Luke's Gospel, chapter 12, and verse 4. And we're just going to read down to verse 7. The Lord Jesus Christ is speaking, and he says this. And I say unto you, my friends, be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear. Fear him which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell. Yea, I say unto you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. Amen.

May the Lord bless to us this reading from his word. There's a wonderful intimacy to be gleaned from these opening words of this little passage, these verses that we've read. and I think specifically the name used, the appellation used by the Lord Jesus towards his disciples and that's what I'm going to just draw your attention to in these first few moments. The Lord calls these men my friends and We might just pass that by without properly giving it the attention it deserves, but we ought to just pause. The Lord says, my friends.

We've learned in recent studies how that our saviour had many enemies. And here we also discover that he had friends. A wise man once said, and I think he said it in anticipation of the coming of the Lord Jesus, a man that has friends must show himself friendly, and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. Now that friend is the Lord Jesus, and we are his friends. Not because we deserved to be or earned it or merited his friendship, but because Christ befriended us when we were friendless and did so despite our hostility and our enmity towards him.

In fact, we could paraphrase this proverb because what I mentioned there is from Proverbs 18, verse 24. A man that hath friends must show himself friendly. We could paraphrase this proverb thus. For Christ to have friends, he must show himself friendly. Because the Lord Jesus Christ was a man. For Christ to have friends, he must show himself friendly. that is what our Saviour did in coming to die for us. He showed himself friendly. He demonstrated his affection towards us. He gave us his love

The Lord tells us in John chapter 15 and verse 13, greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Now whatever else we take from today's remarks, let us take away this precious fact. Those for whom the Lord Jesus Christ came and those for whom he died are his friends. You have a friend. I have a friend in the Lord Jesus Christ.

And I said that in my opening sentence, I said it was a wonderful intimacy that we have in this remark. The wonder of this intimacy, this affectionate and tender relationship, is its depth. though we might also say its height and its length and its breadth. It is the deepest bond known to man, that love of Christ for his people. It is the greatest love, more than a father's love for a daughter, more than a mother's love for her son, a wife for a husband, or a husband for the wife of his youth. Christ's love for the church, for his church and for his people, is wonderful love. It is the greatest love. It caused Christ to humble himself, brought him down to this world to suffer and to die for you and me, his friends. And Christ laid down his life for his friends.

And how do we know that we are his friends? Well, the Lord tells us that as well. We obey his commands. We serve his cause. We trust his word. We love him who first loved us. In a few weeks' time, God willing, we shall be remembering and reading together James chapter two, where the apostle tells the church in verse 23, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness, and he was called the friend of God.

Abraham believed God, it was imputed unto him for righteousness and he was called the friend of God. If we trust in the Lord, if we believe and have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, it is because we are his friends and because he has shown himself friendly to us. A friend gives his friends the benefit of his wisdom. He shares what he knows and this is what the Lord Jesus has done for us. It was what he was doing when he spoke thus to his disciples. And in his gospel, he gives us the best instructions. In his gospel, he gives us the most faithful wisdom and friendly advice that a friend can give.

Christ prayed to his father in John 17. He said, for I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me, and they have received them. The father spoke to the son, the son spoke to his friends. We all ought to continue with a desire, with an eagerness to receive the words that Christ spoke, to return time and time again, like a lover would do to a lover's letter. We all ought to continue to receive the words Christ spoke. They're designed to assist and support us in this life. They are indeed the words of eternal life.

And Christ's wisdom and advice is this. Be not afraid of them that kill the body. And after that, have no more that they can do. The Lord has been speaking about the Pharisees and warning the disciples to beware of the Pharisees. Beware of the leaven or beware of the doctrine of the Pharisees. Now, we saw last week that this meant more than stay out of their way because they won't do you any good. Stay out of their way because they will harm you.

What the Lord was speaking about here was that he meant that they were to beware of the doctrine of the Pharisees, the doctrine of free will and works religion, which has been replicated and repeated in Pharisaical ways down through the history of the church. It is Satan's lie. In fact, the Pharisees did kill the body of several of the apostles that we know of, and they certainly whipped and beat many of the Lord's little ones. Saul of Tarsus exemplified their brutal opposition to the cause of Christ.

Nevertheless, the disciples were told not to be afraid of these men. Not the Romans, not the priests, not the Pharisees. Sure, they could hurt the body, but when they had done so, their power was finished. They could have no hold upon the soul. They could not harm the spirit. Actually, just as a little aside to that, I've often thought how the Roman Catholic Church exceeded even the Pharisees by claiming to be able to excommunicate their enemies and take away from them not only life on earth by violence, but their right to enter heaven because of the church's authority.

Their claim, of course, is a total lie. But it shows the depths to which men will go to impose their will and dominion upon those who are too simple-minded and impressionable to resist. Believers are better informed than that, because here the Lord tells us that this is not possible. Have no fear that any mere man can keep you out of heaven or indeed disrupt your fellowship and communion with the Lord. Shame on those, Catholic or Protestant, who claim to be able to do so. In truth, that is, in history and perhaps still in days to come, there have been those who have tried and succeeded to kill the bodies of the Lord's flock. From the days of Stephen, many have imagined that they can rid the world of Christ by ridding the world of his people. But the Lord promised strength to his apostles. those who were called to suffer for his name. And that same strength will, when the need arises, be ours as well.

Stephen is a fine example. Do you remember when he was being stoned? being full of the Holy Ghost, he looked up steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of God and said, behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God. Stephen was happy in death. and he was eternally happy in the receiving arms of his Saviour, who seated on his throne, rose to meet his servant.

One lesson for us from these verses is to be bold in our faith. Neither men nor Satan can harm us beyond what the Lord allows. And even then, our future is secure It is blessed and it is glorious.

The apostles were to go boldly and bravely in their master's service, openly, freely, faithfully, fully discharging the work that they were called to do. And the loss of our physical life, the loss of our freedom, the loss of our contentment and peace, It seems fearful to human nature. But to the child of God, well, it is in truth no loss at all. No loss to us because our souls live after death and live in eternal happiness. And even then, in a little time, God will raise up our bodies. and reunite body and soul to be forever happy together with the Lord.

Thank you. But another lesson is to fear the Lord God, not with a fear of dread, not with dreadful fear, but a respectful fear. What do I mean by that? Christ's argument is that his apostles were to think more highly of serving than sacrificing and we with them have a like calling to hold constantly in our minds the truth that we are in God's hands and under his protection.

We are the Father's chosen people, the Lord's redeemed people, the Holy Spirit's sanctified people, and we are precious in his sight. We're the apple of his eye, his dearly beloved, his friends. If someone touches the apple of your eye, you know about it. And if someone touches the apple of Christ's eye, he knows about it and he will never forget us.

Verse six says, are not five sparrows sold for two farthings? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Maybe William can tell us a little bit later what a farthing is. In the UK, we have a lot of sparrows. And also in the US, as far as I can remember, there are a lot of sparrows. I guess there must have been in Judea and Galilee as well. And no disrespect to the sparrow, but they have little value. Two farthings is a fraction of a penny. And yet the Lord does not forget the sparrows. What a beautiful thought that is. What a marvellous God we have. You can't sell a sparrow and the Lord doesn't know about it. One sparrow won't fall to the ground dead, but the Lord has ordered it such. This is the overarching power. This is the knowledge and providence of our God.

And if this is so for the sparrow, which is of little value, then how much more for the Lord's friends? How much more for his own body, the church? If such a metaphor, such a similitude were not sufficient, the Lord brings God's care still closer to us. Not a hair of our head can fall to the ground, but God does not know. Our very hairs are numbered. and the providential care of the Lord could hardly be more decidedly expressed or specified. He is the great numberer. He is the supreme teller. The Lord, our God, remembers his friends for whom he died and for whom he shed his blood. We might forget him, but he won't forget us.

So face life boldly. Don't be afraid. Your health, your home, your interest, your finance, your job, your mind, your very life is in the hands of God. And for the love wherewith he loves you, he will never let you go. Amen.

Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord.