Reasons For Security
Four Reasons For The Messengers
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“So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.”
Matthew 10:26-33
As we move on in this text, we will continue to hear Jesus exhorting and encouraging his disciples. He’s in a way, giving them “Reality Checks” in order to give them courage and security. So today I want to share four reasons for the disciples and for us to have security. I hope they encourage you and I hope you cling to Christ more because of the implications of each. So here they are:
The first security is: Everything that happens to them or us, is known.
‘’So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.”
Nothing is a secret. You and I and the rest of the world have NO SECRETS. This means that if you get robbed or spit on or laughed at, it’s not unknown. God sees it. Persecution of any kind is laid bare before God.
Fear would take place if there was no hope for justice. If secrets were real. If people really could do something and never answer for it. That would be frightening. This is why we can walk down the street without looking over our shoulders that someone might harm us. They won’t. At least not as often or as openly.
Why? Well, because we have law. We have police. If men know they will be held responsible, the people around them will have more security.
If a woman has an abusive husband and she goes her whole life in silence, she will not be robbed. The husband doesn’t get off. She may have fear for now, but the lesson is plain. God sees him. And the situation. He will make things right.
But also, this can motivate you and I to be more risky for Christ. Charles Spurgeon said,
“There will be a resurrection of reputations..”
Meaning, we don’t have to worry about the wrong done to us. It hurts. This is true. But it wont crush us, because we know God sees and will confront the men or women who wronged us. It frees us up to not take justice into our own hands. It frees us to have more compassion. It’s a temporary dishonor.
It’s like if you were bullied at school and one day a big kid came up to you and said, “Don’t worry about the bullies, ill take care of them if they mess with you.” You would walk with confidence and if they messed with you, it would be easier to handle.
Why? Because you know you have someone who cares for you. In the same way, be bold in proclaiming what God says. Don’t shrink back. He will back us up. Speak boldly. There’s another lesson that I’d like to add briefly here. The things that we learn in private are to be shared. The knowledge and insights that you see in your quiet morning, share. Write articles, make podcast, share with your family. Encourage and strengthen those around you. The lesson is good to learn. The things learned are not only for us, but for everyone in our reach. Make others rich with your riches. Feed and then take a bag and distribute to all you find. Drink and then grab the pitcher.
The second security is: That men are not as scary as they appear, because their power is limited to earth. God is scary.
“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
There is a bigger thing to fear than men. Men are fellow kids on the playground. They have threats and will take away earthly stuff and maybe hurt us. They may take us to court or put us in Jail. This stuff is uncomfortable but be sure of this lesson, all of their threats and actions are temporary.
We have our fears messed up. We are so nearsighted that we’re blind, as the saying goes. Jesus is giving us a reality check here. Don’t fear the kittens in the living room and not fear the Lion on the couch. Men are small compared to God. The worse they can do is kill us. But only our bodies. After that, we face God. They face God. Then the fear we had of them turns into a mist as we face ultimate power. Like going from facing an angry dog to facing an angry bear. The dog seems like a flea compared to the bear.
This is to give us courage. To have the right perspective will make these disciples and us more bold. It seems like a threat, but it’s meant to give us security. Fear the right thing. Have a proper balance on whats really scary.
The third security is: The sovereignty of God.
“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
God is sovereign over even the smallest things. More than that, if we see that he cares for the small things, then we should see that he will care for us. He is telling the disciples, “don’t worry. I have you covered.” If he notices a bird, who’s not made in his image, will he not care for them and us as we spread the news of His kingdom? Go read Matthew 6:25-34, again. We must embrace this lesson as the motivation in our feet. The boldness in our hearts. The firmness in our faith. God cares for us and controls EVERYTHING! He knows how many hairs are on our heads, we must not believe he doesn’t know what hardship or threat we will face. Have security. Be bold. God cares for you and will handle everything as we do his job he has given us.
Lastly, the fourth security is: We will be acknowledge by Christ before the father.
“So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.”
This is a warning but also security. There’s a lot of security in the fear of the Lord. You don’t slap the lion but be sure if he’s on your side you find security in the power you are afraid of.
We hear that we must acknowledge him before men or we will be denied before the father.
J.C Ryle once said
“To do it may cost us much. It may bring on us laughter, mockery, persecution, and scorn. But let us not be laughed out of heaven. Let us recollect the great and dreadful day of account, and not be afraid to show men that we love Christ, and want them to know and love Him also.”
The security that we have then, is the expectation of such an awesome reward or outcome of our boldness for him! We will do this automatically because we love him, but we must desire other men to love Him, too! And when we push for them to see Christ we will find this provokes persecution, but be sure one day we will stand before the Father and Christ and have a joy that surpasses all things!
Be bold. Cling to Christ. There is so much good that He gives and so much reason to be secure.
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