Who We Are To Fear
Scripture: Matthew 10:28; Luke 12:4-5
In the previous lesson we wrapped up our study of hypocrisy and are now ready to consider the topic of fearing God and not people.
Lk 12:4 “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do, Mt 10:28 [because they] cannot kill the soul. Lk 12:5 But I will warn you whom to fear. Mt 10:28 Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body, Lk 12:5 who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!”
Jesus is addressing those who are listening to him as his friends and is describing to them how they should react when they encounter persecution. Looking back to Luke 11:47, Jesus spoke of the prophets who were killed for doing the work God sent them to do. In Luke 11:49, Jesus speaks of sending out prophets, some of who would be persecuted and even killed. In John 15:18-27 ESV, Jesus said: 18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” Then in Matthew 28:19 – 20 ESV, Jesus 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, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
As we go, like those in the past, we may be hated by those of the world and they may persecute us and kill some of us. We don’t see this here in the US because the world has so filtrated the church that it is no threat to the world, but in those countries where there is another major religion, the presence of Christianity is seen as an enemy to be eliminated or at least confined and controlled. This opposition can be very intense in various regions of the world. To these people, Jesus says, “Do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do because they cannot kill the soul.”
You might feel that being killed is pretty drastic and would be feared, but if you are born again and walking with the Lord, your death can be used by God as a powerful witness and you end up in heaven. Paul said, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21 ESV). Some say that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church, because where persecution exist, we find the growth of the church.
Our body is temporary; its purpose is to allow our soul to have expression here on earth and the opportunity to be born spiritually. Once our life span on earth is complete, out soul will either go to be with God in heaven for an eternity or to be separated from God and spend an eternity in hell. Those who persecute us have no power to harm the soul as their damage is limited to the physical body.
Jesus makes it very clear that we are not to fear man but to fear God because he has the power to destroy “both the soul and the body” and after the death of the body he “has the authority to cast into hell.” Because he has control over our final destination, not man, we are to fear him.
Conclusion
If you were to face persecution how would you respond? Would you see it as an honor to suffer for Jesus Christ or would you out of fear deny your faith because of fear of what man could do to you? Have you taken any time to study the life of those who are experiencing persecution to learn from them? What I have learned from them has given me a fresh insight into the meaning of many verses in scripture.
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