The Enormous Cost & Eternal Value of Following King Jesus

Hopson Boutot

Poquoson Baptist Church

Matthew: The King and His Kingdom • Sermon • Submitted 2 years ago

Matthew 10:34–11:1

Jesus talks about the cost of discipleship

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Bound for Glory

Welcome (Sam Garcia)

Scripture Reading (Matthew 10:34-11:1)

Prayer of Praise (God is wise), Sue Collins

Defender

I Stand Amazed

Prayer of Confession (Worldliness), Ronnie Evans

His Mercy Is More

PBC Catechism #42

Pastoral Prayer (Mike Lindell)

SERMON

Thank church for kindness to Holly, patience with me

Turn to Matthew 10:34

In Matthew 10 Jesus has been preparing His disciples to go out on their own on a short-term mission trip

He began with specific instructions for the mission trip (Sterling)

Then addressed the persecution they would eventually face (Luke)

Then encouraged them not to be afraid (Peter)

Now He concludes with some general comments about following Jesus

He answers two questions: How much is this going to cost? Is it really worth it?

Big Idea: Following Jesus costs more than you would ever want to think, but it’s worth more than you could ever dare to dream.

1) The Enormous COST of Following Jesus

Not a Christian: No desire to trick you with a bait and switch

Christian: would it help you to know that the hardships you’re facing are part of the cost that Jesus said all His followers must pay?

vv. 34-38 gives us 3 ENORMOUS COSTS followers of Jesus must pay:

A) It will cost your PEACE

10:34—“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.”

Strange… isn’t Jesus the “Prince of Peace?” Doesn’t He bring “peace on earth, goodwill towards men?”

John 14:27—“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

Yes, Jesus brings peace. But the peace He gives is different.

It’s a peace that starts on the inside and works it’s way out.

But we will not experience the fullness of that peace until Jesus returns.

In fact, following Jesus often leads to conflict and chaos in the short-term before it leads to peace and rest

When my kids clean their rooms… “What happened in here?!?!” It gets worse before it gets better!

Following Jesus often leads to conflict

Christian parents with rebellious teenagers

Parents/grandparents with adult children who don’t share your beliefs

Employees with employers who ask you to celebrate what the Bible calls sin

A Christian wife with an unbelieving husband

The messy conflict and chaos of helping a struggling sinner follow Jesus

The church faithful to exercise church discipline

If you think following Jesus is a comfortable life, you’ve not been paying attention. Throughout the NT and church history, followers of Jesus are often embroiled in conflict and chaos.

If your life is relatively peaceful and empty of conflict, it could be that you’re hiding your light under a bushel. Or that you don’t know Jesus at all.

Are you willing to give up your peace and quiet if that’s what it costs to follow Jesus?

How much does it cost to follow Jesus? In the short-term it will cost your peace.

B) It will cost your FAMILY

10:35-36—“For 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. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.”

Strange… I thought Christianity was family-friendly? Why would Jesus’ coming create conflict in the family?

Following Jesus may cost your family if your family hates Jesus or His Word

Consider a few examples from Voice of the Martyrs, just in the past few months...

In Laos, two teenage girls are being harassed by their mother and older siblings. Their family is pressuring the girls to prostitute themselves so they can earn money for the family. But the two girls are followers of Jesus, so they’ve refused. [1]

In India a woman named Mamta was shot by her brother-in-law because she wouldn’t give up her faith in Jesus [2]

Those are extreme examples, but softer forms of the same thing are happening here...

Just consider how many Christian parents and grandparents across the United States are being told by young people to either celebrate their new identity or stay out of their lives forever

If your family hates Jesus or His Word, following Jesus may cost your family

Following Jesus may cost your family if Jesus sends you away from them

Back in 2016 as I was looking for a church to pastor full-time, Holly told me she had three requests: (1) East coast, (2) moderate climate, and (3) closer to family.

Right after we married in 2006, we moved 300 miles away from her parents. That was the first of three major moves, each one further from her parents.

As the Lord began to lead us here, we had to wrestle with the cost. God answered our first two requests, but not the third. We moved further away from family.

Last week we were challenged to consider going to the hardest places. I don’t believe we all have to do that to obey the Great Commission, but God may want some of you to do that!

And if you do it may cost you your family.

Following Jesus will cost your family if you love Jesus more than your family

That’s exactly what Jesus requires in...

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.”

What does it look like to love Jesus more than your parents?

For many of our brothers and sisters all over the world, it looks like refusing to deny Jesus even when mom or dad requires it.

In Jesus’ day, honoring your parents was the highest social obligation. [3] But Jesus says, honor me more than them!

Not a Christian: do you realize the audacity of what Jesus is saying here?

“Your culture values honoring parents above everything else. I want you to honor me even more than that!”

Jesus is either a maniac or the Messiah!!!

Most of us won’t be forced to choose between honoring Jesus or honoring our parents.

Because our culture tends to value children more than the elderly, for most of us the greater temptation will be to love Jesus more than we love our children.

What does it look like to love Jesus more than your kids?

Proverbs 22:6—“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Kids don’t often want to be trained up in the way they should go.

They’re all like mini Frank Sinatras, they want it my way.

If you say to your young kids, “I love Jesus more than you. And so I will train you, I will teach you, I will discipline you, I will correct you because Jesus requires it” then it will cost you.

If you say to your older kids, “I love Jesus more than you. So although I love you I cannot and will not affirm or support your sinful lifestyle” then it will cost you.

Are you willing to give up your family if that’s what it costs to follow Jesus?

How much does it cost to follow Jesus? In the short-term it will cost your family.

I know that one’s painful for many of us, but the next cost is even higher...

C) It will cost your EVERYTHING

10:38—“And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.”

Before we understand the gravity of what Jesus is saying, we need to think about Jesus’ original audience

Just a few years before Jesus spoke these words, a band of rebels formed an insurrection against the Roman occupation. The Romans easily defeated the rebels, and to teach the Jews a lesson, the Roman general Varus ordered the crucifixion of over 2000 Jews. Their crosses lined the roads of Galilee from one end to the other. Surely the disciples had walked past those twisted, tortured, bloody bodies as they died a cruel death. The cross wasn’t a symbol of hope or victory. It certainly wasn’t something people would’ve turned into tattoos or jewelry. It was a horrid, disgusting symbol of the most despicable death.

And Jesus has the audacity to say, “if you want to follow Me, you have to pick up that Roman torture device and follow me.

If you want to follow Jesus you have to die first.

You must die to your peace and comfort. You’ve got to be willing to love and follow Jesus, even if it leads to conflict with people you love.

You must die to your family. You’ve got to be willing to love and follow Jesus, even it means the people you love the most hate you for it.

You must die to your desires. Your life can no longer be about what you want, it’s now about what Jesus wants.

You must die to your money and possessions. It no longer belongs to you. You’re just a steward who uses your stuff to serve Jesus.

You must die to your body. “My body my choice” isn’t true for you. Your body belongs to Jesus and you must use it glorify Him.

You must die to your preferences at church. It’s not about you, but about exalting Jesus and edifying His body.

You must die to your popularity. Jesus said if they hated Him, they’ll hate you too.

You must die to your time. Your time isn’t your time anymore. It belongs to Jesus.

Abraham Kuyper—“There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: ‘Mine!” [4]

Are you willing to give up your everything? Because that’s what it costs to follow Jesus.

Last week at the Pillar Network annual conference I heard an example of this from one of our preachers. He told the story of a Sudanese man who became a follower of Jesus. The people in his village were angry about this so they lined him up alongside his family. They told him, “Deny Jesus and we’ll let your daughter live.” He refused, and they killed her right in front of him. They took a knife to his son and said, “Deny Jesus and we’ll let your son live.” Once again he refused and they killed him. As they put a knife to his wife’s throat, she pleaded with her husband, “Don’t you dare deny Jesus!” Her last words were encouraging her husband to take up his cross and keep following Jesus.

Following Jesus costs more than you would ever want to think.

After the man watched his entire family slaughtered, the Sudanese Christian had a knife to his own throat. “Deny Jesus,” they said, “or we’ll kill you too.” With tears burning his eyes the man’s final words were, “everything I want is now in heaven.”

Following Jesus costs more than you would ever want to think, but it’s worth more than you could ever dare to dream.

2) The Eternal VALUE of Following Jesus

vv. 39-11:1 gives us 3 REASONS why following Jesus is worth it:

Not a Christian: The enormous cost may cause you to turn away, but what if I told you it was worth it?!?

Christian: If the cost you’re paying right now is tempting you to give up, don’t do it! Consider your reward!

A) You will receive LIFE

10:39—“Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

In classical literature, the Greek word translated “find” means “to win or preserve” something [5]

You can avoid paying the enormous cost of following Jesus. In the short-term, you might feel like you’re winning. You can fight to preserve your life, to keep it yours, to do things your way. But in the end you’ll lose.

Like Gollum holding onto his precious, you’ll find that the longer you hold onto your life the more it changes you. Until you become a monster. And in the end, just like Gollum, you’ll get what you want. You’ll hold onto your life as you’re sent into the flames where you’ll lose it forever.

The only way to truly enjoy the things in this life is to let them go.

Unbeliever: repent and believe the Gospel!!!

The Christian doesn’t merely receive eternal life in heaven...

John 10:10—“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

Despite the enormous cost, the Christian can actually enjoy this life because we’ve learned not to turn good things into ultimate things! By losing our lives, we’ve found them!

When we came to PBC, we left our family behind. But we gained a family!!!

Is it worth it to follow Jesus? Yes, because you’ll have joy in this life and live forever in the next.

B) You will receive GOD

10:40—“Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.”

Remember, Jesus is sending out His disciples on a missionary journey. And Jesus promises an incredible reward for those who welcome His disciples: You’ll receive Me. And if you receive Me? Well, you’ll receive My Father.

Consider the staggering implications of this. Jesus is promising that dirty, weak, frail, mortal human beings—made out of dust—can receive as a reward the God who has existed for eternity! The One who speaks and galaxies appear.

Do you want this as a reward?

John Piper—“If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ were not there? . . . Christ did not die to forgive sinners who go on treasuring anything above seeing and savoring God. And people who would be happy in heaven if Christ were not there, will not be there. The gospel is not a way to get people to heaven; it is a way to get people to God.” [6]

When we grasp how amazing this gift is, we don’t need anything else! The cost of following Jesus could be 10,000 times greater, but if we receive Jesus and nothing else, it’s worth it!!!

Ray Ortlund—“The worst this life can shove down our throats, but with the nearness of Jesus, is heaven on earth. The best this life can give, but without Jesus, is a living hell.” [7]

Is it worth it to follow Jesus? Yes, because you’ll receive God Himself.

But that’s not all...

C) You will receive a MISSION

10:41-11:1—“The 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. And 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.” When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.”

When Jesus finishes teaching His disciples, He sends them out just like He said He would in verse 5

Many of these instructions are specific to the 12 disciples and that specific mission trip

For example, vv. 5-6 say to only visit Jews

But in these verses I see a preview of the mission Jesus has given to everyone of His disciples (including you and me today)

Last week we heard a challenge from...

Matthew 28:18-20—“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

This passage applies to all of us, whether you ever leave the United States on a mission trip or not. “All nations” includes the U.S.

All of us have a responsibility to make disciples “as we are going,” wherever we are!

But what is our individual responsibility to those that are far away?

Some of us may be sent by Jesus to be involved in front-line ministry like the 12 disciples being sent out by Jesus. Or like Jacob & Melissa, Luke & Emily, Justin & Angie, or even like a pastor who moves his family to pastor in Poquoson.

If the Lord leads you to that kind of ministry, your job is to be obey!

Have you considered if Jesus wants you to devote your entire life (not just your spare time after work) to making His name known?

But Jesus didn’t send out everybody to the front lines. Some people were hosting the disciples in their homes. Receiving them in Jesus’ name.

That’s most of you. The Lord may never lead you to Turkey or Taiwan or Timbuktu. But you faithfully give what you have to support the work of the ministry.

Some people will only have a cup of cold water to give. And they won’t ever have the chance to give it to a big name disciple or celebrity preacher or world-famous missionary. They’ll just give it to one of Jesus’ “little ones,” a no-name ordinary follower of Jesus that nobody’s ever heard of.

Jesus says if you’re faithful to do that, to give what you have to help who you know so that Christ can be proclaimed you will by no means lose your reward.

In 1793, William Carey (known as the father of modern missions) left his home in Britain to take the Good News to the unreached in India. Before he left, he famously told a pastor friend named Andrew Fuller, “I will go down into the pit, if you will hold the ropes.”

That’s what Jesus is talking about here. All of us receive a mission, but we don’t all have the same job to do. God may be calling some of you to go down into the pit, but the rest of you He’s calling to hold the ropes.

Is it worth it to follow Jesus? Yes, because you’ll receive a mission.

Following Jesus costs more than you would ever want to think, but it’s worth more than you could ever dare to dream.

So what about you, friend? Are you willing to pay the cost? Jesus was willing to pay the cost for you.

On the night He was betrayed…

…as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. (Matthew 26:26-28)

Jesus gave His disciples bread, representing His body that He would soon give to ransom His people.

Then He gave them a cup, representing His blood that He would soon pour out so their sins could be forgiven

One reason Christians continue to take communion 2000 years later is because we cannot lose what Jesus gave us when He gave us Himself.

Christians have lost a lot over the past 2000 years. Perhaps you’ve lost a lot as you’ve followed Jesus.

Jim Elliott—He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

If we’re faithful to pay the cost, Jesus says we will “by no means” lose our reward.

We’ll have Him forevermore. And He will be forever worth it.

In just a moment we’re going to celebrate that gift. But first, let’s sing together and give our families a moment to pick up their children so our volunteers can join us in this family meal.

PRAY

Christ is Mine Forevermore (2 verses)

LORD’S SUPPER

Before we take, let me answer three questions about the Lord’s Supper...

1) What is it?

Not magic. Doesn’t save.

It’s a symbol of Jesus’ body and blood.

It reminds us that we are saved by Jesus’ works, not by our own works

2) Who takes it?

Baptized believers

Believers because it doesn’t make sense to receive a symbol about Jesus if you haven’t received Jesus!

We invite you to receive Jesus, not the symbol that reminds us of Jesus.

You can ask any one of our pastors about that at one of the tables and we’ll stop what we’re doing to talk and pray with you about what it means to follow Jesus.

Baptized because that’s the first step of obedience as a follower of Jesus.

We want something bigger and better for you than a symbolic meal.

We want you to enjoy a life of obedience as a follower of Jesus. And that journey begins with believer’s baptism and membership in a local church.

Again, talk to any of our pastors at one of the tables and we’ll gladly talk with you about baptism.

3) How do we take it?

JESUS AND YOU MOMENT as you pray silently, preparing your heart

Sit and pray as long as you need.

Confess sin to God and (if necessary) to others

PRAISE HIM FOR HIS GRACE!!!

JESUS AND OTHERS MOMENT as you come to the table

When you’re ready, walk towards the front and gather around a table

One of our pastors will pray over you and others with you

Eat the bread at the table, then bring your cup back to your seat

JESUS AND EVERYBODY MOMENT as we take the cup

Once everyone has taken the bread, we’ll take the cup together

Please pray with me, then when you’re ready come to any of the tables

After everyone has had the bread...

Drink this in remembrance that Christ’s blood was shed for you and be thankful.

Let’s sing together

Christ Is Mine Forevermore

Benediction (Philippians 4:7)

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