FEARLESS

Introduction: Data tells us that 19 million Americans suffer from fear. Everything from the fear of public speaking to the fear of spiders. Do you have any fears? The top three fears of people are: Public speaking, clowns, and bugs. Not to be political, but the Washington Post reported that Democrats are twice as likely as Republicans to be afraid of clowns, and significantly more likely to fear bugs, snakes, and other animals.[1]The point that I am seeking to make is that people have fears.

Last Sunday I spoke on Dangerous Discipleship, and we looked at Matthew 10:16-26 where Jesus told His apostles that as they went and shared the Gospel that they could expect to face persecution. In verse 26 Jesus said to them,

Therefore do not fear them

You see, FEAR is very real! The apostles were told not to fear men. Not to fear the wolves that they would encounter. Not to fear those who would persecute them.

There are some people who refuse to leave their home because of some fear that they are facing in their life.

Examples may include a fear of:

Flying (fearing the plane will crash). Dogs (fearing the dog will bite or attack). Closed-in places (fear of being trapped). Tunnels (fearing a collapse). Heights (fear of falling).

And what about the scientific names given to people’s fears:

acrophobia: fear of heights. aerophobia: fear of flying. aquaphobia: fear of water. astraphobia: fear of storms. claustrophobia: fear of closed spaces. dentophobia: fear of going to the dentist. enochlophobia: fear of crowds. glossophobia: fear of public speaking. hemophobia: fear of blood. iatrophobia: fear of doctors. mysophobia (germophobia): fear of contamination. nosocomephobia: fear of hospitals. zoophobia: fear of animals.

I once heard the following acronym for FEAR:

· FALSE

· EVIDENCE

· APPEARING

· REAL

A phobia is an irrational fear of something that's unlikely to cause harm. The word itself comes from the Greek word “phobos,” which means “fear” or “horror.”

Also, you and I need to understand that many times the very thing that causes fear in our life never happens. Now, that is not always the case, by many times it is.

Remember, Jesus told His apostles that they would face persecution. It wasn’t a matter of “if”, but “when”. Where they to allow the fear of being persecuted to stop them dead in their tracks? No! Christianity would not be where it is at today had the apostles allowed fear to stop them from reaching the world with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

As we approach our text, we discover that Jesus provides three reasons why His apostles didn’t need to FEAR persecution. Are you ready to receive them? Here they are:

I. We have Jesus’ words – 10:27

27 “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops.

The NLT reads, “What I tell you now in the darkness, shout abroad when daybreak comes. What I whisper in your ear, shout from the housetops for all to hear!”

Jesus is speaking to His apostles. He had just told them about coming persecution, and now he is telling them that whatever He has said to them in the dark, that they are to speak in the light. I like this! I kind of see this like discipleship training around a campfire. Can you picture Jesus sitting around with His disciples and He is teaching them? After they had slept, and a new day dawned the apostles were to go out and speak what they heard from Him the previous night.

What they hear in the ear (everything that Jesus whispered in their ear) – that is, what they had been taking in as instruction, they were now to go and preach on the housetops. I love that too! Preach on the housetops.

One guy wrote, “Speak the truth everywhere. Speak it often. Speak it clearly and speak it boldly.”

Carrying out Jesus’ command to the apostles would be extremely difficult if they were living in constant fear of being persecuted.

They apostles were to go and share the Gospel (the Good News). The words of Jesus are LIFE words.

Don’t miss this: Fear is abated when you surrender to the words of Jesus Christ. His words overcome fear. Scripture says,

“Perfect love casts out all fear” (1 John 4:8).

Jesus told His apostles that they were to go and preach on the housetops. Do you think if someone started preaching on a housetop in your neighborhood that it would get people’s attention? Sure, it would. Your neighbors would probably take note, right? They might think that the person on the roof is a little crazy, but they would have their attention.

Flat Roofs

Let’s give this housetop preaching some perspective. In biblical days homes were built with flat roofs. They had a staircase that would take them to the roof. The flat roof served like our front porches did back in the day (How many of you remember when neighbors would visit across their front porch?). In Bible days people would gather on their roofs for social times – it was the place to entertain guests. Now, the apostles were told that roofs were to be used as an evangelistic tool to preach the Gospel. In other words, roofs became preaching arenas.

Rooftop Preaching - Outhouse

When I tell people about the first Church that Debbie, and I served in they are a little surprised. It was a log building in Nemo, South Dakota (1982-1985). The community was a population of around 90 people. The Nemo Church had no running water or restrooms. It had an outhouse. That is what surprises people. You had to go outside, around the back of the building, and up a little knoll to reach the outhouse. Yes, even in the winter, and even in the very cold South Dakota weather. That was our first church. I wrote a letter to one of my Bible school professors (Pastor Ray Barrett) about the outhouse. He wrote me back, “You get indoor plumbing in your second church.” He was right! Now, I shared that with you because the apostles could have said, “Well, you had a Church building, but we preached from roofs.”

We do not need to FEAR because we are bearers of the Good News of Jesus Christ. God’s Word transforms lives!

II. We have an Almighty God – 10:28

28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Often in life we get things backwards. Jesus sought to get the apostles thinking correct. We are not to fear men, or earthly powers that are temporary, but we are to fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. In other words, we are to fear God alone. God alone is all powerful! The theological word used for the power of God is Omnipotence. God is all powerful.

Catch what Jesus taught His apostles…

· Don’t fear those who may persecute you to the point of death. They can’t do anything more.

This ought to be great encouragement to the people of God. As believers we know that to be absent from the body means to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). Kill my body and I go to be with God.

The apostle Paul said, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). All death does is to usher us into the presence of God.

Martin Luther caught this truth when he wrote:

Let goods and kindred go,

This mortal life also;

The body they may kill:

God’s truth abideth still;

His kingdom is forever.[2]

· Fear God. He can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Charles Spurgeon penned, “There is no cure for the fear of man like the fear of God.”

The apostles were not to fear what people could do to them, but they were to fear what God could do. Men can destroy my body, but not my soul, but God can destroy both body and soul. It’s not men that we should fear, it’s God we should fear.

Someone wrote. “A lot of people fear men and laugh at God. I tell you that one day you will have wished that you would have laughed at man and feared God.”

Warren Wiersbe wrote, “The fear of God is the fear that cancels fear.”[3]

All that men can do is to destroy this outer tent. The shell that we live in. However, God can destroy both body and soul in hell.

The Greek word for “hell” here is “geenna” (gheh’-en-nah), and it speaks about a place of everlasting punishment.

Men can kill you and send you to heaven, but God can take your life and assign you to a place of everlasting punishment. Who then should you FEAR? God alone.

There is a third reason we don’t have to FEAR.

III. We are greatly valued – 10:29-31

29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

In Bible days people sold sparrows for food and sacrifices. Two sparrows didn’t cost much. Just a copper coin. Which was 1/16 the value of a Roman denarius. In Luke 12:6 we read, “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Here we see that if you purchased four birds that one was thrown in for free.

Back in Matthew 10, Jesus says that not one sparrow falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.

Is this thought eye opening? It is to me! Do you believe this? Is this part of God’s word TRUTH? Yes, it’s truth! God is sovereign over all things – even sparrows. FYI – there are 1.5 billion house sparrows on planet earth. 150 million in the United States. And according to Jesus nothing happens to any one of them without God’s approval. God is sovereign even over the animal kingdom. God oversees His creation.

His Eyes is on the Sparrow - Civilla D. Martin

1 Why should I feel discouraged, Why should the shadows come, Why should my heart be lonely, And long for heav’n and home; When Jesus is my portion? My constant Friend is he; His eye is on the sparrow, And I know he watches me; His eye is on the sparrow, And I know he watches me.

Refrain: I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free; For his eye is on the sparrow, And I know he watches me.

2 “Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear, And resting on his goodness, I lose my doubts and fears; Though by the path he leadeth, But one step I may see; His eye is on the sparrow, And I know he watches me; His eye is on the sparrow, And I know he watches me. [Refrain]

3 Whenever I am tempted, Whenever clouds arise; When songs give place to sighing, When hope within me dies, I draw the closer to him, From care he sets me free; His eye is on the sparrow, And I know he watches me; His eye is on the sparrow, And I know he watches me. [Refrain]

How does this relate to us? Well Jesus is going to tell us on verse 30,

“But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”

Again, I ask you, do you really believe this? God knows when a sparrow falls to the ground, and He knows the number of hairs on our head? (I may look bald, but I shave my head every day. I still have a few hairs left). We need to be reminded that we have a God that is into details! God didn’t get life started and then removed Himself. No, He is very close to His creation – He is close to each one of us.

Dr. John MacArthur writes, “divine providence governs even the smallest details, and even the mundane matters.”

Finally, Jesus said,

Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

The NLT reads, “So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.”

If God is aware of the sparrow, is He not far more aware of what you and I face as we go through everyday life? God knows everything we face – frozen pipes, car wrecks, poor health, sick kids, fears, and persecution. Nothing gets to us without God’s approval first. Our value to God far exceeds the value of a sparrow. Isn’t that comforting to know?

I like what one author penned, “No disease can seize them – no hand can hurt them unless He allows. They may say boldly to every fearful thing they meet with, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above.”[4]

How then should we live? I believe that we as believers should live FEARLESS lives. Overcome your FEARS by taking in God’s Word and sharing it with others. Overcome your FEARS by fearing God alone. Overcome your FEARS by recognizing how much God values you. Anyone of these three reasons is enough to help us to be victorious over everyday FEARS.

Conclusion: Here are our take home truths from this section of the Gospel of Matthew. They are:

1. What we are told in the dark (discipleship) we are to speak in the light. We are all call to PREACH the word.

2. What we hear in the ear we are to preach from the rooftops (gather your sphere of influence around you).

3. Do not fear earthly rulers – they only can only hurt the body. It’s temporary only. All they can do is send you to heaven.

4. Fear Him who can destroy both body and soul in hell. We are to fear God alone.

5. Remember God cares for the sparrows, and nothing can happen to us that God doesn’t permit.

6. We are of more value than the sparrows. This should offer us great comfort.

[1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/10/30/clowns-are-twice-as-scary-to-democrats-as-they-are-to-republicans/ [2]Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 39). Victor Books. [3]Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 39). Victor Books. [4] Ryle, J. C. Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of Matthew [Updated Edition]: A Commentary (p. 89). Aneko Press. Kindle Edition.