No Fear (2)

No Fear!

Matthew 10:26-33

I. Introduction

A. Davy Lloyd grew up in Haiti with his parents who ran a mission orphanage.  It was Davy’s lifelong dream to continue in his parents’ footsteps as missionaries and run their orphanage.  After being married in 2022 Davy and his new wife returned to the orphanage even as the country of 11 million was descending into political dysfunction and gang violence.  In 2024 two separate gangs broke into the orphanage and killed them both.  Davy Lloyd’s father said, “We felt that in our hearts that’s where we were supposed to be and what we were supposed to be doing with our lives. I just kind of felt that with us being there it gave the community some hope because we hadn’t cut and run.”

B. Was it worth it?  Would you be willing to take that chance? What causes true believers to risk their lives to share the love of Christ and the hope of the gospel?

C. So have no fear of them – This is the culmination of what was said in 17-25 when Jesus tells the disciples that He is sending them out.  They will be sent before the courts.  They will be flogged in their own synagogues; they will be dragged before governors and Kings for His name’s sake.  Yet they will bear witness.  They will be delivered over to death both their own families.  They will endure persecution.  It begs the question, why would you do that?  The answer is that it is worth it!

D. What about us?  Should we fear persecution?  Should we be afraid to bear witness to our Savior? The answer is the same.

E. Jesus gives four reassurances to endure and continue to tell

II. Know the truth will come to light (26-27)

A. Explanation

1. The premise of these verses is that there are some who will undermine the message of the cross.  They will scheme against us. There will be secrets told about us and lies spread.  But in the end, all will be revealed.

2. Jesus is saying that there will be a time when the truth will be revealed. There will be a time when every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord – This includes those who come against us

3. What Jesus is asking of his followers is the opposite.  We are not to hide in the shadows or scheme against our enemies.  Our message is simple and true.  We are sinners in need of a Savior.  We are to proclaim that message plainly and visibly – What I tell you in the dark, say it in the light.  What you hear whispered, proclaim it on the rooftop (a place of prominence where you can be heard) – 2 Corinthians 4:1-2

4. 2 Co 4:1–2 - 1 Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. 2 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.

B. Application

1. So where is your rooftop? Do not be afraid to proclaim it!

2. There will be some who oppose you, but the day of vindication is coming.  There will be a day when the truth will be known by all.  What side do you want to be on in that day?

3. It is the truth of God and there is a day when Jesus will return and the truth will not be hidden!

III. Trust they cannot destroy the soul (28)

A. Explanation

1. Jesus reminds the disciples that those who persecute them can only go so far

2. They can kill the body alone

a. We will all die someday and the eternal Kingdom is what we long for

b. We should not fear death – To live is Christ and to die is gain Philippians 1:21

c. They cannot kill the soul

d. This is a recognition that our life as believers is eternal

3. The adverse – We should fear him who can destroy both body and soul in hell

a. This is God alone

b. We will live here a short time, but the judgement is sure to come

c. We will either trust in Christ and stand for Him or lose our faith and deny Him

d. Without faith we stand alone in our sin

4. According to Jesus, Hell is a reality that we should consider just as much as our eternal Kingdom

B. Illustration – Being buried alive

C. Application

1. This is a question of who we trust and who we fear

2. Many people fear the world and those who would oppose us

3. To say the world is more powerful than God

4. We must live our lives with eternity in mind. It is simply a matter of when we will get there.  When we do, we want to stand for Jesus.       

IV. Find peace in the powerful love of God (29-31)

A. Explanation

1. Jesus makes a comparison to the sparrows

a. They were sold in the marketplace for food

b. They were small birds that could command only a small price – 2 for a penny

c. Yet none of them fall to the ground apart from God – God is sovereign even over the movement of these small birds

2. He compares the sparrows to us - Even the hairs on our head are numbered

3. If this is true then we have no reason to fear.  This argument is from the lesser to the greater – If God cares for an otherwise insignificant bird, how much more does He care about us

4. Not only does He care about us, but he knows us intimately, down to how many hairs are on our head

5. Jesus says we are to fear not because we are more valuable than the sparrows

B. Application

1. This is a massive comfort to know that God in His sovereignty even holds the birds in flight

2. Yet, if he cares for them, surely, He knows and meets our true needs

3. If God cares for us that much, surely, He sees us when we are persecuted

4. He knows when we are seeking to faithfully follow Him and He is with us in those moments

5. We can be bold to share our faith and honor God because of His powerful love!

V. Acknowledge Christ and He will acknowledge you (32-33)

A. Explanation

1. This is a straight-forward statement on the part of Jesus – We are to acknowledge Him

a. It should be the first point of trusting in Jesus – confessing that Jesus is Lord

b. We begin our faith with a public profession of faith

2. So, to acknowledge Him is the basic necessity of faith.  If you believe you will acknowledge Him

3. If you do not acknowledge Him there is a disconnect in who you believe Him to be

4. You cannot believe that God is the eternal judge, creator, and Savior and still deny Him.  It shows a lack of faith in who God is and His power as compared to mans

5. Conversely, if we deny Him, He will deny us – This should strike a rightful fear in the heart of a believer who would never want to be denied by Jesus

B. Application

1. Our job is to Acknowledge Jesus – To our friends, family, co-workers and neighbors

2. We must never stop acknowledging Christ

3. We were born to glorify God – To deny Him is to deny our very purpose. 

VI. Conclusion

A. Do you know where you are supposed to be and what you should do with your life?  You should use it to share Jesus through your actions and words

B. Are you going to do it or cut and run?

C. So what about you? Is the Good news of Jesus Christ and our hope of eternity with Him enough to move you? Are you willing to do whatever it takes to be on mission for Christ, in your work, your neighborhood, and family?

D. If you haven’t trusted in Jesus you need to know that knowing Jesus is more precious than life

Missionary Martyrs Chose Not to ‘Cut and Run’

From boyhood, Davy Lloyd dreamed of nothing else but dedicating his life to the orphanage his parents had operated in Haiti since 2000.

He had grown up in Haiti, spoke Creole before English and had helped his parents run their mission, which had grown into a bustling operation that educated 450 children, with 50 living on the compound in Lizon just north of Port-au-Prince.

“He had said from the time he was little that someday he was going to be a missionary in Haiti,” his father, David Lloyd Jr., recounted in a phone interview from Oklahoma. “He just knew that that’s where he was supposed to be his whole life, trying to make a difference in some people’s lives who needed a lot of help.”

So, when Davy and Natalie Lloyd, then Natalie Baker, married in June 2022, they decided to make a life together in Haiti—even as the country of 11 million was descending further into political dysfunction and gang violence. … That notion was shattered in May of 2024, when two gangs breached the compound in succession, killing the young couple, along with the Haitian director of the group, Jude Montis.

Davy Lloyd’s father said, “We felt that in our hearts that’s where we were supposed to be and what we were supposed to be doing with our lives. I just kind of felt that with us being there it gave the community some hope because we hadn’t cut and run.”

Source: Juan Forero, “Missionaries Slain in Haiti Gang Violence Had Dedicated Lives to Orphanage,” The Wall Street Journal (5-25-24)

Fear of Being Buried Alive

The Scottish philosopher John Duns Scotus (1266-1308) was reported to have been buried alive after one of his occasional fits of coma was mistaken to be the loss of life. After his tomb was reopened, years later, his body was found outside his coffin. His hands were torn and bloody from the attempted escape.

On February 21, 1885, The New York Times gave a disturbing account of a man identified as “Jenkins,” whose body was found turned over onto its front inside the coffin, with much of his hair pulled out. There were also scratch marks visible on all sides of the coffin's interior.

Another story reported in The Times on January 18, 1886, tells about a Canadian girl named "Collins," whose body was described as being found with the knees tucked up under the body, and her burial shroud “torn into shreds.”

Possible Preaching Angle:

This is a gruesome illustration but one which can realistically apply directly to the horrors of hell. The terrifying reality of the unsaved awakening after death in the inescapable horror of conscious eternity in hell cannot be ignored. We must be realistic in our view of both heaven and hell, and be compelled to preach the good news of God’s saving grace to a lost and dying world.

Source: Kaushik Patowary, “The Manchester Mummy,” Amusing Planet (8-26-22)