2020 will go down in history as the Year of Fear. This fear has gripped the entire planet regardless of nationality, language, political affiliation or even religion. What is the motivation behind this fear and what is feeding it? It is the fear of death; the fear of one’s mortality! All Mankind fears death, not death itself, but what comes after it, the fear of the unknown of eternity. It doesn’t matter what you believe in regarding God. You can be an ATHEIST, who doesn’t believe in God or a divine being. The word originates with the Greek ATHEOS, which is built from the roots A- “without” + THEOS- “god”. Or you can be an AGNOSTIC, who believes that no one can know for sure if God exists or not. The actual term itself comes from the Greek language, A- “without” + GNOSIS- “knowledge”. Or even a THEIST, who believes in God. In the era of Coronavirus, all of Mankind trembled in fear, because somehow and someway, they fear God, their sin and what comes after death. We really don’t know why, but it is something in us. We all instinctively know that God exists and that “people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27)   

But the question is, how does all of Mankind know this, regardless of what they say externally as what they know internally brings them to judgment? The Bible explains it this way, “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.” (Romans 1:18-23)

God Himself has revealed His existence to all those made in His image and likeness via creation itself and in our conscious. We are all made with the inherent knowledge of right and wrong as “God has made it plain to them.” That is the reason that all human laws and governments are based on these knowledge’s of a universal good and evil. We all know that God exists whether we deny it or not because, “God is not a man, that he should lie.” (Numbers 23:19) God has “been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” All of us will stand around the Great White Throne before God one day and none will have an excuse to say, if I had only known that you existed, I would have served you. No excuses because we all know, like we know our own name, that He exists. But we suppress this truth; what truth? The truth of the knowledge of God. Not the knowledge that we learn from the Bible about Him or in Sunday School, but the knowledge that all Mankind has inside of them because God put it there and reveals it through what He has made. The knowledge that God has manifested of Himself is not hidden or obscure but is crystal clear because God Himself is the Teacher and we all get it as His students. 

The ATHEIST cannot say that they didn’t know because He has made it plain to them, but they rejected what they knew to be true and called Him a liar. The AGNOSTIC cannot say that they couldn’t know because that would be calling God a lousy Teacher who doesn’t know how to teach His students. But we all know that He is real, and the world feared the very thing that could bring them closer to Him; that is death. It was sad to see, even those who say that they know who God is and have a personal relationship with Him, have fear just like the unbelievers. Did they forget who He is? Did they forget His Sovereignty? Did they forget that we are His slaves and He is our Kurios (Lord) and that He owns us? Did we forget ever time He told us to FEAR NOT? Did we forget that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28) Did we forget that “that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6) So many Christians forgot about their assurance of salvation and that they will not die until Dad decides that they will die. They lack ASSURANCE! Real assurance rests on a sound understanding of salvation, a sound understanding of justification, a sound understanding of sanctification, and a sound understanding of ourselves. In all these matters we have the comfort and assistance of the Holy Spirit who illumines the text of Scripture for us, who works in us to yield the fruit of sanctification, and who bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.

So, the world fears death and eternity, but the Followers of Christ do not because they know that “We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 5:8) Let us stand firm in the fact that He is absolutely in control and that when He calls us home, He will call us home. Remember beloved, He has counted every hair on your head and is over all aspects of our lives. If He takes care of the birds of the air and the grass of the fields, how much will He not care for those for whom He gave His Son for the ultimate sacrifice? (Matthew 10) 

He is OUR HOPE!   

-Pastor Jeff Rector