“What it Means to Follow Christ”

Series: “The Gospel Truth”

Text: Matt 10:26-42

Introduction: (What?)

So often when we witness to someone, we fail to let them know what it really means to follow Christ. It is not an easy road. Jesus said in Matt 7:14 “For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

There are two gates and two roads. One is broad and easy and the other is narrow and hard to navigate. Many times when someone shares the gospel they will say, “All you have to do is...” which emphasizes that becoming a Christ follower is easy. IT IS NOT!

In this message we will unpack what following Christ involves and will see the benefits that grow out of the sacrifice involved in total surrender to Jesus.

Examination: (Why?)

1. To follow is to fear God (vv 23-31)

Matt 10:26-31 ““Therefore, don’t be afraid of them, since there is nothing covered that won’t be uncovered and nothing hidden that won’t be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the light. What you hear in a whisper, proclaim on the housetops. Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s consent. But even the hairs of your head have all been counted. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

Jesus encouraged His disciples by assuring them that God Himself is backing them as they proclaim the Good News. The reason they should not be afraid of those who oppose their message is that God knows all hearts and will reveal what those who are rejecting the message thought they had covered from scrutiny. “The God who sees all will reveal all even as he cares for all.” (HCSB Study Bible)

The disciples, and we today, don’t have to play the role of the Holy Spirit. He is the One who convicts of sin and convinces of judgment (John 16:8-11 “When he comes, he will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment: About sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; and about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.” )

In our witness we are to speak clearly the Good News that God has revealed to us through His Word. Holy Spirit will interpret what God has told us and enable us to communicate it with non-believers. If they choose to reject our message, understand that they are not rejecting you, but rather are rejecting the Son of God who paid the penalty for their sins. While they may be loud and obnoxious and may even be able to put us to death, Jesus said, don’t be afraid of them.

The object of our fear should be God who alone can destroy both soul and body in Hell. A healthy fear of God results in our treating Him with reverence. In our day there is more irreverence toward God than almost anytime in history. From the use of His name in profanity or swearing to the inclusion of “OMG” on social media, God is dishonored. He is not “the man upstairs” or “my co-pilot”. He is the “King of Kings and LORD of Lords”. We are to steer clear of these “socially acceptable” references to God. He is the ONE who cares for us even more than HE cares for the lowly sparrow.

The phrase from the song comes to mind, “His eye is on the sparrow, so I know He watches me.” No persecution can come to you except that which God allows. And if He allows it, He will see you through it. I read a quote somewhere “God, who leads you TO it (persecution) will lead your THROUGH it.”

2. To follow means to acknowledge Jesus (vv 32-37)

Matt 10:32-37 ““Therefore, everyone who will acknowledge me before others, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever denies me before others, I will also deny him before my Father in heaven. Don’t assume that I came to bring peace on the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household. The one who loves a father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; the one who loves a son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”

There is no such thing as a “secret disciple”. Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his classic book, “The Cost of Discipleship” wrote “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” We must not be like Peter in the courtyard of the High Priest, denying that we know Jesus. Rather we must be like Peter when the rooster crowed, escaping the courtyard in tears that sprang from a heart broken because of his sin of denial. The warning of Jesus to those who deny Him is “But whoever denies me before others, I will also deny him before my Father in heaven.” The flip side is also true. “Therefore, everyone who will acknowledge me before others, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.”

That is played out in Jesus’s statement in Matt 7:23 “Then I will announce to them, (those who claim a home in heaven because of their works) ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you lawbreakers!’”

Acknowledging Jesus means that we understand that by doing so we may be alienating even members of our own family. Jesus, while praying for the unity of believers in John 17, is at the same time divisive so far as the world is concerned. There is no middle ground. You are either FOR Jesus or against Him. If you love anyone (including family) more than you love Jesus, then you are not worthy of Him.

3. To follow means to die to self and live to serve others (vv 38-42)

Matt 10:38-42 “And whoever doesn’t take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Anyone who finds his life will lose it, and anyone who loses his life because of me will find it. “The one who welcomes you welcomes me, and the one who welcomes me welcomes him who sent me. Anyone who welcomes a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. And anyone who welcomes a righteous person because he’s righteous will receive a righteous person’s reward. And whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple, truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward.””

A lot of people have no idea what Jesus meant by “take up his cross daily and follow Me”. Many consider any hardship or problem to be their “cross to bear”. Perhaps the following questions that I found on line this week will help.

If you wonder if you are ready to take up your cross, consider these questions: • Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing some of your closest friends? • Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means alienation from your family? • Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means the loss of your reputation? • Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your job? • Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your life?

The key phrase in each question is “are you willing”. This does not mean that all of these thing will happen to you, but rather that you must be willing for them to happen if you choose to follow Christ. The worldly life is somewhat like the game, “Whack a mole”. Even though you “whack the mole” today, it just keeps popping up. That is why Jesus added the word “daily” to this admonition to follow Him. The decision you made years ago to follow Christ must be made again today, tomorrow and every day that God allows you to live on the earth. When I was a child I surrendered all I knew of me to all that I knew of Jesus. Today I know much more of me and much more of Jesus. That requires a fresh surrender or as some say “death to self”. When Jesus said to His disciples, “take up your cross”, they had only one mental image; that of a wooden structure used by the Romans to execute criminals in the most heinous manner possible.

When Jesus said, “Anyone who finds his (spiritual) life will lose it (his physical life), and anyone who loses his (physical) (his spiritual, eternal) life because of me will find it” He was talking about two kinds of life; one physical and one spiritual. The day that you surrender to Christ, you die. Paul put it this way in Romans 6:4-11 “Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be in the likeness of his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be rendered powerless so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin, since a person who has died is freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him, because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will not die again. Death no longer rules over him. For the death he died, he died to sin once for all time; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” This is what happens when one is born again.

Service to others that springs from anything other than a relationship with Christ brings a temporal reward. However even the smallest service (cup of cold water) that is rendered because of Christ brings eternal rewards. The particular service that Jesus referred to is that which is given to new believers (baby Christians).

Application: (How am I going to apply this message?)

Have you surrendered your life to Christ? If not, why not? Today could be the day you are assured of eternal life with Christ.

Are you dying to self daily? Are you beginning each day by receiving your assignment from God? If not, why not start today.

Is your service to other believers being done in the Name of Jesus? Do your motives need to be changed?