Matthew 10:27-42 Carry Your Cross
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Intro:
Intro:
Arthur Blessitt is known as the man who has carried the cross walking across every nation
In the late 1960s, Blessitt began preaching in Hollywood, California. There he became known as the "Minister of Sunset Strip".
In March 1968, he opened a coffee house called His Place in a rented building next door to a topless go-go club.
Blessitt made a cross in 1968 to hang on the wall of "His Place" on Sunset Strip, Hollywood, and made short cross walks in that area.
On December 25, 1969, he began his journey with the cross, walking from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C.
Speaking of his inspiration for the walks, he said he "heard the voice of Jesus calling him to walk to every nation.
Blessitt has carried the cross to all parts of the world.
During the Cold War, he carried his cross into the Soviet Union, through Russia, the Baltic States, Ukraine and other countries.
He has carried the cross through such places as Iraq, North Korea, Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan, & China
He has met numerous world and religious leaders including, George W. Bush, Billy Graham, &Pope John Paul II.
He was arrested 24 times and lost his cross twice
On June 13, 2008, Blessitt walked his 38,102nd mile in Zanzibar, completing the goal he had set for himself
Blessit took scripture literally when Jesus says to pick up your cross and follow me
If you want to define Discipleship down to one easy to remember phrase it is, “Carry Your Cross.”
Read Matthew 10:27-31
Read Matthew 10:27-31
Transition:
The true disciple of Jesus Christ not only emulates his Master but is also not afraid of the world.
Three times in this section Jesus says, do not fear.
In light of what He had just promised, His exhortation not to be afraid was in order
We are warned in Proverbs that “the fear of man brings a snare” (29:25).
Fear of what people may think, say, or do has strangled many testimonies and hindered much service in the Lord’s name.
Human nature wants to avoid problems
Christians who have fallen prey to today’s great emphasis on self-preservation find it especially difficult to confront sinful society with the demands and standards of the gospel.
Continued refusal to confront the world gives strong evidence that a professed believer may not belong to Christ at all.
Believers should never be afraid of the world because they know God will one day vindicate them
Why should we worry about unpopularity in this life when we know we will be fully vindicated in the next?
The world is highly successful at illusion and deception.
It can make an impressive and convincing case for sin by covering it over with seemingly good motives and helpful benefits.
The world puts the best face on wickedness and the worst face on righteousness.
What does carrying your cross mean?
I. Acknowledge Jesus vs. 27-33
I. Acknowledge Jesus vs. 27-33
You carry your cross by Acknowledging Jesus before the World
Jesus gives us four ways we can acknowledge him
vs. 27 By Proclaiming the Gospel
The first way you acknowledge him is by Proclaiming the Gospel
Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops:
The message of Jesus was gloriously public.
It was not for a secret few and was not to be hidden in any way.
There isn’t one message for the inner circle and another for those on the outside.
Those on the outside may not understand the message, but they can hear it and it is not to be hidden from them.
Christians are not elite defenders of man-made secrets but bold proclaimers of God-given truth.
Secrecy has no part in the gospel.
In Jesus’ day a person shouting from housetops could be heard for a great distance.
Both official and personal announcements were often publicized by that means.
The objective of shouting from the housetop was to be heard by as many people as possible
vs. 28 By Fearing the Right person
The second way to acknowledge Jesus is by Fearing the Right person
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: God is the one to fear, not the men who persecute the followers of Jesus.
The worst they can do is to destroy the body, but being a coward before God can have eternal consequences.
vs. 29-31 By Knowing Your Worth
The third way to acknowledge Jesus is by knowing your worth.
Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows:
Jesus’ disciples didn’t need to be afraid, because God really did care for them, even down to the most minute detail.
If God cares for the sparrows, and numbers the very hairs of our head, then He will also pay careful attention to our needs.
This is a continual count
There are four women in our house
Evidenced by the shower drain, the plumbing bills, and the vacumn bag they are constantly losing hair
God knows how many hairs you have even though the count is constantly changing
The persecuted easily feel that God forgets them, but He has not.
The emphasis in this short section is clearly “do not fear.”
Each individual Christian life should supply enough evidence – evidence that can be seen by the world – that they are indeed Christians.
It is to be feared that many modern Christians, if arrested for the crime of following Jesus and tried in a court, would have the charges dismissed for a lack of evidence.
vs. 32-33 Don’t Deny
The final way that we acknowledge Jesus is don’t deny Him
If you acknowledge Jesus before men He will acknowledge you before His father
There will be a lot of good church people who will not be in heaven because they don’t acknowledge Jesus outside of the church walls
Jesus will say “Depart from me for I never knew you.”
II. Are You Worthy? vs. 34-39
II. Are You Worthy? vs. 34-39
The next way that you carry your cross is by showing you are worthy
How do you show you are worthy?
Will you follow Jesus when there in not peace in your family?
Will you carry the cross?
Will you lose your life?
vs. 34-37 A House Divided
Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword:
The message of Jesus – as reflected in the Sermon on the Mount – is indeed a message of peace.
Yet since it calls the individual to a radical commitment to Jesus Himself, it is a message of peace that divides between those who choose it and those who reject it.
The division between these two choices explains how Jesus did not come to bring peace but a sword.
My family and I have been lied about, ignored, and left out of events by family members who profess to know Jesus Christ.
They have tried to use family favor or guilt to get us to cave
It hasn’t been easy but God always provided a way
He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me:
In strong terms, Jesus explained that the disciple must love and follow Jesus supremely.
Our devotion to Jesus must come above even our own household.
vs. 38 Pick up your cross
The disciple must follow Jesus even to the place of taking his cross.
When a person took a cross in Jesus’ day, it was for one reason: to die.
The ancient Roman cross did not negotiate, did not compromise, and did not make deals.
There was no looking back when you took up your cross, and your only hope was in resurrection life.
This is the first mention of the cross in Matthew’s Gospel, and it is not directly associated with Jesus’ own crucifixion.
Such an extreme statement – likening discipleship with the horror of crucifixion, something too terrible to be mentioned in polite company – must have jarred the disciples.
vs. 39 Lose Your Life
He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it:
The disciple lives in a paradox.
He can only find life by losing it, and he can only live by dying.
Resurrection life can only come after we take up our cross to follow Jesus.
III. Claiming Your Reward vs. 40-42
III. Claiming Your Reward vs. 40-42
The result of carrying your cross is claiming your reward
vs. 40
vs. 41-42
He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward:
We can share in the reward of God’s servants by supporting them in their work.
Even seemingly insignificant works of kindness (a cup of cold water) performed for God’s people are meaningful in God’s eyes.