A Severe Checklist for Disciples, Part 1

Today on Insight for living from Chuck's window where one person put it rather cleverly always preach the gospel when necessary use words that good when your life is what it should be. Your words will not surprise them, not agree you like to hear it. You can't say. Ideally, your life, the attention and the words have the privilege of growing up in a Christian family, faith in God was cultivated and celebrate was not true of everyone that sometimes we hear stories of parents who express their disappointment. Even their embarrassment that we chosen to follow today on Insight for living Chuck Swindoll reminds us that persecution in any form comes with the territory that Jesus warned us that following him with present opposition from our friends and family.

So how do we prepare for the inevitable. Chuck titled today's message a severe checklist for disciples. God's word is alive and it is active and sharper than a two edged sword is able to pierce between the soul and the spirit between joints and marrow, and is able to serve as a discerner a critic of the heart surgeons can do work on the heart, but they cannot do work on the soul that's God's area. He gave that to us and that makes us different from animals in animate objects. We alone have souls, spirit. I often think of this part of us is a reservoir that filters through our lives as we mature.

This reservoir genes discernment right decisions wise responses. The ability to say yes when we should know when we should all part of that deep reservoir that God's word fills with its true every time we open his word, whether at home or here at our church or on the road in the air wherever we may be his word is alive.

If you were to cut out a page of the word and put it in a bottle cork on it and throw it out to see that word washes up on the shore and is open that page is alive and active, but the one who reads it and discovers what is there. We have this book in our own language that wonderful never get over the thrill of having your own Bible which is alive and active. We open this living book today to the 10th chapter of Matthew considering a severe checklist for loyal disciples. It is severe, it is easy to hear. And it's even more difficult to fulfill. But for the grace of God we longing to be loyal disciples can follow the checklist. It gives us the boundaries. The dimensions of the track on which we run. Matthew 10 oh be reading 32 down for a ways through the chapter it takes us down into verse one of chapter 11, Matthew 1032 everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth. I will also acknowledge before my father in heaven, but everyone who denies me here on earth. I will also deny before my father in heaven.

Jesus continues don't imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth. I came not to bring peace but a sword. I've come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law or your enemies will be right in your own household if you love your father or mother more than you love me you are not worthy of being mine or if you love your son or daughter more than me.

You're not worthy of being mine. If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me.

You're not worthy of being mine.

If you cling to your life, you will lose it, but if you give up your life for me. You will find verse 42. If you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers. You will surely be rewarded when Jesus had finished giving these instructions to his 12 disciples went out to teach and preach towns out the region a severe checklist you will be able to judge for yourself where you are. Study the book of Matthew with Chuck Swindoll.

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Studies by going to Insight world.org/studies another message from Chuck titled a severe checklist for disciples. The checklist manifesto is a wonderful book one the best I've read in the last year or two written by a seasoned, experienced surgeon named on to go one day he writes of the value putting important things in the list and that applies, of course whether you're flying a huge and complex commercial airplane or building a skyscraper in all of its technical sophistication and even the complex world of surgery were a simple 92nd checklist has reduced deaths by more than one third in a number of hospital think of it just the checklist in Austria, for example, an emergency checklist save the life of a drowning victim who had spent half an hour under ice and water in Michigan, a cleanliness checklist in intensive care units virtually eliminated a type of deadly hospital infection in the cockpit of a large airplane full of passengers about to crash that checklist a quick pass through that checklist brought it down safely and saved all those throughout our lives we face different kinds of problems. Some are simple some are complicated.

A few were complex checklist help in all three I've given you a place in your outline to write down some of the benefits of the checklist in case you need to be convinced. Listen to a few one day break down problems into specific steps to take.

Second, they remove the need to rely on memory or our instar our intuition. We think we remember something better than we actually remembered any checklists solve the problem. How often I've looked out of a smaller plane. I may have been traveling in and watch the pilot on the tarmac with a clipboard literally checking all though he must've been flying 40 years of his life. Still using that checklist not relying on his memory is 1/3 benefit they force us to keep the essentials in mind. Fourth and finally I could name others, but this will be enough. They increase the likelihood of success in whatever may be our involvement at the time Wanda speaks of walking by a building where hospital was being built and as he stood and looked at the complexity of that structure and think of. If you been around the hospital lately you, you realize all the miles of wiring in and the endless number of pipes in conduit and plugs in and units in unique needs the generator to continue on if electricity fails in the midst of an operation on and on it goes. He spoke to the one building this particular structure, and he heard music to his ears as he told him here's the secret.

And here's the checklist, and he went right through them one after another, through one phase after another in the timeline.

The building of the structure.

Jesus had quite an assignment on his hands when he called the 12, and then sometime after demonstrating to them what ministry was about release them to go on their own 200 time in groups of six in the group of six groups, they went out among the people, the Jews no longer able to stand in the shadow and what's the masterwork. They were now before the public.

They were the ones to take criticism. They were the ones to feel the difficult questions, they were the ones to minister as they had seen him do it safe when you're beside the mentor and you can stay quiet as the mentor does the hard part. But then it comes a time when the finger points in your chest and says it's your turn. That happens in chapter 10 of Matthew before Jesus had finished, and then sent them out. He gave them what I'm calling a a severe checklist. Keep in mind that he's preparing the 12 for spiritual combat.

I've said before, and I'll remind you they're not walking into a playground there walking into battle and the battle will be fierce because the enemy Satan himself and his demons hate everything God's people love and certainly would like to silence the message of truth, which spells his own to knowing this, Jesus prepared them for combat if you will with this checklist I'm giving you a place to write down for in the passage were looking you drawn from the passage were looking at 32 through 42 of this passage before us. The first one that will read the words loyal disciples openly acknowledge Christ before the world disciples openly acknowledge Christ before the world will keep it secret without being ashamed or hesitant true disciples acknowledge him as Lord. Now it reads everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth. I will also acknowledge before my father. Your Bible probably reads confess he who confesses me, which is a common translation of humble again over the Greek verb that means to agree with 2F firm a better rendering is acknowledge we might see it as their identifying with Christ by their acknowledgment if we confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe that God raised him from the dead. We are saved. Confess with the mouth, acknowledge with the mouth back to Matthew 10.

Here it is a public acknowledgment. Please observe.

We acknowledge him publicly here on earth we make him no how we do that, obviously, we do it with our lives.

To start with. I love the way one person put it rather cleverly always preach the gospel when necessary use words that good when your life is what it should be. Your words will not surprise them, they may not agree they do not even like to hear it, but they can't say you don't live what you're saying. Ideally, your life gets the attention and that words follow. So that's another way we acknowledge. I do not hesitate to say that I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now I need to remind you in case you have forgotten for a moment that is not politically correct. That's why it's the right thing to do when you do that you make it known that you are a follower of Jesus. Now what a minute there's no reason to be obnoxious about it. I don't have a flag in front of my house that says don't blame Jesus if you go to hell that that's that's not a good witness.

I don't were great big cross on my neck or on my pseudo-clothing I live a life we pay our bills. We treat people with dignity and respect we say I'm sorry. When were wrong.

We express affirmations of those who needed when I don't do those things you have no idea the guilt I live because I realize that I've given a message without words that conveys something other than a Christian III don't do well with people that come to our door and they want to sell something okay this is time for me to confess my wife is so patient. I don't want to pull the door away from her and say what you want but I I don't usually do that.

The other day wasn't rather hurried morning, I came want to sell us a roof on our home and I wasn't in a roof mood so I told him off.

As it looked. Thanks for coming will need a roof. My wife allowed about an hour to pass and then she not literally but she said I think you could be a lot nicer when you talk to folks that come to the door as Eli got a better plan one we get a little sign that says keep out no no no no, I did say that what you little sizes no solicitations that I think great idea and nice way to solve it and to deal with my impatience, but realize when I Biloxi it would be hard to follow the got back to his truck and say I like you to know about Christ having virtually insulted you here in front of my wife soon I'm saying is so easy for us to forget the value of simply living the life. It speaks volumes. So I preach to myself as much as I preach to you today and the opposite is also true deny him here. He denies you, there is evidence that you don't belong to him.

Another way you may deny him if I might add is your silence during a gathering subjects arise that are appropriate for you to mention it or to become known as a Christian and you let it go by what we do that other number of reasons we do.

But that's a denial up in fact usually will unify if I do this as you describe were to do you realize there will be problems.

Look at verse 34 don't imagine I came to bring peace on the earth. I came not to bring peace but a sword in his first coming. He came with the sword in his second coming.

He comes with peace. He's the Prince of peace. He sets up a kingdom of peace.

But when he first came he and those who follow him presented a sword off with a very sharp sword that causes others to feel uneasy. You don't do it to make them feel uneasy, but you're just a loyal disciple willing to acknowledge Christ without hesitation and without feeling ashamed.

So we start there.

Here's number two loyal disciples willingly accept rejection, even from their own family members loyal disciples willingly accept rejection, even from their own family members.

Look at verse 35 I told you this, the list was severe, but I've come to set a man against his father and the daughter against her mother or daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, our enemies will be right in your own household. You love your father or mother more than you love me you're not worthy of being my before we go there, let's pause at this place. Think about moms and dads attorney against kids because the kids get so serious about spiritual things.

Maybe you're one of those moms or dads. Maybe you're one of the kids. Family members can make ugly statements about Christians that if come to be known as such in the family at family gatherings. Statements are sometimes made snide remarks, reps, relatives, those who were once friends turn on you see Christ sets at variance. These relationships one man puts it this way. I want to talk to a young girl at a Christian conference who told me she'd been raised in a pagan family and that since her conversion, her father had refused to speak to her. She said I can understand why he objects to my decision because he knows nothing of the gospel. He believes all religion is superstition. But you would think that he would at least be happy that I'm not an alcoholic or drug addict or prostitute or criminal. I've never had such joy in my life and I've never love my father so much, yet he has cut me out of his life. I worked some with seminary students, young men and women who been called to do God's work in going to vocational Christian service and how many times I've heard them make the comment you know everything was great till I got real serious about my faith.

And then my dad was disappointed because I didn't going to his work is kind of work or my mother felt embarrassed when she told people that I was in seminary and try to encourage them with the fact that that's part of the responsibility of being slight. Go right on one of the men who mentored me name Bob told me that when he first told his mother that he come to Christ. Her first words to him.

That's fine for you. Bob just don't get fanatic. As an example, just sharing the fact that you have given your heart to Christ causes certain family members to bristle.

Jesus said that would happen when it does you just simply know you're on the right track. Jesus warned us that we could expect pushback even from our own families and the falls to every one of us to be prepared when the persecution comes your listening to Insight for living Chuck Swindoll titled today study in Matthew chapter 10, a severe checklist for disciples to learn more about this ministry. Please visit us online@insightworld.org persecution has not diverted our mission to bring the hope in light of the gospel to all 195 countries of the world. We're calling this vision, 195 and we are grateful to thousands in our listening family who have joined us in this worthy calling it your financial support that provides the resources needed to bring church teaching first to our neighborhood second tour country and finally the nations far beyond the joint Chuck Swindoll and Insight for living in vision 195. We invite your financial partnership. Giving a donation is made simple. When you use the Insight for living mobile app or just go online to Insight.org to speak with one of our friendly ministry reps just call us if you listening in the US dial 1-800-772-8888 did you realize each sermon presented on Insight for living is accompanied by an online interactive guide called searching the Scriptures in about 15 minutes and read through the key ideas of text message and the biblical text should you want to dig deeper.

There are plenty of questions to answer readily learn more about the historical context passage study the theological underpinning and explore its relevance to your life today so to access these free online study notes follow the steps in Insight.org/studies in the filing you're invited to join us online for Sunday morning worship at Stone Breyer Community Church to find all the instructions for screaming the live worship service Insight.org/Sunday join us again Monday when our study in Matthew continue right here on Insight for living with Chuck Swindoll the preceding message a severe checklist for disciples was copyrighted in 2016 and 2021 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2021 by Charles R.

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