MISPLACED FEAR: We are often scared of the wrong things.
- Luke 12:4.
- Now, what exactly do we mean when we talk about “fearing God”?
- It’s not a cowering-in-the-corner type of thing. It’s awe, a respect, an awareness of how great He is. It’s also awareness that God has enormous power and authority over us.
- In verse 4, Jesus tells them not to be scared of those earthly consequences.
- Jesus here notes that our fear is usually focused on the wrong things – those who can hurt our earthly lives.
- Thankfully we live in a country where we have minimal fear of someone killing us. Still we have many fears that have to do with our earthly life.
- We usually focus our fear on the negative consequences that impact our earthly lives:
a. Potential job loss.
b. Health scare.
c. Marital strife.
- We spend a lot of time in fear and worry about things of this world. Of course, that’s not to say that there aren’t things that are legitimately worth some concern on our part. But the point Jesus is making here is that we tend to focus all our fear in those areas instead of thinking of the bigger picture and what we need to really be concerned about.
WHAT'S YOUR PLAN?
- What’s my plan for facing God?
1. “HOPE FOR THE BEST.”
- For many, their “plan” (if you can even call it that) is just to hope that everything turns out ok.
- This strikes me as an incredibly foolish thing to do. This is eternity we’re talking about! This is something that you need to ponder and think about.
- Some people have put more thought into their next vacation than they have into their eternal destination.
- I respect the person who has thought about this and come to a different answer than I have (although I obviously disagree with him). I do not respect the person who have put no thought into something this big.
- Why would people do something so foolish? Some reasons:
a. They don’t want to think about dying.
b. They believe (correctly) that thinking about it would lead to some significant changes in their life – bad habits to give up, changes in behavior, a difference in attitude.
c. Old-fashioned stupidity.
- Like the person who knows they should be studying for the final exam but instead sit there and play X-Box, choosing the ignore the consequences, sometimes stupidity rules the day.
d. They think it’s unknowable and so choose to shrug their shoulders.
- Not to get too far ahead of ourselves, but it’s obvious that I think this is a ridiculous choice. This is too important an issue to let go with only a passing thought.
2. “I’M A GOOD PERSON.”
- Luke 12:5.
- Jesus thinks this situation is fear-worthy.
- Our lack of fear now is not evidence that we’re safe; it’s evidence that we’ve assessed the situation incorrectly.
- This is important in a time where many (most?) would argue that “a loving God would never condemn someone to hell.” Jesus is not only saying that such a place exists – He’s also saying that we’re fully justified in being fearful of that judgment to come.
- Most people like to think of themselves as “a good person.”
- The problem with that is that we come to that conclusion with some false presumptions:
a. First, we usually ignore or justify the sin in our lives.
- We are naturally sympathetic to the reasons why we sin.
- “I don’t have an anger problem! My kids are just aggravating.”
- “I don’t have a porn problem! I just watch a little now and again.”
- “I don’t have a gossip problem! Everything I say is true.”
- “I don’t have an envy problem! I just don’t make enough money.”
b. Second, we presume that we should compare ourselves to those around us, not to Jesus.
- We think that the standard is: can I be in the top half of people around me?
- That’s the wrong measure. God doesn’t take the top half to heaven and send the bottom to hell. We have all fallen short of God’s standard and are in need of salvation.
- The measure is not those around me, but Jesus. He lived a perfect life. That’s what’s required to be justified on my own before God. Can I say that I am perfect? Not in the least.
- We’ll dwell more on this in the next sermon, but it’s significant that He immediately follows what’s in verse 5 with a discussion about how we’re more valuable than many sparrows and how the hairs on our head are numbered. That’s an odd juxtaposition.
- Many would say that the “sparrow/hair” truths of verses 6-7 are the polar opposite of our text for this morning. And yet Jesus speaks them in the same breath.
- Why?
- I think it’s because the verses that speak of our value as people and God’s care for me don’t change our position before Him as sinners. They certainly explain why He was willing to send Jesus to rescue us, but the fact that we’re valuable doesn’t change our lostness. And God cannot wink at our lostness. That’s why He sent Jesus.
- The reality of hell – a place of death and destruction – is not something that God cherishes and enjoys. It is a concession – a concession to free will. He cannot force us to love Him and so there must be something to do with those who refuse to receive Jesus. For those, their future is the second death.
- There is the hell issue here.
- Jesus clearly says here (and other places) that there is a place called hell.
- We don’t believe much in hell anymore.
- What is hell? Two of the ways to define it are (a) being away from God eternally, (b) a place of destruction and death.
- You’re in trouble in your present state.
- He has the authority and the responsibility to do something about it.
- Some things are worthy of our fear and denying that does not make us safe but rather deluded.
a. Neville Chamberlain.
b. Susan’s computer: looking like Google homepage when it was a virus.
c. The doctor who says that you’re ok.
3. “SAVED BY GRACE.”
- Ephesians 2:8-9.
- Jesus doesn’t just warn us – He also gives us a plan on how to deal with our situation.
- We should, Jesus tells us, be fearful of the authority that God holds over us. Thankfully, through Jesus, we have something that we can do about it. Jesus died on the cross for our sins and we can be saved by grace. Grace means that we don’t deserve it – it’s a gift.
- I can receive forgiveness through the death of Jesus. I can receive resurrection life through the resurrection of Jesus. I can have my sins forgiven by the sacrifice of Jesus. I can have the Holy Spirit in my heart to guide and convict through the gift of Jesus.
- It’s a wonderful thing that Jesus doesn’t just warn us – He went to the cross to show us the way to deal with our sin.
- It’s important to know, though, that this is a choice we have to make.
- I must choose to accept Jesus in my heart. This is not an empty decision – it requires that I make Him Lord of my life and begin to obey Him and follow His teachings.
- It’s not enough to want Him as Savior – “keep me out of hell, but then leave me alone to live my life.” No, I need to accept Him as Lord as well – making Him the one who is ruling my life.
- Being saved by grace makes us all beggars at the feet of Jesus. None of us have any reason for spiritual pride or hubris. We have come empty-handed and been given an enormous gift.
THE RIGHT FEAR: Ironically, fearing God brings peace.
- Why is that?
- First of all, it’s because there are real fears and false fears. Fearing God is a real fear – God is someone who we should respect and hold in awe.
- Second of all, fearing God causes us to take actions to deal with that fear. In this case, that includes recognizing that I need to be right with God. My fear is a motivator to make sure things are the way they need to be.
- Thirdly, when I have been motivated to act and because of that have received Christ’s salvation into my life, I can be at peace with God.
