Leading The Way

Dr. Michael Youssef: I know, and you know, that we live in a time where the truth has become a victim of political correctness. That the truth is distorted for the sake of popularity.

But for those who walk with God, those who love the Lord Jesus Christ, those who hear His voice through His word in the secret places, fear not! We have no reason to fear.

Guest (Male): Hello from the team at Leading the Way, a worldwide ministry through which longtime pastor and bestselling author, Dr. Michael Youssef, passionately proclaims uncompromising truth across six continents in 28 of the world's most spoken and most understood languages.

Fear. It's more than being startled or scared. Fear is a systemic issue that roots and creates destruction. But as you'll hear today, you can experience freedom from fear when you concentrate efforts into cultivating intimacy with the Heavenly Father. It is then, and only then, that fear will excuse itself. More about that today on Leading the Way as Dr. Youssef wraps up his series called Freedom From Fear. It's a personal call toward freedom. Join me now and listen to Dr. Michael Youssef.

Dr. Michael Youssef: In Matthew chapter 10, fear not those who can kill a body. Fear not who are unable to kill or perish your soul into eternal judgment, but rather be in reverential awe—that's a literal translation—be in reverential awe of Him who is able to judge both the body and the soul into eternal condemnation.

Those are the words of the Lord Jesus. In fact, in those six verses—six verses—three times Jesus said, "Fear not, fear not, fear not." And as I bring this short series of messages on conquering fear, I want to focus on these three "fear nots" in those six verses in Matthew chapter 10, verses 24 to 31.

Number one, He said fear not, for the truth will ultimately triumph, verses 26 and 27. Secondly, He said fear not, because heaven is your destiny and your destination, verse 28. Thirdly, He said fear not, because God has everything under control, verses 29 to 31.

Fear not, because the truth will ultimately triumph, regardless of what it looks like now, regardless of how it feels now, regardless of what you see happening now, the truth will always ultimately triumph. Look at verse 26. "So do not be afraid of them." Who are them? Anything and anybody that's causing you fear. "There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known."

Beloved, please listen to me. I know, and you know, that we live in a time where the truth has become a victim of political correctness. That the truth is now the casualty of so-called pluralism. That the truth is being drowned for the sake of avoiding criticism.

That the truth is distorted for the sake of popularity. That the truth is being muddied for the sake of self-preservation. That the truth is being silenced for the sake of false peace that is not lasting.

But for those who walk with God, those who love the Lord Jesus Christ, those who walk with Him in the secret places, those who commune with Him and commune with His word in the secret places, those who hear His voice through His word in the secret places, those of us who exercise daily intimacy with God in the secret place, fear not! We have no reason to fear.

Why? Because we know that the truth will ultimately be manifested. Sooner or later we know the truth is going to be vindicated. Sooner or later the truth ultimately is going to be revealed. The truth will be, the Bible said, like the noon light day.

The truth cannot be hidden forever. It cannot be covered up for too long. It cannot be destroyed and it cannot be silenced forever. And those of us who have put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, sooner or later, we will be vindicated publicly before the whole world, before the whole earth.

And therefore, fear not! That's what Jesus is saying. Why? Because God has bound Himself to vindicate His faithful children. God has bound Himself to triumph through us. God has bound Himself to ultimately exalt righteousness and condemn and judge sin and deception.

When James VI threatened to hang or exile Andrew Melville, Melville's answer was, "You cannot hang or exile truth." And therefore, a child of the living God who's been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ should not fear, will not fear, will not be intimidated, but rather speak the truth in love.

Back in the days of Jesus' earthly ministry, if somebody wants to announce something, basically he would go up to the rooftop of their house. These were small villages. Everybody lives within a very short distance, within a very close confine. So he gets up on the rooftop and he would yell out whatever he's announcing.

That's what the rooftop is all about. You see, back then of course they did not have megaphones. They did not have stadiums with Jumbotrons where guys propose to girls to marry them in the middle of a ball game. They didn't have newspapers where you can buy an ad page there to advertise.

No, no, no. Back then in each village, everyone who wanted the villagers to know something, they would just get up on the rooftop and announce it. And everybody gets it. And here's what Jesus is saying. He's saying that our words, that our lives, are a big billboard announcing the presence of the holy God in our lives, announcing the truth without fear.

Fear not, because the truth will ultimately triumph. Secondly, fear not, because heaven is your destination. Look at verse 28. "But do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul." And the word here is judging, judgment, eternal judgment. Not an end killing to an end, but continuously judging in eternity.

"But rather be in reverential awe of Him who can destroy and judge the body and the soul in Hades or hell." What is Jesus saying? Here is what Jesus is saying. Listen carefully, please. There may be a price to pay for standing firm for the truth of the gospel.

There may be a price to pay for being faithful to Christ. There may be a price for speaking the truth from the rooftop and not hiding. There may be a price. It may be rejection. It may be taunting. It may be maligning. It may be isolating and alienating.

In fact, I know for a fact that some of our young people are literally taunted and persecuted for the sake of their sexual purity. I know for a fact that when our young people in the schools refuse to compromise their convictions, they suffer rejection. In businesses and other occupations, you may suffer ridicule. You may suffer persecution for your stand for moral consciousness.

But what can they do to you? What can they do to you? The most they can do—the most—is kill you. And that is the biggie, right? That's the ultimate in fear. Fear of death. I know, I know, I understand. We all fear death. That is the big one. That's the ultimate.

But Martin Luther sang years ago, "The body they may kill, but God's truth abideth still." They can't take away my eternal life because the moment I close my eyes in death, I'm in the presence of the Lord Jesus. And that's what Jesus is saying.

He said because they will never, never, never touch your eternal life. They can never, never, never take away from you the gift of eternal life that Jesus gave you by His grace. They can never change your destination from heaven to hell. They can never do it.

Here's what Jesus is saying. That God, who is the great Judge, He's the one in the last day He will judge the whole world on the basis of either accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior or rejecting Him. And He therefore ought to be the only one, and He alone, because He's the only one who can save eternally or condemn eternally, because He and He alone can save or judge.

And therefore, revere Him alone. Bow to Him alone. Obey Him alone. Honor Him alone. I know some of you stumble over the fact that it says "fear Him," talking about fearing the Lord, because He's the only one who can destroy, He's the only one who can send into judgment.

But let me explain to you. Fearing God here means reverence to His majesty. It's reverencing His sovereign power. Fearing here is seeking to please Him above all else. Fearing God means deeply desiring to honor Him. Fearing here means that you have a deep longing in your heart to obey Him, even when you stumble and fumble all over the place. God honors that desire.

Bishop Hugh Latimer was preaching one day in the presence of Henry VIII. King Henry was there sitting in the front pew. And Hugh Latimer, as he was preaching, he began to have some thoughts about what he's about to say. He knew Henry VIII is renowned for chopping the heads of anybody who disagreed with him. He's got several wives' heads to prove it.

And so, would he say what he planned to say, or would he save his skin and not say what he planned to say? And it was a dilemma for that godly man. So in the middle of his sermon, right in the middle of his sermon, he began to have an audible conversation with himself.

Imagine I'm stopping in the middle of a sermon and start talking to myself. "Well, Michael, Michael," you know, I mean, you would say, "You need some counseling." But Latimer did exactly that.

Right in the middle of his sermon, he said, "Latimer, Latimer, remember that the King of England is here, so be careful what you say." And then right immediately, almost in the next breath, he said, "Oh, but Latimer, Latimer, remember that the King of Kings is here. Be careful what you do not say."

Eventually, of course, for his unflinching faithfulness to biblical truth, Latimer was burned at the stake, as well as many others. No wonder it was said of many of those faithful servants of God that they feared men so little because they feared God so much.

Fear not, because the truth will ultimately triumph. Secondly, fear not, because heaven is your destination. Thirdly, fear not, because God has everything under control. And here is what Jesus said. Listen to His words. "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall"—literally would hop around or would alight or move—"apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are numbered."

Sparrows were the least, smallest coin. I'm going to come to this in a minute. The hair—now back then remember, hair is probably the least important in people's focus. That's why He chose it. They had no bad hair days back then. That was not important. That was the least of their thinking. They got other worries but not the hair. And that's why He specifically picked up the hair.

"So don't be afraid"—here is the third time—"don't be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows." Here's what Jesus is saying. Listen to me, beloved. He's saying that every one of His own is so dear to His Father. Everyone who has Jesus for Savior and Lord is so intensely loved by the Heavenly Father.

In fact, what Jesus is doing is what Peter and the others did later on in the epistles. He literally took all the promises that were applicable to Israel in the Old Testament and He applied them to the believers in the New Testament church. And God promised that you are carried on His shoulders, that you're engraved on the palms of His hands, that he who touches you touches the apple of His eye.

And that is why He said, "Therefore"—remember when I said to you, whenever you see the word "therefore" you find out what is "therefore"—"Therefore, fear not!"

You see, at that time, two sparrows could be bought with the smallest coin ever struck in those days in the realm. That's why the NIV says "penny" because that's our smallest coin, and sort of transliterate the meaning. It's one-sixteenth of a denarius. And that's what—how much two sparrows were sold for.

And not one of those cheap things can hop around without the permission of your Heavenly Father. How much more valuable are those who are His sons and daughters? How much more valuable are those who have been redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, His only Son?

When He says that every detail of your life, not just the present life but the future, is all not only known to Him but under His control because that's how much He loves His own. He said not even one of the 140,000 hairs on your head will fall, come up in the brush this morning or in the comb. He knows exactly what number that was. 99,125 came out this morning. He knew every bit of it.

And if God takes interest in the minutest details of the hairs on your head, how much more does He take interest on your need and the meeting of your needs? That's why He said, that's why you should not fear. That's why you should not fear.

But rather, seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all of your needs are going to be met in His time, in His way. Seek to make Him known first. Seek to testify to Him first. Seek to sacrifice for His work first. Get the gospel out to the ends of the earth first.

And then watch out. Watch out and see how God is going to meet all of your need. Not some of your need, but all of your need. I want to tell you this as I conclude. It's a true story obviously, recorded in history books.

The dreadful brutal dictator of Rome known as Nero. He was so paranoid that he would literally dip the Christians in tar and let them light the pathway to the parties that he would have in his palace. Brutal man. Hated Christians.

And he chose and selected the finest athletic physical specimen of all of Roman Empire. And they were the wrestlers of his day. But then he chose those wrestlers to be actually his private army that he would send on special missions.

These wrestlers' motto went something like this: "We the wrestlers, wrestling for you, O Emperor, to win for you the victory, and from you the victor's crown." These wrestlers slash soldiers were given a special assignment to go to Gaul, which is modern-day France. And that was in the dead of winter.

And while they're there in Gaul, many of them became believers in Jesus, were converted to Christ. They were converted to the Lord Jesus and received Him as Savior and Lord. Upon hearing this news, Nero became enraged and he ordered their commander, a man by the name of Vespasian, he ordered him to kill every soldier slash wrestler who would refuse to recant and renounce their faith in Christ and renew their allegiance and worship to Nero.

When Nero's order was received by the captain, the commander, he was so distraught. They were encamped at the time on the shore of a frozen lake, as I said in the dead of winter. He did not want to see these fine men be killed, many of whom were his friends.

So he came out and he said, "How many of you have been converted to Christ?" Forty stepped forward. He said to them, "I give you until tomorrow, sundown tomorrow, to recant and renounce your faith in Jesus Christ." The time came but none of them would do it. They refused. They held tenaciously to the newfound faith in Christ.

Then the captain, again so torn, "I don't want to kill these men, I don't want to see them killed by the hand of their fellow soldiers." So he ordered the 40 men to strip of their armor and their clothes and to walk naked onto that frozen lake.

Throughout the night, he and the other soldiers were warming themselves by the fire at the shore, hearing the singing of the 40 faithful believers. Here's how they sang: "40 wrestlers wrestling for you, O Christ, to win for you the victory, and from you the victor's crown."

As the night wore off, the singing grew fainter and fainter and fainter. And as morning began to draw near at dawn, there was a lone figure came out of that frozen lake into the rest of the group. And he confessed that his faith is not strong enough to face death.

But the voices of the others, faint as it were, kept on singing: "39 wrestlers wrestling for you, O Christ." Upon hearing this, Vespasian became so moved that he himself as the commander took off his armor, took off his clothes, and he marched into the frozen lake and he joined the others and he began to sing with a loud voice: "40 wrestlers wrestling for you, O Christ, to win for you the victory and from you the victor's crown."

Fear not, because the truth will ultimately triumph. Fear not, because heaven is your destination. Fear not, because everything is under God's control.

Guest (Male): Dr. Michael Youssef's conclusion to his life-changing series, Freedom From Fear. If you have found this content to be helpful, why don't you share it with your family and your friends? I know they'll appreciate it too. And one of the most efficient ways to do that is by sharing the Leading the Way app. Links and information are found at ltw.org.

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