Introduction
A. Last week we began looking at this passage and we found that in this passage Jesus lays some heavy demands upon His disciples
1. He stated clearly what it will cost a person to be His disciple, and He describes the cost by using these four illustrations
2. The passage can be outlined this way
a. For background we have Jesus' purpose (v.34)
b. First illustration : a person's family (v.35-37)
c. Second illustration: the cross (v.38)
d. Third illustration: a person's life (v.39)
e. Fourth illustration: welcoming and ministering to others (v.40-42)
3. We covered the first illustration,
a. That a Christian’s family might turn against them
b. We started to look at the second illustration in Matthew 10:38
II. Body
A. Take up our cross and follow Jesus
Matthew 10:38 (NKJV)
And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
1. We are going to turn to a number of passages very quickly concerning the cross the individual is to carry
a. Second is Matthew 16:24
Matthew 16:24 (NKJV)
Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
(1) Take note that Jesus said, let him deny himself and take up his cross, and follow Me
(2) The concept of the cross was the concept of death
(a) Death
(b) Humiliation
(c) And degradation
i) Turn to Galatians 2:20
(3) The idea being death to self but living for Christ
(a) Paul expressed this very well in Galatians 2:20
Galatians 2:20 (NKJV)
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
(b) As we take up our cross we are crucified with Christ
i) Jesus is our sustainer
ii) Our source of strength
iii) Our master
(c) We are to die to self in order to live for Christ
b. Third is Mark 10:21
Mark 10:21 (NKJV)
Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me."
(1) Notice Jesus words to the rich young ruler
(a) Give up the things of this world
(b) And your reward in heaven will be great
(c) Die to self, deny self, take up your cross and follow me
(2) The world must be left behind
(a) Does this mean we have to give away everything?
i) No.
ii) Jesus was telling the rich young ruler to give up those things which stand between you and God
iii) Things which in and of themselves may be good or at least not evil, if they block pour way to complete, total dedication to Christ must be eliminated
a) Now lets turn to Matthew 10:39
B. We move on to the third illustration which is that of a person's life
Matthew 10:39 (NKJV)
He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
1. Jesus demands a person's life
a. When Jesus says “He who finds his life will lose it
b. What does that mean, “Finds his life?”
c. “Finds his life”, means that a person seeks his own pleasure and passions in this earthly life
(1) Turn to Mark 10:21-22
(2) It is a selfish life, finding out what pleases self and going after it
(3) It is heaping and hoarding and doing as self wills
(4) It is finding out what gives self life and pleasure on this earth and doing it
(a) If you will recall the incident with the rich young ruler
Mark 10:21-22 (NKJV)
Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me." {22} But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
(b) When Jesus told the young man to give away all his possessions, the rich young ruler walked away
(c) Material possessions stood between the rich young ruler and eternal life
i) Lets return to Matthew 10:30 and read it again, but this time looking at the last clause
Matthew 10:39 (NKJV)
He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
2. Jesus told His disciples, “he who loses his life for My sake will find it”
a. Well, what does this mean, “loses his life”?
(1) Does this mean I have to die?
(2) Well, that is always a possibility, but not necessarily
b. What this means is basically the same as taking up our cross
(1) We no longer live for ourselves
(2) We live for Christ
(a) He is preeminent in our life
(b) He who loses his life for My sake, for Christ’s sake
(c) There are many in Muslim countries murdered because of their faith in Christ
i) Murdered by people who were once friends or even family members
ii) One girl was publically executed by her brother because she converted to Christianity
iii) And she lost her life for Christ’s sake
a) Turn to John 10:10
3. He who loses his life for My sake will find it.
a. It means that a person gives up the right to order his own life, and he lets Christ control his life
b. But, finding our life means, well, allowing Christ to direct our life and reaping the eternal rewards promised
c. In addition, Christ says that he will find life, both abundant and eternal.
(1) John 10:10, but only the last half of the verse
John 10:10 (NKJV)
I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
(2) The reward in losing life is finding life
(3) Life, the very thing which a person seeks, is found only in Christ
(4) If a person never finds Christ or if he rejects Christ, he loses life
(5) If he denies himself and follows Christ, he finds life
4. We must not search for our life on this earth
a. If he finds Jesus on this earth, he will lose his life
(1) Why? Because all that is on this earth is corruptible: aging, decaying, deteriorating, dying
(2) Nothing on this earth lasts
(3) This fact clearly says something: life cannot be found on this earth; only death can be found
5. What men call life is not really life
a. The flesh, with all its goose bumps and chills and butterflies, is not life
b. Wealth, with all the things it can purchase, is not life
c. Recognition and fame, with all the ego it can boost, is not life
d. Power, with all the rights and pomp it can give, is not life
e. Pride, with all the self image it can build, is not life
f. All this and all else on the earth fades and passes away
g. It just does not last
h. How can life, real life, be something that ends so quickly and leaves one so empty?
6. The world and so many in the world are desperately in need
a. Every person should therefore lose his life in serving God and his fellow man
b. One thing is sure: a person should not hoard life, seeking only to satisfy his own pleasures and desires in life
7. The person who tries to save his own life and the life of his family will lose his life
a. Denying Christ or putting something before Christ is not the way to save anything, much less one's own life
b. Life, Eternal Life: real life is found only by giving up one's life to Jesus
(1) The person who refuses to relinquish this right to the Lord Jesus misses out on the life God intended for him
(2) He fails to experience the fulfillment of completing his mission on earth, whereas the person who gives the Lord the right to order his life experiences real life
(a) Lets turn to Matthew 10:40 - 42
C. The fourth illustration Jesus used is that of welcoming and ministering
Matthew 10:40-42 (NKJV)
"He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. {41} He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. {42} And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward."
1. Christ demands that we welcome and minister to all His servants
2. Imagine this!
a. The person who ministers to God's messenger is said to minister to Christ Himself
b. And to God the Father
(1) "He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me
Matthew 10:41-42 (NKJV)
He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.
c. I can understand the idea of one who accepts the representative of Christ is seen as receiving Christ Himself
d. And one who accepts Christ it is seen as accepting God the Father
e. But, to receive a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward. And to receive a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward
(1) Turn to 1 John 4:1
(2) Now just what does this mean?
(3) John Mac Arthur and others say that these two verses simply expand the individuals we might accept as Christ’s ambassadors
(a) Accepting a prophet in the name of a prophet is tantamount to accepting Christ
(b) Accepting a righteous person in the name of a righteous person, again, is tantamount to accepting Christ
i) Just a word from 1 John
1 John 4:1 (NKJV)
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
ii) Turn to Matthew 10:42
3. I want to spend a little time on this verse, Christ’s little ones
Matthew 10:42 (NKJV)
And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward."
a. Jesus has addressed His talk to and about Christians
b. So, how are we to apply what Jesus says in this 42nd verse?
(1) Who is Jesus talking about with “Whoever?”
(2) Who is Jesus talking about with “little ones?”
(3) And what is their reward?
c. First is, who is “whoever?”
(1) Let me give you my interpretation
(a) “Whoever” is the very same whoever found in John 3:16
John 3:16 (NKJV)
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
(b) “Whoever” means anybody
i) Could be me
ii) Could be you
iii) Could be the cranky old geezer down the street
a) Turn to Matthew 25:34-40
d. Second, who is Jesus talking about with “little ones?”
(1) Mac Arthur believes this refers to saints, disciples, Christians
(a) In Matthew 25:34 - 40 we have Jesus telling about the time to come when the world is judged by the king
Matthew 25:34-40 (NKJV)
Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: {35} for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; {36} I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' {37} Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? {38} When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? {39} Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' {40} And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'
(b) Jesus brethren are the saints
i) But, I do not believe that this in any way excludes acts of pure kindness to or by anyone
a) Turn to Matthew 6:16
ii) When Jesus was instructing His disciples concerning the giving of alms, praying, or fasting He did not condemn the act of giving alms, praying, or fasting just the attitude and motive for doing it
iii) But, Matthew 6:16 gives us an example, direct your attention to the last few words in this passage
Matthew 6:16 (NKJV)
"Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
iv) The hypocrites sought the recognition of men
a) Jesus said that this was their reward
(2) What reward will a saint get for giving that cup of cold water?
(a) The saint’s reward will be the recognition of Almighty God and Jesus Christ
(3) What reward will the unbeliever get for giving that cup of cold water?
(a) I believe that the reward will be just as Jesus said, their reward will be the acknowledgment of the great judge before the whole world at the great white throne judgment
4. One preacher said, when you reach out to help some one, even if the need was not real, you will not loose your blessing.
III. Conclusion
A. Jesus has laid out some very heavy demands
1. Jesus is to come first in our lives
a. Even over and above our family and friends
b. We are to take up our cross and follow Him
(1) Endure hardship
(a) Death
(b) Humiliation
(c) And degradation
c. Jesus has a claim on our lives
(1) We are His
(2) Nothing is to be central to our lives except Christ
(a) Everything else is to be secondary to His claim
d. Jesus commands us to welcome His servants, His little ones
2. We have the obligation to be obediently responsive to Christ’s claim on the life He died to save
