July 12, 2014

No Fear!

5th Sunday after Pentecost, 7/13/14
Matthew 10:24-33


No Fear!
I. Of those who oppose your faith
II. Because your Lord knows all things
III. Even in the judgment


In the mid-1990s, it was common to see decals and stickers and clothing with the words “No Fear” on them. Since I’m rarely informed about the latest fads or trends, it escaped me what this “No Fear” campaign was all about. Do you recall it? I remember thinking it was rather arrogant for someone to proclaim that they had no fear. I was certain if I got to know them well enough I would discover what their fears were.

For one reason or another I got to thinking about those words and their display a few days ago and wondered what had happened to it. Thanks to Wikipedia, I was able to find out in a matter of minutes.

“No Fear” was an American lifestyle clothing brand created in 1989. The shirts encouraged participation in extreme sports and living life on the edge. It discouraged laziness, taking the easy way, conforming to social norms. Lately the company has been distributing No Fear Energy drinks.

“No Fear.” It sounds good in theory, but in reality it’s not even close to being true. The truth is our lives are filled with fears from little on. We fear the monster under our bed. Fears fly all around at and right at us during our days in school from elementary to graduate. We have fears about our employment, our families, our children, our health and our finances. That’s reality for us. That’s life. Fears from womb to tomb.

But then we listen to the words of Jesus this morning and no less than three times in these verses from Matthew he clearly tells us, “Don’t be afraid.” Is he kidding?

Hardly. In fact, he’s dead serious. Jesus spoke these words to his twelve disciples as he sent them out on a short mission trip. He wanted intrepid disciples as he sent them out into the world.

He wants the same for you and me as we live our lives as his people in our evil world. No fear! That’s his encouragement for us this morning. May his words fill us confidence and strength!

Part I.

I would imagine if you aren’t familiar with the No Fear lifestyle products, you do recall FDR’s famous quote, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” I don’t know how much his words kept fear at bay from US citizens at the time he spoke them, but as the Great Depression deepened and countless Americans joined the ranks of the unemployed and destitute, I’m sure fear gripped the hearts of almost every one of them. How could it not? Their entire way of life was facing a very real threat.

As Jesus sent his disciples out, they, too, faced a very real threat. The very same one that Jesus faced. Everywhere Jesus turned he faced opposition. The Pharisees, Sadducees and teachers of the law led the way. There were the religious leaders of the day for the Jewish people. They should have been leading people to Jesus as the promised Messiah. Instead, they grabbed every opportunity to discredit and undermine him. And while at first the common people were thrilled with Jesus and his miracles, they soon turned against him when he wouldn’t be their bread king. There was a point in his ministry when his own mother and siblings opposed him! He told his disciples in effect, “If they called me Satan, they’ll do the same to you.”

His encouragement was this, “So do not be afraid of them. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” Jesus had taught his truths to his disciples privately. Now they were to proclaim them publicly with boldness.

And look what ultimately happened. His enemies opposed him all the way to death on the cross. It didn’t matter how many rules and commandments they had to break to get him there. Their thirst for his blood was only quenched when he gave up his spirit and died. They thought they had won. But they were wrong. In reality they had accomplished nothing for their cause.

In reality they had unwittingly carried out God’s plan of salvation. By his death on Calvary’s cross we are saved. This enemies gained nothing; we gain everything! Praise God for the saving irony!

So why be afraid? No fear! No fear of those who oppose your faith.

But we are afraid at times. We’re afraid that if we speak up and declare God’s truth to a friend, we’ll damage our relationship. We’re afraid that if we let others know what we believe, we’ll face ridicule. It’s so much easier just to blend in. Lord, forgive us when we succumb to fear! Let the power of your cross wash us clean. Let the power of your resurrection fill us as we face every attack—small and great—on our faith in you. No fear!

Part II.

Wouldn’t you like to know what’s going to happen in your life in the next months and years? I’m sure you think that way every day. You just wish you knew how this situation you’re in will turn out. Wouldn’t it be great to know all things, even the things in the future?

Be careful what you wish for. Think of all the things that have happened in your life that you simply had to deal with once they happened. You didn’t have the added burden of knowing they were coming. What a burden knowing they were coming but being unable to avert or control them!

Thank your God that your Savior doesn’t have that problem. He knows all things and he has the power to avert, control and use all things for his plans. So, no fear! That’s exactly what he shared with his disciples on this day in our text. “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Jesus knows about the smallest details in our world. Nothing occurs without his knowledge. So there’s never reason to think that he’s unaware of whatever difficulty we’re facing, especially when it involves our faith.

So won’t he, then, use that knowledge in directing us in the most important aspect of our lives—living and sharing our faith? Of course he will! Living and sharing our Christian faith are the most important things to him for us. He wants nothing to get in the way of our walk with him. He only wants to draw us closer to him each day until that day when he calls us home to him.

So, no fear! No fear because your Lord knows all things.

He knows exactly what opposition we’ll face in following him and in encouraging others to join us. But he wants us to trust that he’ll work it all out for us. But that’s not easy for us to do. We fail. We worry. We get discouraged. We wallow in self-pity. We give up. Because Jesus knows all things, Jesus knows that, too. In fact, he knew it in the days and hours before he walked to Calvary’s cross for us. He knew we’d fail him. But he went to the cross anyway. In fact, that’s why he went to the cross—to win our forgiveness and to redeem us as his own for time and for eternity. No fear!

If you were having a conversation with someone for the first time, what’s the most important thing you would want them to know about you? Is it what you do or what you did for a living? Is it where you received your training or degree? Is it the names of your children or what your hobbies are? Is it where you are from and the places where you have lived?

Part III.

What’s the most important thing? Well, sitting in a comfortable pew inside this sanctuary in worship this morning, I hope you would easily answer, “I would want them to know I’m a Christian. I would want them to know that I confess Jesus as my Savior.” Bingo!

Jesus says it like this in our text, “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.” Do you confess Jesus as your Savior from sin? We just did moments ago in the Nicene Creed. We do it in our hymns and prayers. We do it when we let others know how important our Christian faith is to us.

And then we have the divine assurance that Jesus does the same about us. He says right now, “You are mine.” That’s what your baptism was all about. By the power of his resurrection, Jesus used your baptism to bring you into his saving kingdom and call you his own. So, no fear! You belong to him.

And he’ll make that same confession about you on the next great day in history—Judgment Day. You don’t have to worry what Jesus will say to you. You don’t have to live in the fear of not knowing where you stand with Jesus. You don’t have to agonize over the prospect of something happening and messing up eternity for you. Jesus will say to you before all the world on the Last Day, “You are mine. Come, inherit the kingdom that I prepared for you.” In the final analysis, isn’t that the only thing that matters? So, no fear! No fear even in the judgment.

Have you ever dropped into your favorite chair in physical exhaustion and mental and emotional anguish and said, “I just wish everything would turn out for me. I wish someone would make it all turn out OK.” Wish granted! Wish granted by none other than Jesus himself. Really, what else matters in this life as long as you hear Jesus say, “You’re mine,” on the Last Day? That’s his promise to you. So live like it. Keep the main thing the main thing. Let go of everything that stands in the way of your relationship with Christ. Drop your worries and concerns. Stop complaining. Live in the joy and contentment of knowing your eternity is secure. No fear! None whatsoever. That’s not arrogance. That’s divine assurance. Amen.