Not Yet

This is what the Lord Almighty says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house.

Haggai 1:2

After their return from exile, God's people had delayed building God's temple for 18 years! While they lived in houses with panelled walls, God's house had a foundation and no walls. And their excuse, was that the time had not yet come to rebuild. They knew it was God’s will for them to rebuild the temple. 

As Matthew Henry points out, “they didn’t say that they would not build a temple, but, not yet.”* And in this way they deceived themselves and lulled themselves into disobedience. I often say to my children, delayed obedience is disobedience, and I believe that applies to these verses. 

This sin isn’t unique to the Jews that lived 2,400 years ago though, is it? We still do this today, don’t we? Most people don’t say that they'll never get saved; just not right now. Christians rarely decide that they'll never get baptized, but they do tell themselves that they just aren’t ready yet. They need to mature more first. Or they would be too nervous to do it right now, maybe later. And we don’t say that we'll never lead a single person to Jesus, or that we'll never share the gospel with our family member or friend or neighbor or co-worker. We don’t do that. We just convince ourselves that now isn’t the right time. Maybe someday soon.

Is there anything you know you ought to do, anything that God has commanded you to do, that you're putting off? Is there anything you are saying “not yet” to or “maybe one day” to or “when the time is right” to? Delayed obedience is disobedience. Don’t deceive yourself! If God has commanded it, then you should obey it... now. Look for opportunities to obey, not reasons to delay.

*Matthew Henry and Thomas Scott, Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, 1997), Hag 1:1.

Fear Not Death

Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

Hebrews 2:14–15

Alister McGrath, in his wonderful little book entitled What was God doing on the Cross?, has this to say about the fear of death and the believer. McGrath says, “Death has been tamed. John Bunyan makes this point forcefully in Pilgrim’s Progress, using a vivid storyline. Christian is walking down a road, when to his horror he notices a ferocious lion barring his path. There is no way that he can avoid the animal. Terrified, he draws closer. Then, to his delight, he notices that the lion is chained to a post. Someone has been that way before him, and tamed this fearsome beast. Although he must walk that same way, an earlier traveller has made the road safe for him. Someone else met the hostile creature before him, and disarmed it. Although the lion remains, the threat it once posed has been removed.”* 

That image of a lion chained to a post that we must all walk pass, perfectly captures what Christ has done to death. Death has been tamed! Yes, every believer must still pass through death (unless we live until Jesus comes back) but it can no longer hurt us! For the Christian, death is nothing more than a doorway we pass through on our way to Heaven.

Because, if you are a Christian, then Death is not final for you! Death will have no victory over you. It will hold your body captive in the grave for a little while…but not your soul. From the moment of your death your soul will be in the presence of your Savior right up until the moment of your resurrection. And on that day, your body will come up out of the grave again, in victory, and it will be made new and glorious and immortal. And you will live in that body for all eternity on the new heavens and the new earth.

What possible reason, then, could a Christian have to fear death? I understand having some fear of the process of dying. Sometimes dying can be painful and unpleasant. But we have been set free from a fear of death. So, when our time comes, let us seal our lives with one final testimony to our great faith in the gospel, and let us face our death with faith... not fear.   

*McGrath, Alister E. What was God doing on the Cross? (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers) 1992, p112

Fear Not the Persecution of Men

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Matthew 10:29-31

The ESV Study Bible tells us that “sparrows were customarily thought of as the smallest of creatures, and the copper coin that is rendered into English as ‘penny’ here was one of the least valuable Roman coins…”* The point here is that “if God does not overlook the death or injury of even the most insignificant birds,” then surely He does not overlook the suffering or death of His beloved children.** 

I like the way the CSB Study Bible puts it. “The God who has numbered even the hairs of your head has also numbered the days of your life. His plan for his disciples cannot be cut short by persecution.”*** 

If God doesn't let the sparrows fall apart from His will, then neither will He let you fall apart from His will. The Bible doesn’t guarantee that you won’t suffer. It doesn’t even guarantee that you won’t die. In fact, many Christians have died for their faith. But it does promise that God will watch over you and that nothing will happen to you apart from Him.

This is why Christians shouldn’t fear persecution. Because we have nothing to fear from men. They don’t hold our fate in their hands. God the Father does. And God does not forget His children. No harm can befall you apart from His will. You can be in the worst possible situation and not fear, because you know that God’s got you! So, faithful believer, don't live in fear of men!

*Wilkins, Michael J. ESV Study Bible note on Matthew 10:29 (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2001), 1841

** A. Boyd Luter, “Luke,” in CSB Study Bible: Notes, ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 1632

*** Charles L. Quarles, “Matthew,” in CSB Study Bible: Notes, ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 1517.