Matthew 10:34-39 | The World Behind Me, The Cross Before Me

Hector Franco

The Cost of Following Jesus • Sermon • Submitted 6 months ago • Presented 6 months ago

Matthew 10:34–39

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Two powerful questions I was confronted with this week:

Do I really believe Jesus meant everything He said, and if I did, how would my life look any different?

Danger: You and I can talk about following Jesus without following Jesus.

Illustration: Take the trash out!

I wrote it down

I have as art on my wall, “Take the trash out!

I have even memorize it

I can conjugate the verb “to take” in both English and Spanish

My siblings and I are going to start a study group to go over the importance of taking the trash out.

Did you take the trash out? “You mean you actually expected me to do it?”

I came across a book called Provocations written by a Danish scholar named Soren Kierkegaard (SK). He makes statements that are both profound and uncomfortable. (Splashing cold water on our faces)

“The matter is quite simple. The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand we are obliged to act accordingly. Take any words in the New Testament and forget every thing except pledging yourself to act accordingly. My God, you will say, if I do that my whole life will be ruined. How would I ever get on in the world?” Soren Kierkegaard

In our passage today we find this profound, life changing truth.

Jesus is the supreme King who demands full commitment and devotion from his disciples.

A disciple is someone who places his/her full commitment and devotion to Jesus over any relationship

There is a cost for following Jesus. Our passage today begins with strong words.

Matthew 10:34 “34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.”

This is a shocking statement!

We know that Jesus is for peace.

Isaiah 9:6 “6 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.”

John 14:27 “27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.

Context is key. When Jesus says, “I have not come to bring peace, but a sword,” he is talking about the cost of following Jesus. That is, in your decision to follow Jesus you will experience opposition even from family members.

Jesus is the supreme King who demands full commitment and devotion from his disciples.

Naturally this creates a division, a splitting the world in two.

Luke 12:51 “51 Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.”

He is talking to Jews who are divided regarding the question, who is Jesus? The world is divided into basically two camps: He is God incarnate: The Way, the Truth, and the Life. The one who died, was buried and rose again on the third day. Or He is simply another teacher. A good teacher at best and a crazy teacher at worst.

In other words Jesus is either Lord or Lunatic.

The people in Jesus day was divided regarding the identity of Jesus. Even his own family rejected and opposed him.

Mark 3:21 “21 And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.””

John 7:5 “5 For not even his brothers believed in him.”

What happens when you have a family where some members believe that Jesus is the way of salvation while other family members reject him?

Matthew 10:35–36 “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.”

Here you have five family members living under the same roof divided because some made decision to follow Jesus while others reject Jesus as the Messiah.

A disciple is someone who places his/her full commitment and devotion to Jesus over any relationship

This is how Jesus put it in v. 37:

Matthew 10:37 “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.”

Our full commitment and devotion is to Jesus and Jesus alone.

Let us together with Peter and apostles declare, “We must obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29)

If the choice is between a parent or Christ, the parent’s wish, no matter how ardent, should be rejected; if between a child or Christ, the child’s wish, no matter how vehement must be overridden. This must be done out of predominating love for Christ. - William Hendriksen

One of the stories I read this week is called The Martyrdom of St. Perpetua and Felicitas.

The story tells the about the martyrdom of six Christians arrested for their faith. The events took place in North Africa in 202 or 203.

During the time of the Roman Empire, Christians were required to sacrifice for “the welfare of the emperors” during the persecution that broke out. 22 yr old Perpetua refused. Her father pleaded with her to recant.

“While we were still under arrest (she said) my father out of love for me was trying to persuade me and shake my resolution. 'Father,' said I, 'do you see this vase here, for example, or waterpot or whatever?'

'Yes, I do', said he.

And I told him: 'Could it be called by any other name than what it is?'

And he said: 'No.'

'Well, so too I cannot be called anything other than what I am, a Christian.'

At this my father was so angered by the word 'Christian' that he moved towards me as though he would pluck my eyes out. But he left it at that and departed, vanquished along with his diabolical arguments.

A few days later there was a rumour that we were going to be given a hearing. My father also arrived from the city, worn with worry, and he came to see me with the idea of persuading me.

'Daughter,' he said, 'have pity on my grey head--have pity on me your father, if I deserve to be called your father, if I have favoured you above all your brothers, if I have raised you to reach this prime of your life. Do not abandon me to be the reproach of men. Think of your brothers, think of your mother and your aunt, think of your child, who will not be able to live once you are gone. Give up your pride! You will destroy all of us! None of us will ever be able to speak freely again if anything happens to you.'

Perpertua along with Felicita and three others refused to renounce their Christian faith. For their unwillingness, all were sent to the public games in the amphitheater where they died.

Perpetua loved Jesus more than her dad, even her own baby.

A disciple is someone who places his/her full commitment and devotion to Jesus over any relationship

Second

A disciple is someone who places his/her full commitment and devotion to Jesus over personal comfort.

Matthew 10:38–39 “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.”

Matthew 16:24 (t-shirt)“24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

Luke 9:23–24 “23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”

To deny myself is to place my full commitment and devotion to Jesus over personal comfort

In other words, I no longer live for myself but for Jesus.

When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die. Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Galatians 2:20 “20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

At the cross I finally discover true life.

The message of the world is, “You do you!”

The message of the cross is, Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

Jim Elliot

While at student at Wheaton College, Jim Elliot read the words of Luke 9 and took them seriously. During his senior year, (22 yrs old) he wrote on his journal these now famous words, “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

God called Jim and his wife Elizabeth Elliot to take the gospel to an unreached people group, the Waodomi in Ecuador.

Unfortunately, he and his four associates were killed by the warriors before they could share with them. Jim was 28 years old. He was survived by his wife, Elisabeth, and their 10-month-old daughter Valerie.

Years later, a young man traveling in Ecuador flew in a small plane over the country. The pilot knew of Jim Elliot’s ministry.

“When we fly over the place where Jim Elliot and the others died, show me.” the man said to the pilot.

“I can’t take you there,” replied he pilot.

“Why not?”

“Because Jim Elliot did not die in Ecuador.”

Perplexed, the young man remarked, “Yes, I know Jim Elliot died here in Ecuador.”

“Jim Elliot’s body died in South America,” the pilot said, “but Jim Elliot died while a college student at Wheaton College several years before when he yielded his life to God no matter the consequences.” (Earley & Dempsey, Disciple making is)

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

Conclusion:

Romans 6:3–11 “3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”

“If you want to be popular, don’t be on any boards and instead sell ice cream.”