Would you take your Bibles and turn with me to the Gospel of Matthew chapter 10? The Scripture lesson this morning starts at verse 32 and I'll be reading on down to verse 39 If you're using a few Bible, you'll find it on page 848 Matthew chapter 10 Verses 32 through 39 Now hear the word of God Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my father in heaven But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my father in heaven Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth I did not come to bring peace but a sword I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter in law against her mother in law A man's enemies will be members of his own household Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me Is not worthy of me Anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me Is not worthy of me And anybody who does not take his costs and follow me is not worthy of me Whoever finds his life will lose it and whoever loses his life from my sake will find it thus far The reading and hearing of God's holy words
I'll let you turn to Matthew chapter 10 as we continue our study in the Gospel according to Matthew We've been here for over a year. We're going to be here for a while longer While you're turning that passage, I have Something that's very very spiritual and significant To ask you Are you hot? I am about to burn up. I've seen several people out there saying it's my thermostat working, you know just you Uh, whoever's in the Northax or has control of it. Let's see if we can't turn on some air conditioning in this room
Before we look at this passage. I told you that question was significant
Before we look at this passage Let's pray and ask the one who was there that day sending out his disciples And he's here today sending out his disciples. Let's ask him to teach us
Our fallen heaven We've heard his voice before And it's made a difference in our lives somehow even
Hundreds and hundreds of people are here and work from all different situations
Somehow he's able to speak to us individually so that we can walk from here Thinking You know, we spoke to me this morning that message was for me Father, I can't teach that way We are dependent upon your grace to teach us our greatest fear is that we would come here And there would be no food for our souls There would be nothing to strengthen us from the inside out nothing to change us nothing to grow us We pray our Father that this morning we would hear the sweet voice of Christ and it would speak powerfully to our hearts That's our prayer in Jesus name He meant What is the costless choice You have ever made The words of Matthew 10 34 through 39 Changed my view of Christ Changed my view of the Christian life forever There is a before and an after in my own Christian life and this passage Stay in square in the middle of the before and after Let me tell you about the before Do you believe in the deity of Jesus? So did I in the before Do you believe that Jesus died on a cross for your sin so did I in the before Do you believe Jesus rose from the grave? So did I And I was a Christian But then one day I read Matthew 10 verses 34 through 39 I had read it before I had seen it before but this time the words were 10 feet high and the words literally attacked me From that page I had believed that Jesus was a nice guy God Who could live with anyone and get along with just about anything In his grace he would cut up with anything He would take just anything we would offer him from our lives as long as we knew we were sinners and it's he and he was a savior That was the important factor Everything would be copacetic Then I read these words
and suddenly a tough fierce Confrontational demanding Jesus Start through my two lips had never understood
That Jesus was this demanding that he was this tough that he was this confrontational What was happening? We've seen it in Matthew 10 over the last few weeks Jesus was sending out his disciples on a trial run This was not the end of his life. This was not when the Great Commission came They had been watching his ministry now for about a year
But it was their turn now It was their turn to minister And so he sends them out not very far
And we answered the question how do we take the gospel and to such a huge world And we saw several principles that he told his disciples that would encourage them as they faced the Hugeness of the world and taking the gospel out Then Jesus with verse 16 changed the message and he said by the way you're going into a hostile world And he talked to them about some facts and principles that would encourage them as they took the gospel to a world that would not be friendly But now with verses with with verse 32 He's saying by the way Here is the gospel you were taking out there
It's not just a little bit of Pavlo
It's not saying nod in God or give God a little nod Look in his direction every once in a while Guys you will be calling a huge and hostile world to me Be sure you get it right when you tell them what it means to follow Jesus Be sure you get it right when you tell them here is what it means to be a Christian Do you know what it means to be a Christian? Most of us would say this morning believe on the Lord Jesus Christ Should be saved we've wandered those words down so much though that they didn't they don't mean today What Jesus meant the church has lost this in our world You know There's something wrong when it's harder to get in the University of North Carolina than it is to follow Jesus There's something wrong When it's easier to follow Jesus than it is to be a Marine It's more difficult to get through medical school today than it is to follow Jesus Jesus rules for membership today are not near as stringent As the country clubs are the SAE's rules for membership But that's not what Jesus originally said go back to this passage you won't believe What he says Let's look at he says following me will cost you your peace look at verse 34 Do not suppose that I've come to bring peace on earth those are strange words Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace on earth I did not come to bring peace but a soil I have come to turn a man against his father a daughter against her mother a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law A man's enemies will be the members of his own household Don't think that I've come to bring peace to your life It's just the opposite I will bring trouble not Jesus the peacemaker But Jesus the trouble maker housing the trouble maker. I'll tell you how a lady a few years ago my former pastor it an older lady She had several children my age She was wealthy she had a very strong self-image she was secure She wasn't a member of the church and she would come infrequently And I knew what the facts were I knew that when she When I saw her sitting in the pew I would know that her husband was out of town You see when we talked about the gospel she said John I could not possibly be a Christian. I cannot possibly become a Christian Because I think if I did it would cost me my marriage my husband would never live with it
What would she say if Jesus stormed into my life if he came into my life But I received him as my savior and my lord and my king It would cost them real problems in my marriage. Jesus said I've come and sometimes I will bring division between husband and wife
The surprising thing about it is that Jesus Did not pass this lady on the head and said that's all right. I understand And it's all right if you love your husband more than you do me
Jesus would have said Yes, you take the risk you love me first And let's see what happens a young woman engaged to be married She heard the gospel after they became engaged for the first time and became a Christian Her husband was very angry and as she said and talked to him about her faith She said look if you continue with this religion business religion the end was going to church on Sunday morning if you continue this religion business The marriage is off Not in the theater back After thinking about it for several days she went to him and she took off her engagement ring a young man She had dated for four years. She took off her engagement ring And she handed it to it Causes trouble. That's what he says here. He said he didn't say to her. Oh, you love this man for four years. It's all right You go ahead and marry him and put him first in your life and follow him It makes no difference. He didn't say that Several weeks ago two weeks ago I was talking to a man from Italy who was a businessman he had recently become a Christian He had several He owned several businesses in Italy and several business partners some of these enterprises involved Investments which would be inconsistent with being a Christian So he was going through the turmoil of divesting himself of some of these businesses and separating from some of his business partners
And we laughed because I said Through a translator I said doesn't sound like Jesus brought much peace to your life and he laughed He said no peace no peace Think about it if we met Jesus and followed him and our lives were basically unaffected What would be the difference between the Christian life and the non-Christian life between following him and not following him
If you want your life to be peaceful with the world if you want your life Not disturbing or not disturbed And don't follow Christ Don't let him near your life because he did not come to bring peace to a life that's been living in the world He won't do it Following me will cost you your peace but thanks With everything he says it gets worse listen to the next step Following me will cost you your dearest treasures look at verse 37 Anyone who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me It's not worthy of me Jesus deliberately chose the relationships that were closest to us in life and he said love me more Go home today in all honesty Sometimes it's painful and it might be pain for us afternoon, but sit down alone by yourself and say all right I'm going to write down my three first loves and write down what you love first in your life yourself Your wife your husband your mom and dad your children Your money your power what is what do you love first most of all right down to three Great loves and you're like the three treasures Jesus is going to walk up And he looks at what don't say what do you think Jesus wants to hear say what is actually true? Jesus in the walk up and whatever is number one if it's not him He's going to say you don't have first What's supposed to be first a dear friend of mine we're sitting in my office one day And this story had a great engine. He was sitting in my office one day And we were talking about this past I read in this passage and he had several children and he said Let me see that and he looked at it And he said John Jesus couldn't be serious. He's got to be speaking figuratively here He really doesn't expect me to love him more than I To my children. I love this guy's honesty I laughed. I said let me ask you question. What's the first commandment Is the first commandment is you should love the Lord your God with all your heart mind and soul What's the first command time the Lord your God you shall have no other gods before me And so I said what do you think he's speaking figuratively there Just how many gods does he allow you to have he says none
People Jesus is not speaking figuratively
He means this If you would follow me it means that you would love me more than you did your husband and your wife your parents and your children Your job your money whatever it is you love me first
John Bunyan John Bunyan The author of Pilgrims Progress Was ordered to stop preaching by the government Stop preaching or go to jail now what bothered him about this Here he was not jail he could take jail What bothered him was that he was married and he had several children One of those children was a blind girl named Mary He loved her most of all and they were very poor family. They didn't have much And he knew if he was in jail He knew The hardships that they would go through and how difficult it would be And so there was this tremendous turmoil. I love my family And I don't want to see them suffer, but I love Christ And I must preach because I have been commanded by Christ himself to preach
It just tore his life apart. Listen to what he said The parting with my wife and poor children has been to me as the pulling of flesh from my bones I'm grabbing as it's it's like my very flesh was being torn apart Not only because I am somewhat too fond of these great blessings The blessings of family and such But also because I have often brought to my mind Too many hardships, miseries and wants that my poor family Would endure Especially my poor blind child who lay near my heart And all I have besides all the thought of the hardship I thought my blind one might go under Broke my heart to be says But you know what John Thunyen went to jail and his family did suffer They supported him They cheered their daddy and they loved him
It doesn't stop folks. Sometimes we think this is one decision. You make one decision to love Christ And that's it now He will keep coming to your life and whatever sneaks up and and tries to get in number one in your life Jesus will suddenly walk in and he'll put that thing or that person beside of him and he'll say choose Ask Abraham Abraham was an older man. He was faithful. He was a man of God But Isaac is the only son I said he began to love him so much and God came to Abraham and he said hey, Abraham get rid of Isaac
Do you understand that this is the Jesus of the gospel?
What is the costless choice you've ever made? Jesus said following me will cost you your peace Jesus said following me will cost you your dearest treasures Thirdly, it gets worse I think those demands are tough. There's one more to guide following me will cost you your life look at verse 38 And anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me
That's not we've heard though. We've heard those words. It's Is formal graphic and we think it is when we think oh well? I've been bearing my cross I've been taking care of my sick parents or I've had a hard time at work and that's my cross. Yeah now That's not what Jesus meant We said anyone who does not take of his cross and follow me is not worthy of me the cross and the first century Was the instrument of execution? It was the place where you died when someone took up a cross. They were going to die And Jesus was sad You come and die when you follow me. That's why I'm boundhofer said When Jesus calls the man he bids him come and die
Jesus Just holds out a piece of paper. You know when we sign a contract We like for all the conditions to be spelled out We say to our children don't ever sign a contract Till you know all the conditions till you read all the fan print And you know what it would cost you and you know what you get Jesus just hands us a blank page and he says sign it or other conditions Is there what do you mean conditions? You lose your life You lose your life Remember when the Iranians Iranians were fighting the Iraqis That awful war hundreds of thousands of people were killed The day before one great battle The Iraqi officers took 100,000 men into the desert in order them to dig each one to dig a grave And after when they at each dug a grave The men looked around said all right where the dead bodies and the officer said we don't have any dead bodies yet And then the officer said those graves Are your graves. That's what Jesus is saying You come to me. Here's a shovel go dig your grave because you're going to die. It's no longer your will It's my will. Do you want to say Jesus? Don't you think you better go take a day old Carnegie course? I mean this is not how you win friends in for us people
One time I told you from this puppet about a man You came to me And he made the state and he said John and he was serious. He wasn't kidding. He said John You know, I would become a Christian I would become a Christian If I Wouldn't have to give up my Sunday golf game Being a Christian would mean I'd have to give up my Sunday golf game I just started laughing And start laughing and he was he was serious and he couldn't understand why I was laughing
That's it. He said why are you laughing? I said you don't understand
You're saying the only thing that keeps you from being a Christian is giving up some silly golf game at 11 o'clock on Sunday So you don't even get to understand the gospel Jesus not asking for your silly golf game Jesus said you're going to have to sacrifice your peace Jesus said you're going to have to sacrifice your greatest treasure Jesus said you're going to have to give up your life Jesus not interested in your golf game. He's interested in you dying calling me will cost you your peace following me will cost you your greatest treasure is following me will cost you your life
Now listen you say What a huge sacrifice This Jesus think he is Is it worth it? He answers that in this passage the true word of your sacrifice now listen and listen to anything else Listen to this the true worth of your sacrifice Is measured by the value Of that For which you sacrifice you say we think we think That The value of our sacrifice is determined the worth of our sacrifice is determined by what we sacrifice. No No The true worth of your sacrifice is measured by the value of that for which you sacrifice look at verse 39 You'll see it whoever finds his life will lose it whoever loses his life from my sake will find it
Jesus in the first part of that verse is saying You can sacrifice your life for the wrong things It's not what you sacrifice that matters. It's what you sacrifice it for Jesus says the guy that sacrifices his life for all this other stuff on earth He said he's going to end up losing his life. He'll lose it here. He's at the end
Since the guy that loses his life the guy that really sacrifices his life now look at the words For my sake those are the operative words in that sense for my sake You find his life He'll give up his life But he'll find their greater life he'll live as he never lived before And he won't look at the uses of the sacrifice may he'll look At that for which he sacrificed you know that God came I told you about a minute ago A person came up to me after that message and said John you missed it. That's it. How can I miss it? He said there are guys out there That love their God games more than they did their children and they sacrifice their children to God games He said there's guys out there that love their God games more than you do their wives As you know I didn't thought about that. You know what Jesus would say Some wives out there would just nudge their husbands almost drove them through the end of the pew
That's what Jesus is saying Whatever it is It's number one whatever you've bought into short of himself whatever you've bought into Whether it's the golf game or the business or the money or even family whatever it is That you're giving up all your life for if it's not Jesus
You're sacrificing your life for the wrong thing
He says for me for me it doesn't matter what you have to give up So Let me tell you One story and worth three in ten fifteen BC There were two Viking chieftains and they decided Up in the north lands they were going to sell that they were going to sail Their armies down to northern Ireland and if they were going to take northern Ireland
And so the two Viking chieftains set out
But they had this agreement between them A competitive agreement Whichever chieftains hanging first touched the shore of northern Ireland would be named king
And so they sailed and they raced with their two armies to the shore and you never tested first would be king One of the Vikings names was heraman O'Neal the chief we don't know the name of the other chief But they were knack-and-knack but as they neared the shore Heraman saw the other Viking Chieftains boat Suddenly go ahead And this other chief was about to jump out of his boat that's the land This is a fruit Heraman O'Neal took his Viking sword Wacked off his hand it picked up the hand and threw it To the shore in his hand With the O'Neal dynasty ruled austere for hundreds of years If you'd gone to heraman O'Neal O'Neal would say I gained a kingdom I gained a kingdom you see people It's not what you sacrifice that matters it's who you sacrifice it for That's the true measure What is the costliest treasure
What's the costliest choice you've ever made if it's not Jesus you've made The wrong choice