Deo Gloria
Sermon for July 5, 2020
Pastor Martin Bentz
Text: Matthew 10:24-33
Theme: Don’t be Afraid to Confess Your Faith in Christ!
- There’s no point in keeping it a secret.
- The power of those who persecute you is limited.
- The Father will take care of you.
- The Son will acknowledge you before the Father.
The man was a Christian, a devoted follower of Jesus Christ–had been for several years already. During that time he had distinguished himself as a promising new leader for the Christian church and a bold witness for his Savior. Tonight, however, was a different story. Instead of being surrounded by his usual group of Christian friends, tonight he found himself in enemy territory, among the atheists and unbelievers, among the enemies of Christ. Though nervous and rather uncomfortable, he mingled among them as best he could. And things were going pretty well, until someone recognized him. “Hey, you’re a Christian, aren’t you? You’re a follower of Jesus Christ.” But he denied it. He told her he didn’t know what she was talking about. A little later it happened again. Someone else approached him about being a Christian. Again he denied it. And still later a third time. Three different times that night people confronted him about being a follower of Jesus Christ and three different times he out and out denied it.
Why? What would make someone like Peter, such a strong Christian leader, someone who normally would not even hesitate to confess his faith in Christ–what would make someone like him reluctant to talk about his Savior, or even deny knowing him altogether? Perhaps we should ask ourselves that same question. What would make people like us–modern day disciples of Jesus–what would make us reluctant to talk about our Savior or even try to hide our faith in him? Fear, fear of rejection, fear of persecution. This morning in the words of our text our Savior encourages people like Peter and people like you and me not to be afraid. Yes, we will undoubtedly run into rejection and persecution as we strive to tell others about our Savior, but don’t let that stop you. Don’t be afraid to confess your faith in Christ.
As you may remember, last week we heard our Savior speak about the great need for workers in his kingdom. “The harvest is plentiful,” he said, “but the workers are few.”(9:37). In an effort to meet that need and to reach the crowds of harassed and helpless people, Jesus enlisted the services of his 12 disciples. He instructed them to go to the lost sheep of Israel and to proclaim the good news of the kingdom.
Though many would certainly receive that good news with joy, that would not be the case with everyone. Sadly some would reject the gospel message and the messengers as well. Jesus warned them that such would be the case: “Be on your guard against men,” he told them. “They will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues”(v. 17). Likewise he warned them that they would be persecuted and arrested and in some cases even put to death, all on account of their testimony for Christ.
On the one hand, they shouldn’t be surprised by that. After all, that’s the way they treated Jesus. If they persecuted him, they’d do the same to his disciples. That was Jesus’ point in verses 24+25:
A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!
You and I can expect the same. While some people will be glad to hear us tell them the good news of forgiveness and salvation in Jesus, others will not. They will reject our message and may reject us as well. They may turn their backs on us as a friend. They may become angry at us and say nasty things to us or about us. They may even threaten us with physical harm.
I remember the story one of my college professors related. While serving as a parish pastor, he regularly visited this one elderly lady who lived with her son. She, of course, was a member. He was not. He didn’t want anything to do with the church. Normally, her son wasn’t there when he stopped by to visit, but one afternoon he was. Annoyed by the presence of the pastor, he left the room and went upstairs. After a few minutes he came back down with a gun in his hand. “Preacher,” he said, “I want you to take your things and get outta here. Get outta here right now and don’t ever come back. If you do, I’ll shoot you.” Naturally, the pastor left.
Now granted, that kind of hostility is not something you and I run into on a regular basis, and thank God we don’t, but should we be surprised if we did? Should we be surprised when we run into rejection and opposition? Should we be surprised when we experience persecution for trying to witness to others about our Savior? No. It happened to Jesus. It will happen to his followers too.
But don’t let it stop you either. That’s the danger, isn’t it? That we become reluctant, that we become afraid of talking to others about our Savior, that in order to avoid rejection and avoid persecution, we play it safe and keep our faith to ourselves. And you know what? That’s exactly what Satan wants. That’s why he brings opposition and persecution against Christians like you and me. He wants to silence us. He wants to make us hesitant and afraid to talk about our Savior because he doesn’t want other people to hear about him and be saved. So what’s the antidote? How do we combat the fear? Where do we find the courage and the strength, especially when we encounter persecution–where do we find the courage to confess our faith in Christ?
Listen again to the words of our Savior: “Do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known”(v. 26). The first thing you and I need to realize is that there’s no point in keeping our faith a secret. People are going to find out anyway. If you think certain people wouldn’t like you or that certain people would look down on you if they knew you were a Christian, well guess what? They’re going to find out anyway. Sooner or later it will become plain to them and everyone else that you are a follower of Jesus Christ–on Judgment Day if not before.
But why wait until then? Why wait until Judgment Day to let the cat out of the bag? By then it’s too late, too late to help other people, too late to help that friend of yours who doesn’t know Jesus or that colleague or that cousin, too late to tell them about Jesus Christ so they might believe and be saved. If they haven’t heard and believed before then, they’ll be lost forever.
That’s why Jesus wants our faith to show, why he wants us to freely and openly confess our faith in him so that others can be saved. What was it that Jesus said?
A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (5:14-16)
The second thing we need to keep in mind is that the power of those who persecute us is limited. Look again at v. 28: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” For the disciples and the other believers in the early Christian church the possibility of losing one’s life on account of their faith in Christ was real. In fact, 10 of the 11 disciples–excluding Judas, of course–10 of the 11 disciples did eventually lose their lives.
The same cannot be said in 21th century America. The chance that you or I might lose our lives on account of our faith in Christ is rather remote. In fact, do you know anyone who has? I’ve heard of a few, but I don’t know any personally. But what if that was a real danger? What if there was a distinct possibility that you or I could lose our lives because of our faith in Christ? In the fourth verse of the hymn “A Mighty Fortress” we sing the following words:
And take they our life, Goods, fame, child and wife, Let these all be gone, They yet have nothing won;
Do we mean those words when we sing them? Is that what we truly believe, that if the enemies of Christ took everything we had, even our lives, they still would have nothing won? That’s what Martin Luther meant, the man who wrote that song. You see, he understood and believed what Jesus was saying here in our text. Those who persecute us can take away a lot of things. They can take away our property and possessions. They can take away our freedom and our family. They can even take away our life, but they cannot take away our most precious possession, eternal life in heaven. Unending life in the Father’s house remains ours and will be ours forever. So don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid to confess your faith in Christ.
A third reason we don’t need to be afraid is that the Father will take care of us. Jesus emphasizes this point with a pair of illustrations. The first has to do with sparrows: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father”(v. 29). How much would you pay for a sparrow? Would you even offer a penny for a dozen? To us they are small and insignificant creatures, not even worthy of our time or attention, but not to God. He cares for each and every one of them. If one dies and falls to the ground, he knows about it. He cares about it.
Are you not more important to God than a sparrow, than a whole tree full of sparrows? God made you, in fearful and wonderful way. He sent his Son, his only Son, Jesus Christ, to die for you, to pay the penalty for all of your sins. He sent his Holy Spirit to put faith in your heart. And he adopted you as one of his own children. Having done all of that, would he not watch over you? Would he not take care of you?
“And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered”(v. 30), Jesus adds. Scientists tell us that the average person has about 125,000 hairs on his head–some a few more, some obviously a few less. Do you know how many you have? God does. The point is the same. God cares about his children. He knows everything about them, from head to toe. Would he then allow people to do all kinds of mean and nasty things to his children? Would he allow the enemies of Christ to persecute his children and harm them and possibly even take their lives if that wasn’t part of his will? Of course not. So don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid to confess your faith in Christ.
And don’t ever forget your Savior’s promise either, the one he makes in v. 32: “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.” Imagine for a second that your time in this life is over. The angels usher you into the throne room of heaven. Jesus is waiting there to meet you. We welcomes you with open arms and a warm smile. “I’m so glad you’re here,” he says as he gives you a hug. Then he turns and faces the throne. “Dad, there’s someone here I would like you to meet. His name is Tom, Thomas Snyder. He’s one of mine, Dad. He’s one of my faithful followers. He’ll be staying here with us, forever.” What a blessed day that will be for those who confessed Jesus Christ as their Savior!
What an awful day, on the other hand, for those who denied Jesus! You’re ushered into the throne room of heaven. The Father looks at you and then turns to his Son. “Son, do you know this guy?”
“No, can’t say that I do,” he replies.
So the Father turns to you again and says, “I’m sorry. There must be some mistake. You must be in the wrong place. Away from me, you evil-doer.”
I know what you’re thinking. Pastor, I’ve already blown it. There have been times when I did the same thing Peter did. Instead of confessing my faith in Christ when I had the opportunity, I denied him. I covered up my faith. Can Jesus ever forgive me? He can and he will, just as he forgave Peter. Have you asked him to? In gratitude for his grace and forgiveness, let me also suggest that you follow Peter’s example and boldly confess your faith in Christ for the rest of your life.
I began this sermon with a negative example. I’d like to close with a positive one. It’s a true story that happened a few years ago at the University of Southern California. There was a professor of philosophy there who was a deeply committed atheist. His primary goal in class was to spend the entire semester attempting to prove that God did not exist. His students were always afraid to argue with him because of his impeccable logic. In the 20 years he had taught the class no one had ever had the courage to go against him. Oh sure, some had argued a time or two, but no one had had the courage to stand up against him. You see, at the end of every semester, on the last day of class, he would say to his 300 students, “If there is anyone here who still believes in God, stand up!” In 20 years no one had ever stood up. They knew what he would do next. He would say, “because anyone who does believe in God is a fool. If God really did exist, he could stop this piece of chalk from hitting the ground and breaking. Such a simple task to prove that he is God, and yet he can’t do it.” And every year, he would drop the chalk onto the tile floor of the classroom and it would shatter into a hundred pieces. The students, of course, could do nothing but sit and stare. Most were convinced, convinced that God did not exist. Oh, I’m sure a few Christians slipped through over the years, but not one had been willing to stand up and admit it–until a few years ago, when this one freshman enrolled in the class.
The guy was a Christian. And he had heard the stories about this professor, but he had no choice. He had to take the class because it was one of the required classes for his major. And to be honest, he was a bit apprehensive. But for the next three months he prayed. He prayed every morning that he would have the courage to stand up no matter what the professor said or what the class thought. He prayed that nothing he said or did would shatter his faith in Christ. Finally the day came. The professor issued his usual challenge: “If there is anyone here who still believes in God, stand up!” The professor and the rest of the class were shocked to see this one young man stand up. “You fool!” the professor shouted. “If God really did exist, he could keep this piece of chalk from breaking when it hit the ground.” And he proceeded to drop the chalk, but as he did, it slipped out of his fingers, bounced off his shirt cuff, slid down the pleats of his pants, down his leg, off his shoe and rolled across the floor–unbroken. The professor’s jaw dropped as he stared at the chalk. He looked back again at the young man who was still standing and then hurriedly left the classroom. After he left, the young man walked up to the front of the room and for the rest of the class shared his faith in Jesus. 300 students stayed and listened as he told of God’s great love for them and his incredible power, especially as he had demonstrated it in his Son Jesus Christ.
Friends, don’t be afraid. Yes, we may run into opposition and persecution as we try to spread the good news about our Savior, but don’t ever be afraid to confess your faith in Christ. Amen.