Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 

Luke 12:32 

What is the Kingdom of which Christ speaks? What can we know about it? When Christ spoke to Pilate, He made it clear that for the moment it was not an earthly Kingdom. He said, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.’ That it was not an earthly kingdom when He spoke does not preclude the fact that it would become a physical kingdom in time and for eternity. Christ remarked to His disciples, ‘Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.’ John goes on to say that His people ‘shall reign forever and ever.’ There is no point in making such a statement if the kingdom of God is a fiction and there is nothing over which to reign. In our text, Christ declares to His followers that it is the Father’s good pleasure to give them the kingdom. He obviously intended for them to understand this as a genuine kingdom. Therefore, because Christ Himself has said it, the saints have believed it, and the Scriptures have confirmed it, we also subscribe to it as fact. While we live today in a rapidly degenerating world where the wicked walk on every side and the vilest men are exalted, we look forward to the day when Christ will return to bring His kingdom to fruition, and every knee bow to the King of Kings.  

Our Great God and our Savior, 
we rejoice that You are King. 
We praise You that You will put all  
of Your enemies under Your feet.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 

Luke 12:32 

What calms our fears? We have been considering what causes our fears for the past two days. What are the things that allay our fears? One of the primary fear destroyers is the word of Christ Himself. In the passage from which our text derives He tells us not to fear on multiple occasions. He cites all the things which would cause us to fear and then gives us abundant reasons as to why we should not fear. These reasons come directly from His mouth, therefore they carry abundant weight. God is God and Christ is God, therefore what we hear from Christ, we hear from God. All the promises of God are, in Christ, unassailable or ‘yea and amen,’ as the older translations put it. If Christ has said He will deal with all the causes for our fears, we can have fearlessness and confidence. What we can never achieve of courage, valor, and strength, we can because we rely upon the bare word of the Living Christ. His word has been good, is good, and shall be good for time and for eternity. Therefore, ‘fear not, little flock.’  

Our Great God and our Savior, 
we rejoice that You are the remedy for all our fears. 
We praise You that You encourage us 
as no one else can.  

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 

Luke 12:32 

What makes us fear? In our text, Christ tells His hearers, ‘Fear not, little flock.’ In the passage from which our text derives, He makes reference to what makes us afraid. He speaks of ‘those who kill the body.’ His disciples would face these people in future days. He also refers to the fear that God does not value us. He remarks, ‘Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.’ He also says we may be anxious about what to say when persecutors bring us to their councils for accusation. He says, ‘Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.’ There is also the fear which arises because we are not a formidable people. We are a ‘little flock’ of sheep, not powerful and easily put to flight. All these things that make us fear lie within this passage. They prey upon our minds. Christ says, ‘Fear not.’ He understands that we incline to fear and also what makes us fearful. He addresses these things in order to enable us to appreciate how much He understands us. He moves to allay our fears by showing us how He and the Father have planned for us a glorious future.  

Our Gracious Master and our God, 
we rejoice that You know what makes us afraid. 
We praise You that You point us to Yourself, 
to quiet our fears. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning