WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.600 kill the soul but rather fear him who is able 00:00:03.600 --> 00:00:07.679 to destroy both soul and body in hell are not 00:00:07.679 --> 00:00:11.099 two sparrows sold for a copper coin but yet not 00:00:11.099 --> 00:00:13.039 one of them falls to the ground apart from your 00:00:13.039 --> 00:00:16.280 father's will but the very hairs of your head 00:00:16.280 --> 00:00:20.960 are all numbered do not fear therefore you're 00:00:20.960 --> 00:00:24.660 of more value than many sparrows therefore whoever 00:00:24.660 --> 00:00:28.780 confesses me before men Him I will also confess 00:00:28.780 --> 00:00:32.840 before my Father who is in heaven. But whoever 00:00:32.840 --> 00:00:36.799 denies me before men, him I also will deny before 00:00:36.799 --> 00:00:42.479 my Father who is in heaven. Let's pray. Gracious 00:00:42.479 --> 00:00:45.939 God, would you help us this morning to hear the 00:00:45.939 --> 00:00:48.840 words of this sobering passage, to hear the words 00:00:48.840 --> 00:00:51.759 of our Lord as they are spoken. Lord, we pray 00:00:51.759 --> 00:00:53.960 that the Spirit of God would make effectual the 00:00:53.960 --> 00:00:56.810 preaching of the Word of God this morning. Lord, 00:00:56.810 --> 00:00:59.929 do so for the glory and honor of Christ, in whose 00:00:59.929 --> 00:01:04.209 name we pray. Amen. We're in Matthew 10, and 00:01:04.209 --> 00:01:06.670 in this chapter, the Lord is giving the twelve, 00:01:06.849 --> 00:01:09.549 that is the twelve apostles, instructions because 00:01:09.549 --> 00:01:12.310 he's preparing them to go out on their first 00:01:12.310 --> 00:01:15.930 missionary journey. But he's preparing them for 00:01:15.930 --> 00:01:19.390 the challenges that they are going to face. He's 00:01:19.390 --> 00:01:22.590 a great teacher. He's not sugarcoating. He's 00:01:22.590 --> 00:01:24.810 not glossing over the facts. He's not trying 00:01:24.810 --> 00:01:27.250 to make the mission sound more glamorous than 00:01:27.250 --> 00:01:29.730 it will be. In fact, from the very beginning, 00:01:29.769 --> 00:01:32.670 he lets them know there will be opposition. There's 00:01:32.670 --> 00:01:35.269 going to be slander. There will even be physical 00:01:35.269 --> 00:01:38.650 danger as they begin to take the gospel first 00:01:38.650 --> 00:01:42.930 to Israel and subsequently to the nations. In 00:01:42.930 --> 00:01:44.730 fact, he even told them. He said, I'm sending 00:01:44.730 --> 00:01:48.909 you out as sheep amidst wolves. Therefore, we 00:01:48.909 --> 00:01:51.900 know from the beginning, This mission is going 00:01:51.900 --> 00:01:54.980 to be fraught with danger. But what is their 00:01:54.980 --> 00:01:58.859 job? It's to preach the gospel, stay faithful 00:01:58.859 --> 00:02:02.400 to Christ, and leave all the results to their 00:02:02.400 --> 00:02:05.219 Father in heaven. Now, as I said, the immediate 00:02:05.219 --> 00:02:09.639 context is Jesus addressing the original 12 apostles. 00:02:10.400 --> 00:02:12.979 That's the immediate context. But as you read 00:02:12.979 --> 00:02:15.120 down through chapter 10, there becomes a shift 00:02:15.120 --> 00:02:19.139 where it broadens and it encompasses not just 00:02:19.139 --> 00:02:23.310 the 12, but the broader call of all Christians, 00:02:23.449 --> 00:02:27.610 even those of us today. Jesus is reminding his 00:02:27.610 --> 00:02:31.810 church of a very key truth. You and I should 00:02:31.810 --> 00:02:35.530 expect to share in the experience of Christ's 00:02:35.530 --> 00:02:39.949 suffering and rejection. How Christ was treated 00:02:39.949 --> 00:02:43.009 is really how you and I can expect to be treated 00:02:43.009 --> 00:02:46.990 as well. He was persecuted. We are to expect 00:02:46.990 --> 00:02:51.039 persecution. But we are not to shrink back from 00:02:51.039 --> 00:02:55.620 it. Rather, we are to fear God, continue to follow 00:02:55.620 --> 00:03:01.400 Christ, even amidst great persecution. Now, we 00:03:01.400 --> 00:03:09.180 look in verse 24. He says, Notice the terms that 00:03:09.180 --> 00:03:12.120 the word Jesus uses to describe his people. There 00:03:12.120 --> 00:03:14.400 are three of them. He uses the word disciple. 00:03:15.020 --> 00:03:18.590 He uses the word servant. and then also those 00:03:18.590 --> 00:03:23.129 of his household. All of those terms are subordinate 00:03:23.129 --> 00:03:27.550 terms. They're inferior positions. But when he's 00:03:27.550 --> 00:03:30.330 referring to himself, he uses the word teacher, 00:03:30.509 --> 00:03:36.030 master, master of the household. All of those 00:03:36.030 --> 00:03:38.990 are authoritative terms. So what does he say? 00:03:39.069 --> 00:03:41.250 First, let's look at the two terms. We are disciples. 00:03:41.409 --> 00:03:44.990 In Greek, it is the word mathetes. We are disciples. 00:03:45.090 --> 00:03:48.919 We are mathetes. We're also servants of Christ, 00:03:49.060 --> 00:03:51.759 which is the word doulos. And I'm making a point 00:03:51.759 --> 00:03:53.900 about this. I don't care about the Greek, but 00:03:53.900 --> 00:03:56.060 it's really interesting. So first of all, we 00:03:56.060 --> 00:03:59.560 see the word disciple. A disciple or mathetes 00:03:59.560 --> 00:04:03.919 is simply a student, a learner. You and I are 00:04:03.919 --> 00:04:07.219 students of Christ. Now what does a student do? 00:04:08.060 --> 00:04:11.719 A student is to study. So to be a disciple means 00:04:11.719 --> 00:04:15.479 that we study Christ's teaching. We observe and 00:04:15.479 --> 00:04:19.439 obey his commands. We observe his manner of life 00:04:19.439 --> 00:04:23.540 and we seek to live accordingly. So the disciple, 00:04:23.699 --> 00:04:26.300 if we're true disciples, you and I want to look 00:04:26.300 --> 00:04:30.240 as much like Christ as possible. We want to emulate 00:04:30.240 --> 00:04:34.240 him. But the life of a disciple is not just that 00:04:34.240 --> 00:04:38.480 of emulation. Rather, the key here is relationship. 00:04:39.399 --> 00:04:43.689 The disciple doesn't just study Christ. The disciple 00:04:43.689 --> 00:04:46.689 abides in Christ. What does that mean? It means 00:04:46.689 --> 00:04:50.389 we're not merely trying to act like Jesus. That's 00:04:50.389 --> 00:04:54.329 moralism. That'll damn you. But rather, we are 00:04:54.329 --> 00:04:59.089 one with Jesus. He has given his spirit to us. 00:04:59.170 --> 00:05:03.149 The spirit of the living God lives within his 00:05:03.149 --> 00:05:08.490 people. The disciple abides in Christ. The word 00:05:08.490 --> 00:05:12.129 abides is the word remains. In John 15, Jesus 00:05:12.129 --> 00:05:17.290 said, abide in me and I in you. As a branch cannot 00:05:17.290 --> 00:05:19.230 bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the 00:05:19.230 --> 00:05:22.350 vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. 00:05:22.449 --> 00:05:25.230 I am the vine, he says, and you are the branches. 00:05:25.329 --> 00:05:29.990 He who abides in me bears much fruit. Yet without 00:05:29.990 --> 00:05:34.129 me, you can't do a single thing. So not only 00:05:34.129 --> 00:05:37.189 do we follow him, not only do we study him, but 00:05:37.189 --> 00:05:41.189 rather we live in him and we draw strength and 00:05:41.189 --> 00:05:44.649 life from him. So we have, in essence, the teacher, 00:05:44.790 --> 00:05:49.149 the Lord Jesus. He teaches his disciples, that 00:05:49.149 --> 00:05:53.449 is us, how to be Christians. How to be little 00:05:53.449 --> 00:05:55.709 Christ, if you will. Now let me give you a side 00:05:55.709 --> 00:05:58.629 note. This is really not much of the way of exegesis 00:05:58.629 --> 00:06:03.110 here. There are some who see a hierarchy in the 00:06:03.110 --> 00:06:06.069 Christian life. They believe that you can be 00:06:06.069 --> 00:06:09.120 a Christian and not be a disciple. They believe, 00:06:09.180 --> 00:06:11.399 because here's what they think, that discipleship 00:06:11.399 --> 00:06:13.439 is kind of like a higher plane of the Christian 00:06:13.439 --> 00:06:16.939 life. So someone can be a convert to Christ, 00:06:16.980 --> 00:06:21.399 be a Christian, and yet not be a disciple. The 00:06:21.399 --> 00:06:23.879 problem is you don't find that one time anywhere 00:06:23.879 --> 00:06:28.240 in the scriptures. If you are converted to Christ, 00:06:28.279 --> 00:06:32.459 a Christian, automatically that makes you a disciple 00:06:32.459 --> 00:06:42.759 of Christ. All Christians are... Now, the truth 00:06:42.759 --> 00:06:44.759 is, you and I might be in different stages of 00:06:44.759 --> 00:06:48.259 growth. We might be in different stages of understanding. 00:06:49.540 --> 00:06:52.360 Yet, by necessity, all Christians are disciples. 00:06:52.639 --> 00:06:54.540 And I would say this, if you're not his disciple, 00:06:54.779 --> 00:06:57.500 it's because you are not his. To be a Christian 00:06:57.500 --> 00:07:00.540 is to be a disciple. But the second thing is 00:07:00.540 --> 00:07:02.860 actually a little more shocking here. Christ 00:07:02.860 --> 00:07:07.259 also refers to his people as servants. And you're 00:07:07.259 --> 00:07:09.639 like, well, what's shocking about that? This 00:07:09.639 --> 00:07:11.819 is why I want to give you the Greek word. The 00:07:11.819 --> 00:07:14.480 word that is translated in the English as servant 00:07:14.480 --> 00:07:17.839 is a little misleading. Not a little. I think 00:07:17.839 --> 00:07:20.360 it's very misleading. Because the word servant 00:07:20.360 --> 00:07:24.540 in Greek is actually the Greek word doulos. Doulos 00:07:24.540 --> 00:07:28.920 is not a servant. Doulos is a slave. At its root, 00:07:29.079 --> 00:07:31.680 here's what it means at its root, one who belongs 00:07:31.680 --> 00:07:35.569 to another. So in first century, the time Matthew 00:07:35.569 --> 00:07:38.029 would have been written, a doulos was the legal 00:07:38.029 --> 00:07:42.850 property of another. He had a master. He was 00:07:42.850 --> 00:07:46.350 not free to choose his own work. He did not have 00:07:46.350 --> 00:07:49.490 autonomy. In fact, he was someone else's property. 00:07:50.029 --> 00:07:53.930 He was owned by someone. Now everyone at that 00:07:53.930 --> 00:07:56.610 time would have been familiar with rabbis having 00:07:56.610 --> 00:08:01.740 disciples. All rabbis had disciples. But Jesus 00:08:01.740 --> 00:08:06.079 said that his disciples are his douloi, plural 00:08:06.079 --> 00:08:10.240 there, slaves. My disciples, he said, are my 00:08:10.240 --> 00:08:14.040 slaves. They're not just my students. And that 00:08:14.040 --> 00:08:17.879 was something radically new. Yes, you're a disciple, 00:08:18.000 --> 00:08:20.740 you're a student of Christ. But if you are a 00:08:20.740 --> 00:08:23.100 Christian, you are his doulos, you are a slave 00:08:23.100 --> 00:08:27.480 of Christ. And slaves belong to a master. In 00:08:27.480 --> 00:08:32.710 Greek, kurios, Lord. Jesus is called kurias. 00:08:33.769 --> 00:08:38.190 Jesus ha kurias. Jesus the Lord is what it says 00:08:38.190 --> 00:08:40.470 there. That was the early church's confession. 00:08:40.629 --> 00:08:43.090 Remember when we said Christ is Lord? Well, in 00:08:43.090 --> 00:08:46.269 Greek, that is kurias Christas. Christ is Lord. 00:08:46.470 --> 00:08:49.250 And what that meant is that you and I are recognizing 00:08:49.250 --> 00:08:53.970 our place as his slaves. A doulos was not a servant 00:08:53.970 --> 00:08:57.129 in the modern sense. Now, we have that word in 00:08:57.129 --> 00:09:01.260 Greek. You know what that word is? Diakonos. 00:09:01.260 --> 00:09:05.879 The word we get, deacon. What is a deacon? He's 00:09:05.879 --> 00:09:09.120 a servant. The root word is one who waits at 00:09:09.120 --> 00:09:12.519 tables. It's a waiter or a waitress. So that's 00:09:12.519 --> 00:09:16.179 not how we're referred to here. We're doulos. 00:09:16.539 --> 00:09:20.899 And under Roman law, a slave had no legal recognition 00:09:20.899 --> 00:09:25.779 as a person. He was viewed as property. Now you 00:09:25.779 --> 00:09:27.539 might be thinking I'm reading too much into this. 00:09:27.580 --> 00:09:29.960 I'm taking a word and I'm extrapolating. I'm 00:09:29.960 --> 00:09:32.019 going beyond what its original intention was. 00:09:33.019 --> 00:09:34.700 Listen to the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 00:09:34.700 --> 00:09:38.440 6. Or do you not know? Go to that next slide, 00:09:38.460 --> 00:09:44.259 guys. Or do you not know that your body is the 00:09:44.259 --> 00:09:47.779 temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom 00:09:47.779 --> 00:09:50.840 you have from God, speaking of the Spirit. You 00:09:50.840 --> 00:09:57.049 are not your own. For you were bought at a price. 00:09:58.309 --> 00:10:01.470 You were purchased, you were redeemed by a price, 00:10:01.570 --> 00:10:04.269 the blood of Christ. Therefore, because you are 00:10:04.269 --> 00:10:06.529 not your own, you are to glorify God, where? 00:10:06.629 --> 00:10:10.750 In your body and in your spirit, which are God's. 00:10:11.549 --> 00:10:14.370 They don't belong to you. You and I have always 00:10:14.370 --> 00:10:18.230 been slaves. Always. Before coming to Christ, 00:10:18.289 --> 00:10:21.620 we were slaves to sin. But we've been purchased 00:10:21.620 --> 00:10:25.539 by Christ at his death. And we now belong wholly 00:10:25.539 --> 00:10:29.080 to him. And we owe him complete and utter devotion. 00:10:29.320 --> 00:10:33.240 He is our master. We don't have autonomy over 00:10:33.240 --> 00:10:37.659 our own lives. In Romans chapter 6. But God be 00:10:37.659 --> 00:10:40.960 thanked that you were slaves of sin. That's where 00:10:40.960 --> 00:10:44.379 we were. Yet you obeyed from the heart that form 00:10:44.379 --> 00:10:46.759 of doctrine to which you were delivered. And 00:10:46.759 --> 00:10:51.370 having been set free from sin. You became slaves. 00:10:51.549 --> 00:10:54.850 Same word there, doulos, of righteousness. You 00:10:54.850 --> 00:10:57.690 were a doulos to sin, you are now a doulos, a 00:10:57.690 --> 00:11:00.129 slave to righteousness, to Christ. So do you 00:11:00.129 --> 00:11:02.990 see the movement? We go from slavery of sin to 00:11:02.990 --> 00:11:06.009 slavery of Christ. But yet, the Bible says, if 00:11:06.009 --> 00:11:09.210 the Son sets you free, you are free indeed. So 00:11:09.210 --> 00:11:12.070 the ironic thing is, is in being a slave to Christ, 00:11:12.110 --> 00:11:14.649 we actually have freedom that we've never enjoyed 00:11:14.649 --> 00:11:17.690 before. Now what's the point here in Matthew 00:11:17.690 --> 00:11:22.830 10? The Lord Jesus is making a very bold claim. 00:11:23.929 --> 00:11:26.730 Yes, he's their rabbi. Yes, I'm the teacher. 00:11:27.649 --> 00:11:31.809 But I'm also their master, kurios, their Lord. 00:11:32.429 --> 00:11:34.649 These men, yes, they're my students, but they're 00:11:34.649 --> 00:11:38.669 my douloi, they're my slaves. They belong to 00:11:38.669 --> 00:11:42.049 me. Now, if you're a Jew, and all 12 were Jews, 00:11:42.309 --> 00:11:45.409 the 12 original apostles, they would have understood, 00:11:45.470 --> 00:11:50.799 of course, we're slaves to God. Jesus said, you 00:11:50.799 --> 00:11:55.460 are my slaves. I am not just your rabbi. I am 00:11:55.460 --> 00:11:58.139 not just your teacher. Just as you were a slave 00:11:58.139 --> 00:12:03.120 to God, so you were also a slave to me. Now, 00:12:03.139 --> 00:12:06.179 friends, that's radical. That means a lot in 00:12:06.179 --> 00:12:08.720 the way that we live our lives even today. Now, 00:12:08.720 --> 00:12:11.220 what's the goal of the disciple? Verse 25. It's 00:12:11.220 --> 00:12:13.580 enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher 00:12:13.580 --> 00:12:17.460 and a servant like his master. This is what we 00:12:17.460 --> 00:12:20.440 want. Conformity to Christ, to look like him, 00:12:20.480 --> 00:12:22.960 to grow up in him, to live our lives like he 00:12:22.960 --> 00:12:28.919 does. But for disciples, these 12, this also 00:12:28.919 --> 00:12:32.120 meant suffering. Look at the latter part. He 00:12:32.120 --> 00:12:35.100 says, if they have called the master of the house 00:12:35.100 --> 00:12:39.539 Beelzebub, how much more will they call those 00:12:39.539 --> 00:12:43.240 of his household? Jesus is arguing from the greater 00:12:43.240 --> 00:12:46.399 to the lesser. If Christ, the great one, was 00:12:46.399 --> 00:12:51.389 maligned, and slandered, how much worse is it 00:12:51.389 --> 00:12:53.950 going to be for his followers? Think who Christ 00:12:53.950 --> 00:12:56.950 was. He's the holy, the sinless son of the living 00:12:56.950 --> 00:13:01.149 God. And what did they call him? Beelzebub. It's 00:13:01.149 --> 00:13:03.070 a title for Satan. It literally means Lord of 00:13:03.070 --> 00:13:06.570 the flies. He said, they're calling me a term 00:13:06.570 --> 00:13:09.129 for Satan. What do you think they're going to 00:13:09.129 --> 00:13:12.250 call you? How do you think you will be evil spoken 00:13:12.250 --> 00:13:15.879 of? But we also must realize that it's sharing 00:13:15.879 --> 00:13:21.000 in Christ's reproach that is making us to be 00:13:21.000 --> 00:13:24.139 his disciple. That's what it is. Part of discipleship 00:13:24.139 --> 00:13:26.580 is sharing in his reproach. And this is all throughout 00:13:26.580 --> 00:13:28.679 the New Testament. And the reason I'm making 00:13:28.679 --> 00:13:31.139 a point of this is I want you to understand in 00:13:31.139 --> 00:13:34.080 your Christian life and in mine, we are to expect 00:13:34.080 --> 00:13:36.940 opposition, persecution, slander, and being maligned. 00:13:37.740 --> 00:13:42.320 Romans chapter 8, verse 17. Children, heirs. 00:13:43.000 --> 00:13:45.879 Heirs of God, praise the Lord. Joint heirs with 00:13:45.879 --> 00:13:49.600 Christ. That's astounding. If indeed we suffer 00:13:49.600 --> 00:13:52.600 with him, that we may also be glorified together. 00:13:53.000 --> 00:13:56.320 In Matthew 5, Jesus said, Blessed are you when 00:13:56.320 --> 00:14:00.259 they revile you, persecute you, say all kinds 00:14:00.259 --> 00:14:04.779 of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice! 00:14:04.980 --> 00:14:08.580 Be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward 00:14:08.580 --> 00:14:12.059 in heaven. Why? For so they persecuted the prophets 00:14:12.059 --> 00:14:13.700 who were before you. You're in good company, 00:14:13.779 --> 00:14:17.080 folks. They've always spoke badly of people who 00:14:17.080 --> 00:14:20.440 lived righteously and preached righteously. Always. 00:14:20.519 --> 00:14:23.759 From the prophets on forward. From Cain killing 00:14:23.759 --> 00:14:27.259 Abel to the present day. In Acts chapter 5, verse 00:14:27.259 --> 00:14:30.340 41, Peter and John, it says they were rejoicing 00:14:30.340 --> 00:14:33.820 that they were counted worthy to suffer shame 00:14:33.820 --> 00:14:37.039 for his name. They had just been beaten. They're 00:14:37.039 --> 00:14:39.210 like, hey, that's great. And the last verse here, 00:14:39.250 --> 00:14:43.049 1 Peter 4. And I could have gone on. But rejoice 00:14:43.049 --> 00:14:46.649 to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings. 00:14:47.409 --> 00:14:49.909 If you are reproached, now for the name of Christ. 00:14:50.009 --> 00:14:51.570 If you're reproached for being an idiot, that's 00:14:51.570 --> 00:14:54.029 on you. Because some people really are. Some 00:14:54.029 --> 00:14:56.330 people just live stupid lives and they get persecuted 00:14:56.330 --> 00:14:57.950 and they want to make it like they're righteous. 00:14:58.110 --> 00:15:00.629 No, that's on you, man. But if you're reproached 00:15:00.629 --> 00:15:04.529 for the name of Christ, blessed are you for the 00:15:04.529 --> 00:15:10.149 spirit of glory and of God. rest upon you. If 00:15:10.149 --> 00:15:12.450 you're persecuted because your life looks so 00:15:12.450 --> 00:15:15.669 much like Jesus, well, praise God for that. You're 00:15:15.669 --> 00:15:20.950 blessed. Ridicule, suffering, and persecution 00:15:20.950 --> 00:15:25.509 come with being a disciple of Christ. Okay, there's 00:15:25.509 --> 00:15:27.750 suffering, but he says don't give in to fear. 00:15:27.990 --> 00:15:32.029 Look at verse 26. Therefore, do not fear them. 00:15:32.090 --> 00:15:34.669 That's the first part of them. Why not fear? 00:15:35.950 --> 00:15:39.210 First of all, who are we not to fear? The wolves 00:15:39.210 --> 00:15:42.710 that Jesus is sending his sheep out to. They 00:15:42.710 --> 00:15:44.570 are the ones, the wolves, that are going to malign 00:15:44.570 --> 00:15:46.950 you. He says don't fear them. Rather understand 00:15:46.950 --> 00:15:49.570 the latter part of verse 26. Listen carefully. 00:15:49.850 --> 00:15:53.350 There is nothing covered that will not be revealed. 00:15:53.950 --> 00:15:55.690 There's nothing hidden that will not be made 00:15:55.690 --> 00:15:57.389 known. Now that's a scary thought for all of 00:15:57.389 --> 00:16:02.269 us. Nothing? Yeah, nothing. One day, he says, 00:16:02.309 --> 00:16:04.710 the truth will be crystal clear for everyone. 00:16:05.559 --> 00:16:09.059 God's truth will be made manifest. At when is 00:16:09.059 --> 00:16:13.399 that? At the final judgment. Those who persecuted 00:16:13.399 --> 00:16:16.620 Christ's disciples will be exposed for the wicked 00:16:16.620 --> 00:16:20.139 men they are. And on that same day, those who 00:16:20.139 --> 00:16:23.700 remain faithful to Christ will be exonerated. 00:16:23.700 --> 00:16:26.240 They will be vindicated. Now for a time, folks, 00:16:26.320 --> 00:16:28.340 right now, as I prayed earlier, we live in a 00:16:28.340 --> 00:16:31.360 veil of tears. Right now, it appears that the 00:16:31.360 --> 00:16:35.809 wolves have the upper hand. But at the final 00:16:35.809 --> 00:16:38.870 judgment, all that will come to light. The lies 00:16:38.870 --> 00:16:40.990 they spoke against you and they spoke against 00:16:40.990 --> 00:16:45.490 God's people will be exposed as lies. The injustices 00:16:45.490 --> 00:16:47.990 that God's people endured for him will be made 00:16:47.990 --> 00:16:53.909 right at that time. Right now, church, you and 00:16:53.909 --> 00:16:58.509 I in broad culture will be thought of as fools, 00:16:58.750 --> 00:17:04.980 bigots, narrow -minded. Xenophobic, misogynistic, 00:17:05.059 --> 00:17:08.420 homophobic. Add whatever phobia you want to the 00:17:08.420 --> 00:17:12.359 end of that. But God says, one day I will vindicate 00:17:12.359 --> 00:17:15.579 my own. And all the wrongs that they suffered 00:17:15.579 --> 00:17:18.480 will be made right. He's making all things right. 00:17:18.759 --> 00:17:22.849 We sang about it. On that day. The truth of God 00:17:22.849 --> 00:17:24.690 will be revealed, and it will be seen for the 00:17:24.690 --> 00:17:27.509 wisdom that it is. Therefore, because of that, 00:17:27.589 --> 00:17:31.549 that day is coming. Endure suffering. Endure 00:17:31.549 --> 00:17:35.230 persecution. Endure being maligned, knowing that 00:17:35.230 --> 00:17:37.529 one day there will be a reversal, a fortune. 00:17:38.210 --> 00:17:41.089 The tables will be turned. God's going to vindicate 00:17:41.089 --> 00:17:43.250 his son, and God's going to vindicate his people. 00:17:44.130 --> 00:17:46.869 So endure whatever you have to right now. Endure 00:17:46.869 --> 00:17:51.910 hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. They 00:17:51.910 --> 00:17:58.250 called Christ Beelzebub. On that day, all those 00:17:58.250 --> 00:18:01.690 men who had the audacity to call Christ Beelzebub 00:18:01.690 --> 00:18:04.529 will bow their knee before their king and confess, 00:18:04.670 --> 00:18:08.769 Christ is not Beelzebub, Christ is Lord. On that 00:18:08.769 --> 00:18:12.230 day. But until that day, what do we do? Keep 00:18:12.230 --> 00:18:14.630 preaching. Proclaim the truth boldly. Look at 00:18:14.630 --> 00:18:18.410 verse 27. Whatever I tell you in the dark, He's 00:18:18.410 --> 00:18:19.970 speaking the light. Whatever you hear in the 00:18:19.970 --> 00:18:23.950 ear, preach on housetops. So Jesus, remember, 00:18:24.009 --> 00:18:27.109 how did he teach the 12? Privately. He would 00:18:27.109 --> 00:18:29.009 preach broadly to the masses, but he would take 00:18:29.009 --> 00:18:31.349 the 12 aside and teach them privately. And he 00:18:31.349 --> 00:18:33.789 said, whatever I said privately, you publicly 00:18:33.789 --> 00:18:36.890 make known to the people, to the masses. And 00:18:36.890 --> 00:18:39.450 he says, preach on the housetops. Now we're thinking, 00:18:39.470 --> 00:18:40.789 that's going to be really hard because I'm going 00:18:40.789 --> 00:18:43.769 to fall off a steep pitch like we have. First 00:18:43.769 --> 00:18:47.059 century Palestinian homes had flat roofs. That 00:18:47.059 --> 00:18:48.480 made a great, and they had a staircase usually 00:18:48.480 --> 00:18:51.099 on the outside, ladder. So you could go up there 00:18:51.099 --> 00:18:52.759 if you want to make a public announcement, get 00:18:52.759 --> 00:18:54.599 on your roof and start speaking, and Pete, you're 00:18:54.599 --> 00:18:57.700 going to draw a crowd. Now, Jesus is using a 00:18:57.700 --> 00:19:01.460 metaphor here. He's telling the 12, go, if you 00:19:01.460 --> 00:19:04.119 will, stand on your roof, preach to everyone 00:19:04.119 --> 00:19:07.960 everything that I have said to you. Preach to 00:19:07.960 --> 00:19:11.500 whom? To masses, all people, indiscriminately. 00:19:11.539 --> 00:19:15.809 Who needs to hear the gospel? All people. Don't 00:19:15.809 --> 00:19:18.670 keep this message hidden. Preach it in the light, 00:19:18.730 --> 00:19:23.190 but know, know this, it will not always be well 00:19:23.190 --> 00:19:28.569 received. Preach the word boldly, preach it publicly, 00:19:28.789 --> 00:19:32.509 but know this, it will invite criticism, slander, 00:19:32.650 --> 00:19:36.529 and possible danger. There will be times for 00:19:36.529 --> 00:19:38.849 these men right here that he's speaking to that 00:19:38.849 --> 00:19:42.869 preaching the word of God will bring great suffering. 00:19:44.440 --> 00:19:48.220 including martyrdom. But he says, don't even 00:19:48.220 --> 00:19:51.059 let the prospect of dying as a martyr to keep 00:19:51.059 --> 00:19:54.000 you from preaching. Don't even seek to save your 00:19:54.000 --> 00:19:59.119 own life. Verse 28. Do not fear those who kill 00:19:59.119 --> 00:20:03.400 the body, but cannot kill the soul. Don't do 00:20:03.400 --> 00:20:08.680 it. Okay. Well, what am I to do? Fear him who 00:20:08.680 --> 00:20:11.200 is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 00:20:12.400 --> 00:20:16.650 Well, who can do that? God. Church, don't you 00:20:16.650 --> 00:20:20.710 fear man. You fear God and him alone. Three times, 00:20:20.910 --> 00:20:23.650 verse 26, verse 28, and verse 31, Jesus told 00:20:23.650 --> 00:20:27.190 the men, don't fear. Now why is he telling them 00:20:27.190 --> 00:20:29.569 not to fear? Because they're probably afraid. 00:20:30.289 --> 00:20:31.890 He's setting them up and he's like, but don't 00:20:31.890 --> 00:20:36.369 fear. The wolves, they may take your life. They 00:20:36.369 --> 00:20:39.849 may kill the body, but they can't kill the soul. 00:20:41.349 --> 00:20:44.759 God, on the other hand, is able to destroy both 00:20:44.759 --> 00:20:48.880 soul and body in hell forever. Now you're saying, 00:20:48.940 --> 00:20:50.680 but I didn't think the body was destroyed in 00:20:50.680 --> 00:20:52.859 hell. It's not. The word destroy does not mean 00:20:52.859 --> 00:20:55.059 that they will be annihilated or cease to exist. 00:20:55.380 --> 00:20:59.779 It means, it's referring there to ultimate and 00:20:59.779 --> 00:21:06.299 final loss in hell forever. There's no prospect 00:21:06.299 --> 00:21:10.440 of escape. In other words, do not fear man who 00:21:10.440 --> 00:21:13.839 has limited power. Instead, you better fear God 00:21:13.839 --> 00:21:17.640 because he has ultimate power. What can man do 00:21:17.640 --> 00:21:20.480 to you? Anything man can do to you only affects 00:21:20.480 --> 00:21:23.720 this life. They have zero control over the next. 00:21:24.839 --> 00:21:29.319 But God has ultimate power in this life and the 00:21:29.319 --> 00:21:33.559 next, and he determines our destiny in the next 00:21:33.559 --> 00:21:38.539 life. I keep thinking, God, Jesus is there. Commanding 00:21:38.539 --> 00:21:40.460 them, do not fear guys, don't fear. And that's 00:21:40.460 --> 00:21:42.480 natural to have fear, especially in the face 00:21:42.480 --> 00:21:47.799 of death. But how do you not fear then? You must 00:21:47.799 --> 00:21:50.700 have a greater fear of God. You must have the 00:21:50.700 --> 00:21:54.559 Lord sanctified in your hearts. In his commentary, 00:21:54.740 --> 00:21:57.779 R .C. Sproul speaks about Alexander Solzhenitsyn 00:21:57.779 --> 00:22:00.359 and some of you are familiar with him. He was 00:22:00.359 --> 00:22:03.259 a decorated soldier during World War II and he 00:22:03.259 --> 00:22:05.200 was captured by the Soviets and he was actually 00:22:05.200 --> 00:22:09.259 imprisoned in a Soviet gulag. from 1945 to 1953. 00:22:10.460 --> 00:22:12.839 And during those years, Solzhenitsyn was tortured 00:22:12.839 --> 00:22:16.440 by the Soviets. But in 1953, he was released 00:22:16.440 --> 00:22:20.420 and he was asked, how did you endure such great 00:22:20.420 --> 00:22:23.460 suffering? And his answer is so instructive. 00:22:23.779 --> 00:22:27.240 He said, I knew that I could not keep the Soviets 00:22:27.240 --> 00:22:31.359 from torturing my body. But I kept reminding 00:22:31.359 --> 00:22:34.579 myself that he did not possess a weapon that 00:22:34.579 --> 00:22:39.049 could pierce my soul. This is how we do it. I'm 00:22:39.049 --> 00:22:42.069 reminded of that great line in Martin Luther's 00:22:42.069 --> 00:22:45.670 famous hymn, A Mighty Fortress is Our God, when 00:22:45.670 --> 00:22:50.809 he says, Let goods and kindred go, this mortal 00:22:50.809 --> 00:22:55.509 life also. The body they may kill, God's truth 00:22:55.509 --> 00:23:01.069 abideth still. His kingdom is forever. The body 00:23:01.069 --> 00:23:04.210 they may kill, but it doesn't do a thing to the 00:23:04.210 --> 00:23:07.640 truth of God. Part of fearing God, folks, is 00:23:07.640 --> 00:23:11.119 to recognize that in every way he is infinitely 00:23:11.119 --> 00:23:14.700 greater than us, including his wisdom and his 00:23:14.700 --> 00:23:19.619 power. Therefore, trust him. When I was talking 00:23:19.619 --> 00:23:21.960 to Kim this morning or texting to her, that's 00:23:21.960 --> 00:23:24.039 part of what I was trying to convey. I'm like, 00:23:24.059 --> 00:23:27.940 I don't understand. I don't understand why all 00:23:27.940 --> 00:23:30.880 the suffering that seems to be compounded has 00:23:30.880 --> 00:23:34.289 come upon you. But we must lean into the one 00:23:34.289 --> 00:23:37.029 who's infinitely wiser than we, who sees the 00:23:37.029 --> 00:23:39.789 beginning from the end. This is where the life 00:23:39.789 --> 00:23:43.210 of faith comes in. That's it. But it's not just 00:23:43.210 --> 00:23:45.430 his power that's greater. It's not just his wisdom 00:23:45.430 --> 00:23:48.670 that's greater. Of course, we know that. This 00:23:48.670 --> 00:23:50.750 is where comfort comes in. So is his love and 00:23:50.750 --> 00:23:55.390 protection. Look at verse 29. Are not two sparrows 00:23:55.390 --> 00:23:57.789 sold for a copper coin? That's just a penny. 00:23:58.670 --> 00:24:00.630 Not one of them falls to the ground apart from 00:24:00.630 --> 00:24:04.670 your father's will. but the very hairs of your 00:24:04.670 --> 00:24:07.970 head are all numbered. Do not fear, therefore, 00:24:08.170 --> 00:24:12.809 third time and final time, you are of more value 00:24:12.809 --> 00:24:17.390 than many sparrows. If God's providence extends 00:24:17.390 --> 00:24:21.569 all the way to birds like sparrows, how much 00:24:21.569 --> 00:24:25.910 more does it extend to you, to me? He says two 00:24:25.910 --> 00:24:28.869 sparrows are sold for one coin. They're not considered 00:24:28.869 --> 00:24:31.690 worthy. They're not of a lot of value. Yet not 00:24:31.690 --> 00:24:34.150 one of them dies without our Father in heaven 00:24:34.150 --> 00:24:35.970 knowing it and permitting it. They don't die 00:24:35.970 --> 00:24:38.769 without his will. That's sovereignty, by the 00:24:38.769 --> 00:24:41.730 way. The sparrow dies according to God's will. 00:24:43.069 --> 00:24:45.089 Do you not think he's not in control of the events 00:24:45.089 --> 00:24:49.490 of your life? You're saying, but this doesn't 00:24:49.490 --> 00:24:53.099 make sense. I know. But there's not even a sparrow 00:24:53.099 --> 00:24:54.759 that will fall from the sky today unless God 00:24:54.759 --> 00:24:57.859 allows it. And he's in control of your life as 00:24:57.859 --> 00:25:02.420 well. Can anything happen to you unless God first 00:25:02.420 --> 00:25:06.480 permits it? The hairs, the very hairs on your 00:25:06.480 --> 00:25:10.740 head are numbered. God knows every intricate 00:25:10.740 --> 00:25:14.079 detail of your life. Everything. He knows you 00:25:14.079 --> 00:25:15.539 better than you know yourself. I mean, after 00:25:15.539 --> 00:25:19.319 all, he's the one who gave you your DNA. Everything 00:25:19.319 --> 00:25:21.599 about you. The numbers of hair on your head. 00:25:22.640 --> 00:25:25.480 The number of times your heart is beating even 00:25:25.480 --> 00:25:29.200 now. But the Bible says he takes notice of every 00:25:29.200 --> 00:25:33.759 tear you've ever shed. It's who God is. And he's 00:25:33.759 --> 00:25:37.200 talking to us. Our God is glorious. And our God 00:25:37.200 --> 00:25:41.720 is great. And his gospel must be preached. But 00:25:41.720 --> 00:25:45.660 it will bring opposition. But don't walk in fear. 00:25:47.180 --> 00:25:52.430 Rather, live in trust. Live by faith. Lean into 00:25:52.430 --> 00:25:56.970 him. Trust him. Verse 31, don't fear, therefore, 00:25:57.069 --> 00:26:00.470 you're of more value than many sparrows. I mean, 00:26:00.490 --> 00:26:03.250 friends, God takes care of small birds. And he 00:26:03.250 --> 00:26:05.329 says, you're much more valuable than they. So 00:26:05.329 --> 00:26:07.930 the implication is, will he not much more take 00:26:07.930 --> 00:26:12.349 care of you? Do you see what Jesus is saying? 00:26:13.829 --> 00:26:17.160 I'm going to take care of you. And you need to 00:26:17.160 --> 00:26:18.619 know that up front because you're going to experience 00:26:18.619 --> 00:26:19.900 some things that you'd rather not experience. 00:26:21.980 --> 00:26:24.279 James is beheaded. Peter's crucified upside down. 00:26:24.400 --> 00:26:27.180 John's thrown into a vat of burning oil. Exiled 00:26:27.180 --> 00:26:30.359 to the Isle of Patmos. We know the other apostles 00:26:30.359 --> 00:26:35.259 all died martyrs as well. But he says, you have 00:26:35.259 --> 00:26:37.279 more value than birds. They're not created in 00:26:37.279 --> 00:26:41.400 God's image, but you are. In Colossians 3, Paul 00:26:41.400 --> 00:26:44.210 told the Colossian believers, your life... is 00:26:44.210 --> 00:26:48.369 hidden with Christ in God. I find that very comforting. 00:26:49.190 --> 00:26:52.829 My life, it's hidden with Christ. You are secure 00:26:52.829 --> 00:26:58.910 because you are united with Jesus. I need to 00:26:58.910 --> 00:27:01.789 know that. You need to know that. That's how 00:27:01.789 --> 00:27:04.109 we not live in fear. That's how we live by faith. 00:27:04.670 --> 00:27:07.009 Yes, you're saying, God runs the universe. Yes, 00:27:07.029 --> 00:27:11.170 he does. But he loves and knows his own. He is 00:27:11.170 --> 00:27:14.900 transcendent. Far above us, and he's imminent. 00:27:14.980 --> 00:27:19.420 He's near. He's at hand. His steadfast love will 00:27:19.420 --> 00:27:22.859 never be taken from you. Therefore, go and live 00:27:22.859 --> 00:27:26.900 boldly for the cause of Christ. Look at verse 00:27:26.900 --> 00:27:31.559 32. It brings us to the end. Whoever confesses 00:27:31.559 --> 00:27:34.900 me before men, him I will also confess before 00:27:34.900 --> 00:27:37.859 my Father who is in heaven. Now, friends, take 00:27:37.859 --> 00:27:40.660 note of this last part, verse 33. It's not my 00:27:40.660 --> 00:27:43.430 words. This is the words of Jesus. These are 00:27:43.430 --> 00:27:44.990 the words of Jesus. I should be grammatically 00:27:44.990 --> 00:27:48.509 correct there. But whoever denies me before men, 00:27:48.690 --> 00:27:52.910 him I also deny before my Father who is in heaven. 00:27:54.529 --> 00:27:57.349 This leads to a very important question. Whom 00:27:57.349 --> 00:28:01.009 will you fear? If you fear God, then you will 00:28:01.009 --> 00:28:04.809 confess Christ before men. You will. But if you 00:28:04.809 --> 00:28:09.009 fear man, then you will deny Christ before men. 00:28:09.990 --> 00:28:11.829 You're saying, but... then what does it mean 00:28:11.829 --> 00:28:16.009 to confess Christ? It's to confess him as Lord, 00:28:16.089 --> 00:28:19.029 but it's also to affirm our loyalty and our allegiance 00:28:19.029 --> 00:28:22.130 to him openly. We're identified with him. We're 00:28:22.130 --> 00:28:24.670 not ashamed to be known as one of his. We bear 00:28:24.670 --> 00:28:27.069 his reproach gladly. We have the mark of baptism 00:28:27.069 --> 00:28:30.549 upon us. Now let me just say this. Let's be honest 00:28:30.549 --> 00:28:32.529 here. There may be some short -term advantage 00:28:32.529 --> 00:28:36.950 by preferring human approval. There may be. Short 00:28:36.950 --> 00:28:41.440 -term. But it comes with eternal loss. There 00:28:41.440 --> 00:28:45.740 may be some short -term disadvantage if you prefer 00:28:45.740 --> 00:28:49.400 divine approval or God's approval. But that's 00:28:49.400 --> 00:28:53.059 a temporary loss. But with it comes an eternal 00:28:53.059 --> 00:28:57.440 reward. It's a no -brainer, right? If you look 00:28:57.440 --> 00:29:00.400 at it that way. So the question that we have 00:29:00.400 --> 00:29:03.779 to ask or that we have to answer is, will you 00:29:03.779 --> 00:29:08.920 confess Christ as Lord even when it brings suffering? 00:29:10.410 --> 00:29:15.150 Are you going to deny him? Paul wrote in Romans 00:29:15.150 --> 00:29:17.289 10, if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, 00:29:17.569 --> 00:29:20.829 confess in your mouth the Lord Jesus, Kurios 00:29:20.829 --> 00:29:25.329 Iesus, and believe in your heart that God has 00:29:25.329 --> 00:29:28.269 raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 00:29:29.089 --> 00:29:32.150 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, 00:29:32.509 --> 00:29:36.009 and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 00:29:37.910 --> 00:29:42.200 Friends, your eternal, is based on what the Lord 00:29:42.200 --> 00:29:45.859 Jesus says about you. We often think our eternal 00:29:45.859 --> 00:29:47.640 destiny is based on what we say about Jesus. 00:29:47.720 --> 00:29:50.380 It's actually not. It's what Jesus says about 00:29:50.380 --> 00:29:54.859 us. Well, what's he say? He just told us. If 00:29:54.859 --> 00:29:57.039 you confess, that is if you acknowledge him before 00:29:57.039 --> 00:29:59.220 men, he said, when I'm standing before my father, 00:29:59.339 --> 00:30:03.859 I will acknowledge you. But if you deny me here, 00:30:04.240 --> 00:30:06.880 one day when you're standing before his father, 00:30:07.819 --> 00:30:09.920 He would disavow, he will disown, he will not 00:30:09.920 --> 00:30:14.160 acknowledge you. Mark 8. Whoever therefore shall 00:30:14.160 --> 00:30:18.920 be ashamed of me and of my words, not just me, 00:30:18.940 --> 00:30:22.380 but my words, my gospel, my Bible, if you will, 00:30:22.460 --> 00:30:27.079 in this adulterous and sinful generation, of 00:30:27.079 --> 00:30:29.079 him also shall the Son of Man, that is Christ 00:30:29.079 --> 00:30:32.079 himself, be ashamed when he comes in the glory 00:30:32.079 --> 00:30:35.900 of his Father with the holy angels. Couldn't 00:30:35.900 --> 00:30:42.009 be clearer. My greatest desire, my greatest delight 00:30:42.009 --> 00:30:45.829 will be that the Lord Jesus will one day confess 00:30:45.829 --> 00:30:49.109 my name before his Father. Isn't that your greatest 00:30:49.109 --> 00:30:52.630 desire? That he will step before his Father's 00:30:52.630 --> 00:30:57.650 throne saying, this one belongs to me. I died 00:30:57.650 --> 00:31:01.750 for him. This one's mine. And he promises to 00:31:01.750 --> 00:31:07.130 do that if we confess him before men here. Now 00:31:07.130 --> 00:31:09.109 this would have served as a great encouragement 00:31:09.109 --> 00:31:13.609 to these 12 men. How? Jesus had just told them, 00:31:13.650 --> 00:31:15.589 I'm sending you out a sheep amidst wolves. You're 00:31:15.589 --> 00:31:17.470 going to go on a missionary journey. But by the 00:31:17.470 --> 00:31:19.190 way, it's going to be filled with danger and 00:31:19.190 --> 00:31:22.130 slander. And you might die. Possible martyrdom. 00:31:22.390 --> 00:31:25.269 Basically, this is not an easy mission. It's 00:31:25.269 --> 00:31:29.329 not an easy journey. But take heart. Persevere. 00:31:30.430 --> 00:31:32.930 Because he said, I promise one day I will confess 00:31:32.930 --> 00:31:35.009 you before my Father in heaven. And it will be 00:31:35.009 --> 00:31:38.720 worth it all. You're mine. I've got you. Just 00:31:38.720 --> 00:31:42.519 trust me. And friends, he promises the same to 00:31:42.519 --> 00:31:46.519 us today. Now what do we do in light of this 00:31:46.519 --> 00:31:52.140 passage? So the one minute drill here. We are 00:31:52.140 --> 00:31:53.880 to expect opposition in our Christian lives. 00:31:54.579 --> 00:31:58.180 Not everything will go swimmingly, nor will everyone 00:31:58.180 --> 00:32:00.480 like the message we bring. Now we live in a land 00:32:00.480 --> 00:32:02.589 where physical persecution is rare. But you're 00:32:02.589 --> 00:32:04.069 going to be maligned. You might not be promoted. 00:32:04.250 --> 00:32:06.690 You might be ostracized, criticized, thought 00:32:06.690 --> 00:32:11.190 of as a nincompoop who is stupid. Okay. That's 00:32:11.190 --> 00:32:13.970 one thing they could do. But also, when we follow 00:32:13.970 --> 00:32:16.009 Christ, it's not just that. God might bring adverse 00:32:16.009 --> 00:32:18.710 situations in our lives to test us, to refine 00:32:18.710 --> 00:32:22.210 us. I think of Kim. I think of some of you all. 00:32:22.250 --> 00:32:24.490 We've all gone through it. The refiner's fire. 00:32:25.789 --> 00:32:28.569 But we continue to bring that message anyways. 00:32:28.710 --> 00:32:30.650 Why? Because we fear God more than we fear man. 00:32:31.240 --> 00:32:33.140 We have to. We have to fear him more than man. 00:32:33.400 --> 00:32:36.500 God must be bigger in your heart and in mine 00:32:36.500 --> 00:32:39.319 than man is. That's the only way we do this. 00:32:39.500 --> 00:32:42.440 But we don't just fear God. We also trust him 00:32:42.440 --> 00:32:44.980 and love him, knowing that the details of our 00:32:44.980 --> 00:32:48.180 lives are under his paternal sovereign care. 00:32:48.400 --> 00:32:50.500 And that doesn't always make sense to me, because 00:32:50.500 --> 00:32:52.359 as a father, I'm thinking, I wouldn't do that. 00:32:53.359 --> 00:32:56.980 But that's where I lean into God's wisdom. Friends, 00:32:57.019 --> 00:32:58.660 he takes care of birds. He's going to take care 00:32:58.660 --> 00:33:01.130 of you. You're saying, how? Through everything. 00:33:02.630 --> 00:33:05.809 So let us, as we close, let us sound the clarion 00:33:05.809 --> 00:33:08.589 call of the gospel that Jesus Christ, the Son 00:33:08.589 --> 00:33:11.089 of the living God, gave his life for sinners, 00:33:11.269 --> 00:33:13.910 was buried, and on the third day he rose again 00:33:13.910 --> 00:33:16.109 from the dead, and all those who will bow their 00:33:16.109 --> 00:33:18.269 knee, confessing him as Lord, he receives them 00:33:18.269 --> 00:33:21.890 into his kingdom. Let us be clear. Lift up your 00:33:21.890 --> 00:33:24.329 voice. Proclaim what God has done for sinners 00:33:24.329 --> 00:33:27.170 in Christ. And don't be ashamed of that holy 00:33:27.170 --> 00:33:30.789 name. Don't be ashamed of the word Jesus. When 00:33:30.789 --> 00:33:32.349 you're talking to someone, don't just talk about 00:33:32.349 --> 00:33:34.470 God. Everyone's fine talking about God. You hear 00:33:34.470 --> 00:33:36.190 it at the Oscars. The people don't know God will 00:33:36.190 --> 00:33:39.609 thank God. Thank Jesus. Talk about his name. 00:33:39.710 --> 00:33:42.910 Be associated with Christ and his gospel. And 00:33:42.910 --> 00:33:44.549 one day he says, I'm not going to be ashamed 00:33:44.549 --> 00:33:47.309 of you. I will identify you when you stand before 00:33:47.309 --> 00:33:50.049 my Father in heaven. What a great encouragement. 00:33:50.869 --> 00:33:55.529 This is such rich text this morning. Help us, 00:33:55.529 --> 00:33:57.930 church. Listen to it. Listen to what the Spirit 00:33:57.930 --> 00:34:00.289 of God is saying this morning and let us bow 00:34:00.289 --> 00:34:02.910 and ask God for the courage to do it. For without 00:34:02.910 --> 00:34:06.650 him, we can do nothing. Let's pray. Father, thank 00:34:06.650 --> 00:34:08.989 you, Lord, for this wonderful word. Lord, not 00:34:08.989 --> 00:34:11.170 my word, your word. Lord, I may have done a terrible 00:34:11.170 --> 00:34:13.590 job of presenting it, but God, it's rich, it's 00:34:13.590 --> 00:34:18.090 nutritive, Lord. It's satisfying and it sustains 00:34:18.090 --> 00:34:25.550 us, Lord. Your word is food. Lord, and our hungry 00:34:25.550 --> 00:34:28.489 souls want to eat it up. Lord, help us to remember 00:34:28.489 --> 00:34:32.369 that, God, that we are of more value than birds, 00:34:32.610 --> 00:34:36.030 that you know the hairs on our head, that, Lord 00:34:36.030 --> 00:34:37.650 God, you know everything about us, and you're 00:34:37.650 --> 00:34:39.969 orchestrating all the details of our lives, and 00:34:39.969 --> 00:34:42.150 you're in complete control. Father, be with my 00:34:42.150 --> 00:34:44.610 dear sister Kim. Lord God, please fill her with 00:34:44.610 --> 00:34:46.909 peace in knowing this. And, Lord God, it's hard 00:34:46.909 --> 00:34:48.550 because, Lord, there are some times when your 00:34:48.550 --> 00:34:50.510 will takes us into a direction we would rather 00:34:50.510 --> 00:34:54.699 not go. It doesn't look good to us. But help 00:34:54.699 --> 00:34:58.739 us to bow and to trust, Lord, Christ knows what 00:34:58.739 --> 00:35:01.219 he's doing. Lord, I pray for those who are here 00:35:01.219 --> 00:35:03.360 this morning. There may be someone who's here, 00:35:03.500 --> 00:35:06.239 Lord God, and who does not know Christ. And Lord, 00:35:06.320 --> 00:35:08.519 their heart is hard. They live for themselves. 00:35:08.880 --> 00:35:10.980 God, open their hearts to the truth of your word 00:35:10.980 --> 00:35:13.139 and bring them into the kingdom for the glory 00:35:13.139 --> 00:35:15.539 of Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.