Matthew 10:24-25 ESV
“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.”
Jesus had just finished instructing his disciples before he
sent them out to the lost sheep of Israel. They were to say, “The kingdom of
heaven is at hand.” And they were to do some of the same things that Jesus was
doing, and they were to share the message of the gospel. And if anyone would
not receive or listen to their words, they were to leave them and move on.
And then Jesus told them what they should expect on their
journey. He was sending them out as sheep in the midst of wolves. So, they were
to beware of men, for they would deliver them over to courts and flog them in
their synagogues, and they would be dragged before governors and kings for the
Lord’s sake, and for the sake of the gospel, to bear witness before them and
the Gentiles. And he told them that brother would deliver brother over to death
and that they would be hated by all for the Lord’s sake.
And then he let them know that, as he was treated they would
also be treated. If they maligned Jesus, which they did, they would malign his
followers also. And who were those who maligned and persecuted and harassed Jesus
continuously? They were many of the rulers in the temple of God, and those of
his same faith. And some were his own family members. And they were hypocrites
who put on a show of righteousness for others while they themselves were
engaged in willful secretive sin.
And, according to what we are taught in the New Testament,
we are to expect the same kind of treatment if we are genuine followers of
Jesus Christ, i.e. if we are following our Lord in obedience to his commands
and if we are walking in his ways. And we will be treated this way by the same
types of people, too – by pastors, elders, church leaders, others professing
the same faith as us, and even by our own family members and other members of
our Christian community.
But these will be people who are haters, who love the
darkness and not the light, and so they won’t come into the true light. And
they will be liars and deceivers, and people who use and manipulate others to
their advantage. And they will be those who will purposefully accuse us falsely
of what we did not do for the purpose to harm us. And they will be those who will
try to trip us up in hopes that we will fall back into sin and so that they
will have cause to accuse us, which is what Jesus’ enemies tried with him, too.
Matthew 10:26-28 ESV
“So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
But we are to have no fear of them or of what they might say
about us or what they might accuse us of or what they might do to us. But we
are to entrust our lives into the Lord’s hands, trusting him to work it all out
according to his plan and purpose, and ultimately for our good. For God is
completely sovereign over all that he has made, and nothing outside of our
control can come into our lives unless God allows it and he allows it for a
purpose. And he will use it to work good in our lives.
Therefore, we are to keep speaking the truth of the gospel,
but we must make certain it is the truth we are teaching. For many people
professing faith in Jesus Christ are not teaching the true gospel but a false
gospel of man which makes no requirements of us for repentance nor for
obedience to our Lord. But Jesus taught both repentance and obedience as
necessary components of faith which saves, and we are to teach the same gospel
that he taught.
[Matt 4:17; Matt 7:21-23; Matt 11:20-21; Matt 12:41; Matt
21:28-31; Mk 1:14-15; Lu 5:32; Lu 9:23-26; Lu 13:1-5; Lu 15:2-7; Lu 24:45-47;
Jn 6:35-58; Jn 8:31-32,51; Jn 10:27-30; Jn 14:15-24; Jn 15:1-11]
So, we are to teach that Jesus died on that cross that we
might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. We are to
teach that he died that we might live for him and no longer for ourselves. And
we are to teach that he shed his blood for us on that cross to buy us back for
God so that we would now honor God with our bodies. And we are to teach dying
with Christ to sin and walking in obedience to him as necessary for salvation
(1 Pet 2:24; 2 Co 5:15,21; 1 Co 6:19-20; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Lu 9:23-26).
Matthew 10:32-33 ESV
“So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.”
And this is not the only place where similar words were
spoken. For if we walk (in conduct, in practice) according to the flesh, in
sin, and if sin is what we practice, and if righteousness and holiness and
obedience to our Lord are not what we practice, we will not inherit eternal
life with God. In fact, the Scriptures teach that we don’t know God, he doesn’t
know us, we don’t have forgiveness of sins, we are not saved, and heaven is not
our eternal destiny, regardless of what words we professed with our lips.
Awaken the Dawn
An Original Work / January 15, 2013
Based off Psalm 57 (NIV 1984)
O my God, have mercy on me!
In the Lord, my soul takes refuge.
In the shadow of Your wings, Lord,
I find shelter till the storms pass.
I cry out to my God Most High.
He fulfills His purpose for me.
He sent His Son to die for me,
So I could be saved.
I am in the midst of lions;
Men whose teeth are spears and arrows;
Whose tongues are sharp; words
accusing.
They spread a net, my feet to catch.
They dug a pit, in hopes I’d fall.
O God, be exalted o’er all.
Let Your glory shine to all men,
So they may be saved.
Steadfast is my heart, O my God;
I will sing of all Your wonders.
Awake, my soul! Sing praise to God!
Early I will rise and praise Him!
I’ll praise God among the nations;
I will sing among the peoples.
God’s love reaches to the heavens,
So we may be saved.
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