Matthew 10:24-33

Introduction

VK is a Very Cautious Little Girl

On a Regular Basis We Have to Tell Her, “Don’t Be Afraid”

We Tell Her Those Words…

Not Because There Aren’t Things She Should Be Afraid/Cautious Of…

But Because, if We Can Help it, We Will Not Let Anything Bad Happen to Her

She Hasn’t Quite Placed Total Faith in Us Yet

It Doesn’t Matter How Many Times I Tell Her I Won’t Let Her Fall…

Anytime She Climbs Across the Monkey Bars Downstairs…

She Whimpers and Asks, “You Won’t Let Me Fall, Dada?”

I Tell Her, “Do Not Fear”

Yet, She Still Fears

But I Can’t Be Upset with Her, Because I Do the Same to My Father

One of the Most Repeated Commands in the Bible: “Do Not Fear”

God has Given This Message to His People for Thousands of Years

But No Matter How Many Times He Tells Me, “Do Not Fear”…

I Still Have Moments When I’m Afraid

But That’s Not Because of His Unfaithfulness

It’s Because of Mine

When Our God Speaks Those Words, They are Not Empty

They Tell Us that He is in Control and We Truly Have Nothing to Fear

In Our Text, Jesus is Going to Tell His Disciples 3 Times “Do Not Fear”

Matthew 10:24-33

We are in Jesus’ 2nd Major Teaching Discourse in Matthew’s Account

He is Sending His 12 Apostles Out to Multiply His Ministry to the People of Israel

In This Discourse, His Focus is On the Persecutions and Sufferings that Await His Disciples

Before Taking Part in His Kingdom Ministry…

Jesus Wanted Them to Know They Would Be Persecuted and Hated By All Types of People

Even Their Own Families Would Seek Their Death

So He Instructed Them to Be Wise But Harmless…

And if They Endured Until the End, They Would Be Saved

That’s a Pretty Dark Picture of Being a Christian, Isn’t it?

But Don’t Worry

Jesus is Now Going to Offer Them Some Words of Comfort and Encouragement

In This Text, We Will Hear the Phrase “Do Not Fear” 3 Times

Do Not Fear Their Slanderous Accusations

Do Not Fear Their Violent Actions

Do Not Fear Death

Instead, Fear God

Matthew 10:24–25 (NASB95)

“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 the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household!”

The Relationship of a Christian to Jesus is:

The Relationship of a Disciple/Student to a Teacher

The Relationship of a Slave to a Master

The Relationship of a Member of the Household to the Head of the Household

We are Beneath Him

We Learn From Him

We Obey Him

We Seek to Be Like Him

He is Above/Greater Than Us

Jesus Indicates that He is Being Referred to as “Beelzebul

Beelzebul was a Name Used By the Jewish People to Refer to the Ruler of the Demons

They Claim Jesus’ Power and Authority Isn’t From God But From the Devil

We’ll Talk More About Beelzebul When We Get to Chapter 12

The Point Jesus is Making is This:

If They Call the Teacher, Master, and Head of the Household Evil…

You Better Believe They Aren’t Going to Hold Back Against the Disciple, Slave, and Member of the Household

If the Greater is Mistreated, How can the Lesser Expect Better Treatment?

I Mentioned that This Would Be an Encouraging Text for Christians

But So Far, This Doesn’t Sound Very Encouraging

But I Think the Early Christians Did Find This Encouraging

Jesus Went Around Teaching…

Matthew 5:10–12 (NASB95)

“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

After the First Time the Apostles Were Beaten for Their Faith, We Read This:

Acts 5:41 (NASB95)

So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.

Paul Wrote to the Romans:

Romans 8:16–18 (NASB95)

The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

To the Early Church, Suffering Meant:

Closer Association with Jesus

Bringing Glory to His Name

Receiving a Glorious Reward From Heaven that is Incomparable with the Present Suffering

When Jesus Tells Us that We are Sure to Suffer Like Him…

We Can Choose to Focus On “Suffer”

Or We Can Choose to Focus On “Like Him”

The Early Church Focused On “Like Him”

Because That’s the Mission of a True Disciple of Jesus

To Be Like Him

Matthew 10:26–27 (NASB95)

“Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops.”

Here’s the First of 3 Times Jesus Will Say, “Do Not Fear”

His Disciples are Not to Let the Persecution, Slander, and Attacks Against Their Character Keep Them Quiet

Their Mission is to Spread the Truth/Gospel as Loudly and Publicly as Possible

The Flat Housetops of Palestine Worked Great as Stages From Which to Proclaim a Message

“As You are Proclaiming this Good News, People are Going to Hate You and Slander You”

“And When They Tell You to Stop, Keep Speaking!”

“When They Tell You to Be Quiet, Keep Shouting From the Rooftops!”

“Don’t Allow the Persecution to Keep You Quiet”

Matthew 10:28 (NASB95)

“Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

For the 2nd Time, Jesus Says, “Do Not Fear”

We Shouldn’t Fear the Slander and Evil Accusations

But We Also Shouldn’t Fear Physical Harm

Why Shouldn’t We Fear Physical Harm?

Because People Can Only Kill Our Bodies

“Well, Of Course They Can! That’s Why I’m Afraid!”

But They Can’t Kill Our Souls

Soul Does Not Refer to Our Non-Physical Spirit

You Don’t HAVE a Soul, You ARE a Soul

It is Everything that You are, Both Body and Spirit

Soul = Life, Being, Person

Many Times the Word for “Soul” is Translated “Life”

“Do Not Fear Those Who Kill the Body But are Unable to Kill the Life/Being/Person”

They Can Temporarily Stop Our Bodies From Being Alive

But They Can’t Permanently Separate You From Life

God Has Already Promised Us Everlasting Life

And That Everlasting Life Will Take Place in Resurrected Bodies

They Can’t Take that Away From You

It is Guaranteed By God

Don’t Fear Those Who Can Only Cause You Temporary Harm

But Fear the One Who Can Destroy Both the Body and Soul/Life in Hell

That is True Death

The Fear of Being Destroyed in Hell Diminishes the Fear of Temporary Physical Death

What is More Worthy of Your Fear?

Persecutors Who Can Only Temporarily Kill Your Body, But Not Your Soul/Life?

Or God Who Can Eternally Destroy Your Body and Soul/Life?

Again, that Doesn’t Sound Very Encouraging Does it?

“Don’t Be Afraid of Those Who Want to Harm/Kill You!”

“Because God Can Do So Much Worse to You!”

That’s Not Very Encouraging is it?

But We Have to Keep This Verse Attached to What Jesus Says Next

Matthew 10:29–31 (NASB95)

“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. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.”

You Could Buy 2 Little Birds From the Market…

For Less than an Hour’s Wage

They Were Very Cheap and Insignificant in the Grand Scheme of Things

How Important is a Half a Cent Bird?

Last Year I Found a Dead Bird Under a Tree in Our Front Yard

Do You Know How Many People I Went and Told About that Dead Bird?

Not a Single Person Until Now

Do You Know How Many Nights of Sleep I Lost Over that Dead Bird?

Not a Single Second

But Do You Know that There’s Not a Single Bird that Falls to the Ground Without God’s Notice!

Death is an Enemy of Our God

Even the Deaths of Every Tiny Insignificant Bird is Noticed By Our God

If I Were to Ask You, “How Many Hairs Do You Think are On Top of My Head?”

You Might Say, “Fewer and Fewer Every Day!”

Yeah I Know, I Can’t Help it!

But You Might Also Say, “Who Cares How Many Hairs are On Top of Your Head or Mine?”

God Does

In Fact, He Knows the Exact Number of Hairs On Each of Our Heads

He Cares About the Most Insignificant Details of His Creation

Such as Every Bird that Falls to the Ground

And Every Hair that is On Our Heads

If Our God Cares About the Most Minor, Insignificant Details…

Don’t You Know He Cares About the Lives of His Most Special Creation, His Image-Bearers

So When Jesus Says, “Don’t Fear the Body Killers; Fear the Soul Destroyer”…

We Must Remember:

The Soul Destroying God is Also the God Who Cares So Deeply for You…

That He’s Counted the Very Hairs On Your Head

He Cares When One Little Bird Dies

And to Him, You are Much More Valuable Than Birds

So We See the 3rd and Final Time in this Text, “Do Not Fear”

Slander and Persecution can Be Scary…

But God Knows What You are Experiencing, and He Cares

So Don’t Cave-In to the Pressure

Don’t Bend or Break to the Persecution

To Do So Would Bring About a Worse Fate for You

Jesus is Passing On His Gospel Ministry to His Disciples

Before He Sends Them Out, He Wants Them to Know that Persecution Will Come

And They Will Be Faced with a Choice

Our Last 2 Verses Show Us the Choice that We All Have in the Ministry of Jesus

Matthew 10:32–33 (NASB95)

“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.”

Here’s the Choice When We Face Slander and Persecution:

We Can Endure it and Confess Jesus

We Can Give in and Deny Jesus

To Confess Jesus Before People = To Publicly Declare Your Faith in and Allegiance to Him

To Deny Jesus Before People = To Publicly Deny Having Faith in and Allegiance to Him

The Purpose of Persecution is to Stop the Spread of the Gospel

This Can Either Be Done By Convincing Christians to Deny Jesus Through Slander or Violence

Or By Killing Them

Declaring Loyalty/Allegiance to Jesus May Lead Us to Being Slandered, Persecuted, and Killed

But it Will Also Lead to Jesus Declaring Loyalty/Allegiance to Us Before God in Heaven

As Our Advocate, Jesus Pleads the Case of Those Who are Loyal to Him

But That Also Means, Denying Loyalty/Allegiance to Jesus, Under Any Circumstances…

Will Lead to Jesus Denying Loyalty/Allegiance to Us Before God in Heaven

This Will Lead to the Destruction of Body and Soul in Hell

In the Ministry of Jesus, We Have a Choice

When Slander and Persecution Arise…

Will We Remain Faithful to Jesus and Keep Our Allegiance to Him?

Or Will We Give in to the Pressure, Renouncing Our Faith and Allegiance to Him?

Who Would We Rather Have a Relationship With:

The Loving, Compassionate, King of the World?

Or the Hateful, Violent, Haters of God?

What are We More Afraid of:

The Eternal Destruction that Results From Denying Jesus?

Or the Temporary Displeasure of Being Loyal to Jesus?

Application

Our Mission/Ministry is to Proclaim and Demonstrate the Kingdom

To Tell and Show People the Gospel

We are Not to Be Quiet About it

We are to Shout it From the Rooftops

When We Live Lifestyles Like that, Some People Aren’t Going to Like it

Shake the Dust Off and Keep Moving When Possible

But When Escape is Not Possible and Slander/Persecution Comes:

We Must Stay Strong

We Must Endure

We Must Boldly and Publicly Confess Our Allegiance to King Jesus

Because if We Don’t…

We’ve Become Friends with the Weak World…

And Made Ourselves Enemies of the Almighty God

The God Who Can Destroy Both Body and Soul in Hell

But Remember, He’s Not Just a God Who Deserves Your Fear/Reverence

He’s a God Who’s Earned Your Love and Devotion

Because He Loves and Cares for You Beyond Your Capacity to Understand

And He’s Proven that Through Jesus

Are We Ready to Go Out into the World/Our Community…

And Confess Our Allegiance to King Jesus?