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In the name of Jesus, amen.
Dear saints of God, we are fearing and loving and trusting people. In fact, that’s kind of a tautology. We are people, and that means that we are fearing and loving and trusting. That’s what we were created to do by God in the garden. In fact, that’s what it means to be created in the image of God, that we fear, love, and trust in God above all things. But when we fell, then we lost that rightful object of our fear and our love and our trust. We fear and love and trust all the wrong stuff.
I used to think when I learned the Catechism and the first commandment, you shall have no other gods, what does this mean? We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things. I thought it meant that here I am or here God is, and here I am, and the things that should happen between me and God was fear and love and trust. That the thing that was being commanded was that fear and that love and that trust. But that’s wrong. I mean, we should fear and love and trust God, but the point is that I already fear. I don’t need to start fearing. I’m already afraid. I already love. I already trust. The question is, what? What am I afraid of? What am I trusting in? What am I loving? What is the object of these three things? Because, whatever it is, whatever the object of my fear, and my love, and my trust is, that is my God, or that is my idol.
Now we’ve been talking a lot, I mean maybe we could picture it like this, that you have a throne in the heart. Remember in the old days when we would go out with Campus Crusade on campus, and that’s what we would ask people, “There’s a throne in your heart, who sits in it?” I think that’s actually right. There is a throne in your heart, maybe three thrones: the fear throne, the love throne, and the trust throne, and there are all sorts of things competing to sit on that throne, and the question is, what is it going to be? That fear is a form of worship, so is love and trust.
Now we’ve been talking a lot, a lot in the last couple of years about how we should not be afraid of death. In fact, Hebrews 2, this is that verse that we really need to keep pressing on, right? Because Hebrews 2:14 says that just as we are flesh and blood, Jesus also became flesh and blood so that through His death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and set all of those free who were subject to lifelong slavery of the fear of death. We don’t want to miss that. That, being afraid to die means that we are slaves to the devil. Oh boy. To be afraid to die means that we are subject to his coercion. In fact, fear, whatever we are afraid of, puts us in subjection to that thing.
So we’ve been talking a lot about how we have to be free from the fear of death, but we really have to be free from the fear of everything. This is one of the gifts of the first commandment, and it’s really what Jesus is getting after in this particularly difficult sermon today. Jesus says that you must be free from the fear of poverty, free from the fear of hunger, free from the fear of sadness, free from the fear of mockery and shame and rejection and hatred by the world. Can you imagine it? Because all of us are afraid of these things. Jesus says, “Blessed are you who are poor. Blessed are you who are hungry. Blessed are you who weep. Blessed are you when people hate you.”
In fact, Jesus goes on to say, “When people hate you and exclude you and revile you and they spurn you and name you as evil, you should rejoice and be glad and leap for joy.” How many of us have ever leapt for joy because someone rejected us or called us wicked? But that’s what Jesus is saying today.
So here’s the picture. I think we’ve preached this picture before, so bear with me. I just can’t think of a better picture. But if you could think of yourself as if you are taking applicants for fear, okay? You’re sitting at a desk. There’s a chair there, the fear chair. Someone’s going to sit in it, and you’re trying to hire someone to sit in that chair. Jesus is overseeing the whole process. So someone knocks on the door and in walks death. Maybe he sort of glides in; he’s got one of those long sticks with a sickle on it, you know, hooded, sort of slides up to the chair, sits down. He puts his application, his resume on the desk in front of you, and he says, “I’d like to apply for your fear.” And you look at death and you say, “Boy, I’m ready to hire you right now.” He says, “I, you know, I’m death, and I’ve basically killed everyone, so you should be afraid of me.”
And you say to death, “Okay, I think you’re well qualified. I think you can sit on the fear chair over there. Let me just check with Jesus.” And you turn around to check with Jesus, and he says, “No way, I destroyed death. Three days and he’s done. Rose from the dead; this is why the Son of God mannered that I would destroy the power of death to set us free from the power of death. No way, dismissed. Next?”
So who comes in next? Maybe the devil. He’s got horns or I don’t know, maybe he’s an angel of light or something. He comes and he sits down. He puts his resume there on the desk and he says, “I’m the devil; I’m Satan, the great accuser. I can bring all your sins before God, the Father in heaven. I tempted Adam and Eve, and they ate the fruit, and I’ve caused destruction and misery and all sorts of trouble from the very beginning. I am the, you know, Beelzebub, the king of all the demons; you should probably be afraid of me.”
And we say, “That’s a pretty good resume there. I think you’re well qualified. Let me just check with Jesus.” And he says, “No, I destroyed the devil. For this reason the Son of God was manifest, that he might destroy the works of the devil. I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven, says Jesus. He was cast out from before the throne of God, so that who can condemn us, who can accuse us? It’s God who justifies us.” In fact, Jesus says, “Let me tell you a little story. There was a strong man, and he ruled his house, and his goods were in peace, but a stronger than him came and bound him and tossed him out and looted his goods.” That’s what Jesus did to the devil. The devil’s dismissed. In fact, Jesus says, “If you resist him, watch this, resist him and he’ll flee from you.” So the devil is dismissed.
Who comes next? Disease? COVID? Omicron? Walks in, sits down. “You should be afraid of me.” We’ve covered that. But here’s what comes next. Four more applicants. The first is poverty. And he hobbles in in tattered clothes. He’s dirty. He smells. He’s embarrassing to all of his friends. He doesn’t have anything to give. He walks in and sits down and says, “You should be afraid of me.” And each one of us has to admit that this is, in fact, one of our fears. This is the idol of the bank account, the idol of the wallet. Poverty comes and applies for the job, and just as we are about to hire him, we look at Jesus, and He says these words to us this morning, “Listen, blessed are you who are poor; yours is the kingdom of God.”
So the idol of money and mammon and the fear of poverty is sent out. Next in comes hunger. He staggers in; his cheeks are sunk, you can count his ribs, he can barely talk, he asks for a glass of water, he looks horrible: hunger, not even being able to feed yourself. “You should be afraid of me.” And just as we’re about to put hunger on the throne, Jesus says to us this morning these words, “Blessed are you who are hungry; now you shall be satisfied.” And so the idol of the stomach and the fear of hunger is dismissed.
Next, in comes sorrow, weeping, wiping his tears and shaking because of the sorrow that suffering, and he sits down, a miserable thing to look at, no joy at all. And just as we are about to be afraid of that, this is the business of seeking after our own pleasure, which is probably what defines our world and our culture now, seeking after that which is not sorrowful, trying to avoid at all costs pain and suffering. We’re just about to be afraid of it, and Jesus says these words, “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.” Sorrow is dismissed.
Next, and finally, comes in mockery. There’s probably a crowd of people, and they’re jeering at you; they’re pointing at you, they’re laughing at you because you believe in Jesus and you think the Bible is true and you trust in the Lord, and you believe in eternal life, and they’re mocking you and despising you and posting rude things about you on Instagram or whatever. Here comes shame. Is this a real temptation to be afraid of this? And we’re just about to put that on the throne when Jesus says these words, “Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil on account of the Son of Man; rejoice.” So mockery and shame are dismissed.
Next, and at this point, there’s no one left. There’s no more applicants. There’s nothing else to be afraid of that Jesus has not spoken enough. In fact, at this point, we turn and look at Jesus and say, “There’s nobody else to sit on this chair, so it must be you.” And so Jesus goes and he sits on this throne. He goes and takes the place in our fear and he looks at you straight in the eye. He looks at you and he says to you, “Do not be afraid. Don’t fear. I’m not mad at you. Your sins are forgiven. Your enemies are destroyed. Your God is your friend. Your salvation is sure; don’t be afraid.” Can you imagine?
So that there is only one who we fear and love and trust, God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and he comes to us not fearfully but in great kindness. And in this way, you are free. Do you see what Jesus is doing? He’s setting you free from the slavery to your stomach. He’s setting you free from the slavery to your wallet. He’s setting you free from the slavery to your reputation. He’s setting you free from a slavery to your pleasures, free from all of that.
Now why? We’ll get to next week. That’s the next text that Jesus, in fact, it’s what He preaches, and we’ll have it next week, but here’s a little hint. The reason why is because Jesus wants you to be free to serve your neighbor. We’re always busy trying to collect up all the stuff for ourselves, to serve ourselves, and Jesus says, “No, your life is here to be spent for the sake of your neighbors so that you can serve them and bless them and care for them and serve them, that you can love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and you can love your neighbor as yourself.” Again, more of that tomorrow.
But here’s the rule that Jesus gives. He says, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then all these things will be added to you. You’ll have plenty to eat, you’ll have a place to live, you’ll have enough to bless your neighbor and take care of your family. The Lord will provide it. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. But if you seek all these other things, then you will miss them and the kingdom of God as well.”
But here’s the point: Jesus knows the blessings that he’s preaching. Blessed are you who are poor. Jesus himself says that the Son of Man doesn’t even have a place to lay his head. This is 2 Corinthians 8:9, that He who was rich became poor so that by His poverty we might be made rich. Jesus had all things in His eternal existence with the Father, and He empties Himself of all of this so that He might win you.
Blessed are you who are hungry. Jesus knew that hunger. He fasted for 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness, tempted by the devil the whole time to stand where Adam and Eve fell. Blessed are you who weep. Jesus Himself was called a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Jesus wept over Jerusalem. He wept at the grave of Lazarus. He wept over all of the suffering that was happening in the world.
Blessed are you when people hate you and exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil. Who was more rejected and spurned and reviled than our Lord Jesus Himself? The light came into the world, but the darkness loved the light. It did not receive Him because it loved the darkness. This is the part of the cross that Jesus despised. Remember, He endured the cross, despising the shame that He was hanging there as they were gambling for His clothes, mocking Him, and behold, He trusted in God; let Him save Him. He was reviled and hated and excluded; He was all of these things: poor and hungry and weeping and reviled.
He was all of these things for you, to win for you His kingdom, to make a way for you to come to eternal life, to adopt you as His own dear child, to call you His friend, and to clothe you with His righteousness, and to forgive you all of your sins, and to bring you into His family. It’s all for you, to win for you the freedom of the children of God. So blessed are you, poor, hungry, sad, reviled children of God and friends of Jesus. He, dear saints, loves you, and he has given all to have you, and you will be with him; this is sure, in the joy of eternal life. May God grant us this confidence and this peace.
In the name of Jesus. Amen. And the peace of God, which passes all that our minds can do, keep you in the true faith to life everlasting. Amen.
