In Matthew 10:42 Jesus said, if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded. When you do something good or kind to one of Jesus' followers, it is as though you are doing it for Jesus. I think this applies to everyone because Jesus loves everyone. We shouldn't just be kind to the people we like, we should be kind to "the least," the unpopular, difficult, and prickly people.
Giving someone a drink of water is a small gesture - it doesn't really cost you anything. Jesus is implying that if the smallest act of kindness doesn't go unnoticed, how much more will the generous acts of kindness be rewarded. You might not have the resources to give generously but Jesus said the small acts of kindness are important too. What random acts of kindness can you perform today?
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In Matthew 10:32 Jesus said, Those who declare publicly that they belong to me, I will do the same for them before my Father in heaven. In verse 33 he went on to say, but those who reject me publicly, I will reject before my Father in heaven. That's pretty heavy stuff. When you read these verses in context you see that Jesus had just spent the previous 31 verses sending the disciples out to spread the Good News and warning them that they would be persecuted, sometimes even by family members. Verse 22 says, Everyone will hate you because of me.
The early church faced huge persecution from the Jews and Romans. Christians were beaten, imprisoned and killed for their faith. In Australia you might be ridiculed for your faith but you're not likely to lose your life for it. There are countries around the world where it is illegal to become a Christian. Ironically, the church is growing in these countries at an astounding rate. It's not all doom and gloom though - Jesus also encouraged the disciples with these statements in Chapter ten:
If you ask God to show you opportunities to share his Good News, you will find that there are people around you who have questions and are interested in hearing more about your faith. Don't stress about not having all the answers - if they ask a curly question you don't know the answer to you can tell them you'll get back to them when you have more information. God will also help you to know what to say. We 'follow' a lot of friends, celebrities and random strangers on social media. We give them our time and attention as we scroll through their feeds. When Jesus told Matthew to follow him, he was telling him to give up everything and literally follow him. Do you follow Jesus like you follow your favourite band? You listen to and sing along to their music, you read their posts and wear the t-shirt. Or do you follow Jesus like Matthew and the disciples? They gave up family, jobs, friends, and wealth to devote themselves to Jesus' ministry and teaching. I think the Western church can be a bit casual about Christianity - we go to church on Sunday and youth group on Friday, but Jesus has little impact on our lives for the rest of the week. I want to live a life passionately following and serving Jesus, loving him with all my heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30). How bout you?
In Matthew 8:23 Jesus and the disciples got into a boat to cross the lake then there was a furious storm. Jesus was fast asleep but the disciples were terrified - they thought they were going to drown. Verse 26 says, Jesus answered, “Why are you afraid? You don’t have enough faith.” Then he stood up and gave a command to the wind and the water. The wind stopped, and the lake became very calm. It's interesting to note that Jesus reprimanded the disciples for being afraid and not having enough faith before he reprimanded the wind and waves. He didn't tell them off for waking him up or disturbing him - he is always ready to hear our prayers and requests.
Five times in Matthew Jesus rebuked the disciples for having too little faith. Jesus had been healing the sick, but still the disciples didn't understand that he had power and authority over all things. Earlier in chapter 8 a centurion (Roman soldier) asked Jesus to heal his servant who was sick. He told Jesus that he didn't need to come to his house, he just had to say he would be healed, it would happen. The centurion recognised that Jesus had authority. Verse 10 says, When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. He said to those who were with him, “The truth is, this man has more faith than anyone I have found, even in Israel. I know that I am often guilty of not having enough faith. I choose to believe the limiting beliefs about God and myself that Satan tells me. What areas of your life, circumstances that you face, doubts and insecurities do you have that you need to have more faith for? Read the Word and see what it says about God, his goodness, faithfulness, power and authority. Matthew 7:13-14 says, Enter through the narrow gate. The gate is wide and the road is wide that leads to hell, and many people enter through that gate. But the gate is small and the road is narrow that leads to true life. Only a few people find that road. Jesus wasn't literally talking about a roads and gates but he was talking about life choices. If you choose to do your own thing, like most people will, then it will be a relatively easy life.
If you choose to follow Jesus you will face several obstacle 1. You will face a spiritual battle - doing what God wants you to do versus what you want to do. Paul said, "What our human nature wants is opposed to what the Spirit wants, and what the Spirit wants is opposed to what our human nature wants" (Galatians 5:17). You will need to choose prayer, fasting, Bible study over more selfish pursuits. 2. You will be persecuted for your faith. In 2 Timothy 3:12 Paul said, "Everyone who wants to live the way God wants, in Christ Jesus, will be persecuted." You may not be stoned or put to death for being a follower of Jesus but you can be certain that you will be ridiculed or ostracised for your faith. This may not happen often, but it will happen. It's not easy, but it's worth it. Romans 8:18 says, "I am sure that what we are suffering now cannot compare with the glory that will be shown to us." It's like an Olympic athlete who sacrifices free time, sweet treats, sleeping in and socialising so that they can train and compete to try to win a gold medal. It's important to remember that the gate is narrow to eternal life but the destination will be glorious. God is preparing a place for you in eternity. I think he did an amazing job of creation the first time round, so imagine what he is planning for those who love him. You're probably familiar with the parable of the wise and foolish builders, but just in case you're not, here it is:
Matthew 7:24-27 Anyone who hears and obeys these teachings of mine is like a wise person who built a house on solid rock. Rain poured down, rivers flooded, and winds beat against that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on solid rock. Anyone who hears my teachings and doesn’t obey them is like a foolish person who built a house on sand. The rain poured down, the rivers flooded, and the winds blew and beat against that house. Finally, it fell with a crash. If we are wise we will build our lives on Christ and his Word. Do you build these things on the foundation of Jesus or the world?
Be a wise builder who obeys the Word of God rather than following the world - its foundation of sand won't withstand the storms of life. We can access podcasts, sermons and books from all over the world, which is great, but it's also a bit dangerous. In Matthew 7:15 Jesus said, Be careful of false prophets. They come to you and look gentle like sheep. But they are really dangerous like wolves. A prophet is someone who speaks the Word of God or a spokesperson for God. There are a lot of preachers, you tubers, podcasters, bloggers and authors who claim to be Christians but their teaching doesn't line up with the Word of God.
Verse 16 says, You will know these people because of what they do. Good things don’t come from people who are bad, just as grapes don’t come from thornbushes, and figs don’t come from thorny weeds. If what they preach and what they do doesn't add up, that's a big warning sign. If they get busted for drink driving or having an affair that's a big red light. Sometimes you will just get an uncomfortable 'gut' feeling when you hear someone preaching - that's either God convicting you of sin or the Holy Spirit warning you that this teaching is a bit iffy. I'm not saying don't watch sermons and testimonies online, listen to podcasts or read Christian books, I'm just saying test what they're saying against the Word of God. If someone is preaching about prosperity and wealth, go and look up what the Bible has to say about it. Don't just mindlessly consume the message - do some research. It's not hard - you can use websites like Bible Gateway and Bible Hub to look up verses and commentaries. You should even test what you read here. Matthew 6:31-32 says, Don’t worry and say, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ That’s what those people who don’t know God are always thinking about. Don’t worry, because your Father in heaven knows that you need all these things.
He actually starts talking about worry at verse 25 but these two verses provide a nice summary. Worrying about a situation does not affect the outcome. For example, worrying about where your next meal is going to come from will not magically put food on the table. I can tell you for a fact though, that praying about your needs is much more effective. Worry undermines your faith and trust in God. Worry wastes a lot of energy and can negatively impact your physical health - it can lead to headaches, muscle tension and an upset stomach. Jesus reminds us that God already knows what you need so trust in him to provide it. He gave two examples of God's provision:
Verse 33 of Matthew 6 says, What you should want most is God’s kingdom and doing what he wants you to do. Then he will give you all these other things you need. When you find yourself worrying about something, do something for someone else - smile at them, help them carry their groceries, talk to someone, give someone a compliment, share something you have. By loving people and being kind you are doing what he wants you to do. Matthew 6:19-20 says, Don’t store up treasures on earth! Moths and rust can destroy them, and thieves can break in and steal them. Instead, store up your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy them, and thieves cannot break in and steal them. Verse 19 warns us that earthly treasures don't last - your fancy clothes might get eaten by moths, your expensive car might rust or they may be stolen. There is nothing wrong with earthly treasures, but there's a but (three actually).
Verse 20 instructs us to store up treasures in heaven instead. So, how do you do that?
What kind of treasure are you storing up? It's Easter tomorrow so I thought we would jump ahead to Matthew 26, just before Jesus was crucified. He went to Gesthemane to pray and took Peter, James and John with him. He told his companions to sit and watch while he moved away and prayed. Jesus said, my heart is so heavy with grief, I feel as if I am dying. In the Evangelical Heritage Version it says, My soul is very sorrowful, even to the point of death. The New International Version says, My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.
I think we gloss over the horrors of what Jesus endured on the cross because it makes us uncomfortable. It was, after all, our sin that put him there. We can't even imagine the physical, emotional and spiritual torture that he endured.
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