Matthew 10:32-42

“Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.  But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.  Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.  For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.  And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.  He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.  And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me is not worthy of me.  He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.  He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.  He the receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.  And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.”

Proclaim, confessing the Lord Jesus before men vs. denying him before me

Verses 32-33, “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.  But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.”  “It stands to reason that if we have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior from sin, we will acknowledge it publicly or whenever it is deemed necessary to give a testimony.  Therefore, the statement of verse 33 follows as day follows night.  This verse alerts me to want to confess Him and never to deny Him.  However, I don’t want to make a fool of myself because there are times when I am not to cast my pearls before swine; that is, there are times when we do not honor Him by the use of His name in certain circles.  Assuredly, we never want to deny Him---neither will we deny Him.

We’re in a spiritual war

Verse 34, “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.”  This is a verse with which the pacifist has had difficulty.  However, until all unrighteousness is put down and suppressed, the Person of Christ will cause the enmity of Satan, and a battle will ensue.  I wish a little of this verse would get into the United Nations today and into the thinking of some liberal preachers.  Christ did not come to bring peace at His first coming.  Sin is still in the world; and, as long as it stays upon the earth, God says that there will be no peace for the wicked.  [And sadly, we’re living in the same world, so we experience some of this lack of peace as well.]  Verses 35-36, “For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.  A man’s foes shall be they of his own household.”  Paul amplified the truth of these verses when he said, “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God” (I Cor. 1:18).  Actually, families have been divided by the preaching of the gospel.  Also, brothers have been separated.  There is a unity of believers, and that very unity makes a division with the unsaved world.

Our commitment to Jesus Christ

Verses 37-38, “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.  And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me is not worthy of me.”  Unless you have really committed your life to Christ and paid a price, you cannot talk much about commitment.  Personally, I do not brag about being a committed Christian, because I find that I am in Simon Peter’s class.  But, thank God, He is faithful.  That’s the wonder of it all!  I wish that I could have heard Him use that expression, “not worthy of me.”  Many of us are not, and it means that He is not going to use us unless we are really committed to Him.  But, thank God, He will not throw us overboard! 

The depth of our commitment may have a high price

Verse 39, “He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.”  He is putting in contrast the life which we have in the flesh with the gift of eternal life which comes through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  I is possible that when a person comes to Christ, he may be put to death because of his faith.  This is not true in the United states yet, but it is true in other parts of the world even in our day.  A man who loses his physical life for Christ shall find eternal life which takes him into the presence of Christ.  “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8). 

Who do you think Jesus Christ is?  It matters, you know

Verses 40-42, “He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.  He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.  And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.”  In John 15 the Lord Jesus clarifies this section when He says that the world has hated Him and is going to hate His own.  [And we are “His own”, his brothers and sister in Him.]  We ought not to be any more popular with the world than Jesus Christ is popular.  The measure of our loyalty and faithfulness to Him is given in the prophet’s reward and the righteous man’s reward.  If you defend the Lord Jesus as a prophet, you will receive a prophet’s reward [i.e. he was only a prophet].    If you receive Him as only a righteous man [ie, Jesus is just a good person, a righteous man], you will receive a righteous man’s reward.  But if you receive him as Lord and Savior [ie, Jesus as God the Son, very God, Messiah, Savior of the world], you will receive a full reward.  Our Lord makes it very clear that rewards are given on the basis of faithfulness [and I would add, what you believe and who you believe Jesus of Nazareth is.  If you’re not sure, log onto  these two links and study them: http://www.unityinchrist.com/john/john1-1-5.html  and http://www.unityinchrist.com/prophecies/1stcoming.htm.]