In honor of the man who inspired today’s national holiday, I looked up some of Martin Luther King Jr’s famous sermons. I was particularly intrigued by one which uses 1 John 4:18 as the petal point for the message. “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18 NIV)
The points below are condensed from Martin Luther King Jr’s sermon titled “Antidotes for Fear”. You can read the entire typed sermon at http://www.thekingcenter.org/archive/document/antidotes-fear#.
How to Master Abnormal Fear:
#1 Honesty: “We must unflinchingly face our fears and honestly ask ourselves why we are afraid.” (p.3)
#2 Courage: “Build dykes of courage to hold back the flood of fear.” (p. 6)
#3 Love: “Hatred and bitterness can never cure the disease of fear; only love can do that. Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illumines it.” (p. 8)
#4 Faith: “Faith in God provides the inner equilibrium needed to face strains, burdens, and fears that inevitably come.” (p. 13)
King concludes his address with an excellent utilization of epiphonema (using a striking or instructive summary comment to end a discourse): “Fear knocked at the door. Faith answered. There was no one there.” (p. 13)
