1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:02,400 As you're grabbing your Bible to Matthew 10, we're gonna be in 2 00:00:02,400 --> 00:00:06,360 verse 16. And just those of you who are guests with us, every 3 00:00:06,360 --> 00:00:09,720 Sunday, we have guests joining us online, guests in the room. We 4 00:00:09,720 --> 00:00:12,560 are in a beautiful, long journey through the Gospels. And 5 00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:15,000 we have been over the last several months in the Gospel of Matthew, 6 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:18,400 chapter by chapter, verse by verse, working our way through. Now, 7 00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:22,680 last week, we ended with Jesus preparing his disciples for their 8 00:00:22,680 --> 00:00:26,000 first ever mission trip. He's about to send them out. I explained 9 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:28,800 last week that was a hinge point in the Gospel of Matthew, because 10 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:31,280 up to that moment, Jesus has been doing all the preaching, teaching, 11 00:00:31,280 --> 00:00:34,940 and heal. And now he said, it's your turn. You're gonna go do 12 00:00:34,940 --> 00:00:37,660 the preaching, teaching, and healing. And he commissions them. 13 00:00:37,660 --> 00:00:40,300 He gives them their assignment, and now he's about to 14 00:00:40,300 --> 00:00:44,220 give them a pep talk right before they go. Now, I'm gonna go 15 00:00:44,220 --> 00:00:47,740 ahead and forewarn you. It's the most pessimistic pep talk you've 16 00:00:47,740 --> 00:00:49,820 ever heard in your life. When you read it, you're gonna see what 17 00:00:49,820 --> 00:00:52,020 I'm talking about. But in order to really understand it, you 18 00:00:52,020 --> 00:00:55,220 have to imagine yourself like you're about to go on your first 19 00:00:55,220 --> 00:00:58,540 ever mission trip. Let's just say you're about to travel overseas. 20 00:00:58,780 --> 00:01:01,180 There's a team right now in Southeast Asia. Let's just say you're 21 00:01:01,180 --> 00:01:03,970 about to go on a trip to Southeast Asia, and you're having 22 00:01:03,970 --> 00:01:06,810 your last team meeting, and your trip leader is going to give 23 00:01:06,810 --> 00:01:11,530 you a rah rah speech. And this is the speech he gives you. If you 24 00:01:11,530 --> 00:01:13,650 have that mindset, you'll understand the craziness of what 25 00:01:13,650 --> 00:01:16,730 Jesus just says. Verse 16 of Matthew 10. Here's where it starts. 26 00:01:17,290 --> 00:01:20,330 Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. 27 00:01:20,730 --> 00:01:24,410 So be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, 28 00:01:24,410 --> 00:01:27,490 for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, 29 00:01:27,490 --> 00:01:30,170 and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake to 30 00:01:30,170 --> 00:01:33,150 bear witness before them and the Gentiles when they deliver you 31 00:01:33,150 --> 00:01:35,550 over. Do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are 32 00:01:35,550 --> 00:01:38,190 to say. For what you are to say will be given to you in that 33 00:01:38,190 --> 00:01:40,870 hour. For it is not you who speak, but the spirit of your Father 34 00:01:40,870 --> 00:01:44,230 speaking through you. Brother will deliver brother over to death, 35 00:01:44,230 --> 00:01:46,750 and the Father, his child, and children will rise against parents 36 00:01:46,750 --> 00:01:49,230 and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all for 37 00:01:49,230 --> 00:01:52,310 my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved 38 00:01:52,550 --> 00:01:55,750 when they persecute you in one town, flee to the next. For truly, 39 00:01:55,750 --> 00:01:57,870 I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of 40 00:01:57,870 --> 00:02:01,190 Israel before the Son of Man comes. A disciple is not above his 41 00:02:01,190 --> 00:02:04,230 teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the 42 00:02:04,230 --> 00:02:06,390 disciple to be like his teacher and the servant like his 43 00:02:06,390 --> 00:02:09,510 master. If they've called the master of the house Beelzebul, how 44 00:02:09,510 --> 00:02:12,790 much more will they malign those of his household? Fill the 45 00:02:12,790 --> 00:02:17,230 church you were sent. Could you imagine getting this pep talk 46 00:02:17,230 --> 00:02:19,870 from your troop leader? You're about to go overseas. Oh, by the 47 00:02:19,870 --> 00:02:21,830 way, they're going to hate you and they're going to try to kill 48 00:02:21,830 --> 00:02:25,720 you and they're going to incarcerate you. Good luck. I don't 49 00:02:25,720 --> 00:02:27,600 know about you, but there's some bit of that where I'm going. 50 00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:29,480 Like, I don't know if I want to go on this trip. I don't know 51 00:02:29,480 --> 00:02:31,760 if I want to get on that plane, if this is what's about to 52 00:02:31,760 --> 00:02:34,960 happen. But this is a pep talk Jesus gives them. You kind of like, 53 00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:38,600 why would you do this, Jesus? Well, he's trying to help them see, 54 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:41,800 it's about to get really nasty out there. There's gonna be a lot 55 00:02:41,800 --> 00:02:43,960 of people who are against you. He says, listen, if they hate me, 56 00:02:44,120 --> 00:02:46,480 they're gonna hate you too. By the way, that's an odd statement 57 00:02:46,480 --> 00:02:49,640 in this particular part of the storyline, because people didn't 58 00:02:49,640 --> 00:02:54,310 really hate Jesus. Yet in this moment, people are awed and enthralled 59 00:02:54,310 --> 00:02:57,550 with Jesus. The Jesus stock is up and to the right at this moment. 60 00:02:57,950 --> 00:03:01,030 He's just preached the Sermon on The Mount, Matthew 5, 6, 7. And 61 00:03:01,030 --> 00:03:03,430 at the end it says, and the crowds were astonished at his teaching 62 00:03:03,430 --> 00:03:06,310 because he taught them as one who had authority and not like their 63 00:03:06,310 --> 00:03:09,910 scribes. They're going, holy cow, this guy's amazing. The Jesus 64 00:03:09,910 --> 00:03:13,950 stock is up. Then chapters eight and nine. He's healing people 65 00:03:13,950 --> 00:03:16,950 right and left, casting out demons, healing lepers, healing the 66 00:03:16,950 --> 00:03:20,170 sick, raising the dead. I mean, everybody wants a peace of 67 00:03:20,170 --> 00:03:25,210 this guy Jesus. What do you mean when people hate you? But Jesus 68 00:03:25,210 --> 00:03:27,530 knew something the disciples didn't know. You saw a little glimpse 69 00:03:27,530 --> 00:03:30,330 of it back in chapter nine when he had healed the mute man and 70 00:03:30,330 --> 00:03:32,210 the Pharisees said, no, we think he's doing this by the prince 71 00:03:32,210 --> 00:03:36,129 of demons. You see, Jesus knew the moment he started to attack the 72 00:03:36,129 --> 00:03:39,210 establishment, that's when it was going to get nasty. That's when 73 00:03:39,210 --> 00:03:41,210 they were going to turn on him. Jesus knew what was coming. 74 00:03:41,210 --> 00:03:43,690 So he's trying to prepare them. Don't get too comfortable. 75 00:03:43,690 --> 00:03:45,850 They might like us now. They're about to turn on us and you 76 00:03:45,850 --> 00:03:48,680 need to be ready for it. And the way to be ready is what he says 77 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:53,440 in verse 17. He says, Beware of men. Be on the lookout for the 78 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:56,200 evil of men because there's wickedness in them and they're going 79 00:03:56,200 --> 00:03:59,200 to be coming after you. By the way, that imperative beware is a 80 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:02,040 present tense. I say this all the time. That means an ongoing thing. 81 00:04:02,600 --> 00:04:06,400 You have to live your life in constant awareness of the danger 82 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:08,600 of people around you because they are wicked and they're going 83 00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:12,120 to hate me and they're going to hate you. Keep on the alert. He 84 00:04:12,120 --> 00:04:17,250 says there's a side. When you hear this, when you read what Jesus 85 00:04:17,250 --> 00:04:20,050 is teaching, it's like Jesus, almost like you're saying we shouldn't 86 00:04:20,050 --> 00:04:24,090 trust anybody. Verse 17 he says, don't trust the religious leaders. 87 00:04:24,090 --> 00:04:27,130 They're gonna drag you into the synagogues and flog you. Verse 88 00:04:27,130 --> 00:04:29,770 18 he says, Don't trust your political leaders because they're 89 00:04:29,770 --> 00:04:32,090 gonna drag you before governors and kings and they're gonna 90 00:04:32,090 --> 00:04:34,770 have their way with you. He even says you don't even. Verse 21. 91 00:04:34,770 --> 00:04:36,850 Don't even trust your own family because brothers can turn 92 00:04:36,850 --> 00:04:38,730 against brother, children against parents, parents against 93 00:04:38,730 --> 00:04:42,610 children. You finish, you're like, I don't know if it's safe anywhere. 94 00:04:42,610 --> 00:04:46,970 Who do I even trust at this point? Now I'm just curious. I'm 95 00:04:46,970 --> 00:04:48,530 going to pause for a moment. Have any of you, you don't have to 96 00:04:48,530 --> 00:04:51,050 raise your hand, you don't even have to nod. But have any of 97 00:04:51,050 --> 00:04:53,050 you ever gotten to the point where you feel like, I don't know 98 00:04:53,050 --> 00:04:57,570 if I can trust anybody, where it's just like everybody I was supposed 99 00:04:57,570 --> 00:05:00,970 to depend upon has hurt me, has turned their back on me, has 100 00:05:00,970 --> 00:05:03,610 harmed me. I can't trust the media. I mean, you never know what 101 00:05:03,610 --> 00:05:05,650 kind of angle they're coming from. They're just trying to make 102 00:05:05,650 --> 00:05:09,570 a business, sell a, a story. You can't trust them. Can't trust 103 00:05:09,570 --> 00:05:12,090 our political leaders because you know it's going to be the flip 104 00:05:12,090 --> 00:05:14,810 flop opinion. They're here for us, they're not over here for us. 105 00:05:14,810 --> 00:05:16,970 Or one person's in office and somebody else is in office and who 106 00:05:16,970 --> 00:05:20,210 knows, there's no stability there. Can't even trust religious 107 00:05:20,210 --> 00:05:22,210 leaders. I mean, like, how many pastors right now do you see 108 00:05:22,210 --> 00:05:25,770 falling all over the place? Moral failures right and left? Some 109 00:05:25,770 --> 00:05:27,770 of you go, I don't even know if I Trust you, Jason. You probably 110 00:05:27,770 --> 00:05:31,450 have a reason not to. It's hard. How do we even trust our religious 111 00:05:31,450 --> 00:05:35,140 leaders? We don't trust my friends who were supposed to be there 112 00:05:35,140 --> 00:05:37,900 for me. They stab me in the back and say things about me and 113 00:05:37,900 --> 00:05:40,460 hurt me, and they're not there for me. And I can't even trust them 114 00:05:41,100 --> 00:05:46,260 sometimes. Even my own family, they were supposed to help me, and 115 00:05:46,260 --> 00:05:48,740 they abandoned me or harmed me, and I don't even know what to. 116 00:05:48,740 --> 00:05:52,900 Who do I even trust? Listen, when it comes to that moment in your 117 00:05:52,900 --> 00:05:57,260 life, there's a grave danger of cynicism that'll come inside you, 118 00:05:58,470 --> 00:06:02,310 and cynicism will lead to isolation. I can't trust anybody, 119 00:06:02,630 --> 00:06:05,110 so I'm gonna turn my back on everybody. I'm just gonna be me. 120 00:06:05,750 --> 00:06:08,070 I don't need y' all. Y' all don't need me. I'm just gonna. I'm 121 00:06:08,070 --> 00:06:13,310 just gonna do my own thing. Jesus is saying, beware of men. There's 122 00:06:13,310 --> 00:06:16,630 wickedness in men. But he is not saying, turn your back on men. 123 00:06:17,590 --> 00:06:21,070 There's a balance. In verse 16, I don't know if you noticed it. 124 00:06:21,070 --> 00:06:23,230 He talks about the whole, you're gonna be like sheep among 125 00:06:23,230 --> 00:06:25,710 wolves. And he says, therefore, I want you to be wise 126 00:06:25,710 --> 00:06:30,310 as serpents and as innocent as doves. That's the balance point. 127 00:06:30,310 --> 00:06:32,390 The wisest serpents, I don't know if you know this about serpents, 128 00:06:32,390 --> 00:06:36,830 but they're very shrewd in that they can feel the ground tremble. 129 00:06:36,990 --> 00:06:39,230 And so if somebody is walking toward them or an animal's walking 130 00:06:39,230 --> 00:06:42,230 toward them, they feel it and they scurry away. They're aware of 131 00:06:42,230 --> 00:06:46,190 danger. They're shrewd that way. He's saying, be aware of danger. 132 00:06:46,190 --> 00:06:49,270 There's wickedness all around. You feel the tremble of it and guard 133 00:06:49,270 --> 00:06:53,400 yourself against it. Recognize what's coming against you, but at 134 00:06:53,400 --> 00:06:58,000 the same time, don't lose your hope. People can still be saved. 135 00:06:58,720 --> 00:07:01,760 You know, he talks about being innocent as doves. That's really. 136 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:04,920 I'm a picture like a childlikeness, you know? The most 137 00:07:04,920 --> 00:07:08,200 innocent people in the world are little children. I think about 138 00:07:08,200 --> 00:07:12,640 Father's Day. I've got a big span of age in my family. My older 139 00:07:12,640 --> 00:07:15,520 kids, they've lived long enough to know that their daddy ain't 140 00:07:15,520 --> 00:07:19,040 perfect. And this is one of the reasons why teenage years are 141 00:07:19,040 --> 00:07:21,600 so hard to parent through, because they start seeing who you 142 00:07:21,600 --> 00:07:23,360 really are. And they recognize, well, you don't have it 143 00:07:23,360 --> 00:07:26,280 all together. And most teenagers go, therefore, I don't 144 00:07:26,280 --> 00:07:29,920 have to listen to you. Anymore. That's the teenage portion 145 00:07:29,920 --> 00:07:32,840 of it. But the little kids, they still think Daddy's perfect. 146 00:07:33,320 --> 00:07:35,400 And I love it for however long. That's why we keep having more 147 00:07:35,400 --> 00:07:38,880 kids. I want little ones who just still want to think Daddy's 148 00:07:38,880 --> 00:07:43,010 perfect. There's an innocence to that. There's still. I still see 149 00:07:43,010 --> 00:07:47,970 good. I still see potential. I still see I love. And Jesus is saying, 150 00:07:47,970 --> 00:07:50,210 I want you to have that innocence about you when you look 151 00:07:50,210 --> 00:07:53,930 at the lost world. Still recognizing, yes, there's wickedness 152 00:07:53,930 --> 00:07:56,650 in them. Be shrewd as serpents, wise as serpents, but also 153 00:07:56,650 --> 00:07:59,650 recognize they bear my image and there's goodness in them and 154 00:07:59,650 --> 00:08:03,290 there's potential for the future. You gotta counterbalance 155 00:08:03,290 --> 00:08:07,610 both of these. Cause if you don't, you're gonna grow weary of 156 00:08:07,610 --> 00:08:10,450 serving the very people you've been sent to serve. You're gonna 157 00:08:10,450 --> 00:08:12,370 start to lose hope. And you're gonna stop praying for them to come 158 00:08:12,370 --> 00:08:14,490 to salvation. Cause you're gonna start to believe they've got 159 00:08:14,490 --> 00:08:18,370 no hope. You're gonna grow weary in sharing Christ with others. 160 00:08:18,770 --> 00:08:24,090 Here's what I want you to know. The same gospel power that 161 00:08:24,090 --> 00:08:27,570 saves a person who is riddled with addiction is the same gospel 162 00:08:27,570 --> 00:08:30,610 power that saves the kid who grew up in church and never had a 163 00:08:30,610 --> 00:08:34,610 big sin in their life. Because all of our sins are wicked. Every 164 00:08:34,610 --> 00:08:38,410 single one of us are so grotesque in our heart that we deserve 165 00:08:38,410 --> 00:08:41,529 eternal damnation. So if God were to save any of us, it's the 166 00:08:41,529 --> 00:08:47,329 greatest miracle of all. But that also means that that serial 167 00:08:47,329 --> 00:08:50,049 killer who repents on death row and makes it into heaven, the 168 00:08:50,049 --> 00:08:52,609 thief on the cross who does nothing but says, remember me when 169 00:08:52,609 --> 00:08:55,809 you come in paradise. It takes the same grace to save them as it 170 00:08:55,809 --> 00:09:00,929 does us. Nobody is beyond the grace of our king. That's what it 171 00:09:00,929 --> 00:09:04,049 means to be innocent as dust. It's still to believe I can go anywhere 172 00:09:04,049 --> 00:09:07,190 and I can share the gospel and I can pray for the lost and. And 173 00:09:07,190 --> 00:09:10,110 there's still hope that some will be saved. Yeah, there's wickedness, 174 00:09:10,110 --> 00:09:14,070 but there's hope. And therefore I don't grow weary. I'm 175 00:09:14,070 --> 00:09:16,270 gonna give you. I'm gonna give you five points. It's more than I 176 00:09:16,270 --> 00:09:18,590 normally give you today. But there's just a lot in here that I 177 00:09:18,590 --> 00:09:20,670 wanna give you. Here's the first one. You may wanna write this 178 00:09:20,670 --> 00:09:24,310 down. Here's what the scripture's teaching. We must learn 179 00:09:24,630 --> 00:09:29,470 how to beware of men without becoming weary of men. That's the 180 00:09:29,470 --> 00:09:33,830 balance point. How do I live that life where I have to beware 181 00:09:33,830 --> 00:09:36,730 of men. There's danger, there's wicked. But I must never 182 00:09:36,730 --> 00:09:41,250 become weary of men thinking there's no hope, not taking the gospel 183 00:09:41,250 --> 00:09:44,730 to them, because there's anything we have in the Gospel of 184 00:09:44,730 --> 00:09:49,290 Jesus Christ, it is hope. Anybody can be saved. Don't stop 185 00:09:49,290 --> 00:09:53,090 sharing with that friend or that family member or that work associate. 186 00:09:53,410 --> 00:09:59,170 Keep sharing, keep believing, because there's hope. But I also 187 00:09:59,170 --> 00:10:04,630 want you to hear this. Even though everybody can be saved, it 188 00:10:04,630 --> 00:10:07,990 definitely does not mean everybody will be saved. Even though 189 00:10:07,990 --> 00:10:10,950 the Gospel has power to save, not everybody's gonna receive the 190 00:10:10,950 --> 00:10:15,270 Gospel. And that also means that many will reject not just the 191 00:10:15,270 --> 00:10:18,990 gospel, but the messenger who brings the gospel. And we gotta be 192 00:10:18,990 --> 00:10:20,590 prepared for it. That's what verse 22 was talking about. I want 193 00:10:20,590 --> 00:10:23,670 you to go back to verse 22. Hard truth he slaps us with right 194 00:10:23,670 --> 00:10:28,550 here. He says in verse 22, and you will be hated by all for my name's 195 00:10:28,550 --> 00:10:33,190 sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. You will 196 00:10:33,190 --> 00:10:36,310 be hated by all for my name's sake. He says, go ahead and buckle 197 00:10:36,310 --> 00:10:41,190 up. It's going to get nasty out there. Be ready for it. But he 198 00:10:41,190 --> 00:10:45,470 also says, the one who endures to the end will be saved. Now, I 199 00:10:45,470 --> 00:10:47,870 got to help clear some confusion because it's very simple 200 00:10:47,870 --> 00:10:52,110 to come to the wrong idea in reading that. And what you might 201 00:10:52,110 --> 00:10:55,880 read in there is what Jesus teaching is. If I work really hard, 202 00:10:56,040 --> 00:10:59,640 if I try to keep my face at it, if I just pull myself by the 203 00:10:59,640 --> 00:11:03,080 bootstraps and I work hard to endure, then I'll earn my salvation. 204 00:11:03,320 --> 00:11:07,160 That is not what Jesus is teaching. We do not earn our salvation. 205 00:11:07,720 --> 00:11:09,840 You have the book of Ephesians, chapter 2. Paul says very 206 00:11:09,840 --> 00:11:14,000 clearly, we're saved by faith in Christ alone, not by our work. 207 00:11:14,000 --> 00:11:17,720 So that we don't boast. It's the work of Christ. We are saved 208 00:11:17,720 --> 00:11:20,780 by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone. That's the 209 00:11:20,780 --> 00:11:23,300 message of the gospel. So you can't have that message and then 210 00:11:23,300 --> 00:11:25,540 turn around and say, and now I gotta work really hard to earn my 211 00:11:25,540 --> 00:11:28,940 salvation. It's not what he's saying. Here's what he is saying. 212 00:11:29,740 --> 00:11:33,980 He's saying a genuine faith in Jesus Christ will endure to the end. 213 00:11:34,380 --> 00:11:37,380 And therefore, if you don't endure, you didn't have a genuine 214 00:11:37,380 --> 00:11:42,140 faith to begin with. And here's the reason why. Faith in Christ 215 00:11:42,620 --> 00:11:46,250 overcomes every single area of our life that would cause us to. 216 00:11:46,320 --> 00:11:50,240 To throw in the towel, not to endure. So take their situation, 217 00:11:50,240 --> 00:11:54,000 for example. The Reason why they would not endure would be fear 218 00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:57,280 of men. My brother might hand me over. I might be dragged before 219 00:11:57,280 --> 00:11:59,920 the governors or the kings or the synagogues or my own family. 220 00:11:59,920 --> 00:12:01,760 And I'm scared to death of what's going to happen. Therefore, 221 00:12:01,760 --> 00:12:06,520 I recant my faith because I'm scared of men. And here's what he's 222 00:12:06,520 --> 00:12:09,520 trying to teach us. He's saying, I want you to understand, 223 00:12:09,520 --> 00:12:13,070 faith in God will kill every single bit of your fear of men. You 224 00:12:13,070 --> 00:12:15,390 don't have to be afraid of them. You just gotta trust me. When 225 00:12:15,390 --> 00:12:18,150 you trust me, it drowns out fear. This is exactly why he goes 226 00:12:18,150 --> 00:12:22,030 into where he goes Next in verse 26. So now you've heard this 227 00:12:22,030 --> 00:12:25,150 rah rah speech that he's been given the most pessimistic support 228 00:12:25,150 --> 00:12:27,630 speech ever. But now he's gonna come in a little more positive 229 00:12:27,630 --> 00:12:31,030 and say, you don't actually have to live in fear. Verse 26. So 230 00:12:31,030 --> 00:12:34,510 have no fear of them. For nothing is covered that will not 231 00:12:34,510 --> 00:12:37,550 be revealed or hidden, that will not be known. What I tell you 232 00:12:37,550 --> 00:12:40,390 in the dark, say in the light and what you hear whispered, proclaim 233 00:12:40,390 --> 00:12:43,390 on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body, but 234 00:12:43,390 --> 00:12:47,190 cannot kill the soul. Rather, fear him who can destroy both soul 235 00:12:47,190 --> 00:12:50,750 and body. In hell are not two sparrows sold for a penny, and not 236 00:12:50,750 --> 00:12:53,070 one of them will fall to the ground apart from your father, but 237 00:12:53,070 --> 00:12:57,110 even the hairs on your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore, 238 00:12:57,190 --> 00:13:00,550 for you of more value than many sparrows. Now, I'm going to 239 00:13:00,550 --> 00:13:03,990 stop right there. You just got six verses, and three times in six 240 00:13:03,990 --> 00:13:07,290 verses you hear some form of don't be afraid, don't be afraid. 241 00:13:07,290 --> 00:13:11,450 Have no fear. Fear not. Just over and over, every single time 242 00:13:11,450 --> 00:13:13,890 you hear Jesus say something three times in a quick succession, 243 00:13:13,890 --> 00:13:16,650 he's saying, it's really, really important. Lean in and listen. 244 00:13:16,730 --> 00:13:19,930 Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, don't be afraid. He's saying 245 00:13:19,930 --> 00:13:24,730 you don't have to live in fear of men. Your faith can endure because 246 00:13:24,890 --> 00:13:29,050 when you are in genuine faith of me, it will kill every vestige 247 00:13:29,050 --> 00:13:32,250 of fear of men that might rise up inside you to the highest degree, 248 00:13:32,250 --> 00:13:36,060 even death. He says. Did you notice what he said back in verse 249 00:13:36,060 --> 00:13:41,060 28? He said, See how and do not fear those who kill the body 250 00:13:41,300 --> 00:13:45,700 but cannot kill the soul. Even if they could kill your body. You 251 00:13:45,700 --> 00:13:49,360 don't have to be afraid of them. Okay, I want to be. I'm going 252 00:13:49,360 --> 00:13:55,300 to be real honest with you. There are times when somebody wants 253 00:13:55,300 --> 00:13:59,710 to kill my body and I'm afraid of them. There's a longer story to 254 00:13:59,710 --> 00:14:01,470 this. I've told parts of it in the past. I'm just gonna give you 255 00:14:01,470 --> 00:14:04,830 the quick version. There was a time when I was just a little outside 256 00:14:04,990 --> 00:14:08,510 of Waco, when I was in school and college and I was in the middle 257 00:14:08,510 --> 00:14:13,270 of nowhere. And I walked up to this dilapidated mobile home and 258 00:14:13,270 --> 00:14:15,510 I knocked on the door because I needed help. And the door flung 259 00:14:15,510 --> 00:14:18,710 open and a person, really crazy looking man, put a shotgun 260 00:14:18,710 --> 00:14:22,390 about two inches from my nose and started screaming at me. Can 261 00:14:22,390 --> 00:14:24,910 I go ahead and tell you? I was afraid for my life in that moment. 262 00:14:25,430 --> 00:14:27,790 Now, I should have remembered the scripture. Don't be afraid, you 263 00:14:27,790 --> 00:14:29,830 know, of somebody who can kill my body, but he could kill my body. 264 00:14:29,830 --> 00:14:32,710 And I was afraid. Had to throw those pantalones away when it was 265 00:14:32,710 --> 00:14:36,070 all said and done. Because it was like every body fear you got 266 00:14:36,070 --> 00:14:42,390 was coming out. Sometimes when people can harm us, our body, whether 267 00:14:42,390 --> 00:14:47,510 we like it or not, it creates fear. I remember I was in Argentina. 268 00:14:47,510 --> 00:14:51,390 I was living overseas and I was in a. Buenos Aires is a massive 269 00:14:51,390 --> 00:14:54,670 city, 15, 16 million people. And there's a part of it called Fuerte 270 00:14:54,670 --> 00:14:59,070 Apache. It means strong Apache Indian. And it was like the Bronx, 271 00:14:59,390 --> 00:15:03,070 but in Buenos Aires. And I was told by so many different people, 272 00:15:03,310 --> 00:15:07,430 never be in Fuerte Apache at night because you probably won't 273 00:15:07,430 --> 00:15:10,790 make out of there alive. So I'd gone over there as a missionary 274 00:15:10,790 --> 00:15:13,790 and I'd ridden the bus. And I'm there at a church service. Let 275 00:15:13,790 --> 00:15:15,830 me go and tell you about church services in Argentina. You 276 00:15:15,830 --> 00:15:17,710 think it's long? Like an hour and a half here it's like a four 277 00:15:17,710 --> 00:15:20,750 hour church service. And so we're. Yeah, praise God, let's do 278 00:15:20,750 --> 00:15:25,360 that. Four hours, I like it. And we were there worshiping and 279 00:15:25,360 --> 00:15:27,720 I could see out the window. I'm like, oh, it's getting dark, 280 00:15:27,880 --> 00:15:30,760 it's getting dark. And it was over. It was dark. I mean, like, 281 00:15:30,760 --> 00:15:33,920 dark, dark. And it was time for me to leave. And I was all by 282 00:15:33,920 --> 00:15:36,880 myself. And I had to make the walk over to the bus station to get 283 00:15:36,880 --> 00:15:39,800 on my bus to head home. And I want you to know, as I'm walking 284 00:15:39,800 --> 00:15:42,200 around, I'm looking at every single movement. I'm like, I'm gonna 285 00:15:42,200 --> 00:15:45,600 die. I know way I'm gonna make it out here. Either return now, King 286 00:15:45,600 --> 00:15:48,360 Jesus, or it's over. Because there's no way I'm gonna. They told 287 00:15:48,360 --> 00:15:51,040 me I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. Right now, I was afraid of every 288 00:15:51,040 --> 00:15:53,680 movement. And then somebody comes out of the corner and walks 289 00:15:53,680 --> 00:15:56,640 up to me looking as thuggish as you've done ever seen before in 290 00:15:56,640 --> 00:16:00,400 your life. Like tatted up and down, crazy looking. And here it's 291 00:16:00,400 --> 00:16:04,680 over. He's coming and he says to me, quiensto vo y porquesta sa 292 00:16:04,680 --> 00:16:07,960 qui? Which means, who are you? What are you doing here? And I thought, 293 00:16:07,960 --> 00:16:11,360 okay, I don't you want to stab me in the back? The front? What you 294 00:16:11,360 --> 00:16:16,090 want? Can I just go and tell you? In that moment though, Jesus 295 00:16:16,090 --> 00:16:17,890 says, don't be afraid of somebody who can kill your body. 296 00:16:17,890 --> 00:16:21,730 I was afraid of somebody who could kill my body. Now I'll tell 297 00:16:21,730 --> 00:16:23,890 you in a moment what happened. So. So hang in tight right there. 298 00:16:23,890 --> 00:16:28,650 I did survive. Don't worry, I made it. But it was one of those 299 00:16:28,650 --> 00:16:32,210 realizations that Jesus's words here sometimes are hard to 300 00:16:32,210 --> 00:16:36,410 live out. We just got to be honest with that. It's easy to hear. 301 00:16:36,410 --> 00:16:40,170 It's hard to live out. But Jesus is saying, it is possible, 302 00:16:40,410 --> 00:16:44,900 though it may be hard, it is possible. And he tells us how. He 303 00:16:44,900 --> 00:16:50,460 says, let the greater fear drown out the lesser fear. Did you 304 00:16:50,460 --> 00:16:54,340 notice what he said in there? He said, don't fear the ones who 305 00:16:54,340 --> 00:16:58,700 can kill the body. Fear the one who can throw body and soul into 306 00:16:58,700 --> 00:17:03,140 hell. He's saying, listen, there's an earthly body and there 307 00:17:03,140 --> 00:17:07,020 are humans who can kill the earthly body, but only for this life. 308 00:17:07,020 --> 00:17:09,220 And the Bible tells us this life is like a wisp of soil, just 309 00:17:09,220 --> 00:17:12,579 poof. And then it's gone and there's all eternity. But there is 310 00:17:12,579 --> 00:17:16,539 somebody, almighty God, who has power over our eternity. Fear 311 00:17:16,539 --> 00:17:19,579 him. And let the greater fear drown out the lesser fears. Let me 312 00:17:19,579 --> 00:17:22,899 go ahead and give you the next point that I want you to have. Here's 313 00:17:22,899 --> 00:17:28,699 what it is. Fear of God drowns out fear of men. The greater fear 314 00:17:28,699 --> 00:17:31,059 drowns out the lesser fear. By the way, when I say fear of God, 315 00:17:31,059 --> 00:17:33,859 I don't mean tremble. You're scared of God, he might hurt you. 316 00:17:33,859 --> 00:17:37,800 The Bible refers to it as reverence and awe. Fear of God, respect 317 00:17:37,800 --> 00:17:40,880 and awe. The God who holds the universe will drown out the fear 318 00:17:40,880 --> 00:17:45,480 of men. Have you ever noticed that a greater fear drowns out a 319 00:17:45,480 --> 00:17:48,960 lesser fear? I remember this was a while back, but I remember 320 00:17:48,960 --> 00:17:53,040 one of my kids was really freaking out about an upcoming math 321 00:17:53,040 --> 00:17:55,600 test. And I'm not going to tell you which kid it is, because 322 00:17:55,600 --> 00:17:58,000 all my kids are here and they don't like it when I tell stories 323 00:17:58,000 --> 00:18:01,680 about them. So the kid who will not be named was freaking out 324 00:18:01,680 --> 00:18:04,850 about a math test. I'm talking, like, hyperventilating. 325 00:18:04,850 --> 00:18:07,130 Life is over. I'm not gonna make it into college. My whole life 326 00:18:07,130 --> 00:18:09,930 is ruined because I'm gonna fail this math test. And it's over. 327 00:18:09,930 --> 00:18:14,330 Like, just overwhelmed about this upcoming math test, totally 328 00:18:14,330 --> 00:18:19,609 afraid until the tornado sirens went off. And then my brother, 329 00:18:19,609 --> 00:18:22,290 who is like, he always watching the weather, says, you gotta 330 00:18:22,290 --> 00:18:24,570 go ahead and seek cover. And we go, we have to remove everything 331 00:18:24,570 --> 00:18:27,930 for the closet underneath our staircase. And we're all huddled 332 00:18:27,930 --> 00:18:31,420 in there and ducking cover and hearing the rain pelt the window 333 00:18:31,420 --> 00:18:33,940 and the hail and all that. Can I go ahead and tell you the last 334 00:18:33,940 --> 00:18:36,740 thing my daughter was thinking about in that moment was her math 335 00:18:36,740 --> 00:18:40,500 test. She was just thinking, oh, Jesus, let us survive this moment. 336 00:18:41,300 --> 00:18:45,499 The greater fear drowned out the lesser fear. That's how the human 337 00:18:45,499 --> 00:18:49,660 psyche works. And this is what he's telling us. And Jesus is saying, 338 00:18:49,660 --> 00:18:53,660 let the greater fear, fear of God, drown out the lesser fear. Because 339 00:18:53,660 --> 00:18:58,130 when you know who God is, that he is all powerful and you're on 340 00:18:58,130 --> 00:19:02,090 his side, why would you ever fear man? What can they do to you 341 00:19:02,090 --> 00:19:06,090 when God is on your side? Therefore, the most important thing 342 00:19:06,090 --> 00:19:09,850 you can do is make sure that God is on your side and you are on 343 00:19:09,850 --> 00:19:14,170 his side. Which is exactly why he goes into saying, just acknowledge 344 00:19:14,170 --> 00:19:16,930 me before us. Listen to where he goes next. Jesus has a reason 345 00:19:16,930 --> 00:19:20,770 for everything he's telling us. We keep Moving on. Verse 32. 346 00:19:21,900 --> 00:19:24,820 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge 347 00:19:24,820 --> 00:19:27,700 before my Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies me before 348 00:19:27,700 --> 00:19:31,060 men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. Do not 349 00:19:31,060 --> 00:19:33,340 think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have 350 00:19:33,340 --> 00:19:36,220 not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man 351 00:19:36,220 --> 00:19:38,500 against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and 352 00:19:38,500 --> 00:19:41,180 a daughter in law against her mother in law. And a person's enemies 353 00:19:41,180 --> 00:19:44,140 will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or 354 00:19:44,140 --> 00:19:46,740 mother more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever loves son 355 00:19:46,740 --> 00:19:49,290 or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does 356 00:19:49,290 --> 00:19:53,370 not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds 357 00:19:53,370 --> 00:19:55,890 this life will lose it. And whoever loses his life for my sake 358 00:19:55,890 --> 00:20:00,570 will find it. So he starts off by saying, if you acknowledge me 359 00:20:00,570 --> 00:20:02,850 before others, I'll acknowledge you before my Father 360 00:20:02,850 --> 00:20:06,610 who's in heaven. My king, the Father, the one who has authority 361 00:20:06,610 --> 00:20:10,450 over all this universe. Just acknowledge me and I'll acknowledge 362 00:20:10,450 --> 00:20:14,450 him. And you got Nothing to fear. I want to go back to that story. 363 00:20:14,610 --> 00:20:18,260 When I was in Fuerte Apache and that guy came up to me and I 364 00:20:18,260 --> 00:20:22,060 thought, he's about to kill me. There was one ace card I had 365 00:20:22,060 --> 00:20:27,020 up my sleeve. So I had been told by a number of people and church 366 00:20:27,020 --> 00:20:31,260 members, if anybody ever comes up to you in this neighborhood and 367 00:20:31,260 --> 00:20:36,780 you feel scared, you just tell them, I'm with Pastor Emilio from 368 00:20:36,780 --> 00:20:40,220 the church just down the corner, the Iglesia Bautista, just 369 00:20:40,220 --> 00:20:43,750 down the corner, the Baptist church. I'm with Pastor Emilio because, 370 00:20:43,750 --> 00:20:47,750 see, Pastor Emilio had been in Fuerte Apache for decades doing ministry. 371 00:20:48,230 --> 00:20:50,870 He had been loving on people. He'd been visiting people in the 372 00:20:50,870 --> 00:20:53,550 hospital. He'd been providing food for hungry families. He'd been 373 00:20:53,550 --> 00:20:55,870 praying over the sick, and they'd seen miracles. He had done 374 00:20:55,870 --> 00:20:59,910 such a ministry. Everybody respected Pastor Emilio. And so when 375 00:20:59,990 --> 00:21:02,990 that guy came up to me and I was scared to death, I'm literally 376 00:21:02,990 --> 00:21:06,710 trembling all over. All I could say is, I'm with Pastor Emilio. 377 00:21:07,430 --> 00:21:10,890 And the guy just said, cuidate means watch yourself, and then let 378 00:21:10,890 --> 00:21:16,130 me go. This is exactly what Jesus is talking about. You don't 379 00:21:16,130 --> 00:21:19,570 have to be afraid of men when they come up to you. Just say, I'm 380 00:21:19,570 --> 00:21:24,170 with Him. I'm with Jesus. I acknowledge him. I'm with him. And 381 00:21:24,170 --> 00:21:27,930 the devil himself has to say, watch yourself. Go on. I can do nothing 382 00:21:27,930 --> 00:21:32,370 to you. That's why we acknowledge Jesus. That's why we 383 00:21:32,370 --> 00:21:36,020 don't have fear. Because we say, I'm with him, I'm with him, 384 00:21:36,180 --> 00:21:40,540 I'm with him. But if we don't acknowledge him, then we'd best be 385 00:21:40,540 --> 00:21:46,900 afraid. Because this world has power over us. We gotta claim Jesus. 386 00:21:48,100 --> 00:21:50,340 But here's the next point I want you to write down. You need 387 00:21:50,340 --> 00:21:55,740 to know this. When we claim Jesus, he claims us, but he claims 388 00:21:55,740 --> 00:22:00,060 all of us. Make sure you understand that. Yeah, you need to 389 00:22:00,060 --> 00:22:03,220 claim Jesus, acknowledge him, call him Lord and Savior. When we 390 00:22:03,220 --> 00:22:06,180 claim Jesus, you know he's going to claim you right back. But 391 00:22:06,180 --> 00:22:09,620 when he claims you, he claims every single bit of you. That's why 392 00:22:09,620 --> 00:22:12,980 Jesus says in this passage, if anyone loves father or mother more 393 00:22:12,980 --> 00:22:16,420 than me, he is not worthy of me. If anyone loves son or daughter, 394 00:22:16,420 --> 00:22:21,340 you can put anything in there. Job, sports, team activity, possession. 395 00:22:21,340 --> 00:22:26,300 More than me, not worthy of me whatsoever. That's an interesting 396 00:22:26,300 --> 00:22:29,480 thing. You might not know this, but in Jewish culture, the 397 00:22:29,480 --> 00:22:32,960 nuclear family was the most important element of all culture. 398 00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:36,080 It was something you never messed with. You don't get in the 399 00:22:36,080 --> 00:22:39,800 way of a family. So rabbis, though, they would make high demands 400 00:22:39,800 --> 00:22:42,720 of their disciples, their apprentices, they would never actually 401 00:22:42,800 --> 00:22:46,400 stand in the way of their own family, a rabbi. That was not their 402 00:22:46,400 --> 00:22:49,160 position because the family was stronger even than the relationship 403 00:22:49,160 --> 00:22:53,120 between rabbi and disciple. And yet Jesus breaks all those rules. 404 00:22:53,910 --> 00:22:57,430 He says, no, actually I demand allegiance. Even above your own family, 405 00:22:57,910 --> 00:23:02,670 Even above spouse, parents, children. There's a reason why. Because 406 00:23:02,670 --> 00:23:06,470 he's no ordinary rabbi. Because He's God in the flesh. And 407 00:23:06,470 --> 00:23:10,350 therefore he deserves our complete and total allegiance. And 408 00:23:10,350 --> 00:23:14,390 if we do not give it to him, then we are not worthy of Him. Fourth 409 00:23:14,390 --> 00:23:17,390 point I want you to write down. We're getting somewhere. Now, 410 00:23:17,390 --> 00:23:21,480 here's what it is. If we do not esteem Jesus above everything, 411 00:23:21,480 --> 00:23:25,840 then we don't actually esteem him at all. If we esteem anything 412 00:23:26,080 --> 00:23:30,720 above Jesus anything at all, we don't actually esteem him at all. 413 00:23:31,760 --> 00:23:38,640 He has to be highest or he's not ours. Jesus is an all or nothing 414 00:23:38,640 --> 00:23:43,400 kind of savior and master. If we esteem anything above him, just 415 00:23:43,400 --> 00:23:47,160 know it, whatever that may be, then we don't actually esteem him 416 00:23:47,240 --> 00:23:52,480 at all. And I want you to know Jesus will test us on this. He will 417 00:23:52,480 --> 00:23:55,200 expose the areas of our life where we do not esteem him as we 418 00:23:55,200 --> 00:23:59,400 should. I've told the longer version of this story before, but 419 00:23:59,400 --> 00:24:02,680 I'm gonna share a shortened version of it because it's pertinent 420 00:24:02,680 --> 00:24:05,680 to this. There was a time in my life where the Father showed me 421 00:24:05,680 --> 00:24:08,920 this. So those of you who've been in the church for a while and 422 00:24:09,480 --> 00:24:12,080 know Pastor Gary, the pastor who was here before me, know Pastor 423 00:24:12,230 --> 00:24:15,830 his story. He shares it often. But there was a time when he had 424 00:24:15,830 --> 00:24:19,150 to go through the hardest of hard. And the Lord allowed one of 425 00:24:19,150 --> 00:24:24,270 his sons to be taken. He was 13 years old. His son was shot and 426 00:24:24,270 --> 00:24:28,790 killed. And he had to endure the hardest of pain imaginable to 427 00:24:28,790 --> 00:24:33,150 a human being. And it was one of the reasons why he could minister 428 00:24:33,150 --> 00:24:36,030 to people like you had never seen before, because he endured the 429 00:24:36,030 --> 00:24:38,750 hardest of heart. And when somebody was suffering and a man 430 00:24:38,750 --> 00:24:40,550 who'd lost their own son said, you're going to make it through. 431 00:24:40,550 --> 00:24:44,350 Trust me, you're going to make you believed him. And so I knew. 432 00:24:44,510 --> 00:24:47,710 This was 11, 12 years ago, when they were first starting to 433 00:24:47,710 --> 00:24:51,190 talk about me becoming the next pastor of this church, I knew 434 00:24:51,190 --> 00:24:55,190 that if I had any hope of shepherding this flock the way Pastor 435 00:24:55,190 --> 00:24:57,550 Gary shepherded this flock, I'd have to go through some hardships. 436 00:24:57,870 --> 00:25:00,470 And one of the greatest fears of my life was that God would take 437 00:25:00,470 --> 00:25:04,870 one of my children. And as we were in the discussion about me potentially 438 00:25:04,870 --> 00:25:07,440 becoming the next pastor of the church, it looked like it was 439 00:25:07,440 --> 00:25:10,640 starting to happen. My daughter anneliese got into some 440 00:25:10,640 --> 00:25:13,720 medicine, and she was being rushed to the hospital, and it looked 441 00:25:13,720 --> 00:25:16,080 like she was going to die, that the medicine was going to take 442 00:25:16,080 --> 00:25:20,800 her that she shouldn't have gotten into. And I went in my backyard 443 00:25:20,800 --> 00:25:24,520 and started screaming, praying to God. But it was not a good prayer. 444 00:25:24,520 --> 00:25:30,760 It was an angry prayer. And it was, I don't want this, Jesus. If 445 00:25:30,760 --> 00:25:32,400 me being the pastor of this church means you're going to take 446 00:25:32,400 --> 00:25:36,280 one of my children, I'm out. I'm not willing. I don't even know 447 00:25:36,280 --> 00:25:40,400 if I want to follow you, if taking my children is one of the 448 00:25:40,400 --> 00:25:45,640 things you would allow. So I'm out. I'm done. Now, by the grace 449 00:25:45,640 --> 00:25:48,080 of God, My daughter Annelise is alive and well. Just got back 450 00:25:48,080 --> 00:25:51,160 from the Houston mission trip. Everybody knows Lulu loves her, but 451 00:25:51,880 --> 00:25:55,200 God was never intending to take her. He was just intending to 452 00:25:55,200 --> 00:25:59,440 expose my heart to me. He was just intending to show me I have 453 00:25:59,440 --> 00:26:04,600 allegiances that are above him. And I had to repent, and I had 454 00:26:04,600 --> 00:26:08,320 to say, jesus, forgive me. I didn't trust you, and I should have. 455 00:26:09,760 --> 00:26:16,200 If we esteem anything our own children above Christ, we don't actually 456 00:26:16,200 --> 00:26:22,000 esteem him at all. He demands full allegiance. This is why he's 457 00:26:22,000 --> 00:26:25,440 given this pep talk to his disciples before he sends them out 458 00:26:25,440 --> 00:26:27,720 on their first mission trip. It's gonna be really hard out there. 459 00:26:27,720 --> 00:26:29,880 You're gonna want to turn your back on me. But I need you to know, 460 00:26:29,880 --> 00:26:32,630 if you don't esteem me above even your own world, your own life, 461 00:26:33,190 --> 00:26:37,910 you, can't even be my disciple. It's a hard call for us. 462 00:26:39,670 --> 00:26:43,150 This is why he talks about, take your cross. If anyone's not 463 00:26:43,150 --> 00:26:45,750 willing to take his cross and follow me, he's not worthy of me. 464 00:26:46,230 --> 00:26:48,630 You know, it's interesting that he would mention the cross this 465 00:26:48,630 --> 00:26:51,830 early in the story. We hear him say, take up your cross, and 466 00:26:51,830 --> 00:26:53,510 we go, yeah, that makes sense, because, you know, he died on the 467 00:26:53,510 --> 00:26:55,990 cross. Well, at this point in the story, he was still years away 468 00:26:55,990 --> 00:27:00,140 from the cross. In fact, there are some scholars who would say they 469 00:27:00,140 --> 00:27:02,820 didn't think Jesus actually said this, because there's no way 470 00:27:02,820 --> 00:27:04,860 he would have talked about the cross this early. It must have been 471 00:27:04,860 --> 00:27:08,180 something Matthew added later, because he mentions the cross so 472 00:27:08,180 --> 00:27:10,220 early in the ministry, to which I think is a bunch of hogwash. 473 00:27:11,020 --> 00:27:14,220 Everybody knew what the cross was back then because they were all 474 00:27:14,540 --> 00:27:18,900 oppressed by the Romans. The Romans loved to show their power 475 00:27:18,900 --> 00:27:22,740 through crucifixion. In fact, if you ever visited Jerusalem, at 476 00:27:22,740 --> 00:27:26,320 least on a weekly basis, you saw crucifixions. And they were very 477 00:27:26,400 --> 00:27:28,920 cruel in how they did it. And one of the things they would do every 478 00:27:28,920 --> 00:27:31,560 time they crucified somebody is they would force him to carry 479 00:27:31,560 --> 00:27:34,840 the cross beam through town on his way to crucifixion. That's what 480 00:27:34,840 --> 00:27:39,240 it means to carry your cross. It's the march of death, as you're 481 00:27:39,240 --> 00:27:42,680 carrying the cross beam on your way over to be crucified. And 482 00:27:42,680 --> 00:27:47,680 it was to show the whole city, don't you mess with Rome. That march 483 00:27:47,680 --> 00:27:51,480 of death is what Jesus is talking about. If you're not willing 484 00:27:51,480 --> 00:27:54,480 to carry the cross beam in front of everybody on your way to 485 00:27:54,480 --> 00:27:57,560 death, then you're not worthy of me. If you're not willing to give 486 00:27:57,560 --> 00:28:01,280 up everything for me, if you esteem even your own life above me, 487 00:28:01,360 --> 00:28:05,480 you're not worthy of me. Persecutions may come, hardship may 488 00:28:05,480 --> 00:28:09,200 come, death may come, but I want you to follow me anyway. He 489 00:28:09,200 --> 00:28:12,400 says, I gotta be real with you. There's some of you right now 490 00:28:12,400 --> 00:28:14,920 going, look, I didn't know if I wanted to follow Jesus or not, 491 00:28:14,920 --> 00:28:18,880 but now I definitely don't want to follow Jesus. Why would anybody 492 00:28:19,700 --> 00:28:22,500 want to follow a guy who says, yeah, I want to go ahead and let 493 00:28:22,500 --> 00:28:25,060 you be hated and persecuted and beat up and maybe even killed 494 00:28:25,060 --> 00:28:30,420 for my sake. Why? Why would anybody do this? There is an answer. 495 00:28:31,380 --> 00:28:37,140 It's because it's worth it. Following Jesus is worth it. This 496 00:28:37,140 --> 00:28:41,660 is why, when Jesus finishes this pep talk, he finishes by telling 497 00:28:41,660 --> 00:28:45,460 them about the reward. The last few verses, you're going to 498 00:28:45,460 --> 00:28:48,840 hear him say three times again the word reward. Let's finish up 499 00:28:48,840 --> 00:28:54,160 the Matthew passage, chapter 10, verses 40 to 42. He says, Whoever 500 00:28:54,160 --> 00:28:57,320 receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him 501 00:28:57,320 --> 00:29:00,000 who sent me. The one who receives a prophet because he is 502 00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:02,400 a prophet will receive a prophet's reward. And the one who 503 00:29:02,400 --> 00:29:04,320 receives a righteous person, because he is a righteous person 504 00:29:04,320 --> 00:29:07,920 will receive a righteous person's reward. And whoever gives 505 00:29:07,920 --> 00:29:10,600 one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is 506 00:29:10,600 --> 00:29:13,840 a disciple, truly I say to you, he. He will by no means lose 507 00:29:13,840 --> 00:29:18,160 his reward. Reward. Reward. Reward. Three times. Remember I told 508 00:29:18,160 --> 00:29:21,120 you, when he says something three times, you listen. He wanted 509 00:29:21,120 --> 00:29:24,720 to end his talk on the reminder that it's going to be hard, 510 00:29:24,720 --> 00:29:27,840 it's going to get nasty, but it's going to be absolutely worth 511 00:29:27,840 --> 00:29:31,240 it. Those three different levels he's saying the prophet's 512 00:29:31,240 --> 00:29:34,000 reward. If you receive a prophet, you'll receive a prophet's 513 00:29:34,000 --> 00:29:38,200 reward. What is that? It's the life that comes with receiving the 514 00:29:38,200 --> 00:29:41,690 message of that prophet. That prophet delivers truth to you, and 515 00:29:41,690 --> 00:29:43,930 when you live according to his truth, you experience the blessings 516 00:29:43,930 --> 00:29:48,730 of that. Well, what's the reward of a righteous man? Well, 517 00:29:48,730 --> 00:29:51,730 that's the message of the whole gospel. That we were unrighteous 518 00:29:51,730 --> 00:29:55,330 and deserve the wrath of hell. But Jesus Christ was righteous. When 519 00:29:55,330 --> 00:29:59,770 we receive a righteous man, we get his righteousness imputed upon 520 00:29:59,770 --> 00:30:03,930 us. Well, what about the cup of cold water? Well, here's what 521 00:30:03,930 --> 00:30:07,740 it's saying. He's saying, if you do the smallest, the least act 522 00:30:08,540 --> 00:30:12,700 of help for my mission, I'll bless you beyond what you could imagine. 523 00:30:13,420 --> 00:30:17,060 I don't know if you know this, but in ancient Israel, if you've 524 00:30:17,060 --> 00:30:22,060 ever been to Israel, Palestine area, even into Jordan, it's a very 525 00:30:22,060 --> 00:30:27,820 arid, dry place, very little natural water. So the most basic 526 00:30:27,820 --> 00:30:31,460 base level of hospitality everybody was expected to give was 527 00:30:31,460 --> 00:30:35,140 to give a cup of cold water to somebody who was going by like that's 528 00:30:35,140 --> 00:30:38,620 almost like a no brainer, you have to do that. And he's saying, 529 00:30:38,620 --> 00:30:43,100 even if you do the smallest act of mercy toward those who are 530 00:30:43,100 --> 00:30:48,620 about my mission, I will give you an incredible reward. He doesn't 531 00:30:48,620 --> 00:30:53,540 miss a thing we sacrifice for him. A thing we give. It is eternally 532 00:30:53,860 --> 00:30:58,570 worth it. I want you to flip over. We're going to finish up passage 533 00:30:58,570 --> 00:31:02,650 in Mark chapter 10, verses 29 and 30. And I want you to listen 534 00:31:02,650 --> 00:31:08,770 to how Jesus talks about the reward. Mark 10:29, Jesus said, Truly 535 00:31:08,770 --> 00:31:11,850 I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or 536 00:31:11,850 --> 00:31:15,570 sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and 537 00:31:15,570 --> 00:31:18,770 for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now and this 538 00:31:18,770 --> 00:31:22,330 time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children 539 00:31:22,330 --> 00:31:27,450 and lands with persecutions and in the age to come, eternal life. 540 00:31:28,890 --> 00:31:32,410 He says, yeah, I may ask you to give up some things, but it's 541 00:31:32,410 --> 00:31:35,250 gonna be worth it. It's gonna be worth it. He says, even in this 542 00:31:35,250 --> 00:31:37,250 life, it's gonna be worth it. Now when he says, I'm gonna give 543 00:31:37,250 --> 00:31:40,210 you lands and mother, sister, brother and all that. This is not 544 00:31:40,210 --> 00:31:43,010 a health, wealth, prosperity, you get whatever you want. What this 545 00:31:43,010 --> 00:31:46,610 is is him saying, you get the church, you have a family, you have 546 00:31:46,610 --> 00:31:49,050 brothers and sisters all over the world, spiritual mothers and 547 00:31:49,050 --> 00:31:51,690 fathers. Whatever the church owns, you own it because you're now 548 00:31:51,930 --> 00:31:55,050 one of the recipients of my inheritance. But most importantly, 549 00:31:55,450 --> 00:32:01,050 you get eternal life. The reward will never cease. Fifth, last 550 00:32:01,050 --> 00:32:05,530 point. I want you to hear. The cost of following Jesus is high, 551 00:32:05,850 --> 00:32:13,450 but the reward is infinitely higher. The reward never stops. Infinitely 552 00:32:13,530 --> 00:32:16,890 higher. Why do you go on the mission? Because it will be worth 553 00:32:16,890 --> 00:32:20,570 it for all eternity. The question is, do you have enough faith 554 00:32:20,570 --> 00:32:24,050 to actually believe it? I'm going to be real honest with you. 555 00:32:25,490 --> 00:32:31,050 Christianity is hard. Following Jesus is hard. If it's 556 00:32:31,050 --> 00:32:35,850 not, then you're not following Jesus. There are far too many preachers 557 00:32:35,850 --> 00:32:39,290 out there, and they drive me loony. I want to scream when I hear 558 00:32:39,290 --> 00:32:42,730 them say that following Jesus will make your life so much easier 559 00:32:42,730 --> 00:32:46,240 and so much better. Because that is not the message King Jesus 560 00:32:46,240 --> 00:32:50,200 taught. He said, you're gonna have persecutions, suffering and 561 00:32:50,200 --> 00:32:52,960 hardship. People are gonna hate you because everybody's swimming 562 00:32:52,960 --> 00:32:55,840 one direction. I want you to swim the other. Things are gonna 563 00:32:55,840 --> 00:32:57,520 happen that you can't quite explain. You're just gonna have to 564 00:32:57,520 --> 00:33:04,640 trust me. It's really hard, but it's worth it. Jesus himself 565 00:33:04,640 --> 00:33:07,600 already taught in the Sermon on the Mount. You know, the gate 566 00:33:07,600 --> 00:33:11,130 is wide and the way is easy. That leads to destruction. And those 567 00:33:11,130 --> 00:33:15,250 who enter by it are many, but the gate is narrow and the way is 568 00:33:15,250 --> 00:33:21,810 hard. That leads to life, and those who find it are few. It's hard, 569 00:33:22,290 --> 00:33:27,490 but it's worth it. Will you trust him that it's worth it? I believe 570 00:33:27,490 --> 00:33:30,050 the Lord is calling us to do some hard things this morning. In 571 00:33:30,050 --> 00:33:32,770 fact, there are three different ways that I think the Lord 572 00:33:32,770 --> 00:33:34,810 is calling us to do something hard. And many of you will need to 573 00:33:34,810 --> 00:33:37,350 respond in one of these three ways. And the only way you're going 574 00:33:37,350 --> 00:33:39,830 to respond is if you believe in Christ. It's going to be worth 575 00:33:39,830 --> 00:33:43,790 it. Here's the first way. I believe there are some of you who 576 00:33:43,790 --> 00:33:47,350 need to do the hard work of repentance this morning. I believe 577 00:33:47,350 --> 00:33:50,590 there are some of you. And as you look at your life and the teaching 578 00:33:50,590 --> 00:33:53,870 Jesus just gave, you've realized that you had an opportunity 579 00:33:53,870 --> 00:33:56,950 to acknowledge Jesus in front of other people and you shrunk back 580 00:33:57,510 --> 00:34:01,350 and you didn't. Maybe it was a friend. Maybe it was somebody you 581 00:34:01,350 --> 00:34:04,500 met at the store. Maybe it was a family member. And you had the 582 00:34:04,500 --> 00:34:06,700 opportunity to talk about Jesus, but you were afraid of what 583 00:34:06,700 --> 00:34:09,180 they would think about you or how they might respond, and you shrunk 584 00:34:09,180 --> 00:34:14,380 back. You were denying him in that moment. And maybe you need to 585 00:34:14,380 --> 00:34:20,260 repent. Jesus says, take it real seriously. Maybe you need to 586 00:34:20,260 --> 00:34:25,060 come down, just bow down and say, forgive me. Maybe. Maybe everybody 587 00:34:25,060 --> 00:34:28,020 was going One direction. And you knew to be a follower of Christ 588 00:34:28,020 --> 00:34:31,620 meant you weren't supposed to drink that drink, wash that thing, 589 00:34:31,780 --> 00:34:35,140 go to that party, do that thing, whatever, make that decision, 590 00:34:35,300 --> 00:34:37,820 tell that lie. But everybody else was doing it, and you just went 591 00:34:37,820 --> 00:34:41,820 with it. Maybe you need to say, oh, God, forgive me. I was supposed 592 00:34:41,820 --> 00:34:44,020 to live different in the world and I didn't esteem you enough to 593 00:34:44,020 --> 00:34:47,860 do it. Maybe there is something that you love more than 594 00:34:47,860 --> 00:34:51,500 Jesus and you need to confess it. I had to get on my knees and 595 00:34:51,500 --> 00:34:54,180 I had to confess to the Lord over and over again whenever I realized 596 00:34:54,180 --> 00:34:56,340 there was something I had affection for greater than Jesus. 597 00:34:56,340 --> 00:34:58,980 Maybe you need to do that. Maybe the Lord is revealing to you 598 00:34:58,980 --> 00:35:02,580 that you love someone or something else more than Jesus. And 599 00:35:02,580 --> 00:35:06,100 you come down here and just bow down and say, forgive me. It's 600 00:35:06,100 --> 00:35:09,220 hard. People might see you bowing down, going, oh, no, that 601 00:35:09,220 --> 00:35:13,180 person's got some problems. And you're saying, I don't care because 602 00:35:13,180 --> 00:35:17,300 the reward is worth it. The lifting of that weight upon me is 603 00:35:17,300 --> 00:35:20,180 worth it. Being in a right relationship with my Father is worth 604 00:35:20,180 --> 00:35:24,270 it. There's a second way. The second hard thing you might need 605 00:35:24,270 --> 00:35:27,590 to do. You might need to come forward and receive prayer for something 606 00:35:27,590 --> 00:35:31,550 going on. Our Father cares for you. He talked about caring about 607 00:35:31,550 --> 00:35:34,790 even the hair on our head, every single one of them numbered. 608 00:35:34,950 --> 00:35:38,030 And if you don't have hair up top, armpit hair somewhere, he knows 609 00:35:38,030 --> 00:35:42,310 every single one of your hairs. He's got it covered. He knows 610 00:35:42,310 --> 00:35:45,950 you. And if he cares about the least important things of all, he 611 00:35:45,950 --> 00:35:48,710 cares about what's going on in your life. But every once in a while, 612 00:35:49,670 --> 00:35:53,550 it can look like God doesn't care. I bet you when those disciples 613 00:35:53,550 --> 00:35:57,110 are being persecuted and being roughed up and being drugged before 614 00:35:57,670 --> 00:36:02,030 kings and governors, it didn't feel like God cared. And he said, 615 00:36:02,030 --> 00:36:05,190 I want you to have faith and still trust me. Maybe some of you 616 00:36:05,190 --> 00:36:06,550 have been praying for something for a long time and the 617 00:36:06,550 --> 00:36:08,070 Father hadn't done anything yet, and you're starting to lose 618 00:36:08,070 --> 00:36:11,190 hope. You're starting to get cynical. Maybe you don't want to 619 00:36:11,190 --> 00:36:13,350 pray because you don't want to open yourself up to disappointment. 620 00:36:13,350 --> 00:36:15,680 What if God doesn't do it? What if. What if it doesn't work 621 00:36:15,680 --> 00:36:17,400 out? I don't know if my faith can handle it. I don't know if I 622 00:36:17,400 --> 00:36:20,680 want to pray. Or maybe my issue just doesn't matter to him. 623 00:36:21,560 --> 00:36:25,760 Sometimes it's hard to slip down and come forward. But you might 624 00:36:25,760 --> 00:36:28,480 need to say it's a hard thing. But it's worth it if my father will 625 00:36:28,480 --> 00:36:32,360 answer. I'm going to keep asking, keep trusting. So if you 626 00:36:32,360 --> 00:36:34,480 need to, in a moment, I'm going to invite you to come. The 627 00:36:34,480 --> 00:36:38,000 last one, the most important one of all. I believe there are some 628 00:36:38,000 --> 00:36:43,400 of you and you need to take seriously what he said. If you acknowledge 629 00:36:43,800 --> 00:36:47,160 me before men, I will acknowledge you before the Father. 630 00:36:47,800 --> 00:36:52,120 This baptistry is on stage because it is the first step of acknowledging 631 00:36:52,440 --> 00:36:56,800 Jesus. When you get baptized, you are acknowledging you are dead 632 00:36:56,800 --> 00:37:00,280 and buried in Christ Jesus. And when you come out of the water, 633 00:37:00,280 --> 00:37:03,880 you are acknowledging you are resurrected in Christ Jesus and he's 634 00:37:03,880 --> 00:37:08,250 now Lord and master of your life. And you need to acknowledge 635 00:37:08,250 --> 00:37:12,290 him here. I just know there are some people. You have been hearing 636 00:37:12,290 --> 00:37:14,490 the gospel. I hear it all the time. And they go, I just don't know 637 00:37:14,490 --> 00:37:18,090 if I'm ready for it yet. I mean, I believe the message is true, 638 00:37:18,090 --> 00:37:20,730 but I'm not ready. Maybe there's a few things I need to get 639 00:37:20,730 --> 00:37:23,330 right in my life. Have some more conversations, do something. 640 00:37:23,490 --> 00:37:27,530 And you are not acknowledging him before men. Let me tell you, 641 00:37:27,530 --> 00:37:29,770 if you're not acknowledging him before men, you're denying him 642 00:37:29,770 --> 00:37:33,090 before men. And he says, if anyone denies me before men, I will 643 00:37:33,090 --> 00:37:36,280 deny him before my Father. And I'm gonna go ahead and tell you, 644 00:37:36,280 --> 00:37:38,960 if you can't even acknowledge him in front of a room of people 645 00:37:38,960 --> 00:37:41,360 who love Jesus, how are you ever gonna acknowledge him outside 646 00:37:41,360 --> 00:37:47,040 the walls of this church building? It starts here. It is time 647 00:37:47,040 --> 00:37:50,800 for you to acknowledge publicly the private faith that you 648 00:37:50,800 --> 00:37:55,400 have in Jesus Christ. There's no better day than today. And I want 649 00:37:55,400 --> 00:37:57,240 to give you a chance to do it. I'm invite you all to stand to your 650 00:37:57,240 --> 00:37:59,920 feet. I'm invite the prayer team to come down here, spread out 651 00:37:59,920 --> 00:38:03,490 and get ready. There's nowhere else you need to be. I promise you, 652 00:38:03,490 --> 00:38:08,610 your father will wait for you to deal with God today. We're going 653 00:38:08,610 --> 00:38:11,050 to sing to him. We're going to seek prayer. If you need to come 654 00:38:11,050 --> 00:38:13,850 bow down in repentance, do it. If you need prayer, do it. If you're 655 00:38:13,850 --> 00:38:17,010 ready to declare Jesus as your savior through baptism, you come 656 00:38:17,010 --> 00:38:19,330 let us know and we'll get you ready. Now's the time.