Tuesday Evening Service 25/11/2025
Fear The Great Tormentor - Part 2
(John Flavel)
Watch the Full Sermon HERE.
Tonight, we continue look at a treatise from volume 3 of John Flavel’s works entitled ‘Fear’. Which is a stunning, challenging and for me maybe the best work I’ve ever read on fear.
Let’s start with our puritan prayer, which is from ‘The Valley Of Vison’ page 196 of the leather back or page 107 of the paperback. We will read the first half. The prayer is titled ‘Faith And The World’.
O LORD, The world is artful to entrap, approaches in fascinating guise, extends many a gilded bait, presents many a charming face. Let my faith scan every painted bauble, and escape every bewitching snare in a victory that overcomes all things. In my duties give me firmness, energy, zeal, devotion to thy cause, courage in thy name, love as a working grace, and all commensurate with my trust. Let faith stride forth in giant power, and love respond with energy in every act.
Flavel in his work draws from the prophet Isaiah, chapter 8
Isaiah 8:12-14a
“Do not say, ‘a conspiracy,’ concerning all that this people call a conspiracy, nor be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. The Lord of hosts, him you shall hallow; let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. He will be as a sanctuary,”
Flavel, to punctuate the verse gives us three categories of people.
The carnal person fears man, not God, the strong Christian fears God not man. The weak Christian fears man too much and God too little.
In his very opening statement Favel writes:
Of all the things God has created. Man is most apt and able to be his own tormentor.
He adds:
Fear inflicts the deepest and most dangerous wounds upon the minds of man, cutting the very nerves of its passive fortitude and bearing ability.
In a nutshell, fear is the greatest debilitating source to our soul.
Flavel says:
The grief we suffer from evil felt, would be light and easy if it were not incensed by fear.
Tonight I want to share from the chapter Flavel has titled as ‘Rules To Cure Our Sinful Fears And Prevent Their Dad Woeful Effects’.
He then points out at the start of this chapter very clearly that this is, in Flavel’s words:
The most difficult part of the work.
Why the most difficult? Well because the cure is always the most difficult to attain. Because it requires much work on our part.
That work requires deep willingness to know truth and in doing so, understanding deceit.
Let’s face it, fear is not nearly as easily identified as it ought, and that is due to our own ignorance and sinfulness, to defend ourselves.
Of course this will never be fully mastered in this life. We will never fully master fear.
As Flavel puts it:
If our faith could be perfected, our fears would be perfectly cured; but whilst there is so much weakness in our faith, there will be so much strength in our fears.
So with that statement from Flavel, we could assert and do so pretty confidently, that the greater the fear the weaker the faith, and vice versa.
Which I could easily back up by saying: when our fear is at its most prominent our faith is at the least prominent. Therefore, the work we must put in must be deeply devotional, and prayerful and meditative.
Flavel writes:
For them wanting to truly benefit, must not be reading the bare minimal or remembering will do the work, but they must work them into their hearts by believing and fixed mediation, and live in daily practice of them.
Over the years every crazy, unbalanced, unfruitful decision I’ve seen people make is always off the back of a lack of devotion. This lack of devotion is what causes the lack of faith, and the lack of faith will cause the rise of fear to start to call the shots.
It might not feel like fear, or look like fear, but fear will be at the core of the decisions.
I guess I would ask the question then at this junction: how aware are you of fear? Do you see it as fear, do you spot it, do you recognise it? If not, then you have little means to guard against the outcomes that will follow.
So what are, as Flavel calls them: ‘The Rules That Prevent These Sad And Woeful Effects.’? And truly they are sad and woeful effects.
Flavel writes over 30 pages on this, in chapter 6 of this treatise. So it tells you the depth he goes into, which we can but only dip in and out of.
Flavel shares 12 rules. I am going to share 6 of them tonight.
Rule No. 1
The first rule to relieve us of slavish fears is:
To seriously consider and thoroughly study the covenant of grace.
To truly study the bond of love we have with God as believers.
Flavel says:
This would go a great way to cure our sinful and slavish fears.
The truth is brother and sisters, we have an unbreakable bond with a holy, omniscient, omnipresent God.
That is the covenant we have. We are His; fear not.
Over 60 times in the King James bible do we read the words ‘fear not’. If you add ‘do not be afraid’, it’s around 100.
It’s in that intimacy with God that fear is most readily dispelled.
Rule No. 2
He who wants to overcome his fears of suffering, must foresee and provide before-hand for them.
In other words, the more prepared you are, the less affected you will be.
The greater the shock, the greater the stumbling and woeful effect to your life.
Those who are most affected by fear and suffering are those that are most ignorant of it happening.
Flavel says this:
The fear of caution is a good cure for the fear of distraction.
He adds:
That which makes evil so frightful as they are, is their coming by way of surprise upon us.
Now Flavel is not writing that we must live sceptical, but more that we must not switch off and become comfortable in our so called security.
Nothing will hinder us growing in our understanding and ability to deal with fear more than allowing all our security to be in the current moment of acceptance and approval.
It’s why I hate over praise-bombing. It shuts down the need for vigilance and deliberateness. Those who are so touched and made to feel secure by acceptance, are also those that mostly react the worst during rejection, or the feeling of it.
It’s not that we should constantly be living a negative life. But we must keep our minds and emotions in balance.
1 Peter 5:8
Be of sober spirit, be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
Never get too high, or too low/the high will ill prepare you for the unexpected. And the low will hinder your ability to react when it does. Be ready in season and out.
Paul to young Timothy: Be ready to preach in good times, and in bad times, no matter the circumstance, be ready (2 Timothy 4:2).
Okay…
Rule No. 3
This is in the same vein as the others, but for me too important to omit.
So rule number 3, in order to overcome fear and prevent their woeful effects is:
You have to get your affections mortified to the world, and to the inordinate and immoderate love of every enjoyment in the world.
In other words, the more you love the world, the more fear you will have in your lif
Flavel writes this profound statement:
It’s the strength of our affections that puts so much strength into our afflictions.
What you love/value the most will cause you the greatest pain and affliction, and subsequently fear. What feeds you the most, will also be your greatest fear.
For so, so many - that will often be one of two things: a human, or money, or both.
Money carries way, way too much affections for people, that the loss of it, or the parting with it, is terrifying to them.
Of course it’s that terrifying that they have to deny that its terrifying, so they can remain in charge of their terrorising idol.
Do you know what terrorised the rich young ruler? It was not righteousness or unrighteousness; it was his deepest affection: Money.
For some it’s the approval of man, the need to find acceptance in him. It brings such fear, none of it is of eternal value. But only in this world.
Paul said if you’re a believer who only has hope in this life, we are ‘the most pitiable of men’ (1 Cor 15:19).
The issue is not that we cannot ever enjoy anything in life or the world. A nice meal, good company, a lovely piece of music, a creative hobby.
However, that’s not what the real danger is, the danger is when that thing, as Flavel puts it:
We can bless and thank God for these things for a little time, that they ministered refreshment to us… …provided those enjoyments would not make to themselves wings and, flee away.
Enjoying in context is fine, escapism that feeds our carnal desires is not. We must be ever vigilant when it does.
How will we know? Here is a good test.
Stop doing it, go and get your bible, or go and pray.
Then ask how easy was that to drag you away, how hard was it to get your focus on the true biblical, Holy God?
That will tell you where your refreshing has become an idol, and fear will soon manifest in its protection.
Rule No. 4
In order to overcome fear and its woeful effects:
Eye the encouraging examples of those who have trod the path of suffering before you.
Flavel said:
We that live in the last times have the best helps.
We have a wealth of faithful examples. The Apostles only had Jesus as theirs. The early church fathers had the Apostles and Jesus. The early reformers had the early church fathers, the Apostles and Jesus.
The puritans and covenanters had the early church fathers, the reformers, the Apostles and Jesus. We have all of them and more.
We have such a cloud of witnesses, to look to for courage and inspiration and wisdom (Heb 12:1).
It’s good to read these men’s life, if you are able visit the places, draw from their faith and strength. It equips you for battle and prepares your heart for difficulty.
Reading about these men, what they faced, what they stood on in the midst of such hostility. It is so good for your courage. I love to read about these men’s life.
- The steps John Knox took
- The walk Luther too to the door,
- The fist clenched by Farel.
- The field in Drumclog,
- The streets at the Grassmarket in Edinburgh.
- The pulpit of Calvin.
- The cross of St. Andrew in Patras.
All these can give us a sense of strength.
Rule No. 5
In order to free ourselves from fear and it’s woeful effects:
Maintain a purity of conscience
Flavel writes:
Fear follows guilt and guile, but peace follows righteousness and sincerity.
Nothing like a guilty conscience to instil fear into a man. No matter how they try to hide guilt, fear grips them.
Nothing makes a man more brave than a clear conscience, and more timorous and defensive than a guilty one.
Never, brothers and sisters, tamper with integrity. It will make a feeble lamb out of you. However, integrity will be a fierce companion.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen fierce to hide fear, but it’s often short lived, when faced with real truth.
Look at Peter, he denied Jesus to a young girl, his lack of integrity hid like a feeble coward. Yet when you read his words in his epistle it’s a different man:
1 Peter 3:13-14
And who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their fear, and do not be troubled
Rule No. 6
6th and last point which book ends with the first. The first being to know His grace. And my last point:
Know your assurance.
And in this point I will all but almost only quote Flavel.
Flavel writes:
The clearer this is, the bolder you will be.
He adds:
It is impossible to be clear of fears till you are cleared of the doubts about your interest and pardon by Christ
Flavel goes onto talk about how nothing gives us more fear than doubt, and more courage than assurance.
He says, and I quote:
Assurance satisfies a man that his treasure and true happiness is secured in him, and laid out of all reach of all his enemies.
He adds:
The assured Christian knows that if death itself come, (which is the worst men can inflict), he shall be no loser in that exchange.
If the worst we can ever face by man is to be killed, and we even in that win, what truly have we to fear?
As Apostle Paul writes to the church in Philippi:
Philippians 1:21
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Amen.
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