July 2, 2023
Pastor John Hering
Matthew 10:34-42
Matthew 10:34-42
34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I came to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.
37 “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 Whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
40 “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. 41 Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. Whoever receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 Whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink because he is my disciple—Amen I tell you—he will never lose his reward.”
It’s an experience to which everyone reacts the same way. After climbing all night long, there we were on top of Mount Fuji at sunrise. Everyone there reacted the same way. This is amazing! Moses had a mountaintop experience unlike any other. Not because of a panoramic view or monstrous height. When Moses was at the top of Mt. Sinai he enjoyed the presence of the Lord. Do you remember how long he was up on the mountain? He stayed there for 40 days and 40 nights without eating bread or drinking any water, yet he suffered neither hunger nor thirst. It was during those 40 days that Moses learned so much about the Lord God. The Lord was his Rescuer and Deliverer! He was confident that this LORD was both just and forgiving, demanding and patient. After learning so much about the Lord, Moses was ready to live like he loved the Lord!
Now it is easy to understand why it was such a nightmare for Moses to find his people, even his own family, worshiping that golden calf. Moses knew what they were missing. He wanted them to know the Lord and live like it forever! And so it didn’t matter if it was his brother Aaron who led them in this great sin, Moses was going to say something about it. And it didn’t matter if Moses was in the minority among so many people, Moses was going to do his best to lead them back to the LORD.
Jesus shows us today that just like Moses, what we treasure most shapes how we make decisions and how we love others in this life. May the Holy Spirit lead us, as Christians, to
Live Like You Love Jesus!
The Source of Real Life
Jesus was talking to his disciples when he said “whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” That turns the world up-side down. Q1: How do you save your life? A: By losing it. Q2: Who are the greatest? A: The least. Q3: How do you get ahead? A: By putting everyone else first. This is only possible when Christ is your end game. Only Jesus rescues you from your sin and guilt. Only Jesus is the love you can’t find anywhere else. Only Jesus is the hope for eternal life! Jesus isn’t just something else for us to love in this life. He’s the only thing. It’s what makes “Jesus” the name that is above every name and the name that is the sweetest sound in your ear. Jesus is your mountain-top experience. When you have Jesus, then you have the source for real life!
Since Jesus is that kind of mountaintop Savior for us, you simply can’t replace him without having disastrous results for your soul. So he calls Christians to Live Like You Love Jesus Above Everything Else. Some might like to call this the “American Ambition.” Well, if our ambition is to have a house, wife, good kids and a good job, then our ambition fails. But, in God’s up-side-down kingdom ambition is turned on its head because we live to serve God and serve our neighbor! Live your lives for Jesus’ sake, faithful when you find yourself among enemies and grateful when you find yourself among friends.
Jesus gets to this point in verse 34: “34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” Would you say that Jesus is all about peace or all about war? If the goal is earthly peace, then what Jesus says makes no sense. But, if we’re living for Jesus’ sake it makes perfect sense. Jesus has come for a far greater peace, the greatest peace, a peace between us and God. He has come to take back the throne in people’s hearts from the devil’s lies. Lies so deeply planted in the human heart they are a part of our nature. We are wired to think and to act in ways that are for my sake or Satan’s sake but not Jesus’ sake. Jesus came with a sword to crush the devil’s lies with the truth of God’s mercy and love, his justice and forgiveness. We need Jesus who is the Source of Real Life revealed in God’s Word.
If God’s Word is like a seed that gets planted in the ground here, then the wicked world is like a weed growing up to choke out whatever sprouts. You cannot trust worldly advice, you cannot imitate any example you see, because there are thousands of traps and temptations in the world, waiting quietly like a minefield to destroy you. Ideas and beliefs and bad examples that oppose God’s Word are all around waiting in ambush for you. Listen to Jesus’ example: “35 For I came to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.” This seems too unlikely until we think about it a second. Are you ready to say “no” to the boyfriend you love and trust when he pressures you to sleep together? Are you ready to test the advice of a longtime friend with what God’s Word says? Are you ready to make changes in a special friendship if your time together becomes unhealthy for your faith life? Are you ready to go on vacation this summer to a relatives’ home who doesn’t go to church and insist that you’re going to worship Jesus on Sunday? We’re tempted by take short-cuts and make compromises. To live a life that follows the path of least resistance. To avoid certain truths of the Bible that might offend others. It’s true—sometimes the enemies of our faith can be in our very own family. It proves to us how desperately we need Jesus, the source of real life in order live like we love Jesus. For when we have Jesus, then we have
The Power for Daily Life
Jesus compares the difficultly of living for him to carrying a cross. “37 “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 Whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” It is difficult for us to prioritize Jesus over family yet he insists that we take up our cross and follow him. This means to Live Like You Love Jesus as #1! In order to do this we need the power of Jesus in our lives. His power guides the tough decision we make, but also keeps in mind how important it is to have Jesus in our life and in the lives of people around us.
Jesus also speaks about being “worthy.” There’s not a single person here who can stand up and say “I’m worthy of Jesus for the way I have lived and carried my cross.” No one here can claim perfect loyalty and faithfulness to Christ. Well, I have some good news for you. God doesn’t believe in you! Here’s what I mean. If I look at my life and think I’m financially stable, have a good job and a wonderful wife so I should have a good life that is worth something. But, then a financial crisis comes along, your job gets stressful and your relationships with others gets rocky and you are having a bad year. But, God often does his best work when we have bad days. He turns it all upside down where we see loss, he sees gain. We look at life through glory eyes, but God looks at our life through cross-eyes. Where we see death, God sees life. Where we see worthless, God grants worth! Where? In the Power of Jesus Christ for our daily life.
In his love, Jesus is your power. He is the only ONE who knew perfectly what “living for God” was like. Jesus was the Son who flawlessly went about his Father’s business, even obediently and faithfully taking up the cross of our punishment and dying on it. He did for the sake your forgiveness, and being forgiven before God is REAL POWER. Jesus did all to give you the power for Daily Life.
Your greatest enemies in this world are those who oppose your faith, no matter where they live or how close they are to you. But Jesus also wants to make sure you recognize who your greatest friends are.
“40 “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. 41 Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. Whoever receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 Whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink because he is my disciple—Amen I tell you—he will never lose his reward.”
These are rewards of God’s grace, not rewards that earn us a place in heaven. These rewards are listed in connection with people who are connected to God. A prophet, a righteous man, a disciple of Jesus even down to the smallest detail. These people are proclaiming the gospel (also connected to our baptism and the Lord’s Supper) where the Lord reaches out to us and makes us his very own. Think of the fable of Midas—everything he touched turned into Gold! Well,
God touches us through the means of grace and makes us his own dear children and heirs of eternal life! As we share Jesus’ power (word & sacrament) with others, God’s power is at work turning people to Christ and giving them the joy of Living Like They Love Jesus from thankful hearts.
Perhaps sitting here at Divine Peace it’s all too easy for us to take fellow believers, congregations and pastors for granted. But, the people sitting here today are the fulfilment of Jesus’ words. Jesus also works his power through fellows Christians who are welcoming Jesus and celebrating the same hope the disciples had. It shows itself before and after worship when we are all talking and encouraging each other. In Christ this is our Mountain-top experience! We are surrounded by people who Live Like They Love Jesus! Jesus is our Source of Real Life. Jesus is our Power for Daily Christian living. Live your life for Jesus’ sake, faithful when you find yourself among enemies and grateful when you find yourself among your greatest friends! Amen.
