Christ First

Worship Christ the King  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  51:16
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Matthew 10:37–42 KJV 1900
37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. 39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. 40 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. 41 He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.
Introduction:
Christ ends the missionary discourse with the charge that if they truly are going to succeed as his disciples they must make Christ first.
John MacArthur Sermon Archive The Hallmarks of Discipleship, Part 3

Theodore Roosevelt once said, quote—“There has never yet been a man who led a life of ease, whose name is worth remembering.” end quote.

Certainly when the Lord calls us to be His disciples, He does not call us to a life of ease.

This message is so foreign to us because it is so far from our natural expectation in Christ

Christ must be first. First in Love, Life, Loyalty

I. First in Love

37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Only God can make such a demand
That Christ will have no rival is a virtual claim to deity

3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me

If Christ is God such a statement is wholly logical but if Christ is merely a religious idea then such a statement seems unreasonable
Only One can sit on the throne of your heart
illus: The girls and all their best friends.....well who is your better best?
Spurgeon: “We must earnestly beware of making idols of our dearest ones, by loving them more than Jesus. We must never set them near the throne of our King”
It is the lie of the devil that many can simultaneously share the throne of your heart
Christ must be the first that you love
The idea is not to love father or mother, son or daughter less but to love Christ more.

4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

Parents the best thing you can do for your children is to train them to love God more than you.
Notice the context in verse 35: The particular issue Jesus was addressing was the opposition His disciples would encounter from their parents
35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law
Don’t be jealous for the affect of your children when it comes for God, but rather offer the affection of your children as a sacrifice upon the altar of your worship of God.
Your children should never have to choose between loving you and loving God, between serving God and serving you.
Such a demand is unholy and dangerous to a young person
The same can be said of spouses, insists that your spouse love Christ more by you loving Christ more

II. First in Life

Take Up
Before every believer is cross they must bear and whether they “take it up” determines whether they shall truly be His disciple.
This taking up is done by letting go
for you can not bear this cross and carry your own personal ambition, agenda, or aspirations
illus: trying to carry all the groceries in one trip
yet we have but one life to live for Christ and we are capable of truly bearing but only one thing.
what will you choose? (young people what will you choose)
Here is the secret of the Christian life: You gain life by losing it in Christ

39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it

This is the paradox of true Christianity
Christ is first speaking of your physical life
This is why you can’t scare a Christian with death, because
Philippians 1:21 KJV 1900
21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
But the same is true of the desires of our life

3 Trust in the LORD, and do good;

So shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

4 Delight thyself also in the LORD;

And he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

5 Commit thy way unto the LORD;

Trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass

Why would we refuse such an offer?
Because it is a Cross = pain, hardship - Christ is the example

Philippians 3:10

10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

Suffering in the pain
Shame in the pain
Sacrifice in the pain

2 Corinthians 1:5

5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.

Follow Me
The Focus - Me
usually our desire is that Christ follow us
The Forsaking
we ask for blessing instead of burden, but it is burden that reveals the path of Christ
The Fatigue
“after me” - keep up
You gain life by losing it in Christ

Matthew 16:26

26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Spurgeon
The Gospel of the Kingdom: A Commentary on the Book of Matthew Chapter 10:26–42: The King Cheering His Champions

If to escape from death he gives up Christ, and so finds a continuance of this poor mortal life; by that very act he loses true life. He gains the temporal at the expense of the eternal. On the other hand, he who loses life for Christ’s sake does in the highest sense find life, life eternal, life infinitely blessed. He makes the wisest choice who lays down his life for Jesus, and finds life in Jesus.

III. First in Loyalty

Matthew 10:40 KJV 1900
40 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
Be on the Lord’s side by receiving the Lord’s servants
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