Choose a Side (Matthew 10:34-42)

Walter Troup

Moving Through Matthew • Sermon • Submitted 3 years ago

Matthew 10:40–42

Matthew 10:34–36

Matthew 10:37–40

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Creed

The Bible is the Word of God.

The truth of the Bible will change my life.

Lord open my heart and awaken my mind and give me grace to respond.

Change me for your glory and my joy. Amen

Review

Jesus prepares his disciples to be sent out (Matthew 9:36-38)

He calls them together and tells them what they are to take, where they should go, what they should expect, and what to do if they are not recieved. (Matthew 10:1-15)

**In these first 15 verses he is pointing them to tell people about the Kingdom of God just to the Jewish people. But as he begins to speak in verse 16, the audience they were to have would get bigger.

Jesus says that you will endure persecution as you now tell of me among the Gentiles (Matthew 10:18)

You may even be hated for telling people about me (Matthew 10:22)

So the first 15 verses focus on the instruction from Jesus to take his name to the Jews. Verses 16-23 focus on telling the Gentiles about his name. Now from verse 24-42, he is still speaking to his disciples, but it is easy for us to see how the words that are directed at them 2000 years ago… should fall on us, the believers and followers of Christ today.

Look at verse 24...

Matthew 10:24–25 ESV

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.

We have talked about this before… is a disciple only speaking of the 12 men that followed Jesus at that time? No, The very definition of a disciple is one who sits under the teaching of a teacher. Learning from them. Taking in what they hear and living it in their lives. So today there are many disciples in this room. Those of us who follow the will of our teacher, who have repented of our sins, we are disciples of Christ.

Jesus said “a disciple is not above his teacher. (Matthew 10:24)” And that is true. As a disciple we are not above Jesus Christ, BUT, we should strive to be LIKE Jesus.

We never will. We will never be perfect, never without sin… but it is our duty to be like our teacher. Loving the people who are unloved. Giving people the hope and message of God. A disciple should always strive to be like our teacher, or Lord.

***But here is something to consider:

If we are like him, expect to be treated like him.

How was he treated when he spoke the truth? Hated, beaten, even killed. As a disciple of Jesus Christ, standing up for him, speaking the truth… you could be hated, you may lose a friend, you could lose a job, you could be beaten, and you could even be killed.

That sounds pretty bad doesn’t it? But even in those circumstances, Jesus said we should not fear.

Matthew 10:28 ESV

28 And 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.

The true disciple of Christ knows that this body is temporary. Can I tell you , graduates, as much as your worry about school, small. Dajan, as much as your worry about football, small. Life is small…eternity is what you need to be concerned with. And for the true disciple of Christ, the real thing that we need to concentrate on is what we do with Jesus.

If Mom and I came all the way to Nigeria to only give you a better temporary world, we would be ashamed at the end of our life. Because that doesn't matter. What matters, is presenting Jesus to you. What matters is you understanding the truth from the God that created you. The truth about what he did for you, and the truth that it’s not easy to be a Christian, and if it is, then maybe you are not. The soul is what truly matters. And if it comes down to a choice between losing my physical body or my eternal body....then take my physical body, I don’t need it.

If life gets so bad that I have to make a decision between man and God… I will choose God. That is what the disciple is called to do. Look at verse 32:

Matthew 10:32–33 ESV

32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

Look at two keys words here: BEFORE MEN. How we, as a self proclaimed disciple of Christ speaks before men about Him, is how Jesus will speak before God about us.

So there is this call for us, believers, children of God, and as Jesus calls us here…disciples.

He goes on to talk about how a disciple should live their life and he says something here that may surprise you.

English Standard Version Chapter 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.

Now, Abiola brought this verse to me not long ago and asked me what it meant.

He says here that he did not come bring peace...

Paul wrote that he will give us a peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7)

He is called the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6)

The angels would announce his coming… by singing Peace on earth …among those whom he is pleased. (Luke 2:14)

So why does he say here that he did not come to bring peace? But instead he said I have come to bring a sword.

The sword that he is speaking of is not an instrument of physical death, but an instrument dividing those who would be his and those who are not. Those who have followed his, and those who would reject him.

And that could even happen within a family.

Matthew 10:35–37 ESV

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.

When you make a choice to follow Christ, to become a disciple for his purpose, there maybe some of the people closet to you how do not agree. I hear stories all the time where in a Muslim family, one of them would believe in Christ, and the family would completely turn them away. Disown them.

IF WE ARE TO BE LIKE HIM, WE WILL BE TREATED LIKE HIM.

Did you know that Jesus’ brothers and sisters did not believe in him (John 7:5) 5 For not even his brothers believed in him.

Most of you have family of some kind. Could you imagine what it would be like if they said they would not talk to you anymore because of your faith in Christ. It happens all over the world. Its sad. But for the true disciple of Christ, ultimately, Christ comes first. If today Mom said, it’s either Jesus or me…you make the choice, I would choose Jesus. Why?

Matthew 10:37 ESV

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.

A true disciple of Jesus Christ places God first, above anything or anyone.

English Standard Version Chapter 10

38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

I always thought this was interesting, Jesus spoke these would before HE was nailed to a cross. Now today we can look at this verse and understand that too “take up ones cross” means to live for him daily, to worship him daily, AND maybe even to die for him. But in this time, speaking to the 12, at this point they did not know that he would be nailed to a cross.

But even though they didn’t know that he would go to a cross, they were very familiar with this wooden killing machine. To be killed on a cross was the most painful, slowest, kind of death there was. They knew of people being killed on the cross because it was the form of execution that the Roman government used. So when Jesus told them to pick up their cross and follow him, he was saying get ready for die for me. And if you can’t pick up your cross, you are not worthy of me.

I don’t know if you or I will ever come to a place where we need to die for the gospel, but if we want to be counted worthy of him, we should be ready.

IF WE ARE TO BE LIKE HIM, WE WILL BE TREATED LIKE HIM.

English Standard Version Chapter 10

39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

This is pretty easy to understand. You find your life? In other words, do you want to do whatever is necessary to keep your life, even if it means denying him, or not standing up for him, or not acknowledging him… if you want to turn away from him because you want to preserve your life, you will eternally lose it.

But, if you count your life as only important for the sake of HIM, then you will find it eternally.

You see, you have to choose a side. You have to make a choice. not co

In verse 40, Jesus now begins to end his conversation with his 12 about their going out.

English Standard Version Chapter 10

40 “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. 41 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. 42 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.”

From the time Jesus began talking to show them and us, what it means to be a gospel, most of his wasn’t good. They things his said brought danger to the one who would stay strong.

they would be flogged (vs. 17)

family would give other family members over to death (vs. 21)

you will be hated (vs. 23)

persecuted (vs. 23)

they could kill their body (vs. 28)

family would disown other family members (vs. 37)

All of these things, can be looked as negative, not very pleasant. But now Jesus says there is a positive side.

He says “whosoever receives you, receives me, and whoever receives me, receives the one who sent me (vs. 40)

When you go out, and you acknowledge Jesus and others hear the gospel because of your obedience, some will listen and some will not. It is not our job to save them. We cannot save them. We cannot use offer them salvation.

The Bible says there is only one way to the Father, and that is through Jesus. Not through Dad, or through you. A true disciple understands that it is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that someone comes to salvation.

Jesus told his disciples as he was preparing to ascend into heaven

English Standard Version Chapter 16

8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me;

Even a very good preacher, cannot move people to heaven. Only the Holy Spirit that has already begun a work on them. And when someone is open to hear the gospel that you preach, them they are open to Jesus, and ultimately open to the Lord God.

As a disciple you are carrying the good news of Jesus Christ. You are his ambassador, you are his representation. So how someone accepts you, is how they will accept him.

English Standard Version (Chapter 10)

42 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.”

Sometimes we can look at a verse of Scripture and miss the entire point. So if someone gives you cold water, they will be rewarded with eternity in heaven? Is that what it means? No. This idea of giving someone cold water is the same is welcoming them, hearing what they have to say. So in the case of the disciple going out with the good news of Jesus, giving a cup of cold water means to hear what they say, and if they are being moved by the Holy Spirit, following Christ through belief, confession, and salvation.

Jesus says, THAT person, will not lose his reward.

So, the title of this message was Choose a Side. And all through Chapter 10 we have seen what is expected of a disciple, AND what a disciple could face. Knowing this you have to choose a side. Knowing this you have to think in your mind, is being a disciple of Jesus Christ worth it.

Will be be worth it if one day I have to die for my belief?

Will it be worth it if one day my family will not want to see me?

Will it be worth it if my friends don’t want to be around me?

Which side will you choose?

Let me end this message by pointing back to verses 38 & 39...

English Standard Version Chapter 10

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.

Now lets take these two verses and see them another way… (The Message)

38–39 “If you don’t go all the way with me, through thick and thin, you don’t deserve me. If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you’ll find both yourself and me.