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Can you imagine your own family standing against you because you stand up for the Gospel of Jesus? The first followers of Jesus were confronted by their own people & families wanting to see them dead. When King Herod beheaded the apostle James, the Jews approved, so Herod planned to do the same to the apostle Peter (Acts 12:1-3). 

Why such HATRED?

Followers of Jesus aren’t hated because they’re hateful (or at least they shouldn’t be); followers of Jesus are hated because people hate the Gospel message of Jesus.

• The Gospel confronts & rips apart the “I’m a pretty good person” argument. The Gospel message is: “You are a sinner in need of God’s forgiveness OR you will face eternal punishment.” This was John the Baptist’s message to King Herod. It was the message of Jesus and His disciples. Sharing this message is guaranteed to make enemies.

Counting the Cost means Following Jesus & Facing Persecution to Get the Gospel to Others.

But, there is an eternal promise attached, the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. Are we WILLING to give our lives to the end? This doesn’t mean that all people will reject us and the Gospel message, because many will respond to the good news. But Jesus prepares His followers for the reality of tough times that were on the way.

Who is YOU? This still seems to be intended for the apostles during their lifetimes. If the first followers of Jesus were able to avoid jail or martyrdom, they should flee - run away to a different place. 

• Is the phrase “the Son of Man comes” referring to the 2nd coming of Jesus? Nope. This ‘coming’ would have to happened in the 1st century while the apostles were still alive, before THEY finished going through the towns of Israel. Instead, before the apostles finish evangelizing/being run out of all the towns of Israel, “the Son of Man comes.”

So, this seems to be referencing Jesus’ future “coming” judgment on Jerusalem (70 AD, when the Romans would destroy Jerusalem, kill many Jews, and take many captive. (more about this in Matthew 24)

Beelzebul (Hebrew pun on the name of a Philistine god meaning “lord of the flies/dung”) was a term for the devil. Remember how the Pharisees earlier called Jesus “the prince of demons” (Mt 9:34).? If they thought Jesus was the devil, then what will they think of His disciples?

Disciples of Jesus are NOT to be afraid of mankind. The threat of persecution is not to keep disciples of Jesus silent, but we are to take what Jesus has said in secret and proclaim it to the world! Fear of people who can kill the body won’t keep us silent. Instead, we are to be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 

Who is THAT? It’s NOT the devil. He is NOT in control of hell. One day He will be bound there - forever (Rev 20:10-11). Rather, we should be afraid of the God of the universe, who will judge us. Yes, GOD WILL SEND people to hell. 

On that day of judgment everything done in secret will be revealed before the God who sees & hears it all! 

• We can shut up and be afraid of people who can only kill the body but not the soul.  
• We can refuse to silence the Gospel message because we have a healthy fear of God, who can send both soul and body in hell. 

›We must count the cost, and choose whether to fear God more than man and that means...Following Jesus & Facing Persecution to Get the Gospel to Others.

God knows when a sparrow falls to the ground. 2 sparrows were only worth one penny (Gr assurion) - that’s 1/16 of a daily wage - 1 sparrow was only worth 1/32 of a daily wage. If God is aware of the circumstances of such small birds with so little value, you don’t need to be afraid of your circumstances, because…YOU ARE SUPER VALUABLE - made in His image!

We must acknowledge the Lord Jesus everyday in every way. We are NOT to be ashamed of our King nor His commands. The apostle Paul put it well when he wrote, 

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” (Rm 1:16 NIV)

Those ashamed of Jesus who disown Him before others will find themselves disowned as well.

• Do your friends and family recognize that you are NOT ashamed of Jesus - that He really is Lord over your life?

Jesus quotes from Micah 7:6 to prepare His followers for the reality that following Jesus will bring division (sword) between them and others. 

• It is not God’s desire for families to be at war. We are commanded to honor our parents and children are commanded to lead and love their children. But, our family is NEVER to have 1st place in our lives. That priority position belongs to ONE - the ONE who gave His life for us.

Followers of Jesus are to pledge their allegiance to Him.

• We are to love Jesus more than we love our own family, friends, and country!
• We are to take up the cross and follow Jesus, a call to sacrifice, and dying to our selfish and sinful desires. It’s in losing our lives for Jesus’ sake that we find real life.
• Daniel Dickard “Me-centered Christianity rejects not the cross where Jesus died, but the cross where you too must die—just as he died. The way of Jesus requires that we take up our cross daily & follow Him.”
• How many who CLAIM to follow Jesus are actually COUNTING THE COST, choosing daily to love Him above all others - INCLUDING OURSELVES?

• Leon Morris writes, “Jesus is not speaking of a small service rendered to a great person, but of a small service rendered to a small person.”

The most simple act of service, done with the right motive, is seen & rewarded by the Lord Jesus! Those who serve the least significant followers of Jesus will be rewarded with forgiveness, eternal life, & His Presence forever! 

Think of the day you breathe your last, or the day that Jesus returns…

• Will Jesus be ashamed of you because you’ve been ashamed of Him? 
• Will Jesus claim you as HIS because you ARE?
• Will you be ashamed of your selfishness because your unwillingness to face persecution and get the gospel to others?
• OR…will all the sacrifices of your time, talents, treasure, and reputation…suddenly make sense?

›Today is the day to wrestle with those questions and do something about it. 

Take some time to discuss these questions with your family, friends, or group.

Take some time to discuss these questions with your family, friends, or group.

1. Read Matthew 10:21-22, 24-25. According to Jesus, why are Christians so hated by some in our culture? What would you say to a Christian who is hated not because they follow Jesus, but because they are unkind and unloving?
2. Read Matthew 10:26-28. Why do people fear mankind more than God (and vice versa). What are some characteristics of people who fear mankind more than God and vice-versa? What would you say to the person who says, “God doesn’t send people to hell. People send themselves.”?
3. Read Matthew 10:22, 29-33. What is the encouragement for the Christian who is faithful to Jesus? What is the warning for those who are NOT faithful to Jesus?
4. Read Matthew 10:34-37. On a scale of 1-10, how much do you love your parents or children? How about your love for Jesus (1-10)? Why must we love Jesus more than our family? Why is that so difficult to do? How can loving Jesus more than our family impact our parents, children, and grandchildren in a positive way?
5. Read Matthew 10:38-39. What does it mean for a contemporary Christian to “take up their cross and follow Jesus” mean? What does it mean to lose your life for Jesus’ sake and yet find life? Give examples of what that might look like.  
6. The last 2 weeks our BIG TRUTH has been: Counting the Cost means Following Jesus & Facing Persecution to Get the Gospel to Others. What would Jesus say to the person who claims Jesus but isn’t willing to follow Jesus nor share the Gospel with others? 
7. Read Matthew 10:40-42. How does this passage encourage you to care for and serve those who carry the gospel (like the apostles did), but also to serve the “little ones” who seem insignificant to many others?
8. What challenged or encouraged you most from today’s teaching? What does God want YOU to do with what we studied today? 
9. Share prayer needs and pray for one another.