Faith in Fear

nothing is covered up that will not be revealed or hidden that will not be made known. Therefore, whatever you said in the dark will be heard in the light. Whatever you've whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.

Ultimately, these are all saying the same thing. What we think is private, what we think is hidden, it will be made known. What we think we're whispering over here, it will be made loud and public. What we think we're doing in secret, it will be revealed. We might think we're getting away with something, we might think we're sneaky, we might think we're clever, but it will be made public. Jesus is warning his disciples, beware of a public facade that we think is covering up our private sin. There's three kinds of private sin I think we should really think about this morning. One is private sin we enjoy with certain friends. Are there certain people that you're willing to have a looser tongue with? Are there certain friends that when you get together, you do things you would not do with other friends at church? Are there friends that you enjoy because there's ways in which you know that sin is acceptable among those specific friends? There's a way in which this is extremely dangerous when we have others who are going to say this is okay behavior for a Christian. There's private sin we wouldn't want everyone to know we do, but we would not do with everyone else. Jokes we would say, words, activities. Then there's private sin by ourself. Many have said what we do when we're by ourselves is really the most important thing about us. What is it we do when we are by ourselves? What are we committed to? What kinds of things would we allow ourselves to do when we're not with others? What kind of freedoms do we try to take advantage of? What do we pursue with our eyes, our minds? Then lastly, private sin in our minds, just what we would entertain. Temptations pop in and then we flirt with. What's really astonishing, if we go back to Luke 11, 17, Jesus knew their thoughts. Jesus knows the kinds of things we've even thought this morning. Everything we think is private, rather in our own minds and hearts. Everything we've done in private, by ourselves or with a certain select group of friends that allow us to sin or promote our sin. Jesus is saying all that will be made known. Well, how? Well, I think there's three ways in which we can think about these things being exposed. First, over time. By God's grace, there might be an opportunity that loved ones, friends, would see these sins or know these sins, and you could confess these sins and come out. Over time, it might be as small as a small group of friends or loved ones or a church that would see these sins and help you be restored. The second way would be, over time, God makes it known publicly. God would make our sins known. I remember walking through a difficult sin with a dear brother. And when he had gotten caught, what he told me was, I wanted to get caught. Something interesting, as a believer, he had begun practicing a sin, and he'd gotten so deep in that sin, he was terrified of confessing it, but after being caught, he was relieved at some level, because he needed out, and he didn't know how to get out. He wanted to get caught. The key lie that we believe is that we can control sin. Jesus makes it very clear in John 10, if you choose sin, you're choosing a master, not a servant. Well, the final way in which every sin will be exposed is before the throne of God. There's nothing hidden from God. There's nothing hidden from God. Everything we think we're doing cleverly in private, we will stand before God and we will give an account. There's nowhere to hide in that last day. He knows our sin better than we do. It will be clear, we will be speechless. Here are the amazing truths of the gospel. God knows our every sin and still set his love upon us. God knew every sin we would ever commit. God knew every sinful deed, every sinful word, every sinful thought, and still sent his son to die for us. God knows our sin more than us. This is a text that should be a warning that would overwhelm us. I cannot believe all these things will be made known. But he who knows them all best committed himself to saving us. If you're not a Christian this morning, this is the truth of the gospel. We're sinners. We rebelled against God. We will stand before him and have to give an account. And the only way not to give our own account and suffer for our own sins is to believe in Jesus, who died and suffered for us. This coming Friday, we have a special service to meditate upon the cross, where because our sin should cause God's wrath to fall fully on us, he sent his own son. to be a substitute, to stand in our place and suffer in our place so that all of God's wrath is poured out on him so that we can be fully forgiven. You must believe this. If you don't believe this, please don't leave without talking to someone around you. The key problem with the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, they just thought too little of sin. Sin was something outside of them. Sin was something they could simply wash off. Sin was this problem, but not really a disease. Sin was difficult and destructive, but not really deadly and damnable. No, Christian, sin, even if hidden away, we think, even if private, we think, is dangerous. Now, one of the ways we think about solutions to this private sin problem, and usually the private sins are the most entangling sins. Our culture usually calls these addictions. They're very difficult. Those things we do in private in the dark, they're wrapped up in lies. They twist our hearts. We too often think, all I need is some accountability, and I just wanna take a moment here to maybe step back from that a moment. That looks at sin too lightly. There is no amount of filters who are going to actually solve your sin problem. So what do we do? The first thing we need to look at is the cross. We need to look and see the power of God's love declared on the cross. The first thing you need to see is not that you need some accountability. No, God forgives you if you confess that sin. That's the first thing. You will not get past this sin if you do not believe God has forgiven you of that sin. You must first believe his grace abounds to forgive you and restore you of that sin. The second is then to put practices in that will actually give you a new desire, a new love, and then accountability. Accountability while you still feel unforgiven? Accountability while the heart's still knotted? Only then leads to lies and self-condemnation. No, we need to have the fullness of the gospel untangle the heart, help us fully be embraced by God's love, and then accountability actually can be helpful. Beware of hypocrisy. Beware of the idea that there's some kind of private sin that will not be made. And again, the most important thing here, there's a reverence for God, a fear that he will, he does know, and he will make it known. The second section, disciplined fear. Notice here, the word fear is throughout the text, and there's really three steps in this point.

I tell you, my friends, Do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear. Fear him who, after he is killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God? Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, you are of more value than many sparrows.

There's three clear steps. Do not fear those who can just kill you. You should fear him who has the authority after your dad to cast you into hell. You should fear him who has a greater authority that will affect your eternity. And then the last one, we gotta really wrestle with this. Don't fear the human who can kill you, fear the God who can judge you, and then don't fear him. He cares about you. Let's look at these first two together. Here this is that, let's identify fear, let's redirect that fear. Okay, there's that real temporary fear. There are those who would try to kill Christians. There are those who are going to persecute Christians. Do not fear those who kill the body. There are going to be attacks, and there have been many attacks on Christians that attack the body. They can cut off arms. The Roman government did this. Many other nations are doing it now. It's a temporary, material, physical danger. There are real fears in the world right now. There's atrocities happening in war. A dean of a seminary in Ukraine was shot in the back this past, well, his body was found this past week. A brother in Christ, a faithful teacher of God's truth, murdered. There's many who are killing infants. There's many things that humans are doing against fellow image bearers that are terrifying. It's really scary. There's a lot to really be afraid of. Here's something that's helpful for us in Scripture. When it says, do not fear, it doesn't mean it's not scary. It means God is in control. There is something truly frightening. To be threatened physically because of your faith or for your faith is truly frightening. Here we can think, okay, there's a earthly citizenship. They can take away your earthly reputation with slander. They can take away your earthly possessions with violence. They can take away your earthly peace with threats. They can even take your very existence. We can step back and praise God. We're more than just a big blob of cells. We're body and spirit. We're made in the image of God. There's an honor and a dignity to every human life. There's a way in which God has put a value on us that cannot be removed. And then there are earthly authorities that abuse that authority to kill even fellow human beings and Christians. Well, all right, that sounds terrifying. How is it I'm not supposed to fear them? Well, there's a greater authority. Look at verse five. I will warn you whom to fear. If you stare at the gun, you're gonna be afraid. There's a redirection. Look up. I will tell you whom to fear. Fear him, who after you've been killed, after he has killed his authority to cast you into hell. And to make sure we understand it, yes, I tell you, fear him. He's speaking of God. Now, hell is an important concept. Jesus talks about hell throughout all the Gospels. It's one of the key words he actually uses. It's something we don't have to think about or talk about. Jesus talks about it. We need to talk about it. Hell is described in Scripture in metaphors. There's no way for us to truly describe hell with our words in the same way that there's no way to truly describe heaven with our words. Hell is described as gnashing of teeth, an eternal flame where the worm continues to devour. Hell is a place where God's judgment is always, constantly, fully felt. We live in an age right now where there's grace. Every human being does not feel the fullness of God's judgment right now who's walking on earth. That doesn't mean God's judgment isn't real. Hell isn't a place void of God. It's not where Satan's an emcee of some kind of party. No, hell is where our sin comes into full contact with God's glory and is fully felt in judgment. There's a great grace right now that sinners do not feel the full weight of judgment. But here, the one we should fear is the one who has that final declaration, that final judgment, the one who will judge perfectly. And you'll experience it forever. He's a just judge. We understand hell and we appreciate the idea. We understand there's gonna be a truth to it. He is the perfect law giver. He is the perfect righteous God who will judge every sin in just the right way. He's the one we should fear. Now we're terrified of the person with a gun who's threatening us, but here there's a reverence. There's a proper attention. There's a proper focus. Do not fear him who can merely take away your earthly existence. Fear him who is and has authority over your eternity. I encourage you, let's just go back to a song we sang earlier. Amazing Grace, the second line.

"'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, "'in grace my fears relieved.'"

Whatever out there we're afraid of, It probably is truly frightening. But notice here, the grace of God teaches us how to fear Him, how to have a right fear, and as we have a right fear of Him, those other fears, they're relieved, they're put in their proper place. He who has all authority to judge with absolute true justice, He's the one we should fear. Then verses six and seven. Jesus, without in any way contradicting himself, then says, don't fear him. We understand what's happening here, right? Don't fear the human who wants to kill you. The right reverence is the one who has authority in hell or over hell. And then after we think of him who is worthy of all reverence, don't fear him. Why? Because he who has all power is all caring. Verse six, are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? If you were going into the temple, the cheapest sacrifice you could purchase for God was sparrows. This is why I think he uses sparrows. It was the cheapest sacrifice. And not one of them is forgotten before God. God is aware of all nature, all of his creation. He has a care for everything he has created. But we have a special place as human beings. If you look at Genesis 1, we're the last of the created order. We're declared to be in his image. There's a way in which it's not very good until humans are created. We have a special place in the created order. He makes it very clear. Notice the contrast. God cares about the sparrow, but he cares about you more. Verse seven, why even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Now this could be confusing for some, Some might feel like God cares them more because of the hair on their head. Be very clear, I believe this is a cumulative. At one day when you had that lush head of hair, God knew even those hairs on your head. And it's just a picture. The focus here is to think God cares about even the smallest detail. The number. God cares. Fear not, you're more valued. What a great calling to look up to Him who has all authority and have a right reverence of Him. And then to be able to look around and know that He cares. We're more valuable than all the rest of creation. We need to understand real fear means we look up to Him who loves us. The two main lies of Satan are right here in front of us, exposed and denied. What does Satan corrupt the creation with with his lies in the garden? Surely God would not tell you to not eat any tree. That was Satan challenging God, goodness. And then after Eve continues to talk, well surely God wouldn't kill you. He's not just, you don't need to fear him. The two main threats, is God really good? Is God really powerful? Yes, he has all authority. Yes, he is all good. When we wrestle with this, go to the cross. The greatest evil humanity ever committed is there on the cross. We killed God according to God's plan. God, the Father, committed his son to die for us. The greatest sin of man is also the greatest declaration of God's love. We see there, he is all powerful. He has conquered sin. And we see there, he is working all good for us. He died for us. So there, there's a readjustment of who do we fear? Why do we fear them? And then we go into our last section, public courage. Public courage. Don't be like the Pharisees that have only a private religion. Here, there's a twist because the Pharisees, they liked a public religion, but only in so it made them liked by the people. This kind of public courage is what the Pharisees were not prepared for. Look at verses eight through 12.

And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God. But the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. And when they bring you before the synagogue and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.

We see here a full, robust expectation of what discipleship is. It's your private life, your private devotion. Just as our covenant together, we were committed to having a private devotion in our homes, in our work, in our own lives, and we have a public devotion. We come regularly to a worship together as Christians. But this public is in defense. This public is one where we're going to be put before men, not a church that would long to hear your testimony, but before men who would threaten you if they heard your testimony. Religion is not a private matter. This is one of those confusing things that really America seems to have embraced in an odd way. That my faith is private? My religion's private? No, the Christian faith is your faith, but it's meant to be lived out publicly. It's meant to be lived out with other Christians. It's meant to be lived out in the public. It should be demonstratable. Christian, how public is your faith? Are we afraid to speak to neighbors, friends, family? Verses eight and nine, there's a more general charge. Notice it's stated in such a factual way. Everyone who acknowledges me before men, those who would profess Jesus before men, those who would make a public profession, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. But the one who denies me before men, those who would be ashamed of me, those who would reject me, those who would hear the threats and deny, they will be denied before the angels of God. I believe in the angels of God because we recognize there's an earthly threat and a heavenly reality. On earth, if we would profess him, we'll be acknowledged in the heavens. If we deny him here on earth, we'll be denied in the heavens. Jesus is making it very clear. What are we afraid of? Are we more afraid of how we might be treated or looked at because we profess Christ, or are we afraid of the eternity? Are we embarrassed of Jesus? Maybe a better way of asking is, who are we afraid of letting know we were Christians? A family member? A friend? A professor? A coworker? Who is it and why are we concerned or timid about making Christ known? Is there a reality that we're regularly talking about Christ? This is actually one of the things we are trying to do as a church regularly while we have regular services on Sunday and Wednesday night and we get together different times. If we learn how to talk about Christ regularly together, we're gonna learn how to talk Christ better in public. This is a training ground. If we can't talk about Christ with one another, we can't talk about Christ outside. Why we do the many ways in which we want people to share their testimonies, we want people to feel comfortable talking about Jesus with each other. We can't lose sight. I think 1 Peter's helpful for us. We're elect exiles. We have a different citizenship. It's in the heavens, a different future. Are we willing and are we practicing a public profession of Christ? Now let's look at verse 10. We need to take some time here. This is a challenging concept, a very challenging passage in scripture. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. I said this is challenging. Let me be very clear, hell isn't challenging. A just God punishing all sins? That isn't hard to wrap our heads around, right? Right? Okay. So to have a just God who's going to punish sin, that just makes sense to us. To have an all-loving God who would forgive every sin, that actually gets more complicated because there's a sense, well, if it's sin, there needs to be a payment. This puts in a whole nother layer where There's one sin that won't be forgiven, which should make us ask, what is that sin? This is significant. Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven. We can praise God and just go back even to the Gospels. Peter was warned, you'll deny me three times. Peter said, nah, not me. At that very moment, denied before a little girl and a Roman soldier, the cock crowed. There's a way in which it's so sweet. After the resurrection, Jesus says, go tell the disciples. And Peter, he's restored. Peter denied Jesus publicly, privately, in fear. He spoke a word against Jesus, but he was forgiven. Paul himself persecuted Christ, the church. He was forgiven. But here there's a very significant declaration. Blaspheming the Holy Spirit. First we have to define blasphemy. That's misrepresenting God. That's speaking a truth against God that misrepresents God. A little side note, a significant one, if you can blaspheme the Holy Spirit, that means the Holy Spirit's God. If you can blaspheme, blaspheme is something you do against God. If you can blaspheme the Spirit, the Holy Spirit is God. If you blaspheme the Spirit, it will not be forgiven. This causes Christians anxiety. Have I blasphemed the Spirit? How is it you can blaspheme the Spirit but not be guilty of Christ? The other context, Mark 3, Matthew 12, are what we saw recently when others accused Jesus of doing his work with the power of Satan. And so many concluded the blasphemy of the Spirit is when you give Satan credit for the Spirit's doing. That seems to be a logical connection. That is not our context. So what does it mean here? Here, we need to remember it, this is in between a passage where disciples are acknowledging Jesus before men, and specifically, Jesus is acknowledged before men according to the Holy Spirit. In view here are those who are the men. The blasphemous spirit are those who would hear the profession of Christ. The blasphemous spirit would be those who would hear the gospel from Christians and reject him. Notice here the disciples, Jesus never tells anyone you've committed this. It's a statement that always shows up when someone is rejecting the gospel. So, Many will ask, have I committed the unforgivable sin? Have I blasphemed the Spirit? I don't think Christians actually get that anxious about that. I believe those who are indwelt by the Spirit, I believe those who are enlightened by the Spirit, I believe those who desire to grow up in Christ by the Spirit, that we get anxious because we want to make sure we're with Christ and we know Christ. By definition, you're saved. It's kind of like the people who are most anxious about if they're saved or not are usually those who are saved and just have a different understanding or a wrong understanding of what the gospel really means. They need more assurance, they need more clarity. Here, Jesus never says, you blasphemed, it's a warning. If I were to summarize what I think blasphemy of the spirit is, it's a regular rejection of the gospel. a regular rejection of the gospel. Christian, Paul talks about two things that we need to put in this context. You can live in a way in which you're quenching the Spirit. You can live in a way in which you're grieving the Spirit. That probably means you're living in some kind of private sin and you need to repent so that you can be full of the Spirit and join the things of Christ. That isn't blaspheming the Spirit. Blaspheming the Spirit is a regular rejection of the gospel the Spirit is convicting you of. If you're not a Christian this morning, I pray there's a piercing. I pray the Spirit would pierce, would convict, and you would be guilty of blaspheming the Spirit if you do not profess Christ. If you profess Christ, you're forgiven. If you do not, you will not be forgiven. Do not reject him today. Verses 11 and 12. Eight and nine was a bit more of a generic before men, a warning about, I think, those who would hear the gospel but not believe it. And then he ups it, he makes it very clear. When they bring you, that is the men who are against you, they bring you into the synagogues, a place that's going to try to persecute you. And the rulers and the authorities do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say. You could feel the disciples here. Will I mess up? Will I misrepresent God? There's a fear, there's an anxiety. Notice the same spirit you do not blaspheme is a very spirit that will teach you what to say at that very hour. We see this over and over again in Acts. On trial, the disciples would be filled with the spirit and they would proclaim the gospel boldly and powerfully. It reminds me of Exodus when God calls Moses and Moses looks at God and says, all right, God, I hear what you were saying you're gonna do, what I gotta do, but God, I just don't talk so good. I got a lisp. God doesn't give a pep talk. No, Moses, you're eloquent. No, God says, I'm with you. I'm with you. Jesus, when he talks to the disciples before he ascends to the heavens, I have all authority. I am with you always. My spirit indwells you and will prepare you and will make you ready and will even give you the words that day. What a promise. Here's a pressing question. Are we faithful in private so that we will be faithful in public? We should not think we can remain sinful in private, and on that day, if pressed, we will know what to say publicly. It's something for us to really consider. We live in a blessed time, in a blessed land, in a blessed nation. We have freedom of speech. We have freedom of religion. Everybody has freedom of speech and freedom of religion. Jesus is not saying you should have freedom to profess me. Jesus is saying when you're faced under persecution, you have the responsibility to trust me that I will give you what to say. We should praise God. The things that Paul tells a church to pray for in 1 Timothy, we have. We can live peaceful and quiet lives. free of persecution. Believer rejoice, we pray for our governing officials, we pray for our nation that we will be able to continue in this. A little side note, praise God, this is why we have denominations. Denominations are good. If you don't want denominations, you just wanna be Anglican because you live in Virginia, an Anglican colony. Praise God, we can read the Bible and we can gather with those who agree with us in conviction and not be Anglican. We pray for Anglican churches. We pray for one last week just for those who are with this freedom in this nation. Can we look back and say the church has thrived and healthy teaching and healthy doctrine and healthy missions. The church's most significant export has been the prosperity gospel. We should be grieved by that. The church has allowed to seep in this easy-believism, this idea that we can just pervert the truth of God and the grace of God as an excuse to sin, and we've twisted things. It's terrifying to think the responsibility we should have taken as the church in America to build up saints to send them out. We've lowered the bar. It's been easy to be a Christian here. There's many who are terrified, what if it's not gonna be that easy in the next years? We have no control over that. God is in control of nations, kings, princes, governors. We do have responsibility for and power over is, are we going to walk in that spirit? Are we going to keep step with that spirit in a way that we're growing, helping others grow, teaching one another, making sure that we're ready, not just in case of persecution, but that we'd be ready to take advantage of the peace so that we would proclaim Christ. We can get easily worked up over pressing in concerns. No, let's not fear that. Let's fear standing before God, giving account for what he's given us. We live in a blessed time. Are we using it to bless God and others? I want to conclude by reading an excerpt from 2nd Century. It's the recording of a martyrdom. The martyr is Polycarp. When he was brought before him, the procounsel, that is Polycarp,

the procounsel inquired whether he was the man. And on his confessing that he was, he tried to persuade him to denial, saying, have respect to thy age. And other things in accordance therewith, as it is their want to say, swear by the genius of Caesar, repent and say, away with the atheist.

They believe Christians were atheists because they didn't have idols.

Then Polycarp, with solemn countenance, looked upon the whole multitude of lawless heathen that were in the stadium, and waved his hand to them, and groaning, and looked up to heaven. He said, away with the atheist. But when the magistrate pressed him hard and said, swear the oath, and I'll release thee, revile the Christ, Polycarp said, forscore in six years have I been his servant, and he hath done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King who saved me? But on his persisting again and saying, swear by the genius of Caesar, he answered, if you suppose vainly that I will swear by the genius of Caesar as you say, and feign that you are ignorant of who I am, hear me plainly, I am a Christian. But if you would learn the doctrine of Christianity, assign a day and give me a hearing. The council said, prevail upon the people, But Polycarp said, as for yourself, I should have held you worthy of discourse, for we have been taught to render as is meat to princes and authorities appointed by God, such honor as does us no harm. But as for these, I do not hold them worthy, for I should defend myself before them. Whereupon the council said, I have wild beast here, and I will throw you to them, except you repent. But Polycarp said, call for them. for the repentance from better to worse is a change not permitted to us, but it is a noble thing to change from wickedness to righteousness. Then he said to him again, I will cause you to be consumed by fire if you despise the wild beast, unless you repent. But Polycarp said, you threaten that fire which burns for a season, and after a little while is quenched, for you are ignorant of the fire of the future judgment and eternal punishment, which is reserved for the ungodly. But why do you delay? Come, do what you will. Saying these things, and more besides, he was inspired with courage and joy, and his countenance was filled with grace, so that not only did it not drop in dismay at the things which were said to him, but on the contrary, the council was astonished and sent his own herald to proclaim three times in the midst of the stadium, Parley Carp has confessed himself to be a Christian.

Brothers and sisters, we read such things to be encouraged. What a promise to fill the Holy Spirit, even the worst to say. May we pray that we would have that courageous faith. Will you pray with me? Father, we come before you. Thank you, Father, that you've not left us alone in this terrifying world of wars and rumors of wars, with threats, with violence, with famine, disease. Most of all, Lord, the sin that resides within our very souls and hearts and minds. Thank you, Father, that you've promised salvation. You promised us your own son, And we can look to his death and see your love. We can look to his resurrection and see the hope we have and the newness of life in which we can walk. We can look up to you now in his name as he's seated at your right hand and have confidence. Your word is true. You're a righteous God. And we can know you because of your son. and we now can walk according to his truth because your spirit resides in us. Lord, forgive us for the way we have pretended that we can have some kind of private double life. Help us, Lord, to see our sin and to repent. Lord, to make the things that we believe in private and are afraid to share publicly, or Lord, the things that we should not be doing in private, Lord, I pray that we would repent Lord, help us to have a right reverence of you. We thank you, Lord, that you show us that you have all authority and that you care for us. Teach us, Lord, to trust you, to live for you, and empower our proclamation of you. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Let us stand and sing our song of response, It Is Well.