Matthew 10:42ff: “Further Discussion On Jesus’ Hardest Sayings On Discipleship”

Jim Bomkamp

1. INTRO:

1.1. In the previous section, we studied what I believe is Jesus’ hardest teachings about what true discipleship means, and in that section we looked at His teaching concerning:

1.1.1. Speaking in the light the truth He speaks to us in darkness, and proclaiming upon the rooftop what He teaches us in secret

1.1.2. Not fearing those who can kill the body, but instead doing all that we do in a reverential fear of Him who is able to cast body and soul into hell

1.1.3. Confessing Him before men, which in turn causes Him to confess Him before His father in heaven (instead of denying that He knows us)

1.1.4. Not allowing the love even for a father, mother, son, or daughter come before our love for Him

1.1.5. Taking up our cross and following Him

1.2. In that study I hit lightly upon these teachings because frankly there was a lot of material with a similar theme, and I wanted to get through the section once, and then take a look at the teachings in light of what the scripture teaches about what grace does in the life of Christ’s disciple. We will do that in this study

1.3. Secondly, I want to look once again in this study of the book of Matthew look at what it means for Christ’s disciples to ‘follow’ Him and live holy lives

2. Receiving the grace of God into one’s life changes that person’s life for all of eternity

2.1. Most of us know Ephesians 2:8-9 by heart, and these verses teach that we are saved by faith through grace, “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, that no one should boast”

2.2. The acrostic that is often taught for grace teaches us what grace means, “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense”

2.2.1. We all deserved hell because of the debt of our sins before God, and we were completely unable to in any way justify ourselves or pay that debt which we owed, however because of God’s love He sent His Son to die on the cross and pay our debt and justify us so that we can now live for eternity with God in heaven and our justification makes it for us before God, “JUST AS IF WE HAD NEVER SINNED”

2.3. Though we may understand what God’s grace has done for us, we Christians do not always realize what God’s grace has done IN us, in transforming our lives

2.3.1. We were created as new creatures through His grace, that is our entire nature has been transformed, as 2 Cor. 5:17 teaches, “17 Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come”

2.3.2. Fundamental to the Christian walk, in Romans 6:4 Paul wrote about how baptism in water as a Christian symbolized this transformation that has occurred in the life of each Christian, and that going down into the water symbolizes having died to self with Christ upon the cross, and being raised up out of the water symbolizes having been raised up to walk in this new life, “4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life”

2.3.2.1.We believe that going into the water when you are baptized does not effect these changes, but rather the baptism symbolizes what has already happened in the Christian’s life, and thus I always tell people, “If you go under the water dirty, you are going to come up dirty”

2.3.2.2.Baptism is not a necessary element in order for the Christian to be saved, have his sins washed away, or be cleansed from his sin, it symbolizes what has already happened in his life

2.3.3. This new life that has been created within the Christian transforms him from being one who is “a slave to sin” (John 8:34) to being one who is “more than a conqueror”, or an “overwhelming conqueror” through Christ (Romans 8:37)

2.3.4. This death to sin that has happened in each Christian’s life has so transformed him that he cannot go and “continually” live in sin, though he might stumble occasionally and sin, for he has died to sin. Thus, Paul wrote to us in Romans 6:1-2 that now that we are under God’s grace it is a complete contradiction of what Christ has done in our lives to think that we could go on and “continually” live in sin, “6:1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?”

2.3.4.1.Some translations have brought out Paul’s emphatic language more clearly here and translate, “May it never be!”, to be, “God forbid!”

2.3.5. In 1 Cor. 15:10, Paul wrote about how that the grace of God was laboring through his life and working through Him as a powerful force moving and motivating him, “10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me”

2.3.6. In Phil. 2:12-13, Paul wrote that each of us as Christians was to be now in the process of working out what God is working in our lives through His grace, for God is working within us to cause us then to work for His good pleasure, “12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure”

2.3.7. In Galatians 2:20, Paul wrote about what the “normal Christian life” was supposed to be like when he wrote that he was crucified with Christ and that now it was Christ who lived through his life, “20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me””

2.3.8. In Galatians 6:14, Paul wrote about his boast now not being in his works and accomplishments but only being in the cross from which the world was crucified to him and he to the world, “14 But may it never be that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world”

2.3.9. In Hebrews 9:13-14, Paul wrote to these Jewish believers about Christ’s superior priesthood and covenant, and about how now that they had believed in Christ for salvation, not trusting in their works under the Law for salvation any longer, that their consciences had been cleansed from dead works so that they could now serve the Lord, “13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

2.3.10.In 1 John 3:9, the apostle John writes that the person who has truly come to salvation cannot continue to live in sin because God’s seed abides in him and he cannot sin, “9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God”

2.3.11.I have appreciated hearing several of the Calvary Chapel pastors teaching that because of the work that God has done through our lives through His grace in transforming our lives into new creatures, that it is inconsistent with what God says about what He has done in our lives for someone to claim for instance that they are a “Christian but an alcoholic”, or a “Christian but addicted to <anything, you name it>…”, for if we have been saved we are new creatures and more than conquerors through Him who loved us and died for us

2.3.11.1.Remember in 1 John 4:4 that John wrote, “greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world”

2.3.11.2.Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 6:9-11 that we Christians are no longer what we once were living in our sin before we came to Christ for now we have been washed, sanctified, and justified by Christ, “9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God”

2.3.11.3.Think of it, that very second that we prayed and accepted Christ into our lives we went from being a notorious sinner enslaved to sin to being more than a conqueror through Christ

3. Having received grace through Christ when we were saved, we are now called to “follow” Him, but what does this mean?

3.1. Early in our study in the gospel of Matthew we looked at Jesus’ calling of the twelve to follow Him, and we saw that to follow Jesus meant that they were to:

3.1.1. be with Him wherever He went

3.1.2. learn from Him as their teacher

3.1.3. go wherever He called them to go and do whatever He commanded them to do

3.1.4. follow His example, for He was not as we often are, only lecturing about how a person should act, rather they were to follow His perfect example in all things

3.2. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a young minister living in Germany during the rise of the German National Socialist Party and Adolf Hitler, and during WWII he was imprisoned in Germany by the nazis because of his faith and refusal to go along with the government’s wishes after Hitler got into power. He was imprisoned until just before the end of World War II when he was martyred for his faith by the nazis. A book called, “The Cost Of Discipleship”, has been written from his many letters and poems which were smuggled out of his prison cell during this time. Dietrich realized that if the National Socialist Party and Hitler got into power that it would mean the end of genuine Christianity in Germany, and if the nazis had their way they would subjugate the world and true Christianity would be completely destroyed. Though himself initially a pacifist, yet because of his faith and realizing that if his faith did not result in action that it was not genuine faith at all, he committed himself to the defeat of his own country in order that God might be worshipped and honored on the earth. It is believed that he was involved in the failed bombing attempt upon the life of Hitler that occurred early in the war. In the book, “The Cost Of Discipleship”, he writes about what he calls “cheap grace” and true life-changing “costly grace”, “That is what we mean by cheap grace, the grace which amounts to the justification of sin without the justification of the repentant sinner who departs from sin and from whom sin departs. Cheap grace is not the kind of forgiveness of sin which frees us from the toils of sin. Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate. Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble, it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him. Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: “Ye were bought at a price”, and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God”

3.3. Christ calls to salvation disciples, and He gives eternal only to disciples, and if we claim to be have salvation, then that fact will show through our life as we followed Jesus just as the twelve follow Him, and die daily to sin and self and let His life live through our life

4. Christ calls us as His disciples to now live a life of holiness and sanctification:

4.1. In 2 Cor. 7:1 Paul wrote about how now that we have come to salvation that we are to perfect holiness in the fear of God, “7:1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God”

4.2. In Eph. 5:8-16 Paul writes about how that now that we have been saved through the grace of God that we are to walk as children of the light, not in the deeds of darkness as we used to walk, “8 for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10 trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 And do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; 12 for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. 14 For this reason it says, “Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.” 15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, 16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil”

4.3. These verses reveal that though the Lord has transformed our lives through His grace, He still relies upon us to do the house-cleaning, so to speak, involved in our daily growth in sanctification

4.3.1. We must remove some things from our life and thus cleanse ourselves, when we realize that our lives don’t match up with His standard of holiness, and we are like wise responsible each day to see that we are walking filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18)

4.3.1.1.Remember, as I have mentioned before, “God’s commandments are His enablings”, for God never commands us to do anything for which He does not give us the power to do it

5. SUMMARY

5.1. What spurred me to look here in this study at the working of God’s grace in the life of the believer was that as I looked at these hardest of Jesus’ teachings concerning what discipleship means, I didn’t want anyone to get the impression that these were a bunch of ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ that we were somhow supposed to keep in our own strength, and if we don’t keep them we won’t be saved. They aren’t that. To illustrate this I’d like to share with you something that I heard pastor Jon Courson teaching on the radio several months ago. You remember the story in John 8 about the woman who was caught in adultery, right? Jesus was being tested by the Pharisees as to what He would do concerning her, and He stopped the Pharisee’s scheme by telling the men there that the one without sin could cast the first stone. The men were so convicted of their own sins that they began leaving the woman beginning with the oldest men. Jesus then told the woman, “Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more”. Well, I had always thought that Jesus was giving this woman a stern warning about sin after being so gracious and merciful as to bring her to salvation. However, Jon Courson brought out what I now believe is the true sense of what Jesus said to the woman. Jesus wasn’t warning her, but simply affirming the work of grace in her life. She was already walking away from her life of sin as a result of her coming to salvation there through the grace of God. And all of us who truly know Christ as our Lord and Savior have likewise been transformed by the grace of God. I now after hearing this lesson you are having a hard time with what I have said because what I have described as the grace of God bringing about in a Christian’s life does not seem to match your experience, it could be that you have never truly come to salvation through Christ. In that case, you should commit your ways and plans to Him, repenting of your sin, and trust that His death on the cross, as God the Son from all eternity, was the full payment for your sins.

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