Matt. 10:32-42, Believer’s Handbook (7)

A disciple of Christ must speak the same things as Christ.  The reason is that Christ, the Teacher, is the source of the disciple’s information (v27).  But another factor in this is that Christ is the subject of the information the disciples share.  The words they receive from Christ are about Christ.  The followers of Christ have found great joy in their relationship with Christ; therefore, they are to go tell others about Christ so they too can have that same joy.  In other words, we are to confess Christ or “say the same as” Christ before others.  If we confess Him, He will speak the same as us before the Father (i.e. be for us).  If we deny Him, He will deny us or be against us before the Father.  To deny Christ is not an unforgiveable sin, a truth we see in Peter who denied Christ.  Christ restored him and he became a great preacher of the gospel.

v You must bear your cross the same as Christ, 10:34-39. 

The strength of this passage depends on us hearing and appropriating vs.34-36.  How can we ever be surprised at the opposition or ridicule that comes when we live and speak for Christ?  It must happen!  Out of love for the world and even our enemies we must be tolerant, in the sense of not sitting in judgment on people or being obstinate.  But in love and firmness we must always be intolerant of a message that promises a relationship with God apart from faith in Christ.  There is no other way!  One of these days the media and the politicians and other power-players in Western society are going to wake up to this fact.  And then the resistance will become strong. 

How will we ever stand up under the pressure?  How can we be courageous?  The answer is in vs. 37-39.  We can only stand if our love for Christ exceeds all other loves.  ALL of them!  Even family.  We got a letter from some friends today that reminded us of this.  They closed by saying, Faith, family and friends are almost everything.  Jesus is the most!  The problem is that family and friends might not understand this is they do not know Christ.  They might be offended. 

We can only stand if we bear our cross as Jesus bore His.  He was born to die.  We were born again to die to Christ.  There was a point in Jesus’ ministry when He began to impress upon His disciples that the ministry was headed to Jerusalem and when they arrived Jesus would suffer and die, and be raised again.  That is the way we must live out lives.  Out rights and dignity and dreams and expectations must be crucified.  Only then, when we have lost our lives for His sake, will we find it.  We cannot have resurrection life unless we have experienced death.

v You will be Christ to the people you serve, 10:40-42.  Isn’t that amazing.  Our following of Christ more and more allows Christ to be living through us.  When others find Christ in us then it means that their receiving us will be the point at which they receive Christ.  How does this come about?  It is the result of the life dedicated to the powerful truths of Mt. 10:37-39.

Let us not be fearful.  Let us rather find courage in a lifetime of love for Christ.