Fear not them which kill the body, but are not

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Command and Character of Christ Fear Not Boldness vs. Fearfulness Command 22 “Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Mt 10:28). Command in Biblical Context A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become as his teacher, and the slave as his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household! Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore do not fear; you are of more value than many sparrows. (Mt 10:24–31) Command Interpretation  “The wages of sin is death – Jesus came into this world to pay that debt with His blood on the cross - but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rm 6:23)  “I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.” (1 Cor 15:3–4).  Jesus ascended into heaven to prepare a place for us so that where He is we can be also. “There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.” (Jn 14:2–3)

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Command and Character of Christ Fear Not Boldness vs. Fearfulness  The ONLY reason that we do not go to heaven immediately after we become a Christian is because the Lord wants us to continue, share in the work that He started to make disciples.  “Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.” (Eph 4:11–12)  Making disciples is our mission. It’s why we are here.  Ever disciple that has ever impacted the world has learned and applied the instructions Jesus gives us in Mt 10.  The two direct commands “Be Wise” and “Fear Not”. To be effective in ministry we must learn, understand and apply these commands.  Florence Nightingale wrote in her diary: “I am thirty years of age, the age at which Christ began His mission. Now no more childish things, no more vain things.”  Founder of modern nursing (Nursing School), “The Lady with the Lamp” Crimean War – Nightingale Pledge  Before she died, she was asked, how you managed to do all the things you accomplished for the Lord. (LIST THEM)  She replied, “I can give only one explanation, and that is this: I have kept nothing back from God.”  That is exactly what Jesus is talking about in this passage-keeping nothing back from Him.  Howard A. Kelly - Famous Christian surgeon that founded the John Hopkins Hospital.  When he graduated from medical school he wrote in his diary (journal): “Today I dedicate myself, my time, my capabilities, my ambition, everything to Him. Blessed Lord, sanctify me to Thy uses; give me no worldly success which may not lead me nearer to my Savior.” 2

Command and Character of Christ Fear Not Boldness vs. Fearfulness  Jim Elliot – After he graduating from college, wrote in his journal: “God, I pray Thee, light these idle sticks of my life that I may burn for Thee. Consume my life, my God, for it is Thine. I seek not a long life but a full one like You, Lord Jesus.”  God answered that prayer. Jim Elliot lived a full but short life.  In 1956, he, and four other men, were killed by the spears of a Wananie Indians while doing missionary work in the jungles of Ecuador. Rachael Saint, Nate’s Sister, stayed in Ecuador as a missionary. Later Nate Saint’s son, Steve was baptized by Mincaye, the man who killed his father.  Jonathan Edwards, preacher and theologian - colonial America, wrote:  “I have no right to this body or its members, no right to this tongue, to these hands, feet, ears or eyes. I have given myself clear away and not retained anything of my own. I have spoken to God this morning and told Him, I give myself wholly to You, I purpose to be absolutely yours.  These and thousands of other disciples starting with the first 12 disciples had a thorough understand of Jesus instructions in Matthew 10.  In Mt 10, Jesus is not only teachers the 12 disciples, He uses phrases like, a disciple, A slave which means that these instruction are for all who follow Jesus.  We covered the first part of these instruction last week, tonight we will cover the second part of Jesus’ instructions which outline the cost of being a disciple or the “Cost of Discipleship”  Jesus wanted his first disciple and all disciples after them to fully understand the cost of discipleship.  Jesus was careful to weed out those who were not really willing to pay the cost of discipleship.  John 6:53–66  Matt. 8:19  Matt. 8:20

Crowd Scribe Son

Eat my body They left Foxes have dens, birds He left Bury Father (Inheritance) He left 3

Command and Character of Christ Fear Not Boldness vs. Fearfulness  In the second half of Jesus’ instructions, He defines what discipleship is by given us six characteristics of a true disciple.

1. A Disciple Imitates Jesus Christ A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become as his teacher, and the slave as his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household! (Mt 10:24–25)  A Disciple (learners) learns from his teacher. The disciple and teacher analogy represents a choice, Man’s Will; (you don’t have to be a disciple).  A Slave serves and obeys His Master. The slave and master analogy represents the master’s authority. (A slave doesn’t have a choice)  Combining these two analogies means that a disciple must willing, he must be submissive to Jesus as teacher and master.  “Students are not greater than their teacher. But the student who is fully trained will become like the teacher.” (Lk 6:40).  It is enough for him to become as his teacher  “Those who say they live for God should live their lives as Jesus did.” (1 Jn 2:6)  “Teach them (new disciples) to observe all the commands I have given you...”(Mt 28:20)  A person becomes a disciple when he is born again and then a person becomes like Christ as he learns and observes Christ’s commands as well as the Scriptures.  “Let the word of Christ live in you richly as you teach and counsel one another with all wisdom…” (Col 3:16)  The more we become like Christ, the more we will be treated like Christ. 4

Command and Character of Christ Fear Not Boldness vs. Fearfulness If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household.  Jesus switches from disciple/teacher, slave/master to members of his household/head of the house.  Beelzebul (“Beelzebub” or “Baalzebub”) – A pagan Canaanite deity – means “lord of the flies,” later changed to Baalzebul, “lord of the dwelling.” Jews used this nickname for Satan.  Jesus was accused of working for Satan so His disciples can expect the same.  “But the Pharisees said, “He can cast out demons because he is empowered by the prince of demons.” (Mt 9:34)  “And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebub! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.” (Mk 3:22)  “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first.” (Jn 15:18)  “And all nations will hate you because you are my followers…” (Mt 10:22)  Since people of the world do not want Christ in their lives, they will not want His disciples in their lives either.  The more we become like Christ, the more the world will reject you.

2. A Disciple Fears God Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore do not fear; you are of more value than many sparrows. 5

Command and Character of Christ Fear Not Boldness vs. Fearfulness  Jesus repeats this command, “Do Not Fear” three times in six verses because it’s easy to say “Do Not Fear” but it is very difficult to obey.  He told His disciples that He is sending them out;      

Like sheep among the ravenous wolves. They would be arrested, taken to the Jewish courts to be scourged. They would be handed over to governors and Kings. They would be betrayed by their families. They would hated and persecuted by the world in general They would be accused of working for Satan.

 “The fear of man is a dangerous trap but those who trust the Lord will be safe. (Pv 29:25)  Fear of man (fear of what people will think of you) not only keeps many people on the Broad Road to destruction, but also can prevent Christians from obeying Christ’s command.  Normal people try to avoid problems, conflicts, and conformation.  Normal people also do not like to be ridiculed or mistreated.  Normal people do not like to suffer.  The problem is when we chose to follow Christ we also are choosing not to follow the sinful nature of this world. When we do this, people will notice and they will cause you problems, conflicts, confrontation. They will ridicule and mistreat you.  “ Do not love this world or the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever (1 Jn 2:15-17)

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Command and Character of Christ Fear Not Boldness vs. Fearfulness  All believers at some time will be like Peter; warming himself by the fire in the courtyard while Jesus was on trial.  Peter was afraid what would happen to him if people knew that he was a follower of Jesus.  Jesus understands how difficult it can be to follow Him so He constantly reminded His disciple not to fear and gave them three clear reasons why we should not fear. (Justified by God, Loved by God, Valued by God)

A. Justified by God Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops. (Mt 10:26–27)  Therefore and For – The word “therefore” means to look back and see all the persecution but the word “For” means to look forward and see the promises of God.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.  One day God will cause every person to see that you were doing what was right and good and what they were doing was they were doing was wrong and evil. Their wickedness may be hidden now, but it will be uncovered, it will be revealed.  The Lord promised that one day, He will display you as being justified, He will show everyone that your life was pleasing to Him. He will vindicate or justify you.  As a result, the Lord is telling us not to fear man but to remember that God will one day show the world that you were right and that He is very proud of you.

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Command and Character of Christ Fear Not Boldness vs. Fearfulness  “For He will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due. (1 Cor 4:5)  “Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. 19 For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. 20 Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, 21 the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. 22 For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.” (Rm 8:1823)  “Remember, the sins of some people are obvious, leading them to certain judgment. But there are others whose sins will not be revealed until later. 25 In the same way, the good deeds of some people are obvious. And the good deeds done in secret will someday come to light. (1 Tim 5:24-25)  What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops.  This means there are no secrets in Christianity.  When a believer studies, mediates, and prays over God’s Word in solitude or with other believers, the things the Lord shows us are not secret, we can and should share them with everyone who will listen.  Christianity is not a private club that has secret ceremonies, secret initiations, and other rites of passage that you see in the various lodges and clubs of this world.  “No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a bowl or hides it under a bed. A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house.” (Lk 8:16) 8

Command and Character of Christ Fear Not Boldness vs. Fearfulness  What the Lord reveals to us in the darkness we are to speak in the light; and what has been whispered in [our] ear we are to proclaim upon the housetops. o Jewish rabbis would often train their students by standing next to them and whispering in their ear. What they heard the master say, they would repeat out loud holding nothing back. (Sarah)  What the Lord whispers in our eye, we should announce for all to hear. We should never water down what he says or leave out certain parts.  We should not selected tell others only what they want to heard. (Seeker friendly churches) People do not like to be told that they are sinners and that they have offended God.  When you tell people the truth about their sinful condition, you can be sure that many people will reject what you say and will turn against you.  People love to hear John 3:16 which is why it’s the most quoted Scripture in the word; however, people do not want to the rest of the paragraph. o “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light (Jesus) has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light (Jesus) because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light (Jesus), and will not come into the (Jesus) light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the (Jesus) light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. (Jn 3:16-21)  Shouting from the housetops means telling as many people as possible the gospel message. Some rabbis would literally sound a trumpet and then shout from the housetop so as many people as possible would hear. (Ray Comfort) 9

Command and Character of Christ Fear Not Boldness vs. Fearfulness  John the Baptist would shout “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” (Mt 3:2) B. Loved by God  “So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom. (Lk 12:32) And do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Mt 10:28)  1st Reason Jesus said, “Do not Fear” – God will justify you.  2nd Reason Jesus says, “Do not Fear” – God loves us so much that He will only let man temporary harm you. The only person we should fear is God.  These scriptures show two different types of fear: The first fear is to be frighten, to be scared. The second type of fear is to be in awe.  In our application, I will show you a chart that shows the full spectrum of what is means to “Fear the Lord” (Often misunderstood)  Persecution ranges from name calling, to imprisonment, to death. Jesus is telling His disciples not to fear any of these things.  “…A man named Agabus, who also had the gift of prophecy, arrived from Judea. He came over, took Paul’s belt, and bound his own feet and hands with it. Then he said, “The Holy Spirit declares, ‘So shall the owner of this belt be bound by the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem and turned over to the Gentiles.’” When we heard this, we and the local believers all begged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. But he said, “Why all this weeping? You are breaking my heart! I am ready not only to be jailed at Jerusalem but even to die for the sake of the Lord Jesus.” When it was clear that we couldn’t persuade him, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.” (Acts 10:10-13)  Paul had no fear of those who could only kill the body.

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Command and Character of Christ Fear Not Boldness vs. Fearfulness  1 Cor 15:42 tells us that even if the body is killed, God will one day bring that body to heaven and will transform it into a body that is perfect and will never die again.  Neither man nor Satan can permanently kill the body.  Jesus said, “Do not fear those that can only temporarily kill the body but are unable to kill the soul or Spirit.  We should only fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell; and only God can do that.  Destroy – appolumi - does not mean extinction, when a person’s dies and is placed in the ground, it does not stay there forever; all people will be resurrected from the day.  Believers in Jesus Christ will receive a new glorified body in heaven.  Non – Believers will receive a new body, will be brought to the Great White Throne Judgment, and will be thrown into the Lake of Fire for all eternity.  2 Thes 1:9, “eternal destruction” Eternal Lake of Fire.  Heb 9:27, “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.  Satan and his followers will be the first that are cast into the Lake of Fire and then those that refuse God’s gift of salvation in Jesus Christ will shortly follow.  The power of human threats is puny in comparison to the power of God’s promises.  Hugh Latimer - Preaching one day in the presence of King Henry VIII, he reports that he said to himself, “Latimer! Latimer! Remember that the king is here; be careful what you say.” Then he said to himself, “Latimer! Latimer! Remember that the King of kings is here; be careful what you do not say.”  Latimer was burned at the stake when King Henry heard things like, “There is no one righteous, no not one”

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Command and Character of Christ Fear Not Boldness vs. Fearfulness  Dark Ages – 400 years – several generations of Christians – 600 miles of catacombs around the city of Rome – Some 50 million Christians were murdered and about 4 million of those Christians were buried in the catacombs.  Common inscription - sign of the fish, symbol means, “Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior.” – Inscription, “The Word of God is not bound.” (Too Powerful for any force to tie up or control)  Since the time of the catacombs, many more millions of Christians have been murdered and are being murdered primarily in communist governments found in Europe, Asia, and Africa.  Lord Lawrence - memorial in Westminster Abbey – He feared man so little because he feared God so much.  Jim Elliot - “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” C. Valued by God Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore do not fear; you are of more value than many sparrows. (10:29–31)  An, assarion, cent - smallest coin in circulation in Jesus’ day.  One cent could buy two sparrows which were considered almost worthless.  Jesus said, “Yet not one sparrow will fall to the ground apart from your Father,  Some translations use the Greek word hop instead of fall. Not even the most insignificant of birds will fall or take one hope without God’s knowledge.  God knows every detail of everything. Jesus says, “The very hairs of [our] head are all numbered. 12

Command and Character of Christ Fear Not Boldness vs. Fearfulness  What does it matter how many hairs are on a person’s head? It really doesn’t matter so Jesus is telling us, if He takes notice of such matters, how much more does He take notice of your life and eternal future.  Jesus encourages us, commands us not to fear. He gives us three compelling reasons why we shouldn’t fear.  1st – We will be justified by God.  2nd – We are loved by God.  3rd – We are valued by God.  You are more valuable than many sparrows.  You are the Apple of God’s Eye (Deut 32:10; Ps 17:8; Prov 7:2). The Apple is the eyeball itself. If someone touches your eyeball, it immediately gets your attention.  The original Hebrew idiom found in Zec 2:8 means “Little Man of the Eye” this means, when someone is looking at you, if you look really closely at their eye, you can see a full reflection of yourself.  This mean – If you could look in God’s eye, you would see a full reflection of yourself because God is always looking at you.  In the Beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Gen 1:1)  “…“Anyone who harms you harms my most precious possession.” (Zec 2:8)  The last part of Mt 10 shows us the next 4 characteristics of discipleship. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Imitates God Fears God Confesses Jesus as Savior and Lord Forsakes all for the Lord Follows His Call Receives a Reward. 13

Command and Character of Christ Fear Not Boldness vs. Fearfulness Command Application  What does it mean to Fear the Lord?  Bible has over 500 verses from Genesis to Revelation on Fear of the Lord o Hebrew = 23 different words o Greek = 7 different words

DIAGRAM

1. The first part of the scale deals with Godly Fear (Respect & Repentance.)  This fear will cause you to consider how powerful God is compared to how powerful you are.  This fear will cause you to understand what God thinks of sin.

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Command and Character of Christ Fear Not Boldness vs. Fearfulness  This fear will cause you to think about Hell. (1 Jn 5:12 – “He who has the Son …  Hell reveals God’s hatred of sin. Jude 1:13b, “doomed forever to blackest darkness.” (Jude 13).  Hell is filled with fire that is so extremely hot that no light comes from it. Such heat intensity is not known to exist naturally, not even in the sun!  Hell has a toxic chemical intensity to it (brimstone, sulfur) which will forever torment those who live there. (Rev 21:8)  This fear will cause you to surrender to God.  If you don’t fear God who has the power to send your body and soul to hell then today is the day & now is the time to surrender to Him.  Don’t be foolish and put this off. (Talk to me after this service or with a God Fearing person next to you)

2. The second part of the scale deals with Holy Fear (Reverence & Awe).  Heb 12:28 - Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe.  2 Cor 7: 1, “Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates the body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence (fear) for God.      

This fear causes you to examine your life in the light of God’s Word. This fear causes you to want to be holy because God is Holy. This fear causes you to fight the good fight and run the race well. This fear causes you to pursue holiness and righteousness. This fear causes you to walk in the Spirit. This fear will causes you to abide in Christ. 15

Command and Character of Christ Fear Not Boldness vs. Fearfulness You have this kind of Fear of God when:    

You wake up and God is the first one on your mind. You pray throughout the day in constant communication with God. You need God’s Word to sustain your days and are hungry for it. You ache and are moved with compassion at the thought and sight of those who do not know God.  You look at sin as an insult to God and it brings you shame and conviction to repent.

3. The third part of the scale deals with Loving Fear (Worship & Glorify).      

This fear will cause you to worship & glorify God. This fear will cause you to get involved in ministry. (Serve) This fear will cause you to focus on God and others. This fear will cause you to hate sin. This fear will cause you to pray. This fear will cause you to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

How to Conquer Fear Give God your reputation and anticipate rejection.  Matthew 10:22-28, “All men will hate you because of me…” Dedicate all your possessions to God.  Philippians 3:7-8, “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ”

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Command and Character of Christ Fear Not Boldness vs. Fearfulness  Matthew 19:29, “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” Consecrate your body to God.  Revelation 12:11, “They overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”  Revelation 2:10, “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Learn to Fear the Lord  Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” Remember God’s loving concern for us.  Isaiah 51:12, “I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mortal men, the sons of men, who are but grass.” Overcome fear with genuine love.  1 John 4:17-18, “In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the Day of Judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

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Command and Character of Christ Fear Not Boldness vs. Fearfulness

Practical Steps to Learn the Fear of the Lord 1. Learn God’s decrees and teach them to your children Deuteronomy 4:5-6;10, “ See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the LORD my God commanded me, so that you may follow them… Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding… hear my words so that they may learn to revere (fear) me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children.” 2. Honor God with the tithes of all your increase Deuteronomy 14:22-23, “Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year…. so that you may learn to revere (fear) the LORD your God always.” 3. Establish a daily reading of the Word of God Deuteronomy 17:18-19, “When he (The newly appointed king) takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere (fear) the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees.”  If all that we are and have is truly dedicated to God, we have nothing to fear, because we have nothing to lose.  Two choices – o Please man and displease the Lord or o Please the Lord and it doesn’t matter if man is displeased.  Boldness by those who suffer motivates boldness in those who are living for the same cause. Command Character - Boldness vs. Fearfulness

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