Fear of God (3)

In general, scripture is to be understood from the context in which it is written. In the first part of this study the opening text was our Lord's words from Luke 12:4–5. In this final part I'd like us to look at those words in their context. We'll start at the beginning of the chapter.

Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying… (Luke 12:1)

Luke tells us that a crowd of many thousands had gathered to hear Jesus. Think about that. Why had so many people come to hear him speak? I believe this happened because the Holy Spirit was moving in their hearts and drawing them to him.

Revival

Reading those words reminds me of some of the accounts I've read of the Wesley revival. Sometimes Wesley and Whitefield preached to small groups (as Jesus did); other times they preached in the open air to vast crowds (as Jesus did). Sometimes the crowds numbered many thousands.

John Wesley wrote in his journal about his first visit to Newcastle-upon-Tyne in May 1742.

'At seven I walked down to Sandgate, the poorest and most contemptible part of the town; and, standing at the end of the street with John Taylor, began to sing the hundredth Psalm. Three or four people came out to see what was the matter; who soon increased to four or five hundred. I suppose there might be twelve or fifteen hundred, before I had done preaching; to whom I applied those solemn words, "He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: The chastisement of our peace was upon him; and by his stripes we are healed."

'Observing the people, when I had done, to stand gaping and staring upon me, with the most profound astonishment, I told them, "If you desire to know who I am, my name is John Wesley. At five in the evening, with God's help, I design to preach here again." At five, the hill on which I designed to preach was covered, from the top to the bottom. I never saw so large a number of people together, either in Moorfields, or at Kennington Common.'

If twelve to fifteen hundred people had gathered to hear him preach in the morning, how many came to hear him in the evening? He said that he had never seen such a large crowd of people: there must have been thousands present. Incidentally, Wesley had arrived in the city two days prior to preaching and had written in his journal:

'We came to Newcastle about six; and, after a short refreshment, walked into the town. I was surprised: So much drunkenness, cursing, and swearing, (even from the mouths of little children), do I never remember to have seen and heard before, in so small a compass of time. Surely this place is ripe for Him who "came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." '

We hear about the drunkenness, the sexual immorality and the lawlessness in our nation at the moment, and the foul language that comes from the mouths of children, and we're praying for revival. If the drunkenness, cursing and swearing that was present in Wesley's day had made it ripe for him who 'came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance,' how much more is our nation ripe for revival now. Please send revival soon Lord!

George Whitefield had preached to a crowd of ten thousand at Kingswood in Bristol a year earlier and he wrote in his journal that the Lord enabled him to preach for an hour with such power and so loudly that all (he was told) could hear him.

Ten thousand people could hear one man speaking—and without a public address system! I'm sure it would have been the same when Jesus preached to large crowds, because the same Holy Spirit who empowered John Wesley and George Whitefield in the eighteenth century, had empowered their Lord seventeen hundred years earlier.

Hypocrisy

A large crowd of many thousands had gathered to hear Jesus preach but, before he addressed them, he spoke to his disciples:

'Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.' (Luke 12:1b)

With only two exceptions yeast, in the Bible, is used to depict sin. Israel was told to eat bread made without yeast at the Passover meal on the night they left Egypt (Exodus 12:8), because yeast represented the sin that God wanted them to remove from their lives. Likewise, Jesus warned his disciples to be on their guard against the yeast (the sin) of the Pharisees, which was hypocrisy.

Jesus criticized the leaders of Israel more for their hypocrisy than for anything else.

'Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!' (Matthew 23:13a)

Jesus repeated those words over and over again in Matthew 23. Suffice to say that our Lord detests hypocrisy and told his disciples to guard themselves against it.

Hypocrisy is advocating moral standards that we do not live up to ourselves. The Pharisees and teachers of the law preached righteousness but they didn't practise it (Matthew 23:3). Jesus said they were like whitewashed tombs which looked good on the outside, but inside were full of dead men's bones and everything unclean (Matthew 23:27).

This is a warning to all Christians, but especially to church leaders (James 3:1). If we instruct others we must ensure that our own lives reflect our teaching otherwise we, too, will be hypocrites.

Everything hidden will be exposed

'There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.' (Luke 12:2–3)

If we look at those words in their context, it means that everything that is hidden by hypocrisy will, one day, be made known. A Christian can pretend to be a moral person, but have secret sins. One day those sins will be uncovered and laid bare.

Hebrews 4:13 says:

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Persecution

'I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.' (Luke 12:4–6)

Jesus was speaking about persecution and martyrdom. Christians who suffer for their faith can feel that God has forgotten them or forsaken them, but that is not so. God only forsook one of his children (Matthew 27:46); he will never do it again (Hebrews 13:5–6).

When Jezebel threatened to kill Elijah, he was afraid and ran for his life (1 Kings 19:1–3a). He had sunk to a spiritual low—a mere shadow of the man who had previously stood against four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:16–40). But God hadn't forgotten Elijah; he knew exactly where he was.

Elijah fled to the desert, travelled for forty days and forty nights until he reached the mountain of God and went into a cave. And the word of the Lord came to him: 'What are you doing here, Elijah (1 Kings 19:3b–9)?' God knows everything; God sees everything. He knows where we are (Psalm 139:7–10). Even if we feel that he's left us, he hasn't—and he never will (Matthew 28:20b).

'Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered.' (Luke 12:7a)

God knows things about us that we don't know ourselves. Do we know how many hairs we have on our head? God knows that fact because we mean so much to him. He knows everything about us and he cares for us.

'Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.' (Luke 12:7b)

Don't be afraid of man. Don't be afraid of people who persecute you. If God doesn't forget the sparrows, then he won't forget you. Did God send his Son to die for sparrows? No, he sent him to die for us because he loves us so much. We are worth far more to God than sparrows.

Proverbs 29:25 says that the fear of man will prove to be a snare. To fear man is a snare for Christians. We mustn't fear man, we must fear God only.

Acknowledging Jesus Christ

'I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God.' (Luke 12:8–9)

Or, as Jesus said on another occasion:

'Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.' (Matthew 10:32–33)

We are more likely to disown our Lord when faced with persecution, but Jesus made it clear that if we deny knowledge of him at any time, he will deny knowledge of us before his Father in heaven and before the holy angels. I don't have to emphasize the seriousness of that truth.

Many Christians have gone to their deaths rather than disown the Lord. I recently learned of a Christian who had been beheaded in Afghanistan because he refused to renounce his faith. When I heard that news I sat quietly for a while. What would I have done in those circumstances? 'Don't fear man,' said Jesus, 'who can only kill your body… fear God!'

Blasphemy against the Spirit

'And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.' (Luke 12:10)

Jesus may have been referring to those who blaspheme the Holy Spirit under the stress of persecution, but any blasphemy against the Spirit, at any time, is unforgivable. For further comments on blaspheming the Holy Spirit see Mark 3:20–30.

Martyrdom

'When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.' (Luke 12:11–12)

If we are brought before courts or authorities because of our faith in Jesus Christ, we are not to worry about what we should say, because the Holy Spirit will give us the words when we need them. That shows that our Lord will be with us when, or if, we are persecuted.

Going back to martyrdom, what would we have done if, like our brother in Afghanistan, we'd been told to disown Jesus Christ or die? Do you know what I think? I think that the grace of God would be given to us at that time. If the Holy Spirit is going to teach us what to say when we need to speak, then I believe the grace of God will enable us to confess our faith, even in the face of death.

You probably don't think you could die for your faith because, in the natural, you couldn't (I certainly couldn't). But when the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit comes upon us we could, because it wouldn't be us at that time, it would be the power of God resting upon us.

Peter disowned the Lord three times on the eve of his crucifixion and went outside and wept bitterly (Matthew 26:69–75). He didn't want to deny the one he loved. He had told the Lord that if all the others fell away he never would (Matthew 26:33) but, when it came to the test, he failed. Why did that happen?

The answer is because Peter was relying on his own strength. The Holy Spirit wasn't given to the disciples (which means that they weren't born again) until after our Lord's crucifixion (John 7:39; John 20:19–22). This was separate to the baptism of the Spirit which took place later (Acts 2:1–4).

Jesus allowed Peter to see how weak he was in his natural self. He later died for his faith, as Jesus had predicted (John 21:18–19), but that was with the aid of the Holy Spirit.

Perfect in weakness

Paul said he would gladly boast about his weaknesses so that Christ's power would rest upon him, because when he was weak, then he was strong (2 Corinthians 12:9b–10). The Lord told Paul that his grace was sufficient for him, for his power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9a).

It's impossible to live the life that God calls us to live in our own strength, or in our own power. What we cannot do in our natural selves, God does through us, so that the glory goes to him. God gets his glory from using weak vessels.

Not every Christian will have to die for their faith of course. It's happened in the past, it is happening now, and it will happen in the future (Revelation 13:7–10). The important thing to remember is that if we are ever persecuted for our faith, we must only fear God and not man.

Michael Graham
January 2005

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