Fear God, Not Man
Luke 12:1-12
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: “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 3 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.
4 “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. 5 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. 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two penniesa? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
8 “I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. 9 But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God. 10 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.
11 “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”
The past two Sundays I have stood here and called all of you hypocrites. I did this not once, but two weeks in a row. I didn’t get any hate mail or late night phone calls. Not one single person objected to my calling you hypocrites. There can only be one of two reasons for this. Either you all agree with me, or, you plan to fire me at tomorrow night’s congregational meeting! Of course I lumped myself in with the mass of hypocrites in this room. We may not be as bad as the Pharisees, but all of us have a gap between who we say we are and how we behave.
Last week I offered an antidote to our hypocrisy. Do you remember what that was? One solution to hypocrisy is to admit we are hypocrites and genuinely apologize to those we have offended. If we have faield to represent Christ to someone by our actions, then a humble, honest apology is very powerful. Parents especially should be able to apologize to the children because our kids know best that we are hypocrites.
In chapter 11, Jesus was directly addressing the Pharisees and experts in the law, but in chapter 12 he pulled aside the disciples and warned them: “be on guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.” There were thousands of people gathered around them. The crowd was so huge that Luke tells us they were actually trampling on one another. It was like a Eurpoean soccer game gone bad. In the midst of that chaos, Jesus pulled aside his closest followers to warn them against hypocrisy.
Do you know what lies at the heart of all hypocrisy? A fear of man. Our fear of man causes us to conform to the wishes and whims of others. We mold our lives to fit their expectations. We want to be liked, so we hide our true selves and never admit we’re wrong. We don’t want to lose our jobs so we keep quiet when we see abuses and corruption. For teens and kids, we want our friends to like us so we do things that we know God would not approve of. When we have open opportunities to speak up for Christ, instead we shrink in fear. As yourself these question. How much of what you do is driven by a fear of what others think of you? How many decisions do you make solely for the purpose of guarding your ego and reputation? If we are honest, a fear of others influences and drives much of our life and it leads to hypocrisy. Jesus warned—Be on guard against the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. We have to be on guard for hypocrisy because it sneaks up on us. If a fear of man leads to hypocrisy, then the number one antidote to hypocrisy is a fear of God. A reverent fear of God will liberate you from the fears of those around you.
The first reason we should fear God is because you can’t hide anything from God. Have you ever played hide and seek with a preschooler? They run behind a tree or hide around the corner, but usually the top of their head is sticking out or else they keep peeking around the corner to see if you are coming. They are convinced they are completely hidden. In their mind, they are as good as invisible, but you can see them the entire time. This is the way it is with us and God. Jesus said . 2There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 3 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. It sounds cliché to say that God is watching your every move, but that is absolutely true. Top secret government meetings are not secret for the Lord. What we whisper to someone in a secluded mountain cabin is not hidden from God. All of our thoughts, fears and actions are seen and will one day be disclosed. Imagine if we showed a movie of your entire life. Which parts would you be embarrassed to see? What if this included your thought life as well? If you are embarrassed just thinking about it, imagine what it will be like when these things are shouted from the rooftops! There is no hiding from God.
But it is also possible to take this verse in a positive way. All of the acts of kindness and love that go unnoticed are also seen by God. We are not supposed to trumpet our own good works, but God will do this for us one day. If you have anything to hide, this is a warning to you. If you act justly, then this verse is motivation to do more.
The second reason we should fear God and not man is that the worst thing men can do to you is to kill you. This may not sound like a very pleasant reason, but it is if you understand what Jesus was saying. 4 “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. 5 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.
Three times Jesus instructed his disciples to fear God. He didn’t want to leave any doubt at all.
1. But I will show you whom you should fear:
2. Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell.
3. Yes, I tell you, fear him.
This
January is the 50th anniversary of the massacre of the five
missionaries in Ecuador. Jim Elliot, Pete Fleming, Ed McCully, Nate
Saint, and Roger Youderian were killed with spears and machetes at the hands of
the violent Auca Indians. There have been countless martyrs for Christ, but what
makes this story so amazing is how willingly they gave their lives. These five
missionaries knew full well the danger of trying to share the gospel with these
spear-wielding natives. On the day they were killed, they had guns with them.
They could have defended themselves, but they did not. They had decided in
advance that regardless of the danger, they would not fight back. They were
willingly slaughtered without any resistance. They realized that the worst thing
that could happen was that they could die. No—death is not a small thing, but
compared to losing your soul in hell, killing the body is nothing. Compared to
an eternity with Christ, death is nothing. Here is a picture of Steve Saint
posing with one of the men who killed his father.
Most of us will never face the end of a spear or the blade of a machete, but if we are not afraid of those who can kill the body, then why should we fear those who can cause us even less harm? If you are willing to die for Christ, then are you willing to get fired for Christ? We have two people in our church who quit their jobs because their employers were pressuring them to act unethically. Are you willing to take a stand at your job even if it means making less money? Are you willing to be unpopular at school? What is your source of security in life? Friends, job, spouse? Are you willing to let go of any of those, or do you fear man more than you fear God?
This leads to our third point—we should fear God because our true worth is inherited from God. Immediately after giving three warning to fear God, Jesus spoke words of comfort. Are not five sparrows sold for two penniesa? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
The
first thing Jesus’ words accomplish is to put an end to PETA. The folks at PETA
would have us believe that sparrows are just as, and perhaps even more valuable
than humans. Let me ask you a strange question. Would you chain up your best
friend in your yard? Would you tie a chain around your son or your daughter and
tie them in your backyard? No? Then why do you do it to your dog? After all,
this PETA sticker reminds us that “Friends don’t chain friends”.
If you go to the PETA website, the first thing you see is pictures of animals
saved from Hurricane Katrina. Do you see their underlying philosophy? They
didn’t send workers down to rescue people, they send workers down to rescue
animals. But in stark contrast to this, Jesus said, “you are worth more than
many sparrows.” Why are we worth more than sparrows? The only reason that we are
worth more than sparrows and dolphins and apes is because we have been created
in the image of God. The image of God 
is
not something we have earned or deserved—we have it simply as a gift from God.
The image of God alone distinguishes us from the animals. Christ did not die to
save Fido the dog. Jesus did not shed his blood to rescue your pet goldfish.
Even a single sparrow is not forgotten by God, how much more does God care about
us. Why should you fear man when you have a God who gives you such sovereign
care?
God knows us so intimately that even the hairs on our head are numbered. Do you know who has the most hairs on their head? Blondes do. The average blond has 140,000 hairs. The darker your hair, the less hairs you have. Dark-haired people only have 110,000 hairs. Worst of all are redheads who only average 90,000 hairs. Scientists can tell us the average number of hairs, but only God can number them one by one. All of this further demonstrates our God-given worth. We all struggle with self-worth to some degree. It is the reason we become Pharisees and people-pleasers, isn’t it? We put on masks. We hide behind our accomplishments. We do whatever we can to boost our self-worth, but this is the most foolish of efforts. Our self-worth did not come from us. The image of God is a mark of creation. We did not earn it. Why then do we try so hard to earn more of that which is impossible to earn? It is utter foolishness.
If we are Christians we have a double layer of God-given self worth. First, we have the image of God placed within us at the moment of conception and second, we are a blood-bought member of God’s kingdom through Christ. The cross made us into a child of the King. Again, we did not earn this. It is only a gift from God. Why do we fear people?
We simply must make sure we understand the vast difference between fear of God and fear of man. Otherwise, when it really counts, we are going to be in deep trouble. Without a reverent fear of God we will deny Christ. Jesus said, 8 “I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. 9 But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God.
On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. Four years later he was summoned to an official tribunal before hundreds of Roman Catholic officials, including the Holy Roman Emperor. His examiner, John Eck, asked him, “ Martin Luther, do you recant of the heresies in your writings? Do you defend them all, or do you care to reject a part?” Luther replied, “This touches God and his word. This affects the salvation of souls. Of this Christ said, ‘He who denies me before men, him will I deny before the Father.’ To say too little or too much would be dangerous. I beg you, give me time to think it over.” He asked for and was granted one more day to think it over. This was not the classic courtroom stalling technique that we see today. Luther was not afraid of the pope or anyone else. He feared God. He knew how he answered the question could lead him to denying Christ. This is what scared him and it’s why he asked for one more day.
He spent that night in prayer and counsel. He was asked the next day, "Would Luther reject his books and the errors they contain?"Luther replied: "Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason—I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other—my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe." This is Luther’s famous quote, but what he said the day before is even more important because it showed his main concern was a fear of denying Christ.
I am sure you have heard stories of Christians in other countries who have had guns held to their heads and told to deny Christ or be shot. Have you ever wondered what you would do in such a situation? Would you stand the test or would you deny Christ? Odds are great that none of us will ever be put to that test, but we can know whether we would pass it. Do you pass the no-denial test in smaller things? I can guarantee you that when Martin Luther stood before the most powerful religious figure in the world and stood firmly upon the word ofGod and Christ, he had previously done so in hundreds of smaller ways. The only way we will pass the big test in life is to pass the smaller ones as well. What you do through Sunday through Saturday is the best indication of what you would do if a gun were held to your head. How you stand for Christ in the workplace is the best clue as to how you will do in the big tests.
A good way to make sure we understand the concept of a reverent fear is to look at an example of an irreverent fear of God. If you recall the demon-possessed man from Luke 8, you will remember that before the healing, the people of that town seemed to have become adjusted to this wild, chained, demon-possessed man living in a cave. He was the town madman and they did not seem to be afraid of him. But after the demon was gone and the man was healed, the townspeople were “overcome with fear”. They rightly feared the amazing power Jesus demonstrated over the legion of demons. They knew a power resided in the mad man, but they saw that Jesus was significantly more powerful. They had a genuine fear of God, but it was not a reverent fear. They demanded that Jesus leave immediately.
You see, it’s not enough to believe that Jesus is all-powerful. It’s not even sufficient to be afraid of God or the threat of judgment. But a reverent fear of God causes us to run to God for protection. A reverent fear of God recognizes that God is both perfectly powerful and perfectly good. When we have a reverent fear of God, we rest in his shadow and take refuge in his arms. Do you want to be on guard against hypocrisy? Do you want to be liberated from the fear of those around you? Then we need to cultivate a reverent fear of God.
Rich Maurer
October 9, 2005