Fear Is God’s Tool But the World’s Weapon – Part 3

Jesus made it clear that because the world hated Him, the world will also hate His disciples. Jesus knew He was sending His followers, who are like sheep, among wolves, and so He not only gave the advice to be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves, but He gave His disciples the means to do it.

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Hello and good day. It's good to have you here with me. I am B.R.Maul, and you are listening to the podcast Living God's Way In An Ungodly World. For the last two weeks, I have been talking about fear and we're going to continue with that. So why am I taking so much time to talk to you about fear? For you, my brothers and sisters in the faith, you born again believers.

We as children of God, quickly forget who we are, the fact that we are children of God and that happens. It's normal because the world is very loud, very boisterous, and let's face it, these days people have much to fear. Evil continues. To abound those in power, those who are wealthy crave only more power and crave only more wealth, and are proving they will do anything for that, including taking human life away.

But as children of God, a reminder that we do not need to fear anyone else or anything else because our savior has already overcome our enemy and has taken the sting of death away. And for you listening, who are not born again, yes, there is a lot of fear and the fact that you're listening to my voice tells me that you are searching.

And you wanna know more about God and his beloved son, Jesus Christ, and you probably are worried. You may be worried about losing your job. You may be worried about your health, about finances, and losing your own life. I invite you to listen along and learn why you should come to know Jesus Christ as your savior.

There are many reasons. The number one reason is for the simple fact that we are all destined at the end of this life. The other side of the grave. When we enter eternity, we will enter it in either heaven or in hell. Today I'm going to look at Matthew 10 16 39. A few weeks ago, I talked about how we can fall into fear, our circumstances, and just things that we don't understand the unknown.

We even talked about phobias and how something like a phobia can cripple a person because the fear is so intense, and fear is, as I have titled this miniseries. Fear is God's tool, but the world's weapon. And we've been going over how God uses fear for those who love him to build these people up. He uses fear in a positive way because fear is part of who we are.

Our maker has given us Fear. And fear can be a good thing in the sense of it helps us. To get ready to fight or flee, but the enemy loves to take what God has created and use it against people. And today in the headlines all over the world. Those in power are using fear to control, to suppress people, to keep people doing whatever these people in control want them to do.

Taking away freedom upon freedom from all of those who are under their thumbs. So where does our savior, Lord Jesus Christ, come into this? Well, when it comes to fear, it's really interesting. In the readings for today, we see a different side of Jesus. There's the Jesus that we know from Sunday School, the Jesus that loves me.

Yes, I know, for the Bible tells me so he's very loving, very gentle, very kind, and that certainly is characteristics of Jesus. But there are other characteristics of Jesus that many Christians don't wanna talk about. Many spiritual leaders don't wanna teach and preach about because they're afraid that people are going to not like Jesus.

But the thing is, this is part of who Jesus is. So let's see what Jesus has to save. And you judge for yourself this side of Jesus. Verse 16. Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But beware of men for they will deliver you up to councils and s scourge you in their synagogues.

I'll stop right there. So Jesus, right away is admitting I am sending you out as sheep. In the midst of wolves, sheep have no way to defend themselves. And he's saying, okay, as defenseless beings, I'm going to send you out in the midst of wolves. People who are looking to devour you. His advice to that therefore be, in other words, because I am doing this, be wise as serpents.

And harmless as doves. Now, those are two characteristics that can be difficult to put together because I find that often when I am wise as a serpent, that it seems like I'm not necessarily harmless as a dove because I'm in this protection mode or combatant mode. I'm ready to attack those who are against.

My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, or I find myself being harmless as a dove, but then it's like I put my defenses down and I'm more vulnerable. I see it as two difficult characteristics to put together, and yet he tells us. Because you are going in as loving disciples of mine. I am sending you in amongst people who are ready to devour you.

But because of that, be wise as serpents and harmless as doss. He also goes on though to say in verse 17, but beware of menden for they will deliver you up to councils and score you in their synagogues. He is speaking to his apostles, so being scorched in synagogues, he's not telling all of his disciples worldwide that that's what's going to happen.

But we need to be prepared because that and more can happen around the world. Now we've been talking about fear. And Jesus says, beware of men, but he didn't say, be afraid of men. He said, beware of men because they're going to do these things. Darkness hates the light, and when the light is present, the darkness wants to do everything possible to snuff out that light.

So we are not to just wander aimlessly thinking, I only fear God, and so I don't need to beware of people. We don't need to fear them. And Jesus covers that soon enough in this passage, why we should not fear them, but be aware. Be aware. Verse 18. You'll be brought before governors and kings, for my sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.

But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak for. It will be given to you in that hour. What you should speak for, it is not you who speak, but the spirit of your father who speaks in you. When we are living for Jesus Christ, when we are in His word daily, when we are praying to our Heavenly Father daily, when we live and breathe Jesus Christ, there is no reason to worry really about anything.

That's another topic, but in this case, we don't have to worry about what to say about what's going to happen to us in this world. As things get darker and darker. There are brothers and sisters around the world who have it more difficult than I do in the United States, but even in the United States, we are seeing more and more persecution of Christianity.

But we need not fear. He will give us the tools that we need. He'll give us the words that we need at the time that we need them, and that is part of walking in Faith. Verse 21, now brother will deliver up brother to death and a father, his child and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.

And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. Okay, we'll stop right there. So things are already getting pretty brutal. Family members are turning against family members and this is foretold and there's some powerful emotions here. 'cause in verse 22, Jesus says that you'll be hated by all for my name sake.

Now by all is referring to the world because this isn't talking about Christians turning on each other. This is about the world turning on Christians, those who do not believe in Jesus Christ and are stubborn and want to stay to their own religion. Because that religion fits them. The world continues to grow more and more hostile with the very name of Jesus.

And why is that? Because Jesus makes it very clear that he is the only way to heaven. He is the only way to the holy, heavenly Father. Despite what other religions and cults want to say, not all roads lead to heaven. We are not worshiping the same God Christians, worship Yahweh, the living God, the God of peace, the God of righteousness, the God of love, the creator of everything.

He is a jealous God. He will not share that title with any other God that we make up as humankind. He just won't do it. So we cannot try to force our God into a little box to try to fit everyone else's. And because of that, Jesus is hated and so are his children. So the second part there, let me read verse 22.

I guess again, the first part, and you will be hated by all for my name's sake, but he who endures to the end will be saved. That doesn't mean that it is works that, oh, if you can endure, then you can go to heaven. No. What Jesus is saying is that those who endure are the ones who are saved because many will turn from their religion and many are, many are denying Jesus Christ.

Verse 23, when they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before. The son of man comes. Now that's interesting. He says, when they persecute you in this city, flee to another. Does that mean that we are to fear them? No, not at all.

We are not to fear those who are persecuting us, but we are supposed to be wise as serpents, so not hang around. It is not our jobs, Christians to convert people. The Holy Spirit does that. Our duty is to get them the gospel message. There is no formula. There's many books out there that claim that. Here's the way you can, you know, get people to convert to Christianity.

You need to mention to the average person, whatever, seven or 10 times before they'll start accepting it. What's that about? To me that sounds like works well, I'll just make sure that I repeat myself seven to 10 times and well, that person needs to convert. No is the Holy Spirit that will shake people up and he does it through us, but ultimately it's the person who's hearing the gospel message, who's responsible in reacting to that when presented the gift of the gospel.

We can only give the person the information they need to open it up and accept that gift from God themselves. Verse 24, A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. We are the students. Jesus is the teacher. We are the servant, and Jesus is our master. It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher and a servant like.

His master. Okay, so we are to be like Jesus, and that is being salt and light of the earth. We are like mirrors that reflect this beautiful light that Jesus is so going on. If they have called the master of the house, be above, how much more would they call those of his household? So we are to be like our teacher.

We are to be like our master. So Christian, can others look at you and know there's something different about you and many will not like it and some will love it and want to know more. Are you so much like your teacher? Are you so much like your master that when people hear you talk to them, they hear the voice of Jesus?

When people see you do kind things, they see the acts of Jesus. If that's the case, for those who do not like Jesus, they will also not like us because he says if they have called the master of the house as Jesus Babel, How much more will they call those of his household? So in other words, because we are so much like our teacher and our master, the world will have distaste for us.

They will hate us. If you are fitting in with the world, beloved, if someone looks at you and there's no way of knowing any difference between the fact that you call yourself a Christian, but you act. And talk just like the world. Well, then you really won't be hated. But you need to ask yourself, am I like Jesus Christ?

Now it's interesting because the next verse, verse 26 says, and remember, this is Jesus speaking. Therefore, do not fear them. Therefore, because you are like me and because they hate me and because they will also hate you, he says because of that, therefore, do not fear them for there is nothing covered that will not be revealed and hidden.

That will not be known. Take great comfort in that beloved. That at the end of this age, truth will be all. There will be no more evil and everything that has been covered that has been hidden will be revealed. So people can accuse us of anything they want, but the very fact that we are disciples of Jesus Christ, that we are God's children, we.

Hang on to that, knowing that any lies that are told against us, anything that is falsely charged against us, all of that, all of that will be revealed. Verse 27, whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light, and what you hear in the ear. Preach on the housetops. So what we learn from God's word.

Whatever I tell you in the dark, as you're reading God's word to yourself, the unsaved are not reading God's word, then you are to speak that what you have learned to the world, you are not to keep it to our yourself. We, beloved, are to share everything about God's word. Remember, that's regardless of what we just learned, that people are going to hate us anyway.

They're going to throw false accusations at us, they're going to call us names. It's just unbelievable that people can call a Christian a hypocrite. Now, I'm not saying that a person who's a Christian doesn't act like a. But the problem here is that the world is accusing Christians because you are a Christian, because you follow Jesus Christ.

You are a hypocrite. So in other words, even if you're not acting like a hypocrite, doesn't matter, you are a hypocrite because you follow Jesus Christ. The irony is horrendous. Because people call us that we don't stop. We keep on sharing what we learned in the dark. In other words, behind closed doors.

When we're just spending time with our heavenly Father, reading his word and praying to him, we are to share what we learn to everyone else. And he says, what you hear in the ear, preach on the house tops. Let the world hear us. Let the world know what they're missing out on. Verse 28, and do not fear.

There's our word, and do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul, but rather fear him. That's our holy, heavenly Father who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Okay, I'll stop right there. This passage right here, beloved. Matthew 10 verse 28 is one that I hang on to as a constant reminder why it makes absolutely no difference what someone might do to me.

It doesn't mean that I walk around parading myself, not caring what others might do. We are to be wise as serpents, and yes, if we're being persecuted, then we leave that city and onto another one. But fear is something the world wants to use against you. The world wants you to fear losing your job, Christian, losing your home, losing your reputation.

He wants you to fear losing your life. Or losing your freedom will just put you in jail, they say, or the cancel culture. They want you to fear being canceled, that no one else will listen to you and that your name will be dragged through the mud and nothing will be left of you as long as you fear.

That's stuff beloved then. Yes. You will not speak in the light what Jesus tells you in the dark, and you will not preach on the housetops what Jesus tells you in your ear. Instead, grip, grab hold of verse 28 when he says, and do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul because our bodies are temporary.

Your body isn't who you are, it's your soul. It's who you are. But rather fear him. Fear God above who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. And for a non-believer, that should grip your attention because for those who do not believe in Jesus Christ, who are not born again, are the ones who are sent to hell.

Jesus goes on to say, are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin and not one of them falls to the ground apart from your father's will. Jesus is saying, look, those sparrows there that you can buy for very cheap two sparrows for a copper coin, it's like buy one get one free. And yet, Now one of them falls to the ground apart from our Holy Father's will.

That is amazing. Beloved brothers and sisters in the faith, that should bring great, great comfort. Verse 30, but the very hairs of your head are all numbered. That too is amazing. You ever try counting your hair, but that's not a figure of speech. He knows how many hairs on your head, and yes, for those who may be completely bald, every hair on your arm, every hair on your back, every hair on your leg, however you wanna look at it.

Beloved, he knows everything about you. Verse 31, do not fear, therefore, you. Are of more value than many sparrows. That is beautiful. One Sparrow is so valuable to our Heavenly Father that not one of them falls to the ground. Apart from his will, he keeps track of every single one of 'em. He feeds every single one of 'em.

He takes the time to nurture them, to care for them, to love that little sparrow. And yet you, you are more valuable than many Sparrows verse 32. Therefore, whoever confesses me before men him, I will also confess before my father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men him, I will also deny before my father, who is in heaven.

You do not watch Jesus Christ denying you before his father. That's not a call to works. Jesus is not saying that you need to do the work that I gave you. You need to do a good job of that. You need to make sure you mention my name 10 times a day and that you're not afraid to do that, or I'm not going to tell my father about you.

No 'cause that would be works and we can't work our way into heaven. What he's saying is, for those who love him, they will not want to deny the name of Jesus Christ before men. A disciple of Jesus Christ would rather die than deny his very name. Why is that? Because they are aware that the only thing, the absolute worst thing that can happen on this side of eternity is someone take our life, which is interesting because it's not even our life, right?

If you think about it as a born again Christian, Jesus Christ has paid your sin, debt, and you can never pay that sin, debt back, which means Jesus owns your life. Isn't that something? And to go even a step further, think about the fact that your soul is eternal and that is who you are. That is your life.

Jesus didn't die for your physical body. He didn't die so that you're free to do whatever you want on this side of the grave. No, he died. So you, that's your soul. You are a spiritual being beloved. He died so you can go on to heaven and live an eternity in the presence of God, our Father, I would even argue that no one can take our life.

They can only destroy this body and for born again believers, absent from the body is present with the Lord. I say bring it on. That's what Jesus is saying. He's saying that if you love me, you will not deny me because you love me. It's those who really do not love him, who are not his disciples, who are not born again, who will quickly and easily deny the name of the Lord to other people.

I mean, many people don't even wanna talk about Jesus. They'll talk to me just about anything else but start talking about Jesus. And many wanna just change the subject as quickly as possible, and that's very unfortunate. Verse 34, and this is still Jesus talking. Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth.

I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For, I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and a man's enemies will be those of his own household. Wow. Doesn't that sound like Jesus is out to get us? So what is he saying here, beloved?

Well, again, he makes it clear right away. Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. When Jesus came down as baby Jesus, he came to tell us the truth. And of course, truth so many people can't handle. There was a movie on that once, I believe it's called A Few Good Men starring Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise.

And Tom Cruise has Jack Nicholson on trial, and he's yells out. He wants the truth. He wants the truth, and the character that Jack Nicholson plays this hard general says you can't handle the truth. Of course, Jack Nicholson says it much better than I do. People can't, beloved people cannot handle the truth, and that's why he goes on to say, for I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and a man's enemies will be those of his own household.

He didn't come to purposely do that. Jesus didn't come. So people will be bitter towards one another, start to fight, and Jesus is thinking, great. Look at this chaos that I started. This is great. Not at all. He's pointing out that this is the result of telling the truth. This is what will happen. Since he's not holding back the truth and he didn't hold back the truth when he was walking on earth.

He didn't sugarcoat things. He didn't try to be politically correct, trying to make everybody happy. No knowing that more people are going to be against the truth because there are far fewer Christians in this world. The reason there are far fewer Christians than all these other religions, and dare I say, true disciples of Jesus Christ because there are even more Christians by name, but even by name alone, Christians, there are still fewer than all the other religions combined.

The true discipleship, true disciples of Jesus Christ are not that many. Jesus knew that. So he knew by telling the truth that families would and still are fighting. And as the day the second coming of Jesus Christ grows ever nearer to us, the hostility towards the name of Jesus Christ is getting worse.

And so more and more families are splitting up because of it. Verse 37. He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Okay, I'll stop right there. So we see that Jesus did not come down to try to just make everybody get along, but he came to tell us the truth.

With that truth, he knows that people are going to continue to fight about it. And with that, for those who truly love Jesus Christ, they will not love father or mother or their son or daughter more than Jesus. Now, on the outside, that can sound terrible. After all, God is love. God is righteousness. If he's love, why wouldn't he want us to love our mothers and fathers and children more than him?

Answer Because we can't love others if we do not. First love God. Think about that. There are many non-believers. Who would anything to save a parent or a child and that anything could mean taking somebody else's life, an innocent life. People of the world will do horrendous acts to save the reputation of a loved one, no matter what it means.

But I want you to think about this for a moment. Somebody who is willing to do that. That's a very selfish act because they are trying to preserve their way of life. I need my loved ones around me and I will do whatever it takes, even if I have to kill someone else. But as a Christian, you don't have that option.

We are commanded, first and foremost to love the Lord your God, with all of your heart and soul and mind. Second to that is to love our neighbors, everyone else, as we love ourself, we cannot love other people with agape love. That selfless love that only God has and God gives to others. We can't do it apart from the Holy Spirit residing in us.

Impossible. Impossible. And so know we are to love the Lord our God more than we love our family. Now, hopefully. Hopefully you love the Lord your God a lot, beloved. And right now I'm speaking to my brothers and sisters in Christ because I also hope and pray that you love your parents. You love your children more than anyone else on this earth, and hopefully more than even yourself, but not more than God, not more than Jesus Christ, your savior.

And then Jesus says, verse 38, and he who does not take his cross, Follow after me is not worthy of me. Well, that doesn't mean you go to the store and buy a cross and carry it around. It means when we crucify our flesh daily to walk with the Lord, we are crucifying the urges of our flesh. What does that look like?

Well, such as a life of just having fun. I just want to have fun, fun, fun. Make as much money as I can so I can have more fun and relax, and then have some more fun. But living as a Christian, well, suddenly we start to realize there are things that our soul, our spirit inside of us, will not allow because morally isn't right.

Having fun is no sin, but living just to have fun. That's a sin. So giving up things of the flesh is taking up one's cross, giving up things in life that may not be sinful, but take away from the time of you reading God's word each day and communicating, praying to your heavenly Father every day, but also, Picking up that cross means, you know what?

People are going to see that they're going to notice something different about you, Christian. They're going to notice that there's things that you just don't do that you used to because you used to need to go out drinking and trying to have a good time, but you no longer feel that need so you don't do it. You used to swear and curse and laugh at any kind of joke.

The more insulting, the better. But now Christian, you're not doing that. Jesus just said a few verses ago that the student will be like the teacher and the servant like his master. And so you're going to be liked and salt of the earth and people that are of the world hate it, and that's picking up your cross.

Jesus ends with this in this passage 39. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life, for my sake, will find it. So he who finds his life will lose it. You know, when we are looking for something and we keep looking and looking and looking until we find it, it's only human nature to wanna know.

Why you're here. But in the process of looking and trying to find your life, first of all, let me underscore the fact that you're referring to your life because it's mine. But that's what the world says. Stake your claim. Take what you want, be everything you can be. It's your life, it's your time, it's your moment.

Take it. And the person who lives that way to find their purpose through the lens of the world, will ultimately lose their life at the end. 'cause they have spent their whole life looking for who they are. And the sad part of that is they'll never find it because we can only find ourself through the Lord Jesus Christ.

That's why he says that he who loses his life, for my sake, will find it. Now, losing one's life that's not the same as, oh, so and so lost their life because of this illness or this accident. Jesus is not promoting suicide because that's a physical death, and he is not even talking about the physical death.

He is talking about finding your life and once again, you are a spiritual being, finding out who you are through Jesus Christ. So losing your life is giving up the fleshly desires of rich and fame or wealthy and comfortable. Or well liked and well loved the pursuit of happiness. Give that up for Jesus.

And you speak up and you tell the world what Jesus speaks in your ear, what you see in the dark. And you know what? Oh Jesus. He will give you so much more than you could ever find for yourself in the world. I promise you that. With every fiber of my being. I promise you that. Give up the pursuit of retirement.

Give up the pursuit of looking so beautiful, so handsome. Give up the pursuit of finding yourself here on earth, on this side of eternity, and give your life to Jesus Christ. Well, how do you do that? That's a good question. I'm glad you asked me. You do that by becoming born again as the Apostle Paul wrote it in Romans 10.

Confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and in your heart believe that God has raised him from the dead, and you will be saved and beloved if you are already born again. Well, that's just the beginning. So beloved, if you're born again. That's where you stopped. Well, you still haven't given your life to him.

Now what do I mean by that? Yes, you've given your life, your eternal life to him, but you still haven't given your physical life here to him. I know many Christians who they'll trust God for their eternity, but when it comes to everything else in life, money, what they desire to have. They don't trust him for that.

So lose your life for the sake of Jesus Christ and you will find it. Oh, you will find it. He will do things in and through you, Christian, that you never imagined. I witnessed to that. He has changed me so much and he's still changing me. I'm still in that sanctification process and I'm loving it, and I love him.

I love Jesus. Jesus gave me my beautiful wife. He gave me three wonderful kids. He gave me a wonderful family growing up, and even things about myself that I'm not even crazy about. I'm thankful he gave it to me because I am who I am today because of how he made me and how he continues to mold me in this process of being sanctified.

So you remember that he who finds his life will lose it. It's not, maybe don't go through this life here on this side of the grave trying to get spoils that you can't even take with you whether you go to heaven or hell. Everything that you have here stays here. So know, lose your life for the sake of Jesus Christ, and you will find treasures far beyond anything that is here.

Well, thank you for listening and come back next week. I'm going to wrap up fear because fear and love, well, they have an interesting relationship. And we'll talk more about that next week. If you have any questions, go to my website, brmaul.com, that’s brmaul.com. Click on contact and get ahold of me. I am very happy to visit with you to support this ministry on the website, just click on donate, and there are three different ways that you can support this ministry.

Let's reach out to more people around the world, help them with these messages, and until next time,

God bless.

Songs

“Heroes Inspire Hope” and “Mountainscape” by Humans Win

"Dark Tense Trailer" by Moodmode

“An Untold Struggle” by Jon Presstone