#1256 Matthew 10 Part 4 A Penny For Two

 

26 “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 10: 26-33 ESV

Matthew 10: 26-33

…17Get yourself ready. Stand up and tell them everything that I command you. Do not be intimidated by them, or I will terrify you before them. 18Now behold, this day I have made you like a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls against the whole land— against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. 19They will fight against you but will never overcome you, since I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD.… Jeremiah 1: 17-19

1Now this is what the LORD says—He who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine! 2When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you go through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched; the flames will not set you ablaze. 3For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your place.… Isaiah 43: 1-3

So have no fear of them - This is following a very difficult call to discipleship, to the ministry of spreading the gospel. He has already made it clear that persecution will come, even the worse sort, from friends and family. They have already accused Jesus of acting in alignment with the prince of demons, and so He warns His disciples that if the people malign Him, if they slander Christ, then His followers should not expect more than this. When we go back to the OT we see it was the same way for God's prophets then. Elijah was called the troubler of Israel, very few saw the trouble as originating from their own sinful natures and practices. They didn't hate sin, only it's consequences, so they always wanted to kill the messenger, but they couldn't kill the messenger until it was time, until God saw fit to bring them home and to seal the judgment on those who stopped their ears. Jesus wants them not to be afraid of these things, and so He tells them in advance, they're coming, but God is sovereign, look to Christ, see how He handles it.  

…3and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and which is already in the world at this time. 4You, little children, are from God and have overcome them, because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. 5They are of the world. That is why they speak from the world’s perspective, and the world listens to them.… 1 John 4: 3-5

…35Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused their release, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36Still others endured mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they were put to death by the sword. They went around in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, oppressed, and mistreated.…

…38The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and hid in caves and holes in the ground. 39 These were all commended for their faith, yet they did not receive what was promised. 40God had planned something better for us, so that together with us they would be made perfect.… Hebrews 11: 35-40

Nothing is covered that will not be revealed - The disciples, everyone, was always wondering, how can these things be? How can this be the Messiah when He is not yet sitting on an earthly throne? Why would a king, and no less the King of kings be persecuted? How is it that the bad guys seem to be winning all the time? This will become a crisis of conscience for all of them, and one will completely walk away.

It’s a kind of a proverbial, obscure statement at first. What does it mean? It simply means this: that someday God is going to take the lid off everything and all things will be made right. Just. It’s not the way it is now. Christians are looked on looked on as anti-intellectual. We’re looked on as the outcast that Paul called the offscouring of the world. The world is successful. The wicked prosper. Christians are persecuted. Christians are put down. The more you stand for the right, the more the system hates you and the less you’re rewarded.

But someday it’s all going to change, and the truth will be made known. That’s what that statement means. God is going to show who the real heroes are. God’s going to cover – uncover the real heroes. God’s going to reward and vindicate His own. And when the lid comes off, the evil people are going to find out that all they have left for them is vengeance.

Your enemies cannot prevent your vindication. That’s what He’s saying. Look, people. Look. You’ve got to live with an eternal perspective. You see? That’s what He’s saying. If you’re stuck on worrying about what the world is going to say, you’re looking at the wrong thing. What you want to be looking at is what God’s going to say in the end. Right? - J Mac

…4My conscience is clear, but that does not vindicate me. It is the Lord who judges me. 5Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God. 6Brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us not to go beyond what is written. Then you will not take pride in one man over another.… 1 Corinthians 4: 4-6

…11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I set aside childish ways. 12 Now we see but a dim reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 13And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love.… 1 Corinthians 13: 11-13

What I tell you in the dark, say in the light - Often Jesus would speak in parables and then give the disciples a fuller explanation later. At times the Pharisees even understood that the parable was about them, but they refused Christ's very plain teachings too. Seek and ye shall find.

 

B B Warfield has a very insightful comment on why Jesus spoke in darkness (in parables) but at the same time was instructing His disciples to speak in the light - The strength of our Lord’s emphasis on this important declaration just on this occasion finds its explanation of course in the need that had arisen to guard from misapprehension His own methods of teaching. For a change had just been introduced into His modes of instruction, from which His disciples might be tempted to infer that Christianity was a double system, with an esoteric and an exoteric aspect. Our Lord, who had hitherto spoken plainly, had suddenly begun to speak in parables; and He had not concealed from His disciples that His object was to veil His meaning. Was there not introduced thus the full-blown system of esoterism? It is to correct this not unnatural inference that our Lord declares so emphatically that the truth He is teaching—even in parabolic form—is a lamp, and has for its one end to shine; that what is now hid and made secret under this parabolic veil, is hid and made secret not that it may not be made known, but just that it may be made known. The impulse to use parables thus arises from wisdom and prudence in teaching, not from a desire to conceal. He teaches in parables in order that He may teach; not in order that He may not teach (ED: RECALL THE TIME HE TAUGHT OPENLY IN NAZARETH AND IT AROUSED SUCH OPPOSITION THAT THEY TRIED TO KILL HIM - Lk 4:24-29+). This method of veiled teaching, in a word, is forced on Him by the conditions under which He is teaching and arises from the state of mind of His hearers (ED: MOST OF WHOM REJECTED HIS TRUTH); it is not chosen by Him in order to conceal His meaning, but in order to convey it to those for whom it is intended (ED: GOOD SOILS - THOSE WHO HAVE EARS TO HEAR). It is with Him either to teach thus or not to teach at all; and He consequently teaches thus. This is the fundamental doctrine of parabolic teaching. I do not say it is the whole account to be given of it....the adoption of parabolic teaching has a punitive side—as, indeed, it could not fail to have—with reference to those who could and would not endure sound doctrine; whom it puzzled, therefore, rather than instructed. But this is the fundamental account of it (parabolic teaching). - Precept Austin

…9Then His disciples asked Him what this parable meant. 10 He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, ‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’ 11Now this is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.… Luke 8: 9-11

…28I came from the Father and entered the world. In turn, I will leave the world and go to the Father.” 29His disciples said, “See, now You are speaking plainly and without figures of speech. 30Now we understand that You know all things and that You have no need for anyone to question You. Because of this, we believe that You came from God.”… John 16: 28-30

Proclaim on the house tops - Boldly proclaim the word of truth.

Do not fear those who kill the body - That's all they got, but you have an eternal perspective, so you know this body is already passing, fading away. They can only do what God allows, and if God allows then they may only have so much as the honor of sending the saint home.

…6For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8From now on there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but to all who crave His appearing.… 2 Timothy 4: 6-8

Fear Him Who can destroy both soul and body in hell - God is eternal, omnipotent, and He is holy, that holiness in itself should be dread even to the natural mind, but they are blind. He is not going to change, and so He will be forever opposed to sin, to those who die in their sins, clinging to it, they will never cease sinning and will be infinitely opposed in their sin. 

…8in blazing fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9They will suffer the penalty of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and the glory of His might, 10on the day He comes to be glorified in His saints and regarded with wonder by all who have believed, including you who have believed our testimony.… 2 Thessalonians 1: 8-10

But rather fear Him Who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell - Fear Him or fear God is in the present imperative which also calls for dependence on the Holy Spirit to obey! Do you fear men or do you fear God? (cf Pr 29:25) How does one fear God in practical terms? Here's a simple test to determine whether you really fear God -- Ask yourself this question: "Do the words, thoughts and deeds of the last 24 hours of my life truly reflect a reverence (reverential fear) of the Lord, Who alone is "Holy, Holy, Holy"? (And by the way, none of us are perfect, which is why 1 Jn 1:9+ is such a gift to cleanse us each new day.) If you find your "fear factor" is diminishing, and to sin willfully no longer grieves you, then you need to beg that the Spirit would enable in you a strong desire to choose the fear of the Lord (Pr 1:29+, cf Lk 10:42+, Heb 11:25+, Pr 23:17).

Destroy (622)(apollumi from apo = away from or wholly + olethros = state of utter ruin <> ollumi = to destroy <> root of apollyon [Re 9:11] = destroyer) means to destroy utterly but not to cause one to cease to exist. Apollumi as it relates to men, is not the loss of being per se, but is more the loss of well-being. It means to ruin so that the person ruined can no longer serve the use for which he or she was designed. The gospel promises everlasting life for the one who believes. The failure to possess this life will result in utter ruin and eternal uselessness (but not a cessation of existence) In summary, apollumi then has the basic meaning of describing that which is ruined and is no longer usable for its intended purpose. Woe! - Precept Austin

Sold for a penny - Even something so small, that they sold in the markets for very cheap, even that life did not escape the eye of God. Men are made in God's image, so they are valued even more highly, so your life and death will not go unnoticed. 

And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. "God cares deeply about every creature in His creation. Man has been given dominion over all of them but as a steward, not a spoiler (Genesis 1:26-28; Job 38,39)." (Morris)

Whoever denies Me before men - Many fall away when trials come, when the promise of riches arises, when flattery abounds. There are heretical teachings of a pragmatic nature in many evangelical churches. It boils down to you having said something at a time, a magic set of words, a sinner's prayer, repeated after a speakers message, with music in the background, and you felt something, people, even you, thought you were sincere. The pragmatist says, "that is enough, that is your proof, and God understands that we live in a mortal world, so of course you will deny Him to evade death, or to save your children, but that's okay because at one time you were sincere when you said you believed." A Christian isn't someone who identified themselves as such at a time, not someone who has a certain t-shirt, but someone who is born again and perseveres. Remember, Judas was identified as one of the twelve. 

12To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of the One who holds the sharp, double-edged sword. 13I know where you live, where the throne of Satan sits. Yet you have held fast to My name and have not denied your faith in Me, even in the day when My faithful witness Antipas was killed among you, where Satan dwells. Revelation 2: 12-13

…4But you do have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments, and because they are worthy, they will walk with Me in white. 5Like them, he who overcomes will be dressed in white. And I will never blot out his name from the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father and His angels. 6He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.… Revelation 3: 4-6

23But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” 24Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. 25For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.… Matthew 16: 23-25

MacDonald "Denial of Christ on earth will be repaid with denial before God in heaven. To deny Christ in this sense means to refuse to recognize His claims over one’s life. Those whose lives say, in effect, “I never knew You” will hear Him say at last, “I never knew you.” (cf Mt 7:23+) The Lord is not referring to a temporary denial of Him under pressure, as in Peter’s case, but to that kind of denial that is habitual and final." (BBC)

"If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us." (2Ti 2:12)

Comment - Sadly, some well known teachers falsely teach that what Paul is saying is that this person is a believer who departs from following Jesus for the rest of their life after making a profession of faith. Think about this a moment. Would such a person who loves unholiness down here REALLY all of a sudden "love holiness" in Heaven? It is neither logical nor theologically sound! Beware of this genre of teaching, which is a form of EASY BELIEVISM! Others teach that Jesus is not speaking of salvation but of rewards, so to deny Him on earth is to lose rewards in Heaven. I think this is a dangerous teaching that can take a man straight to hell if he professes Jesus but lives like the devil all of his days. - Precept Austin