Fear and No Fear Matthew 10:5a, 21–33
Grace, mercy and peace be with you from God, our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, who calms our fears.
Today our message is Fear and No Fear… based on our Gospel, especially verse 28: 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’s a kind of fear that can be good for us… and a kind that’s bad for us.
We need God’s wisdom, to learn the difference between godly fear, which can help us… and worldly fear, that harms us.
When our oldest daughter was about 3 or so, we were grilling on the deck, and we told her not to touch the hot grill, because it would hurt… and she walked over to the grill, touched it with her finger, and looked at it, and let out a great big, “Waaah...”
She never did that again. She learned respect for things that burn.
A certain amount of fear or respect for what can harm us, can help to keep us from getting needlessly hurt.
When I was a kid, one of my friends had a broken foot, because he put it under the tractor tire, the big rear tire, as it passed by…
He was curious what it would feel like… it hurt!
I’ve done way more foolish things than that in my life, far more reckless.
We all have… we’ve all endangered ourselves spiritually by acting on our selfish, worldly impulses.
To be reckless with our bodies is very foolish… to be reckless with our souls is insanely foolish.
As Jesus warns us, 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.
Had we ever spent even a moment in Hell, we’d be way more careful about tempting our souls.
The One who can destroy both soul and body in Hell, is the One who gave up His body to unbearable physical, emotional, and spiritual torment on the cross, to win our forgiveness and save us from that agony forever… God doesn’t want His children to hurt.
As His faithful children, we need have no fear that our sins aren’t forgiven, they surely are.
And we need have no fear that we might not be raised in glory on the Last Day, we surely will be, and we’ll love and rejoice forever.
Although we need not fear that God’s promises to us won’t come true, there’s another kind of fear, a healthy fear, a respect, that’s good for us to have.
It can help to keep us from doing foolish things that can harm our body and mind, but even worse, harm our soul.
We need this healthy fear and respect, so that we don’t treat our souls recklessly, and flirt with sin, and invite God’s judgment on us.
This respect of God’s Law can also keep us from doing things that might hurt others… and may harm our relationships.
When we act on our ungodly, selfish impulses, it hurts not just us, but also the people around us, especially those closest to us, it hurts them most…
As happened to Adam and Eve, when they impulsively believed the devil instead of God, and disobeyed.
They not only betrayed God, they badly damaged their relationship. Their love for each other had been perfect, and now it was flawed.
And they brought judgment upon themselves, and their children, and the generations to follow.
Taking God’s warning seriously, would have done them a world of good… and it can do us a world of good.
To not be reckless toward sin, or naïve or unaware of its deadly consequences, but to respect God’s just law, and His right judgment of sin…
… to remember, as Scripture says, that the wages of sin is death, temporal and eternal…
… having this healthy fear and discernment, helps us to put sin and evil into its proper perspective, showing us that there’s nothing good about it… nothing.
Sin is entirely bad and destructive for us, and for our loved ones, and for everyone.
Knowing this, taking it to heart, having a repentant heart, now it’s time for NO fear, which we have in the Gospel.
To doubt God’s promises… to live in the fear that your sins might not forgiven, even though you believe in Jesus as your Savior…
… or to fear that they’re not completely forgiven, or fear that the really bad or bothersome sins aren’t forgiven… that’s an unhealthy, harmful kind of fear.
I response Jesus says, “Have no fear… your sins are most certainly, entirely forgiven…
Have no fear, I’ve overcome sin and death for you…
Have no fear… I’ve defeated the evil foe for you, the devil and his evil allies… I crushed them by My death and resurrection!
Have no fear, Jesus says… I’ve opened the gates of Heaven for you…
Have no fear, I’ve locked the gates of Hell for you…
Have no fear when the world rejects you… I’ve received you into My Kingdom, and here I treasure you…
Have no fear when you have little money in this world… I will give you an inheritance in Heaven worth more than all the gold in the world…
Have no fear when your body is ravaged with illness and disease… I will raise and glorify you…
Have no fear, when evildoers would harm you or commit crimes against you, Jesus says… I have charged my holy angels to watch over you, to guard your soul…
Have no fear of those who ridicule you, or mock you, or persecute you on account of your love for Me, and your life of following My Word…
… instead, rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in Heaven! Matthew 5:11
In Heaven, there is no fear… because everything and everyone will be perfect and benevolent… there’ll be nothing there for us to fear… no reason to fear… and our minds will be cleansed of fear when we’re raised and glorified.
God doesn’t want anxiety and fear for us… He wants peace and joy for us… and for all.
And so He calls us to believe and embrace and share the Good News that Christ has overcome all worldly fears.
The Gospel calms our fears now, and makes our fear disappear in eternity.
What a great way of life it will be in Heaven, with no fear of any kind.
What a great way this is for us to live on earth, with Jesus helping us to deal with and overcome our worldly fears.
As He promises: In this world, you will have trouble, (and fears you must face). But take heart, I have overcome the world!
Jesus defeated our sins on the cross, and overcame our fears when He rose.
So let us not give in to worldly fear and intimidation.
When the nefarious alliance against the Word and ways of God, would try to intimidate you to be less like Jesus in this world, and to keep your relationship with Him private, a secret… remember Jesus’ promise and warning in today’s Gospel.
Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will acknowledge before my Father in Heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I will deny before my Father in Heaven.
Jesus wants no one to deny Him, and all to acknowledge Him and receive His eternal love, which is why He died and rose for all, and why He freely gives His Spirit in holy Baptism, with the power to believe.
Let us not be controlled by fear and intimidation, but by the Spirit of God in us… not a spirit of fear, Paul told young Timothy, but of love and courage and self-control.
So as we sang, whom then shall we fear? Only God, and God is love for us.
Let us openly acknowledge our love and faith in Him.
Let us freely share the Word that lights our way, and the Gospel that calms our fears.
And with nothing to fear because He is near to us, we have God’s peace, which passes our understanding, and guards our hearts and minds, in Jesus Christ, who overcomes our fears. Amen.