Marching Orders
His Eye is on the Sparrow
Matthew 10:26-31
I want to read our text for today, and as I read it, I want you to be listening for how many times Jesus repeats Himself, and what it is in particular that He repeats.
Matthew 10:26-31
Did you catch it? Jesus repeats himself three times in this passage. He begins and ends with the same exhortation, and then He repeats it in the middle.
In verse 26, He says, "Do not fear. . .". He repeats it in verse 28, "Do not fear", and in verse 31, we see it again: "Do not fear."
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remember, these statements are made immediately after He has told His disciples they are being sent out as sheep among wolves. And in that environment, the society around them will be turned upside down. Families will turn on one another. Persecution will follow them from city to city. And they can expect to treated in the same way Jesus was treated.
But then He says no less than three times, "Don't be afraid. Don't fear." And His argument for not being afraid is very easy to see.
First, He says, "Don't be afraid because the truth will prevail."
verses 26-27
What is hidden will be revealed. What is spoken in secret will be shouted from the housetops. Every evil deed will be exposed in the light of God’s truth. In the end, evildoers will cry out for the rocks to hide them because the great day of Judgment has come at last. No one will be able to hide; all will be revealed. God’s truth wins out in the end.
By the way, aren't you glad about that? I am not glad that people will be judged or have to endure punishment. In fact, my heart breaks for them. It could all be avoided.
But at the same time, there is absolutely nothing wrong with finding pleasure and satisfaction in the fact that one day, God's justice will prevail. In fact, He will be glorified in His judgments and I take great delight in knowing that one day, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess, not only that He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, but that His way, His truth is right!
So first of all, Jesus says, you don't have to fear because ultimately, God's truth will prevail.
Second, He says, "Don't be afraid because God is greater than anything man can do to you.
verses 28-30
Don't be afraid! After all, all they can do is kill us. That’s the worst they can do. Why fear man whose power ends at the grave? Instead, fear the Lord, who made body and soul.
And third, Jesus says, "Don't be afraid because God takes special care of us.
verse 31
He sees the sparrow as it falls. He numbers the hairs on our head. We are worth more than many sparrows to the Lord. So why be afraid of anything?
And that's good preaching and we sound so spiritual when we say those things, but living it is quite another matter.
With all we know about God and His love and care, why should we be afraid of anything? That’s a good question, but the answer isn’t so simple. After all, as we learned last week, the wolves are everywhere and they are increasing in viciousness.
We live as sheep in the midst of wolves all day long, and there is no relief in sight. These are very dangerous times, and you don't have to look any farther than the latest headlines to be convinced of that.
What Paul wrote to young Timothy is true. He said, in
2 Timothy 3:1-5
No doubt, we are living in those perilous times.
There are threats from foreign lands and terrorists. There are threats from those within the homeland, there are threats from political unrest and angry citizens. Everywhere we look, there is peril and danger and threat. Children are out of control. There is a general attitude of rebellion and entitlement. It's dangerous to go out on the streets.
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where can we go for safety when there is so much trouble on every hand? The verses we just read give us great insight into why those who trust the Lord never need to be afraid. Let's take a closer look and see what Jesus says to us. The first reason we never need to be afraid is because
1. God Cares About Things We Don’t Notice
Matthew 10:29
If you check your Bible dictionary, you’ll discover sparrows were among the humblest birds in Bible times. Because they were so cheap, the poor could offer sparrows to the Lord if they couldn’t afford a lamb or a goat or a bull. You could buy two sparrows for a penny. That’s pretty cheap by any standard. A buck would buy you a whole bag full of sparrows. You could feed your family sparrow casserole for a dime.
But something came to mind as I was thinking about this verse this week. I had always thought Jesus was saying that God watches the sparrows when they fall. A famous gospel song reminds us that “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me.”
And since God is omnipresent, I'm sure He does see the sparrow when it falls. After all, He's aware of and present in every circumstance in any place at any time.
But it seems to me this verse is telling much more than just a fact about God's omnipresence.
In His omnipresence, not only does God see the sparrow when it falls, but because of His Sovereignty, the sparrow cannot and will not fall apart from the Father’s will.
Jesus isn't just saying, "Now if a sparrow happens to fall out of its nest, God takes note of that." I don't think sparrows just fall at random. They fall because God wills them to fall, and if He didn’t, the sparrow would never fall to begin with.
That means God cares about things we don’t even notice. Now, that brings to mind a couple of things:
First,
- sparrows do fall
Even the little sparrows fall to the ground eventually which reminds us that sooner or later troubles come to all of God’s children. Sometimes we fall into the romantic notion that coming to Christ will solve all our problems. Not so. He makes his rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
What happens to the people of the world happens to Christians also. They get sick; we get sick. They lose their jobs; we lose our jobs. They get ripped off; we get ripped off. They get cancer; we get cancer. They die; we die. It is the same for us as for everyone else.
And even though we know the Lord, we are not exempt from any of the trials and troubles of this world.
And here's the second thing:
- sparrows fall according to the Father’s will
One of the things that we so often and so easily forget is that God is in charge of every detail of our life. And here is a very real sense in which everything in the universe, including every detail of your life and mine, must fit into God’s ultimate plan somehow.
And that trickles down to the very smallest details in the universe, include the falling of sparrows. Listen, there are things going on right now at levels and in places you and I can't even imagine. Inside our bodies and up in the heavens and in the depths of the oceans, there are systems and designs known only to God that are quietly at work to accomplish His will and His plan and He is superintending every bit of it.
There are things happening in your body right now that you didn't even know were happening. The human body contains this vast variety of complex systems and organs that together allow us to breathe involuntarily; our hearts beat autonomously pumping blood throughout our circulatory system.
Our brain and nervous system are more powerful and complex than any computer made by man. Just in the eye alone, we find reason to be amazed! You and I just walk into Braum's, take a look at a triple scoop ice cream sundae and drool.
But behind that, there is this extremely complicated machinery at work that requires a vast system of chemical reactions and interaction with the nervous system in order to produce the spectrum of color we see and how we perceive that ice cream.
And not only does the eye process all this information, our brain must work in tandem with our eyes in order for humans to comprehend the information that our eyes gather, and stimulate your saliva glands.
You and I take it all for granted and just go about living our lives. But God doesn't! He makes sure all the systems are up and running and working as they should. He's taking care of all kinds of things that you and I don't even notice.
And Jesus is reminding us that even the sparrow is part of God’s providential oversight of the universe. And that applies to every detail of my life. And guess what? That means I don't have to worry about humans warming up the earth too much. I don't have to get Gas-X for my cows so they won't have flatulence and destroy the ozone. I'm not worried about the ice caps and glaciers.
Why not? Because my God has it covered! If He's aware of the falling of a single sparrow, He can handle all of us belligerent humans who are warming up the galaxy and He can handle every details of your life and mine!
Think about that when the next medical crisis hits! Some of you are battling cancer and heart disease and failing organs and weakening bodies and you're worried about it.
You struggle with making sense of how things work together and why you're going through what you're going through and what you know about God and His goodness and power.
But the truth of the matter is, as much as we know about God and His will and purpose, we still only know bits and pieces. And sometimes those bits and pieces don’t make much sense to us.
But it all depends on where you start in your thinking. If you start with cancer, it’s hard to reason back to God. You have to start with what you know to be true about God. Even then, you won’t know why this particular cancer struck this particular person at this particular moment, but you can know what has happened to your loved one didn’t happen by chance because there is no such thing as chance, or luck, or fate.
I am comforted by the words of Alva J. McClain who said, “From the fall of a raindrop to the fall of an empire, all is under the providential control of God.”
If we believe that, we can keep going even though fears and doubts may confront us.
There's a second reason we don't have to be afraid that builds on the first, and that is,
2. God Cares About the Tiniest Details of Life
Matthew 10:30
Have you ever tried to count the number of hairs on your head? Most of us probably tried that when we were children, but we quickly learned it was a futile exercise.
Scientists say the average human head has 100,000 strands of hair. They also tell us fifty strands fall out each day, no matter what we do. Interestingly, the amount of hair varies by color.
Blondes have an average of 140,000 strands of hair, brunettes 105,000, and redheads 90,000.
Now all of that is fascinating trivia, but to be honest, it’s not something I think about very often. It's fun to research and discover, but the truth is, most of the time, when I do think about my hair, I'm generally thinking about whether or not I've got it on straight!
Truthfully, most of the time, I'm thinking about needing a haircut or combing it or something like that. I never pick out a strand of hair and say to myself, “I wonder how Number 437 is doing?”
I don’t number the hairs on my head.
But God does. Now think about that for a moment. Scientists say we have 100,000 on average, so in my family that would mean
100,000 for me
100,000 for Lisa
100,000 for TJ
100,000 for Micah
100,000 for Caleb
100,000 for Nathan
Then beyond that, we could include Elizabeth, because she' already like family to us. And we'll include Bekah, and I could include my brother and his wife and their three children and their families. And then on Lisa's side of the family, we could include her mom and dad and brother and family and if we figure at 100,000 apiece, that's about
2.5 million hairs for our extended family alone!
And this verse wasn't just written to my family. It includes your family and every family! God counts all the hairs of all his children. Millions and billions of hairs. He numbers them all.
Now some would consider that and say it is an exercise in foolishness! What difference does it make? But I'll tell you what it says to me: If God cares so much for things that matter so little, then how much more does He care about things that matter much?
If God is so interested in me that He knows each strand of hair individually, then surely He knows the deepest and most intimate needs and concerns and trials of each of us individually as well.
And here we have a verse that is reminding us that God’s knowledge of us is not just general; it is amazingly specific. He knows us through and through, and he knows us in minute detail. In fact, he knows us far better than we know ourselves.
In a sermon on this verse, Charles Spurgeon illustrate d the kind of care God has for us by considering the life of Joseph that is recorded in Genesis 37-50. He points out there was a “chain of circumstances” that had to happen in a particular way for the story to take place as it did. Spurgeon offers a long series of questions.
Why did Jacob want to send Joseph? Why were Joseph’s brothers on this particular day in a different location? Why did the Ishmaelites come along at that particular moment? Why were they in the mood to purchase a slave? Why were they going to Egypt and not to some other destination?
Why did Potiphar purchase Joseph? Why did his wife have designs on Joseph? Why were the baker and cupbearer in the prison when Joseph was there? Why couldn’t Pharaoh remember his dream? Why did the cupbearer first forget Joseph and later remember him?
Spurgeon points out that every single one of these seemingly unconnected events had to happen in a particular way at a particular time for Joseph to be in the right place at the right time to preserve his family in Egypt during the great famine in Canaan.
Spurgeon goes on to say, “God is to be seen in little things.” And he uses a phrase that begs for our attention when he describes all those “random” details. He calls them the “minutiae of Providence.”
Did you realize God is concerned with the minutiae of your life? Let me ask you something: Do you pray when you have a big problem or need? Cancer comes and we fall on our knees and call our friends and take that need before the Lord, as well we should.
Or there is a financial need and we don't have the money and we ask God to intervene. The family is going through a crisis and we pray. There are multitudes of life-changing events that are bathed in prayer. And there is nothing wrong with that, and I love to hear the testimonies of how God answered in miraculous and marvelous ways!
But what about in the smaller needs? I very seldom hear anybody talking about how God answered when they asked him to provide a parking place at Wal-Mart.
Or they dropped a screw while working on the car and asked God to help them find it and suddenly, there it was.
Why is it we hesitate to ask when it's a small thing? "Well, preacher, things like parking spaces and car parts are trivial! Not to God! Remember, He's aware of every hair on your head, which reminds me of another sentence from Spurgeon. He said, “Blessed is that man who seeth God in trifles!”
What a revolutionary insight that is! We tend to look at the answer to prayer that cures an illness and say, “What a mighty God we serve.” But it is the same mighty God who, in answer to my prayer, shows me where my keys are and I can't find them!
The God of the large is also the God of the small. The God who hung the stars in space is also the God who numbers the hairs on your head.
It is no harder for God to provide something large than something small. After all, they’re all “small” to him. Just what do you suppose it would take to qualify as "big" to God? Why should we be surprised when God arranges parking spaces for His children when we need them? After all, He is a good God who loves to bless His children!
And we need to be reminded that God cares about the tiniest of details of life!
There's a third reason I see in this text for why we don't have to be afraid and that is,
3. God Cares About Us Even When Trouble Comes
Matthew 10:31
Now in this verse, we come to the real heart of the text. Tiny sparrows are worth so little, and yet God cares for each of them. And comparatively speaking, you are worth so much more than sparrows. And those who embrace evolution and equality for the animals and all that nonsense need to move up on the edge of their seat and listen very closely.
Humans are worth more to God than animals. How do I know? It's simple. Jesus didn’t die for the sparrows, He died for you and me. His blood is not only the proof of his love, it is an assessment of our value.
Now, once you become convinced of God's love and how much He values you, it will change some things. For instance, the assurance of His love will give us
- boldness in the time of trouble
After all, if God is for us, and he is, why should we fear anything or anyone? Second, it should give us
- clarity in the time of confusion
Today many things are unclear, uncertain, and undecided. We all have many more questions than we have answers. So much of life seems like stumbling through the fog of hazardous circumstances.
But don't worry about it. Place your confidence, not in the changing circumstances of your life, but in the unchanging God Who orders your days.
Third, it should give us
- hope in the time of sorrow
Do you ever get sad? Find yourself overwhelmed and depressed? All of us have those times when our heart breaks and we are disappointed and feel all alone. We paint on a smile for church, but behind closed doors, in the most private moments of our life, the tears flow.
Sometimes, it's because death has come. And when that time comes, why wouldn't we weep for loved ones who have left us? It is the most expected of responses that we would grieve. And the more someone is loved, the greater the pain and grief that comes.
Sometimes it is loneliness or heartbreak. Friends forsake us or those we love decide they want someone else, and our heart feels like it is being torn out of our chest. Everyone has sorrow.
But my Bible encourages me to "be of good cheer." Every disappointment and heartache we experience, including death is in God’s hands. He will not leave us comfortless. He will never leave nor forsake us. We have an eternal relationship with the God who heals broken hearts!
So here's what it really boils down to: Do you believe nothing ever happens by chance? Do you trust God is telling the truth when He declares that “all things” work together for good to those who love God and are a part of unfolding plan of redemption?
If this is so, then there is no such thing as luck or fate or chance. As Tony Evans likes to say, everything is either caused by God or allowed by God. And there is no third category. The Bible teaches it. Do you believe it? I do.
Let this great truth be the source of your security. Rest in the Lord. Rest your soul upon the solid rock of God’s eternal providence. Rest in his control over all things. Rest there, and you will sleep well tonight.
I know many of you have heard me tell this story before, but it bears repeating. In 1871 a great fire destroyed much of the city of Chicago, killing three hundred people and leaving one hundred thousand homeless. A Chicago lawyer named Horatio Spafford lost part of his fortune in the fire. He was a Christian and an associate of the great evangelist D. L. Moody.
After spending several years rebuilding his fortune and helping those who lost everything in the fire, Mr. Spafford resolved to take his wife and four children in England, where they could accompany Mr. Moody and Mr. Sankey on their evangelistic crusades.
After purchasing tickets on a luxury liner set to sail in November 1873, Mr. Spafford was unable to go at the last moment because of unfinished business in Chicago.
He instructed his wife Anna and their four children, Maggie, Tanetta, Annie, and Bessie, to go on ahead and he would cross the Atlantic on a later voyage and meet them in England.
On November 21, an English sailing vessel struck the luxury liner, causing it to sink in only 12 minutes. Hundreds were lost and only 47 survivors were pulled from the icy waters.
In the chaos of the sinking ship, all four Spafford daughters drowned. Rescuers found Anna Spafford unconscious and clinging to a piece of wreckage. She and the other survivors were taken to Cardiff, Wales.
From there she cabled the awful news to her husband in America: “Saved alone.” Brokenhearted, Mr. Spafford purchased a ticket on the next ship leaving New York. At one point the captain called Mr. Spafford to his cabin and told him that according to the charts, the ship was passing over the spot where his daughters had drowned.
After looking down into the chilly darkness of the water that had claimed the lives of his four daughters, Spafford went back to his cabin and he composed the words to a poem that has become the beloved hymn we still sing today:
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows, like sea-billows, roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!—
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
And no doubt thinking of the day when he would be reunited with his daughters, he penned the final verse:
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight, The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
These are the words of a man who has discovered the solid rock of God’s providence. Having lost his four daughters, he has not lost his faith in God. All is well because God is in control of all things, even the hardest tragedies of life. This truth does not remove the pain, but it makes a way for us to keep believing even while our hearts are breaking.
May God give us this same faith, so no matter what happens, we may still say, “It is well with my soul.”
Let's pray.
