A Severe Checklist for Disciples, Part 2

When Jesus recruited the disciples to follow him. His list of requirements were shocking.

He talked about denying self giving up your life and parting ways with those you love and light of these tough standards raises the obvious question out of the standards identified by Jesus applied to his followers in 2021. How can we expect to attain such lofty values today on Insight for living Chuck Swindoll's teaching from Matthew chapter 10.

During the next half-hour bring perspective on what he calls a severe checklist for the site were truly sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful sure, deeply staying with. And we were sinking, sinking derives no more.

Those of us who know you father as our father identify with those words, we pause now to thank you that your love lifted us different place. Lord, where we can be who we are with nothing to fear no one to shamus thank you for your grace that meets us far more than halfway and then escorts to us to where we long to be in harmony with you when in a relationship with others who mean much to us. Thank you for shepherding us along the journey. We are like sheep have gone astray.

Thank you father for never giving up on us for your patience, your mercy new every morning the whole you give us to replace our desperate feelings of lostness.

We pray that we will be given courage to speak for you to forget ourselves to remember our calling commitment in the process of life. Father use our life and our lips to bring hope to those who've lost their way and finally Lord I pray that we will have a special place in our hearts for the least of us, those who can't keep up those now in wheelchairs now walking with the assistance of others on their arm a cane or crutches. Those who are slower may revalue them and realize how much they mean to us. Give those who minister to them and help them great strength and patient and open our hearts, Lord world is awash in pursuits that are a waste, and deliver us from pride and indifference maybe finding lasting joy in things that matter. That's what we give. Lord will give because you've ever had a need.

We give because we are the ones who need to know the pleasure of generosity shows the value of giving, not unlike your son, who gave himself that we might live.

We know the grace of our Lord Jesus, who, though he was rich, yet for our sakes became poor, that we through that poverty might, in the name of Christ we pray these things in the name of Christ we give our gift. Everyone said to study the book of Matthew with Chuck Swindoll. Be sure to download his searching the Scriptures. Studies by going to Insight world.or/study and now the message from Chuck about a severe checklist for disciples. 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.

They went out among the people, the Jews are 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 could 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 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 with this checklist I'll give 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, how 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 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 is a public acknowledgment.

Please observe.

We acknowledge him publicly here on earth we make him know 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 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 is so easy for us to forget the value of simply living the life. It speaks volumes 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 might deny him if I might add is your silence you in a gathering subject arise that are appropriate for you to imagine 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. 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. It comes with these is the Prince of peace. He sets up a kingdom of peace. But when he first came here, and those who follow him presented a sword off of the 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 are 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 mine before we go there, let's pause at this place and think about moms and dads a turn against kids because the kids get some 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 it come to be known as such in the family at family gatherings.

Statements are sometimes made snide remarks. Perhaps relatives those who were once friends turn on you see Christ sets at variance.

These relationships, 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 go 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 a disciple.

Go right on 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 now again, we don't do what we do to be obnoxious about realize when I first got my sea bag on in that little Quonset hut on Okinawa and third Marine division. I was surrounded by 47 other Marines. It would long before realize I I'm going to either go the way they're going. I'll have to go the way Christ would have me go when I need to do this without looking like a preacher. One of the sergeants love to call me Friar swindle as my name Friar swindle for our I know what it was low in the ministry and I looked at what Friar Matt Friar swindle. I realize that over 90% of them had venereal disease because they slept with prostitutes and they had sores on their bodies and they had heavy hearts after the fact, many of them became alcoholics. Interestingly, as a result of building a relationship with them and trying your way on neuter telling how much I love being with a proud to be in an outfit where they would fight for their country realize they would never get it until they came to Christ that I thought of all ways to make him known that that would work. I even did the guy that slipped below me. Help me with my scripture verses I was memorizing because it's only early when he got there.

He said hey swindle, I want you to know that I don't want you to let you Jesus trip on me. They've Artie warned me you're one of those said okay I will do that any but then I decided to witness by deception and I would give him my first pack and he would stop for as another knowledge.

Once you help me not carefully put the gospel versus on the front in and I would think that I forgot a word for God so loved Isaac for God so loved the world that eat.

He gave his only say I gave his only sons, all while it is repeating the verses without my layabout trip on Aptos W this 25, 30 years later my phone rang and I remember the voice I said yeah is Eddie oh Eddie, how are you just want tell you it worked when you tricked me into reading those verses in your live with the fact that you're going to get rejected. You gonna learn ways to work around that without always being the. The prod the prude will see you is that but how valuable it is for you to remember that your enemies are right under your own roof is hard to deal with.

I know other way if you're one of those moms or dads just do a little soul-searching right now you got a child more interested in Christ that you are giving God thanks you got a parent or relative that doesn't quite agree with commitment you have understand why.

Remember, that's what Jesus said would happen. This leads us to our third in the checklist, loyal disciple sacrificially choose their essential priorities loyal disciple sacrificially choose their essential priorities. Life always boils down to priorities. Let's see what Jesus teaches, if you love your father or mother more than you love me you not worthy of being mine if you love your son or daughter more than me.

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

You're not worthy of being manager cling to your life, you will lose it, but if you give your life up for me to find what on earth does that mean what it does not mean is that you don't love your mother or father is not teaching that are that you don't just truly love your sons and daughters saw teaching that look at what it says more than me more than me in a little later. Give up your life for me is comparative. My love for Christ is to be greater than my love for my wife, her love for Christ is to be greater than her love for her husband, our love for the Lord Jesus is greater than our love for our four adult kids and how we love them. But it isn't the love greater than our highest love. How does it work its way out Willow loyal disciple acknowledges that there is a commitment that supersedes all other commitments.

Choices are made based on that John Bunyan was told if he didn't stop preaching he would be thrown in prison.

He knew if he was thrown in prison. It would bring hardship to his wife and their children. He kept preaching out of commitment to Christ trusting the Lord would take care of his wife and children time in prison. While there, by the way, he wrote the Pilgrim's progress which is guided and blessed lives ever since you wrote. But, be that as it may, he love Christ more than he loved his own wife or children live a good friend who became after his years at seminary became an army chaplain was an officer in the Green Beret outstanding outfit happen to be during the Vietnam War and they were in combat and I'll tell you the presence of a godly chaplain in the military can hardly be exaggerated in its importance incredible ministry as a chaplain pours himself into the battle weary troops and those in the military that often have time on their hands or struggling with issues in their lives. He was there his full term. In fact, he was wounded got over the wounded state in battle.

He was a metal winning officer came time for him to go home did have peace about the war you're free to stay longer, even if it's your your term is over and he wrote his wife and he said to her sweetheart.

I gotta tell you I really don't have peace about just leaving the guys on Owatonna chaplain will follow me. I don't even know if they'll get a chaplain as thin as the ranks are and the guys are just telling me again and again how much the ministries meaning to them in how much of let several to Christ and there are others right of the bird. I think I'm going to stay if you're comfortable with that.

She talked it over with the kids. He stayed another full as I recall, about 16 months. That's loving Christ more than you love your wife and children.

This last one here that he mentions as he talks about clinging to your life, you lose it, and if you give up your life and it which ties in with taking up your cross. That's colloquialism for the first century what is it May 21, it means self-denial. It means being willing to dodge yourself the purposes of Christ not carrying out your will, but his not walking your way but his way not deciding on what pleases you. But what pleases him, said if you love your father or mother more than you love me you're not worthy of being mine. It's a startling statement and we urge you to be listening when Chuck Swindoll continues to examine the meaning of this passage in Matthew's gospel you're listening to Insight for living, Chuck titled today's message a severe checklist for disciples to learn more about this ministry. Please visit us online@insightworld.org when you're reading your Bible and you come across disconcerting passages like this one, it's imperative to understand the historical context in which it was written, and I'll remind you about the Swindoll study Bible.

This is a wonderful resource for cross-referencing difficult passages and gaining insight from a man who spent a lifetime digging into God's word, the Swindoll study Bible lays open in your lap and includes decades of personal study and insight laid side-by-side with the Scriptures and its written. Of course, in the approachable style. You come to expect from Chuck to purchase a copy of the Swindoll study Bible go to Insight.org/store or call us if you're listening in the US dial 1-800-772-8888. In closing, we like to send out a resounding word of thanks to all those who support Insight for living financially even during this challenging year of multiple distractions are listening, family has demonstrated their faithful commitment to this Bible teaching ministry were profoundly grateful as God prompted a gift today.

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Really, I mean it every time. So I want you to have the same life changing experience to learn more, go to insight.org/events call this number 1-888-447-0444 insight for living ministries tour to Israel is paid for and made possible by only those who choose to attend tomorrow. Chuck Swindoll continues to describe the severe requirements for following Jesus. Be sure to listen again Tuesday to Insight for living. 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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