Matt 10:32-11:1 THE COST OF BEING A DISCIPLE OF CHRIST
Matt 10:32-11:1 ESV
32So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
34“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. 37Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
40“Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. 41The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”
11:1 When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.
11:1 tells us Jesus finished instructing His disciples. He has been teaching them since He gathered them in 10:1.
• If your Bible has the words of Jesus printed in red, you will see the whole of Matt 10 in red, starting from 10:5.
• Jesus taught them before sending them off to preach about the Messiah.
• He gave them the authority to minister in His name, heal the sick and proclaim the message of the Gospel.
For the initial trip, they were asked to go to the Jews and not to the Gentiles or the Samaritans (10:6).
• But even among their own, Jesus says not everyone will welcome them. Some will not be happy with what they say.
• They are unwilling to believe Christ and will reject them, despite the miraculous signs that accompany the message.
Over this chapter, Jesus highlighted some things His disciples need to take note of.
• I want to highlight 4 key points from the words of Jesus today:
1. AS DISCIPLES OF CHRIST, WE CAN EXPECT REJECTION AND OPPOSITION.
• 10:14 “If anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town.” Not all will welcome you.
• Later on in 10:16-18 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, 18and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles.”
• This will get more intense. Not only will they face rejection, but soon when the disciples begin to testify before the Gentiles, they will face even harsher opposition.
That is why in our text today, the Lord says:
• 10:34-36 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.”
• Jesus was NOT talking about the peace we have with God. He was NOT talking about the peace we have because of His presence.
Jesus was saying that with His coming, like the wielding of a sword, it would cut and cause fights or divisions. People will argue and disagree with one another.
• It would separate those who believe and others who don’t. And that could happen even among loved ones within the family.
• Hence Jesus says a man opposes his father and a daughter goes against her mother.
• Our faith in Christ and their rejection of Christ will set us apart.
• We do not wish for this to happen but it does, and Jesus says this is a price that a disciple has to face. We did not say this to scare us but to prepare us.
As disciples of Christ, we can expect rejection and opposition.
• The world may not agree with us or our loved ones may not understand us, but the Lord says we are to stand firm in our faith.
• 10:32-33 32“So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.”
• Jesus went on to say: 10:37 “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”
We are called to stand firm. We do not deny our faith in Christ because of hardship or persecution.
• Jesus Christ is our Saviour and Lord. We belong to Christ and we are children of God, our heavenly Father.
2. AS DISCIPLES OF CHRIST, WE HAVE TO BE PREPARED TO MAKE SACRIFICES.
In the next line, Jesus says: 10:38-39 “38And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
• In order words, it’s going to cost us something to be His disciples.
• We might face the ridicule or mockery of the people who reject Christ. People may laugh at us because of our faith.
A more serious consequence, as Jesus illustrated, would be our loved ones coming against us. We know of Christians being ostracised by their families.
• Many years ago a friend of mine was locked inside his home on a Sunday. His father padlocked the gate so that he could not go to church.
Jesus repeated this line later on in Matt 16:24-25
“24Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
• It is about a “denial of self”, that is, a “letting go” of our comfort, wishes or desires and doing the will of God.
• We stand by the truth of what God says about Christ, we believe Him and follow Him. We serve Him and do His will.
There can come a time when taking a stand for Christ will cost us dearly.
• But as the Lord so say, losing our lives while holding on to faith in Christ will mean we will have eternal life with God.
• But having a life now but rejecting Christ will mean we do not have eternal life.
• 25For whoever would save his life [rejecting Christ] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
The disciples understand what “taking up the cross” means. There is nothing mystical about this because, in those days, this is the Roman form of execution.
• The disciples have seen criminals carrying the cross to the place of crucifixion.
• It is a walk of no return, towards death. It is the ultimate self-denial and complete surrender.
At this point, the disciples might have left their homes, families, occupations and friends for two years now, following Jesus.
• They might not be prepared yet at this point to die for the cause of Christ, but Jesus prepares them. They will eventually face it.
• All of them, except John, were eventually martyred for Christ. They were killed for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ and taking a stand with Christ.
• The Greek word for “martyr” is µ??t?? (martus) in the NT, meaning “witness”.
• They died as “witnesses” for Christ. They died testifying to the truth of the Gospel.
BE PREPARED TO SACRIFICE FOR CHRIST
Over the centuries, many have made great sacrifices for the sake of the Gospel.
• We are blessed today to know Jesus and hear of the Gospel because they gave. Many missionaries risked their lives to bring the Gospel to the rest of the world.
• Many spent their entire lives translating the Bible into our languages so that we can understand it.
So as disciples of Christ today, we have to do the same for our generation and beyond, for the sake of our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
• Our salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus, but believing in Christ requires commitment and sacrifice. Doing the work of God takes hard work.
• We are to make disciples of all nations and teach them to observe all the commandments of God (cf. Matt 28:19-20).
This is the life of a Christian. We are not here seeking prosperity or success, happiness or health, although God can bless us with these.
• We are called to do the work of Christ, to preach the Gospel and teach the Word of God. There is a price to pay as disciples of Christ.
Suppose I have the desire to climb Mount Everest. But it costs about $50,000 to do it and I do not have that kind of money. A wealthy businessman heard of my desire and offered to pay for the entire expedition. He would buy all the expensive clothing, gear and equipment, and he would pay for my airfare, lodging, guides and the training I need. It’s completely free for me.
But if I accept his free offer, I have to climb! I have to commit myself to months of difficult training and hard work. It could even cost me my life because many climbers die trying to climb Mount Everest. It’s free and yet very costly.
This is just an illustration. We are talking about climbing Mount Everest but serving our God and Saviour Jesus Christ. We are called to do the work of God.
• The question we need to ask is not, “What can God do for me?” but “What can we do for God? What sacrifices are we prepared to make for Him?”
Amid these hard words, Jesus made TWO important remarks that we need to hear:
3. AS DISCIPLES OF CHRIST, WE ARE PRECIOUS IN HIS SIGHT.
10:28-31 28And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
• All the hardships can only hurt the body and not our soul. We are secured in Christ.
• The fact that He noticed the sparrow and numbered our hairs shows that He is very aware of our situation. He knows us more than we know ourselves.
4. AS DISCIPLES OF CHRIST, HE IS WATCHING OVER US.
The Lord is (1) aware of our needs, and (2) how we are being treated:
Jesus assured His disciples in 10:19-20 “19When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. 20For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”
• He will be there when we need Him the most. We are never alone serving Him.
And he is very aware of how we are being treated:
• 10:40-42 40“Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. 41The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”
• God will reward all who have supported His work through His disciples.
May the words of Jesus be our encouragement and motivation to all of us.
• Let us be His fervent and faithful disciples.
Dear friends, you may be asking today, why are Christians so serious about Jesus, why are we so determined to believe Him and follow Him, and even die for Him?
• The short answer is, it is true. Jesus is the Son of God who has come to save us from our sins and restore our relationship with God.
• He is the only WAY to God, the TRUTH revealed to us, and the LIFE that we need.
“For God so loved us (this world) that He gave his one and only Son Jesus so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” (John 3:16-17)
• We pray that everyone here will come to know Jesus Christ as his or her Saviour.
Prayer:
Thank you, Lord, for your Word again. We are reminded of the challenges we face as your faithful witnesses in these difficult times.
Give us the faith and strength to stand firm and faithful, and help us commit to sharing the Gospel, making disciples and teaching all to obey Your Word and live for You.
Help us be genuine and real disciples, this we pray in Jesus’ Name, AMEN.
You can hear this audio sermon with slides at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81gP1vXnhhg&t=17s
