Life of Christ #13 – Fear Not: Following Jesus Without Fear

What you have heard me whisper here in these rooms, what I said to you late at night as the lamps were going out, you’re going out there to proclaim on the rooftop. What is the Lord Jesus saying? He is saying, don’t water it down under the pressure of men in society; don’t fear. Proclaim it from the rooftop. Now, if you don’t know this, dear saints, the first time you get under pressure, you’ll feel the urge to compromise. Your sense is going to be a peacemaker. Somebody’s going to say that you shouldn’t be so negative. Somebody else is going to say that’s deception. Somebody else is going to do something else, and you’re going to feel like next time you get up…I’ll tell you what you’re going to do; you’re going to be afraid. And the Lord said, don’t do that. Don’t be afraid. That which is burning inside of you that’s never been uttered, that which I whispered in your ear, get up on the rooftops and holler it at the top of your voice. Do not be afraid.

Maybe the Father said that to the Son. What I said within You, what I said in the recesses of Your being: when men back you against the wall, don’t water it down; proclaim it from the rooftops, because it’s going to be proclaimed. You might as well be the one to proclaim it. I like that He tells me I belong to His household, the household of my Master. I like that; I appreciate that; I’m glad to know He’s got a house, and I’m glad that I belong to it, and that which I have had whispered to me; I hope, Lord, that I have not been afraid to proclaim it from the housetops.

I want to get back to the Lord and His relationship to the Father. He didn’t fear to proclaim it widely for Him, and He’s about to send six more delegations out to proclaim it, and He wants them to do it boldly. Now, this blows my mind: “Fear not, but remain a sheep.” Be bold but remain a sheep. I’m getting mixed messages from my Lord here. Proclaim it from the rooftops. Don’t be afraid…but be a sheep. Be a dove. Let him see the dove inside and be wise. I don’t have the wisdom to explain these things. All I can do is look to my Lord and know that the Father said this within Him, and somehow He did it for Himself. He was innocent, and He was devoured. He was bold, and yet He was a Lamb. He knew what these people would do to Him ahead of time, and that made Him as wise as a serpent, but He had the guilelessness of a dove.

Now, brothers and sisters, if you can put all that together, understand what the servant of God must be. Being bold and wise is as difficult as being a bull and a lamb, and who knows what guileless means; I have no idea. A bold dove…I have never seen a bold dove; have you ever seen a bold sheep? Have you seen a fearless sheep? Have you seen a fearless dove? I might say that of a snake, a serpent. Perhaps the serpent is causing the dove, and perhaps the serpent is causing the sheep. You understand what I’m saying? Wisdom says you should be both the sheep and the dove, but also be bold and unafraid. Don’t fear the pressure men and society will put on you for taking a fearless stand for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Okay, what are we to fear? I’m going to throw this one open. What are we to fear? There is no question about who we’re to fear. We are to fear him who can destroy the soul and cast it into Gehenna, and only one can destroy the soul and cast it into Gehenna. That is your Father. That is your Father. I don’t know if it’s a judge or what it is; I don’t think He’s trying to put a doctrine here. He’s just saying that in that moment when you’re going to be afraid of somebody, those men can only kill you; that’s all they can do. They can destroy your body; perhaps that’s all Satan can do at best. Fear the highest destroyer, fear the One who can do more than that. I’m not even sure this is a threat; I think it’s a matter of perspective. If you’re going to fear somebody, fear Him who can destroy even more than the body. When you fear Him, you will not fear them.

Now, I really believe the subject from that point on, from right there on, is the subject of death. I personally am persuaded the whole subject has been death. I think everything here has been about death. Those people will put you under pressure, and if you’re bold as you ought to be and as innocent as you ought to be, you may very well end up being killed, and most of the twelve were killed. I think you all know that. They didn’t have to be killed, you know. There’s one of those twelve who had to die; you might say they committed suicide by not being very “serpent-ish.” They didn’t have enough of the serpent’s wisdom to avoid death. Not one of them did, nor did the Lord Jesus Christ. I can only see longevity here, not preventiveness.

If you’re as wise as a serpent, you’ll live a little longer, but you’ll die eventually. Eventually you die. The Son made it four years by being the wisest of all the wise. He made it four years. If you are very, very wise, you may make it a while, but you are probably, or at least very possibly, going to be killed for your boldness. Don’t be afraid of men who can kill you; alright, maybe they will not kill you, maybe they will make life miserable for you, but they have the capacity to kill you; do not be afraid of their capacity to kill you. You should fear the one who can destroy a soul as well as a body; fear Him.

Now, the Lord says the most remarkable and the most beautiful thing. He says it to the disciples, but I think the Father said it to the Son first. I think Father said, “You can’t fall, My Son, until I allow it. You will not fall until I allow it. Be as wise as you can, be as the dove as long as you can, but you are still sheep, and you’re going to be devoured by wolves. You will not be devoured by them until I myself say you fall. You will not fall one minute before that. I alone decide when you will fall.” The Lord said that again and again: this is not your decision when I will be crucified; it is not in your hands. You can’t do that to me because my time hasn’t come. You will fall when the Father says so.

Now, very definitely to me, the Lord Jesus brings the Father center stage.

I see a revelation of the Father here now. That we’re on really good, clear ground. We’re here to see an indwelling Father. Well, here He is right out in front of us. The Lord Jesus clarifies everything. We’re talking about the Son’s relationship to the Father, and we’re speaking of you, 12 disciples’ relationship to the Father. There is definite succession here in all of this. The Son is a sheep, but He will be eaten. The Son is sagacious. The Son is guileless, but He will fall. So will you. The Son feels the pressure of men in society, but He will proclaim what He has heard in secret. You will also feel the pressure of men in society; proclaim what you’ve heard in secret.

Yes, they can kill you. Yes, they can kill me, but I do not fear men who can kill me. I fear Him who can also destroy a soul. Yes, they can kill you. Do not fear them; fear my Father, and know this: you will not fall until my Father says you’ll fall. I will not fall as the servant of the Most High God; I will not fall until my Father says, “Fall.” God’s sovereignty is revealed here—the Father’s sovereignty. The Father’s sovereignty is revealed here. You will fall when I tell you to. The Father speaking.

Two sparrows sell in the marketplace for one and a one-half cents. Two little birds sell for one and a half cents. That’s American. The Greek word means a penny and a half. Two sparrows, about three-fourths of a penny each, and yet neither can fall to the ground. Listen, the weather can’t get them to the ground. Disease can’t cause them to fall. The hunter’s bow, knife, and bullet cannot cause them to fall. Old age cannot cause them to fall. Poison can’t cause them to fall. Lightning can’t cause them to fall; Satan cannot cause them to fall. That sparrow will never fall until my Father accompanies it to the ground. Incredible.