Fear Not, But be Very Afraid - Matthew 10:26-33

Matthew 10:26–33 ESV

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

Pray –

Father in heaven – thank you that we can gather together this evening to review this passage of scripture where your son Jesus encourages his disciples not to fear, but rather to find peace, and confidence, and boldness knowing that you are directing every detail of the proclamation of your Gospel ensuring that the truth of your Gospel will be made known far and wide. Father thank you that we see that you care for these men and every detail of their lives, and that Jesus calls them as his very own, directing them to be all in for Christ, proclaiming him and his finished work before men for their right standing before you. Fill us with your Spirit this evening that we would understand clearly and be convinced of your love and care for us that we might worship and adore you above all things. We pray this in Jesus name. Amen

Big Idea . . .

Have you ever had to do something that caused you to worry a bit about as you approached the time when you had to do it? Maybe it is a trip somewhere on an airplane? Or a final test in a class that you struggled in? Or a new job that you aren’t sure that you will like? Will you forget something and look stupid or get a bad grade? What if someone told you that they would take care of the details and make sure things worked out? What if someone told you that in the end, you would be successful in all the ways that mattered most? Would that take some pressure off? Would that make you worry less and be able to focus on the task in front of you with more confidence? That is what this scripture is about – let’s see how.

Matthew 10:26–27 ESV

26 “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.

Read Matt 10:26..27 bolded above

Note that his scripture begins with the word “So” . . . which tells us that whatever Jesus is about to say is in direct response to what he has just said in the previous verses. Last week, Pastor Tait preached on Jesus telling the disciples that he would be sending them out as sheep among wolves. Have any of you ever seen a sheep being attacked by wolves? (neither have I, but I did find a video online and it wasn’t pretty). Jesus has warned his disciples that they would be preaching to people who would at times reject the gospel, or be downright hostile to their preaching. The disciples were about to embark on a task that had all of them concerned and lying awake at night unable to sleep.

Jesus spoke these words to his disciples to encourage them and to strengthen them so they could face the difficulties and dangers that were in front of them. Jesus wanted them to know that there was nothing that wouldn’t be made clear – the truth would be proclaimed both the good and the bad . . . and sometimes you need to hear the bad so that you can appreciate the good. That things spoken of in the dark in whispers would soon be proclaimed in broad daylight from the rooftops.

So now that we know that the disciples are to set out on a journey of preaching the gospel to people who were more often than not hostile toward this message . . . I think there are two good reasons for Jesus saying these things to his disciples.

First,

1. It is God who victoriously reveals the gospel to all people.

Jesus says all things will be revealed – and in saying this it is clear that it is God who will be doing the revealing – he is sovereign over the proclamation of the Gospel. Jesus knew that his disciples would face difficulty, persecution, and ultimately in nearly every case, death as they sought to make known the riches of God’s grace through the proclamation of the gospel. Knowing that it is God who opens ears to hear and eyes to see the truth of gospel and to understand his free offering of forgiveness for sins . . . we, like the disciples can be encouraged to continue to preach the gospel even when facing harsh opposition and even death. We can boldly and faithfully proclaim the Gospel knowing that it is God who causes people to respond.

Second, in revealing all things, it would be clear that when the disciples were persecuted, that the evil done by men in persecuting them would be known by all on the day of judgement. Jesus would see to it that the scales of justice would be balanced and this was a tremendous encouragement to the followers of Christ just as it can be an encouragement to us. God sees to it that the gospel continues to go forth – and that persecution will never succeed in stopping it. It is encouraging to know that those who oppose us will always fail in the end.

Matthew 10:28 ESV

28 And 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.

OK – this is a fun verse I think. Who is Jesus speaking of here when he says to fear him who can destroy the body and soul in hell for eternity?

When I first started reading the bible, I always thought that this was referring to Satan. The one who could kill the body and soul in hell. And then I remember when I figured out that this was not talking about Satan, but rather it was talking about God himself, in fact, it was talking about Jesus! At first I thought I was pretty smart having figured this out, it made so much sense, and then I realized that the fear I had for Satan was unfounded in this sense, he cannot drag me to hell with him! But this sense of feeling smart suddenly went away when I began to see God in a different light, one in which I had a greater sense of understanding of what God could do to me. He could drag me to hell and keep me there for all eternity. This is a fearful thought!

Proverbs 1:7 ESV

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

this same idea is repeated throughout the bible! Have you ever thought of God in this way? And not in just the sense of fear meaning that we have awe and reverence. But a fear of God that is there because we know that he can destroy both body and soul for all eternity. What does it mean to fear God like this?

For one thing, it means that God is far more dangerous than any man. Knowing that you have been through this book of Matthew, you know that Jesus struck fear in his disciples when he calmed the raging storm a few chapters ago. You also know that He cast out a legion of demons by simply speaking. Jesus raised people from the dead by the power of his word. This is power and authority that is unmatched in the Universe. There is no worse enemy that you could have than God himself, there is more to you than your body, and neither satan, nor demons, nor men can condemn your soul to hell – only Jesus can do that.

So why did Jesus tell his disciples these things? He wanted his disciples to have ordered fears. He wanted to make sure that they feared that which could do actual damage to their souls. And that when their fear was properly focused on eternal consequences and the power and authority of God – that it then no longer made any sense to fear man.

This highlights that most often people are concerned with two opposite kinds of fear. If the fear of God is blotted out by the dread of men, it is clear that we concern ourselves most with the opinions and fear of men than to God and in doing so we abandon the cause of Christ at the first hint of objection. If however, you understand that you destined for eternity with Jesus in heaven purchased by the blood of Christ. Then you will not cower under the fear of men and no effort on the part of men will cause you to doubt your savior or shake your faith.

As your understanding of Jesus power and authority over your very soul brings a realization of how fearful God is to those who are perishing, your fear of man will diminish.

2. Keep your fears in order. Fear God rightly and God will grant you freedom from the fear of man.

Fearing man more should make you wonder if you have lost your very soul to hell.

OK, so in the verses we just covered that spoke of God revealing that which was hidden followed by telling us to fear Him more than man because man can only kill us but God can kill our body and soul and cast them into hell . . . now he tells his disciples that while God is able to destroy both body and soul, he also cares for us in such a way that he protect us as we proclaim the good news of the gospel. And in fact this good news illustrates that in his goodness he is able to rescue our own body and soul. This is the goodness of God on display and we know that while know that we should fear him, we can also draw near to him because he is our Father, and he loves his children.

Matthew 10:29–31 ESV

29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

These verses show that God is not just a powerful distant God who is uninvolved in our lives, but rather, He is a compassionate, loving Father who has our best interests in mind at all times. We are God’s children and he is our loving Father who cares dearly for us. Jesus cares for all of his creatures, even the sparrows, yet how much more does he care for his children, made in his image, and rescued by his own blood shed on the cross. He cares for his own and he tells us that we are worth far more to him than the sparrows who he cares for daily. We can confidently rely upon God to take care of us and meet our needs. In fact we do an injustice to God when we fail to entrust our very lives to him as he takes great pleasure in keeping us safe and caring for our needs when we entrust ourselves to him.

Central to all of this is God’s sovereignty over creation and even our lives. And even more, these verses help us understand that we can trust him because he cares for every detail of our lives. The tiniest and most insignificant details of your life are all ordered by his eternal purpose. You take care to count your money, or your friends, or how many likes you might get on a social media post . . . or any number of things related to your life . . . God takes care to even count the hairs on your head. He loves you and he counts freckles and knows how many you have. You can have confidence in trusting him. When we trust him, we honor him as God, and find peace for our souls as we navigate the life that he directs us through. In all of this, he takes better care of us than we could possibly take care of ourselves.

3. We need not fear anything for our sovereign Father cares for us

Verses 32..33 32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

In short . . . you own Christ in the here and now, and Christ will own you in heaven before our heavenly Father. Speak boldly of Christ and his Gospel even when you are criticized or persecuted because of it and you will be honored in heaven and joined with Christ in glory. Yet, if you do not own Christ, if you live as if there were no Savior, ignoring him, depriving him of the trust which he deserves and the honor which he has earned, then, when you come before Jesus in the presence of the Father, Jesus will say, “You never knew me, and I never knew you. Depart!”

So don’t live your life ashamed of your relationship with Jesus or his people or his Church. Some of the most gracious believers who have ever lived have not been ashamed to associate with their fellow-Christians, even when they were fully aware of their faults but instead came along side and befriended them. This says much about humility, graciousness, and kindness . . . all these things a reflection of Christ as God’s spirit works in you to conform you to the image of Christ.

4. Live for Christ because he lived and died for you.

In summary – we have four basic thoughts from these verses.

As we share the gospel, we don’t need to be afraid of how people will respond because:

It is God who victoriously reveals the gospel to all people

Keep your fears in order – fear God rightly and God will grant you freedom from the fear of man

We need not fear anything for our sovereign Father cares for usWe should

live for Christ acknowledging Him because he lived and died for us and stands in our place before the Father.

Fear Not, But be Very Afraid - Matthew 10:26-33

We have covered a lot of ground with respect to the topic of fear tonight. One of the most common verses in the bible is “fear not” and this verse speaks entirely to the idea of fearing man, fearing not having what you need, fearing death, all things that we face in this world. Jesus calls us to remember that God is sovereign and will do the work of bringing the truth of His gospel to light as we proclaim it to the lost, even when they don’t want to hear it. It is God who victoriously reveals the gospel to all people.

We also learn that we owe God, even Jesus our king, our ready and eager submission with a sense of awe due him in his supreme authority and power over us. And in contrast, we should never find ourselves offering ourselves up to any man or manmade institution in this same way. Fear of man is a trap that leads to sin – while fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Let’s keep our fears in order – fear God rightly, and God will grant you freedom from the fear of man.

Third, God cares for you and sees to your every need. Your worth is established in that you are made in his image and have been made right before him by Christ’s finished work on the cross. He cares for you better than you can care for yourself and will work continually to make you more like his son Jesus. We can rest in the fact that we need not fear anything for our sovereign Father cares for us.

Lastly . . . if you are a Christian, your life should give evidence to a trusting relationship in Jesus that is known by those around you. In light of these verses, perhaps a couple of questions about this are in order . . .

We should ask ourselves whose love is ultimate to us? Whose approval do we most crave? How does this show up in our lives? If we have to live without either the approval of man, or the approval of God, which one do we most have to have? Which will we leave behind in order to get the other?

This all has to do with which world / kingdom to we find ourselves most engaged with. Are we concerned more with the immediate world around us? Are we seeking the approval of our friends, family, and finding our significance in that approval? Or, are we more concerned about the eternal life we have in Christ in the here and now looking forward to eternity with him? Do we acknowledge Christ and our dependence upon him? What will Jesus say about us in heaven before our heavenly Father?

The answers to these questions will help us determine if we need to make any changes to our understanding of what it means to belong to Christ.

These verses are instructive to us just as they were instructive to the disciples. We like the disciples would do well to contemplate what it means to acknowledge Jesus before men. When we realize all that Christ has done for us at the cross, absorbing God’s wrath for our sin, and crediting us with his own good life . . . We should live for Christ acknowledging Him because he lived and died for us and stands in our place before the Father.