There Is Nothing To Fear But Fear Itself.
Matthew 10
Sermon by Pastor Dennis Gleason - July 6, 2003
On March 4, 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt told Americans "We have nothing to fear, but fear itself.” It was to be his first of four inaugural speeches. The nation and much of the world was in the grip of the Great Depression.
Another President following the traumatic events of the attacks of September 11, 2002 had this to say to us: "We refuse to live in fear." George W. Bush had that to say to us on October 7, 2002.
For a definition of the word fear, we go to the World Book Dictionary by Thorndike and Barnhardt:
fear: “1 the emotion or condition of being afraid; feeling that danger or evil is near; 2 cause for being afraid; danger; 3 an uneasy feeling; anxious thought; concern”
There seem to be no end of things of which we can be afraid. I found this list as I was preparing for today’s sermon:
Peladophobia: fear of baldness and bald people.
Aerophobia: fear of drafts.
Porphyrophobia: fear of the color purple.
Chaetophobia: fear of hairy people.
Levophobia: fear of objects on the left side of the body.
Dextrophobia: fear of objects on the right side of the body.
Auroraphobia: fear of the northern lights.
Calyprophobia: fear of obscure meanings.
Thalassophobia: fear of being seated.
Stabisbasiphobia: fear of standing and walking.
Odontophobia: fear of teeth.
Graphophobia: fear of writing in public.
Phobophobia: fear of being afraid.
In Matthew 10 Jesus called his disciples together. His intention was to send them out as his witnesses to the people of Israel. This would be the very first time they went out on their own representing him with the message that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand.
5Jesus sent the twelve disciples out with these instructions: “Don’t go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans, 6but only to the people of Israel—God’s lost sheep. 7Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. 8Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!
9“Don’t take any money with you. 10Don’t carry a traveler’s bag with an extra coat and sandals or even a walking stick. Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve to be fed. 11Whenever you enter a city or village, search for a worthy man and stay in his home until you leave for the next town. 12When you are invited into someone’s home, give it your blessing. 13If it turns out to be a worthy home, let your blessing stand; if it is not, take back the blessing. 14If a village doesn’t welcome you or listen to you, shake off the dust of that place from your feet as you leave. 15I assure you, the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah will be better off on the judgment day than that place will be.
16“Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. Be as wary as snakes and harmless as doves. 17But beware! For you will be handed over to the courts and beaten in the synagogues. 18And you must stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. This will be your opportunity to tell them about me—yes, to witness to the world. 19When you are arrested, don’t worry about what to say in your defense, because you will be given the right words at the right time. 20For it won’t be you doing the talking—it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
21“Brother will betray brother to death, fathers will betray their own children, and children will rise against their parents and cause them to be killed. 22And everyone will hate you because of your allegiance to me. But those who endure to the end will be saved. 23When you are persecuted in one town, flee to the next. I assure you that I, the Son of Man, will return before you have reached all the towns of Israel.
24“A student is not greater than the teacher. A servant is not greater than the master. 25The student shares the teacher’s fate. The servant shares the master’s fate. And since I, the master of the household, have been called the prince of demons, how much more will it happen to you, the members of the household! 26But don’t be afraid of those who threaten you. For the time is coming when everything will be revealed; all that is secret will be made public. 27What I tell you now in the darkness, shout abroad when daybreak comes. What I whisper in your ears, shout from the housetops for all to hear!
28“Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill you. They can only kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29Not even a sparrow, worth only half a penny, can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. 30And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. 31So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows.
The 12 disciples are now to become active agents in the advancement of the Kingdom of God. They have spent some time in the company of Jesus witnessing his miraculous works and listening to him as he spoke about the nature of the Kingdom of God. He has taught them how to pray and how to live their lives in a manner that would please God.
It is time, “to take the show on the road” so to speak!
One can imagine that the purpose for sending them out is as much for their benefit as it is to be for those whose lives will be touched by their ministry. Obviously, Jesus intends for them to meet the needs of the people of Israel and to gain experience.
Jesus views the people of Israel as “sheep without a shepherd to care for them. He desires that all would know that the Good Shepherd has come to care for the lost sheep of the House of Israel. His coming is Good News! And the multitudes are ready enough to welcome the good news he and his disciples bring.
As we consider this passage, the application in our own witness of the principles behind Jesus’ instructions is important.
As he prepared them to go out, he gave them these instructions:
Go: Jesus is always sending someone somewhere because he has compassion for the lost.
1. Go to Israel only…do not go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans (a mixture of Jew& Gentile heritage)
2. Announce to them: The Kingdom of God is at hand. It is near!
3. Minister to their needs:
a. Heal the sick
b. Raise the dead
c. Cure those with leprosy
d. Cast out demons
e. Give to them as freely as you have received
They have been given unlimited power for healing the needs of the people they would encounter.
It is the power of Jesus himself that will be in operation as they go and minister to the needs of the people. However, their message was limited to the good news that the “Kingdom of God was at hand.” This was essentially all they knew themselves. They did not yet understand the message of the cross and they really didn’t understand the true nature of the Kingdom of God. They viewed it as a kingdom on earth and not as the Kingdom of Heaven. They were looking for the restoration of the kingdom of Israel and being able to rule themselves again; just like the rest of Israel. That notion will change with time and with instruction, but now that is where they are in their understanding. For these reasons, their message is limited.
Care Not: Jesus expects his people to go out in faith, believing that God will provide for them. The Apostle Paul tells us quite clearly: “We walk by faith and not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7
As they went out, they were not to take any money.
Seems highly unlikely that they would have thought of that one.
They were not to take a traveler’s bag with an extra coat and sandals or even a walking stick.
The message is that they were totally dependant upon God to provide for them.
They also needed to know that God has people who honor him, who believe in him everywhere. Even in the midst of an unfaithful generation of people in Israel, there were still those who believed in God and were awaiting the coming of the Messiah. Because of that, as they went there were not to hesitate to accept hospitality when it was offered to them.
They were to search for a worthy man to stay with as they traveled around Israel. Jesus’ implication was that they would find those who were worthy, who would bless them by offering them a place to stay and by providing for their needs. When they found such people, they were to give them a blessing.
As you think about the disciples at this stage of their discipleship, note that they never experience the anger or hatred of those who are opposed to Jesus. The focus is always on Jesus and not on them. It is almost as if they get a pass during the days of controversy. No one criticizes them…it is always Jesus who receives it!
That will change of course when Jesus is gone. Quite soon, after he ascends to Heaven and after the events of the Day of Pentecost the focus will turn to them. They will begin to be persecuted and hated. They will begin to experience the anger of dead orthodoxy and the power of a religious system that has lost its way.
And so Jesus’ first principle to them is to “Care Not” for yourselves. I will see to it that you are taken care of. I will provide for you.
I am sure that the little five year old boy who was given the task of getting something from the pantry was concerned about that kind of thing. His mother asked him to get a can of tomatoes from the pantry. It was dark in the pantry and he was afraid to go in there. His mother wanted to reassure him that he did not have to be afraid to go in and get the tomatoes so she told him: “It’s OK to go in the pantry; Jesus will be in there with you.” The boy hesitated for a moment and then had an inspiration: he said, “Jesus, if you are in there would you mind handing out a can of tomatoes?”
The second principle of importance to us is this: “Fear Not”
Do not be afraid (10:28) of those who want to kill you…
They can only kill the body.
They cannot touch your soul
Fear only God…and God alone.
So, Jesus tells his disciples:
· Don’t worry about what you will say when they arrest you. You will be given what you need when you need it.
· Don’t be afraid when men threaten you. The day is coming when everything will be revealed for what the truth is. Vindication will come one day.
· Don’t be afraid when men want to kill you. They will actually want to do that. Why? Because they are not committed to the truth of the Word of God. They are committed to their power base, to their ideas and theology rather than be committed to God and His Word.
Jesus tells his disciples that they should not worry or be afraid because God knows about them and cares for them. He illustrates that care and concern by his statement about the sparrows…those too numerous pesky little birds. Not even one of them can fall to the ground without God knowing about it. He even knows the number of the hairs on your head. Can you imagine for one moment that God does not know nor is concerned about you and your situation?
If he exercises that kind of care for us, could I ever doubt his provision for me and my needs? No!
Why then do we struggle with worry and fear?
William Gurnall puts it this way:
We fear men so much because we fear God so little.
The truth is that it is God and God alone who “…can destroy both the soul and the body in Hell.”
In one of the defining moments of my life, I determined that I was more afraid of offending God than I was of other people. Other people might not like me or what I believed or what I stood for. That became immaterial in light of the necessity of pleasing God.
There will always be something that challenges us to become afraid, to become overly concerned about ourselves, our needs, our desires and wishes, our family or jobs or whatever.
Fear is not to rule my life.
I am inwardly fashioned for faith, not for fear. Fear is not my native land; faith is. I am so made that worry and anxiety are sand in the machinery of life; faith is the oil. I live better by faith and confidence than by fear, doubt and anxiety. In anxiety and worry, my being is gasping for breath--these are not my native air. But in faith and confidence, I breathe freely--these are my native air. A John Hopkins University doctor says, "We do not know why it is that worriers die sooner than the non-worriers, but that is a fact." But I, who am simple of mind, think I know; We are inwardly constructed in nerve and tissue, brain cell and soul, for faith and not for fear. God made us that way. To live by worry is to live against reality. Dr. E. Stanley Jones.
There you have the two principles that should govern our lives as disciples.
Care Not and Fear Not.
Scripture tells us that perfect love casts out fear.
He has that kind of love for us and it is his love that forces out the fear of the world that would immobilize us as we seek to witness to others.
What are you afraid of today?
Are you afraid of sharing your faith? You don’t need to be afraid. Step out in faith and believe that God will put the words in your mouth as you accept the opportunities he gives you.
Are you afraid for your life or for your family? The one who knows when a lowly sparrow falls to the earth knows you intimately enough to know how many hairs there are on your head. He is with you and your loved ones 24 hours a day, seven days a week. He will care for you and them. He says he will. Believe it, receive it and live a life of freedom form worry and fear in Christ. Only he can take care of you and your family and your worrying about it will not add anything to your life.
Life your life as a life of faith believing that he will care for you and that he will provide all you need for your life and witness. When you do…you can truly live without worry or fear!
Try it! You’ll like it!
--- Dennis Gleason
