Sermon Tone Analysis

Important Instructions from Jesus Our King (Part 3)

The Gospel of Matthew

Matthew 10:24-33

Sermon by Rick Crandall

(Prepared February 8, 2022)

MESSAGE:

*Please open your Bibles to Matthew 10:24.

In this chapter, Jesus was about to send His Apostles out to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

The Lord commanded them to preach that the kingdom of Heaven was at hand.

And to confirm this vital message, Jesus gave the Apostles the power to perform mighty miracles in His name.

In Matthew 10:8 Jesus told them, "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons.

Freely you have received, freely give."

*This was their mission, but the Lord also filled this chapter with important instructions that still apply to His followers today.

1. FIRST: STRIVE TO BE LIKE OUR SAVIOR.

*This should be our greatest goal in life: To be more like our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

As the Lord said in vs. 24-25, "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.

It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. .

."

[1] HOW CAN WE BE MORE LIKE JESUS?

ONE WAY IS TO SERVE LIKE JESUS SERVED.

*Over in Matthew 20:26-28 Jesus said this to His followers:

26. . .

"Whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.

27.

And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave

28.

just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.''

*Jesus Christ is Lord of all!

But He came to earth with a servant heart.

And He wants us to have a heart like His, so again in vs. 25 Jesus said, "It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master."

*God designed the Christian life to be a life of serving the Lord with good works.

Paul put it this way in Ephesians 2:8-10: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."

[2] IF WE ARE GOING TO BE LIKE JESUS, WE SHOULD SERVE LIKE JESUS SERVED.

WE MAY ALSO BE ASKED TO SHARE IN HIS SUFFERING.

*This is why Jesus gave this warning in the last part of vs. 25, "If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub."

(Beelzebub was one of the names for Satan, the prince of the evil spirits.)

"If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!"

*The world's hatred for Jesus spills over to His followers, so William Barclay said, "We not only share His glory but His agony too."

(1)

*We see this kind of suffering in the Book of Acts, when Saul did everything he could to persecute the church.

Then Jesus appeared to Saul on the Damascus Road to save him and transform him into the Apostle Paul.

And when the Lord appeared to Saul in Acts 9:4, Jesus did not say, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting My church."

No. Jesus asked, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?"

*Christians: When we suffer for Jesus Christ, the Lord takes our suffering as His own.

We truly are sharing in His suffering.

So, years later when Paul wrote to the Christians in Colosse, he said, "I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for His body, the church."

(Colossians 1:24 NLT)

*If you are like me, you would have to say, "I'm not even close to that kind of wisdom, love, and commitment."

But God will help us, and Jesus wants us to strive to be more like our Savior.

2. CHURCH: HE ALSO WANTS US TO FOCUS ON FEARING THE LORD.

*Jesus talked about two kinds of fear in vs. 25-28, and here He said:

25. "It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master.

If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!

26.

Therefore do not fear them.

For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.

27.

Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops.

28.

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.

But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."

*The Lord tells us not to be afraid of the persecutors, because they can only hurt us for a while.

But there is a proper kind of fear, and that is a holy and reverent fear toward God.

This is the kind of fear we need, because our God is not a fuzzy, fluffy teddy bear.

*Yes, God is compassionate, kind, and merciful, but at the same time He is the holy, sovereign, Almighty God of the whole universe!

God is not to be treated lightly.

Hebrews 12:28-29 gives this caution to believers, "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.

For our God is a consuming fire."

*No wonder we should have holy reverence for God.

But godly fear is the great missing ingredient in American society today.

That's why so many people mock God.

But we must not mock God.

Rather, we should humble ourselves before God and exalt Him in the highest.

*But isn't God our friend?

The answer is yes!

God is the Best Friend we will ever have!

In John 15:13, Jesus said, "Greater love has no man than this, that He lay down His life for His friends."

And this is exactly what Jesus did for us when He died on the cross.

*But in the Old Testament, the man best known as the Friend of God was Abraham.

And in Genesis 22:12, when Abraham had that knife raised to sacrifice his son Isaac, God said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; FOR NOW I KNOW THAT YOU FEAR GOD, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me."

*Abraham feared the Lord.

And we could say, well that was in the Old Testament.

But here in vs. 28, Jesus was warning His disciples coming persecution.

Jesus could see into the future, and He knew how they were going to suffer.

He could see every blow, every cut, every bruise, every tear they would cry.

They had reason to be afraid of their persecutors.

But in vs. 28, Jesus said, "Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.

But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."

*The fear of the Lord is a good thing.

It doesn't crush our spirit.

It puts us on the right path in life.

It doesn't hurt us.

It helps us.

Godly fear doesn't blot out the mercy of God.

It helps us see our great need for His mercy.

*We sing: "Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!"

But the second verse of that song says, "T'was grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved.

How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed."

(2)

*God deserves all of our reverence and our respect.

So, Jesus wants us to keep focused on fearing the Lord.

3. HE ALSO WANTS US TO BE ENCOURAGED BY HOW MUCH GOD TREASURES OUR LIVES.

*This is the Lord's instruction for us in vs. 29-31, where Jesus said:

29.

"Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?

And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will.

30.

But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

31.

Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."

*How much is your life worth?