Sent to Die

Good morning everyone

I recognize that this morning we have lots of guests with us who came to see your loved ones be baptized

So I want to welcome you

My name is Stefan Wilson and I am the pastor of preaching here and Harvest

We have been walking through Matt 10 in which Jesus sends his disciples out to share the good news of the Kingdom of God

And we have specifically been seeing how Jesus’ words to his disciples in Matthew 10 apply to us today as his disciples

As we are sent out by him to live for him, represent him, and bring the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those around us.

We have seen that Jesus sends us with all that we need, into a hostile world, without fear

And this week we are going to be confronted with the cost of being sent out by Jesus

As we are Sent to Die for Jesus.

And we will be in Matt. 10:34-39

So let’s all take out our Bibles

If you are a guest, it is good for you to know that we are a church that takes the Bible very seriously as we are anchored on God’s word together

So we all want to have our eyes on a copy of God’s work together

If you did not bring a Bible…

And as we consider that title… “Sent to Die”… morbid as it may be… We must take it seriously…

[Hook] Because we all have thoughts about what our lives should look like and what we should be pursuing and building

But too often those things are a result of pursuing our own mission in this world

But if we are going to be faithful to God’s mission, then there are going to be things that we are going to have to let go of

Desires, pursuits, values… that will have to die if we are to live for the mission of Christ

And Jesus is going to show us exactly what that must look like in v. 34-39

So let’s give these words our full attention

Matthew 10:34–39 “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. 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. 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.”

These are God’s words for us as his people - May we have ears to hear them and hearts to obey them.

Big Idea: Jesus sends us to die to ourselves so that we can live for Him. [5:00]

To follow Jesus in this life and to live in the world for his mission, to represent him to the world…

It will require that you and I daily die to ourselves

Taking our wants, our preferences, and letting them go in order to take hold of what he wants

Jesus is not something that is added to our lives to enhance the life was already have…

He changes your life to be what he wants for you

And if we are going to live on the mission of Jesus, it will mean that we embrace the life he wants for us

by dying to ourselves.

[Bridge Question] So what does it look like to be sent by Jesus as we live for him and die to ourselves?

What does it look like to let go of what we want so that we can live the life that he wants for us?

Jesus is going to clearly define what it means to die to ourselves and live for him

And he is going to show us three things that need to change about us if we are to be clear-minded as we live on the mission for him

Jesus sends us:

With clear expectations (34–36) [7:00]

There is a common misunderstanding among especially American Christians today that following Jesus means that you will enjoy ease and tranquility and relational stability

And as a result the kind of Christianity that we too often pursue is one that is comfortable in an unbelieving world

And we start to compromise as Christians in order to gain acceptance

But Jesus here gives us clear expectations that acceptance by the world will not be the result of following him

Matthew 10:34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.”

Now, it is always helpful to say what something means by starting with what it doesn’t mean… It doesn’t mean that Jesus wanted to incite violence or that violence was something that we should use for his purposes…

In Hebrews 4, the word of God is said to be sharper than a two-edged sword… “piercing to the division of soul and of spirit… and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

Hebrews uses “sword” to illustrate the separation of two things - It has the power to divide…

Jesus is using the word “sword” in the same way here.

And that “Do not” is strong in the original language…

Like, “Don’t even think about it…”

Jesus is saying, “Don’t think for a second I have come to make life easier for you by uniting all people together… I have come not to unite, but to separate.”

The image Jesus is painting is that by following him, the result will be the exposing of people’s hearts and the separation/division between those who believe and those who don’t.

When you give your life to Jesus and start following him, it will become more and more obvious that you don’t fit in this world anymore

Your old friends will mock you for not doing the things you used to do

Your family will treat you differently

Your workplace will be more uncomfortable…

Because the message of the Gospel exposes hearts and divides between those who embrace it and those who reject it.

Now, Jesus focuses specifically on the family, but we need to see why he focuses on the family so that we can understand what it means for us today.

Matthew 10:35–36 “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.”

In this time, the family unit was central to all of community life. You worked together, you were in the marketplace together, and you worshiped together.

So someone in the home who embraces Jesus and follows him will now not be able to do daily life with his or her family.

You won’t be able to practice business the same way

You won’t be able to engage with the broader community the same way

Your worship will be obviously different as you worship Jesus as Lord and they worship false gods

Today, there might be closer relationships in your life than your family, but Jesus point is this:

By following him, you will be at odds with the most important relationships in your life and it will lead to division, to a clear separation between you and them.

Have you ever looked around… at school, or home, or work, or just in the world in general… as you have been seeking to live for Christ, and just thought… I just don’t fit?

Jesus is sending us with clear expectations here…

Be prepared for that to be normal for you

Too often what we do is try to be accepted by the world first, thinking that if we are accepted by the world then we can convince them of the truth of the Gospel of Jesus

And so we compromise and we live like the world, and talk like the world, and look like the world

But a Gospel that the world accepts is a Gospel that cannot save

[The Gospel calls us to turn from our own way and to embrace God’s way… That is the opposite of the message of the world.]

Jesus is helping us to see that faithfulness to him will mean we actually look different

And so when division comes, we won’t be surprised or crippled by it, we will be ready, because he told us it would happen.

So I want us to pause and consider:

Where in our lives are we compromising in order to avoid division?

We don’t need to seek out division… The Gospel itself divides.

But when we try to avoid division, we will compromise the Gospel… because the Gospel itself divides.

Jesus sets clear expectations for us - We won’t fit, but it will be the fact that we don’t fit in this world that will display the hope that the world truly needs.

With clear affections (37–38) [14:00]

Have you ever heard the phrase, “The longer you are married, the more you look like your spouse”?

The idea is that the longer you are with someone, the more you adopt one another’s mannerisms, senses of humor, preferences…

But this isn’t just true of marriages… This is true of any relationships.

The more you hang out with friends, the more you become like them

The longer you work for a company, the more you embrace its values and talk like your coworkers.

And the reason for this is something that is true of all people…

You become like the thing that you love most.

The reality is that whatever ever has your heart will also determine the shape of your life

And Jesus shows us very clearly that the affection that should shape our lives is affection for him above all else.

Matthew 10:37 “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.”

“Worthy” here does not mean deserving - Remember back in v. 11 & 13, when Jesus says “worthy” he means receptive

In this chapter in Matthew, worthy is used for someone who receives Jesus

You can be confident that you have received Jesus when he has your affections the most.

And I want you to notice something else:

Jesus is not telling you that you cannot love anything else… He is saying that you cannot love anything else more than you love him.

He is instructing us in rightly ordered loves…

When you love Jesus first [you can actually love other things properly, in their proper place

When you love other things first, you are not loving anything properly.

And Jesus words confront us because too often we are guilty, not of love for Jesus, but love for self.

We want what we want and we long to satisfy those wants and so in pursuing lesser loves we ultimately seek to love ourselves.

Sometimes it is hard to spot, but if you know what to look for, you will see evidence of self-love in your life…

So ask yourself: Where does self-love hide in my life?

Symptoms of Self-Love

1. Love of Approval

Wanting to be liked, affirmed, and accepted — especially by family, coworkers, and culture. When I am guilty of self-love, Fear of disappointing people becomes stronger than fear of disobeying Jesus.

2. Love of Comfort

Ease, convenience, predictable routines, low-cost discipleship. When I am guilty of self-love… Comfort guides my life rather than Christ.

3. Love of Control

Plans, preferences, schedule, autonomy, independence. When i am guilty of self-love, I want life on my terms.

4. Love of Relationships

Relationships are a blessing and necessary part of our humanity, but it becomes very easy to like the way a certain relationship makes me feel or to desire whatever I can get out of it so that I am motivated by that relationship rather than seeing that relationships as a way of honoring God in my life. When I am guilty of self-love, even the best earthly relationships become idols..

5. Love of Reputation

Image management, being seen in the most positive light possible… When I am guilty of self-love, I soften or silence truth to protect what people think of me.

6. Love of Security

Lifestyle, financial margin, retirement dreams, houses, stability. When I am guilty of self-love, I fear losing earthly things and neglect the pursuit of eternal things.

7. Love of Pleasure

Entertainment, distraction, comfort-food for the soul, sinful escapes. When I am guilty of self-love, I go to what feels good rather what is right.

Every one of these symptoms reveals the same root problem:

I love myself more than I love Jesus.

And Jesus is telling us in this text that if we will not put these loves beneath Him, then we are not following Him — we are asking Him to follow us as we love ourselves.

We are expecting Jesus to serve our desires

But self-love will always let you down… It will always leave you wishing for just a little more… and so that lack of satisfaction with these 7 things really just shows that we need to flee self-love and seek a better love.

So how do we flee self-love?

Matthew 10:38 “And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.”

Background - The cross was a symbol of death

When you carried your own cross-beam on your back, you were already dead… There was no getting out of your execution.

Jesus is using the most vivid image they knew to say, “If you follow me, you will be carrying with you the constant reminder that there is no going back and you will have to let your old life, and your old loves, go for my sake.

The antidote for self-love, is dying to your self.

Looking at your life and asking, “What in my life is keeping me from following Jesus on his mission in the world?”

And then saying, “Then I need to remove that thing… or that habit… or that app… or that relationship… from my life.”

[Connect to Heb. 12]

Hebrews 12:1–2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Every weight and sin - There are good things that get in the way of following Christ…

Application: What things have your heart that are keeping you from following Jesus?

What sins have you tolerated that are in the way?

What good things have you made more important than Jesus in your life?

Jesus sends us with clear affections, calling us to love him more than anything else.

With clear ambitions (39) [23:00]

I want you to think for a moment what kind of messages you hear on a daily basis about what ambitions should motivate you in this life…

Perhaps it is professional

Perhaps it is financial

More than likely, the messages that you hear are telling you that you should pursue the things that the world says matter so that you can enjoy the benefits that the world offers…

But Jesus is going to very clearly show us that following worldly ambition will lead to a wasted life

Matthew 10:39 “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

Jesus is using a play-on words here to reveal an important irony

The word “find” is to discover, or to happen upon…

To “lose” is to ruin or destroy

So we can translate this verse slightly different way by saying “Whoever discovers life the world’s way will find ruin, but whoever ruins his life the world’s way will discover true life.”

There is a kind of life that the world tells you you should pursue…

And there is a way to ruin your life, according to the world

Jesus is saying, “If you try to find yourself and your place in this world by doing it the world’s way, you will find that you wasted your life.”

Pursue pleasure - Seek independence - Do whatever it takes to get all of the things your heart desires

You listened to the world long enough and then one day looked up and you were living a life you never wanted…

But if you will find your identity and purpose in Christ, though the world says it is a waste of a life, you will find it is life to the fullest.”

Pursue holiness and godliness - Seek dependence on God - Let go of whatever keeps you from God

Now, this is not a one-size fits all for everyone, because each of us needs to die to ourselves in different ways if we are to follow Jesus… But I do think that there are general things that apply to your stage of life…

So I want to spend a few moments talking about what it looks like to find and lose your life for the sake of Christ

Young men - Grind, build, enjoy pleasure, settle down later, enjoy entertainment, neglect your family to build your career

Lay the foundations of godliness so that you become the kind of man who your future wife and future children need

Young women - Liberate yourself, value yourself over your husband or your kids

Pursue God’s design for femininity, seek dependence on God rather than independence

Older men - Enjoy life now - Its about you

Pour into young men, show us what it looks like to finish well

Older women - Pamper yourself now that you have given your life to others for the past few decades, do your own thing now…

Use these final decades to shape young women who will care more about their families than themselves, just like you did.

No matter what your gender, age, or place in life, there is a message that the world teaches you about what your ambitions should be

[We have to see that our mission in life is not to be ambitious for self, but for Christ, which will mean that we have different priorities and ambitions than the world]

“Save your life. Protect your life. Build your life.”

And Jesus stands before every single one of us and says,

“If you cling to that life—you will find only ruin and a wasted life.

But if you will let go for my sake—you will find the life you were created for.”

[CONCLUSION] 30:00

Living on the mission for Jesus requires that we be clear on what it looks like to follow him, and what it doesn’t look like

It requires that we have

Clear expectations - We won’t fit in, so life will not be easy

Clear affections - Laying down love of self for the love of Christ

Clear ambition - Caring about building his kingdom, not our own.

[Conclude with Josepf Tson - Rest of the Story]

Review

Imprisoned in Romania during communism there and tortured because he was a Christian

Trusted God’s sovereign hand over his life…

But he also believed that his life was meant to advance the mission of Jesus

“During an early interrogation I had told an officer who was threatening to kill me, ‘Sir, let me explain how I see this issue. Your supreme weapon is killing. My supreme weapon is dying.

Here is how it works: You know that my sermons on tape have spread all over the country. If you kill me, those sermons will be sprinkled with my blood. Everyone will know I died for my preaching. And everyone who has a tape will pick it up and say, “I’d better listen again to what this man preached, because he really meant it; he sealed it with his life.” So, sir, my sermons will speak ten times louder than before. I will actually rejoice in this supreme victory if you kill me.’

After I said this, the interrogator sent me home. Another officer who was interrogating a pastor friend of mind told him, ‘We know that Mr. Tson would love to be a martyr, but we are not that foolish to fulfill his wish.’”

And then he writes this—“I stopped to consider the meaning of that statement. I remembered how for many years, I had been afraid of dying. I had kept a low profile. Because I wanted badly to live, I had wasted my life in inactivity. But now that I had placed my life on the altar and decided I was ready to die for the Gospel, they were telling me they would not kill me! I could go wherever I wanted in the country and preach whatever I wanted, knowing I was safe. As long as I tried to save my life, I was losing it. Now that I was willing to lose it, I found it.”

[Gospel Call - If you have been trying to hold on to your life, you will die one day and realize you held on to ruin]

For the Christ follower, let me encourage you… This is not our home, we are exiles in this world, we should not feel at home here

And when everything that we have and everything that we are is secure in Christ, there is nothing this world can offer that is better… and there is nothing that this world can take from us that is important…

“He is no fool who trades what he cannot keep to take hold of that which he cannot lose.” D.L. Moody

Jesus sends us to die to ourselves so that we can live for Him.

And it is a life that is better than anything the world has to offer.

35:00

As we think about laying down our lives for the mission of Jesus, we have a team of people from our church who are heading out to Guatemala this week

So I would like call them up on the stage as we pray for them

As AMG Guatemala is one of our International Partners, each year we send a team to assist in their annual Bundles of Love Christmas ministry which always takes place the 1st week of December. AMG has a network of schools that provides Christian education and care to over 7,000 of the most vulnerable children and their families across the country. The team will help the staff and leaders as they distribute the "Bundles" to the children. The Bundles include food supplies for the families, school supplies, and a small gift for each child. We supplement those gifts with the items we bring and also have the opportunity to share a Christmas gospel devotional at each school, share our testimonies, and just have some fun with the kids. Thank you for praying for gospel opportunities, for safety as we travel, and for the Lord to use this time to draw children and their families to himself.

[Stand]

[Guatemala team prayer]