Don't Fear "Them" (Matthew 10:26-33)

Moving Through Matthew  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
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26 “So have no fear of them,

1. Who are them? So have no fear of “them”
2. Review
a. Jesus is at the time of his ministry that he is raising up his disciples (people who are learning from him, to “go out” as apostles.
b. So as he is preparing them, he first tells them WHY his is sending them…

35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

c. WHY did he send them? Because there were so many that needed to know that the Kingdom of God was at hand. That the promised Messiah that the prophets spoke about was there now, in the person of Jesus Christ.
What the prophets spoke about:
· The messiah being born in Bethlehem (Micah 4:2)
· Being from the line of David (2 Samuel 7:12-13)
· As a baby he went to Egypt and came out of there (Hosea 11:1)
· He would be despised and rejected (Isaiah 53:3)
· HE would put an end to sin (Daniel 9:24)
All of these things they knew. The Jewish people at the time were awaiting a Messiah, and Jesus was telling them to go out, have compassion on them to tell them the the Kingdom of God was at hand.
That is WHY he sent them.
d. WHERE did he send them?

to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

At this time Jesus wanted them to concentrate on the Jewish people, God’s chosen people, from the time that he appeared to Abraham and told him that he would be the Father of a great nation. But, the time was coming that the gospel would be preached to the Gentiles as well. In some of his final words to his disciples before he went back top Heaven he said…

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

Paul told the Romans…

11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Salvation is available for everyone, it was simply God’s plan for the good news to go to the Jews first.
But aren’t you glad it also was given to the Gentiles?
So WHY did he send them? Because the needed to hear that the kingdom was at hand.
So WHERE did he send them? The lost sheep of Israel (Jewish people)
And HOW did he send them. One word. Simple. They were not to carry much with them and they were only to receive food that was offered to them. No gold or silver, no bag, or any other things. And Jesus even told them, that if a house does not receive them or listen to their words,

14 And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. 15 Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.

Why would Jesus say this, that Sodom and Gomorrah would be more bearable on the day of judgement? Because even though the people of Sodom and Gomorrah had great sin, the people that do not listen or do not receive, are not rejecting the apostles, they are rejecting Jesus Christ, the only one that has the power to save. Rejection of Jesus is the worst thing that someone could do.
a. But one more thing before we get to Matthew 10:26, Jesus told them that they would have trouble. Jesus said..

Beware of men

There will be opposition. There will be ones that try to shut you up. You could even be beaten or thrown in jail. And he said, because you are standing up for me, your family may even hate you.
But here is the good news…even in persecution, if your family would hate you, there is a reward…

22 and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved

Whatever you may face by following the will of God on your life, endure to the end, that is what will show that you are truly his.
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SO….. We started today at verse 26 of Chapter 10 of Matthew.

So have no fear of them,

I asked you WHO ARE THEM? We just passed through verse 16-25 and when Jesus said THEM, he is pointing to those who may persecute you.
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26 “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.

When you choose to mask a stand for Jesus, when you choose to do the right thing. When you choose not to take something that is not yours, or you choose to walk away from gossip and not be apart of it… people may laugh at you, you may lose a friend, but when you stand up and live the way God wants you to live, he sees that. And when Jesus says that nothing is covered that will not be revealed or hidden and will not be known… he is reminding us that even though the world does not understand now, they will one day. When you set yourself apart from what the world says is ok, they may not see it now, but one day, maybe even after you die, it will be revealed and known that you wanted to live like Christ.
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27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.

This conversation with his apostles was in a closed group. It was only them. 13 people, gathered together and being given instruction by one: Jesus. So Jesus is saying that even though we gave gathered here in a small group, away from everyone else…what I am telling you…take to the masses of people. Even shout it from the rooftops. In those days the roofs on top of the houses were flat, and when there was news to be given to the village or town, sometimes they would go to the tallest house and proclaim the news. What Jesus was giving them to say, was the greatest news ever, and he is giving them instruction to proclaim loud and tell as many as you can.
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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.

Now for the second time in three verses he says do not fear them. This time he says do not fear those who can kill the body, but not the soul. This person who can kill the body but not the soul is man, humans. A man could walk in here today and while I am preaching, shoot me dead. Has he killed my body? Yes. But has he killed my soul? No. Anyone who comes against the follower of Jesus Christ can only kill the body. They cannot touch the soul. Death of the body is so small compared to the death of the soul. The body, if it is healthy may live to be 75 or 80, but the soul is eternal.
Paul wrote…

21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

We need to get our eyes off of the present. The temporary. Our hope is not now. Our hope is in the eternal. Our hope is when you die. Think about that. For the follower of Jesus Christ, death on earth is good! I know that is hard to hear and even to agree with, but our hope in finally revealed the moment we leave this place.
So Jesus says don’t fear those that may take the body because they cannot take the soul. BUT, he does says who we should fear…the one that would destroy the soul and the body in hell. Who has the power to do that? God.
Why would God do that? I thought God loved people. I thought he sent his son for people. I thought he allowed his Son to die on a cross for the people of the world. Then why would he have the power to kill the body and the soul in hell? Because those are the ones that rejected his Son Jesus. Those are the ones that have turned away from him. Those are the ones that will be treated worse than those that were in Sodom and Gomorrah. When their life is over, these are the words they will hear from God...

Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

If you are going to fear someone, you need to fear God, because he was the power to kill your body and soul, when you reject him and don’t follow him.
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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.

Everything that happens, that has ever happened, and ever will happen. God knows about it. Nothing surprises him. Covid & the pandemic did not surprise him. The rain does not surprise him, Boko Haram, the Fulani, and even false preachers do not surprise him. Why? Because he is all knowing, he created everything, and everything exist only because he allows it.
King Nebuchadnezzar was a wicked king in the time of Daniel the prophet, and at the end of his life he said these words:
English Standard Version (Chapter 4)
34 At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation;
35 all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?”
Even this wicked King who put Daniel in the Lion’s Den and tried to burn Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace, proclaimed with his own mouth the greatness, the holiness of our God.
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We worship an all-knowing God. He is Omniscient.
We worship an all-powerful God. He is Omnipotent.
And we worship an all-present God. He is Omnipresent.
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Then the last two verses we will see here, remind us of how true and faithful we are to Him

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.

I want you to see the difference in the two words that are used: acknowledge (confess) and deny.
For example don’t think of this act of acknowledging or confessing as a one-time thing.
Now in the Bible, we know the word confess from what Paul told those people in Rome. He said:

if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

In this Scripture, Paul is saying that this is the path to salvation. You confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord…that is the beginning of coming to salvation. But as Jesus is speaking here in Matthew 10, when he uses the word “acknowledge” or “confess,” he doesn’t mean that you only do this once…it is an ongoing acknowledgement and confession before people. In other words, no one should ever wonder if you are a Christian, they should know, because they will know by the life you live.
So if this is the life you live, one of acknowledging him and confessing him, then he will do the same for you before God. But, Jesus says..

33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

There are many people today who do not acknowledge Jesus as Savior and Lord. Many people who one time said a prayer because they wanted to go to heaven, but really, they are not living a life of acknowledgment and confession before men. They may not deny with their mouth but they are denying by not acknowledging or confessing before men.
What about you? Where do you fit into those last few verses..
Do you acknowledge or confess him before men, or do you deny him.
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In Acts 4, Peter & John were taken before the religious council because they had healed a man. They told them to stop. To shut up, and not speak of Jesus. What did Peter and John say?
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But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”

That is what it means to acknowledge, confess, and not deny.
How is your life? Are you actively acknowledging and confess him…or are you living with a life of denial?
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