Latest / Exploring The Holy Scriptures with Rev Dr David Wright / Faithfulness NOT Fear

Transcript

Faithfulness NOT Fear · Exploring The Holy Scriptures with Rev Dr David Wright

• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome, sisters and brothers, and peace be with you.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: May the words on my lips and the meditations in our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: At university, Sarah often heard classmates joke about Christians and dismiss faith as old fashioned.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: Many believers kept quiet to avoid being singled out.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: But Sarah chose a different path.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: When a lecturer asked what had shaped her values, she calmly replied My faith in Jesus Christ.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: The room fell silent for a moment, and she felt her heart race, but she spoke with kindness and confidence.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: Later that day another student approached her privately and said I've been wanting to learn about Christianity, but didn't know who to ask.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: Sarah realized that being fearful or ashamed of her faith was not what it was about.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: And it certainly wasn't about winning arguments.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: It was about letting the light of Christ shine openly for others to see.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: We humans are social animals.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: For the most part, we want to belong.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: We want to avoid conflict.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: We don't want to be seen as different.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yet Jesus calls us to a life that sometimes requires courage, conviction, and faithfulness.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: That is exactly what Matthew's gospel in chapter ten verses twenty four to thirty nine is about.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus is preparing his disciples for the reality of following him.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: He does not offer them an easy road, he does not promise popularity or comfort.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: Instead, he speaks honestly.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: If they have called the master of the house Beelzeb, how much more will they malign those of his household?
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: In other words, if people opposed Jesus, then his followers should expect opposition too.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: This is not the message we often hear in our culture.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: We are told that success means being admired, accepted and approved.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yet Jesus teaches that faithfulness matters more than popularity.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_00: The disciples would soon discover this.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: They would face rejection, ridicule, imprisonment, persecution, and even death.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: And yet the gospel spread across the world because ordinary men and women chose faithfulness over fear.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: And fear is a major theme in this gospel passage.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: Three times Jesus says do not be afraid.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: That repetition is important.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus knows his followers will be tempted to fear, fear of rejection, fear of criticism, fear of failure, fear of what others might think.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: Fear can silence our witness.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: It can prevent us from speaking words of kindness, offering help, sharing faith, or speaking out and standing up for what is right.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: But Jesus reminds us that God is greater than our fears, by pointing us to the sparrows.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_00: Not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your father.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: Sparrows were among the smallest and least valuable birds in the marketplace.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yet God sees them.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: And then Jesus says you are of more value than the sparrows.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: What a wonderful truth.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: God knows us completely.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: He knows our struggles, our worries, our disappointments, and our hopes.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: He even knows the number of hairs on our heads.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_00: When we understand that, courage becomes possible.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: Courage is not the absence of fear.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: Courage is trusting God more than we trust our fears.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: It is that trust that enables us to acknowledge Christ openly.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus says everyone, therefore, who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: These words are not about dramatic public speeches.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_00: Most of us will never stand before a crowd and declare our faith.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_00: Instead, acknowledging Christ happens in daily life.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_00: It happens when we choose honesty instead of deception.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_00: We show compassion to someone who is hurting.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_00: We forgive rather than seek revenge.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: We speak about our faith naturally and sincerely.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: Every act of Christian discipleship is a testimony that Jesus is Lord.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_00: And yes, following Christ can challenge loyalties.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes family members, friends, or communities do not understand our commitment to Christ.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes the values of the kingdom clash with the values of the world.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_00: Throughout history, many Christians have experienced this reality.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_00: Think of the early disciples, think of the martyrs, think of the missionaries who left everything behind.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_00: Think of believers today who face rejection because of their faith.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: Make no mistake, the call of Christ can be costly.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_00: Dietrich Bonhoffer, the German pastor who resisted the Nazi regime famously wrote When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_00: Bonhoeffer meant that discipleship requires surrender.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_00: We must place Christ at the centre of our lives.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus is not telling us to love our families less.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_00: Rather he is telling us to love him first.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: Make no mistake, the call of Christ can be costly.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: To take up the cross means to follow Jesus even when it is difficult.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_00: It means choosing forgiveness when resentment feels easier.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_00: Serving when we would rather be comfortable.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_00: Remaining faithful when compromise seems attractive.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: Trusting God when the path ahead is uncertain.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_00: The paradox of discipleship appears in Jesus' final words here.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_00: Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: The world says, put yourself first.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus says, give yourself away.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_00: The world says, Protect your own interests.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus says, seek first the kingdom of God.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_00: The world says, Life is about getting.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus says, Life is about giving.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: The saints throughout history testify to these truths.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_00: The people who have given themselves completely to Christ have often been the people who have found the deepest joy, the greatest purpose, and the richest peace.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_00: So what does this gospel mean for us today?
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_00: It means we do not need to be ashamed of our faith.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_00: It means we do not need to live in fear.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_00: It means we can trust that God knows us, values us, and walks with us.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_00: It means we can place Christ above every competing loyalty.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_00: It means we can take up our cross daily, knowing that the one who calls us is ever faithful.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_00: That young woman in that classroom discovered something important.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_00: The moment she stopped worrying about what others thought and simply acknowledged Christ, God opened a door that she never expected.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_00: You who hear these words may never know how God will use your faithfulness.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_00: A simple act of courage, a kind word, a faithful witness, or a quiet stand for Christ may become the very thing that God uses to touch another life.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_00: So let us choose faithfulness over fear.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_00: So let us trust that God who knows every sparrow and every hair on our heads.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_00: So let us take up our cross.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_00: So let us rejoice in following Christ, and in losing our lives for his sake, may we discover the abundant life that he alone can give.