The Fear of God

Renewing Your Mind

Ligonier Ministries

Religion & Spirituality, Reformed, Study, Jesus, Preaching, Christianity, Scripture, Spirit, Bible, Holy, Theology, Christian, God, Teaching

4.8 • 4.9K Ratings

🗓️ 23 March 2025

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

How did Jesus’ disciples face persecution and even death for His sake? Because their fear of the Lord outweighed all fear of their enemies. From his sermon series in the gospel of Matthew, today R.C. Sproul explains the surprising motivation for a bold Christian witness.

Get R.C. Sproul’s commentary on the gospel of Matthew for your donation of any amount: https://gift.renewingyourmind.org/3939/donate

Meet Today’s Teacher:

R.C. Sproul (1939–2017) was known for his ability to winsomely and clearly communicate deep, practical truths from God’s Word. He was founder of Ligonier Ministries, first minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew’s Chapel, first president of Reformation Bible College, and executive editor of Tabletalk magazine.

Meet the Host:

Nathan W. Bingham is vice president of ministry engagement for Ligonier Ministries, executive producer and host of Renewing Your Mind, host of the Ask Ligonier podcast, and a graduate of Presbyterian Theological College in Melbourne, Australia. Nathan joined Ligonier in 2012 and lives in Central Florida with his wife and four children.

Renewing Your Mind is a donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts

Transcript

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0:00.0	Let me ask you this question. Has anybody ever hated you because you're a Christian?
0:05.2	And I'm not asking you if anybody's ever been hostile towards you. I know the answer to that question.
0:10.9	But I'm asking you whether you've ever experienced animosity because you're a Christian.
0:17.9	If you haven't, you have to ask yourself, why not?
0:22.9	Am I distancing myself from my master?
0:30.9	When I'm traveling, occasionally I'll be skipping through the channels in my hotel room, trying to find
0:38.2	something to watch, and there will appear a smiling preacher, promising health and prosperity
0:43.8	to the congregation and his viewers. But is that the message of the New Testament? This is the Sunday
0:50.2	edition of Renewing Your Mind, as each week we feature the preaching ministry of
0:55.0	R. C. Sprawl. Far from a life of health and prosperity, Jesus warned his disciples that if they
1:02.1	have called the master of the house Bielzebub, how much more will they malign those of his household?
1:08.8	Opposition and persecution would be normal, and not the exception. Today's sermon is from
1:14.8	Matthew 10, and it's one of almost 130 that Dr. Sprold preached in this gospel. These sermons became
1:21.7	the foundation for his expositional commentary on Matthew. You can request a hardcover edition
1:27.4	of that commentary
1:28.7	when you give a donation of any amount at Renewing Your Mind.org before midnight tonight.
1:35.6	Although this is a hard saying from the lips of Jesus, Matthew 10 also includes an incredible
1:41.0	promise for the believer. Here's Dr. Sproul.
1:45.0	A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.
1:53.0	It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher and a servant like his master.
2:00.0	If they've called the master of the house Beelzebub,
2:02.6	how much more will they call those of his household?
	...

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