Message 10 - Mission Impossible - A Cup of Cold Water

Matthew 10

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:00

And teens, I would invite you as well. And we started a new study. I should say Christoph started this new study uh last week on the book of Genesis. And already, man, I tell you, this is such a cool discussion and study. I just want to encourage you. You you got up an hour earlier this week, keep it going, get up an hour earlier next week, and and come to that class. You will really enjoy it. You'll enjoy the discussion, and and uh we're learning a lot, and just want to uh make sure you have a personal invitation to that. Uh also uh as we start this morning, we're in Matthew 10 again, and uh the title of the message is A Cup of Cold Water, and that's referring to the very last paragraph of Matthew 10, uh, and where he talks about basically as he's ending this chapter, he makes this statement, and the statement in the the gist of the statement is this I watch over my kids, I watch over my children, and uh uh he's you know he's been talking all about a lot of things that might happen towards us, especially Share Christ, and uh and he's saying, I watch and I know I see what happens in your life, and and I see, and when people mistreat you, I see that too. Uh when people give you even just a cup of cold water, uh as your father, I'm watching that, and I just want you to know that that I am taking care of you. Uh, we're not gonna get to those verses other than that brief discussion this morning, but uh just wanted to let you know where the title came from. And uh and as we get into the rest of the chapter this morning, you'll you'll maybe discover why I didn't get to those last few verses, because uh this is a challenging week, honestly, uh as a passage. But we're in Matthew chapter 10, and we're gonna draw this to a close this morning. And like I say, it's been a challenging passage as as we've discovered that the Lord has given us a mission. He's given us as his children a mission. And for some of us, it might feel like uh a mission impossible. Uh it's he's asked us uh to be willing to talk to people about him, uh to point people towards him, uh, to share with family and friends the good news uh of how to step into a relationship with God. And and for a lot of us, that's that's a big deal. We're you know, we're not too uh excited about walking up to people and saying, hey, let me let me talk to you about God. Uh, but he's asking us to do that. And and even when it comes to family and friends, sometimes that's that can be pretty challenging. It's it's no small mission for us. So he also gave us some directions, and that's what we've been walking through about uh how how to do it, how not to do it. Uh he he based one of the things he said, I think in the broad pictures, don't make it about you or me. Don't make it about ourselves. Uh, you know, if if they don't respond to the information, uh it's then it's not that they're rejecting you. Uh and and so don't make it about you. Don't make it about me. Uh don't think that you have to go, well, now that you know, if he's gonna ask me to do this, I need to go away for a couple years of Bible college to get all my facts right, to memorize a bunch of scripture. And no, uh, you don't. In fact, uh he's he's basically said, tell your story. Uh he calls us witnesses. Uh witnesses are people that share what they've seen. Uh you don't need some Bible degree to do that. Tell tell people what you've seen God do in your life. Tell tell your story uh and and just witness to that. Uh uh and and then also he said if a person's not ready to hear it, you know, you you're telling your story, you're trying to point into God, but they're not ready to hear it, uh, then just move on. It's no no harm done. Uh don't don't get all worked up. In fact, it's not up to you and me to convince them that they need God in their life. Uh it's that's between them and God. It's just he's asked us as his children, uh commissioned us to be the ones that uh point people to God and how they can have a relationship uh with them. And then so about the time we started relaxing and thinking, okay, well, that's not bad. That's not too bad. I can handle that. I can I can do that. I, you know, when I have an opportunity, I can tell people what God's done in my life. Just about that time, he says, now let me talk to you about what's gonna be coming down the pike here, the future, uh, as we get closer to the return of Christ. And then he went into some some pretty hard things. He says, it's gonna be as we get closer to Christ's return, things are gonna get rough. Uh the uh there's gonna be at some point uh it may become illegal to talk to people about Jesus, about God. In fact, in parts of our world right now, it's it's illegal. Uh he he's pretty specific. He said there there may be come a point where you will risk physical harm to yourself if you share Christ. Uh and uh and sadly, some of those uh dangerous moments may come from your own family members, people that you love. Uh and and and because you love them, you risk telling them about God and and then they turn on you. That's all in this warning in in chapter chapter 10. And then he and then he says, to know this, uh, maybe the scariest part is uh the person behind all of this is an individual named Satan. Uh he is the one that is causing these things to happen, to cause people to rise up against us who are followers of God and uh and and rise up to the point where they don't even want to hear what we have to say about God. He says, You you need to know that you're up against Satan, you're up against demonic forces. They're real. This is no pretend thing. Uh, they're the ones that that that's who's driving the hatred against you. Uh and so now you're back to the well, I'm ready to turn my Christian card then. I don't you know if that's what I'm gonna face. But that's all been part of this uh this conversation. I'm gonna build a bunker in my backyard so I can hide out when it really gets bad. And and some people have taken that route, honestly. Uh and so it's at this point uh that Jesus said, and we saw this last week as well, but it's at this point he says in verse 26, uh, so don't be afraid of them. After having said all of this, he says, uh, don't be afraid of them. Be afraid of who? Well, for sure, the the people that that you'll be sharing the good news with, and and and some of them that are not going to respond too well to that. Uh uh don't be afraid of them. But even more than that, I believe, based on the context of the conversation, don't be afraid of Satan. Don't be afraid of his demons. Uh uh, in fact, if you if you want to know the truth, they're the ones that are in the mission impossible. Uh they're gonna lose. Uh that's just that's in scripture. That's a matter of fact, uh, they're gonna fail big time. Uh and and uh and it's not not even gonna be close. If you've studied the Bible, you know that it's not even it's not even gonna be a close contest. In fact, at Satan at his most powerful, when he's absolutely convinced that he's got things in hand and he is about to win the battle, Jesus is gonna end the battle with one word. Not a sentence, not an army, a word. He's gonna say a word and it's gonna be done. So that's what we got going for us. So he says, uh, don't be afraid of them. Uh and then he and he goes on and then finishes that statement with this uh there's nothing concealed that will not be disclosed or hidden that will not be made known. Uh so what's he saying there? Uh I think that's what he's saying. In fact, these next few verses were pretty challenging, as I'll share with you as we walk through here, but let's we'll start here. You remember the Wizard of Oz? How many of you remember the Wizard of Oz? Uh okay. You know, when I was a kid, uh it was once a year on a Sunday evening. Uh, and I've shared this with you before. Because it was on a Sunday evening, for years I didn't get to see the whole movie because we had church Sunday evenings, and I'm the preacher's kid, and so I got to watch the first part, but then we'd have to leave and I'd miss the end. Until one year I finally got smart and I thought, I'm playing sick this year. I'm gonna see the whole thing. And so I did. I, you know, suddenly got this onset of a very serious something right when the movie was coming on, so I got to watch the whole thing. But if you remember the uh the The Wizard of Oz, uh, remember uh Dorothy, uh her big thing is she wants to get back to Kansas. It would have been better if it had been there, Nebraska, but it was Kansas, so she wanted to get back to Kansas, and uh so she she meets, she's told if she goes, there's this guy named the Wizard of Oz, and that uh he has the power to uh help her get back to Kansas. And so she finally makes it to him, her, her and her her crew, uh the lion, the tin men, the scarecrow, and of course Toto. They they make it to they have an audience before the wizard, who remember as they first meet him, they're going up this huge hallway, and the closer they get, they're sharing these sounds, and then all of a sudden, there he is, this frightening face, and and it's in smoke and fire and this booming voice. Everything, everything about it is frightening, and and uh, and in fact, so scared, remember the lion uh who wants to be brave, but he's not, runs down the hall, jumps through a window. Uh, but so the uh wizard of Oz says, Well, I'll get you back to Kansas, but first you've got to do something for me. Here's the job. I want you to go and uh bring me back the wicked witch's room. So so they do, though. I mean, it's scary. They didn't think in the beginning they could do it, but they did. They did, they're successful, so they've come now back to the Wizard of Oz, and again, they're walking down this hallway and they see this frightening face that uh is just everything about him is is terror-filling. Uh in fact, uh, let's watch it.

SPEAKER_00 10:28

Please, sir. We've done what you told us. We brought you the broomstick of the wicked witch of the west. We melted her.

SPEAKER_02 10:37

Oh, you liquidated her, eh?

SPEAKER_00 10:42

Yes, sir. So we'd like you to keep your promise to us, if you please, sir.

SPEAKER_02 11:41

Who are you?

SPEAKER_01 11:46

Wizard of oz. You are I don't believe you. I'm afraid it's true. There's no other wizard except me. You humbug! Yes, yes, exactly so. I'm a humbug.

SPEAKER_00 12:00

Oh you're a very bad man.

SPEAKER_01 12:04

Oh, no, my dear, I I'm a very good man. I'm just a very bad wizard.

SPEAKER_03 12:13

So Jesus says, don't be afraid of them. Here's what he's saying is uh, you know, we're we're afraid of the wrong thing. We're we're you know Satan is not what he's got us believing he is. Uh it's interesting we did a study a couple years ago in the book of Revelation, and uh around chap I can't remember exact verse, this is around chapter 20, I think, or 21. And we're told that uh Satan's biggest power is the power of deception. It's not like he's this big, powerful, scary individual that we no, he's deceived us and into believing that about him. Uh yeah so uh Jesus says, Don't be don't be afraid of him. Uh now I'm not saying that uh we don't take him seriously, we should. He's more powerful than us, but uh we're we're fine. Uh we're we have the God of the universe on our side, and and he doesn't stand a chance. Uh he will fail. He is the one who has the mission impossible. Uh so the so he goes on. Uh verse 27, 28. And he says, This what I tell you in dark, speak in the daylight, what is whispered in your ear, 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. I like the way the message put it, Eugene Peterson's translation. He says, Don't be bluffed into silence by the threat of bullies. There's nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God who holds your entire life, body and soul, in his hands. Don't be afraid of Satan. He's he's he's all bluff, honestly. Uh he you don't have to be afraid to tell me him or his demons. But then the rest of that verse was uh a bit challenged to me. It was like, yeah, but what's what's that mean at the end? You know, be afraid of the one who can destroy the body and the soul. Is it it kind of sounds like a threat. You know, it kind of sounds like a you know, you want to be afraid. Well, you should be, because the one you should be afraid of is my father God, who who, you know, you mess this up and uh you think you got a bad with Satan. Uh try having my father as an enemy. Try, because you know, he can destroy not only the soul and the bottle body, but he can do it for forever. Sounds like me, is that what he's saying? And and uh but but you got to look at it in context. Notice what he says next, because he puts it in context for us. He's here's what he's saying. Notice uh 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 numbered, so don't be afraid. You are worth far more than many sparrows. This isn't a threat to us, it's just a reminder of who's on our side, who who it is that uh we're we are sharing to others the good news about. The one that's gonna take care of his kids, uh uh the one that actually watches over sparrows. So what are you worried about? He didn't send Christ, Christ didn't go to the cross for the sake of sparrows. He went to the cross for the sake of you and I. Uh so don't be afraid. I always, when I hear that voice, I always think uh my my father was uh a good one up pointing out scriptures to us kids. And and I've shared with you some of uh uh my adventures with the BB gun. Uh they gave me a BB gun one year and and I think regretted that because it got me into several uh experiences. But I remember one day, so I'm out, he showed me I could shoot cans, and he showed me where I could shoot them. That was after the time I shot all the windows out in the basement. Uh that was another story a while back. Uh so yeah, so I was shooting his cans, and but you know, that I kind of that got old after a while. It's kind of like I want to shoot something to moose. And uh so one day I'm out shooting my cans, and and all of a sudden no, this bird up in a tree uh and it's flipping around. I'm thinking, bad luck for you, bird. Uh and so I aim took aim and I shot, and sure enough, there goes plop to the ground. What I didn't know, and I don't know, it seemed like every time I did something, Dad was watching somewhere. And so he's watching me out the kitchen when he sees me do this. And so I walk in and and and I hear this verse. Uh God watches over the sparrow. So it's like, oh geez, I just killed one of those guys, and so I'm in trouble. Uh so that's what, but but what he's saying to you and I is don't be afraid of Satan. Don't be afraid to share the good news because he's on your side. God is. He's watching over you. In fact, he goes on and he adds, even the very hairs of your head are numbered by God. Don't be afraid. So what so don't be afraid. You are worth more than sparrows. Uh God, God knows how many hairs are on your head. My wife gave me a little bit of a trim-up last night, and somewhere in the midst of the trim-up, she thought it was necessary to add getting a little thin up there. And uh, that's very true. I'm making it easier for God to count. That's what I'm trying to do. And uh uh, and Clark's made it even easier for God to count. Uh so uh he know, you know, it's it's hard for us to enfant them. Why, but why would God even care about the numbers on our head? Because He's He is so individually involved in your life more than you are or anybody else who loves you. You got nobody who wants to take the time to count your hairs on your head, but God does. That's what all this all this message is in the midst of all those scary things that he's been talking to us about that that are coming into our world and we're seeing it, uh, we're okay. Uh we're okay. Uh because you're God's child and he loves you, and he's gonna take care of you. And and even Satan is not big enough to do something about that. He's got you covered. And then we come to the statement that messed me up this week uh that made it so I didn't get to that last section uh there. Because at this point, he makes this statement whoever acknowledges me before men, that's what he's asking us to do. Tell people, tell humanity about Jesus and how they can know him and become a part of his family. Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown before my father in heaven. What's going on here? Now, first of all, I want you to know this he isn't he's not talking about witnessing per se. He's not just saying, but he's talking about going that extra mile, not just not just not just spelling an opportunity that he gives you to witness. That that's a that's bad enough. But but that we might get in a situation, especially as things get so intense in the days ahead, where some of us may actually claim that we don't even know God. And he's saying when we do that, if that happens, uh he's gonna disown us before the Father. And boy, that was that's been challenging to me. Uh what does that mean? What on earth is he saying? I I really wrestled with this statement, and and honestly to still am uh to some extent. Uh I don't have an answer to all the questions that scripture uh brings up. Uh if I'm not God, and and any pastor who does, who thinks they have it all figured out, you better be a little careful of. So I'm not sure I have an answer to this statement completely. Uh on Thursday, I'm usually by Thursday when I leave the office. I'm usually wrapped up as far as my message is concerned. Uh I take Friday off. Uh, so if you're by the office on Fridays, I'm not here. I usually take Friday off and then come in Saturday and just kind of go back over things and make sure I have all the ducks in a row and kind of fine-tune things maybe with my message. Uh, but this Thursday, I was stuck here. Uh, when I left the office, it's like I don't know what's going on. Uh Friday morning, I woke up at 4 o'clock wrestling with this statement. This verse. In fact, said out loud uh when when I when I got up and I'm I'm thinking about this verse, I actually said out loud, Lord, what does this mean? What's going on here? What am I supposed to say to explain this statement? And here's what immediately popped into my head at that moment. As soon as I said that to the Lord, immediately what I heard him saying to me was tell him what it doesn't mean to begin with. So let me tell you what it doesn't mean. What I can say, matter of fact, it doesn't mean. One thing it doesn't mean, what Jesus is not saying here, that if we get caught in that, if we as things get more and more intense, or we get in a situation where we're put, uh the pressure is on, and we find ourselves actually claiming to know nothing about God, having no kind of relationship, you know, uh what it doesn't mean, and what he does is not saying here is I'm gonna go to the Heavenly Father and I am gonna condemn you in front of the Father. I'm gonna tell him we're bringing you that you are condemned. Now, why do I say that? Because the Bible says there is no condemnation for those who are in Jesus Christ. So I can say matter-of factly, it's not that. He's not saying, blow it, you know, don't stand up for me, uh, claim you don't know me, and I'm telling the Father we're condemning you for that. No, we're Paul wrote in Romans 8, there is no condemnation for those who are in Jesus Christ. So it's not that. He's not saying that he doesn't, he's he condemns you. Uh you're you'll never be condemned because of your relationship with Christ. He's not saying, and I can say this matter-of-factly, that do that and he doesn't, he no longer loves you. You know, we've talked about this before. You're you're out of the family, you're done. He's not saying that because uh Paul also wrote in Romans 8 that remember the question, what can separate us from the love of God? And then the answer, nothing. Not even, nothing in all creation. We can't even separate ourselves from the love of God. So he's not saying that uh either. God will love you. You're part of his family. You know Jesus as your Savior. There's nothing's gonna, he will, he will always, always love you. But then this came to mind. Uh we're gonna celebrate communion in a little bit. We're gonna break the bread and drink the cup, which we do on a regular basis, because we were we were asked to do that by Jesus. Uh and I was thinking of that whole, this moment that we're gonna remember and celebrate. And quite often when when we're getting ready to do this, I will talk about that, those last hours before the cross and and uh that led to that dinner that they, the meal they had together. And and uh, but you remember in that context, there was this one conversation where Jesus is talking to his disciples and he's get trying to get them ready. He's preparing them for what is about to happen, and and he tells them about the fact that he's about to get arrested. It's gonna happen in a few hours. I'm gonna be arrested, and uh, and then I'm gonna be taken and I'm gonna be put before this trial, and they're gonna decide I'm guilty of things that I'm not guilty of. I'm gonna be beaten and eventually gonna be hung on a cross, and I will die on that cross. And he laid this all out for them because he wants them to be prepared. And you remember what happened? Well, remember Peter did. Peter heard this conversation, and and all of a sudden he's up on his feet and he's saying, not gonna happen. Not gonna happen. We won't let this happen. I won't let this happen. I don't care if these other guys help out. I will die before I would let them take you, Lord. It is not going to happen. And remember, Jesus' answer. Jesus answered, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny me, you will deny three times you know me. And Peter couldn't couldn't believe his ears. Uh he was animate. It won't happen. I would, I would never, I would never do that. Not in a million years. I love you too much to ever do such a thing. But he did. He did. And here's the reality. The probability is high that you and I, at some point, if we haven't already, we'll do the same thing. Uh we will deny him. We'll be ashamed of that connection. We'll have an opportunity to talk to people, and God will set it up and we'll back off because we don't want to expose ourselves as a follower of God. Very probable that we might do the same, and especially if we get into those intense times. Uh the cross happened, and Peter denied that he ever knew him, even swore if you remember the situation. Well, things happened just like Jesus said, went to the cross, died, and he rose again. And then a few days after he rose again from the cross, uh, something happened that I'm sure Peter was dreading. Uh, you know, if you ever had that situation where you have been in a serious conflict with somebody that you care about, you care about them, and and man, it ended badly, ended really badly. And and so you you are you dread the first time you're together again. You know, maybe to the point of you're you're in the shopping, you're in the grocery store, and you actually see them down an aisle, and you decide whatever you needed, I don't need it that bad. I'm going, you know, and you head back to your car just because you you're just dreading that moment. You may have someone in your life right now that it's it's it ended badly. Last last talk talk you had, and man, you just you know you probably should go and have the conversation, but you just you just don't want to have well. I I think that's where Peter was right here, but it happened. Uh Jesus got him alone. And uh let me just read what what took place in in John chapter 21, just uh one part of it. So Peter God ends up alone with Jesus after the resurrection, and and here's the conversation. When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you truly love me more than these? Simon, do you really love me? And this is that Greek word agape, love. Do you really love me? You said you said before the cross that you had an unconditional love that nothing could take away, and and uh it would be there for me no matter what happened. And so I'm asking you, do you really love me like that? And then it says Peter answered him, Yes, Lord, you know that I, but here's what he said, you know that I like you. See, you don't see it in the Greek, but that's what it is in the Greek. He he changes the word. He says, You know, I Phileo, you I have this affection for you. Can't say that I love you the way I said I did. I he's not, you know, how can he claim that? He he actually denied him. Uh I but I do, I like, you know, I really like you a lot. And so Jesus goes on and he says, uh, again, Jesus said, Simon, son of John, do you truly like me? He switches the words. He says, really. Do you have an affection for me, really? Do you really care about me even? In between the lines, you denied you even knew me. Peter answers that time, yes, Lord, you know I have an affection for you. And then Peter, Jesus comes back and says again, Simon, son of John, do you? Do you really have an affection for me? And Peter's answer the third time, and he says, says right there, uh, that he's hurt, sir, but he's hurt. And basically what he says is, well, you know everything. I don't know. I thought I did. I think that's what he's. I thought I did. In fact, I thought I had that agape love for you, and and and and I think I have an affection for you, and but I'm I can't trust myself now. I've demonstrated that when push came to shove, I was more worried about my own skin than I was about really showing how much I loved you. And then there's this conversation where Jesus reinstates Peter and reminds him that in spite of Peter's misgivings about his love for Jesus, Jesus loves him. And that's what came to mind with this verse. The Apostle Paul wrote, and here's we'll close, he's writing to the Ephesians Christians, and he's warning them that, and it's all about verbal, it's interesting the context of passage, he's warning them that there may be times where they're gonna, his the followers of God, we're gonna say things that that uh dishonor our God. It could be the language, it could be the words we use that are just acaustic words or or or language that is offensive to God. Uh or it can be things like uh uh denying that we know God or not taking advantage of an opportunity to share Christ. But there are going to be those times when we do that, and he says in in those verses uh that when that happens, we actually grieve the Spirit of God. And I the Holy Spirit of God is God, so we grieve God, we grieve Jesus, that there will be those moments where we will, and where Jesus, who is our defender as he stands before God, is gonna have to stand before God at that moment and say, Ah, I'm sorry, Father. I'm sorry for I can't, there's no way for me to make this look better than it is. Your son Paul has said that. But then he says this, and here's where we end before we take communion. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God. Get this, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Even in that moment, and whatever that means, where Jesus says, if you deny me, then I cannot stand before the Father and not deny you in that moment. Even in that moment when we've grieved the heart of God, it doesn't change who we are in Christ. He does not condemn us. His love is as strong as ever. His heart is grieved. But he loves you and he loves me. So he's commissioned us to share the good news. And I've pushed hard for these ten messages that we take that responsibility seriously. You won't be perfect at it. I'm not either. And there'll be times when you'll be sorry because you missed an opportunity, or you maybe even pretended you didn't know him. Know this, even when we aren't faithful, he is faithful. And so he told us to take the bread and eat it as a reminder of that love, that love that caused him to be willing to sacrifice so much to make us a part of his family, and that we should eat the bread on a regular basis as a reminder that that's how much he loves us, and that's how much he was willing to endure on our behalf, and it's that love that takes care of us and holds on to us, and so let's eat it together. And then he took the cup, which reminds us that he was willing to actually die in our place, and we drink it. Let's pray together, Father. Challenging. This passage has been for all of us. We have a mission, and it's not an impossible mission. You're gonna watch over us, you're gonna take care of us, you give the words for us when we need them. It won't be without danger because we do have an enemy who is gonna do everything in his power to frighten us away from those conversations. Uh even maybe someday it'll be dangerous for us to have those conversations, uh, but you're gonna be watching over us, uh, you're gonna take care of us, and the worst they can do is take our life, and then we're gonna be with you. So that's really a good thing. So, Lord, we keep all this in mind, and we take your challenge and your mission for us seriously. And we're so grateful for the reminder, even in today's message, uh these final words of how much you love us as your children. And that even in a even in a moment where our words or our actions might actually make you ashamed of us, that does not lead to you no longer loving us or even condemning us because of what your son did for us. So we're really grateful for this whole conversation. And Lord, now we will move out into a world that does not know you but desperately needs you. And you're gonna give us an opportunity, maybe even before this day is over, to have conversations, to point people to how much you love them. Help us to do that well. Help us to love the lost like you do. Pray these things in your son's name.

unknown 38:31

Amen.

SPEAKER_03 38:34

Church, let's sing one last chorus.