May 3rd Evening Sermon
Teachers
Lesson Summary
The class opened with a greeting to a diverse online audience and a brief recap of the morning’s theme of growing and stretching faith. Richard Sutton used the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3) to illustrate how genuine faith enabled them to stand firm against King Nebuchadnezzar’s demand for idol worship, while those on the plain of Dura yielded out of fear of death. He explained that fear has been a driving force since humanity’s beginning, citing Adam’s first words of fear in the Garden and noting that the Bible references fear more than 365 times. Sutton distinguished between healthy fear—such as the instinct to avoid danger or the reverent “fear of God” described in Proverbs 1:7—and the unhealthy, paralyzing fear that the Apostle Paul calls a spirit of cowardice in 2 Timothy 1:7. He emphasized that God has given believers a spirit of power, love, and self‑control, urging the class to replace fear with faith, which handles the future’s challenges. The lesson concluded with a call to remember the spiritual legacy of Timothy’s grandmother Lois and mother Eunice, encouraging listeners to cultivate a mature, fearless trust in God’s promises.
Key Scriptures
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom
For God has not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind