kill the soul but rather fear him who is able
to destroy both soul and body in hell are not
two sparrows sold for a copper coin but yet not
one of them falls to the ground apart from your
father's will but the very hairs of your head
are all numbered do not fear therefore you're
of more value than many sparrows therefore whoever
confesses me before men Him I will also confess
before my Father who is in heaven. But whoever
denies me before men, him I also will deny before
my Father who is in heaven. Let's pray. Gracious
God, would you help us this morning to hear the
words of this sobering passage, to hear the words
of our Lord as they are spoken. Lord, we pray
that the Spirit of God would make effectual the
preaching of the Word of God this morning. Lord,
do so for the glory and honor of Christ, in whose
name we pray. Amen. We're in Matthew 10, and
in this chapter, the Lord is giving the twelve,
that is the twelve apostles, instructions because
he's preparing them to go out on their first
missionary journey. But he's preparing them for
the challenges that they are going to face. He's
a great teacher. He's not sugarcoating. He's
not glossing over the facts. He's not trying
to make the mission sound more glamorous than
it will be. In fact, from the very beginning,
he lets them know there will be opposition. There's
going to be slander. There will even be physical
danger as they begin to take the gospel first
to Israel and subsequently to the nations. In
fact, he even told them. He said, I'm sending
you out as sheep amidst wolves. Therefore, we
know from the beginning, This mission is going
to be fraught with danger. But what is their
job? It's to preach the gospel, stay faithful
to Christ, and leave all the results to their
Father in heaven. Now, as I said, the immediate
context is Jesus addressing the original 12 apostles.
That's the immediate context. But as you read
down through chapter 10, there becomes a shift
where it broadens and it encompasses not just
the 12, but the broader call of all Christians,
even those of us today. Jesus is reminding his
church of a very key truth. You and I should
expect to share in the experience of Christ's
suffering and rejection. How Christ was treated
is really how you and I can expect to be treated
as well. He was persecuted. We are to expect
persecution. But we are not to shrink back from
it. Rather, we are to fear God, continue to follow
Christ, even amidst great persecution. Now, we
look in verse 24. He says, Notice the terms that
the word Jesus uses to describe his people. There
are three of them. He uses the word disciple.
He uses the word servant. and then also those
of his household. All of those terms are subordinate
terms. They're inferior positions. But when he's
referring to himself, he uses the word teacher,
master, master of the household. All of those
are authoritative terms. So what does he say?
First, let's look at the two terms. We are disciples.
In Greek, it is the word mathetes. We are disciples.
We are mathetes. We're also servants of Christ,
which is the word doulos. And I'm making a point
about this. I don't care about the Greek, but
it's really interesting. So first of all, we
see the word disciple. A disciple or mathetes
is simply a student, a learner. You and I are
students of Christ. Now what does a student do?
A student is to study. So to be a disciple means
that we study Christ's teaching. We observe and
obey his commands. We observe his manner of life
and we seek to live accordingly. So the disciple,
if we're true disciples, you and I want to look
as much like Christ as possible. We want to emulate
him. But the life of a disciple is not just that
of emulation. Rather, the key here is relationship.
The disciple doesn't just study Christ. The disciple
abides in Christ. What does that mean? It means
we're not merely trying to act like Jesus. That's
moralism. That'll damn you. But rather, we are
one with Jesus. He has given his spirit to us.
The spirit of the living God lives within his
people. The disciple abides in Christ. The word
abides is the word remains. In John 15, Jesus
said, abide in me and I in you. As a branch cannot
bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the
vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.
I am the vine, he says, and you are the branches.
He who abides in me bears much fruit. Yet without
me, you can't do a single thing. So not only
do we follow him, not only do we study him, but
rather we live in him and we draw strength and
life from him. So we have, in essence, the teacher,
the Lord Jesus. He teaches his disciples, that
is us, how to be Christians. How to be little
Christ, if you will. Now let me give you a side
note. This is really not much of the way of exegesis
here. There are some who see a hierarchy in the
Christian life. They believe that you can be
a Christian and not be a disciple. They believe,
because here's what they think, that discipleship
is kind of like a higher plane of the Christian
life. So someone can be a convert to Christ,
be a Christian, and yet not be a disciple. The
problem is you don't find that one time anywhere
in the scriptures. If you are converted to Christ,
a Christian, automatically that makes you a disciple
of Christ. All Christians are... Now, the truth
is, you and I might be in different stages of
growth. We might be in different stages of understanding.
Yet, by necessity, all Christians are disciples.
And I would say this, if you're not his disciple,
it's because you are not his. To be a Christian
is to be a disciple. But the second thing is
actually a little more shocking here. Christ
also refers to his people as servants. And you're
like, well, what's shocking about that? This
is why I want to give you the Greek word. The
word that is translated in the English as servant
is a little misleading. Not a little. I think
it's very misleading. Because the word servant
in Greek is actually the Greek word doulos. Doulos
is not a servant. Doulos is a slave. At its root,
here's what it means at its root, one who belongs
to another. So in first century, the time Matthew
would have been written, a doulos was the legal
property of another. He had a master. He was
not free to choose his own work. He did not have
autonomy. In fact, he was someone else's property.
He was owned by someone. Now everyone at that
time would have been familiar with rabbis having
disciples. All rabbis had disciples. But Jesus
said that his disciples are his douloi, plural
there, slaves. My disciples, he said, are my
slaves. They're not just my students. And that
was something radically new. Yes, you're a disciple,
you're a student of Christ. But if you are a
Christian, you are his doulos, you are a slave
of Christ. And slaves belong to a master. In
Greek, kurios, Lord. Jesus is called kurias.
Jesus ha kurias. Jesus the Lord is what it says
there. That was the early church's confession.
Remember when we said Christ is Lord? Well, in
Greek, that is kurias Christas. Christ is Lord.
And what that meant is that you and I are recognizing
our place as his slaves. A doulos was not a servant
in the modern sense. Now, we have that word in
Greek. You know what that word is? Diakonos.
The word we get, deacon. What is a deacon? He's
a servant. The root word is one who waits at
tables. It's a waiter or a waitress. So that's
not how we're referred to here. We're doulos.
And under Roman law, a slave had no legal recognition
as a person. He was viewed as property. Now you
might be thinking I'm reading too much into this.
I'm taking a word and I'm extrapolating. I'm
going beyond what its original intention was.
Listen to the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians
6. Or do you not know? Go to that next slide,
guys. Or do you not know that your body is the
temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom
you have from God, speaking of the Spirit. You
are not your own. For you were bought at a price.
You were purchased, you were redeemed by a price,
the blood of Christ. Therefore, because you are
not your own, you are to glorify God, where?
In your body and in your spirit, which are God's.
They don't belong to you. You and I have always
been slaves. Always. Before coming to Christ,
we were slaves to sin. But we've been purchased
by Christ at his death. And we now belong wholly
to him. And we owe him complete and utter devotion.
He is our master. We don't have autonomy over
our own lives. In Romans chapter 6. But God be
thanked that you were slaves of sin. That's where
we were. Yet you obeyed from the heart that form
of doctrine to which you were delivered. And
having been set free from sin. You became slaves.
Same word there, doulos, of righteousness. You
were a doulos to sin, you are now a doulos, a
slave to righteousness, to Christ. So do you
see the movement? We go from slavery of sin to
slavery of Christ. But yet, the Bible says, if
the Son sets you free, you are free indeed. So
the ironic thing is, is in being a slave to Christ,
we actually have freedom that we've never enjoyed
before. Now what's the point here in Matthew
10? The Lord Jesus is making a very bold claim.
Yes, he's their rabbi. Yes, I'm the teacher.
But I'm also their master, kurios, their Lord.
These men, yes, they're my students, but they're
my douloi, they're my slaves. They belong to
me. Now, if you're a Jew, and all 12 were Jews,
the 12 original apostles, they would have understood,
of course, we're slaves to God. Jesus said, you
are my slaves. I am not just your rabbi. I am
not just your teacher. Just as you were a slave
to God, so you were also a slave to me. Now,
friends, that's radical. That means a lot in
the way that we live our lives even today. Now,
what's the goal of the disciple? Verse 25. It's
enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher
and a servant like his master. This is what we
want. Conformity to Christ, to look like him,
to grow up in him, to live our lives like he
does. But for disciples, these 12, this also
meant suffering. Look at the latter part. He
says, if they have called the master of the house
Beelzebub, how much more will they call those
of his household? Jesus is arguing from the greater
to the lesser. If Christ, the great one, was
maligned, and slandered, how much worse is it
going to be for his followers? Think who Christ
was. He's the holy, the sinless son of the living
God. And what did they call him? Beelzebub. It's
a title for Satan. It literally means Lord of
the flies. He said, they're calling me a term
for Satan. What do you think they're going to
call you? How do you think you will be evil spoken
of? But we also must realize that it's sharing
in Christ's reproach that is making us to be
his disciple. That's what it is. Part of discipleship
is sharing in his reproach. And this is all throughout
the New Testament. And the reason I'm making
a point of this is I want you to understand in
your Christian life and in mine, we are to expect
opposition, persecution, slander, and being maligned.
Romans chapter 8, verse 17. Children, heirs.
Heirs of God, praise the Lord. Joint heirs with
Christ. That's astounding. If indeed we suffer
with him, that we may also be glorified together.
In Matthew 5, Jesus said, Blessed are you when
they revile you, persecute you, say all kinds
of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice!
Be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward
in heaven. Why? For so they persecuted the prophets
who were before you. You're in good company,
folks. They've always spoke badly of people who
lived righteously and preached righteously. Always.
From the prophets on forward. From Cain killing
Abel to the present day. In Acts chapter 5, verse
41, Peter and John, it says they were rejoicing
that they were counted worthy to suffer shame
for his name. They had just been beaten. They're
like, hey, that's great. And the last verse here,
1 Peter 4. And I could have gone on. But rejoice
to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings.
If you are reproached, now for the name of Christ.
If you're reproached for being an idiot, that's
on you. Because some people really are. Some
people just live stupid lives and they get persecuted
and they want to make it like they're righteous.
No, that's on you, man. But if you're reproached
for the name of Christ, blessed are you for the
spirit of glory and of God. rest upon you. If
you're persecuted because your life looks so
much like Jesus, well, praise God for that. You're
blessed. Ridicule, suffering, and persecution
come with being a disciple of Christ. Okay, there's
suffering, but he says don't give in to fear.
Look at verse 26. Therefore, do not fear them.
That's the first part of them. Why not fear?
First of all, who are we not to fear? The wolves
that Jesus is sending his sheep out to. They
are the ones, the wolves, that are going to malign
you. He says don't fear them. Rather understand
the latter part of verse 26. Listen carefully.
There is nothing covered that will not be revealed.
There's nothing hidden that will not be made
known. Now that's a scary thought for all of
us. Nothing? Yeah, nothing. One day, he says,
the truth will be crystal clear for everyone.
God's truth will be made manifest. At when is
that? At the final judgment. Those who persecuted
Christ's disciples will be exposed for the wicked
men they are. And on that same day, those who
remain faithful to Christ will be exonerated.
They will be vindicated. Now for a time, folks,
right now, as I prayed earlier, we live in a
veil of tears. Right now, it appears that the
wolves have the upper hand. But at the final
judgment, all that will come to light. The lies
they spoke against you and they spoke against
God's people will be exposed as lies. The injustices
that God's people endured for him will be made
right at that time. Right now, church, you and
I in broad culture will be thought of as fools,
bigots, narrow -minded. Xenophobic, misogynistic,
homophobic. Add whatever phobia you want to the
end of that. But God says, one day I will vindicate
my own. And all the wrongs that they suffered
will be made right. He's making all things right.
We sang about it. On that day. The truth of God
will be revealed, and it will be seen for the
wisdom that it is. Therefore, because of that,
that day is coming. Endure suffering. Endure
persecution. Endure being maligned, knowing that
one day there will be a reversal, a fortune.
The tables will be turned. God's going to vindicate
his son, and God's going to vindicate his people.
So endure whatever you have to right now. Endure
hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. They
called Christ Beelzebub. On that day, all those
men who had the audacity to call Christ Beelzebub
will bow their knee before their king and confess,
Christ is not Beelzebub, Christ is Lord. On that
day. But until that day, what do we do? Keep
preaching. Proclaim the truth boldly. Look at
verse 27. Whatever I tell you in the dark, He's
speaking the light. Whatever you hear in the
ear, preach on housetops. So Jesus, remember,
how did he teach the 12? Privately. He would
preach broadly to the masses, but he would take
the 12 aside and teach them privately. And he
said, whatever I said privately, you publicly
make known to the people, to the masses. And
he says, preach on the housetops. Now we're thinking,
that's going to be really hard because I'm going
to fall off a steep pitch like we have. First
century Palestinian homes had flat roofs. That
made a great, and they had a staircase usually
on the outside, ladder. So you could go up there
if you want to make a public announcement, get
on your roof and start speaking, and Pete, you're
going to draw a crowd. Now, Jesus is using a
metaphor here. He's telling the 12, go, if you
will, stand on your roof, preach to everyone
everything that I have said to you. Preach to
whom? To masses, all people, indiscriminately.
Who needs to hear the gospel? All people. Don't
keep this message hidden. Preach it in the light,
but know, know this, it will not always be well
received. Preach the word boldly, preach it publicly,
but know this, it will invite criticism, slander,
and possible danger. There will be times for
these men right here that he's speaking to that
preaching the word of God will bring great suffering.
including martyrdom. But he says, don't even
let the prospect of dying as a martyr to keep
you from preaching. Don't even seek to save your
own life. Verse 28. Do not fear those who kill
the body, but cannot kill the soul. Don't do
it. Okay. Well, what am I to do? Fear him who
is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Well, who can do that? God. Church, don't you
fear man. You fear God and him alone. Three times,
verse 26, verse 28, and verse 31, Jesus told
the men, don't fear. Now why is he telling them
not to fear? Because they're probably afraid.
He's setting them up and he's like, but don't
fear. The wolves, they may take your life. They
may kill the body, but they can't kill the soul.
God, on the other hand, is able to destroy both
soul and body in hell forever. Now you're saying,
but I didn't think the body was destroyed in
hell. It's not. The word destroy does not mean
that they will be annihilated or cease to exist.
It means, it's referring there to ultimate and
final loss in hell forever. There's no prospect
of escape. In other words, do not fear man who
has limited power. Instead, you better fear God
because he has ultimate power. What can man do
to you? Anything man can do to you only affects
this life. They have zero control over the next.
But God has ultimate power in this life and the
next, and he determines our destiny in the next
life. I keep thinking, God, Jesus is there. Commanding
them, do not fear guys, don't fear. And that's
natural to have fear, especially in the face
of death. But how do you not fear then? You must
have a greater fear of God. You must have the
Lord sanctified in your hearts. In his commentary,
R .C. Sproul speaks about Alexander Solzhenitsyn
and some of you are familiar with him. He was
a decorated soldier during World War II and he
was captured by the Soviets and he was actually
imprisoned in a Soviet gulag. from 1945 to 1953.
And during those years, Solzhenitsyn was tortured
by the Soviets. But in 1953, he was released
and he was asked, how did you endure such great
suffering? And his answer is so instructive.
He said, I knew that I could not keep the Soviets
from torturing my body. But I kept reminding
myself that he did not possess a weapon that
could pierce my soul. This is how we do it. I'm
reminded of that great line in Martin Luther's
famous hymn, A Mighty Fortress is Our God, when
he says, Let goods and kindred go, this mortal
life also. The body they may kill, God's truth
abideth still. His kingdom is forever. The body
they may kill, but it doesn't do a thing to the
truth of God. Part of fearing God, folks, is
to recognize that in every way he is infinitely
greater than us, including his wisdom and his
power. Therefore, trust him. When I was talking
to Kim this morning or texting to her, that's
part of what I was trying to convey. I'm like,
I don't understand. I don't understand why all
the suffering that seems to be compounded has
come upon you. But we must lean into the one
who's infinitely wiser than we, who sees the
beginning from the end. This is where the life
of faith comes in. That's it. But it's not just
his power that's greater. It's not just his wisdom
that's greater. Of course, we know that. This
is where comfort comes in. So is his love and
protection. Look at verse 29. Are not two sparrows
sold for a copper coin? That's just a penny.
Not one of them falls to the ground apart from
your father's will. but the very hairs of your
head are all numbered. Do not fear, therefore,
third time and final time, you are of more value
than many sparrows. If God's providence extends
all the way to birds like sparrows, how much
more does it extend to you, to me? He says two
sparrows are sold for one coin. They're not considered
worthy. They're not of a lot of value. Yet not
one of them dies without our Father in heaven
knowing it and permitting it. They don't die
without his will. That's sovereignty, by the
way. The sparrow dies according to God's will.
Do you not think he's not in control of the events
of your life? You're saying, but this doesn't
make sense. I know. But there's not even a sparrow
that will fall from the sky today unless God
allows it. And he's in control of your life as
well. Can anything happen to you unless God first
permits it? The hairs, the very hairs on your
head are numbered. God knows every intricate
detail of your life. Everything. He knows you
better than you know yourself. I mean, after
all, he's the one who gave you your DNA. Everything
about you. The numbers of hair on your head.
The number of times your heart is beating even
now. But the Bible says he takes notice of every
tear you've ever shed. It's who God is. And he's
talking to us. Our God is glorious. And our God
is great. And his gospel must be preached. But
it will bring opposition. But don't walk in fear.
Rather, live in trust. Live by faith. Lean into
him. Trust him. Verse 31, don't fear, therefore,
you're of more value than many sparrows. I mean,
friends, God takes care of small birds. And he
says, you're much more valuable than they. So
the implication is, will he not much more take
care of you? Do you see what Jesus is saying?
I'm going to take care of you. And you need to
know that up front because you're going to experience
some things that you'd rather not experience.
James is beheaded. Peter's crucified upside down.
John's thrown into a vat of burning oil. Exiled
to the Isle of Patmos. We know the other apostles
all died martyrs as well. But he says, you have
more value than birds. They're not created in
God's image, but you are. In Colossians 3, Paul
told the Colossian believers, your life... is
hidden with Christ in God. I find that very comforting.
My life, it's hidden with Christ. You are secure
because you are united with Jesus. I need to
know that. You need to know that. That's how
we not live in fear. That's how we live by faith.
Yes, you're saying, God runs the universe. Yes,
he does. But he loves and knows his own. He is
transcendent. Far above us, and he's imminent.
He's near. He's at hand. His steadfast love will
never be taken from you. Therefore, go and live
boldly for the cause of Christ. Look at verse
32. It brings us to the end. Whoever confesses
me before men, him I will also confess before
my Father who is in heaven. Now, friends, take
note of this last part, verse 33. It's not my
words. This is the words of Jesus. These are
the words of Jesus. I should be grammatically
correct there. But whoever denies me before men,
him I also deny before my Father who is in heaven.
This leads to a very important question. Whom
will you fear? If you fear God, then you will
confess Christ before men. You will. But if you
fear man, then you will deny Christ before men.
You're saying, but... then what does it mean
to confess Christ? It's to confess him as Lord,
but it's also to affirm our loyalty and our allegiance
to him openly. We're identified with him. We're
not ashamed to be known as one of his. We bear
his reproach gladly. We have the mark of baptism
upon us. Now let me just say this. Let's be honest
here. There may be some short -term advantage
by preferring human approval. There may be. Short
-term. But it comes with eternal loss. There
may be some short -term disadvantage if you prefer
divine approval or God's approval. But that's
a temporary loss. But with it comes an eternal
reward. It's a no -brainer, right? If you look
at it that way. So the question that we have
to ask or that we have to answer is, will you
confess Christ as Lord even when it brings suffering?
Are you going to deny him? Paul wrote in Romans
10, if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus,
confess in your mouth the Lord Jesus, Kurios
Iesus, and believe in your heart that God has
raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
For with the heart one believes unto righteousness,
and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Friends, your eternal, is based on what the Lord
Jesus says about you. We often think our eternal
destiny is based on what we say about Jesus.
It's actually not. It's what Jesus says about
us. Well, what's he say? He just told us. If
you confess, that is if you acknowledge him before
men, he said, when I'm standing before my father,
I will acknowledge you. But if you deny me here,
one day when you're standing before his father,
He would disavow, he will disown, he will not
acknowledge you. Mark 8. Whoever therefore shall
be ashamed of me and of my words, not just me,
but my words, my gospel, my Bible, if you will,
in this adulterous and sinful generation, of
him also shall the Son of Man, that is Christ
himself, be ashamed when he comes in the glory
of his Father with the holy angels. Couldn't
be clearer. My greatest desire, my greatest delight
will be that the Lord Jesus will one day confess
my name before his Father. Isn't that your greatest
desire? That he will step before his Father's
throne saying, this one belongs to me. I died
for him. This one's mine. And he promises to
do that if we confess him before men here. Now
this would have served as a great encouragement
to these 12 men. How? Jesus had just told them,
I'm sending you out a sheep amidst wolves. You're
going to go on a missionary journey. But by the
way, it's going to be filled with danger and
slander. And you might die. Possible martyrdom.
Basically, this is not an easy mission. It's
not an easy journey. But take heart. Persevere.
Because he said, I promise one day I will confess
you before my Father in heaven. And it will be
worth it all. You're mine. I've got you. Just
trust me. And friends, he promises the same to
us today. Now what do we do in light of this
passage? So the one minute drill here. We are
to expect opposition in our Christian lives.
Not everything will go swimmingly, nor will everyone
like the message we bring. Now we live in a land
where physical persecution is rare. But you're
going to be maligned. You might not be promoted.
You might be ostracized, criticized, thought
of as a nincompoop who is stupid. Okay. That's
one thing they could do. But also, when we follow
Christ, it's not just that. God might bring adverse
situations in our lives to test us, to refine
us. I think of Kim. I think of some of you all.
We've all gone through it. The refiner's fire.
But we continue to bring that message anyways.
Why? Because we fear God more than we fear man.
We have to. We have to fear him more than man.
God must be bigger in your heart and in mine
than man is. That's the only way we do this.
But we don't just fear God. We also trust him
and love him, knowing that the details of our
lives are under his paternal sovereign care.
And that doesn't always make sense to me, because
as a father, I'm thinking, I wouldn't do that.
But that's where I lean into God's wisdom. Friends,
he takes care of birds. He's going to take care
of you. You're saying, how? Through everything.
So let us, as we close, let us sound the clarion
call of the gospel that Jesus Christ, the Son
of the living God, gave his life for sinners,
was buried, and on the third day he rose again
from the dead, and all those who will bow their
knee, confessing him as Lord, he receives them
into his kingdom. Let us be clear. Lift up your
voice. Proclaim what God has done for sinners
in Christ. And don't be ashamed of that holy
name. Don't be ashamed of the word Jesus. When
you're talking to someone, don't just talk about
God. Everyone's fine talking about God. You hear
it at the Oscars. The people don't know God will
thank God. Thank Jesus. Talk about his name.
Be associated with Christ and his gospel. And
one day he says, I'm not going to be ashamed
of you. I will identify you when you stand before
my Father in heaven. What a great encouragement.
This is such rich text this morning. Help us,
church. Listen to it. Listen to what the Spirit
of God is saying this morning and let us bow
and ask God for the courage to do it. For without
him, we can do nothing. Let's pray. Father, thank
you, Lord, for this wonderful word. Lord, not
my word, your word. Lord, I may have done a terrible
job of presenting it, but God, it's rich, it's
nutritive, Lord. It's satisfying and it sustains
us, Lord. Your word is food. Lord, and our hungry
souls want to eat it up. Lord, help us to remember
that, God, that we are of more value than birds,
that you know the hairs on our head, that, Lord
God, you know everything about us, and you're
orchestrating all the details of our lives, and
you're in complete control. Father, be with my
dear sister Kim. Lord God, please fill her with
peace in knowing this. And, Lord God, it's hard
because, Lord, there are some times when your
will takes us into a direction we would rather
not go. It doesn't look good to us. But help
us to bow and to trust, Lord, Christ knows what
he's doing. Lord, I pray for those who are here
this morning. There may be someone who's here,
Lord God, and who does not know Christ. And Lord,
their heart is hard. They live for themselves.
God, open their hearts to the truth of your word
and bring them into the kingdom for the glory
of Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.