Message

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Through the last lesson Jesus instructed that gospel workers had to fear God, not men absolutely believing in God’s protection and care. In today’s passage Jesus demands their unparalleled love and commitment to him of his disciples and any believer. No one in the world would make such a claim. May we learn how to be worthy of him and be his worthy people. First, mutual acknowledgement (32-36). Look at verses 32,33. “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.” Here we see that Jesus speaks seriously and sternly. Why? It is because of the importance of acknowledging him before men and its difficulty. Jesus relates any believer’s acknowledging him before men to his acknowledging the person before his Father in heaven, and any believer’s disowning him before men to his disowning that person before the Father in heaven. Ultimately it is related to salvation. Apostle Paul said in Romans 10:9,10, “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is the Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” The world denies Jesus, though he is the Son of God and the truth. John 1:10 says, “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.” The people of the world not only deny Jesus but also hate him and his followers. The world is a battle ground between God and Satan, the prince of this world (Jn 14:30), and between the truth and falsity. This is a spiritual reality. In that reality Jesus wanted his people not to compromise but clearly know where they have to stand. He wants them to be sure of what they believe and express their belief before any men of the world. He wants them to be his faithful and undaunted disciples. One should acknowledge Jesus before men from the very beginning, and not compromise this. Then one’s faith grows through the acknowledgement. Jesus once healed a man born blind. Right away, the Pharisees pressured him to deny that Jesus healed him. Their pressure became harder and harder. But the man could not deny the fact that his eyes were opened in Jesus’ mercy and power. When he kept on acknowledging Jesus and his grace, even his parents did not side with him. Finally he was cast out of the community, losing his beggar’s job. He was left alone abandoned by all. Yet, his faith grew strong. Jesus visited him and strengthened his faith all the more. We all know Peter’s denying Jesus. When he disowned Jesus once even before a young girl, he did it 2 more subsequent times. He could not believe himself. Soon, through Jesus’ words for him he could not help repenting sincerely in the bitterness of his soul. Afterward his life was changed to acknowledge Jesus before any men. According to a legend he was crucified upside down in the acknowledgement of Jesus. Polycarp was Bishop of Smyrna. He was given the choice to curse the name of Jesus and say, “Caesar is the Lord”, and be saved or to be killed. At that time Polycarp said, “Eighty and six years have I served him, and he never did me wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?” When he remembered Jesus’ faithfulness, it was unthinkable for him to disown Jesus. He was willingly put in the flame of fire and became a martyr for Jesus’ sake (on 23rd February, A.D. 155). Some of our coworkers have Daniel 1:8 as their key verse for 2011: “But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.” As for Daniel not defiling himself with the royal food and wine was acknowledging the holy God in the Babylonian kingdom. Later on a decree was issued that anyone who prayed to any god or man would be thrown into the lions’ den. Knowing this decree, he kept his usual prayer, praying three times a day in his upstairs room where the widows opened toward Jerusalem. This prayer was the acknowledgment of his faithful God in the Babylonian culture. He could not stop this spiritual practice even in the ungodly nation, because he loved God more than his life. It is not easy at all to acknowledge our Lord Jesus in the ungodly and unbelieving atmosphere. I still remember that Rick Warren prayed in the name of Jesus at the president Obama’s inauguration ceremony. He unexpectedly acknowledged his Saviour and Lord Jesus in such a public place. Last week there was a funeral ceremony for the Sergeant Ryan Russell who was struck by a stolen snowplow while he attempted to stop it. The ceremony was solemn and looked awesome with the procession of thousands of police officers. I wished that in the ceremony somebody would acknowledge Jesus who died for man’s sins and rose again from the dead for the life in eternity. We know that Jesus crucified and risen should be acknowledged even in such a public ceremony, especially in Toronto as we pray that Toronto be a holy city. When I got my first computer job after graduation from U of T, I was so thankful to God. But I remember that I could not thank God publicly in the gathering of around 30 company colleagues, though I thanked the boss who hired me. I could excuse the atmosphere, but it was my shame and guilt before God. I repented of this. Since then I struggle to thank God when I have to thank God privately or publicly, big or small. As for you, coming to Bible study or teaching the Bible, inviting your friends or campus students to Bible study, writing or sharing Bible testimonies, or even praying at meal time in the company or school, can be the expression of acknowledging Jesus. Jesus promises, “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.” What an acknowledgement, acknowledged before the heavenly Father, Lord of heaven and earth! If you are acknowledged by your respectful teacher, or your distinguished professor, or your company boss, that will be great. But here is the greatest acknowledgment, acknowledged by our Lord Jesus Christ. It is likely that our acknowledgement of Jesus will be richly blessed beyond our imagination. In the world of faith acknowledgment is to be mutual between the Lord Jesus and each of us. May God help us not to be ambiguous but very clear in the acknowledgement of Jesus so that we may be acknowledged by him before the heavenly Father. Look at verse 34: “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” Jesus is talking about peace and sword, in our terms, peace and conflict. Jesus does not offer superficial or temporary peace. There is disguised or coated peace, peace on the surface in the world. But the peace Jesus offers is different. Jesus brings true and lasting peace after temporary conflict. He does so through his own sacrifice. Look at verses 35-36. “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.’” The words, “against” and “enemies” are hard to hear. But this is also temporary “against” – conflict, in a family when the gospel of Jesus comes into the family. Family division is a painful thing, but a necessary process for the true unity in the Lord Jesus. When one acknowledges Jesus before his or her unbelieving family members, this blessing of true unity and peace and salvation will come to the family in the end. Second, mutual supreme love relationship (34-39). Look at verses 37, 38: “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 me.” Here are three times of “not worth of me.” No one would demand such worthiness for oneself. Nonetheless to say, in this world love relation between family members is the strongest. It is much more true in Christ. When one accepts Christ, he or she becomes truly responsible for the family and prays for the salvation of the family members. Human responsibility is good and absolutely necessary. Christians should not be irresponsible for their parents or children and should grow deeper in love relationship. Jesus is not denying this. Jesus is talking about the relative order of love. When we love our parents or children or spouses more than Jesus, our loved ones become an idol in our hearts and thus a trap in our lives. It becomes the extension of our self-love and we cannot truly love them. That’s why there are many spoiled children. In that love, parents cannot discipline their children at the right time according to the instructions of the Lord (Eph 6:4). They worry much about their children, not being able to raise them with faith for God’s purpose. In extended self-love children also worry a lot about their parents, or they demand many things from parents and cannot really respect and obey their parents. In the extended self-love spouses demand love from one another. But when we love Jesus more, we can truly love our children, our parents or our spouses. This is the reason God commanded Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a burnt offering. God knew how precious Isaac was to the father Abraham. Yet, he gave this command to Abraham so that Isaac might not be an idol to him and he might raise Isaac in the fear of the Lord. When Abraham was about to slay his son and thus passed God’s test, God said to him, “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son” (Ge 22:12). At the critical time God helped Abraham through his command and Abraham showed that he loved God more than Isaac, the very blessing of God. It is not easy to bear God’s blessing. Many become worse than before, after receiving the blessings of God. One painful example is the Israelites. After entering and living in the promised land, the land overflowing with milk and honey, they loved the visible blessings more than God gradually until they were utterly corrupted abandoning the LORD their God and serving other gods in Canaanite culture. This is a warning to all Christians. So the Bible says, “Above all else, guard your heart…” (Pro 4:23). Now let’s think about the series of love commands. Deuteronomy 6:4,5 says, “Here, O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” The LORD their God was the one who brought them into the promised land out of the slavery in Egypt. They were to love God with their all. Then in the New Testament, Jesus said in Matthew 22:37, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” Jesus confirmed the love command by defining it as the first and greatest commandment. At the end of the gospel, in John 21, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” Jesus demanded his beloved top disciple Peter of the unrivaled love, saying, “…more than these?” It is because Jesus is worthy of such love. He is God in the beginning but came to this world as Immanuel and showed his sacrificial redeeming love by dying on the cross. Jesus said in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends,” and he did so. No one loved us as he loved us. No one gave his life for us. Indeed he is worthy of our love, our unrivaled love. He demands such love of so that there may be mutual supreme love relationship between Jesus and each of us. Look at verse 38. “and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” Here we see that loving Jesus and taking the cross go side by side for worthy disciples. Jesus had to take the cross as God’s mission unto death. It is for the salvation of all those who believe in him. Then why do we need to take our cross? It is to participate in his heart and will for the salvation of all and thus for his kingdom to come and his will to be done. This is the reason Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Feed my lambs,” “Take care of my sheep,” “Feed my sheep” consecutively when he made a love confession. Taking up the cross is also building up one’s family and the community of God, bearing each one’s role. By taking the own cross, one can grow in faith and practically follow Jesus and learn of him as his disciple. Look at verse 39. “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” This indicates that to love Jesus and take the cross is the way of life. Matthew wrote it again in Matthew 16:25, “For whoever wants to save his life will lost it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” Mark wrote in Mark 8:35, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.” Luke wrote in Luke 9:24, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” Each one has one life in this world, and each person’s one life is precious. Jesus repeatedly teaches that the way to find and save one’s life is to lose it for the sake of Jesus. It applies to all, “whoever.” Nobody in the world can claim such an exclusive commitment from everyone and give such a sure promise for all. But Jesus does. Third, chain reaction of receiving and reward (40-42). Look at verse 40. “He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me.” A gospel worker should know that he or she is a representative of God and the Lord Jesus. Look at verse 41. “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.” A disciple of Jesus can be a prophet delivering the words of God’s message to people. Those who receive the prophet will be rewarded with prophetic words. A disciple of Jesus is a righteous man who has a right relationship with God through Christ Jesus. Those who accept the righteous man will rewarded with the righteousness of God and the right way of life. Look at verse 42. “And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of little ones because he is my disciples, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.” A cup of cold water is a small but very precious gesture to the thirsty in the desert. Those who serve even one of little disciples of Jesus will be rewarded without fail. In verses 40-42, the word “receive” is written eight times and “reward’ three times. Gospel servants should know that those who receive them are truly blessed with sure rewards. May we be all be worthy of Jesus and be his worthy people in this generation by loving Jesus with unrivaled love and taking our own cross and acknowledging him before men. This is the way of life in this world.

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