Fear that brings God glory

Mt 10:17-27 - Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 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. “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.

This prophecy of their future suffering is finished with three ‘Do Not Fear’ commands, the first one which is today. The question might be asked what causes fear and Jesus answers that: First, he commands them not to be anxious over what they will say when they are delivered up to the governors and kings. The Spirit will give them the words. Second, don’t be anxious that you will be delivered by your family and that you will be hated because those who endure will be saved. Third, they will persecute you and lastly they will malign you. Not encouraging words by any mean. But, at the end of these prophecies that did come true, are the bedrock of peace and joy, which is “have no fear!” There are two ways to look at it: These things are going to happen, so don’t worry. And when they happen don’t fear. I am in control and this is according to my plan. The world will soon be responsible for the words that I have shared with you. You will be my witnesses and it will involve suffering. But, don’t fear, for I am in control.

Ps 96:4-6 - For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary.

There is no need to fear persecution or people or governors or kings. God is to be feared above all, because He is the creator who made all, the powerful one who is above all, and the glorious one who is to be honored above all. Fear of man strips him of His glory. The fear of Him honors him in his glory. Even in the worst situation, do not fear, but Fear God alone.

Faith or being afraid? How the right fear changes the end result...

Mt 8:23-27 - And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

Where God commands the Israelites to not fear, Jesus asks the question, “Why are you afraid?” The obvious answer would be the winds and the rain and we are going to die. Jesus then does as God did throughout the whole old testament, do a miracle that gave the disciples some perspective about the sovereignty and power of God. The answer to why are they afraid is that they have little faith. We are afraid when we are not in control and someone greater is not in control. We are afraid when what we value is threatened. Therefore, being a afraid is merely an alarm to remind us that we are not in control and we need to have faith that God is in control. We must cry out like the apostles in Lk 17:5 - The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

Ps 33:17-20 - A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.

This is a perfect complimentary verse in that it shows how useless man’s help is but also how helpful God’s help when He is our hope and we fear Him only. He will deliver from death and keep us alive in famine. We wait in hope of the Lord and He is our help and our shield. We must trust in Him only as the antidote of being afraid so that God can work in us t accomplish all that He wants through our lives.

God is God in all our fears

Mt 2:19-23 - But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled: “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

This is an interesting account of Joseph fearing and God confirming that fear by appearing again in yet another dream and sending him somewhere else. And though this verse does not say necessarily, do not fear, it gives us confidence that in our fears, God can either confirm them or reject them. Obviously, Joseph has been communicated to very clearly over the past few months in regards to this baby Jesus. And so he has to feel that His life really isn’t his own and that their was a divine presence guiding his life for the purpose of the little baby. This is a great example of how we should view the hand of God in our lives. Though God may not speak as clearly as He does to Joseph, we should still have that same sense that God is very much in the middle of all our dealings.

Ps 25:12 - Who, then, is the man that fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him.

It was Joseph’s fear of God that enabled him to be instructed. When we don’t fear God, either our pride or our fear will control us. When we fear God and God only, we are able to be instructed. And like Joseph, our fears will be confirmed or rejected in light of our perspective of God in that moment. The more we fear God, the less we will fear life because we understand the power and sovereignty of God in any and every situation.

Fear that involves risk

Mt 1:18-25 - Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

I love Joseph’s obedience here. In what will become a scandalous, embarrassing event in the life of both Joseph and Mary, he obeys God and takes his wife. It cost him his reputation, his pride and control. The thing that God commanded that would sustain him through all of this was “Do Not Fear!” Do not fear what people think of you, do not fear what do to you and do not fear not knowing what will come next. I am in control.

Ps 2:11-12 - Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

I really think this verse describes Joseph. He served the Lord with fear and obeyed him without question. And literally, in his obedience of the Father, he kissed the Son. It is so crazy to think that the one whom he step-fathered is the on who he would take refuge in. May we follow God by fearing only Him that we may kiss the son and fear not the scandalous, reputation-hitting things that our decisions may endure.

The joy of fearing God

Zep 3:12-13 - But I will leave in your midst a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord, those who are left in Israel; they shall do no injustice and speak no lies, nor shall there be found in their mouth a deceitful tongue. For they shall graze and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.”

The prophecy of future peace assumes God’s sovereign rule. IF he can predict future peace by organizing events, he certainly can provide peace in the now. God is in control of all events for all time for His glorious purposes. Though mountains may shake and troubles may come, the doubts and fears that seem to barrage us are powerless to the great and mighty King who rules over everything.

Ps 85:8-9 - Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints; but let them not turn back to folly. Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land.

God saving us is for His glory. The conduit of this occurring is rightfully fearing Him. He speaks peace to his people but we must not return to folly, the foolishness of fearing and trusting other idols to deliver or bring peace and satisfaction. Thank you Lord for providing for us the joy of being obedient to you.

A story of fear

Jonah 1:5-16 - Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.” And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.” Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. Therefore they called out to the Lord, “O Lord, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.” So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.

This is a long passage today but it really captures fear in many different extremes. The sailors feared the waves and the sea. They feared for their lives and called out to their gods to no avail. Jonah was sleeping and it showed that even though he was running away from God, he also was able to sleep knowing that God was in control. It is ironic that Jonah said he feared the Lord when if he truly feared him would have obeyed him. But when the casted lot confirmed the reason for the tempest, Jonah was thrown overboard and the ocean calmed down. The men feared the Lord exceedingly. Story is often a greater teacher, and in this story we see depicted the power of fearing God and nature. God once again shows that He is above all nature, powers and dominions. There is nothing to fear God but God Himself. May our fear lead to true obedience and heart felt worship.

The proper perspective of fear

Am 3:3-8 - “Do two walk together, unless they have agreed to meet? Does a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey? Does a young lion cry out from his den, if he has taken nothing? Does a bird fall in a snare on the earth, when there is no trap for it? Does a snare spring up from the ground, when it has taken nothing? Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid? Does disaster come to a city, unless the Lord has done it? “For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets. The lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken; who can but prophesy?”

The sovereignty and power of the Lord almighty scream through on this page. Though it is difficult to fully understand, nothing happens outside of God’s divine control. And because of that we must fear, not the current events, but the one who is in control of the events, working them through according to His divine plan. We are to fear the lion of Judah and we will not fear the daily events. Praise God for his goodness and His love for us.