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*Do Not Be Anxious about the Threats of Man: Matthew 10:24-31*
Everton Community Church: Sunday December 2nd 2007.
If you haven’t noticed, we are in the swing of the “*Holiday**” season.*
That’s right: *not* *Advent* or *Christmas* but *the **Holiday** Season*.
*Retailers and cultural planners* are *so desperate for increased sales* and *attendance* that *the day after Halloween*, *began with the “**Holiday**” advertising.
The word "Christmas"* *is avoided nearly all public discourse-*more or less.
*Quote: As one commentator put it*: *“*My sense is, though, if our social handlers and media moguls have anything to do with it, we are fast approaching *the "last Noel*."
The "Give-A-Christmas" charity drive has become the "*Holiday** Fund."*
After Thanksgiving, we do our "*holiday shopping,"* to fill our children's "*holiday stockings*," when we get back from the office "*holiday party*.*"
*Peter Jones @http:~/~/theresurgence.com
The *grinches* who are *stealing December 25* are* filling* *the void** with virtually anything.*
*One town hosts a Polar Express Festival*, replacing *Christmas trees* with *polar bears!* *In schools*,* **trees* are kept but ideologically *renamed Peace Trees*, *Cultural Trees, or Diversity Trees.*
With *ornaments* *from the world's cultural, ethnic, and religious traditions*, *these trees celebrate in coded language the agenda of neo-pagan unity*.
*A teacher explains: "*By acknowledging the value of all cultures, we become cohesive and accepting of each other's diversity…we become successful at working toward the motto: 'Let there be peace on Earth.*'"*
Obviously, *featuring a Christmas tree *and *explaining the biblical meaning of peace *is *clearly not part of the "accepting of each other's diversity."*
*As we watch the cultural demise* of the Canadian Christmas, it is *easy to become nostalgic*, *even discouraged*.
But that is not my point.
*This is* *the first Sunday in Advent*.
*The message this morning* is *not* about *saving society by publicaly pointing out that this is the Advent season leading up to Christmas*.
*I would encourage this* but this *is not* *my point*.
*The real issue* is *what has led us up to this point* and *what God says we are to do about it.*
*In the guise of* “*cultural diversity*” people have *become paralyzed* by *anxiety* in *regards to what others think about them*.
*Lest someone somewhere become offended*, Christians have *forsaken their God given mandate* to *make disciples* and *not fear* what *others think, say *or* do *in regards to this.
*The call of the Great Commission* is *the call to “make disciples of all the nations”* (Matt.
28:19).
*Disciple-making* is *the central work of the people of Christ’s church*, the work of bringing men and women to a *saving relationship* to Jesus Christ and of helping them *grow in His knowledge* and *likeness*.
*/Quote:/**/ /*/The word “*disciple*” occurs *269 times in the New Testament*.
“*Christian*”* is found three times,* and *was first introduced to refer precisely to the disciples*./—
(Dallas Willard, “Discipleship: For Super Christians Only?” /Christianity Today,/ 10 October 1980, 24.)
Jesus’ instructions in *Matthew 10:5-15* led to His *warning of the dangers of discipleship* (vv.
16-23), which led to His teaching about the *characteristics and benefits of discipleship* (vv.
24-42).
In *Matthew 10:24-31* *Jesus identifies a comprehensive definition of discipleship *1) A Disciple *Emulates* His Master and 2) *Does not Fear* the World
*1)      **A Disciple Emulates His Master* (*Matthew **10:24**-25)*
*Matthew 10:24-25*   [24]"A *disciple* is not above his *teacher*, nor a *servant* above his *master.*
[25]It is enough for the disciple to be *like his teacher*, and the servant like his master.
If they have *called *the *master of the house Beelzebul*, *how much more will they malign those of his household*.
(ESV)
*Jesus first presents* *the negative aspect of the truth* (v.
24), *then the positive* (v.
25a), and *then the consequence* (v.
25b)
First, it is axiomatic that *a disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant~/slave above his master*.
By definition, *a disciple* *(learner) is beneath* *his teacher* *in knowledge* and *wisdom* and *a servant~/slave* *is beneath* *his master* *in* *socia*l and *economic standing*.
Also by definition, a disciple who is *genuinely a disciple* *learns from his teacher*, and a *servant~/slave* who *genuinely is a slave obeys his master*.
*Man’s volition* is *represented by the figure of disciple and teacher,* and *God’s sovereignty* is *represented by that of slave and master*.
The two illustrations unite to emphasize that *the first and most obvious principle of discipleship* *is submission.*
From the beginning to the end of his gospel, *Matthew’s purpose* is to *reveal Jesus as the divine King of kings,* the *Messiah* and *Son of God* who came *to redeem* and to *eventually rule the world*.
He is *the only King*, the *only Messiah*, the *only Son of God*, the *only Savior and Lord*.
In all of those roles He demands and is deserving of *total submission.*
Second, as Jesus goes on to point out, it is also axiomatic that *the purpose of a true disciple* is *to learn from his teacher in order to* *become like his teacher* and that the purpose of a faithful *slave* is *to serve and become* *as his master*.
When teaching the same truth on another occasion, *Jesus said:*  
*Luke **6:40* A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be *like his teacher*.
(ESV).
*A disciple’s single, overriding purpose* is *to emulate his* *teacher.
It is enough* for him to *become as his teacher*, not only *in the teacher’s wisdom* and *character *but also act like Christ would:
*1 John 2:6*   [6]whoever says he *abides in him* ought to *walk in the same way* in which he walked.
(ESV)
*The function of discipleship* is clearly *stated in the Great Commission*:
*Matthew 28:20a** *  [20]teaching them to *observe all that I have commanded you*.
*In Verse 25 The logical result of being like Christ* is *being treated like Christ*.
*If they **called *the *master of the house Beelzebul*, *how much more will they malign those of his household*.
*Jesus continues to develop the same truth* but *changes the figure* *from those of disciple~/teacher* and *slave~/master* *to that of* *master~/head of the house*~/members of *his household*.
Family members and servants should not expect to be treated better than *the head* of the family is treated.
*Paul knew that to truly know Christ and the power of His resurrection involves:*
*Philippians **3:10*   [10]that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may *share his sufferings*, *becoming like him in his death,* (ESV)
*Verse 25* noted the treatment that Jesus received: If they have *called *the *master of the house Beelzebul.**
Beelzebul* (sometimes found as “*Beelzebub” or “Baalzebub*”) was *originally the name of a pagan Canaanite deity*.
The name */Baalzebub/ probably meant “lord of the flies,”* and it was *later changed* *to Baalzebul*, “*lord of the dwelling*.”
Because he was an *especially despicable deity*, his name had long been *used by Jews* as *an epithet for Satan.*
*Please turn to John 15*
*Jesus’ point* was that, *if people called Him Satan*, *they would surely call His disciples the same thing*.
*The Pharisees* had *already done precisely that* when *they accused Jesus of casting* “*out the demons by the ruler of the demons*” (Matt.
9:34), who was *often referred to as* *Beelzebul* (Mark 3:22; cf.
Matt.
12:24).
*Jesus repeated this general warning** to the disciples* many times.
*In one of His last discourses He told them:*
*John 15:18-19*   [18]"If the world hates you, know that *it has hated me* before it hated you.
[19]If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
(ESV)(cf.
v. 20; 13:16).
*And now to Chapter 16:2*
*The day would come* when the *one who persecuted the disciples* would:
*John 16:2-3*   [2]They will put you out of the synagogues.
Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will *think he is offering service to God*.
[3]And they will do these things *because they have not known the Father, nor me*.
(ESV)
As Jesus had already explained, *His disciples* are *not hated* *because of who they are in themselves* *but “on* *account of My name*” (Matt.
10:22).
·        We should *not be anxious about the threats of Man* for we should *expect persecution*.
*Fear* is often *stimulated by the unknown*.
But followers of Jesus should *expect* *opposition and persecution.*
Thus *the call to discipleship* is *the call to be like Christ*, including *being treated like Christ*.
*To people who are truly seeking God*, *the lives of His faithful saints* are *beautiful* and *attractive*.
It is often *the Christlike qualities* of *love, joy, peace, and kindness in Christians* that *attract unbelievers to the Lord*.
*The more we emulate Christ*, *the more attractive we will become to those God is calling to Himself*.
But *at the same time* *we will become more unattractive to those who reject God*.
Because *they want nothing of Him*, *they will want nothing of us.*
 
*Illustration*: *Dan Crawford*, the *successor to David Livingstone*, carried a copy of the *New Testament* in the *pocket of his jacket.*
*At the time of his death* someone found the following verses *penned on the flyleaf of that well-worn Book:* *“*I cannot do it alone!
The waves dash fast and high; the fog comes chill around, and the light goes out in the sky.
But I know that we two shall win in the end—*Jesus and I*.
Coward and wayward and weak, I change with the changing sky; today so strong and brave, tomorrow too weak to fly.
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