From one perspective on life, fear controls us. What or who we fear determines the course of life. Take the present situation in which we find ourselves. Our fear of a virus has shut down many other aspects of life. In the face of the projected threat of millions of deaths, millions of people are willing to give up normal social interaction, gathered worship, business, income, and even our Constitutional rights. As we have watched everything progress, our controlling fear is shifting. Now, the fear of wrecking the economy, economic as well as psychological depression, continued isolation, and living with paltry virtual worship and fellowship, might very well give us the courage to face the risks and open everything back up. Fear can make us timid of one threat while at the same time being the basis of courage to face other threats.
Life is full of threats. We must know what the greatest threat is and allow the fear of that threat to dictate our decisions. This is what Jesus teaches his disciples.
Judgment is coming. That threat is real. Jesus and his disciples will be hauled before men’s courts. But that is not the only judgment that is coming. Jerusalem stands before God’s court and stands to be condemned. All the blood from righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary, will be required of the generation of the Jews to whom Jesus speaks (Lk 11.49-52). The judgment of Jerusalem anticipates the final judgment at which the righteous and wicked will be separated; the righteous entering into the joys of the kingdom and the wicked being cast into eternal hell (Gehenna; Lk 11.5).
Fear of one of the judgments will determine the destiny of your life. For this reason, Jesus instructs his disciples not to fear the one who only has the power to kill the body and after that can do nothing more. Rather, Jesus’ disciples are to fear the one who, after he has killed the body, has the power to cast you into Gehenna. Yes, fear him! The final judgment of God that determines your eternal destiny is the fear that is to control your life.
The fear of God and his judgment is the basis for courage before the courts of men. A man who doesn’t fear death cannot be manipulated, subjugated, and conquered. His fear of God and concern for his verdict will drive him to obey God even in the face of being rejected by men. The threats of men to take his reputation, possessions, family, or even his life pale in comparison to what he stands to lose if he becomes God’s enemy through disloyalty.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Fearing him and his judgment teaches you how to live in this world before men with confidence, making the decisions that will prove to be the best in the long run.
All of this talk of the fear of God might be misconstrued. Some might be prone to think that we serve God only because he is big and scary and can do awful things to us. Well, God is big and scary. When the children of Israel saw him come down on the top of Mt Sinai, they didn’t get the warm fuzzies. He is awesome and has the power to destroy. But that doesn’t mean that he is uncaring. Jesus told his disciples that the Father cares for the sparrows that are sold for pennies, and the disciples are of much more value to the Father than the sparrows. The Father cares for us so much that he has numbered all the hairs of our heads (Lk 11.7). Not one hair of our heads will fall to the ground without his knowing and caring about it. Because he cares for us, because he is our Father who will not give us a serpent when we ask for a fish, or a scorpion when we ask for an egg, we don’t have to fear even when men’s judgments are against us and threaten our lives. We don’t have to fear because, when we are loyal to him, we will stand vindicated in his court. Ultimately, that is all that matters.
What fear controls you? Is it the fear of rejection by certain people in this world? Does the approval of some godless person dictate the way you dress, how you talk, or how you live even though it leads you into disobedience to God? Does the fear of men who are able to take away your possessions, your family, your job, your ____________ (you fill in the blank) make you compromise the faith in order to hold on these things? Do you fear disobeying the government because of their power to make your life miserable instead of fearing God and doing what he commands when the choice comes down to it?
What you fear most will dictate your life.
I’m not telling you that there is no place for fear in your life. Like Jesus, I’m telling you that you better fear the right person.
