"The "Fear Nots" of Jesus "
PART 3
"FEAR NOT" WHEN FACED WITH ONLY A GLIMMER OF SUCCESS
Following on from the last point the work of God is not easy and it is a battle for every yard of advancement. Pastors preach and teachers teach, often with little evidence of growth.
This can be a cause of discouragement and lead to a feeling of failure. In North American society success is measured by bigness. Big box stores buyout little ones and a man's worth as a human is not measured by his morals but by his wealth.
If you are big you must be great, and if you are small there may be the hint of failure. Unfortunately this preoccupation with bigness has invaded to some degree the Christian church. One pastor, of a different denomination known to the writer, read about the 'Ten Greatest Churches in America' and was inspired to build one. Then reality settled in when he discovered that God blesses small churches just as much as big ones.
In Luke 12:32 Jesus brought a very encouraging word to his disciples, "Fear not, little flock: for it is the Father s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. " By the standards of some of today's mega-churches Jesus Himself would have been considered a failure.
After all he had a relatively small flock when He died. But that single "corn of wheat" has brought forth a mighty harvest down through the centuries. So the Lord comforts His people to 'fear not" even when they feel they have had only a glimmer of success.
"FEAR NOT" WHEN FACED WITH THE GLOOM OF CALAMITY
The last 'fear not" of Jesus comes on board a threatened ship in the Mediterranean. The Apostle Paul is under arrest and being taken, with some friends, to Rome.
As the ship was leaving the island of Crete Paul said to the sailors, "Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading of the ship, but also of our lives." (Acts 27:10).
However, they did not heed Paul's advice to winter in Crete and set sail. It was not long until they found themselves facing a great storm and almost certain calamity. They did all they could to lighten the ship and maintain some sort of control but disaster loomed ahead.
The morale on board was such that Luke reports that "all hope that we should be saved was then taken away. In one of the great 'I told you so' responses Paul said to the sailors, "Sirs, ye should have listened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete and to have gained this harm and loss. " (v20).
Did any servant of God suffer more than the apostle Paul? This chapter, (and also chapter 11) lists some of the afflictions that befell Paul as he furthered the ministry of the Gospel. He learned some lessons that are valuable to us. Paul knew the difference between the earthen vessel and the treasure of the Gospel. He said, "we have this treasure in earthen vessels. "(v7).
When someone gets a valuable watch or piece of jewelry invariably it comes in a nice, velvet lined box. How foolish it would be to throw the ring away and treasure the box. The servants of God are the containers displaying the treasure, but the Gospel is the precious jewel.
God is looking for "earthen vessels. " They may not feel very strong and have a tendency to crack easily but in the hands of the great Potter they can be very useful in the Lord's service, Paul realized that the inward man But their case was not hopeless because Paul continued by saying, "I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship. "
How could Paul have confidence like this when they faced such a desperate situation? He had good reason for he told them, "there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am and whom I serve, saying, fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, 10, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee." (v24).
On board there was abject fear everywhere but one man was at peace - God's man Paul. This calamity was but one hindrance by the way as God worked out the details of His sovereign will. In life we all will have our impending calamities. But it was must be renewed daily. He spoke of being troubled, perplexed, persecuted and often cast down (v8-1O).
The outward man was decaying and wearing out through the rigours of toil. But he was able to say, "though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. " (vI6). In this busy age we all feel the onslaught of bum-out, especially in this advanced computer age. There is an increasing attack upon biblical Christianity.
Other religions, no matter how much in error they are, can be lauded but the Christian is treated as some Neanderthal redneck. That is why we need the continual renewal of the inward man that Paul spoke about. Thank God for the comfort of His word. Jesus said, "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in Paul who learned by experience and passed on to us that wonderful verse in Romans 8:28, "All things (no matter how difficult they may seem to be), work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. "
This shipwreck was one of those all things. In life we may face all kinds of impending calamities. But it is the Lord who whispers to us "fear not" and the crisis passes replaced by peace and joy in the Lord."
The Psalmist was able to say, "It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes. " (Psalm 119:71). The only way to prove the sufficient grace of God is to pass through the trial. We learn through the difficulties of life that the Lord never fails His people and He whispers soothingly in our ear, "Fear not."
Next week "What is a Christian?"
Printed by permission from the Editor of the Canadian Revivalist.
