The Savior’s Sword | Matthew 10:34-39

Scripture

• Matthew 10:34–39

About this sermon

Introduction: Our Lord has given His disciples their instructions for their first solo mission. He has informed their expectations, assuring them that they will meet with opposition if they are faithful to that mission. He has prepared them for the temptation they will surely meet with when that opposition takes the form of persecution — the temptation to fear their persecutors. He taught them how to have their fear rightly focused. BUT NOW HE EXPLAINS THE FOUNDATION FOR THAT RIGHTLY FOCUSED FEAR. FOR A BELIEVER’S FEAR TO BE RIGHTLY FOCUSED IT MUST BE FUELED BY CONVICTION. Conviction — Something you are convinced of. Something that is non-negotiable. Something you’re willing to suffer for. Conviction is the fruit of belief in what God has revealed. Conviction is the fruit of submission to the truth that we believe. On what ground do we stand when we choose to fear God instead of fearing man? THAT CONVICTION STANDS ON THE KNOWLEDGE: (1) THAT OPPOSITION IS A PART CHRIST’S PLAN FOR OUR LIVES. (KNOWLEDGE) IT IS NOT UNEXPECTED, AND IT IS NOT ACCIDENTAL. (2) THAT OUR PLACE IN ETERNITY IS MANIFESTED BY OUR ALLEGIANCE TO CHRIST RIGHT NOW. (SUBMISSION TO THAT KNOWLEDGE) CHRIST’S DISCIPLES HAVE A PRE-COMMITMENT WHEN IT COMES TO PERSECUTION. Our decision has already been made. The decision was made the moment we received Jesus as Lord. Jesus Christ will now be my life. He will mean more to me than anything, than anyone, even more than my own life. HE HAS MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO BE A COWARD IN A WAY THAT IS CHARACTERISTIC. To put it another way, a preeminent allegiance to Jesus Christ is the result of a God-given perception of Jesus Christ. When we see Jesus for who He really is, then we recognize that He is Lord. We do not make Him Lord, we acknowledge Him as Lord, and we respond to Him as Lord. That is not to say that true believers ALWAYS respond to the Lordship of Jesus Christ as we should. But it is to say, that we ALWAYS respond to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in the end. This morning we consider four truths about the Messiah that explain how we embrace the Savior’s Sword. Jesus is not just informing us about this sword, He is wanting us to embrace it. • A MESSIANIC EXPRESSION (vs34-35a) Three times Jesus speaks of Himself in a way that indicates His unique identity and His sovereign role in salvation history. “I have not come” “I have come” “I have come” Where did you come from Jesus? — He came from Heaven John 6:38 (ESV) 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. John 3:13 (ESV) 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. Who sent you into the world Jesus? — His Father John 5:36 (ESV) 36 But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me. John 5:37 (ESV) 37 And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, John 8:42 (ESV) 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why did you come into the world Jesus? — To seek and save the lost. John 12:44–50 (ESV) 44 And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. 45 And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. 46 I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. 47 If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48 The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. 49 For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. 50 And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.” Luke 19:10 (ESV) 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Who has been expecting you Jesus? — Everyone looking for the promised Messiah. John 1:45 (ESV) 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” But here is the good news. People will also be saved from among those NOT LOOKING for the

Topics

• Salvation