WHAT WE SHOULD BE AFRAID OF

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

"Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. All men will hate you because of Me, but He who stands firm to the end will be saved. When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.”

"A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!”

“So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 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. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Matthew 10:21-28

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In Chapter 10 of the gospel of Matthew, we have seen Jesus give His disciples a primer on evangelism, specifically instructing them on what they are to do and warning them as to what they can expect.

Up to today’s passage, one thing has become clear.

The coming of Jesus and His teaching disrupted the world He entered into. And life became far departed from business as usual.

In today’s scripture, Jesus tells us that even families would be shaken to the core because of Him with brother betraying brother to death…fathers betraying their children…and children rebelling against their parents, having them put to death. Because of Jesus, all men would hate the disciples.

So why would anyone want to sign up for work like that?

Because there was more at stake than just being liked or disliked…more on the line than life in the here and now.

For Jesus promised His disciples that anyone who stood “firm to the end” would be saved. For in Christ, life would not end in death but only begin eternally. And the salvation of those needing saved was well worth the danger encountered in trying to help them find that salvation.

Friends, this is the essence of what Jesus lived and died for. Jesus didn’t give up when things got hard. He didn’t quit when people hated Him. No, He carried on…moving from one place to another until His mission was complete. He expected the disciples to follow His lead…to model the ways of their Teacher and Master.

Yes, the world in the days of the disciples was a scary place. For as hard as Christ was working to save souls, Satan was working equally hard to ruin them…and he used whoever he could to make that happen.

But in the midst of situations that were harrowing, Jesus provided assurance saying, “…do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.” No matter how people might scheme against the disciples, their plots would be exposed.

No…the disciples were not to be afraid of man…for man could only kill the body and not the soul.

Instead, the disciples should be afraid of their Father who held the power to “destroy both soul and body in hell.” In other words, disobedience to God’s call would be far worse than anything that man could ever do.

So how about us today? How well are we responding as disciples commanded to share the gospel message of Jesus? Are we going out boldly, confident in the One who is sending us…the One who is ever with us…guiding, leading and speaking? Or do we refrain from our responsibility as disciples because we are afraid? And if we are afraid, what exactly are we afraid of?

Friends, the world is still a scary place to live. Families are still at odds internally for the cause of Christ. People still hate the disciples of Jesus, even enough to kill them. Satan still works hard to counter any of the Lord’s best efforts to win salvation for lost souls. Not a whole lot has changed.

But equally, Jesus still expects us to be unafraid of man…who can destroy the body but not the soul…and be afraid of God who can destroy body and soul in hell if we choose to not respond in obedience to the call of Christ to go forth and make disciples of all nations.

I don’t know about you but given a choice between damnation and salvation, I’m choosing salvation every time.

There’s much work to be done. Let’s get to it…unafraid.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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