Fear: Good and Bad – Part 2



Matthew 10:26-33
26“So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.
27What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
28And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.
30But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.
31Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
32So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven,
33but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

Our discussion of fear cannot be flippant or even brief. There are countless thousands who have actually lost their lives for the sake of the Gospel since the time of Christ, not the least of which are the very men Jesus speaks to in person with these Words. Eleven of the 12 Apostles die the death of a martyr. Only John lived die of old age. Make no mistake these words apply to us all. We do not know if or when we too might have our lives taken from us on account of the Gospel. While it seems unlikely in this moment world events can change in a moment and our faith may too be tested.

The battle with fear is an internal one. “Probably the greatest fear of a Christian who is suffering for the sake of Christ [or even just suffering in general] is that God has abandoned him. The doubting human tendency is to think that God allows suffering and even death because He has forsaken us.” 
Jeffrey A. Gibbs. Concordia Commentary: Matthew 1:1-11:1. ©2006. (p. 531) St. Louis, MO. CPH  

Whenever I read this passage, about how much God cares for the lives of His saints, I am reminded of Stephen, the first Christian martyr. His death is recorded for us in Acts 7:54-59. After delivering a fantastic Gospel message to the Sanhedrin (the governing body of the Jewish faith) he is summarily dragged outside of the city and stoned him to death. Even before he is dragged away he is given a glimpse into heaven and sees Jesus standing to receive him into glory. The text says that even as they stoned him, he prayed for their forgiveness and simply fell asleep. The Lord Jesus Himself ministers into this tragic moment and cares for His servant.

There is Good New today though. We have ALL denied Jesus at some time in our lives. We have chosen to remain silent when it was the time to speak. We have all turned away from an opportunity to witness because we allowed or fears to get the better of us. But just as Peter was forgiven for denying Jesus, so we took are washed in the blood of His forgiveness. We repent of those times when fear rose up and took us over, stealing our words of confession and belief. We repent of those times when we were handed a chance to tell someone how much they are loved by God and chose not to speak. Because of Jesus’ saving work, we will not be denied when it is our turn to stand before God. Instead, Jesus will look upon us and declare us righteous because He is righteous and we belong to Him.

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