Matthew 10:26-31

Matthew 10:26-31
26 “Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 “What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops. 28 “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 “So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.

Fear can be one of our most helpful or most debilitating emotions.  Fear can protect us from danger and empower us to either fight of flee.  Fear can also prevent us from doing God’s will and paralyze us so we don’t even try to accomplish tasks we know need to be done.  This is a major factor in the lives of those God sends to His mission of reaching the nations with the Gospel.  Most of us fear the unknown and there are a lot of unknowns in the world of missions.  We fear the snakes in the jungles, the swords in the hands of terrorists and the sicknesses that abound in foreign lands.  Jesus has warned His disciples of the price they will pay for preaching the Gospel as they go out.  He wants to make sure that their fears are not paralyzing them in accomplishing His mission.  He gives them three reasons that they should not be controlled by sinful fear.

THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD: The evil men of this world would threaten, whip, imprison and force them to face kings and rulers.  Jesus tells them not to live in fear of these men because God will bring to light their deeds done in darkness.  God is the just Judge of the universe.  Believers may be condemned by a human court and be placed in prison or even killed as a criminal just like Jesus.  It may appear that these human authorities prosper, go unpunished and are out of control.  Jesus makes sure that we know that this illusion is completely false.  God knows about all that is going on and He will shine the light of His justice on this reality. Those who are condemned on earth for doing the will of God will be rewarded in heaven.  Those who were rewarded on earth for rebelling against the will of God will be condemned in hell.  When believers suffer it is easy for us to be under the impression that God has either lost control or doesn’t know about the reality of what is happening on earth.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  God is in control and He knows everything.  One day this will become crystal clear to everyone.  We must learn to live in light of that day and not the circumstances of this day.

THE POWER OF GOD: God’s power far exceeds the power of any man or authority on earth.  We are not to live with the fear of man that will paralyze us but live with the fear of the Lord that will empower us.  All men can do is torture or kill the body for the short time that we live on this planet.  They have no power or authority over our eternal souls.  They have temporary power for now but they are impotent when it comes to eternity.  God on the other had has power over both the body and the soul for all of eternity.  Men may throw us in prison or decapitate us; but God has the power to throw men into the eternal fires of hell.  It makes no sense to live in fear of men in light of God’s eternal power.  When we recognize the limits of man’s power and the expanse of God’s power we will have the courage to face any fear on earth with faith in the power of God.  Men are impotent when it comes to the soul and eternity; God is omnipotent over body and soul today, tomorrow and for evermore.

THE LOVE OF GOD: God’s love for His children is beyond our ability to imagine.  We are created in His image and are the highlight of all of creation.  Sparrows are relatively meaningless, they live, fly around and die without anyone noticing or really even caring.  We don’t cry when sparrows die or have sparrow graveyards.  We take no notice of their death.  But God does.  He sees each sparrow that falls and He cares.  Things that are completely insignificant to us God has complete knowledge about.  He knows how many hairs are on our head because He loves us, cares for us and is always aware of every detail about our lives.  When we love someone, we want to know everything about them.  God loves us so much and knows us so completely that He knows how many hairs are on our heads.  What He does with that information is beyond me but it sure is an amazing demonstration of love.  We are much more valuable in the eyes of God than flocks of sparrows.  We can rejoice and rest in His infinite love which should cast out all of our fears.


APPLICATION: Don’t allow fear to keep us from obeying the Word of God and being actively involved in the mission of God.  Rest in the assurance that no matter how much we might suffer at the hands of evil men, God knows and has the power to judge accordingly.  Remember the power of God is greater than any other power.  Rejoice in the truth that God knows us intimately and loves us intensely.  Allow the love of God to cast out all fear.

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