Jesus is My Life - Matthew 10:34-39
Unrecognized Authority: Matt 8-10 • Sermon • Submitted
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If you have your Bibles, please open them to Matthew 10:34
We are coming to the end of our series in Matthew that I have title Unrecognized Authority.
And hopefully by now, most of you get the big picture of all that happened across these three chapters of Matthew
In Matthew 8 and 9 Jesus demonstrated authority vividly, and clearly in a way that no one could deny. He did all kind of miracles, signs and wonders…
But all the same, just about every person who saw Jesus’ authority over all creation missed the point of Jesus miracles, and ultimately, most of them do not recognize who Jesus was. And the ones who did recognize Jesus were those who we would have least expected to
All of this led us to Matt 10, which is a long teaching from Jesus as he is sending out his disciples to announce the kingdom. And in this chapter Jesus warns his disciples about the various troubles that they would to face along the way.
Today’s text is about another one of those troubles.
34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 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. 36 And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. 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. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Let’s pray
Intro: Everyone lives for something
Intro: Everyone lives for something
I want you to consider for a moment what it is that you are living for, because each of us is living for something
Some people live to get rich, and they will do anything to get there
While others live for their families… they live to care for their kids, their spouse, or to make their parents proud
Others of course, make it their life goal to be well known, or to be accepted by everyone…
And others still, make it their aim to increase their comfort, to be happy, seeking contentment in the simple things…
So I want us all to consider this for a moment… what are you living for?
a few questions that might help us answer this are these:
What excites you the most
What are your goals and aspirations and motivations
If you could have one thing, what would it be
Hopefully everyone have an idea of how they would answer this question
here’s the deal… How you answer this question reveals a lot about how you view Jesus… Because if we answer this question with anything besides Jesus, then chances are that you don’t fully recognize Jesus…
We have spent a good amount of time in this series talking about all those who saw Jesus do many signs and wonders, and yet they did not recognize who Jesus was, but in the last few weeks we have seen some ways that might indicate that we also do not recognize Jesus.
Last week, Pastor Ken told us how we shouldn’t fear men, but instead we should fear God. But the reality is this:
if we are afraid of men, it is due to the fact that we don’t recognize God enough fear him, and to trust him…
But on the opposite side of this, we come to this weeks text, where we see if we love anything, including family, or even our own life, more than we love Jesus, then we ought to see that we do not recognize Jesus as we ought to
This is the big idea for todays sermon:
If you love anything more than Jesus, it is because you do not recognize him.
For he is far more lovely, far more precious, and far more satisfying than anything in creation.
So let’s return to that question again:
What are you living for?
If we say,
I live for music, or sports, or video games
or I live for my friends, family, or acceptance
I live for pleasure and enjoyment, and happiness
Or even, I live for academics, success, and my future
If you are living for anything, except Jesus, then you don’t recognize Jesus.
Let me show you this from tonight’s Scripture:
34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
Let’s stop here for just a moment. Here Jesus is further clarifying what it he came to do in coming to the world…
Jesus tells his disciples that he came not bringing peace, rather he has came to bring a sword:
Now, I wonder how many of you are familiar with the title the Prince of Peace? - and who is it ascribed to?
The angels themselves declared at Jesus birth:
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
So if the angels are declaring that King Jesus’ arrival to the world means that there will be peace on earth for God’s people, then why is Jesus here in 10.34 saying he did not come to bring peace?
Well to answer this question, it helps to understand what the Jews were expecting of their Messiah King… they expected that the Messiah would bring national peace and rest… and the way they expected Jesus to do this was by overthrowing Rome and whoever else was oppressing them
So when Jesus said he didn’t come to bring peace but a sword, what do you think the disciples thought this meant?
Well I think they probably thought it meant that Jesus came as a concurring king to overthrow Rome…
They believed that God would do what he did with the sinful nations back in the OT
They thought that Jesus would do something like what God did in the Exodus. Remember the time when God’s people were harassed and w/out a shepherd in Egypt? Do you remember what God did in the book of Exodus? He overthrew the evil Pharoah. And the disciples likely thought Jesus would do the same thing with the Romans…
So they probably thought, the way that Jesus would bring about peace is by making war with Israel’s political enemies.
So they would have heard Jesus saying that he didn’t bring peace but a sword and though… okay, there will be a sword and war against Rome today, but that will result in peace for Israel
But Jesus continued:
34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 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.
This was not what the disciples were expecting to hear…
You see, the disciples themselves repeatedly did not recognize Jesus or his mission…
Peter himself will later recognize Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God here in Matthew’s gospel:
Jesus speaking asked his disciples:
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Does Peter recognize Jesus’ identity? You bet he does…
This is an A+ Sunday school answer
But as Jesus continues he tells the disciples what he the Christ and Son of God, came to do, namely that he came to die. But listen to what Peter goes on to say to Jesus:
22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
The disciples, and Peter thought that Jesus bringing the kingdom meant that Israel would be freed from their Roman captivity… but oh how they were so wrong about what Jesus came to do. For Jesus did not come to bring national peace for Israel by coming as a conquering warrior king. Rather, Jesus came to make peace between man and God by being a suffering servant King
But often times we in the church don’t recognize Jesus any better than Jesus own disciples.
I want us to consider this carefully:
1. You might not fully recognize Jesus.
1. You might not fully recognize Jesus.
Often times people want Jesus only so long as Jesus will make their life better. But this is not what following Jesus promises. And if you came to Jesus just so your life would improve, then you probably do not recognize Jesus, and you’re likely not a Christian…
And this might come as a shock to many of us as most of us have likely grown up in the church...
But if you decided to follow Jesus so you could have some kind of life hack simply improve this life, then Jesus is not your god, rather you are…
Remember Jesus’ words in Matt 16:23 that we have just heard: “You are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man”
What I am saying is this:
If all Jesus is to you, is a means for your own advantage here and now. and if Jesus is a means to get ahead, then Jesus is not your God. Instead you are your god, and you use Jesus, the one true God, as a means to serve yourself…
But if that’s how you view Jesus, then the notion of what he is calling his disciples to do is probably unthinkable for you. Jesus is calling his disciples to make him known even at the expense of their very lives. If Jesus called some of you to a be missionaries in a foreign country I wonder how some of us would respond. Because if you thought Jesus just was supposed to make your life better, then being a missionary probably sounds like the worst thing to you…
I wonder how many of us think that the idea of making Jesus known here and now among your peers even at the cost of your acceptance sounds likely sounds like a death sentence.... because if it does, it is likely because Jesus is calling you to something that doesn’t line up with what you are living for…
Because if you were honest with yourself and with others around you… you’re not really living for Jesus. Rather, you have used Jesus just as a get out of hell ticket. But hear me, that’s not how the gospel works.
If you are living for the sake of your life, and this keeps you from making Jesus known, then you are not living for Jesus, rather you are living for yourself and your own advantage
But Jesus calls us to something different:
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
This is so counterintuitive
This concept goes completely against our logic, but it is nevertheless true:
If you are seeking anything apart from Jesus, know that you will lose it all. But if you are seeking Christ and his kingdom first, then you will find all that you are looking for and so much more.
So don’t come to Jesus thinking he will simply make your life better. Come to Jesus and lay your life down. For only in doing so will you find your life…
Let’s continue:
35 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. 36 And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. 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.
If you thought that coming to Jesus was a way to make this life better, reread all of Matt 10… but take even these words here… for having your own family turn against you isn’t what anyone would call a better life. And yet this is what Jesus says will happen on account of his name.
So again, if all Jesus is to you is a means of making this life better, then do not follow him. For a disciple must be willing to lose everything in order to follow Jesus.
While Jesus has already told them his disciples that they will be persecuted, like sheep in the midst of wolves…
Here he shows some of the greater losses that his disciples will face. You see, following Jesus is not supposed to be the magic pill that makes all of life’s problems go away… but don’t let that deter you from following Jesus. Hang with me, and I hope you will see the the surpassing value of making Jesus your life. But for now consider what Jesus has to say in v 37:
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.
2. Jesus demands our ultimate allegiance no matter the cost.
2. Jesus demands our ultimate allegiance no matter the cost.
Know this, and recognize:
There is a cost to following Jesus
It’s a paradox in a sense, because while salvation is a free gift, it is a gift that does not come without a cost
And the Bible is not shy about talking about such costs that come with following Jesus
And here the costs that hi-lighted is that of facing division within your own family as a result of following Jesus
The disciples have already seen the the leaders of the Jews have already rejected Jesus… But Jesus here warns the disciples of the fallout that will occur in even the families when others reject Jesus and his gospel
And in our society here today, following Jesus is not popular any longer. So we too must be just as prepared as Jesus disciples were when it comes to the costs of following Jesus.
We should be prepared for the all fallout that we might experience as Jesus disciples
Our families might hate us for it
Our friends might reject us for it
Those closest to us might become our enemies because of it…
And in the moment of such trials, it will expose what our life is built on.
Is our life built on our family?
Is our life built on making friends?
Is our life built on being popular?
Or is our life built on Christ
on his approval of us
on his love for us
and on all that he has done so that we might be saved from sin and death?
We might be tempted to question how can Jesus demand so much from us, to even ask us to follow him even if it costs me everything?
The answer is simple: He has all authority....
He has authority to raise the dead
to cast out demons
he has authority to calm the wind and the sea…
And he has the authority to command us to do anything, even if other authorities tell us otherwise....
So if a parent tells you to play life safe and pick an occupation that is not dangerous instead of using your life to be a missionary, then listen to Jesus not your parent…
Students, I do hope and pray that some of you would be missionaries for Jesus sake… for Jesus has told us:
37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
And if making Jesus known even now, offends your family or friend, make him known all the same. For those who suffer loss in making him known will have great gain!
Jesus said it this way:
11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Listen:
If following Jesus and making him known costs you your family, rejoice for great is your reward in in heaven
If following Jesus and making him known costs you your friends, rejoice for great is your reward in heaven
If following Jesus and making him known costs you your aspirations and career, then rejoice for great is your reward in heaven
But if you are unwilling to lose these things for Jesus, because you love any of them more than Jesus then be warned
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. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
Now Jesus has far more in mind here than just a love for family… for he has in mind even our love of our own life...
this is why he speaks of taking up our cross.
This language of the cross can get lost on us, because we talk about the cross of Christ all of the time.... because the cross has become sentimental to so many of us… for it is often used as a decoration and so we hang it around our necks on jewelry, we hang in up on our walls, we even have it on our platform… and we get used to the symbol of it in such a way that it loses its meaning…
But don’t miss what Jesus is describing when he says that we must take up our cross and follow him… The cross is a horrific instrument of death… it is the tool that the Romans used to torture the worst of criminals… but it wasn’t just a tool used to cause criminals to suffer and die… it was a tool that was used to humiliate them as well… As they would be crucified publicly, left naked before many, and crying out for mercy.
It is this cross, this instrument of torture, humiliation, and death that Jesus says we must be carry if we wish to follow Jesus
I wonder how many of us are in a place of tension… I hope some of us are…
because if your love for family, or even your own life more than you love Jesus, then you should know that you are not worthy of the Lord Jesus Christ…
In fact, if you love any of these more than Jesus, then Jesus is not your lord… instead whatever you are building your life on… that is your lord
American Christianity waves the banner of
“Faith, family, and freedom” but such a faith is a false Christianity that is entirely foreign to the Bible
What is the banner of biblical Christianity? It is this:
Jesus is our freedom
for he has freed us from sin and from death
And Jesus has adopted us into a new family,
namely the church… and Christ is our brother, and God is our Father, and as we continue to follow him, we will look more and more like him…
Therefore, Jesus is our life
all of our life is built oh him, and him alone.... and if there is anything that takes away from him, we will abandon it so that we wont lose Christ
Jesus continues:
39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
If you spend your life with the goal of improving your life… then you will lose your life.... for such a life is one where Jesus is not your king… And if Jesus is not your king, then you are not Christ’s… and if you are not Christ’s, then you are not saved
But if your whole life is spent for Jesus, even to the point that you lose your life for Jesus then know this... you have found your life…
3. If Jesus is your life, then death is your gain.
3. If Jesus is your life, then death is your gain.
This is the way the apostle Paul said it when he himself was locked in prison and death looked inevitable for him:
21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
what was Paul living for?
was he living for family?
was he living for success?
was he living for comfort?
was he living for acceptance?
was he living for the sake of his own life?
Absolutely not: Rather
He was living for Jesus
which meant for him, that death was his gain.
For when he died for Christ, he recieved life itself.
All of Matt 10, has been about the the coming persecution that would come for those who make Jesus known…
And the way we respond to such costs reveals whether recognize and submit to the authority of Jesus or not
whether we recognize him as being worthy of it all
or whether Jesus isn’t our life after all
Remember, at the beginning or our series, Jesus was quite popular, and everyone wanted to follow him. He was healing everyone and making people’s life better… but they had no idea what it would mean to follow Jesus. Do you remember what he said to those who wished to follow him at the beginning of all this?
19 And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
21 Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 22 And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”
Jesus is not a means to improve your live, for he is our very source of life…
But if Jesus is simply a means for you for your life to improve, then Jesus is not your life.
But if Jesus is your life you will give up everything, including family and even your own life for his sake. And the only reason you would do so, is because you recognize Jesus.
And if you recognize who Jesus is… you might lose everything. But make no mistake, if you recognize Jesus, you will gain everything as well.
And if you do this, it is because you recognize that Jesus did this exact same thing for you.
For he left the comfort of heaven and the fellowship of his Father, so he might come to the earth, and die on the cross in yours and my place.
Jesus did that for you, and for me…
And I’m not sure about you, but recognizing that Jesus did this for me, makes me love him more than anything…
So let me us ask ourself: Is Christ your life?
If he isn’t, then you will die…
But if the Lord Jesus is your life, then death is your gain…
Let’s pray