David Platt Messages
David Platt Messages is a podcast that highlights sermons from teacher, author, and pastor David Platt.
David Platt Messages
The Gospel Demands Radical Compassion
Some Christians wrongly assume that the safest place to be is in the center of God’s will. However, if we’re going to follow Jesus and demonstrate radical compassion toward those in need, then safety should not be our ultimate concern. In this message from Matthew 9:35–10:42, David Platt points out that the danger of our lives may actually increase as we follow God’s will. But the good news is that the One who sends us out into the world has promised to be with us, to sustain us, and to give us an eternal reward based on the salvation that he has provided.
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You are listening to Radical with David Platt, a weekly podcast with sermons and messages from pastor, author and teacher David Platt. We are in a series calling Radical what the Gospel Demands. Most of the year, up to this point, we have been talking about the gospel and the implications of the gospel for our lives. If we really believe this gospel, it changes everything about how we live. If we don't believe this gospel, then routine, perfunctory religious motion and activity make sense. We're just playing games anyway on Sundays. But if we believe this gospel, the implications are radical for the way we view our lives, for the way we view the church, for the way we view those who are lost and the way we view those who are poor and the way we view those who are poor. This morning we're going to look at the way the gospel radically changes the way we view the lost, the way we view people who do not have a relationship with Christ.
Speaker 1:Gospel demands radical compassion. I want to show you two ingredients of radical compassion in Matthew 9 and 10 today. Number one I want to show you two ingredients of radical compassion in Matthew 9 and 10 today. Number one I want to show you, in the Word, supernatural awareness of the condition of the lost. First ingredient of radical compassion is a supernatural awareness of the condition of the lost, and second ingredient is a sacrificial obedience to the commission of Christ. Supernatural awareness of the condition of the lost and sacrificial obedience to the commission of Christ. Supernatural awareness of the condition of the lost and sacrificial obedience to the commission of Christ. You bring these two together, you've got the radical compassion that the gospel demands, that the gospel requires. Remember, we're talking about coming to Jesus on his terms. And we come to Matthew, chapter nine, verse 35 to 38. And these verses one of the clearest links between supernatural awareness, or awareness of the condition of the lost, and the commission of Christ to go to those who are lost. And so what we're going to do is we're going to read the end of Matthew 9, and then we're going to read all the way through chapter 10. Matthew, chapter 9, sets the stage, give a picture of condition of the lost, and then I want you to see how Jesus responds to that when he calls out his disciples and what he calls them to do. And so we're going to read a pretty extended passage of Scripture. I want you to picture this with me. Matthew, chapter 9, verse 35.
Speaker 1:Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom. Awareness of the condition of the lost here. When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion on them Because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. So there's the condition of the lost.
Speaker 1:Now it transitions to the commission of Christ. He says every disease and sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles First, simon, who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew. James, son of Zebedee, and his brother, john Philip, and Bartholomew. Thomas and Matthew, the tax collector. James, son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus. Simon, the zealot. And Judas, iscariot, who betrayed him. These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans.
Speaker 1:This is Jesus' kind of marching orders, about to send them out. Go, rather, to the lost sheep of Israel and as you go, preach this message the kingdom of heaven is near. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts. Take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic or sandals or staff for the worker is worth his keep.
Speaker 1:Whatever town or village you enter, search for some worthy person there and stay at his house until you leave. As you enter the home, give it your greeting. If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it. If it is not, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet. When you leave that home or town, I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.
Speaker 1:Jesus says I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore, be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Be on your guard against men. They will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. On my account, you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Speaker 1:Verse 9. You are persecuted in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth. You will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of man comes. A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the student to be like his teacher and the servant like his master.
Speaker 1:If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household. So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed or hidden, that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight. What is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the rooftops. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father, and even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid. You're worth more than many sparrows.
Speaker 1:Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven. Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. This is Jesus speaking. He says I did not come to bring peace but a sword, for I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man's enemies will be the members of his own household. Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. Anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth he will certainly not lose his reward.
Speaker 1:So here's the picture Condition of the lost leading into the commission of Christ. So let's start with the condition of the lost. I want you to see and we're going to go briefly through a variety of points in your notes there and we're going to camp out on a couple of others, so follow along. Condition of the lost See their size. When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion on them. He saw the crowds. Historians estimate that in this region of Galilee at this point there were probably around 200 different cities or villages. Some estimate up to about three million people. That Jesus was interacting in a region with that many people, and when he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them. There's a depth of feeling here that goes beyond just an emotional feeling, even a spiritual feeling. This word is a physical feeling. Jesus saw the masses of people and it agonized him physically, spiritually, emotionally to see the crowds, and this is the Jesus who lives in you and me, and so I implore you this morning to look. And so I implore you this morning to look, to look beyond this room, to look beyond the comfortable chairs we find ourselves in and to see the crowds.
Speaker 1:6.7 billion people. 6.7 billion people. We've talked about this. Out of those 6.7 billion people, one-third claim to be Christian, and those are those who claim in many senses senses politically or socially to be Christian, likely not all actually followers of Christ. But even if we assumed they were all followers of Christ, that leaves over 4.5 billion people. Over 4.5 billion people, including hundreds of thousands of people in Birmingham, alabama, who today stand under the judgment of God and are on a road that leads to an eternal hell.
Speaker 1:If this gospel is true. If this gospel is true, then 4.5 billion people today are headed for everlasting destruction. And if that is the case, then we cannot play games with the church. And if that's true, we cannot play games with our lives, not with that size of crowd. See their size. Second, feel their suffering. Jesus didn't just see their size and he didn't just see their size and he didn't just see their sin. He saw the depth of suffering that plagued them because of their sin. It says they were harassed and helpless, downcast and destitute, like sheep without a shepherd. Whether he was preaching to them or healing them, jesus had a depth of compassion for the people who he was ministering to, who he was around.
Speaker 1:I love what a guy named Paul Brand says. Dr Brand worked among lepers for many years and he reflects on the way Jesus interacted with the crowds, especially those who were diseased, and I want you to listen to what he writes. He says Jesus reached out his hand and touched the eyes of the blind, the skin of the person with leprosy and the legs of the cripple. I have sometimes wondered Brand writes wondered why Jesus so frequently touched the people he healed, many of whom must have been unattractive, obviously diseased, unsanitary and smelly. With his power he easily could have waved a magic wand, but he chose not to.
Speaker 1:Jesus' mission was not chiefly a crusade against disease, but rather a ministry to individual people, some of whom happened to have a disease. He wanted those people, one by one, to feel his love and warmth and full identification with them. Jesus knew he could not readily demonstrate love to a crowd, for love usually involves touching. See the size, feel their suffering, individually, feeling their suffering. Aren't you thankful that Christ is willing to touch the dirty, diseased and despised?
Speaker 1:This is the picture here, and this is huge, because what we need to realize is this depth of compassion in Christ does not arise from qualities or characteristics that are inherent in others. The reality is the people. He saw sinners, and he was the one who had been sinned against. There was absolutely nothing in them that would cause compassion to rise up in him. He was the infinitely holy God of the universe. There was nothing in him that would cause compassion to rise up when looking at sin. It's indignation towards sin. So how did he respond this way? Think about it with me when we see a child. Last night, heather and I were driving back into town late in the evening and our two boys were sleeping in the back and I'm looking at them as they're sleeping and you know that scene, when you see a child sleeping and just this innocent, and it's easy to have compassion just well up in you at that moment. But it's a whole other story when that two and a half year old is indignant toward his dad and he is being defiant and saying no in my face. Now this compassion is not quite so automatic anymore. Does that make sense? Yes, amen.
Speaker 1:We respond to others, but the beauty of Christ is his compassion is not based on externals and others. His compassion is based on an internal reality in him, a compassion that wells up, and the reality is. The only way you and I could ever have this kind of compassion is if Christ is in us. This is so different in the way we view sinners. We see people in their sin and we see evidences of sin. This is so different than the way we view sinners. We see people in their sin and we see evidences of sin and we have frustration rises up in us and indignation and disgust in some instances and some facets of sin. These are the emotions that rise up in us and that's natural. But it's supernatural when we see sin and compassion rises up in us and we feel and identify with people's need and hurt and suffering. This is the picture of Christ See their size, feel their suffering and, third, realize their separation.
Speaker 1:A couple of weeks ago, when we looked at this passage briefly, I mentioned that harvest here. Harvest is plentiful, the work of this view, the Lord of the harvest. Harvest is biblical imagery in so many different places for judgment. Isaiah, chapter 17,. We won't turn to these. You might write them down. Isaiah, chapter 17, verse 10 and 11. The harvest will be a heap and a day of sickliness and incurable pain. Joel says bring all the nations to where I will sit to judge them. Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Listen to what Joel says Come, tread, for the winepress is full and multitudes are in the valley of decision. The picture in Joel is there's a multitude of people in the harvest and their eternal destiny is at stake, and there's a Lord of a harvest who is looking over them. It's the same picture in Matthew, chapter 13. At the end of the age, jesus will come and he will separate the wheat from the tares. The wheat, those who are righteous go to eternal life. Tares, those who are unrighteous, to everlasting destruction, to a furnace of fire that is never quenched. When Jesus looked at the crowds, he saw eternal realities at stake. He saw multitudes of people in a valley of decision, to use Joel's words. Same thing, revelation, chapter 14, verse 14 through 20. This is the picture. Realize their separation, and it's exactly what.
Speaker 1:2 Thessalonians 1, 7. I put it in there in your notes. Listen to this. The Bible says this will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power. Ladies and gentlemen, this is what the Bible teaches. The word of God says that there is coming a day when multitudes of people will be punished with everlasting destruction.
Speaker 1:In Revelation, chapter 20, verse 15 that you have there says they will be thrown into a lake of fire. Earlier in that chapter it talks about how the smoke of that fire, the smoke of their torment, the word says will rise forever and ever, and ever and ever. These are eternal realities that are at stake in the harvest, and Jesus knew these things. It's at this point where I know some people will check out and say that's not real. I don't believe those verses, and that's one option. But the reality is, if you take that option, you cannot follow Christ. You cannot be a follower of Christ and choose to receive some of His words and ignore other words from Him. So you check out on His Word, you check out on Christ altogether. This is what the Bible teaches.
Speaker 1:The question then is do we believe Jesus? Do we believe these words? And if we do, if we believe these words 2 Thessalonians 1 7 and Revelation 20 and what he's talking about with the harvest and we do exactly what Jesus said we fall on our faces and we ask God, we plead with God to open our eyes to the condition of the lost around us. We ask and we plead him to free us from temporary views, to deliver us from temporary views on the lost around us. We ask and we plead him to free us from temporary views, to deliver us from temporary views on the people around us and to give us eternal perspectives.
Speaker 1:We need to see like this we cannot ignore the crowds, ladies and gentlemen. We cannot ignore the crowds, turn a deaf ear to sin and suffering around us. We have this temptation to wring our hands in pious concern. When we look at what's going on in the news, we wring our hands in pious concern and we thank God that we're not sinners like them. That's exactly what Jesus was rebuking in the first century. We cannot be those sorts of people. We are so, so blind to these eternal realities. We get so caught up. We're so consumed with such trivial things, our emotions so consumed with games on Saturday I wish I could say this every single Sunday it doesn't matter who cares. There are thousands of people who are going to eternal damnation. Who cares who wins or loses? Artificial battles, supernatural battle at stake here. Let's live for this. Let's have our emotions wrapped up in this. We need God to deliver us from natural affections to supernatural affections, a supernatural awareness of the condition of the lost. This is true, this is true, this is true and it changes everything. God give us a gripping, compelling, consuming awareness of the condition of the lost. And this is where the link comes in.
Speaker 1:Jesus sees the crowds this way and he gives this commission. He says ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field. The commission of Christ Jesus first beckons us to pray. Jesus says disciples, look at the harvest, pray they need workers. Pray that God would send out. Ask God to send out workers into His harvest field. Do you want to know how I pray as a pastor for this church? This is how I pray. I pray that God would send out workers from across this room. I pray that God would send out students from across this room into schools working for the harvest. I pray that God would send out businessmen and women from across this room into the marketplace of Birmingham working for the harvest. And I pray that God would send out moms and dads into communities all across singles, onto different realms of influence that God has entrusted to you. I pray that God would send us out in the highways and the byways of Birmingham and scatter this people for the sake of the harvest. Send us out in the highways and the byways of Birmingham and scatter this people for the sake of the harvest. I pray that God would scatter us beyond Birmingham to cities in the United States and around the world.
Speaker 1:I was traveling this weekend and met a church leader from another state who went to Ecuador after one of our teams had gone to Ecuador and there was a student who had gone on that team to Ecuador, supposed to be there for a week, got there and decided didn't want to come home, so decided to stay in Ecuador and praise God, his parents. Let him do. That Isn't that great. But let's just give ourselves official freedom for this one. Okay, you go on a short-term trip and you get there and God says, stay. We're just going to officially give each other permission to say, yes, that's a good thing and we will gladly send your stuff to you. I pray for people to leave. I pray for people to leave this base of ministry and go around Birmingham and around the world for the harvest.
Speaker 1:This is the kind of praying that God is pleased with. He's pleased with praying for workers going out and he has ordained, sovereignly ordained, to bring in a harvest through the prayers of his people. So let's pray like this. God likes answering, delights in answering prayers like this. So he beckons us to pray and then, second, he summons us to go.
Speaker 1:What happens in chapter 10 is he calls his disciples to him. He said, okay, since you're praying, we're going to go out. And so the picture is he calls them to himself. It's a great word. In the original language of the New Testament it's a compound word that basically means to call someone to yourself to confront him face to face. And he gives them instructions Sent out with the following instructions verse 5, 7,.
Speaker 1:It says in the word picture here, original language of the New Testament, it's like a military commander calling in the soldiers to give orders. You know, military commander gives orders to the soldiers. This is not the opportunity for the soldiers to express their opinions about those orders. Soldiers don't express opinions. Soldiers obey orders. That's what he's doing. Same word. It's used in legal settings in the first century. When you're summoned to court or summoned before a judge to receive a sentence, you don't ask questions, you do what the judge says. It's a reminder for us, ladies and gentlemen, that we are the children of God and we are not in a position to express opinions. We are in a position to obey orders, and the instructions he gives are quite interesting. Obviously, we do not have time to dive in-depth into every single verse here.
Speaker 1:What I want to do is, in a sense, paint through Matthew, chapter 10, with a broad brush, and I want us to see summarized Jesus' orders. How does Jesus commission his people? And here's the deal. This was a commission that was given to certain disciples, specifically to these disciples at this particular time. At the same time, there are truths, principles, orders that are given throughout this chapter that are reiterated in other places in the New Testament for all disciples of all time, and that's really the picture you have. This starts with a specific call to these disciples in a specific way and then gradually, as you read through the chapter, it just gets more general and more general. By the time you get to I think it's verse 24, what you've got is Jesus saying if anyone would come after me, any disciple. This is a picture. So the words were spoken specifically to these guys at that time. The application is definitely for all disciples, all times In different ways. The application is there, and so this is the Jesus who commissions us in this room, and I want you to hear how he commissions His disciples.
Speaker 1:First of all, he says go to great need. Go to great need. This is verses 5 through 8. Do not go among the Gentiles or any town of the Samaritans. Go, rather, the lost sheep of Israel. Again, that's more specific. We know that we're not just supposed to go to Israel, we see even later in this book go to all nations. So that was part of the specific on this particular task. As you go, preach this message. The kingdom of heaven is near. Now listen to verse 8.
Speaker 1:Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy and drive out demons. I want you to listen where Jesus is calling them to go. He's calling them to go first. He's calling them to go to the diseased. Heal the sick, go to the sick. Don't go to the healthy. Go to the sick, not the people.
Speaker 1:It's easy to be around People. It's hard to be around. May get you sick. Go to the sick, not to where it's safe. Go to the dangerous places. Go to the diseased Second. Go to the dying. Raise the dead. Spend time those who are dying.
Speaker 1:Third, go to the despised. Cleanse those who have leprosy. Do we realize how huge this is? This is a culture where if somebody has leprosy, they are ostracized. You don't get anywhere close to someone who has leprosy in the first century. You avoid people who have leprosy. They make sure to let you know where they are so that you can avoid them safely.
Speaker 1:And Jesus says go to them. Go to the people that nobody else wants to go to. Go to the despised. And then he says drive out demons. Go to the dirty, those who are most tainted with sin. This is counter-cultural, ladies and gentlemen. Jesus is saying very clearly to his disciples you know the people that the world ignores. You know the people that the world burdens down. You know the people that the world avoids altogether and oppresses. Those are the people that you go to.
Speaker 1:We're going to talk about this more in the coming days when we talk about the implications of the gospel for how we approach the poor. But the reality is, if we are a church, if we are a people, if I'm a pastor who is constantly spending time around the healthy and the well-to-do, then I am disobeying the commission of Christ. And if we are a people who are known for always being around the healthy and the well-to-do, then I am disobeying the commission of Christ. And if we are a people who are known for always being around the healthy and the well-to-do, then we are disobeying the commission of Christ. Because he said go to the disease, the dying, the despised and the dirty.
Speaker 1:Jesus' commission is to go to the areas of greatest need, not the areas of least need. We are drawn to need by the commission of Christ. The beauty of it is let's know what he says in verse 9. Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts. Take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic or sandals or staff, for the worker is worth his keep. Here's the beauty.
Speaker 1:As you go to the needy, you will learn to trust his provision. I love this. Reach out to the need, jesus says, and what you'll find is I'm sufficient to meet all your needs. Isn't that great? Go to the areas of great need and you'll find that I'm sufficient to meet all your needs. So you don't need extra money, you don't need an extra bag, you don't need an extra coat, you don't need extra shoes. You don't need extra anything. You don't need any excess whatsoever. You trust me. You take the minimum along and what you'll find is, when you're meeting needs, I'm sufficient not only to meet their needs, but your needs. Isn't it a good thing to know that when we go to the needy, we go to the one who Jesus has promised to meet our needs? Along the way, as you go to the needy, you will learn to trust his provision. Go to the needy. Find your needs met. That's a good deal. Go to great need. Second, go to great danger.
Speaker 1:In verse 11, jesus starts talking about how they will be received. He starts talking about homes you'll go into, and the reality is there's some homes will accept you and some homes will reject you. Then he gets down to verse 16. I want you to listen to what he says there. Jesus says I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Now, do you think that's intended to be an encouragement? What is the responsibility of a shepherd? A shepherd protects sheep from what Wolves. A good shepherd keeps wolves from getting near the sheep. Wolves will try to come in attack the sheep. Shepherd's job is to keep the wolves out of the sheep. Here we've got Jesus the good shepherd, the great shepherd and he says go hang out with wolves, go be with wolves. You hear what he's saying here.
Speaker 1:Jesus is saying to his disciples be as foolish as sheep. Sheep are among the most helpless, foolish of all domesticated animals. Sheep, even something harmless, a harmless noise, can cause them to go into a frenzy. They have no clue. As a result, when they find themselves surrounded by wolves, it's not a particularly good situation because sheep really don't have any line of defense. The only thing they know to do is run, and they're very, very slow.
Speaker 1:And so Jesus says when you go out, this is what you're going to be like. You're going to be like dumb sheep walking into the middle of wolves and it's going to seem like the most senseless thing. What are they thinking? Going into those places? Don't they know what's involved there? Don't they know the danger that's involved there? And people will think that you're nuts, because where are you going into? And Jesus says that's my design. You will find yourself in the middle of evil, rapacious, vicious people who want nothing to do with you. And you're actually there by my design. We don't think like this. We think if it's dangerous, then God must not be in it. We think if it's going to cost me money, if it's going to cost me my life, then obviously God would not be leading me there. What if that's actually the primary criteria by which we know whether or not God is leading us there?
Speaker 1:Like sheep among wolves, go to danger. Let it be said of you, church of Brook Hills, just like it would be said of sheep they're nuts going into those places. They're going to great danger, they have no clue. And Jesus says that's what it means to be my disciple, like a sheep going in the middle of the wolves. But then he says therefore, be as shrewd as snakes. So be as foolish as sheep and be as smart as snakes. Now, how do you do that? How do you be as foolish as sheep and smart as snakes? Jesus is saying go without reservation into areas of danger, go without reservation to areas of need and when you get there, be smart, be wise.
Speaker 1:This is a picture of Jesus on his way to a cross, standing boldly before Pilate, before Roman officials, like a sheep among wolves. Right, but he speaks with wisdom. He does not incite unnecessary trouble, unnecessary conflict. He knows conflict will come, but he's wise. He says Be as smart, as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Be as foolish as sheep, as smart as snakes and be as pure as doves. When you are in the middle of the wolves, do not let them have anything against you. Do not be abrasive. Inconsiderate belligerent innocence here. Show purity. And considerate belligerent innocence here, show purity. Like a sheep before her shearers is silent Sheep, a lamb on his way to a slaughter. This is the picture Jesus went before those who killed him in this way and he says you do the same. And here's his promise.
Speaker 1:Listen to what he says in verse 19. When they arrest, you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. So as you go into danger, as you go to need, you'll learn to trust his provision. As you go into danger, you'll learn to depend on his power.
Speaker 1:Jesus says go into danger and know that when you go into danger, you are not alone. I, when you go into danger, you are not alone. I am right, there with you and I will empower you with everything you need to speak and to live and to preach and to speak in a way that brings me great honor. This is the only way that one brother in India who was being skinned alive could look at those who were skinning him alive and say to them you take off my old garment today, but I put on a new garment of righteousness. How do you say that if the spirit of Christ is not in you? This is how Christopher Love's wife, when he was being led to the gallows, could cry out to him, watching her husband go to the gallows, could cry out to him today they will sever you from your physical head, but they cannot sever you from your spiritual head, christ. And she applauded him as he went. How do you do that? Only by the Spirit of Christ. And Jesus says I guarantee you, I promise you, in those moments I will be with you and you will learn to depend on my power. Here's the reality.
Speaker 1:We live our lives within the safety and security that we can make for ourselves in this world. We do not need the power of God, we do not need the power of the Spirit to live comfortable religious routine. We don't need the power of the Spirit. We can do that on our own. We live our lives on the front lines, making the gospel known in Birmingham and all nations risking our lives, going to great need and going to great danger. We need the Spirit of God all of a sudden, and he says you will learn to depend on my power. You'll need my power. Go to great need, go to great danger. These are interesting instructions. Seem need. Go to great danger. These are interesting instructions. They seem a little foreign to us.
Speaker 1:Look at verse 21. A brother will betray a brother to death and a father his child Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. You will be betrayed. Ladies and gentlemen, the kingdom of God is divisive. It's what Jesus talks about down in verse 34, 35, 36. Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I didn't come to bring peace with a sword. I've come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man's enemies will be the members of his own household. Don't miss the picture here. Family members, you follow after Jesus and you give yourself to the commission of Christ. Family members will not understand you. They may even turn against you. You will be misunderstood for sure. In obedience to the mission of Christ. You will be misunderstood for sure in obedience to the mission of Christ, and that betrayal may come from the places where you would have least expected it to come from. You will be betrayed. Jesus says you will be betrayed, you will be hated.
Speaker 1:Chapter 10, verse 22. All men will hate you because of me. These are strong verses. These are not usually the verses that we have like pink highlights around in our Bibles with little stars everywhere Like, yes, this is what I cling to today. All men will hate me. This gives me inspiration. This is what Jesus said and the picture is clear. Clear and obviously not all men, every single person, because there will be people who come to faith in Christ and they won't hate you. We see that at the end of this chapter.
Speaker 1:But the reality that Jesus is saying is it may come from your family, it may come from the government, or it may come did you hear? Flogged in synagogues. It may come, ladies and gentlemen, from the religious establishment and you may be hated by religious people when you obey the commission of Christ, but he who perseveres? Now, why will they hate us? We don't need to give them reasons to hate us. By the way. This is not an excuse for living in a way that just makes people mad. What he's saying is they will hate you because they hated Jesus. All men will hate you because of me. We'll talk about that more when we look at this. One you will be betrayed, hated and third, you will be persecuted. When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Did you notice the difference there? Not if you're persecuted in one place, when you are persecuted. Jesus did not say if you're going to be persecuted. He said guys, you're going to be persecuted. And this was not one of those places. That was just for these guys at this time.
Speaker 1:Because Paul says in 2 Timothy, chapter 3, verse 12, everyone, everyone, everyone in this room who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. This will be a reality for followers of Christ. Again, that doesn't mean we seek persecution. Here's the picture. And it says at the very next verse, verse 24, a student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the student to be like his teacher and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his own household. Here's the picture Jesus was betrayed, jesus was hated and Jesus was persecuted. If you are a disciple of Jesus and a student is like his teacher and a servant like his master, servant doesn't go above his master, student doesn't go above his teacher. They become like teacher, like the master. And the picture is if Jesus was all these things, then all of these things will be a reality for you if you follow Jesus. And this is where a stark reality comes home. And this is where a stark reality comes home. It's a reality. I think that is largely unrealized, but it is thoroughly biblical.
Speaker 1:The reality we must face, ladies and gentlemen. The danger of our lives increases in proportion to the depth of our relationship with Christ, increases in proportion to the depth of our relationship with Christ. The danger of our lives increases in proportion to the depth of our relationship, our identification with Christ. This is unavoidable. I'm not saying this. Jesus is saying this To all in this room who want to avoid danger and live a carefree, easy life. Don't follow Christ.
Speaker 1:If you want to avoid being betrayed and avoid being hated and avoid being persecuted, then avoid Jesus, because the reality is that Jesus was betrayed and hated and persecuted, and the more his life becomes manifest in your life, the more his presence consumes you. Then the more the world will respond to you, just like the world responded to him. People say, well, if we'd all just become like Jesus, the world would love us. On the contrary, if we all become like Jesus, the Bible says the world will hate us because the world hated Christ. The world betrayed and hated and persecuted Christ. We find this so hard to get our minds around. Our brothers and sisters around this world say hearty amens at every point here. They know this reality, they know it and we miss it. We miss it because of the routine system of Christianity we've created.
Speaker 1:I'm convinced I've been studying this passage this is one of the reasons that we have created this comfortable subculture called Christianity in our region of this country, where it is easy to be a Christian, and we've built a whole philosophy of church based around how we can best mimic the world in order to be appealing to the world. It's what our whole system is based on and we think the more we mimic the world, the more we appeal to the world, the better. And the reality is we do that and we do all that we can to do that and in the process we completely lose our identification with Jesus Christ, our Savior. He didn't live to mimic the world. He didn't live to appeal to the world. The world responded like this to him the reality is, if we're appealing to the world, then we're not identified with Christ. Now, I'm not Scripture's not saying Jesus is not saying. Obviously, the whole point is he wants to draw lost people, people who don't know him, to himself. But the reality is he says you will go out and there will be people who will be diametrically opposed to you and the world and all of its system and the ruler of this world will be diametrically opposed to you and you will feel it. The more we know Christ and become like Christ ladies and gentlemen, don't miss this the more you become like Christ, the more I become like Christ. Things will not get easier in our lives and the more this church becomes like Christ, the more things will not get easier. They will get harder. They will get harder.
Speaker 1:Listen to Luke, chapter six, verse 40. Jesus says everyone, after he has listen to this verse. Jesus says everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher. Does that frighten you? It does me. Everyone after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher. Jesus is our teacher, and so we're going to be like the one who was mocked and beaten and scourged and spit upon, had a crown of thorns thrust into his head. This is the one we're wanting to be like and it brings this question to the forefront. It begs this question that we must ask in this room. Ladies and gentlemen do we really want to be like Christ? I mean really want to be like him, because if we are like him, if our lives are identified with him, then our lives will not be the same as the world around us. Our lives will be radically different and it will not be easy, it will be dangerous. This is what he is saying. This is not what I'm saying. I'm not trying to over-dramatize. This is what Jesus is saying here. It's a question we've got to ask in this room. Do we really want to be like Christ? Because if we continue to feed our comfort and our pleasures, then we will not be like Christ. We will miss identification with Christ altogether and we will find ourselves enjoying the pleasures and the appeal of this world, but we will miss Christ and miss the whole point and the process.
Speaker 1:First 300 years of Christianity following this kind of commission involved terrible persecution of Christians. And Christians built miles and miles and miles and miles of catacombs under Rome, underground tombs to bury Christians who lost their lives following Christ. Countless tombs, and archaeologists, as they have looked at those, have seen those tombs identified. This is where this whole picture, the Greek word ikthus, which is an acrostic, it says stands for Jesus, god's Son, our Savior, and that's the acrostic. It's the word that was put over these underground tombs of those who had trusted in Christ and identified with Christ and paid with their lives for it. How far we have come that we take the same sign and put it on Lexuses and BMWs and say that's our identification with Christ. God help us. Do we really want Christ? Do we really want to be like Christ in this room? Do we really want to be like him? If so, it will cost us everything. You will be betrayed, you will be hated, you will be persecuted.
Speaker 1:And Jesus says along the way next verses, verse 26, do not be afraid of them. There's nothing concealed that will not be disclosed or hidden, that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight. What is whispered in the air, proclaim from the roofs Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Three times in those three verses he says don't be afraid. What Jesus is saying is you follow this commission, fear will tempt you. You will be tempted by fear, guaranteed, it's a real temptation. And I want you to see how Jesus prepares them for the fear that's going to face them, the fear that will face any one of us in this room when we begin to take radical steps in our lives in following Christ. He says here's how you confront it.
Speaker 1:Number one see with an eternal perspective, nothing concealed that will not be made disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. In other words, you see all around you the ways of this world and the thoughts of this world and the ideas of this world, and you're going against those. And he says don't be afraid, because one day those thoughts and those ideas and those values in this world will be turned upside down and it will be shown what is true and what is right. So you believe in what is true. You believe in what is right, even when it goes against the grain in the culture, even when you desire to be vindicated in this world. Don't fear, because God will vindicate you His truth, what is right, justice, what is pure, what his word says will be exposed as right. So cling to that. Even when you can't see it, even when everybody in the world says you're foolish, you cling to that. See with an eternal perspective.
Speaker 1:Second, speak with a holy boldness. I love this imagery. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight. What is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. God whispers his word in our ears and we proclaim it loudly from the rooftops. We speak with a holy boldness. We don't take a light and put it under a bowl. We take a light and we put it on its stand so that it gives light to everyone in the house. This is what Jesus talks about. He says take my word and speak it. Speak it with great boldness. It won't make sense to many around you, but no, no going back. See it in an eternal perspective. This is what matters in the end, not the stuff that everybody else talks about and is so consumed with. This is what matters. So cling to that and speak about that and trust that it matters. And this is my favorite part See with an eternal perspective, speak with a holy boldness and sacrifice with reckless abandonment. I want you to listen to this.
Speaker 1:Jesus says you're going to face fear, and he says these words, this is how he encourages them. Follow along. He says verse 28,. Guys, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Did you catch that? Jesus says you'll be tempted to fear man, but he looks at them and he says man is only able to kill the body. God, not talking about Satan here. Satan does not have authority over life and death. God, I'm not talking about Satan here. Satan does not have authority over life and death. God is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. It's not man who holds your eternal destiny in his hands. It's God who does. And so don't be afraid of man and what man can do to you. Be afraid of God. Live with the fear of God. Now put that together.
Speaker 1:Do you realize what Jesus just said? He just said to these guys you're going to go out and people are going to want to kill you, and he said don't be afraid of that. He said the worst they can do is what? Kill you? I mean, think about it. You have nothing to fear when you go to this country or you go to this part of Birmingham. What's the worst thing that could happen to you? Die? That's a weird way to talk. Does that comfort you? The only way that comforts us is if we have already died to ourselves, as if we live in Christ and we know that far worse than dying on this earth for the name of Jesus Christ would be in any way being disobedient to the Father who holds our life in his hands. It was said of saints of old that they feared men so little because they feared God so much. They feared men so little because they feared God so much. And so I would say to you, based on the authority of the word of Christ, today, as a church, let's give ourselves to the mission. What's the worst thing that could happen? They could kill all of us. It lives Christ, and to die is gain. This is a very otherworldly way to think. It's a Christ-like way to think. The worst they can do to you is kill you, so give yourself to the commission of Christ. It's a radical way to live. These are intense instructions.
Speaker 1:But listen to what he says next, verse 29,. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your father, and even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows. Fear will tempt you, but the father will take care of you. This is his promise. The father will take care of you. And listen to the illustration he uses. He talks about a sparrow. A sparrow can't even fall to the ground without God and his sovereignty ruling that.
Speaker 1:So, number one, he rules you sovereignly. This is how he takes care of you. He rules every detail in your life sovereignly. There is nothing that will happen in your obedience to this commission, absolutely nothing that is not under the sovereign guidance of Almighty God. That's a good thing. He rules you sovereignly. Second, he knows you completely. He knows every single hair on your head. He knows, men, how many hairs that used to be on your head. He knows every single one of them. He knows. He knows, for some of us, what the true color is of our hair. He knows every single detail about us. He knows more than we know about ourselves. Who in this room knows how many hairs are on their head? There's only a couple people that might actually be able to accomplish that feat. But the reality is God knows us completely. He knows everything about us better than we know ourselves. He rules us sovereignly. He put the hares there, he knows us, or took them away. He rules us completely, knows us completely. And the third thing is he loves you deeply. Are you not much more valuable than all of these things? Sparrow? He knows everything about the sparrow. He knows everything about you. He rules you sovereignly and he loves you deeply. You are valuable before God.
Speaker 1:Ladies and gentlemen, the one who calls you to go like sheep in the middle of wolves is good. He is a father, jesus says, and he will take care of you. He will take care of you now and he will take care of you in all of eternity. This is why my disciples would respond in obedience to this kind of commission tough instructions. You get to the next verses, verse 32,. Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men. I will disown him before my Father in heaven.
Speaker 1:Next instruction we confess him publicly. I'm going to fly through these next two. We confess him publicly. We publicly identify with Christ through these next two. We confess Him publicly. We publicly identify with Christ. The people you work with, the people you go to school, with the people you live around are you publicly identifying with Christ before them? Are you confessing Him publicly? And it is an amazing thought to think that there is coming a day when we will stand before the Father in heaven and Jesus will publicly identify with us before Him. I cannot wait for that day. An incredible picture.
Speaker 1:Confess Him publicly and love Him supremely. We talked about this last week. Love for Jesus is superior to any love for parent, love for wife, love for children. All of these earthly relationships are ultimately temporary. Love for Christ, supremely eternal. He loves us sacrificially. We love Him supremely. Love Him supremely.
Speaker 1:Next, take the ultimate risk. This is when we get down to verse 39. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Take the ultimate risk. What Jesus is saying to His disciples is lose your life, pick up your cross. He said at the end of verse 38, and die, lose your life. Take this risk, ladies and gentlemen. Take the risk of losing your life today Figurative sense here losing your life to Christ Completely and totally. Take that risk and in taking that risk you will find the ultimate reward you will find life in Christ. This is where we came back to last week. This is where we will come back to every single week in this series.
Speaker 1:This is not a call to gloom, it is not a call to misery. It is a call to satisfaction. It is a call to reward, not a call to gloom. It is not a call to misery. It is a call to satisfaction. It is a call to reward, not a call as much to be sacrificial, as much as it is a call to be smart. Try to find your life in this world. You'll end up losing it for all of eternity. Not smart Lose your life in this world, you will find it now and in all eternity. That's smart. Find the ultimate reward and the beauty of it is what he talks about in verses 40 through 42, is that this reward is not just for us, but all who will receive us, all who will see our identification with Christ, who will hear our proclamation, public proclamation of Christ, and who will receive us. In other words, receive Christ is the language there. This is a reward that is invisible, that we cannot see in this life. It is a reward of finding Christ in all of his fullness, and not just you finding Christ in all of his fullness, but others finding Christ in all of his fullness.
Speaker 1:And now Matthew 9, 35-38, comes full circle here, at the end of chapter 10. Matthew, chapter 10, let's be honest, those are hard instructions. And 10, let's be honest, those are hard instructions and obviously, like we talked about, there are specifics here that were specifically geared to those disciples at that time. But, like we talked about, these are general truths that are applicable to all disciples of all times. This is the Jesus who commissions you and me. This is frightening in some cases, all across this passage. Why is it so hard? Why are these words so tough? Here's why Because in that day there were three million people and today there are 4.5 plus billion people who do not know this reward and they need to seek Christ. And they will not see Christ in lives that are not identified with Him. They will not seek Christ in earthly pleasure and worldly comfort. They won't seek Christ in that and they will go to a Christless eternity as a result. They need to see Christ. They need to see people who are identified with Christ, and it's worth it Matthew chapter 10, is worth it for the sake of people who do not know Christ. These words seem so foreign to us today, don't they? This kind of language in contemporary Christianity?
Speaker 1:We ask questions in our lives. Well, what's best for me? We ask questions in the church what's best for me? What's best for my family? What's most safe for me and my family? What's most secure? What best appeals to me and my family? These are the questions that consume us in our lives and our families and in the church. These consume us and the reality is, if this is true, then those questions make no sense anymore. Not one of them. What about me? Does not make sense at all Because our lives are dead. We are living in Christ and Christ wants the harvest. It changes everything about the way we live, we schedule our time, we plan our lives and our families and the church. It changes everything because we have a gospel that demands radical compassion. He has given us orders. We're not living for selfish reward and earthly pleasure. We're not living for self-soothing desires or self-saturated Christianity. We have put these things aside. We don't live in those. We died to those things. How can we live in them any longer? We live to Christ, to Christ's reward, to eternal pleasure, to God honoring desires and plans for our lives.
Speaker 1:Jonathan Edwards said this. He said I claim no right to myself, no right to this understanding, this will, these affections that are in me. Neither do I have any right to this body or its members, no right to this tongue, to these hands, feet, ears or eyes. I have given myself clearly away and not retained anything of my own. I have been to God this morning and told him I have given myself wholly to him. I have given every power so that for the future I claim no right to myself in any respect.
Speaker 1:I have expressly promised him for, by his grace, I will not fail. I take him as my whole portion and facility, looking upon nothing else as any part of my happiness. His law is the constant rule of my obedience. I will fight with all my might against the world, the flesh and the devil, to the end of my life. I will adhere to the faith of the gospel, however hazardous and difficult the profession and practice of it may be.
Speaker 1:I pray that God, for the sake of others, would cause them to look upon this as self-dedication. For his sake, henceforth, I am not to act in any respect as my own. I purpose to be absolutely his Christian. You are not your own. Are not your own For the sake of billions of people who are headed to eternal hell. You're not your own. Whatever this means for our lives, it means this the gospel demands that we sacrifice our lives for the sake of people who do not know Christ. Do we believe what this book says about those who are lost? If so, we sacrifice our schedule and our time and our money and our resources, this church and everything we are for the sake of people who do not know Christ. We pray and we go.