WHOM SHALL I FEAR?
Kay Keith Peebles 03/26/2021 21.12
There is a difference between having respect for someone and fearing them. When we have respect for a person or a group, we desire to submit to their authority because it is right. When we fear someone or a group of people, we will submit to doing what we know is wrong because we are afraid of their rejection of us or retaliation against us. The fear of man is idolatry because we bow to man’s opinions instead of the word of God. God considers idolatry spiritual adultery!
Every person, no matter what age, culture or race in which they are born, will experience “peer” pressure. Peer pressure attempts to cause one to change their beliefs, attitudes and/or actions to please those they want to be around or live among.
When I was growing up, I remember being told often that if I stood in agreement with the majority, I could be confident I was on the right side. I tried that theory when I was in the ninth grade and ended up in the principal’s office in deep trouble! God built inside of me a strong sense of right and wrong even as a child. We went to church every Sunday and my parents taught me right from wrong to the best of their ability. However, that does not mean I did everything right. I messed up many times in my life.
Reaching the teen years, my mother once told me never to drink alcohol. Her exact words were: “It will make you do things you wouldn’t ordinarily do.” My parents never drank alcohol during my childhood and formative years. My father did smoke but it was a habit he learned as a child and was encouraged in the military during World War II. None of us knew the destructive dangers of smoking at that time, but I did have a strong desire not to drink or smoke.
My greatest temptation came at age 15. I was a sophomore dating a senior on the football team and football was an idol then as it still is today. I had wanted to be a cheerleader but asthma kept me from being able to reach that goal. It was a Friday night and our home team won a big game. My boyfriend invited me to a party after the game. On the way to the party we stopped to pick up several cases of beer. I reminded him of my feelings about drinking. I think he drove me over to the motel where many of the football players and cheerleads were celebrating in order to change my mind. We got out of the car and when I realized what was happening, I told him he would have to take me home immediately. I had desired to be among the “in” crowd, but the cost was too great! They were in the majority at the time, but my God-given conscience kept me from changing my beliefs, attitudes and actions to please them. It was God alone who protected me by giving me a strong sense of right and wrong. As I mentioned before, I have made many mistakes in my life. The Bible is accurate when it says, “All have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God!” I am just mentioning that situation because I made the right decision that night amid intense peer pressure.
I have learned over the years that the majority is rarely if ever leading in the right direction. Biblically that is absolutely true. Noah and his family alone survived the flood when the Lord judged the sins of man and cleansed the earth by washing it with water. Elijah stood against Jezebel and the 450 prophets of Baal to restore Israel back to Jehovah God. When Jesus stood trial before Pilate and the Jewish leaders the crowd cried out to release Barabbas and crucify Jesus!
In the Parable of the Sower, there are four different levels of soil. Three of the four failed to produce any fruit of righteousness or faith that endures to the end. The fourth level of soil produced three different outcomes: 30%, 60% and 100%. In other words, of all the people that have lived on earth, only 25% will be saved eternally and of that 25% only 1/3 will produce 100 fold fruit! Those figures are far from the majority! Christianity is like the old adage of a fish swimming upstream against the flow. If we will keep that truth in mind, the following scriptures will make clear sense of the Gospel of those who “overcome”.
In John Chapter 12 Jesus prepared His disciples for the cross and the cost of our allegiance to Him: “The hour has come that the Son of man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who loses his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” John 12:23-25. New King James Version.
“If anyone serves Me, he must [continue to faithfully] follow Me [without hesitation, holding steadfastly to Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me]; and wherever I am [in heaven’s glory], there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.” John 12:26. Amplified Version.
Jesus continued explaining to the people that He will die on a cross. “Now My soul is troubled and what shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour? But for this purpose I came to this hour. ‘Father, glorify Your name.’ Then a voice came from heaven saying, ‘I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.’ Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, ‘An angel has spoken to Him.’ Jesus answered and said, ‘This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.’ This He said, signifying by what death He would die.” John 12:27-32. NKJV.
The people questioned Jesus’ statements believing in the law that the Messiah would remain forever. They misunderstood the scriptures, they saw His many miracles and yet they still questioned Him in unbelief. John’s Gospel quotes Isaiah 53:1, “Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?” He goes on to add, “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts. Lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.” Quotes from Isaiah 6:9-10 and Matthew 13:14.
Their hearts were hardened when they saw the miracles of Jesus without believing, and heard His teaching without having the spiritual eyes to see what He was saying to them. Because of that, He would not allow them to see! John 12:42 gives us the reason why. “Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.”
They gave up eternity with God because of the fear of man/peer pressure. Today, in Canada and America the cancer of cancel culture is spreading. It is eliminating everything that pertains to the one true God, Jesus and the Truth of His Word. They are cancelling out the obvious, that God created male and female, immorality and perversion is a sin and the Word of God is the only Truth. It is growing to the point that the majority of the people have begun to believe what Isaiah Chapter 5 warned against. “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! Woe to men mighty at drinking wine, Woe to men valiant for mixing intoxicating drink, Who justify the wicked for a bribe, and take away justice from the righteous man! Therefore, as the fire devours the stubble, and the flame consumes the chaff, so their root will be as rottenness, and their blossom will ascend like dust; because they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel…” Isaiah 5:20-25. NKJV.
Returning to John Chapter 12, Jesus continues His last teaching. “He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. I have come as a light into the world that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told me so I speak.” John 12:44-50. NKJV.
Jesus obeyed the letter of the LAW in order for us to be saved. He then allowed those who did not believe Him to mutilate His body through beatings and scourging’s. They then stripped Him naked and hung Him on a cross for criminals. Even that was not enough. They continued abusing Him as they stood before Him and mocked Him as He hung on the cross and died. He willingly and knowingly suffered all of these things to free us all from our sinful bondage, open our eyes to the Light of His Gospel and save us eternally.
The reason salvations, healing, signs and wonders are rare in the Christian community is because of unbelief. God’s moral code is clearly and concisely spelled out in the scriptures of both the Old and New Testaments and the Lord knew perfectly what He was doing! It cannot be misinterpreted and yet many have come into agreement with immorality and perversion, including mutilating children’s bodies through gender altering, sexual slavery and abortion. Silence is condoning! The fear of man is idolatry which places man’s opinion above the Law of God. Man is worshipping man instead of God! The outcome will be no different than that of the Jewish rulers in Jesus’ day. They had seen and believed but cowered because of peer pressure. Those who choose to be blind although they have already seen the truth will be blinded by God from believing unto salvation.
In this time of Passover and the Passion of Christ, may we search our hearts and cry out to the Lord. May we pray for the strength to stand against the tide of immoral philosophies and Godless laws that pressure us to deny the Lord and His word. If we cower in our time of testing, the result will be unbearable. “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, Him I will also confess before My father who is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 10:32-33. NKJV.
His sacrifice for us was real, His word is truth and there is no other way unto Salvation. He is worthy of all our praise and sacrifice which pales to what He has done for us. Jesus is LORD!
