01/27/2020
What is it that frightens you most? Stop reading for a moment and in that short time write down three or four things that come to your mind... Ok, now look at your list. How many of those fears have to do with earthly things, and how many are eternal in nature? I would suppose that most, if not all, are things like losing your family, being killed, fear of the dark, or heights. If you are exceptional, then there might be one which deals with eternity, like damnation, or maybe displeasing the Lord. Our lives are like our fears, they are spent focused on the world, and if you don’t believe it then test yourself.
“"I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!”
Luke 12:4-5 ESV
I hear a certain scripture repeated over and over again in church, and it has to do with the things we value most. Let’s read it again to refresh our memory...
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Matthew 6:21 ESV
Jesus said both these things. If you have a Bible in which His words are printed in red, then both of these scriptures are red, and both warn us of what we should, and shouldn’t, pay most attention to. They are litmus tests of our spirituality. What we fear, and what we value, are indicators that help us define our lives; they show us whether we are children of the world, or of the spirit.
“By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.”
1 John 3:10 ESV
The Bible teaches us what we should focus on so that we can obtain such things as forgiveness, sanctification, holiness, and an eternal life with God, but all along the way it gives us little self-tests to help us determine if we are understanding, or moving on what is being taught. We are asked questions that cause us to pause and reflect. We are prodded to ask ourselves such things as “What do I fear?”, “What is my treasure?”, “Do I love my brother?” And “Am I really righteous?”
Jesus asks us an incredible number of questions in the Bible. As we read what he says do we really pay close attention to the test questions? Do we contemplate what our answer to them is, or do we just read what the response is in the Bible because we don’t think He is asking us directly? As you read New Testament, and the words of Jesus specifically, listen for the self-tests; the questions Jesus asks that are meant to cause us to pause... to make us examine ourselves. He asks hundreds, and of them, here are a couple of examples...
“You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?”
Matthew 7:16 ESV
The lesson in this scripture seemingly has to do with false prophets, and then we get to the self-test... it is the question regarding picking grapes from thorn bushes. When we pause here we should be looking at our own lives, and asking if we are a grapevine, or a thorn bush? Suddenly the question becomes about us, and not about the false prophets in the story at all.
“And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation."”
Mark 8:12 ESV
In this scripture Jesus is responding to the Pharisees who are wanting to see a sign to verify who He is. The lesson is that they shouldn’t need another sign, and He won’t provide one, but the self-test is the question... “Why does this generation seek a sign?” Did you think he was simply talking to the Pharisees when He said this, or did it cause you to ask yourself... “Am I looking to test Jesus?” Or “Am I waiting for a sign before I will truly believe?”
Now let’s return to our opening scripture regarding fear. We read verses 4 and 5, but let’s read the entire passage...
“"I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God.”
Luke 12:4-6 ESV
Is the lesson here about who we should fear, or about our value in God’s eyes? Interestingly the self-test has to do with much more than fear as Jesus asks “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?”
So reread this scripture, and ask yourself not only about your fears, but about how valuable you are to God, and if you need to fear at all.
As we read the words of Jesus we should always be looking for the self-test questions. He says very little that isn’t immediately tested with a question, so if it is important enough that He ask us to think about what He is saying, then shouldn’t we be doing so?
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the teaching and wisdom of your Son Jesus Christ, and lead me to the self-test questions He asks so that I can examine my own life, and faith more fully. Help me Father to internalize scripture, your Word, and make it a part of who I am, and not just some moral story I have read. Teach me to look for myself in every story told in your Holy Word, and to see how each lesson makes me a better child of God, and heir, and joint heir, with your Son Jesus. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my God who speaks truth into my heart, soul, and mind. Great are you who causes me to reflect on my relationship with you, and to drill into every word you speak as I focus my life on you. I praise your name for the revelations you give me into your Word, and the teachings of Jesus. You are a merciful and gracious God who has reached down to redeem me! All glory is yours Father, and I pray that you will open my eyes wider, that I might experience a deeper relationship with your Son Jesus so that everything in my spiritual life is increased, and done for your eternal glory.
“I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.”
Psalms 34:4 ESV
Rich Forbes