First Evangelical Free Church Sioux City, Iowa

Matthew 10:16-31 The Road Will Be Hard…But Worth It

In Matthew 10, Jesus tells His disciples what following Him will cost them. Click here to listen to the sermon.

1. A Life of Discipleship is a Life of Sacrifice
   1. Matthew 10:16 is a ___________ of our entire passage...
   2. Matthew 10:17-20 The picture moves from bad to worse - in essence, the disciples must realize that they will be opposed just as Jesus has been (and will continue to be) opposed. But even in the midst of such trials, they are to rely and depend upon the faithfulness of God - so are we.
   3. Matthew 10:21-23 And as if the previous verses weren't enough, we'll also see that the persecution will become personal for all who follow Christ. The advice? Move on. Remember, the mission is to spread the message. Leave God in charge of how folks will respond to it.
   4. Matthew 10:24-25 It is because of their (and our) identification with Christ that they will be persecuted. We should not be surprised at this - the Bible is filled with stories of God's faithful undergoing trials and we should not assume it will be different for us.
2. Our Motivation for this Great Sacrifice? Fearing the Right Person
   1. Matthew 10:26-27 After setting up a formidable list of adversaries and trials what is Jesus' response? To tell His disciples "do not ________." Why? Because God knows full well what they will go through and He will sustain them.
   2. Matthew 10:28-31 The message of hope is repeated: do not fear. For what can people do to you? The worst they can do is take your physical life. But for the one who lives with the heavenly kingdom in mind, this is not an ultimate sacrifice. Our allegiance is to the One who holds eternity in His hands. Trust the Lord because He knows and cares for you in the fullest fashion - it is He that we are laboring for.
3. A Modern Day Disciple
   1. We must keep to the mission of making disciples throught he spread of the Gospel; and we will encounter resistance.
   2. Trust the Lord's goodness and plans, even when difficult.