The Glory Of God Series

Glory of God SERIES

May 18, 2008

The Glory of God in His Power

I am told that 60% of Americans are afraid of death. Also that 80% of Americans are afraid of public speaking. That means that 20% of Americans would rather be the guy the box, than the guy giving the eulogy. Fear is an emotional response to a real or perceived danger in your life. Everyone has something they are afraid of. I want to know what you are afraid of. So, if someone would just shout out something they are afraid of. (Give a few people time to say something). We all have things we are afraid of. Some fear is rational, it might even be considered reasonable. Other fears not so much. The question is: what kind of fear do you have? Is your fear reasonable, or is it stupid? Fear comes from the knowledge or belief that the object of your fear has a certain power over you. You are afraid of something because you know that it has the ability to hurt or harm you in some way, or you believe that it has the ability to hurt or harm you in some way. In the end fear is a response to power. When you are afraid it is because something has power over you.

When I was little I was scared of monsters. I had an over active imagination and I just knew that there were monsters in the closet. The mean, nasty, freaky kind of monsters you know, the ones that are afraid of adults, and light and don’t come around if either of those things are present. Those scary monsters that are only capable of stealing away small children. After a while I am sure my dad got tired me of me calling him into the room to check the closet. So he gave me this patch with a tractor on it. He told me that as long as I had the patch monsters would leave me alone because monsters are afraid of tractors because tractors are bigger than they are. That made perfect sense to me so I kept the patch and whenever I had it, I was not afraid. That is an example of an irrational fear.

If you have your Bibles if you would open them up to Matthew Chapter 10. I need someone. Don’t be afraid. What I need is someone who will volunteer to read this text. First let me ask, how many of you have your Bibles? Ok, now be honest, how many of you have your Bibles and can read but do not want to volunteer because you do not want to read in public? Ok that is interesting. Do I have someone that will volunteer to come up here and read a part of Matthew 10 for me? Ok. If you would just come up here and have a seat in the first row before we get to the text we need to set the stage.

This week we are looking at the Glory of God in His power. The power of God is an awesome thing. It is an amazing thing. God is all powerful. He can do anything. He created with world by speaking. Everything that we know, everything we see, and beyond came out of the mouth of God. Can you imagine what He could do if He lifted His finger? God is a powerful God, His power is part of what makes Him God. Proverbs 1:7 tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. God is powerful He is mighty and that is something to be feared. We should be afraid of God because of the power that He has. God’s power is a dynamic visual of His greatness. God is all powerful. That is what makes Him great. He has the power to do anything. His glory is seen in His power. If He had no power He by definition could not be God. Yet we see the glory of God in His power. So if you would come up here and read for me Matthew 10 start in verse 26 and go through verse 28.

Mt 10:26 “So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. Mt 10:27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Mt 10:28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Do not be afraid of them. Jesus is talking with His disciples. As a part of their training Jesus is preparing to send out His disciples to preach the kingdom of God. He has given them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal sickness as they preach. Before they go He gives them some final instructions. He tells them not to be afraid to preach the kingdom of God. When you think about it this is a very important thing to say. They are going out to preach a message that a lot of people are not going to like. What is more the disciples know that the religious leaders are not big fans of Jesus. Keep in mind that they have seen the carefully laid traps of the Pharisees and Sadducees. They have watched Jesus avoid the traps, but it is one thing to watch someone else get out of a sticky situation. To get out of it yourself is something else entirely. While He may have proven too much for them to handle in the past they may seize the opportunity to strike at Jesus through His disciples. Jesus is entrusting them with a lot. There would certainly be considerable cause for concern. He has just told them He is sending them out like sheep among the wolves. That combination never bodes well for the sheep. You can just imagine that these guys are nervous. They are worried. Jesus is sending them out. He is not going with them. He is giving them authority but they do not yet realize what that means. If you can remember the first time you left your parents house to live on your own, there was probably a little bit of excitement, mixed with a little bit of fear, anxiety, and concern. Certainly the disciples are feeling that to some degree. So Jesus tells them not be afraid.