Give the Gospel Boldly

Call to Worship: 2 Peter 1:19 // Prayer

Adoration: Father, we praise you, for you are absolutely trustworthy. Your words are always true, and you always bring your promises to pass. Not one false word has ever come from you. And you have confirmed your words by graciously sending your promised Son. He has become our ransom from death and hell, and our eternal and glorious King—everything that you promised to us through the prophets. Our hope is built on his blood and his righteousness.

Confession: Yet in spite of your trustworthy Word so mercifully given to us, we confess that we have turned back to believe the lie of sin. We have believed the lie of pride—that we are better and more deserving than others; we have believed the lie of selfishness—that we are at the center of our own little worlds; we have believed the lie of lust—that we can be satisfied by holding a death grip on our earthly desires instead of glorying in you. Father, forgive us, for we have sinned against you.

Thanksgiving: But you have shown your love for us, in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us. And in his death, we have forgiveness and life. Father, we delight in the death of your Son, which has erased our guilt and the shame of our sin, and we delight in the Resurrection of your Son, by which we have been freed from the power of sin and received an eternal inheritance in glory.

Supp: And we ask that according to the riches of Your glory you might grant us to be strengthened with all power through your Spirit in our inner beings, so that Christ may dwell in our hearts more richly through faith, so that we might be rooted and grounded in love and thus able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that we might be filled with all your fullness // and we ask for this indescribable fullness, this knowledge of Christ’s love, for Saving Grace Church also—that they might be comforted at the sudden and unexpected loss of one of their pastors to heart failure; You are the one who gathers you children and binds up their wounds, and so we as this for our brothers and sisters in that congregation // and we bring before you our Nation—you have established human governments in your mercy, to restrain evil and promote good; we ask therefore on every level—national, state, and especially local—that you would mercifully give us officials who are just and upright and wise through this election; and even more than this, we ask that whatever outcomes we see — which come from your sovereign hand — that we would trust you; we ask your gracious help to remember that we are citizens of Heaven, from which we eagerly await a savior; and of his kingdom of perfect righteousness there will be no end! May he come soon! // and now, please give us courage, wisdom, and comfort from your Word as we sit under it…

Announcements

Please stay for the potluck! Members: if at all possible, please hang out for the congregational meeting after.

[Prayer for the meal]

Benediction

Jude 24–25 ESV

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

Sermon

Intro

Most of you have probably heard the nursery rhyme, “Three Blind Mice.”

But you might not know the rhyme’s origin: the three blind mice were three Anglican bishops by the names of Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley, and Thomas Cranmer. These three were important leaders in the early days of the English reformation, about 500 years ago.

But when king Edward VI died, and queen Mary I took the throne, the English reformation was put to a violent halt. Queen Mary—bloody Mary, as she came to be called—began to execute those who would not return to the authority of Rome, and give up the doctrines of the reformation, such as salvation by faith alone.

Latimer and Ridley were tried for heresy, and then executed by burning at the stake. And it’s said that, as the flames were being kindled, Latimer said to Ridley: “Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day light such a candle by God’s grace in England as shall never be put out.”

That was Latimer and Ridley, who found their lives by giving them up for Christ.

But what about Cranmer? He was imprisoned for his work to bring the clear gospel of salvation by faith alone back to the church in England. But then, about five months after his companions had been executed, he caved. He recanted his reforms and submitted to Papal authority.

Three blind mice: two went faithfully to their deaths, steadfastly clinging to the gospel of grace; another recanted under pressure.

Most of the time, the Christian life is not so dramatic as that. The number of Christians who face such a stark, life-or-death decision to be loyal to Christ are a relatively small percentage.

And yet, the same thing comes to us in other ways, doesn’t it? No one points a gun at you and tells you to renounce the gospel. But there are still plenty of other forms of pressure to keep quiet about Christ, aren’t there? If you’re loyal to Jesus, don’t expect to be part of the popular crowd at school. If you share the gospel and are known as a Christian at work, count the cost: you may be passed over for promotion, or get a low performance review.

Other examples could be given. We’re a long way from true persecution in most sectors of the US. But even seventy years ago, when Christianity was still culturally dominant, living a true Christian life was still uncool. It really always has been.

And Jesus understood this reality. Think about it: to belong to Jesus is to have the mission of speaking about him to others—taking a message to them that says, “forgiveness and life are found in Jesus… but he’s king, and you’re not.” As we saw last Sunday, that message will sometimes be received. But, it will often be rejected. And so, to be a Christian is to walk a road that includes hostility.

That’s why, after teaching his disciples to share the gospel freely, Jesus turned to teaching them to share it boldly, in spite of opposition.

And so, in our text this morning, we’ll see the reality of hostility toward the gospel, the need to choose Christ over peace with the world, the divine help which comes to our aid in the face of hostility, and the life that we and others will find when we endure to the end.

And so the main point will be this: Share the gospel boldly by looking to God, and you’ll find eternal reward.

Witness Calmly in the Face of Wolves, Looking to the Spirit’s Help and Enduring to the End

The reality of hostility comes to us right at the beginning, there in verse 16:

Matthew 10:16 ““Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves… ”

It’s easy to miss how surprising this verse is. Earlier in the sermon, he’d told them that he was sending them out to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, but now he says, “I am sending you out as sheep among wolves.”

Why the change? Well, Jesus is switching his focus here. Previously, he was instructing them for that one-time mission to the towns and cities of Israel. Now, he’s looking into the future, giving instruction for the mission that all his disciples would have after his return to heaven.

And so, the spiritual reality of the mission would change. Who would be the sheep? Who are God’s true people? If you look ahead to verse 40, it’s ‘whoever receives’ one of Jesus’ disciples. In other words, whoever believes the gospel, both Jew and Gentile.

But then, who are the wolves? Well, verse 18 mentions synagogues and verse 19 mentions gentiles. So the lost sheep of Israel are now identified as wolves, along with unbelieving gentiles. Do you see the shift?

To obey Jesus’ command to spread the gospel—for you and me today—is to be sheep in the midst of wolves. Why? Look at vs. 17-18:

Matthew 10:17–18 ESV

Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles.

So what can we expect to see? At least sometimes: legal trouble and punishment—maybe severe punishment. And we might say more generally, we can expect to be confronted.

But being confronted about the gospel you’re sharing actually provides an opportunity to share the gospel. And in that kind of high-pressure situation, Jesus says, don’t be anxious. Vs. 19-20:

Matthew 10:19–20 ESV

When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

Now, why is this important?

We are weak. Most of us won’t do well in this kind of high-pressure situation. Sometimes the people who will confront us are significantly smarter than us, or popular, or well-spoken. And we have this duty to ‘acknowledge Christ before men’. It’s our mission! How can we avoid utterly failing?

But Jesus says, “don’t even be anxious about that.” Look to God, and trust in him. His own Spirit will give you what you need to say in that hour. Only in that way can you be peaceful, giving the gospel freely and boldly in the face of hostility.

And in these verses, Jesus is talking specifically about being put on literal trial. But we may also apply this concept more widely.

Should you soak your mind in the gospel, so as to be able to witness more faithfully? Share the gospel more faithfully? Yes. But don’t ever let it become a matter of intellectual pride.

Sharing the gospel isn’t a job for smart people; it’s a job for weak, humble believers who rely on the Spirit for bold words.

So we are to rely on the Spirit in the face of hostility. But Jesus wants to pose the question up front: will you endure?

Matthew 10:21–22 ESV

Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

So the hostility you could encounter as a faithful witness of Jesus could even include hatred from your own family members. It could be an occasional, low-level hatred. But it could go as far as death.

And against this sobering truth, the hope that Jesus gives us is this: “the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

But maybe that’s as troubling as it is hopeful. We just heard about Thomas Cranmer, and how he recanted the truth in the face of pressure. So we’re going to talk about this in depth in a moment. But for now, notice: it’s not weak Christians who don’t endure to the end. Weak Christians rely on the Spirit, who gives them words to say in the face of hostility. And thus God graciously carries them through to eternal salvation. So the point Jesus is making is this: Share the gospel boldly by relying on the Spirit, and you’ll be brought safely to eternal salvation.

Witness Boldly in the Face of Slander by Remembering the Father’s Care

But now that Jesus has explained this to us in terms of the Holy Spirit, he’s going to shift perspectives a little and explain something similar in terms of God the Father.

Again, we face hostility. Verses 24-25:

Matthew 10:24–25 ESV

“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.

So, this hostility is simply a matter of who we are, as disciples. Our Master, Jesus, was slandered, and so if we then take up his mission and proclaim the gospel, we can expect the same thing.

What’s more, disciples are not above their teacher. So we should not think that Jesus was unable to avoid hostility, but that somehow we’re going to be more intelligent, more winsome than he was, and figure out a way to communicate the gospel where we just end up making friends with everyone.

If you’ve figured out a way to share the gospel which never seems to make anyone uncomfortable; which never makes enemies or stirs up opposition, it’s worth asking, “Then is my presentation of the gospel faithful?”

Offending people isn’t the goal. But if they would be offended at Jesus’ teachings, but don’t have a problem with what we say… somewhere along the line, our faithfulness got compromised.

Now, Jesus has mentioned hostile confrontations, slander, hatred, and death, as examples of opposition that we might face. And in all likelihood, for the majority of you, that picture is more extreme than what you’ve faced. Most of you haven’t been dragged into a law court or received a death threat because of your faith. So you might be wondering: “How much does this apply to me?”

I think it’s important to acknowledge that many generations of Christians in many places in the past 2000 years have lived relatively quiet lives. They’ve either lived in societies where Christianity is the dominant identity, or in cultures that tolerated the faith. And that’s more or less our own situation.

But consider the example of John Wesley. He regularly had bricks and rocks and eggs thrown at him while he preached, even though he lived in a supposedly “Christian society.” Why? Ultimately, because he preached salvation by faith alone, and this was a threat to the formalism which had overtaken English Christianity in his day.

So this hostility shifts forms from place to place and time to time. But it is still present in our day and in our society. Some Christians in the Portland area have experienced it more, and others less. Perhaps, most often, it is a quiet pressure to “keep your faith private.”

And often, it’s not directly the gospel that offends, but the ethics that come with it. “You can believe your ‘Jesus thing’ all you want… but if it makes you think that my lifestyle is sinful… well then you’re judgmental, and there’s no room for that here.” That’s the thinking. And that way of thinking is growing in our culture, and so Christians are increasingly pushed out and marginalized.

But what does this mean? It means that we American Christians should be a little less surprised when we encounter hostility in our own culture. I’m not saying it’s a good thing. But according to Jesus, it’s normal in the life of a disciple. They’re just rejecting you in the same way they rejected Jesus.

“And so,” Jesus says in verse 26, “have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.”

Matthew 10:27 ESV

What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.

In other words, a lot of folks are going to try to stop the spread of the gospel, but they will not be able. All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Jesus, and he is the one causing the spread of his gospel to succeed. It will be made known.

There was a lot during Jesus’ ministry that remained covered and hidden. You’ll remember, we’ve seen him tell people to keep their healings secret. We’ve seen him avoiding crowds. And as we go through the gospel, we’ll see him tell his disciples about his approaching death—but they won’t get it. These things remained hidden until he was raised from the grave, ascended, and poured out his Spirit on them.

But he’s saying: these things WILL be revealed and made known, and you guys are going to be the ones who do it. So do not fear.

So just as in verses 13-26, so also in this section, we see the reality of opposition, and the task of witnessing about Jesus in the face of opposition. And what comes next, just as in the previous section, is the question: “Will you endure to the end?” Look at verse 28:

Matthew 10:28 ESV

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

What’s Jesus saying? You have two choices: either you fear the judgement of other human beings, or you fear the judgement of God. Either you choose to loyalty to the world, and so you refuse the kingdom and its mission of proclaiming Jesus… OR you see the reality that God will judge all people, and that those who refuse the kingdom will be destroyed in hell, and so you choose God’s mercy and kingdom instead. No third option. That’s it.

But then, what happens to those who fear God and choose the kingdom? God becomes to them a loving Father. Verses 29-30:

Matthew 10:29–31 ESV

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Do you see how this works? You fear the judgement of God, and therefore choose him above the approval of the world. Then suddenly, he becomes your divine Father, and you are of supreme value to him.

He sovereignly watches over your life. He directs the course of your steps. And even if you die for your faith, it is not out of his control, but he will bring you safely home to glory.

And with the knowledge of this Sovereign Kindness watching over you, though you are weak, yet you will be able to acknowledge Jesus in front of whatever wolves come your way.

So he says:

Matthew 10:32–33 ESV

So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

So this second section also ends on a note that is both hopeful and troubling. There will be hostility. And there’s a task of acknowledging Christ before men, which we cannot avoid. There is the lovingkindness of the Father to be with us in this difficult mission. But then there is this challenge: if you refuse this task or in some way deny Christ, you will not be acknowledged in heaven. You won’t have a place in the kingdom. Those are sobering words.

But once again, the point isn’t that you must be naturally courageous enough to share the gospel in the teeth of lions. Rather, the point is that your choice of God instead of the world—your faith in the Father’s lovingkindness—must be real, so that in some sense you endure in acknowledging Christ before the world. Now, we’ll deal with that more in a moment.

But for now, the point of this section is very similar to the point of the last one: Share the gospel boldly by looking to the Father, and you’ll find eternal reward

Choose the Cross Instead of Earthly Comfort, Following After Christ

A third section here also begins with the note of hostility:

Matthew 10:34–36 ESV

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.

So then, the gospel is so offensive that it will sometimes divide the members of a household from each other. One will choose Jesus, the other will reject him, and so there will be division. And again, sometimes this is open hostility; but sometimes, it is something quieter—such as one spouse trying to distract another from practicing the faith.

But opposition within your own household may be the most difficult kind of all. Why? Because then you’re forced to choose between Jesus and your family. And you can’t avoid the choice:

Matthew 10:37 ESV

Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Even our most sacred ties—those of the family—must rank lower in our hearts than loyalty to Jesus—and in context, this means faithfulness to spread his gospel.

And so, once again, we come to the question: “Will you endure?” Jesus says,

Matthew 10:38–39 ESV

And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

So if you try to “find” your life in this world by keeping peace with your family by denying Christ, you lose it. But if you lose your life in this world by following Jesus’ mission—and perhaps losing family or friends over it—in the end, you find true life.

And so, for a final time, we have this note which is both hopeful and troubling: there is true life to be found, but it can also be lost if you reject the suffering that sometimes comes with sharing the gospel, and choose peace with the world instead.

Theological Synthesis: The Gospel, Choosing the Suffering King, and Finding Life

What are we supposed to do with this? Are we to live in perpetual fear that we might lose our salvation if we back down from sharing the gospel in some last-minute scenario? No. But neither are we to dismiss these warnings. Let me explain.

When you become a Christian, you do that by repenting and trusting in Christ. And repenting means turning away from the world to trust in Christ for salvation. So if you’ve done that, you’ve already begun to trust the Father’s care for you; you’ve already begun to rely on the Spirit; you’ve already taken up your cross to follow Jesus. Those things aren’t extras in the Christian life—they are the Christian life.

Or to put it another way, if you’ve really turned to Christ, at the same time you chose a cross, which leads to life.

Now certainly, your faith is often weak. But it’s real. You may not always remember the Father’s care. But you believe it. You may not always rely on the Spirit. But he is with you. You may sometimes resent the cross you carry, but you’ve still taken it up in faith—those things are all true if you’re a believer.

And so, the triune God will give you strength to endure to the end.

So then, who is Jesus warning here? I think he’s warning everyone, but in different ways:

If you’ve already chosen Jesus over the world—if you’re a believer—then you’ve already lost your life so that you can find it. But it’s easy to forget that, and so Jesus is reminding you of the nature of your life and mission as his disciple, so that you will share the gospel boldly by looking to God when you encounter opposition.

But if you’re someone that once professed faith in Christ, yet now has denied Christ in the face of pressure, this gives a warning: you may feel that you’ve gained a better life in this world, but you’ve forfeited eternal life.

And finally, if you’re someone who is considering Christianity—thinking about following Jesus—Jesus is saying this: you need to count the cost of becoming a disciple. Do not take the name of Jesus on yourself flippantly. For, becoming a disciple means gaining both life and opposition.

It means opposition because if you become a disciple, you will have a mission to share the gospel with those around you. And inevitably, many will reject you. You will probably experience some kind of hostility or pressure because of the testimony of your faith. And it will be painful.

And yet, it means life. Choosing to take up your cross and follow Christ often means losing the comforts of this age. Yet, it also means finding life. What kind of life?

First of all, eternal life. Heavenly glory.

But second, also a new and beautiful kind of life even in this age. As you spread the gospel, what will happen? Verse 40 says, “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.” And verse 41 explains that those folks who receive you also receive the same reward that is kept for you in glory.

Do you see that? Through you, others will receive life. So you may lose your earthly family. But you will gain God’s family even as those who accept your witness receive God as Father, they then receive you as brothers and sisters. You may lose your earthly family, but you will receive a heavenly family in exchange.

And to go along with this, you will have the mighty help of our Triune God in this age as you share the gospel: the Spirit to guide your words, the Father to provide for you, and the Son as your example—for he has taken up the cross before us, as an example to us, and our road to life is shaped like his: first a cross, then glory.

So then, Share the gospel boldly by looking to God, and you’ll find eternal reward.

Conclusion

You know, Matthew placed different passages next to each other in his gospel on purpose. And so it’s often helpful to look at what came before and what comes next. It throws light on things. And here, right after this sermon, we have the story of John the Baptist, in prison for his faith. And as he’s in prison, he begins to doubt Jesus. So, he sends messengers to ask Jesus, “Are you the One?” And what does Jesus do? Does he reject John the Baptist?

No. But instead, he sends back a message to strengthen John’s faith. Then he turns to the crowd and extols John as a great prophet. Even more, you’ll remember the case of the Apostle Peter. Under pressure, he denied Jesus. Then once he’d seen his sin, he wept bitterly. How did Jesus respond? Once he’d risen from the grave, he restored Peter, who then became a great leader in the early church

I told you, at the beginning, about the three blind mice. Latimer and Ridley held to the truth of the gospel in the face of death, and were burned at the stake for it. Thomas Cranmer, by contrast, recanted his faith under pressure.

But now, let me tell you the rest of the story: After Cranmer recanted his faith, he was ordered to explain himself by from the pulpit of University Church in Oxford. They expected, I think, for him to say why salvation by faith alone is wrong, and that sort of thing. Instead, he climbed into the pulpit and publically denounced his recantations. He denounced his own cowardice, and owned the gospel of grace.

For this, they pulled him from the pulpit and tied him to the same stake where Latimer and Ridley had died. And what did he do? He took the hand which had signed the statement of recantation—the hand by which he had denied the gospel—and stuck it into the fire first. And as he died, he cried, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit… I see the heavens open and Jesus standing at the right and of God.”

If you turn your back on Jesus under pressure, and walk away from him, and that’s it—it is true that you should have no assurance of salvation. Yet, brothers and sisters, if you are a weak sheep that has clung to Christ for salvation—a sheep that struggles to be bold, that struggles to share the gospel—know that it is he that will be with you—the Triune God in fact—Father, Son and Spirit—to strengthen you in the day of trouble, and to enable you to endure to the end. He will hold you fast. So share the gospel boldly by looking to God, and you’ll find eternal reward.

Lord’s Table

[invite servers forward]

Brothers and sisters, we are those who have been summoned to take up our crosses and follow Jesus. But before we ever do that, he took up his cross for us. He gave himself up to death in our place, that we who were spiritually dead might be brought to life; that we who were condemned in our sin might be forgiven; that we who were far off might be brought near to the Father.

Now, we are about to celebrate the Lord’s Table.

And that cross is what we celebrate at the Lord’s Table: his body broken, that he might be our bread of life; his blood poured out to cleanse us from sin.

Now, this means that the Lord’s Table is only for believers.

So if you are not a believer yet, or if you are a believer who hasn’t yet symbolized your faith by (believer’s) baptism, [we are so glad you are here] but you shouldn’t partake in the bread and the cup yet. Instead, you should watch, and think about what these things mean: that Jesus gave himself up to death, so that if you come to him, you also will find forgiveness and be restored to the Father.

‌But if you are a baptized believer, and are in good standing with your congregation—whether you’re part of Scholls, or part of a different gospel-preaching church—you should join us with joy, as we participate spiritually in Christ in this Supper.

‌[invite congregation to come forward]

‌‌‌[Passing out the bread + Cup]

‌‌‌‌1 Corinthians 11:23-24 “…the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.””

‌1 Corinthians 11:25 “In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.””

‌‌1 Corinthians 11:26 “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”

‌[prayer]