Lose Your Life

6-21-26

Hoonah-Hadley

Matthew 10:24-39

Call to Worship Psalm 86:1-10, 16-17

Daily Verse Matthew 10:39

Lose Your Life (Lose it or Lose it)

“Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for My sake will find it.” Life is a searching. Typically, here in America, probably most of the world, kids grow up in some form of educational system, graduate from that, go on to more education or employment, sometimes change direction, go here, there, do this and that, find their way, or, lose it. Some folks know from an early age what it is they want to be, what they want to do with their life. Others wander around never finding their way. Music is a good example. You see musicians change their tone over a career, not always, but often enough. Through their music, they’re searching. Many great musicians begin early, young, enthusiastic, their gifts are apparent, but they bounce around a lot. If they survive the early turmoil and mid life crisis, the later part of their careers start to shed light on Christ. There are things in life worth finding, and things in life we’d be better off losing. Sometimes, well, probably more often than not, it takes a lifetime to figure it out. For some it comes early, and according to scripture, for most, it never comes. Prudence would have us meeting Jesus early in life and working out our salvation as we go. The devil would prefer we waste our life ignoring Christ, denying Him, or flat out cursing Him. The thief on the cross gives us hope at the end of a wasted life that all is not lost, but it seems a darn shame to spend the majority of your life without Christ. It’s hard to imagine never giving thanks to the One that breathed life into your lungs. What’s worse would be Him saying, “I didn’t even know you.”

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Matt. 10:24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.” This is basic order and rule in life across the board, less we think to highly of ourselves or to little of those that have raised us up in the way we should go. There is in our nature perhaps a drive to be better than our teacher or master, but the language here is specific, “disciple” and “servant”. Disciple in Greek means “learner” and “apprentice” or “pupil”, one whose “allegiance” is to the instruction and commitments of the teacher or movement. These red letters in verse 24 are the proverbial neon sign of us and Christ. Of who we are in light of who He is. Probably the most famous use of this word can be found in Christ final instruction to us in this gospel in 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations. Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you…” We are called to Christ likeness, not Christ Himself. To be a “learner” and a teacher, but not “the” teacher. The word “servant” is used over 800 times in the NRSV bible and the majority of times it is a reference to a “slave”. Both the Hebrew and Greek words mean “slaves”. Therefore, the chief characteristic of a person called a “servant” is usually that they “belong” to another. Jesus himself said in Matt. 20:28 “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Some folks are naturally servants, brought along by parents who were themselves servants raised in households of service. But the world promotes “me” first, billions of dollars in products that say, “look at me”. Both Greek and Hebrew meanings come to be used in terms of humility. As we meditate, meditate, meditate on God’s word, as we walk daily with Christ, as we mature as His children, the natural progression of that life is to go from being served, to being a servant. Disciples and servants are learners belonging to Christ.

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Vs. 25 “It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!” Beelzebub was the fly god of the Philistines and named after the prince of demons. If they call our master this, what will they call us? Anyone ever been called a name other than your birth name? Sarcasm, ever use it or had it used on you? They call good evil and evil good. (Isaiah 5:20) God was slandered. Christ was nailed to a cross. How can we hope to escape? Matt. 16:24 “…if anyone desires to come after Me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross, and follow Me.” Do you take your cross with you when you go out the door, get on the highways and byways of life, or do you leave it at home, avoiding the shame and reproach? Should we be content to endure dishonor for our King’s sake? Since we are children of God, members of His household, our call, our ambition is to conform to His likeness, in all things, not just the glory, but the shame that goes with it. Where does our loyalty fall? Vs. 26 “Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.” Do not fear them! Do not! Your true colors will shine through, in the end the truth will be revealed, i.e., you can fool God none of the time. Vs. 27 “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops.” God knows our thoughts. One of the offerings was from Jeremiah 20:7-13, specifically vs. 9, a favorite. “If I say I will not mention Him, or speak any more in His name, His word is like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones, I am weary of holding it in, indeed I cannot.” I wanted to preach on this, scripture confirms scripture. Luke 6:45 “…out the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” A tree is known by its fruit. Meditate on His word, it will be like a fire.

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Vs. 34-38 ^“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. ³⁵ For I have come to ‘set^[a] a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; ³⁶ and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ ³⁷ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. ³⁸ And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. Honestly, when I read Romans 6:1-11, I wanted to research and preach on that, essentially it explains our lesson in Matthew without dividing the family, a hard pill to swallow. But God does not call us to avoid the truth, but live in light of it, and the truth of the matter is that God’s word divides. In the beginning God divided night and day, light and darkness, the sea and land, herein the Gospel of Matthew, He divided the family. You’ve heard the saying, “The family that prays together, stays together.” I’ve known families that are equally yoked, a rare and precious force of God, but as the flesh would have it, most are not. What does the sword do? It divides. About 99% of the over 400 offerings of sword, it is a reference to a weapon used to kill. The 1% that isn’t used for physical death comes from Ephesians 6:17 “…and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.” Jesus’ use of the word sword in Matt. 10:34 is a reference to the word of God and the Spirit of God. Jesus Christ is that word, He is the dividing line in humanity. You cannot take the teeth out of God’s word. Hebrews 4:12 “…the word of God is sharper than a double-edged sword, dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow.” Gods word is designed to save us, that we die to sin, so we are no longer slaves to sin. “Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for My sake will find it.” Dead to sin, alive to Christ. Amen.