From the Sermon delivered on January 18, 2026 | Freedom From Fear

Slavery to the fear of death is the driving anxiety that compels us to secure our worth, happiness, and legacy before our time runs out. According to Hebrews 2:15, this slavery isn't merely a fear of the moment of dying; it is a spiritual condition where death "orders our life," creating panic, urgency, and a scarcity mindset. Jesus Christ breaks this slavery by granting believers an eternal inheritance that death cannot touch, allowing them to live without the pressure to achieve everything right now.

If you asked most young professionals if they are afraid of death, they would probably say, "I don't really think about it." But Pastor John Starke argues that the fear of death is actually the engine running our anxiety.

To illustrate this, Starke points to William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Macbeth conspires to kill King Duncan not just because he is violent, but because he fears he will never experience the power and glory he craves. He isn't afraid of dying; he is driven by the fear of losing what death takes away—significance, power, and control.

This "Macbeth Trap" shows up in our modern lives as a persistent whisper: "If I don't get to this place in my career by age 34, I never will".

This voice convinces us that our worth has an expiration date. It tells us that time is running out, so we must:

• Work hours our bodies cannot sustain.
• Make small ethical compromises to get ahead.
• Feel guilty when we rest or take a Sabbath.

When death is the absolute boundary of your existence, it creates a "Scarcity Mindset" regarding your happiness. Pastor Starke explains that the fear of death "reorders our urgency". It tells us we have limited time and limited capacity, so we must extract maximum pleasure and success now.

This leads to two destructive behaviors:

1. Unhealthy Relationships: We rush into commitment or stay in unhealthy relationships because we fear we won't get another chance.
2. Envy and Resentment: Instead of rejoicing with friends who succeed, we feel bitter because their success feels like it subtracts from our limited slice of the pie.

Hebrews 2 offers a different reality. If Christ has defeated death, then your history is not a "closed system". You do not have to stockpile love, money, or glory now, because you have an infinite inheritance coming.

How does Jesus actually fix this? He doesn't just give us advice on time management; He changes the nature of death itself.

Pastor Starke shares a powerful illustration from the life of Donald Gray Barnhouse, a famous pastor from Philadelphia in the 1940s. While driving to his wife’s funeral with his grieving children, a large truck passed their car, casting a shadow over them.

Barnhouse asked his children, "Would you rather be run over by the truck or the shadow of the truck?" His 11-year-old replied, "The shadow, of course." Barnhouse explained that while their mother had died, only the "shadow of death" had passed over her because "death itself ran over Jesus".

Because Jesus took the full impact of death in His Incarnation and Crucifixion, death has been defanged. It is now merely a shadow—a dotted line rather than a hard boundary.

How do we wait for this inheritance without losing heart? We must distinguish between two biblical responses to suffering: Grumbling and Groaning.

Pastor Starke contrasts the Israelites in the wilderness (who grumbled) with the picture of the Christian life in Romans 8 (which groans).

Groaning is spiritual resilience. It acknowledges the pain of a broken career or a lost relationship but refuses to believe that the loss is final.

To break the slavery of urgency, you must learn to "calculate the difference" between your current losses and your future inheritance.

Pastor Starke uses the analogy of a 5-year-old boy with a broken toy truck. The boy is devastated because he cannot understand that he has a million-dollar inheritance waiting for him in a trust fund. He cries because his imagination is limited to the plastic truck in his hands.

We are often like that 5-year-old. We panic over a stalled promotion or a breakup because we cannot measure the "infinite wealth" we have in Christ.

The Solution? Spend time "calculating." Meditate on the promises of God until the reality of your inheritance feels weightier than your current anxiety. When you realize that your love, glory, and wealth are secure in heaven, you are free to risk, give, and rest today.