Matthew 10:24-31: Do not Fear
Matthew 2023 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Introduction
Matthew 10:24-31
I was in high school the first time I felt the least bit of pushback on my beliefs.
And let me tell you, it really was the LEAST amount possible and I brought a lot of it on myself.
I was obnoxious and really one of the worst representatives for Christ, but as soon as I felt resistance to me and what I was saying, it brought a sort of fear to my soul. What if I become a social reject? What if no one wants to be my friend anymore?
To a highschooler this was a big deal.
Eventually, I stopped talking about my faith (and to be honest it wasn’t really my faith, it was my parent’s faith that I was parroting back).
By my junior year of highschool I had quietly become an agnostic. Not ready to believe there is a God and not ready to believe there is no God.
I had more questions of the Bible than I had knowledge of it. And that led me to have doubts about its validity. Besides, the less seriously I took the Bible, the more acceptance I had with my peers.
My fear led to my apathy toward God.
Let’s read
Matthew 10:24–31 (ESV)
24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.
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.
855-256-1348 - Humana
855-256-1348 - Humana
There is a reason that one of the most prominent commands of the entire Bible is “do not fear”.
Fear grips us, and locks us up. It causes us to flee instead of standing firm. And for some of us, it causes us to lash out in sinful aggression because we are not strong enough to withstand the way fear attacks us.
So is it little wonder then, that Jesus,
So is it little wonder then, that Jesus,
in preparing to send his disciples out into the mission on their own,
after telling them what they are to do and say
and then telling them they will be arrested and dragged before rulers for doing so,
they will be beaten,
and they will be betrayed by their own family members to death
he then gives them the threefold command of “do not fear!”
I think, because the Bible is an ancient book and it has a lot of concepts that are foreign to us that we so often read it in a cold and removed fashion, but that’s not how we’re supposed to read it!
These are real people that Jesus is talking to! They have been following Jesus for a little while now, and as their master is preparing them for their work, he starts promising all these terrible things that will happen to them!
You have to imagine that, at least some of them, started to fear and question whether following this teacher was a smart decision!
Did any of them think about what would happen to their wives and children?
Did any of them think “what have I gotten myself into”?
Is this where Judas started doubting Jesus?
But then, Jesus offers something that I think is so reassuring. He says, that no servant is above their master. No disciple is above their teacher. What’s good for the master is good for the servant.
So why will Jesus’ followers face persecution?
So why will Jesus’ followers face persecution?
Because we are under Jesus and Jesus faced persecution
Because we are under Jesus and Jesus faced persecution
As disciples, we are followers of our teacher.
In the Jewish world, disciples were promising to devote their lives to their teacher - to follow and obey him.
They were servants of their master, as it says in verse 24.
Naturally, no disciple, then, is greater than their teacher.
It is honor enough to be just like their teacher!
So, if our teacher was despised and rejected, why do we expect better treatment?
Why is it that my first thought, the moment I faced the least amount of hatred because of Christ that I found myself deeply offended and angered?
Do we think we are worthy of more than he is?
As servants we are under our master, Christ! Our master has been cursed with the name Beelzebul - your Bible might say Beelzebub
Originally Beelzebub was a name for a hateful Canaanite god, but over time the Jews associated it with Satan since all forms of idolatry are forms of devil worship
So Jesus is saying that he has been called a servant of the devil! We can expect similar treatment!
I’ve actually been accused of this to some extent myself.
But we won’t get into that today.
We are not better than Jesus , so we should expect the same treatment! They despised our master, they will despise us!
And what better compliment, but for them to think that we are worthy of the same treatment as our teacher and savior Christ?
What a perspective shift this causes! If we look to Christ as our perfect teacher, mentor, master, king, and friend, then when people treat us poorly because of Christ then they are paying us the overwhelming compliment of saying that we look like him!
Christ in us is overflowing and causing the wickedness of the world to reject us because they recognize him! Isn’t that incredible?!
We look like Christ! What a compliment! Our perspective must change from thinking about persecution like it’s a bad thing to recognizing that persecution for the sake of Christ is a privilege! We are counted worthy to be treated like Christ!
It was this shift of perspective that caused the disciples to not only be willing to face persecution but to rejoice when it came!
In Acts 5, the disciples were out proclaiming Christ in the streets and they were arrested by the Jewish high priest, beaten, and told to stop proclaiming Christ! And what does it say in Acts 5:41?
Acts 5:41 (ESV)
41 They left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.
Can we say that we respond in a similar manner? If not, then we need to have a perspective shift.
Jesus’ commands then continue with:
3 Commands Not to Fear
3 Commands Not to Fear
1. A matter of time (26-27)
1. A matter of time (26-27)
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.
All will be revealed
All will be revealed
Do not be afraid to proclaim boldly and publicly the things that Jesus taught in private.
Do not be afraid to proclaim boldly and publicly the things that Jesus taught in private.
The “Markan Secret” is no longer a secret!
It is time for Jesus to be proclaimed to the world!
This carries an exciting and yet nervous air after what Jesus just said about how people will and have responded to him.
Persecution will come as Jesus becomes more and more known because the powers of darkness will be waging war against him and his people.
2. A matter of priorities (28)
2. A matter of priorities (28)
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.
Who do you fear most?
Who do you fear most?
Because ultimately our fear is going to determine our actions. Are we bold for Christ? Or are we more afraid of what humans will do to us if we are bold?
Who do you fear the most, God or man?
Because our fear of man will cause us to ignore the clear commands of God! Our fear of man will bind us up and keep us from being faithful to God! Our fear of man will
Do not fear those who can only hurt your body. Do not fear those who can ruin your life.
Fear the one who can destroy both your body AND your soul!
Now, I have heard this wrongly taught as being Satan, but that isn’t accurate. It is God who is both the Judge and the one who carries out His Judgement. He is the one who can destroy both your body and your soul because he is the one who made you! And He is the one who destroys sin!
Now, I have heard this wrongly taught as being Satan, but that isn’t accurate. It is God who is both the Judge and the one who carries out His Judgement. He is the one who can destroy both your body and your soul because he is the one who made you! And He is the one who destroys sin!
Hell is not simply the home of Satan! It is where he too faces the judgement of God!
Hell is not the absence of God as so many like to say, but it is instead being in the perfect holy presence of the just judge who destroys sin.
So, to the Christian,
So, to the Christian,
the true Christian who has believed Jesus and has been given a new regenerate heart!
Who is covered by the blood of Jesus!
The presence of God is a glorious promise! The promise of redemption, of being able to joyfully be in the presence of God!
To see his glory! To be able to worship him in all his majesty! It is the realization of the promise of adoption into the family of God!
But to the ones who are yet choosing sin over Christ
But to the ones who are yet choosing sin over Christ
Who would rather live life on their own behalf
Who ignore Christ’s commands,
choosing to set themselves up as kings or queens of their own lives, usurping their creator!
Who think that being a good person is good enough!
The presence of God is a terrible promise.
It is a promise that one day, your treason will come back onto your head and you will stand before the only one who has power to destroy both your body and your soul.
So where are your priorities?
So where are your priorities?
Who do you fear more? God? or Man?
Who do you fear more? God? or Man?
Now, if Jesus stopped there, we would feel nothing other than fear when we think of God, but the Father is not some arbitrary tyrant god who will determine how many people’s bodies and souls he will destroy that day based on his mood when he wakes up in the morning.
NO! Jesus gives the third and final “do not fear” command because it is a matter of God’s care for his creation.
3. A matter of care (29-31)
3. A matter of care (29-31)
Think about sparrows
Think about sparrows
They are sold two for a penny
They are sold two for a penny
So then, are they worth much?
So then, are they worth much?
Not really!
These are creatures with very little value! They were the poor man’s meat!
These are creatures with very little value! They were the poor man’s meat!
And yet, the Father is not too busy for them!
He knows each one and none of them ever die without the knowledge and will of God!
“But even the hairs of your head are all numbered” (30)
“But even the hairs of your head are all numbered” (30)
God cares for you more than you care for yourself!
God cares for you more than you care for yourself!
He knows all of the hairs of your head!
He knows all of the hairs of your head!
For some of us, that number is getting increasingly smaller,
but that doesn’t change the amount of his care!
Jesus tells his followers not to fear because they are immeasurably cared for by their Heavenly Father!
Jesus tells his followers not to fear because they are immeasurably cared for by their Heavenly Father!
All of his plans for his children are good and right
And if those plans include the loss of our civic rights, the tearing of our flesh, and the splitting of our families then they still are good and right!
Because my Father cares for me more than I care for myself! He wants my soul to know true life and he has promised that if I faithfully endure to the day when my body is killed he will keep my soul living on!
And on the final day when Christ returns, both my soul and my body will know life everlasting.
He will not abandon me to death and the grave and I will stand bodily in the presence of God freely worshipping him for his faithfulness!
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.
In this passage then, Jesus gives his followers 4 reasons not to fear when they are faced with persecution.
In this passage then, Jesus gives his followers 4 reasons not to fear when they are faced with persecution.
1. As disciples, they are to be like their Master and so should expect persecution and not be surprised by it (vv. 24–25).
1. As disciples, they are to be like their Master and so should expect persecution and not be surprised by it (vv. 24–25).
2. The time is coming when everything will be disclosed, so God’s servants must boldly proclaim what Jesus has taught them (vv. 26–27).
2. The time is coming when everything will be disclosed, so God’s servants must boldly proclaim what Jesus has taught them (vv. 26–27).
3. Those who can only kill the body are not worth fear;
3. Those who can only kill the body are not worth fear;
Save your fear for the one who is Judge at the final judgment (v. 28).
Save your fear for the one who is Judge at the final judgment (v. 28).
4. God knows and cares about every part of his creation.
4. God knows and cares about every part of his creation.
Human beings are the most important of God’s creatures and he cares deeply for us. He will take care of his children (vv. 29–31).
Human beings are the most important of God’s creatures and he cares deeply for us. He will take care of his children (vv. 29–31).
God cares for his creatures and everything we face. We can rest fearless in him, following his commands because we know that he is in control and he loves us.
Hear again, the last verse of the song we just sang Whate’er My God Ordains is Right
Whate'er my God ordains is right
Here shall my stand be taken
Though sorrow, need, or death be mine
Yet I am not forsaken
My Father's care is 'round me there
He holds me that I shall not fall
And so to Him, I leave it all
And so to Him, I leave it all
Pray