Chapter # 10 Paragraph # 1 Study # 4
March 17, 2009
Lincolnton, N.C.
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<480> Thesis:   Christ, believed, ends all of the fears/lusts generated by the Law. Introduction:   In our last study we made the claim that rebellion against God is the automatic result of a focused intent to exalt oneself. That is what Paul wrote in Romans 10:3 when he said that, "...going about to establish their own righteousness ... [they] have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God." The point is this: they were deliberate in their attempt to "establish their own righteousness" whether, or not, they knew, or understood, why that was so important to them. The fact is that most of us do not know, or understand, the things that drive us except at a most superficial level. That level is, in a word, fear. We know when we are afraid, but we are, as often as not, not only oblivious to why we are afraid, but also disinterested in finding out. We simply take it as a basic fact of life that fear is to be handled by aversion. But aversion is not only an ineffective method of handling fear, it is positively destructive. So, this evening we are going to consider Paul's affirmation that Jesus is the "end" of fear for those who believe. Since those are not the words Paul chose to use to express this conviction, we are going to consider what he said so that we might understand his meaning.