Title: Why Are You Afraid?
Contents
♡♥♡ Why are you afraid? / Matthew 10:24-33
***Introduction
Are there people, circumstances, or things in your life that frighten you? If so, how do you overcome that fear?
Among the past presidents of the United States, Lincoln is considered a man of faith. There is a Bible that he loved while he was alive, and there are places in the Bible where his hands were stained so as to leave fingerprints. That verse is Psalm 34:4. “I asked the Lord, and he will answer me, and he will deliver me from all my fears.”
In the midst of the Civil War and the hardships of his life, President Lincoln lived with the confidence that God would surely answer him and the hope that he would deliver him from all fears.
Almost everyone in the world lives with fear. The world we live in is full of things that frighten us. I'd rather have to say that there are fewer things to be reassured of. We have many fears, from small everyday fears to fears of mistakes or failures, fears of health or death, fears of pollution and habitation, and vague fears. Among them, the unpredictability of the future is probably the biggest fear for humans.
Because of this fear, modern people suffer from 'mental illness', and sometimes even escape in the extreme way of 'death'. As such, fear represents human weakness, and this makes people rely on absolute existence. So people depend on wealth, power, and power in the world, and furthermore, they depend on God, an absolute being. In other words, human religious inclination begins with ‘fear’.
Because fear is so closely related to people's lives, God also speaks to us throughout the Bible. In other words, the only way to overcome fear is to rely on God. Let's look at Isaiah 41:10. “Don’t be afraid. I am with you. Don't be surprised. For I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will really help you. yea, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” In John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. What I give to you is not as the world gives. Let not your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid.”
The Lord speaks about the things we should not fear in the lives of the saints through the text of this hour. And He speaks of the only being that the saints should fear. I hope you will gain bold faith through these words.
First, why are you afraid?
The number one cause of fear is ‘sin’. The first man God created had no fear. Adam and Eve walked in the garden with God in the evening, but they had no fear. This is because they did not know sin, and there was no sin itself.
Then, after the first people broke the covenant with God and sinned, they hid in fear of God. Hearing God's voice looking for them, he answered, "I heard the voice of God in the garden, and I was afraid and hid because I was naked."
Another cause of fear is ‘distrust’. A heart that does not believe that God is with you, a heart that does not believe in God's power causes fear. In Matthew 14:31, Jesus said as he was walking on the water and while he was falling, he reached out his hand to Peter who was afraid. “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Also, in Mark 4:40, the disciples who met the storm and trembled with fear, “Why are you so afraid? How can you have no faith?”
Therefore, when fear comes into our lives, we must examine our own sinfulness and the state of our faith before God.
Next, what not to be afraid of?
1) Don't be afraid of hardship.
Jesus healed a man possessed by a demon. When the Pharisees saw this, they laughed, saying, “Jesus is casting out demons by the power of Beelzebul, the king of demons.” In other words, it is a ridicule that Jesus was also possessed by demons (Matthew 9:32-34, 12:22-24).
When Jesus told this story to his disciples, he said, “Your teacher and master are persecuting me, calling me the king of demons, and it will be even worse for you.” When the teacher is suffering, how can the disciple avoid suffering, and when the master suffers, how can the slave be at peace?
But there is no need to fear these hardships. Because, see verse 26. “Therefore, do not be afraid of them. There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known.” In other words, even if the truth is hidden now, and the wicked prevail and permeate, the righteousness and unrighteousness of man will always be revealed in God's judgment. Therefore, even if Christians are misunderstood and suffer now, their truth and efforts will be revealed in due time. 1 Corinthians 4:5 says, “Therefore, judge nothing before the time, until the coming of the Lord. He will bring to light the things hidden in darkness, and the will of the heart will be revealed, and then each will receive praise from God.” Galatians 6:9 says, “Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not grow weary.”
Verse 27 means to preach the words and teachings that Jesus taught to his disciples with boldness and fearlessness. While we are living as God's people in the world, even if there are sometimes suffering and difficulties due to misunderstanding, mistrust, persecution, and circumstances, let's not be afraid and boldly keep our faith. God is still alive today and He is with us.
2) Don't be afraid of people.
Let's look at verse 28. “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul… ” he said. The scariest thing in the world is people. But the truth is, the scariest person is not the heinous killer, but himself. Not being able to trust yourself is what makes everyone afraid. To trust in yourself is to believe that ‘I am a person with God, the Creator and the Lord of power.’
And another reason Jesus said not to be afraid of people is that people do not have the authority to kill and make alive. All creatures can only control the life of the flesh. This can only be done with God's permission. Jesus spoke of the life of a little sparrow as an example. He said that two sparrows are so small that they can be sold for one assarion (1/16 denarii. If you look at 40,000 won for a one-day wage, it's about 2500 won), but God said that their lives can only be killed if God declines. In Luke 12, it is said that five sparrows are sold for two assarions. So, it says that if you buy four, you can get one as a bonus.
Gentlemen, do not envy or be afraid of those who practice injustice, those who believe in the world's wealth and glory, power and power. Rather, they are just those who have given up for the people of our God. Rely on God, the Lord of life, and be bold. Even if it is Satan, he will only withdraw from the saints who are moving forward with bold faith. 1 John 5:18 says, “We know that everyone who is born of God does not sin. He who is born of God keeps him, and the evil one cannot touch him.” Deuteronomy 31:6 tells Joshua, “Be strong and courageous. don't be afraid of them Do not tremble before them. For the LORD your God he will walk with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you.”
3) Don't be afraid of death.
God is the master of all life in this world. Do you believe this? If you believe this, whose authority is your own life? Of course it is with God. God made a promise to Jacob. Genesis 28:15. “I am with you, I will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
Man fears death because he has no hope of eternal life. So, people take herbal medicines to live a little longer, and look for sulphur. Or, ‘Let’s enjoy life to die anyway.’ It will be the end of life. Looking at our society these days, it seems that there are too many lives that are like this. There is only one way to overcome the fear of death and to achieve a sincere life. We are convinced that our life and death, our blessings and our curses, all belong to God.
Finally, who do we really need to fear?
In the second half of verse 28, “… But fear him who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell.”
It is God, the Creator, that the creatures of the whole universe should truly fear. God is the only one in control of life and death, blessings and woes in all creation. Listen to God's declaration in Deuteronomy 30:19-20. “Today I am calling heaven and earth to testify against you. I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses; choose life that you and your descendants may live, and love the LORD your God and obey his words and obey him. He is your life and your longevity; and you will dwell in the land the LORD swore to give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
“Johanan” of Judea is the story of a rabbi. When the rabbi was ill, his disciple went to visit him. Then suddenly the rabbi began to weep. Then the disciple asked. “Rabbi, pillar of Israel, why are you weeping?” ' He answered, "If I were brought before the king of men, the king's wrath against me will not last forever, and the king's imprisonment will not last forever. Even if the king puts me to death, that death is not eternal. Also, I can persuade the king with words and buy with money. But when I am brought before the LORD of hosts, if God is angry, his wrath is eternal. And if God brings death to me, that death is eternal; how can I not weep?” Said.
Those who fear God do not fear the world. What can stop a person who is ready to die and works? God also gives grace to the saints who come like this. 2 Chronicles 16:9. “The eyes of the Lord go through all the earth, to show power for those whose heart is devoted to him… I pray that you will not be afraid of the world like this, but go to God with reverence and all your heart, and become the Lord's warriors who overcome the world.