Sinners in the Hands of a Terrifying God.

Introduction:

Good Morning Connection Church!

It is great to be gathered here with you today! I am very glad that you have decided to come and worship with us today. As a church, we believe it is vital that we gather together on the Lord’s day to worship God together. Together we worship through fellowship, singing praises to God, learning of truths, and the reading and preaching of God’s Word. We have already worshipped through singing and learning of truths, so let us open the Word of God together.

Introduction of the Text:

If you have your Bible, and I hope that you do, open with me to Matthew 10:26-33. As you turn there let us go over what we covered these last two weeks.

Recap of what we have covered:

In the last two weeks we have covered Jesus’ commissioning and sending out of the twelve Apostles. Currently we are going through Jesus teaching Apostles.

We saw:

Jesus commissioned the twelve Apostles.

Jesus sent them out to preach the gospel to the Jews.

Jesus gave them authority to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and cast out demons.

Jesus warned the Apostles of the persecution they would face in their larger ministry.

They would be hated, maligned, tried, beaten and murdered. Nowhere would be safe, even family would turn them over.

With this in mind, would you stand with me for the reading of God’s Word.

Reading of the text:

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. 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.

Let’s pray together.

Prayer:

Our Father, we come before you today and ask that you would open our hearts to your word. We are so low, Lord. You are so incredible. We do not deserve anything Lord. It is your mercy and grace that has even given us breath and life.

Lord, forgive our pride. Forgive us of our belief that we deserve anything from you. We so seldom see who you really are. Lord forgive our blasphemy of lessening you and increasing ourselves. We are wretched people God. we beg your forgiveness and ask that you would withhold the judgement that we deserve. Teach us to walk in your ways. Teach us to fear you.

Lord, I ask that you would forgive me. I stand in this pulpit to give your word to your people and I seldom tremble. This position should terrify me, but I fear that I do not have the fear I should have. Please teach me this fear. And please guard my mouth Lord. I do not want to speak against you in any way. I do not want to blaspheme you from this, your pulpit. Keep my mouth and my heart from sin. Silence me if I am speaking ill of you, Oh Lord Most Hight.

We ask this in Jesus name. Amen.

Oppening Illustration:

Is fear a negative thing? We have this tendency when addressing Scripture to treat fear as a purely negative thing. But we must ask the pertinent question, Is fear a negative thing? By itself, is fear bad?

We certainly see that it can be. Fear can be unhealthy. There are so many examples of unhealthy fears and phobias. Fear can be irrational and damaging. People are crippled by fear for senseless things. I myself and very afraid of heights. Not in a rational way, like a fear of walking a tightrope over a canyon, but in an irrational way. If I were to stand on one of those chairs and someone bumped it, I would freeze in fear. That fear is irrational; it is bad.

But is all fear irrational? Is all fear bad?

Certainly not. There is healthy fear. The fear of death, the fear of harm the fear of loss, the fear of some authority can be very apropriate and right. Fear of death or harm can in fact make people stronger, faster, braver, or the like. It keeps people alive. If a person is being chased by a bear, they will be afraid. They will run away, in fear of that animal. Only a great fool would say that fear in that circumstance is a bad thing. “You shouldn’t be afraid. You should have peace and simply respect that bear that is charging towards you to eat you.” What a ridiculous statement. No! Run, be afraid! Let your fear make you run faster than normal so that you can outrun that bear and live!

I use that ridiculous example to make my point the more clear. Fear is a good thing when it is found in apropriate times or things. It is apropriate to fear the bear because it is a bear. It is an apropriate thing to fear being pulled over by the police when you are driving 25 miles an hour over the speed limit.

We have treated fear as an inherently bad thing. We treat fear as if, by itself, it is somehow bad and we must completely abandon it. But this is simply not true. Depending on the situation and the type of fear, fear can be either good or bad. It can either be healthy or unhealthy. It all depends on the situation. My fear of standing on that chair is unhealthy. My fear when encountering a rattle snake on a hike has probably saved me from severe harm, possibly death.

Fear is a good and apropriate thing when it is found at the right times.

Transition:

So as we move into the text, we see Jesus continuing the teach the Apostles. He has just told them of the horrible things that will be done to them. He has told them of how men will hand them over to be tried and beaten and even killed. Now Jesus gives the Apostles a confusing command. He tells them, “Do not fear men.”

Do Not Fear Men.

Explanation:

Jesus tells the Apostles to have no fear of men. His next command is for the disciples to not fear the men who will do these horrible things to them. But why not? After the things Jesus told the Apostles that would be done to them, why would they not be afraid? It seams to me that knowing you will be tortured and killed would be an apropriate time to be very afraid. But Jesus does not hold this logic. He says that they should not fear these men.

Why not fear men? Jesus gives two reasons.

1. Judgement Day is Coming.

All that is covered will be revealed. All that is hidden will be known. What reason does Jesus give for not fearing these men? In short, judgement day is coming. God will reveal all that is covered. He will make known all the is hidden. The men who torture and kill the Apostles will face recompence.

The Apostles will be handed over to human courts to be tried. The courts who tried the Apostles would be handed over to the King of kings to be tried. The Apostles would be beaten and killed by men. The men who beat and killed the Apostles would be handed over to God to be tormented in hell for eternity.

Judgement day is coming, and this was to keep the Apostles from fearing men.

Because of this Jesus tells the Apostles to be Bold in Declaring the Truth. “What you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops:”

“They will be judged. You proclaim the Gospel. The good news I give you, declare boldly and openly.”

Why not fear men? Jesus here gives His second reason.

2. Men can Only Kill Your Body.

The worst that men could do to the Apostles is kill them. This seems obvious right? verse 28 says “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” This is true. The worst that these men can do to the Apostles is kill them. This is the worst thing that can happen. Remember, the Apostles were all killed. This is what the Apostles faced. They all faced death. All but John faced being killed by men.

But why is this given as reason not to fear? What could make this something that they should not fear? Well, in short, there is something far worse to fear than the death of the body.

Jesus tells the Apostles not to fear men, but then Jesus tells them what they ought to fear. Do not fear men. Fear God.

Fear God.

Jesus says we are to fear the one who can destroy both the soul and body in Hell. This is God. God is the one who casts souls into hell.

“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.”

This is a clear statement. Jesus tells the Apostles not to fear men who can only kill you. Fear God who can kill you and then destroy your soul in hell. As we have seen before, Jesus is not one for pulling His punches. He is clear. And He is clear here as well.

But we don’t hear this much, do we? We don’t hear about the fear of the Lord from pulpits. We certainly don’t hear about it like Jesus is here talking about it. In fact, we hear the opposite. We hear that the fear of the Lord is just a healthy respect. Well, is the fear of the Lord just a “healthy respect?”

Is the Fear of the Lord just a “healthy respect?”

I mean, I can honestly say that in my twenty-seven years of being in church, nearly every single time I have heard the fear of the Lord mentioned from the pulpit, It has been followed by the statement, “Now, this doesn’t actually mean fear. It just means a healthy respect.” In fact, I could count the number of times I have heard the fear of the Lord talked about as an actual fear on one hand. In doing this, the attempt is made to dull down the idea of God being scary. We don’t like God to be scary. We want a God who is just a teddy bear.

So, Is the fear of the Lord just a “Healthy respect?”

No.

No, the fear of the Lord is not just a healthy respect. The Fear of the Lord is fear. The definition of the Hebrew word used every time in the Fear of the Lord is as follows:

Lexham Theological Wordbook יָרֵא

יָרֵא (yārēʾ). vb. to fear, be afraid. Refers commonly to experiencing an emotional reaction of fear, terror, or apprehension

This word refers to terror. Notice what is missing in this definition. It does not say that this word for fear is best defined as respect. This word is not just a form of respect. This word is so much deeper than this.

There is an aspect where we can draw from context that as Christians we are God’s children; and as God’s children there is a different form of fear that we feel towards Him. However, this is still fear. A child can be afraid of their very good and very loving father.

Martin Luther defined the two different types of the fear of the Lord as “servile” and “Filial” fear. The “servile” fear is the type of fear that the lost should feel. It is the fear that comes from being under the punishment and judgement of God and it should be an absolute terror. The “Filial” fear is the type of fear that the Children of God should have. This refers to the fear that a child would have for their Father. It may be motivated by deep love and carries the weight of seeing the astounding nature of God and fear of disappointing Him. And even in this there is a genuine fear. It is seeing how terrifying God is and then remembering He is our Father. Both of these are genuine fear, but they are slightly different.

This is why anytime we see anyone experience the presence of God, they are terrified. Listen to Isaiah’s words in Isaiah 6 when He saw God in heaven.

6 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;

the whole earth is full of his glory!”

4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

This is not a man simply having respect. This is a man in utter terror for his life. He says that he is “lost.” That word means “unmade.” In essence, “woe to me, it would be better if I had never been born.”

Isaiah was a prophet. He was a servant of God. He was a faithful man. He loved God but was still terrified at seeing Him. This is not a simple thing. Isaiah was absolutely terrified of God, but this lead to him loving the Lord with a passionate love. He served and loved the Lord with his life. This fear of God impacted Isaiah tremendously. But it drew him into a deep rooted love and commitment to God.

This is consistent with how people respond to seeing God in Scripture. It is not a simple respect. It is abject terror and fear.

With this in mind, listen to this incredibly small selection of verses on the fear of the Lord.

Isaiah 8:13 13 But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.

Leviticus 19:14 14 You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.

Leviticus 19:32 32 “You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.

Leviticus 25:17 17 You shall not wrong one another, but you shall fear your God, for I am the Lord your God.

God Commands us to fear Him.

Deuteronomy 6:13 13 It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear.

Deuteronomy 8:6 6 So you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him.

Deuteronomy 10:12 12 “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,

God commands Moses to read the Law to the people. He tells Moses why He commands him to read the law.

Deuteronomy 31:12-13 12 Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law, 13 and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as you live in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.”

Psalm 2:11 11  Serve the Lord with fear,

and rejoice with trembling

Psalm 9:20 20  Put them in fear, O Lord!

Let the nations know that they are but men! Selah

Psalm 103:17 17  But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,

and his righteousness to children’s children,

Psalm 111:10 10  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;

all those who practice it have a good understanding.

His praise endures forever!

Proverbs 1:7 7  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;

fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Jeremiah 5:22

22  Do you not fear me? declares the Lord.

Do you not tremble before me?

I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea,

a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass;

though the waves toss, they cannot prevail;

though they roar, they cannot pass over it.

Jeremiah 5:24

24  They do not say in their hearts,

‘Let us fear the Lord our God,

who gives the rain in its season,

the autumn rain and the spring rain,

and keeps for us

the weeks appointed for the harvest.’

This is just a small sample of the verses in the Old Testament about the fear of the Lord. But what of the New Testament? The greek word for fear means as follows:

Lexham Theological Wordbook φόβος

φόβος (phobos). n. masc. fear, terror. Refers to the emotion elicited by a sense of alarm or danger or anticipation of a negative experience.

Still it means fear or terror, but it includes the idea of danger.

Acts 9:31

31 So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.

2 Corinthians 5:11

11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience

Colossians 3:22

22 Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.

But I think this passage and it’s parallel in Luke are clear. The Fear of the Lord is fear. It is not as simple as just a respect, it is fear.

But why fear the Lord?

Why Fear the Lord?

We must do this first by exploring who God is.

God has revealed Himself to us in His Word. It tells us many things about who God is.

God is Creator. This means He is transcendent. He is beyond us, outside of understanding or grasp. He is not part of creation, He is author of creation. He is Infinite. He has no beginning or end. He is forever. Self existent, self sustaining. All is His. Because He is the author of all, He is owner of all. He has ultimate authority. There is no one higher than Him.

God is Holy. He is Pure, without sin, righteous. Unblemished. He is without sin. Sin cannot be in His presence. He is completely set apart. God is so holy that we cannot even grasp His holiness. It is so far beyond our understanding, that to wrap our minds around His holiness would be like trying to fit the ocean in a Coke can. His holiness is such that He cannot abide unholiness. He must destroy it. He must punish the wicked. That is in His very nature.

God is All Knowing. Nothing escapes His sight. He sees everything. He knows everything. He sees the secret thoughts of mankind. He knows every thought or desire we have. He knows every secret. It is all laid bare before Him. Nothing can be hidden. Nothing can be kept from Him.

God is All Powerful. He can do as He wishes. No one can tell God no. What He wishes to do, He will do. He is all powerful, all power and authority belongs to Him.

God is Sovereign. He is in ultimate control over all things. He decrees all things. Nothing happens outside of His say or control. He is master of all. He is the one who has set all in motion, and He maintains all. He is intimately involved in everything that happens, working all things to His glory.

Now that we have barely scratched the surface of who God is, let us Explore who we are:

We are creation. God has made us. We are Finite. This means that we are Under God’s Authority. He is the one ruling over us. He owns us. He can do whatever He wishes to us. His divine pleasure is all that keeps us from hell.

We are sinners. We have sinned directly against God. We are Unrighteous, Impure, Unholy. We are to our core sinful. We are at our center corrupt. We are evil and wrong. We are by nature children of wrath and sin. We are evil.

We think we can escape the sight of God. We try to hide our wickedness. We try to hold it close. We love our sin. So we hide it in our hearts. All the day long our thoughts are evil and we think we can keep this hidden from God.

We think we can run from God. We think that we can somehow outsmart God. Maybe we can dodge just right and avoid His wrath that towards us. We are fools. Nothing can be done to avoid God’s wrath. Nothing we do can ever even give us the hope of avoiding the hellfire that is even now lapping at some feet.

We are right to fear God. Especially if we are not in right relationship with God. Then we should quake in fear before Him. God is terrifying. And we are sinners. We are Sinners in the hands of a terrifying God. May He have have mercy on us.

Jonathan Edwards, on July 8th, 1741, preached his infamous message “sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” This message was on the same subject as we are addressing right now. We are right to fear God. I think we all need to hear this, but if you are here and are not saved, or are living in sin, you really need to listen to these words.

Jonathan Edwards in this message famously says “There is nothing that keeps wicked men at any one moment out of hell, but the mere pleasure of God.” He is right. God is under no obligation to spare anyone. We are all sinners, deserving of hell. It is the mere pleasure of God that spares us. And we forget this. We forget the perilous state we, as sinners, are in. Edwards continues saying, “He is not only able to cast wicked men into hell, but he can most easily do it.”

We forget how powerful God is. It is nothing for Him to smite someone down. He determines our days. He knows when we will perish, for He has ordained it. And we in our arrogance and pride assume that we can determine our days. We spit in the face of God by believing we are outside of His control. But we forget how awesomely and terrifyingly powerful God is. We forget that as Edwards says, “so ’tis easy for us to cut or singe a slender thread that any thing hangs by; thus easy is it for God, when he pleases, to cast his enemies down to hell.”

We in arrogance think God is small and we are so great. We think ourselves so large. God have mercy on us. We are idolaters who worship ourselves. Calling this out, Edwards says, “Almost every natural man that hears of hell flatters himself that he shall escape it; he depends upon himself for his own security, he flatters himself in what he has done, in what he is now doing, or what he intends to do; every one lays out matters in his own mind how he shall avoid damnation, and flatters himself that he contrives well for himself, and that his schemes won’t fail.”

Why the fear of the Lord is so vital:

We have so abandoned a biblical view of the fear of the Lord. This in an of itself is frightening. But in losing the doctrine of the terror of God, we have lost so much. We have lost our hope.

One cannot experience the fulness of hope in Christ unless one grasps the wretchedness of our sin and the fear it brings before the holiness of God.

We lose so much of the gospel when we lose what we are saved from. Hell should frighten us. God, who casts the unsaved into hell, should frighten us. When we lose these things, we lose what we are saved from.

What are we saved from? Sin and the wrath of God towards our sin. We cannot lose this. We cannot lose the truth of how wretched our sins are. We cannot lose the truth of how amazing and holy and scary God is.

God is terrifying. And that is amazing. That is the lifeblood of the Christian walk. God is terrifying, and that gives us so much peace.

Application:

Don’t you see? Why should the Apostles not fear the men who can turn them over and kill them? Because they should fear God! God is infinitely more terrifying than any man. God is so much more frightening than they are. God, the one who will judge all men, is so much more frightening that any man, or government.

Let’s read the passage again.

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. 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.

Let me put this as plainly as I can, if you are here and you are unsaved, or you don’t know for certain if you are saved, you need to be in complete terror, because God will judge you, and if you remain in your unsaved state, you will be cast into hell to burn for all eternity. Even now the flames of hell may be licking at your boots, waiting to consume you.

But if you are here, and you are saved, you are trusting in Christ for your salvation, by fearing God you have nothing else to fear.

By Fearing God, You Have Nothing Else to Fear.

By fearing the Lord, you do not have to fear death or imprisonment or torture or anything. God is the one we serve. We fear Him. But we as Christians are His. We are His children. He is our God. We fear Him, but because of this, we have nothing else we ever at any time or moment need to fear.

If we are tortured, we need not fear. If we are taken to court for our faith, we need not fear. If we are marched to be burned at the stake for our faith, we need not fear. God is our Father.

We do not need to be afraid of anyone else because the most terrifying being in universe is our Father. He is all powerful and frightening, but if we are His children, we can have utter peace. Remember, God is sovereign, He decrees all. Nothing happens outside of His divine decree. As His Children we need not fear. The worst that can happen to us is they kill our bodies. But we will never face hell. We will never be cast out. When we die, we go to heaven.

We cannot lose. We die, we win. We live, we win. They torture us, we store up treasures in heaven. They murder us, we go to be with our Lord.

The truth is that we can have peace only in the fear of the Lord. We remove the fear of the Lord and we remove our peace. God is terrifying, and that is a good thing. Because God is so terrifying, we can have peace in Him. This is a constant theme within Scripture and Church history.

Deuteronomy 3:22

22 You shall not fear them, for it is the Lord your God who fights for you.’

Psalm 118:6

6  The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.

What can man do to me?

Nehemiah 4:14

14 And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”

Isaiah 51:12-13

12  “I, I am he who comforts you;

who are you that you are afraid of man who dies,

of the son of man who is made like grass,

13  and have forgotten the Lord, your Maker,

who stretched out the heavens

and laid the foundations of the earth,

and you fear continually all the day

because of the wrath of the oppressor,

when he sets himself to destroy?

And where is the wrath of the oppressor?

Or Isaiah 8:12-13 again

12 “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. 13 But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.

Or as Matthew Henry put it,

“They who truly fear God, need not fear man; and they who are afraid of the least sin, need not be afraid of the greatest trouble.”

Or as J.C. Ryle said,

“Those who try to do good must keep before their minds the providential care of God over them. Nothing can happen in this world without His permission. There is no such thing in reality as chance, accident, or luck. “The very hairs of their heads are all numbered.”

But I think outside of scripture, Augustine put it best in his sermon on this passage. He says,

“Let us fear therefore, that we may not fear.” Augustine

Really as we go from here, there are two options.

1. You Are Saved and Should Fear God.

Just because you are saved does not mean that we do not fear God. On the contrary, as we just talked about we draw great peace and courage from the fear of the Lord.

So if you are here and are saved, Fear the Lord. He is wonderful, and terrifying. Worship Him, for He alone is worthy of worship. Turn from your sins. Those secret sins that you harbor. Turn away from them and turn to Jesus.

As a Christian the fear of the Lord may not be the same as the terror those who are not saved should feel, but it is still fear and it is necessary. We, as Christians are God’s children. we fear the Lord as a child should fear their parent. God is terrifying, but He is our Father. But we as Christians need to recognize that those who are lost are under the judgement of a terrifying God. They should be in terror at their state. And this should motivate us to evangelize. Seeing how terrifying God and His wrath is should motivate us to share the gospel with all those around us. The ones we know who are unsaved are under the judgement of God. We have the only hope on Earth for them. We must share the gospel.

But perhaps you are a Christian and you are living in sin. You like your sin. You don’t want to give it up. How dare any of us live this way before a holy God. Confess your sin and turn from it. Fear God. As a Christian, we should be like children. God is our Father and we are His children. We know that He as a good Father will punish His disobedient children. This should be scary. I pray that if you are a child of God and living in sin, you would turn from your sin. I pray you would do this first out of love for your Father. But if that is not sufficient motivation, then I pray that God would wake you up to your sin, and that even if it takes the chastisement of the Father, that you would turn from your sin.

If you a Christian and you do not fear God, you should. I challenge you to examine your heart. Pray like the Psalmist and ask God to search your heart. Why do you not fear God? We are commanded to in Scripture. We have explored why you should fear God in this sermon. If you do not fear God, you should. As a Christian, the only way you can have true peace with God is to fear Him.

2. You Are Not Saved and Should Fear God.

Perhaps you are here and you are not saved. You have not surrendered your life to Christ. If this is you then you are under the condemnation of God. You should fear Him most of all. You have not come to God and begged forgiveness. Why have you waited? No one knows how long they will live? No one knows when God will demand your life from you.

You may this very day, this very moment be cast from this life into the next. Do not wait. Cry out to God for forgiveness. You do not know when your last breath will be. It could be this one. Will you waste this breath by not crying out to God? Will you waste this breath by not begging for forgiveness. The flames may now be opening to receive you. You must turn to Christ.

I pray that God opens your heart. I pray that you see how terrifying it is to be under the judgement of a holy God and that it motivates you to turn away from your sins and turn to Christ.

How? you may ask. Our Lord in this very passage has told us how we may be saved and escape the wrath of a Holy God.

Matthew 10:32-33

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.

Jesus says that everyone who acknowledges Him before men, will be saved. If you are here and you are crying out to God for salvation, follow the savior’s command. Are you willing to acknowledge the savior before men? Are you willing to cry out to Him for forgiveness and then acknowledge Him before men?

Communion:

Normally here, we gather around the Lord’s Table to take communion every other week. But as I was preparing for this week, I felt it would be a great comfort to us to take communion together this week.

This is a hard text. It is a challenging text. And I have labored to be faithful to the message of the Text. I have held nothing back. And I hope that the Holy Spirit has been challenging you, and shaking you. I hope that if you are here and are unsaved, that you would be saved today.

But because of the nature of this text, I want us to be comforted in the Gospel. Communion is an act reserved for Christians. Jesus commanded us to take the cup and the bread in remembrance of His death on the cross in our place. It is a physical reminder and spiritual act of us publicly confessing our faith in Him. This is the reason is it reserved for Christians. Only Christians can truly profess faith in Christ.

So for us it is an act of great peace and joy. It is a reminder of what Jesus did in our place. It reminds us of the joy of salvation that we have in His death on the cross.

So if you are here and you are crying out to God for salvation. He will hear your prayer. He will forgive you. He will cleanse you. If you are here and you feel God pulling on your heart, I would ask you to pray where you are. Call out to God. Ask Him to forgive you, to cleanse you. That prayer is not what saves you. God can save you. He alone can save you. For those already trusting in Christ, take a moment and pray as well. Pray that God would forgive your sins. Pray for those who may be lost today. Pray that God would give you a joy and a passion in the gospel. Then after we pray, I invite all of you who are trusting in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins to stand and come to receive the elements for communion. If you cried out to God today or years ago, you can come.

Communion:

Matthew 26:26-29 says

26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

Closing:

If you are here and you surrendered to Christ today, I challenge you to do two things. First, tell someone. We want to celebrate with you. We long to see people come to faith in Christ. This is a joyous thing! Second, get baptized. The first step of obedience to Christ after salvation is to be baptized.

If you are here and have not been baptized, come talk to me and we will get that done.

Closing Hymn:

Closing Benediction:

The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you all until we meet again. Amen.