Fear of Death Luke 24:36-49 36 As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, Peace to you! 37 But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. 38 And he said to them, Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have. 40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, Have you anything here to eat? 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate before them. 44 Then he said to them, These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high. Pastor Beasley and the Dearborn Church Pastor Beasley awoke to the sound of breaking glass. He arose cautiously and peered out his bedroom window at the church next door. A flickering glow emanated from the Narthex. His wife, who was now standing beside him at the window, said, I ll call 911. The fire damage turned out to be not so bad the Molotov cocktail had landed in the middle of the stone floor but this had been the third such attack in the last year. Dearborn, Michigan, boasts one of the highest concentrations of Muslim immigrants in the United States. Islamic Mosques and cultural centers had been cropping up at break-neck speed. Hamtramck, a nearby Polish community, with a large Polish National Catholic constituency, experienced complaints about the amplified Adhans or Calls to Prayer which are announced from loudspeakers atop the high minarets of the Mosques. The Muslims countered that the Catholics ring their church bells throughout the day, so why shouldn t they be allowed to announce their Adhans? Pastor Beasley s congregation, near the heart of one of the larger Muslim neighborhoods, had been evangelizing in the area, which some, apparently, didn t appreciate. Vandals had desecrated the church sign, spray painted Islamic sayings on the stone edifice, and now had fire-bombed the church. It seems they d made some enemies. Page 1 of 5
Christian Persecution in Rome Persecution by the enemies of the Church is nothing new. Rome began its official persecution of Christians in ad 64 under the rule of Caesar Nero, and it continued for nearly 250 years. Things got especially bad when Emperor Decius issued an edict requiring public sacrifice as a testimony of allegiance to the emperor, which, of course, the Christians wouldn t do. This refusal was punished by arrest, imprisonment, torture, and, often, execution. By the end of the second century, Tertullian, a defender of the Faith in the early church, complained that Christians were accused of being the source of all disasters brought against the human race by the gods. If the Tiber rises as high as the city walls, he wrote, if the Nile does not send its waters up over the fields, if the heavens give no rain, if there is an earthquake, if there is famine or pestilence, straightway the cry is, Away with the Christians to the lions! What he was referring to was a form of execution known as the damnatio ad bestias, which is Latin for "condemnation to beasts. It began to be used against Christians already under the reign of Nero, when the condemned were thrown to the dogs. Later emperors moved the practice to the arena and used larger animals such as lions. Modern Persecution Around the World The persecution of Christians continues to be a great concern in our world. Christianity Today reported last year that persecution continues to grow globally. Approximately 215 million Christians around the world experience high, very high, or extreme persecution, risking imprisonment, loss of home and assets, torture, rape, and even death as a result of their faith. Persecution Here at Home And do you think that we in America are free from persecution? LifeSiteNews reported in 2014 that High fines to punish Christians for remaining true to their conscience are becoming increasingly normal. Roman Catholic owners of the Albany, NY area Liberty Ridge Farm were ordered to pay $10,000 in fines to the state of New York for declining to host a same-sex wedding. A small-town Indiana pizzeria owned by a Christian family had to close its doors after receiving death and firebombing threats due to the owners support for Indiana s Religious Freedom Restoration Act. We re living in scary times, folks. Persecution of Christians is an ever-increasing problem. The Disciples But, as I said, it s not a new problem. In our Gospel reading we see the disciples huddled together behind closed doors in fear of the enemies of the Faith. And they had every right to be afraid. Nearly all of them were martyred for the Faith. James, the son of Zebedee, was killed by the sword in ad 44; Phillip, by crucifixion, ad 54; Matthew, by a spear, ad 60; Peter, by inverse crucifixion, ad 67; Paul was beheaded that same year; Andrew was crucified in ad 69; Page 2 of 5
Thaddeus in ad 72; Simon Zelotes was crucified in ad 74; Bartholomew was skinned alive; Thomas, run through by a spear; and James, the son of Alphaeus, was clubbed to death. Broad Scope of the Problem As you can see, the Church has long had its enemies. The followers of Christ have suffered for the Faith from the very beginning. Now, obviously, this is the work of Satan, who doesn t want the Church to prosper, and is doing everything he can to cause it to fail. And I m sorry to say that his allies are increasing. Nor are the attacks always from the outside. Sometimes they come from where you d least expect them. King David wrote: It is not an enemy who reproaches me, Then I could bear it; Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me, Then I could hide myself from him. But it is you, a man my equal, My companion and my familiar friend (Ps. 55:12-13). A Cause for Fear These attacks from within and without cause a great deal of fear and trepidation, especially for those of us who desire peace. One can expend quite a lot of energy fretting over when the next attack will come, who it will come from, and under what circumstances. How can we have peace when so many seem to be against us? Jesus Is the Answer First and foremost, we need to recognize that the answer is Jesus. What was the first thing He said to those huddled and trembling disciples? Peace to you! And look at what lengths He goes to give it to them. See my hands and my feet, He says, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. And then He asks for something to eat to prove that He is flesh and blood and not a ghost. And then, to further comfort them, He reminds them of what He had taught them before, that everything written about [Him] in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. And He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures which foretold that He would suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that He had chosen them and appointed them to be witnesses of these things. He concludes His remarks by promising that they would receive power from on high, referring to the Holy Spirit. He did all these things to reinforce the peace He had proclaimed to them. You see? Jesus wants us to have peace. Isaiah called Him the Prince of Peace (Is. 9:6). The father of John the Baptist said that Jesus would guide our feet into the way of peace (Lk. 1:79b). The angels announced Jesus birth with a proclamation of peace (Lk. 2:14). Simeon recognized that, having seen Jesus, he could depart in peace (Lk. 2:29). Time and again Jesus pronounced peace to His followers (Lk. 7:50, 8:48). He instructed His disciples to do the same (Lk. 10:5). Clearly, His desire is that we have peace peace with God and peace with one another. Page 3 of 5
This peace is so vitally important. What else should we desire if we follow the God of Peace, as Paul calls Him? (Rom. 15:33, 16:20). Paul even says that peace is something we ought to pursue. Let us pursue what makes for peace, he writes in Rom. 14(:19). God has called you to peace, he says to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 7:15). Peace is one of the fruits of the Spirit, he tells us in Gal. 5(:22). And in his letter to the Ephesians especially in chapter 2 he writes at length about how Jesus has established peace by bringing opposing sides together. So, what do you do when you re fearful over your enemies? How should you pray? Pray for Peace First of all, pray for peace. If Jesus wants peace for us and clearly He does and has established that peace by His own blood (Col. 1:20), doesn t it stand to reason that we should recognize Him as our Source of peace and pray to Him for peace? Absolutely! Remember: the Bible says that He Himself is our peace (Eph. 2:14). Praying to Him for peace is a great place to start. Pray for Help Then, pray for His help. In Psalm 3 David, concerned about his enemies, turned to the Lord for help. At the time he was fleeing from Absalom, his own son, who was literally trying to kill him in order to steal his throne. (You think you ve got trouble!) Listen to David s prayer and consider making it your own: 1 O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; 2 many are saying of my soul, There is no salvation for him in God. 3 But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. 4 I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill. 5 I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me. 6 I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. 7 Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked. 8 Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing be on your people! Pray for Your Enemies Finally, pray for your enemies. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 5:(:43-44) You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. When we re fearful of our enemies, our prayers would be incomplete if we didn t remember to pray for them, too. With all these things in mind, let s go to the Lord in prayer: Lord God, heavenly Father, You have commanded us to love our enemies, to do good to those who hate us, and to pray for those who persecute us. By Your gracious working, turn the hearts of our enemies, that they Page 4 of 5
may be led to true repentance. And help us, when we re fearful of our enemies, to remember to turn to You, our shield, our glory, and the lifter of our head. You hear our prayers and answer them. You give us the gift of sleep and cause us to rise with the new day. With You at our side, we need not fear our enemies, but may entrust ourselves to You, the God who saves us. Reconcile us to You and to our enemies through the blood of Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen Page 5 of 5