Do Not Be Afraid! If God is on your side. Sometimes we may be afraid to do what God has commanded us to. We may fear what others will say about us if we obey God We may fear loosing friends or family if we obey God. We may fear loosing our job if we obey God. Some may fear being thrown into jail for obeying God. Some may fear being tortured or executed because they obey God. 1
These things can actually happen to us if we obey God. Being ridiculed, ostracized, tortured and even being executed have been things the children of God have dealt with since the beginning of time. Remember what Cain did to Abel his brother. 1Jo 3:12 not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother's righteous. Cain killed his brother because his brother was righteous and he was wicked. The Bible does not tell us of any ridicule Noah endured but I m sure we can all imagine what people were saying about him. They probably had a lot of fun ridiculing this man building this huge boat in the middle of dry land Many of God s messengers were mocked by the people they were trying to help. 2
Hezekiah s servants were ridiculed when trying to get the people to observe the Passover. 2Ch 30:5 So they resolved to make a proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, that they should come to keep the Passover to the LORD God of Israel at Jerusalem, since they had not done it for a long time in the prescribed manner. 6 Then the runners went throughout all Israel and Judah with the letters from the king and his leaders, and spoke according to the command of the king: "Children of Israel, return to the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel; then He will return to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria. 3
7 "And do not be like your fathers and your brethren, who trespassed against the LORD God of their fathers, so that He gave them up to desolation, as you see. 8 "Now do not be stiff-necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the LORD; and enter His sanctuary, which He has sanctified forever, and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of His wrath may turn away from you. 9 "For if you return to the LORD, your brethren and your children will be treated with compassion by those who lead them captive, so that they may come back to this land; for the LORD your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn His face from you if you return to Him." 10 So the runners passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, as far as Zebulun; but they laughed at them and mocked them. 4
Many of the prophets suffered because they followed God. Heb 11:32 And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: 33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 35 Women received their dead raised to life again. And others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. 36 Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. 5
37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented-- 38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. The people of God have been treated horribly by other men. Many Christians have been persecuted to the point of In spite of all of this, we should never be afraid to obey God. The prophet Elisha taught his servant an important lesson about this when they were facing the Syrian army. 2Ki 6:8 Now the king of Syria was making war against Israel; and he consulted with his servants, saying, "My camp will be in such and such a place." 6
9 And the man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, "Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are coming down there. 10 Then the king of Israel sent someone to the place of which the man of God had told him. Thus he warned him, and he was watchful there, not just once or twice. 11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was greatly troubled by this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, "Will you not show me which of us is for the king of Israel?" 12 And one of his servants said, "None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom." 7
13 So he said, "Go and see where he is, that I may send and get him." And it was told him, saying, "Surely he is in Dothan." 14 Therefore he sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city. 15 And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" 16 So he answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, "LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 8
In the face of what appeared to be overwhelming odds, Elisha tells his servant do not fear. Why shouldn t he be afraid? those who are with us are more than those who are with them This was Elisha s way of saying, God is on our side! Elisha understood this army of mere men was nothing to compare to the power of God. As a demonstration of His overwhelming power, God allowed this servant to see the vision of God s army on the mountain. What an amazing sight that must have been. When we are faced with persecution because we are obeying God then we need to remember what Elisha told his servant that day. "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." 9
Under the Law of Moses, God dealt with His people in a physical way. As a general rule God blessed them physically when they obeyed and cursed them physically when they disobeyed. Under the Law of Christ, God deals with us in spiritual ways. Our blessings and curses are spiritual in nature. Because of this the deliverance God promises us today is spiritual not physical When someone tries to harm a Christian, God does not send an army to deliver him from his persecutor. Instead God promises the Christian that he will be able to endure (remain faithful) the persecution. 10
1Co 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. We shouldn t be afraid to obey God because men can take away our physical possessions Because they cannot take away our treasure in Heaven. Mt 6:19 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 11
20 "but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. We shouldn t be afraid to obey God because of how our family and friends may react to it. Because God has promised us many more! Mr 10:29 So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, 12
30 "who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time--houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions--and in the age to come, eternal life. As Christians, we are blessed to have brothers and sisters in Christ all over the world. We shouldn t be afraid to obey God because of what men may do to us. The worst they can do is kill us and that is it. They cannot kill our eternal soul! 13
Lu 12:4 "And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5 "But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him! We shouldn t be afraid to obey God because He has promised us spiritual deliverance from those who would attack us Joh 10:28 "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 14
29 "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. What a wonderful promise that is. As long as we want to obey God, no one can force us to be disobedient. Conclusion When Elisha said those who are with us are more than those who are with them I believe this was just another way of saying what the Apostle Paul told the Roman Christians Ro 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 15
Conclusion The psalmist sums up this same sentiment. Ps 118:6 The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? Man can do physical harm but he cannot touch the things that truly matter! 16