our memory.

Many of us fear that we have "outsinned" God's patience. We reason that "a person can only ask for forgiveness so many times." The devil loves this kind of logic. The devil wants us to doubt that God really has unconditional love for us, a love that will survive any offense, no matter how often we make it.

Small group sharing and discussion:

You may know in your head that God says He'll always forgive, but does your heart/spirit believe it?

What do you believe is the devil's role in our fear of disappointing God? (See Zechariah 3:1, Mark 4:15, Luke 8:12, Revelation 12:9)

How can we think rightly about God's love for us? (See James 4:7 which talks about "submit to God" to avoid the devil's entrapment...reading the Bible and prayer.)

To sin is to disregard God, ignore His teachings, deny His blessings. Sin is "God-less" living, centering life on me, me, me ... fear becomes rampant then. A sinful life is absent the bedrock of God's grace, something we only know when we look toward God. Fear, when mismanaged, leads to sin. Sin leads to hiding from God. When we know we are wrong, we do not see the one who can do no wrong. So instead we hide - not in the bushes like Adam and Eve, but in 84 hour workweeks, temper tantrums, and religious busyness. We avoid contact with God.

What is your definition of sin?

Do we hide from God? Does it provide any satisfaction?

Jesus loves us too much to leave us in doubt about His grace. His "perfect love expels all fear" (I John 4:18). If God loved with an imperfect love, we would have cause to worry. Imperfect love keeps a list of sins and consults it often. God keeps no list of our wrongs. His love casts out fear because God casts out our sin!

Small group sharing and discussion:

Think about the role that faith plays in accepting God's perfect love.

How can you send doubt packing?

When you feel unforgiven, evict those feelings. Emotions don't get a vote. To welcome them to dinner and invite them to stay the night is to kick God out to the curb. To welcome fear with open arms is to reject Christ's promise of security, love, and life. So when feelings of doubt and dread creep in, send them packing!

Homework: Look for examples of God's grace in your life. Reinterpret frustrations or inconveniences through the lens of grace. Maybe keep a list.