GOSPEL READING:
Matthew 10:24-3324 "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master; 25 it is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household. 26 "So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, utter in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim upon the housetops. 28 And 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. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's will. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 So every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven."
Meditation: What does fear have to do with the kingdom of
God? Fear is a powerful force. It can lead us to panic and flight
or it can spur us to faith and action. The fear of God is the
antidote to the fear of losing one's life. I sought the Lord,
and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. O fear
the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no want!
Come, O sons, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the
Lord. (Psalm 34:4,9,11)
Godly fear - reverence for God
What is godly fear? It is reverence for the One who made us in
love and who sustains us in mercy and kindness. The greatest
injury or loss which we can experience is not physical but
spiritual - the loss of one's soul to the power of hell (Matthew
10:28). A healthy fear (godly respect) and reverence for God leads
to spiritual maturity, wisdom, and right judgment and it frees us
from the tyranny of sinful pride, cowardice - especially in the
face of evil, and spiritual deception. Do you trust in God's grace
and mercy and do you obey his word?
When Jesus proclaimed the kingdom (reign) of God he met
opposition and hostility. Many religious leaders opposed Jesus
because they refused to believe that he was the Messiah (God's
Anointed One) and that his authority and power came from God. They
claimed his power came from Beelzebul - the prince of demons who
is also called Satan or the devil. Jesus demonstrated the power of
God's kingdom through his numerous signs and miracles and his
power to set people free from Satan's harm and deception.
Choosing for God's kingdom
There are fundamentally only two kingdoms in opposition to one
another - God's kingdom of light - his truth and righteousness
(moral goodness) and Satan's kingdom of darkness - his power to
deceive and tempt people to rebel and do what is wrong and evil.
And there are no neutral parties - we are either for God's kingdom
or against it. We either choose for Jesus and the kingdom he
brings - God's rule of peace and righteousness, or we choose for
the kingdom of this world which opposes God's truth and
righteousness. That is why Jesus told his disciples that they must
expect the same treatment of opposition and hostility if they
accept him as their Lord (Messiah) and Master (Teacher).
There is both a warning and a privilege in Jesus' statement. Just
as Jesus had to carry his cross to suffer and die for us, so every
disciple of Christ must bear his or her own cross of suffering for
Christ and not try to evade it. To suffer for the Christian faith
is to share in the work of Jesus Christ. As one Christian hymn
states: Lift high the Cross of Christ! Tread where his feet
have trod. The Holy Spirit gives us supernatural power,
freedom, and grace to live as disciples of Jesus Christ. Do you
trust in God who gives us the strength and perseverance we need to
follow his will and to embrace our cross each day for Jesus' sake?
Lord Jesus, it is my joy and privilege to be your disciple. Give me strength and courage to bear any hardship and suffering which may come my way in serving you and obeying your will. May I witness to others the joy of the Gospel - the good news of your kingdom of peace, joy, and righteousness.
Psalm 105:1-7
1 O give thanks to the LORD, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples!
2 Sing to him, sing praises to him, tell of all his wonderful works!
3 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!
4 Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his presence continually!
5 Remember the wonderful works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,
6 O offspring of Abraham his servant, sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
7 He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth.
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: Do not bewail death - but sin, by Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD)
"The gospel is life. Impiety and infidelity are the death of the
soul. So then, if the soul can die, how then is it yet immortal?
Because there is always a dimension of life in the soul that can
never be extinguished. And how does it die? Not in ceasing to be
life but by losing its proper life. For the soul is both life to
something else, and it has it own proper life. Consider the order
of the creatures. The soul is the life of the body. God is the
life of the soul. As the life that is the soul is present with the
body, that the body may not die, so the life of the soul (God)
ought to be with the soul that it may not die."
"How does the body die? By the departure of the soul. I say, by
the departure of the soul the body dies, and it lies there as a
mere carcass, what was a little before a lively, not a
contemptible, object. There are in it still its several members,
the eyes and ears. But these are merely the windows of the house;
its inhabitant is gone. Those who bewail the dead cry in vain at
the windows of the house. There is no one there within it to
hear... Why is the body dead? Because the soul, its life, is gone.
But at what point is the soul itself dead? When God, its life, has
forsaken it... This then we can know and hold for certain: the
body is dead without the soul, and the soul is dead without God.
Every one without God has a dead soul. You who bewail the dead
rather should bewail sin. Bewail ungodliness. Bewail disbelief." (excerpt from SERMON 65.5-7)