Matthew 10: v. 32-42 - Hallmarks of Discipleship part two.

Introduction

Henry Martyn spent a life time as a missionary in India. Just before his retirement he announced that God had laid a burden on his heart to go to Persia. (modern day Iran) and translate the New Testament and Psalms. Doctors had already told him that he would die of the heat if he stayed in India. He went to Persia (Iran) and studied the language and eventually finished the translation work in 1812. He then discovered that he could not print and distribute the scriptures without the Shah’s permission. He travelled 600 miles to Teheran but was denied permission to see the Shah. He then had to travel 400 miles to visit the British ambassador, who gave him the correct papers of introduction.

Riding a mule at night and resting during the heat of the day, he came back to Teheran and managed to obtain the needed permission.

Ten days later he died. Shortly before his death he had written in his diary, “ I sat and thought with sweet comfort and peace of my God. In solitude He is my Companion, my Friend and my Comforter.

Bound up in the spirit of Henry Martyn is the key to genuine discipleship. He was so utterly consumed with what Jesus wanted him to do that he took no thought for his own life.

What a challenge to our commitment to follow Jesus. We may be called to a different ministry, but with a heart like Henry Martyn, great blessing will flow from it.

So we come to the second half of the “Hallmarks of Discipleship”

This section is very challenging and it involves three things.

1. Confessing Jesus before people.

2. Forsaking Family members.

3. Offering our own life to Jesus.

1. Confessing Jesus before people

In addition to being like Jesus and not fearing the world, Matthew now challenges us with the words of Jesus concerning openly confessing Jesus before the world.

In his book “ I love Idi amin” (published in 1977) A leading evangelical minister tells the story of 3 christian boys who openly confessed Jesus to the world.

In 1885 three Christian boys aged from 11-15 were told by the King that unless they renounced their faith they would be executed. The King was severely opposed to Christianity.

The boys continued to confess their faith in Jesus. The boys were brought to the place of execution. The boys asked that the following message be given to the King.

“ Tell his Majesty that he has put our bodies in the fire , but we won’t be long in the fire. Soon we will be with Jesus which is much better. But ask him to repent and change his mind or he will land in the place of eternal fire.”

As they were bound and awaiting death they sang a song that soon became a popular song in that country as the “ Martyr’s Song”.

This is one verse: Oh that I had wings like the angels

I would fly away and be with Jesus

Because of the boy’s testimony that day, 40 adults trusted Jesus Christ for Salvation. Indirectly countless more converts were won to Jesus.

By 1887 a large number of other Christians were Martyred, many of them inspired by these young boys. None of the Martyrs knew much theology or much about the Bible, because most of them couldn’t read or write and were relatively new believers.

However they had one thing in common, a deep love for Jesus which they refused to hide, no matter what the cost.

(Quote Romans 1: 16)

If we have a testimony to the saving GRACE of the Lord Jesus Christ, then we need to openly confess it to the world at every opportunity that God gives us.

In the original Greek it uses the word “everyone therefore who confesses.” So there is no get out clause for introverts.

The word “confess” means to affirm and agree with. It is not simply to recognise a truth but to identify with it personally. In James 2: 19 it says that even the demons recognise that God is one and also in Acts 16 a demon who spoke through a slave girl acknowledged the message that Paul was preaching. In both cases the demons recognised a truth but they did not own it personally. (example here)

Quote Romans 10 : v. 9-10. If we are prepared to confess with our mouth, this usually reflects a firm belief in our heart.

Application - How about us, how are we doing on the Richter scale of confessing Jesus Christ as our own personal saviour and Lord.?

Two weeks on Thursday a small team of 7 fly to Hattiesburg to confess both their personal testimony and the testimony of great saints down through the history of Britain. I worked it out that over 1000 people in total will hear those testimonies and that does not include the Church Services. Maybe next year you might be on a mission, giving your testimony? However there are plenty of opportunities to give your testimony, if you pray that God will open up a door of opportunity for you, then I am sure He will give you that opportunity.

However do come to and tell the Friday morning prayer meeting where we concentrate on praying for lost souls.

However the negative side in v. 33 is even more challenging.

This challenge is directed towards a person who makes an outward profession of faith, but when a time of testing comes they deny Jesus before men. Jesus uses the future tense here and is talking about a future judgement.

A repeated theme throughout Matthew’s gospel is the challenge between true and false discipleship. (Matthew 7: v. 21-23 we have already covered this)

Challenge here to know Jesus personally!!! (Not lapses of missed opportunity, these are outright denials) Peter denied Jesus before men but he repented and was forgiven and God used Him mightily, you can repent too of denial and God can use you in a wonderful way too.

2. Forsaking Family members (v. 34-37)

Jesus here uses a prophecy from Micah 7: v. 6. Why does Jesus use this prophecy here and why does He make an issue here about putting Jesus before family?

First of all we need to understand the mind- set of the people of that day. The Jews expected their Messiah to bring political deliverance to their nation. They were expecting their Messiah to bring peace on the earth. After all their prophet Isaiah called the Messiah the “Prince of Peace” ( Isaiah 9:6) Solomon, in Psalm 72, talked of a worldwide peace. He said in v. 3 “ The mountains will bring peace to the people.” (NKJ)

Therefore the Jews were not looking so much for an inner peace that Jesus was offering people but an outer peace.

Yes in the second coming many of the unfulfilled prophecies concerning these outward peace times are coming. However in this context and in the context of our day, Jesus offers us an inner peace. When we trust Jesus to be our own personal saviour and Lord it brings us an inner peace and it makes us different from people who don’t have it.

We see things a whole lot different, we want to do different things, we want to mix with different people, we want to be in Church on a Sunday whenever we can.

This automatically brings a division between us and the people who are not like us.

It is not that Jesus wants us to always be fighting with our families if they are not Christians it is that because we are different, Jesus doesn’t want us to compromise our faith and go along with what they want if it conflicts with our faith.

Our families are the strongest ties that we have and therefore it is a great challenge for some to put Jesus first before our families.

The Greek word that Jesus uses here is a word ( dixazo ) which means to cut in two. This is the only time it is used in the N/T. It implies permanent separation.

There are people highlighted in the N/T who didn’t want to forsake their family to follow Jesus. Two of these people are mentioned in Luke 9: v. 57-62.

One would be disciple wanted to wait until his father had died so he could get his inheritance, perhaps for financial security, the other wanted to delay his obedience until he had spent time with his family.

Jesus wasn’t interested in this type of commitment, He wanted the people to put Him first before their family. (Jesus concluded with Luke 9: v. 62)

There is one question that might come up here and that is what about unbelieving husbands? There are at least 9 in our fellowship. That is quite high and we need to address that issue here.

Firstly I must say that if you are a Christian and you marry somebody who is not a Christian, you must repent against that act because it is contrary to scripture.

(see 2 Cor. 6: v. 14-15) (Joy Moore – Scotland)

However if you married someone who professed faith and then back slid or denied their faith or you married as a non Christian and then became a Christian, what do you do when your wife or husband is opposed to your faith and makes your Christian life unbearable etc.

We need to go to Paul’s teaching in 1 Cor. 7: v. 12-16.

The clear teaching of scripture is that the believing partner husband or wife must not divorce their partner. The Christian partner can pray and witness.

However if the unbelieving husband or wife wants out of the marriage then the believing partner should let them go.

I suppose the idea here is that he will never get saved. This is one of only two occasions where Jesus permits divorce.

Yes there is a division between you and your husband, if he is prepared to live with you, then your faith is a constant reminder to him. One day maybe he will become a Christian.

3. The final challenge is in v. 38-39.

It is the challenge to offer your own life to Jesus. This is often the last and hardest piece in the discipleship challenge.

The disciples knew exactly what Jesus meant when he spoke these verses. The cross to the disciples was a symbol of pain and cruelty but it also was a symbol of death. They knew exactly that they were being called to abandon their lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

So to be a true follower of Jesus means to completely surrender your life to Him. This is the normal Christian life. Don’t model your life on special needs Christians who keep 90% of their life and give God 10%. Jesus requires 100% but He does give back a new clife as He points out in v. 39.

Jesus says, yes you will lose your old life, but you will find a new one. Earthly life is temporary, if you hold on to it, you can’t keep it. However if you lose your earthly life for my sake you will find a better one. This is an eternal life.

Example/ Illustration

Finally Jesus says that a disciple receives his reward.

I want to illustrate this truth by telling a true story from long ago.

A young boy in a country village in England struggled hard to study for the gospel ministry. An old cobbler from his home town helped him in whatever way he could. The godly cobbler helped the boy spiritually and financially. When the young man was finally licensed to preach, the cobbler said to him, “I always had it in my heart to be a minister of the gospel, but circumstances never made it possible. You are doing what was always my dream, but never a reality. I want you to let me make your shoes for nothing, and I want you to wear them in the pulpit. When you preach I will always feel that you are preaching the gospel in my shoes.

So Jesus says that whenever we become the source of blessing to others we are blessed. In God’s economy the least of all believers can share in the reward of the greatest.

No one’s work for God will ever go unrewarded.

v. 32-33 - A Disciple must confess Jesus Christ before people. Not just the dog or the cat, but you can practice on them if you like.

There is a challenge and a promise in a positive way in v. 32, however in v. 33 there is a challenge and a promise in a negative

v. 34-36 – Being a disciple brings division even in your own family.

v. 37-39 - A Disciple must put Jesus first before anybody else even your own Father, Mother, Son or daughter. Jesus doesn’t mention your wife because a husband and wife should be ONE.

v. 40-42 - The Reward of a disciple. People will be rewarded for supporting as well as being etc.