MIGA? Fear, dread, and unbelief (2)

Previously, we just addressed fear. More can always be said on the subject and more probably will! As human beings, fear is a great driving force. Those things that brings us awe, wonder, reverence; those wonders that make you feel small, captivates your senses, makes your heartbeat faster, etc.–all these things pertain to “fear”. Dread is designed for those who do not fear the Lord; having a “dread” of God is immobilizing and will keep you from advancing the Kingdom and furthering your relationship with the King.

 “He also who had received one talent came forward, saying, “Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was AFRAID, and I went and hid what was yours.” But his master answered him, “You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest….”

(The whole account is found in Matthew 25:14-30.) The servant who had inappropriate fear was given to dread—a fear that points to unbelief instead of freedom, power, and confidence in our Lord. Each servant in this story—beside the wicked servant—doubled their investments. The investments here is God’s grace. We are being warned that there is real belief that has power, and imitation belief that bears no fruit.

Nothing is more foreign to Christianity than to be resurrected from the dead and NOT declare it. Just your presence in the world will “speak”! You cannot walk out of the tombs (as Matt. 27:51-53 accounts) and go thru the motions of life without people noticing that “this guy doesn’t smell like the “grave” anymore!” Because of God’s grace, the corpse that used to be buried in the garden, becomes a caretaker of the garden.

At Jesus’ first coming, the people missed the point. As our pastor pointed out last Sunday, “As Jesus entered the city riding the donkey, he was greeted by a great entourage of MIGA: “Make Israel Great Again.” Pastor Cook was right, the people were missing the point, they had Israel in their focus of greatness: nationalism was their focus, not God. Their belief was that Jesus took as much pride in the nation as they did….

We need to be very careful that we are not awed by the wrong things and miss the lowly, meek, and humble savior, who rides into our towns to see if we are beholden to him alone. The scene will unfold, one day, to these words from Isiah about Christ:

“By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: “To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance. Only in the LORD, it shall be said of me, are righteousness and strength; to him shall come and be ashamed all who were incensed against him. In the LORD all the offspring of Israel shall be justified and shall glory.” Isaiah 45:23

The days of the “meek and lowly savior” will give way to a superior glory and return of the King! If I were a painter (and I wish I was) the scene would appear as King Jesus riding on his white horse, every banner and flag will be on the ground, in the dust for Jesus to walk over. Every knee will be bent and the “Make ___ Great AGAIN” will be purged from their lips—replaced with a confession of awe for the King of king and LORD of lords. If you want to see God do great things today–those great things are entirely up to him; but our fear must not be misguided, it must have a knee bent before the King and a stout heart that stands by His grace.