Redeemer Church
Aug 16 Matt 10:34-42

      • Psalm 103:1ESV

  • In Christ Alone

      • Romans 5:7–8ESV

      • Romans 8:38–39ESV

  • How Deep The Father's Love For Us

      • Matthew 10:34–42ESV

      • Isaiah 9:6ESV

      • John 14:27ESV

      • Romans 5:1ESV

      • 2 Timothy 4:8ESV

  • Revelation Song

      • 2 Thessalonians 3:18ESV

  • Intro

    Over the last several weeks, we have been walking through Matthew 10,
    where Jesus commissions His twelve disciples and sends them out to proclaim the arrival of His kingdom.
    And Jesus has been remarkably honest with them.
    He has told them what to preach.
    He has told them what to expect.
    And He has warned them that following Him will not always be easy.
    They will face rejection.
    They will face opposition.
    They will be misunderstood.
    They will even be persecuted because they bear His name.
    And now, as Jesus brings this commissioning discourse to a close,
    He takes the issue of discipleship even deeper.
    He isn't simply telling them, "Go preach My message."
    He's telling them, "If you are going to follow Me, I must have first place in your life."
    That raises an important question:
    What is Jesus worth to you?
    Is he worth the risk?
    Is he worth the hardship?
    Is he worth the persecution?
    C.S. Lewis gives us a memorable picture of this in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
    When Susan first hears about Aslan, she asks Mr. Beaver a very natural question:
    "Is he—quite safe?"
    And Mr. Beaver responds:
    "Safe? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good."
    That's a fascinating distinction.
    We naturally want the things that are good to also be safe.
    We want following the right path to make our lives easier.
    We want, doing what is right, to protect us from difficulty.
    And sometimes, without even realizing it, we can begin to think of Christianity that way.
    "If I follow Jesus,
    my life should become more comfortable.
    My family should be happier.
    My circumstances should be easier."
    But Jesus never makes that promise.
    In fact, in the passage before us today, Jesus tells His disciples almost the opposite.
    He says that following Him may bring division rather than peace.
    It may put a believer at odds with his own family.
    It may cost us our comfort, our reputation, and our possessions.
    And He goes so far as to say that following Him means taking up a cross.
    But Jesus isn't trying to scare His disciples away.
    He isn’t simply the worst recruiter in history...
    He's teaching them something far more important:
    Jesus is worthy of our complete allegiance, regardless of the cost.
    And the wonderful thing about this passage is that Jesus doesn't simply tell us what discipleship will cost us.
    He also tells us what we gain—
    and He assures us that whatever we surrender for His sake will never ultimately be lost.
    So as we come to Matthew 10:34–42,
    I want us to see three costly commitments of kingdom discipleship:
    Supreme Allegiance — Christ above family
    Sacrificial Submission — Christ above comfort
    Certain Reward — Christ honors those who belong to Him
    Let's turn together to Matthew 10:34–42.
    This is God’s word
    Prayer

    I. Supreme Allegiance - Christ Above Family

    The first few verses of this are a bit startling to hear...
    Isaiah 9:6 ESV
    For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
    Prince of Peace seems like a relatively peaceful fellow...
    Not the name you give to the warriors...
    John 14:27 ESV
    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.
    I thought Jesus was promised to bring peace??
    So what does Jesus mean here?
    He is NOT saying:
    “I came to make people violent.”
    He is saying:
    “The arrival of the King and his kingdom will inevitably divide people.”
    Gospel does bring peace...God/Sinners...
    Romans 5:1 ESV
    Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
    Does not necessarily bring peace between believers and unbelievers.
    Jesus gets very specific

    A. The Gospel can divide the closest relationships

    vs 35
    man/father
    daughter/mother
    daughter-in-law/mother-in-law
    Gospel does NOT create division because:
    Obnoxious
    rude
    stuck up
    holier than thou
    combative
    Creates division because Christ demands a response.
    A father might say, “you must reject Christ!”
    The son says, “ I can’t, I belong to Christ!”
    That conflict isn’t just about the son choosing Christ instead of loving his father.
    it’s the fact that Jesus claims an authority greater than his father.

    B. Jesus demands greater loyalty than family

    Vs 37 is the key to understanding this passage.
    Read it.
    Notice Jesus doesn’t say:
    “Whoever loves father or mother isn’t worthy of me.”
    Problem is loving them MORE than Christ...
    This is important to wrestle with
    Scripture gives tremendous importance and weight to family
    Commanded to honor father and mother
    Husbands commanded to sacrificially love their wife.
    Parents commanded to lovingly raise their children.
    But none of those relationships can occupy Christ’s throne!
    The christian doesn’t love his family less because he must love Jesus
    He loves his family RIGHTLY because he loves Jesus first. Amen?
    This is especially important in a passage about evangelism.
    Sometimes following Jesus will mean:
    Your family doesn't understand your convictions.
    Your children may reject the faith you taught them.
    Your parents may oppose your Christianity.
    Your spouse may not share your commitment to Christ.
    Your commitment to biblical truth may cost you relationships
    Jesus is saying:
    Don’t let even the best earthly relationship become an idol.
    Imagine a husband saying,
    “I love my wife so much, I would never allow Christ to come between us.”
    Sounds noble...
    Jesus says the opposite.
    He says that if your wife were to tell you:
    You must deny Christ to stay with me, You MUST CHOOSE CHRIST.
    Christ doesn’t simply ask to be part of your life
    Not to just come into your heart and be an afterthought in your decisions
    He asks to be FIRST.

    II. Sacrificial Submission - Christ Above Comfort

    Vs 38 takes the argument a bit further
    Read it.
    One of those places...Modern Christianity Softens Jesus’ words
    When we say
    “Everyone has their cross to bear.”
    We mean:
    I have an annoying boss
    My car keeps breaking down
    I have some health issues
    Jesus is NOT using Cross as a metaphor for an unfortunate circumstance.
    This audience KNEW what a cross was
    Instrument of public torture and execution.
    Jesus is saying:
    Following me means being willing to die to yourself, and possibly die rather than denying me.
    The Cross represents
    Self Denial
    Suffering
    rejection
    death
    And notice the order:
    Take your cross → follow Me.
    The cross isn't the destination.
    Jesus is.
    Verse 39
    "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."
    This is one of the great paradoxes of Christianity.
    The world says:
    "Find yourself."
    Jesus says:
    "Lose yourself."
    The world says:
    "Protect your life."
    Jesus says:
    "Give your life to Me."
    The world says:
    "Do whatever makes you happy."
    Jesus says:
    "Take up your cross and follow Me."
    And Jesus says that the person who gives everything to Christ is actually the person who finds true life.
    Jesus is progressively moving inward:
    Family → self
    It's one thing to say:
    "I am willing to disappoint my family for Jesus."
    It's another thing to say:
    "I am willing to deny myself for Jesus."
    That's a true disciple.
    Are you willing to deny yourself and serve Christ?
    Are you willing to do hard things for the sake of the kingdom?
    Tell kids all the time, Just because Hard...
    In fact, likely means it is worthwhile.
    Reminded of a scene from the movie Troy...
    Achilles/little boy
    “he is the biggest man I have ever seen. I wouldn’t want to fight him.”
    “That’s why no one will remember your name.”
    Theodore Roosevelt once said,
    “There has never yet been a man who led a life of ease whose name is worth remembering.”

    III. Certain Reward

    vv. 40–42
    This is a fascinating shift.
    Jesus has spent much of the chapter telling His disciples:
    "You're going to be rejected."
    Now He ends by saying:
    But don't think your labor is unnoticed.
    Verse 40:
    "Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me."
    There is a chain of identification:
    Receive the disciples → receive Christ → receive the Father.
    The disciples are Christ's representatives.
    This is ultimately about the authority of the message they carry.
    But then Jesus talks about rewards.
    Verse 41
    "The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward..."
    The person who supports God's messenger participates in the blessing associated with that ministry.
    Then verse 42:
    "And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple..."
    Jesus goes from prophets to righteous people to little ones.
    In other words:
    God sees even the smallest acts of faithfulness done for His people.
    A cup of cold water seems insignificant.
    But Jesus says:
    "He will by no means lose his reward."
    That's a tremendous encouragement.
    The disciples may be rejected by some.
    But they are received by God.
    Their work may appear insignificant.
    But God sees it.
    Their sacrifices may never be recognized by men.
    But God rewards them.
    We have talked before about the idea of rewards so I won’t go too deep here...but to be brief
    "When Scripture speaks of rewards, we shouldn't think of God as paying us what He owes us. We should think of a gracious Father who delights to reward what His own grace has produced in His children. Christ is our supreme and ultimate reward, but that doesn't mean Scripture denies all other rewards. Rather, every reward ultimately magnifies the grace of Christ, because even the obedience God rewards is obedience that He Himself enabled."
    Helpful analogy
    Father gives son
    money
    tools
    mower
    weed eater
    instructions
    Opportunity to mow the lawn
    After the father gives him $20 and says Great Job!
    The son actually mowed the lawn
    the reward is genuinely connected to his obedience
    But can the son really say:
    “You owe me $20. I mowed the lawn all on my own.”??
    The entire thing was enabled by the father.
    That is essentially the biblical doctrine of rewards.
    The very fact that God rewards our obedience at all is an expression of His grace.
    Paul says in:
    2 Timothy 4:8 ESV
    Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.
    BUT in Rev 4:10 we see the elders casting their crowns before the throne of Christ
    That is the picture
    God rewards his people
    When his people receive those rewards
    they don’t stand in heaven and shout:
    Look what I have earned!
    They throw the crowns back at the feet of Jesus.
    Even our rewards are occasions for worship!
    This pattern makes vs 42 incredibly beautiful
    The disciple gives a cup of cold water.
    God supplies the grace to give it.
    God sees the act.
    God rewards the act.
    And ultimately, the disciple lays the reward at Christ's feet.
    So grace is the beginning,
    grace is the means,
    grace produces the obedience,
    grace gives the reward—
    and Christ is the treasure at the end of it all. Amen somebody!
    Brothers and sisters, If you leave here remembering one thing, let it be this:
    Jesus is worthy of everything
    He is worth:
    losing family relationships,
    losing personal comfort,
    losing reputation,
    losing security,
    even losing your life.
    And then Jesus assures us:
    You will never lose by losing for Him.
    Jesus never promises that following Him will cost us nothing;
    He promises that whatever it costs us will never compare with what we gain in Him.

    Communion

Redeemer Church
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