Whom to Fear

Matthew 10: The First Sending (4)

Pray Psalm 31.1, 2
In You, O LORD, I put my trust;
Let me never be ashamed;
Deliver me in Your righteousness.
Bow down Your ear to me,
Deliver me speedily;
Be my rock of refuge,
A fortress of defense to save me.

Sing Psalm 31.1, 2.
Brother James’ Air: The Lord’s My Shepherd, I’ll not Want
In You, O LORD, I refuge take; let me not come to shame!
In righteousness deliver me, according to Your Name.
Incline Your ear, my prayer to hear, my Fortress strong to save!

Read Matthew 10.1-31; meditate on verses 27-31.
Why should we fear the Lord?

Prepare.
1. Why should we not be afraid of people and what they might do?

2. What are we supposed to do with what we learn from Jesus?

Meditate.
As followers of Christ, we are to be sponges of the goodness and truth of the Lord. But let’s remember that we don’t fill sponges with water merely to see them fat and full. They have work to do.

This is what we’re supposed to do with whatever we learn from Jesus (v. 27). The things we learn from the Word of God—whether in our private reading and study, or through the preaching and teaching of the Word—are intended to fill us with Jesus. But only so that, our souls having been cleansed, refreshed, and renewed, we might squeeze Jesus into the nooks and crannies of our Personal Mission Field, scrubbing to cleanse and renew our world in His glory.

Of course, it’s true that our scrubbing and seeking to cleanse matters might rub others the wrong way. Some might respond unkindly to us as we’re proclaiming Jesus and working to glorify Him in all our ways. But we must not fear them, nor what they might do to us (v. 28). We fear God so that we might not shrink from obeying Him, or fail in soaking up His beauty, goodness, and truth. God loves us and knows how to deal with us when we stray from His path, and it isn’t always a pleasant experience (Heb. 12.3-11). Fear His discipline, and love Him because He loves you enough to apply it.

God Who provides for us—even down to the words we must speak (vv. 19, 20)—will protect and keep us as we carry out our mission (vv. 29-31). So let’s not allow fear to afflict us with spiritual lockjaw. His eye is on the sparrow, friends, and He watches us as well. Whatever we’re learning from Jesus, let’s find some way to talk about every day. Our Christian friends will rejoice to hear about Jesus. And the unbelievers? Well, who knows what God might do in their hearts, as we squeeze His sweet grace and truth into their ears? 

Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
And it never hurts to remind ourselves how very known we are by Him. 
And even known, we are loved—belonging fully to Him.

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine” (Is. 43.1).
“The very hairs of your head are numbered…you are more valued than many sparrows…and not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will” (Matt. 10.29-31). 
And His will is always done on earth, even as it is done in heaven (Matt. 6.10).
“The LORD your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness, 
He will quiet you with His love, 
He will rejoice over you with singing” (Zeph. 3.17).

Now that we have reminded ourselves of His eternal love for us, 
we must understand how He keeps us—on the Jesus path.
Fear is a great deterrent to bad behavior; and Jesus reminds us Whom we are, and are not, to fear:
“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. 
But rather fear Him Who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10.28).
Yes, well, that could not be clearer, could it?

Are we to fear what people think of us?
Are we to fear for our daily provisions?
Are we to fear how many hairs we have upon our heads?
Are we to fear anything? But God?
And can any of these commonplace fears separate us from the love of God?
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? 
Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” (Rom. 8.35)

Paul answers with a resounding, “No”!
“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8.38, 39).

The only thing that can separate us from His love is our own perpetual, pervasive, and pernicious disobedience—refusal to accept the gift of salvation and the work of sanctification—disobedience that leads to having body and soul destroyed. Not by man; but by God. “My flesh trembles for fear of You, and I am afraid of Your judgments” (Ps. 119.120).

Understanding fully Whom we are to fear, we need not fear, if we respond to His loving guidance and 
discipline—launching out daily into the deep, trusting and following Him to the end (Ps. 119.112).

“I called on the LORD in distress; 
the LORD answered me and set me in a broad place. 
The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. 
What can man do to me?” (Ps. 118.5, 6).

“It is better to trust in the LORD
than to put confidence in man. 
It is better to trust in the LORD…” (Ps. 118.8, 9)

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
(Civilla D. Martin, 1905)

Reflect.
1. The fear of God and love for God are two sides of the same coin. Explain.

2. How do you practice watching over your soul and life?

3. Are you encouraged to know that God watches you? Why or why not?

The point is not that Jesus was literally whispering into their ears or speaking in physical darkness. Rather, he was here pressing a strong figure of speech. He was conversing with them quietly and alone in a small corner of Palestine. In contrast with this tone of voice, they would soon be preaching with a boldness of speech that would in due time be conferred upon them. John Chrysostom (344-407), The Gospel of Matthew, Homily 34.2

Pray Psalm 31.19-24.
Praise the Lord for His abundant goodness, and fix it in your mind to share those blessings with someone today. Praise the Lord in advance for how He will guide, keep, and use you as His witness.

Sing Psalm 31.19-24.
Brother James’ Air: The Lord’s My Shepherd, I’ll not Want
How great the goodness You reserve for those who fear You, LORD,
who rest in You and boldly stand before men in Your Word.
You cover them from plots of men; You shelter them, O LORD!

Blessed be the LORD, for He has shown His steadfast love to me!
In my alarm I cried to Him; He heard my fervent plea!
In fear and dread with You I pled; You heard and rescued me!

O love the LORD, all you, His saints! He keeps us faithfully.
But all who act in sinful pride His wrath shall surely see.
Be strong and let your heart not fret; wait on Him constantly!

T. M. and Susie Moore

If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).

We invite you to join us in ReThinking Church. We explain further at our ReThinking Church page, here.

Other columns of interest: This week: The Read Moore podcast continues readings from our book, The Kingdom Turn. Our Crosfigell teaching letter presses ahead in a series on the state of the Church in Europe at the time of the Celtic Revival. The ReVision column addresses the question, “How to Church?” Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.