Sermon Tone Analysis

Totally Surrendered!

Matthew 10:24-42

 

The story is told of a group of English farmers who had been complaining of hunters on horseback galloping through their fields.

They were determined to keep them out, so they separated the different fields with fencerows and gates, they locked the gates, and they posted men and boys at each gate.

One day a member of the Duke of Wellington’s hunting party (you remember the Duke of Wellington who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo?) – well, a member of his hunting party came up on one of those gates, and there stood a little farm boy.

“Open the gate!” commanded the man.

“I must not,” the little boy replied.

The man was taken aback by the defiance of the little boy and by the time he gained his composure, the Duke himself had arrived on the scene.

The man explained the situation – he told the Duke that the little boy refused to open the gate.

The Duke looked down at the little boy and demanded, “My boy, open this gate!”

 

“I must not,” the little boy again stood his ground.

“Son, do you know who I am?”

 

“I believe you are Mr. Duke of Wellington, Sir.”

 

“That’s right.

Now, open this gate.”

“But, Sir, my master told me to open this gate to no one.”

The Duke was so impressed with the little boy’s total commitment and surrender to his master’s command that he gave the little boy the equivalent of a five-dollar bill.

That little boy had done what Napoleon and the mighty French army had been unable to do – he had kept Wellington out of the fields!

Total surrender is what our Master (Jesus Christ) demands from us today.

Look with me at…

 

*Matthew 10:24-39 (NASB95)*

24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master.

25 “It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master.

If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more /will they malign /the members of his household!

26 “Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.

27 “What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear /whispered /in /your /ear, proclaim upon the housetops.

28 “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

29 “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent?

And /yet /not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.

30 “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

31 “So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.

32 “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.

33 “But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.

34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

35 “For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36 and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.

37 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 “He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.

In these words, spoken by Jesus to His disciples, we find what it means to be totally surrendered to Jesus Christ.

1.

Total surrender means fearing Jesus more than men (10:24-33)

 

Three times between verses 24 and 33 we find the phrase, “Do not fear.”

26 “Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.

28 “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul….

31 “So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.

Then, in the middle of verse 28, Jesus said, */“But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”/*

It was Franklin Delano Roosevelt who said, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.”

But Jesus teaches us here that we should not fear any one or anything (not even fear itself), but rather we should fear only Jesus Himself!

 

Now, why should we fear only Jesus?

 

1)       *Because Jesus is the object of the world’s hatred*

 

*Matthew 10:24-25 (NASB95)*

24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master.

25 “It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master.

If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more /will they malign /the members of his household!

¨       “If they called me the devil, they will certainly call you the devil!

You don’t outrank Me!

You won’t be treated any better than I have been treated!

But, understand that I am the one they hate!”

¨       Now, as Christians, we should count it a privilege to suffer /for/ Jesus and /with/ Jesus.

*Acts 5:29 (NASB95)*

29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.

*Philippians 3:10 (NASB95)*

10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;

 

¨       We should fear only Jesus because He is the object of the world’s hatred.

2)       *Because Jesus is the executor of the world’s judgement*

 

*Matthew 10:26-28 (NASB95)*

26 “Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.

27 “What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear /whispered /in /your /ear, proclaim upon the housetops.

28 “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

¨       Jesus will one day bring His judgement upon Satan and his forces.

¨       If you are more concerned about what the world (what people) think of you than you are of what God thinks of you, then you are enslaved to Satan and this world (they own you)!

¨       And, one day when Jesus sits in judgement over this world you, too, will be judged!

¨       But, if you will fear Jesus more than this world, and as a result, you surrender your life to Him, then on that day of judgement you will sit in judgement /with/ Him over the world!

¨       We should fear only Jesus because He is the object of the world’s hatred and because He is the executor of the world’s judgement.

3)       *Because Jesus is the protector of our lives*

 

*Matthew 10:29-33 (NASB95)*

29 “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent?

And /yet /not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.

30 “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

31 “So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.

32 “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.

33 “But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.

¨       Very simply, Jesus is telling us in these verses that if we will identify ourselves with Jesus (by faith) and we will fear Him (be more concerned about what He thinks of our lives than what the world thinks), then He promises to protect us!

¨       Satan and the world can do nothing to us unless Jesus allows it!

¨       The perfect example of this was Job.

 

*Job 1:7-12 (NASB95)*

7 The Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?”

Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.”

8 The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job?

For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.” 9 Then Satan answered the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 “Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side?

You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.

11 “But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.” 12 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him.”

So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord.

*Job 2:1-6 (NASB95)*

1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. 2 The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”

Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.”

3 The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job?

For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil.

And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause.”

4 Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin!

Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life.

5 “However, put forth Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse You to Your face.” 6 So the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life.”

Well, total surrender means fearing Jesus more than men.