Christ Came to Divide

Transcript

GRM 1231
12/08/2019
Christ Came to Divide
Matthew 10:24-42
Gil Rugh

I want to look at some passages of Scripture related to the birth of Christ in the next few weeks leading up to Christmas. So if you would turn in your Bibles to Matthew 10, we're going to take one this morning that often is not considered in connection with the birth of Christ.

Why did Jesus Christ come to earth? What was His purpose? And we think, obviously, to accomplish salvation, and that's the heart of it, to bring peace, to express the love of God and the provision of His Son, climaxing in His death. There is one verse that has been on my mind for a little while as I thought about the coming of Christ, and it is Matthew 10:34, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace but a sword.” That is often thinking differently than we think. We think Christ came to bring peace on earth, and it was announced in connection with His birth, peace on earth with men with whom He is well-pleased. And peace was offered and ultimately provided in salvation, but the peach that would encompass the earth, that is yet a future event. So we are going to look at the verses surrounding this verse because Christ said that's why He came. He did not come to bring peace on the earth, but to bring a sword and a sword is an act of war, it causes division, conflict. Jesus Christ Himself says I didn't come to bring peace the way that people think. I came to bring a sword, conflict that would divide people, that would divide families and would create enmity between people.

Back up to the beginning of chapter 10, and really the end of chapter 9 leads into chapter 10. Matthew 9:36, “Seeing the people He felt compassion for them because they were distressed and dispirited, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.’ ” A ripe harvest, people need to hear the message of the Messiah, the message of God's provision, there are multitudes that need to hear that. Then when you come into chapter 10 Jesus summons His twelve disciples, those key men, that close circle around Christ, and He send them out. He gives the names of the twelve apostles, the twelve disciples are twelve apostles sent out representing Him and the twelve are named. We're not going to go through the details of all this chapter obviously, but just so you have the background. And they are sent out to only go to Jews, and that's where Jesus' ministry was focused, primarily within the bounds of the nation Israel. And these apostles are sent out and told not to go to the Gentiles, not to go to the Samaritans who were mixed-blood Jews, but only “go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel,” verse 6, and announce their kingdom is at hand. And He gives them instructions on how they should go, what kind of reception they might receive and so on. According to the response to the message that will impact them in the coming judgment. In other words, whether people believe or don't believe what these twelve apostles go out and proclaim will have a great impact on the day when the Messiah of Israel brings Israel into judgment. And He tells them in verse 15, “Truly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city,” the city of the Jews that does not receive and welcome the message of the Messiah of Israel. The King of the Jews is present, you must turn and place your faith in Him, prepare your heart, as John the Baptist has announced early in Jesus' ministry when he introduced Him to the nation. Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. You need to prepare your heart, believe in the God of Israel, His promises. Be prepared to meet the Messiah because when He comes He will bring judgment. Remember John the Baptist said He will have a winnowing fork in his hand, where He will sift out the chaff from the grain. They throw that up in the air, the chaff is blown off and gathered and burned in the fire. A sifting judgment in connection with the Messiah setting up His Kingdom when there is a coming judgment day. But because of the greater light given, there is greater responsibility. We think of Sodom and Gomorrah, still use Sodom, sodomy as something repulsive, vile. And yet they will do better in the Day of Judgment than the Jews that were going to hear the message the apostles gave because they reject that message that is giving them greater light, greater access to truth than even Sodom and Gomorrah had. Greater light brings greater responsibility, that's a true principle for coming judgment for all of us, those who hear the word of God, exposed to the light of God's truth will have greater accountability. And there are degrees of suffering in hell, evidently, as well as rewards for believers in God's presence in glory.

In verses 16-23 Jesus reminds them He is sending them out on a mission and it is not an easy mission. You are aware from our other studies, in the Bible there is a compression through the Old Testament and in through the Gospels where the first coming of Christ born at Bethlehem, and the Second Coming of Christ in glory from the heavens are put together because the intervening time in which we are living, called the Church Age beginning in Acts 2 down until Christ returns, is not revealed. In the seven years prior to Christ's return to the earth, the 70th week of Daniel, the seven-year period that will precede Christ's return to earth, but preceding that seven years by the rapture of the church, really you have in verses 16-23. It begins as Christ sends them out even in His day. But there is no unfolding. The disciples at this point do not understand the Messiah is not going to set up the kingdom. He is going to be crucified, return to heaven and come again at a later date, some 2,000 years have gone by. But He is sending them out as sheep in the midst of wolves, verse 16, “so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves, but beware of men.” I need to be wise, use good sense, have a proper perspective on the view. You are going out with a message people do not want to hear, even the Jews don't want to hear the message of their Messiah. They want what they want, and they want it the way they want it and so they are in rebellion against God. It is going to be a difficult ministry so be wise. But conduct yourself properly. Whatever they do is not an excuse for you conducting yourself improperly so you are shrewd as serpents but innocent as doves.

But beware of men. And then you are going to be arrested, you are going to be persecuted. And that will go on, verse 23, you'll flee from one city to the next and you won't even be done until the Son of Man comes. So we've really jumped into that seven-year period which we talked about when we studied the book of Revelation together not too long ago.

This carries us to the Second Coming of Christ because the Jews don't know about the church and what is going to happen. Turn over to Matthew 16. Jesus speaks to the fact He is going to establish His church, but it will take further revelation, particularly through the Apostle Paul to give full clarity to that doctrine of the church. But in Matthew 16:21, “From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.” Peter is appalled, “Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.” Amazing, Peter is going to rebuke the Messiah of Israel, his Lord and Master? He says, ‘God forbid it, Lord, this shall never happen to you.’ ” So you see the Jews at this point and Peter here reflecting the thinking of the apostles, this couldn't be. We're looking for the kingdom, we're looking to go to Jerusalem and you finally establish a kingdom, and you are talking about being crucified. We won't let it happen. And Jesus strongly rebukes Peter and says, “Get behind Me, Satan.” That's strong language -- you are acting as a mouthpiece for the devil to oppose the plan of God to provide redemption so we can have a kingdom populated by redeemed people. That is human thinking, not God's thinking, you are setting your mind on man's interests, not God's, you are looking from man's perspective. Of course you would love to have the kingdom now, but God's plans and purposes are always the perfect plan and purpose. And going to the cross, how is salvation going to be provided if Christ doesn't go to the cross? But you understand it wasn't clear to them. The Old Testament prophesied it, great passages like Isaiah 53, but the Jews, it wasn't together in their thinking.

So back in Matthew 10. Jesus is preparing them for the ministry they will have and the ministry that will go on after He is gone. It will go on in the years leading up to His Second Coming in what we call the Tribulation, the 70th week of Daniel. But it goes on and will go on through the pattern of time as this message is passed on and passed on and passed on. So there are truths that are applicable to us through all of this.

Look at verse 24, “A disciple is not above his teacher nor a slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher and a slave like his master,” the one you belong to. A disciple is a learner, a follower, one who has attached himself to a teacher to learn from him, to become like him and be replicated, if you will, in the life of the disciple. The master has complete authority over the slave, the slave serves the master and the master is honored, not the slave. So the principle, Christ is the teacher, Christ is the master. They, and we by application as well, are the disciples, we are the slaves. “If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of the household,” Beelzebul, the leader of the demons. Back in Matthew 9:34, “But the Pharisees were saying, ‘He (referring to Christ) casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.’ ” And that same kind of charge will come up in Matthew 12 as well. Beelzebul, they credited him what Christ is doing, He is just the head of the demons and He is tricking people, a charge that has serious consequences as Matthew 12 will develop. So if that's the way they treat me, the teacher, and me, the master, what can you expect as the student or as the slave? Well, you're the disciple, you're the slave, if they are going to say that about the master, I know what they are going to say about me, it is only going to be worse.

So three times He instructs them as we come to verse 26, “Do not fear.” Just note these, verse 26, “Therefore do not fear;” verse 28, “Do not fear;” verse 31, “Do not fear.” Three times He reminds them, you must not be afraid, do not fear, these are going to be intimidating situations. The times before, in between, until I come to establish the kingdom, they are going to be difficult times. So you can expect if they treated Me this way they'll treat you the same way. Similar thing in John 15, Jesus said, “If they hated Me they'll hate you,” same idea. “Therefore do not fear them,” don't be intimidated, don't back down, don't fear them, “for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.” There is coming judgment and that judgment will reveal reality so maintain your faithfulness, your loyalty. Don't back down, don't be afraid, don't be intimidated is the point because when it matters it will be revealed. At the Judgment everything will be made known and you will be revealed for who you are and no matter what they have done to you, you will be revealed as belonging to Me, they will be revealed as not belonging to Me. I can read more into this that is revealed in other portions of Scripture.

So what are they to do? “What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops.” Basically what He is saying is you be fearless, you be bold in the proclamation of the truth concerning Me. You know what you've heard in private, you declare it everywhere. The truths that have been taught, further truths that will be revealed to them, even what we see as we move through Matthew or the other parts of the New Testament. When you proclaim it from the housetop, those flat roofs, they could stand on those and address an audience. We still use it today, expression like proclaim it from the housetops. We just trumpet it abroad. You see there is a boldness here that is the opposite of fear. Instead of being intimidated in the silence, afraid of what they will do to me if I speak up, you be as bold as you can be. Important, this is what Christ expects and requires -- boldness in representing Him. I am not hiding, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, I am a slave and He is my master. There is no shame in that. The world may not recognize the honor of it, but the honor will come in the day in which it is all revealed, according to verse 26.

We don't want to minimize the intimidation. We are privileged to live in a country, we are here studying the Word together, we are not afraid that there are spies here, that before the service is over soldiers may come in and arrest us or anything like that. There have been times that those were fears. The disciples after the crucifixion of Christ are hiding out in an upper room, wondering what comes next. And we read through the accounts of the New Testament, and we know down through history times come and go. Parts of the world today, believers are arrested and imprisoned and mistreated in a variety of ways just for being believers. I've shared with you, when we were in China a number of years ago, things have not improved, one of the believing pastors there said we always keep a little bag at the door so if they come to arrest us, we are ready. Because when they take us to prison, they don't provide all the amenities, so we want to have what we need, our basic toiletries in that little bag so we have a way to get by. Because our family may not know where we are for months. Those kinds of things we don't deal with. But it doesn't matter what the intimidation is.

Note verse 28, “Do not fear.” Again this command, the instructions are clear, don't be afraid. We say it is easier said than done. Everything He commands me to do He enables me to do, not because I am by nature a bold person or you are by nature more confident and aggressive, this is overcoming natural human responses. “Do not fear those who kill the body.” We're not just talking about people saying nasty things, people talking behind our backs, people ruining our reputation. This is life at stake. “Do not fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul.” We talked about this not too long ago on a Sunday night, about dichotomy and trichotomy and I basically hold to dichotomy and we talked about the reasons. But the material part of a person, a man, and an immaterial part. The soul is the immaterial part, it can be called the spirit, it can be called the heart, we call it the mind, what goes on within us. Not the brain, but the mind, the immaterial part of us. Don't fear those who can kill the body but not kill, harm in any way the immaterial part. And we know what happens at death when that immaterial part, the spirit, leaves the body. As Luke pictures, it either goes to a place of torment, or it goes to a place of blessing. And ultimate destiny is settled at the Great White Throne where those who are going to be sentenced to hell are sentenced. But people kill the body, they don't touch the soul. No matter how they torture, how painful it is, they can do nothing to the soul, the inside, the immaterial part of you, the person that lives in this body.

So don't fear those people. “But rather fear Him.” There is a proper fear, we use this word fear and it has a range of meanings like it does in English. Sometimes we talk about fearing God, giving Him reverence and honor. There is a terror you should have of God, abject terror. There is nothing more terrifying than the prospect of being sentenced to an eternal hell. I know some claiming to be evangelicals say, “I don't believe in it, a true hell I just can't imagine God would do that.” You don't have to imagine it, God said He will. I don't even have to understand it, I can't conceive of it anymore than I can conceive of the wonders of the glory that God has promised and provided for those that love Him. But it is true. So He tells us, Christ is quite honest, “You better fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell,” gehenna. Soul and body in hell. You understand, we sometimes talk about the resurrection of the body, everybody is going to get a resurrected body. By that I mean a believer will get a resurrected body that we call a glorified body, it is suitable to live and enjoy the presence of God and His glory for all eternity. But the unbeliever also gets a resurrected body, and it is suitable and fit to suffer the agonies of hell for all eternity. Well, I just can't believe that that could be so. Well, you don't have to believe it, if you don't believe it you'll go to hell. That's what the wonder of Christ's coming is. Why did the Son of God leave the glories of heaven to be born into the human race? He came to seek and save that which was lost, came to be the Saviour. Unto you this day in the city of David is born a Saviour to pay the penalty for our sin. Nobody has to go to hell, there is salvation.

So the point, know who to fear and who not to fear, fear the right one. Don't fear man, he can't do anything of lasting and eternal importance, but fear God. And to destroy the body and soul in hell is not to annihilate them. Revelation 14, people cast into hell, the smoke of their torment arises into the ages of the ages, eternally. Revelation 20, at the Great White Throne they are cast into the lake that burns with fire and brimstone. God is very gracious, very honest, He tells us how it is and how it will be. I make a choice. For those who believe in Christ that is to be a radical transformation of life. Now I am no longer my own, I have been bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body, Paul wrote to the Corinthians, you are not your own. We just worked through Romans 6 on Sunday evenings, we die with Christ, we are raised with Christ to newness of life. Now I belong to Him for time and eternity, that's the transformation, and now I am to be bold. How ridiculous is it that I would fear men and not want to be identified with Christ. That doesn't mean that we are perfect and I am always as bold as I should be, but I ought to be careful. He isn't calling secret believers, if you will, and we're coming to that.

If you want encouragement, that's the next verses. Verse 29, “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” The command again, “So do not fear.” Why? “You are more valuable than many sparrows.” A sparrow, who cares about a sparrow? You drive down the road and there is a poor little sparrow that got run over by a truck, maybe 25 other vehicles, maybe you run over it, too, and go on your way. You don't screech to a stop and jump out and say we have to have a funeral for this poor bird. Nobody cares, it's a sparrow. How many sparrows have died in the last week, anybody have an answer? How many sparrows are there in the world? No idea. How many sparrows die in an average day? I don't know. How do they die? Do you know what He says? “Not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father,” He is sovereign over that, a little nothing sparrow. So cheer up, you are more valuable than many sparrows. Not a great thing for your self-esteem, but it's a way of telling you are important to God. I took a shower this morning, I lost more hair, I didn't count them, I don't know how many I have left, I don't know how many I started with. My brother was totally bald until he was two, he looked like somebody's grandfather, I loved him anyway. How many count their hair? I know we fuss over our hair and we color it and we fiddle with it, God knows every one. Anyone of you could say Gil, you have . . . and I couldn't even estimate a number but you lost this many this morning and even since you've been talking three more fell out. He knows. You see we start talking about God, this finite mind cannot contain Him. I don't want to just believe what I can fully understand and completely encompass, that makes God a man. I believe it because He says it and He cares for me. That's the point.

So they may kill the body, but He cares for me. It doesn't happen outside of His control, His purpose, His plan for me, He is the sovereign God. Do not fear, do not fear, do not fear. Just fear one person, simplify your life, I fear God. What about if this happens? I still fear God, I don't have to fear man. Well, what will they do? Nothing that He does not control.

So here is how it comes. “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men I will also deny Him before My Father who is in heaven.” I know different ways people go with different verses, we've talked about this on other occasions as well. I take it confessing Jesus Christ is acknowledging Him. The word confess, sometimes we break it down, homologeo, to say the same thing, to agree with. It's to acknowledge, here to acknowledge Christ as your Savior, place your faith in Him. That's not a different act. Some say, “Well, that's something in addition to faith.” No, it's expressing it. With the heart man believes, with the mouth he confesses, Romans 10 says. Christ expects and requires a public acknowledgment of identification with Him, not as a work but as a result of His work. That's the whole point, we are identified with Him, we go out as His representatives. The first part of chapter 10, those who receive us receive the One who sent us. So to confess Him is to acknowledge. That's why later, the end of Matthew will have what is called the Great Commission. Go -- as we are going, we make disciples, the command being make disciples. That's going into all the world. It is expanded out from what Jesus told them in the first part of chapter 10, just to the house of Israel, now it is to the world. And what do you do? You make disciples. What is that? You call them to become a follower of Christ, one who submits himself to Christ and learns of Him and from Him. And the book of Acts, they'll start calling the disciples Christians, those who belong to Christ. Those that become disciples, you baptize them and teach them. What does baptism do? It puts your testimony out in the public realm, God isn't saving secret disciples, secret followers. I've trusted Christ but I don't want it to get out. Why? That would result in persecution, it would result maybe in people changing their attitude toward me. Christ puts it right out there. You read commentaries on the New Testament and they'll usually be in agreement and come to bat for them saying there is no consideration of an unbaptized Christian because it is a natural follow through. He said those who become My followers, they get baptized; My followers, they acknowledge Me. What is your identity? I am a follower of Jesus Christ, I am acknowledging Him. You deny Him, He'll deny you. Takes place on this earth, after this life there is no second chance.

So He says you confess Me before men, I confess you before My Father; whoever denies Me before men I'll deny before . . . Before men means during your earthly life. We talked about your life here on earth as we are told in Ecclesiastes. This is on earth, you believe in Christ here in the now, as Paul said, today is the day of salvation. When you take your last breath it is too late, there is no salvation after this life, it's too late to confess Christ, too late to place your faith in Christ. That has to take place here, you walk away from this opportunity you may not have another opportunity like this. You must confess Me before men, it's during your life here, this is where it is. This is why they are going out with the message, to bring a harvest, and to tell them the Messiah is here. Now we have the fullness of understanding that Messiah has died on the cross, He has paid in full the penalty for sin. God now instructs all men everywhere to repent, for He has appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness and He furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead, that Man who will be the judge, Paul declared in the book of Acts. So this is the day of salvation, there is no salvation after death, if you didn't believe in Christ here in this life it is settled. That is what He is saying here, I take it. If you confess Me before men, I confess you before My . . . This is one who belongs to Me, these are mine. Jesus said, “Many will say to Me on that day of judgment, ‘Lord, Lord we did many mighty miracles in your name, we did all this.’ “ And He'll say, “Depart from Me cursed ones, I never knew you. You practice lawlessness, you are not identified with Me, you don't belong to Me.” That's the judgment that is coming.

And it is a dividing act that Christ came. So that's verse 34, this great Christmas verse. “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.” Why? A division occurs, those who have acknowledged Christ, placed their faith in Him, and those who have not. And this will be a dividing even of your human family. Look at verse 35, 36, these are applied from the book of Micah in the days of King Ahaz, what was going to happen to the Jews in the judgment God will bring. It is applied here as the same thing in God's judgment, what will happen. “For I came to set a man against his father and a daughter against her mother and a daughter-n-law against her mother-in law. A man's enemies will be the members of his household,” Are you ready for this? This is consistent with the discipleship passages as we sometimes call them in the New Testament. I realize there are different views but I understand them to be simply a call to salvation. Not by works but to understand what it means. He elaborates, you are going to divide a family here between those who become a follower of Christ and those who do not, those who place their faith in Christ and those who do not. There is no middle ground and that will divide families, and that will create enmity. Because now in the same physical household you have a child of the devil and a child of God, they don't get along and there is a division there. And the believer is not hiding his faith to get along, that's not an option we've seen. So the man's enemies will be the members of his own household. Like Jesus told the religious leaders of the Jews, and Jesus was a Jew, but He said you are of your father the devil and you do his will and you manifest his character. He's a liar, you're liars; he's a murderer, you're murderers, you are just like your spiritual father. And there was no love between the children of the devil and Christ, the line is drawn.

How many people are we going to lead to Christ, to be called to become His followers when you say it may cost you all your physical family relationships? Now over the years I had parents call, and we were going to baptize perhaps one of their college children that came here and got saved, crying, we raised him in this, he was baptized, he's denying the faith we raised him in, he shouldn't be doing this. You try to explain to them, “Yes he is, he is turning from that past, in fact he is turning his back on that, he's become a follower of Jesus Christ, that is his new identity.” That is division, goes from one extreme to the other.

This is serious business, look at verse 37. “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who does not take his cross up and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found his life will lose it; he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.” You begin to appreciate verse 34 when Jesus said, “I didn't come to bring peace on the earth, I came to bring a sword. Let me tell you this may cost you your closest human relationships, but if you love those more than Me you cannot be My follower, you are not worthy of Me.” This is not earning salvation, this is not something additional. I believe the Bible teaches clearly that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. And you can add nothing to that. And if you love your family, physical family more than you love Christ, He will not share that. It is in Christ alone by faith alone on the basis of God's grace alone. There is nothing to add to it. “If you love your father or mother more than Me, I'm not willing to be second.” It's not by grace alone through faith alone in Christ plus parents. “I take everything, you will no longer be your own, you belong to Me.” Do you know what it means to be a slave? Murray Harris wrote a great book on what it means to be a slave in the New Testament, some of you I think are reading that. You are His, He is supreme. “You can't love father of mother more than Me, you're not worthy of Me.” Saving faith is an all-out commitment to the best of my ability. It's faith in Him alone, I love the Lord my God with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind. Jesus constantly made the division clear -- he who is not with Me is against Me.

What about those who are in the middle? There is no middle. “He who is not with Me is against Me. If you love father or mother more than Me, you are not worthy of Me; son or daughter more than Me, you are not worthy of Me. He who does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.” I don't see that as a second-step, higher life, subsequent sanctification. That's part of what it means to be a believer, just all-out commitment to Him. That's not a work, that's saving faith, I am trusting Him and Him alone. Lord, to the best of my ability I am trusting in Christ and what He has done for me. What happened to the rich young ruler? He said, “I'll come and follow you.” Jesus said, “Then go sell everything, come . . .” Was he going to earn his way? No. Just, are you ready to make the commitment, are you ready to place your faith in Me?

People are coming to Christ, I read with you who are regular attenders on Sunday night something of an approach to missions that has swept the evangelical world. And they say you don't make them Christians, but you have them trust Christ. So now you can be a believer in Christ who is a Hindu, a believer in Christ who is a Muslim, a believer in Christ who is . . . fill in the blank. He is not willing to be added to any baggage, not your family, not your wealth, not your prior religious convictions. You leave it all, you let go of it all. That's saving faith, I let go of all and everything and everyone that I have been holding on to and I place my faith in Christ alone. Faith alone in Christ alone, that's what He is talking about. Well, I have to think about this, I was counting on inheriting things. And I've had some parents who said, “We'll cut him out of his inheritance,” they are that blunt. You will have to make your decision, he will have to make his decision. We want to have a comfortable Christianity that we present Christ as though this causes you to escape hell. Now, at least whatever else, you have taken care of eternity and you get on with your life. I don't get on with that life, it's not the same me, if any man be in Christ he is a new creature, a new creation, old things have passed away, new things have come. I'm not living the old life, it's not the old me, the old me died, that's what we have been studying in Romans.

If you decide the cost is too high, “He who has found his life,” verse 39, “will lose it.” It will cost you everything. Jesus said, “I am come that you might have life and might have it more abundantly,” eternal life. He that has the Son has life, he that does not have the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abides on him. He has given up everything for nothing, something transitory, ephemeral, not lasting as we saw in the book of Ecclesiastes, things related to this life. “He who has lost his life for My sake will find it.” You might pay the ultimate price giving your life but you haven't lost anything because you have life in Christ and that life will be forever.

So now we put this all in perspective. You understand why Christ came, why He is here, not the only thing we would say about His coming. But it is a very important thing because we Christians forget about it and we think we have to get on with the good life in the wrong sense of that. Let me tell you, verse 40, “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me,” you can't break this. When you are born again you are born into God's family. The church is the pillar and support of the truth, it's the household of God, Paul wrote to Timothy. We are God's family, He is my Father, Jesus is His unique Son, and I'm His child and so we are inseparably linked. So I go and represent Christ and people welcome me and the message I bring, they receive the One who sent me, Christ, and they receive the Father of Christ, you cannot separate Christ and the Father. And we want to be clear, “He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.” You see now we have been brought together in unique relationship and we are working together in this. We are a family, a family of believers interconnected. And what unites us is not our national identity or ethnic matters or those things, it is the spiritual connection based upon a relationship with Jesus Christ. So verse 41, this is this line, you are in one group or the other.

“Whosoever,” verse 42, “in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.” This verse usually taken out of Matthew 25 at the judgment there, giving a cup of water to the little ones. The little ones here are not talking about a baby. There is a Baptist theologian, falsely called theologian, he said he was in this foreign country, maybe Africa, and he has this little baby in his arms, “And I realized I was holding Christ in my arms.” He's a pagan heretic. He's talking about believers here. “Whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water.” What is He talking about? Receiving a prophet, verse 41; receiving a righteous man. What do these little ones . . . ? They are precious to God. Remember He told us that, verse 31, “you are more valuable than many sparrows.” So someone who treats one of God's children with love and care because he is God's child, that doesn't mean we can't show mercy to an unbeliever, but that's not what this is talking about. It's being an encouragement and a help to fellow believers because the world is against them and the pressure is on. And so we are doing this, there is reward for believers. We saw the Day of Judgment, Sodom and Gomorrah won't be judged as severely as unbelievers who have heard fuller revelation. So for believers faithfulness, faithfulness, faithfulness will have its rewards.

So we talk about the coming of Christ, this is what it is about, He came to this earth to divide people, to bring a sword. This is strong language, not peace, a sword, this is war, to divide people, eternal issues are at stake. There is nothing more important than first I come to recognize and believe that Jesus Christ is the Savior, He came to give His life to pay the penalty for my sin. When I placed my faith in Him, God credited that payment to my account, I was declared free from all guilt, the righteousness of God was credited to my account. And now I should be ashamed of Him, I should fear men? Our proudest identity is we belong to Jesus Christ, we follow Him. I realize it is easy to say that boldly in an environment where I don't have to fear being arrested, I don't have to fear being tortured, I don't have to fear having my family torn away. I was in another country, they shared there that, “They took my wife and me to prison and gave all our children to the state to be raised.” Twenty-five years later you come out of prison, who am I? “The state has taken everything, my children, they took our home, they took everything I own.” Is it worth it? That particular person is in glory now, I don't think he is saying, “I wish I hadn't paid such a price, I should have been a little more careful.” You don't find Paul telling Timothy when Paul is on death row, “Be a little more careful, Timothy.” You have to be bold. I want us as a church family to be bold. Look at us, we are a small army here, we go out throughout the city and other places. We don't go out to keep secret who we are. I realize we have to use good manners, there are rules to be respected and all of that. Just don't barge into every place and start preaching. But by the same token we don't just timidly go along and I hope somebody says something that may give me an opportunity to say something, they don't know you need to say something. So look for the opportunity, don't hold back. How often have you been, if you really think about a day and you are thinking, “I could have said something there, I should have.” Well, maybe learn something. “The next time I will be more ready, maybe I should have a tract in my pocket, I don't have a long time to talk but I could talk to them and say, ‘Let me share this with you, maybe you could read it when you have time, the Gospel of John.’ ” We have this material at the door as you are leaving, not just to decorate the entrances, it's to remind us to be ready. “What am I thinking about, do I even give it a thought? Today may be a day when I will share the eternal gospel with someone who has to hear it. This would be one of the most important days of my life, I don't want to miss the opportunity. We might find there are more opportunities. All about our greatest privilege.

Christ did come to this earth, He came to be Savior, the Savior. He is my Savior, He wants to be your Savior if you haven't placed your faith in Christ. That's why God in His grace brought you here today, so you could hear Christ died for you. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, in order that whosoever believes in Him. Are you ready to let go of everything you have trusted in, everything you hold dear and say, “I will place my faith in Christ and Him alone?” If you will, God will do something only He can do to your very soul, He will cause you to be born again and made new, then you have a life that takes on whole new meaning.

Let's pray together. Thank you, Lord, for the riches of your Word. Lord, thank you for the riches of your grace that has brought the message of salvation to us in a variety of ways, variety of places. Thank you for the boldness of people who stepped up and spoke out the gospel so we might hear. Lord, we desire to be those kinds of people -- bold, unafraid, unashamed because our glory is in being identified with Jesus Christ. I pray for those who may be here, maybe they were raised in this church, attended here for many years, but have never trusted Christ. May this be a day of salvation for them as well. We commit the day to you. In Christ's name, amen.