The Dividing Gospel Matthew 10:3439

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The Dividing GospelMatthew 1034-39

• Logos Bible Fellowship
• 4/11/2007

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Context of Matthew 10

• Jesus gives His disciples authority and power to
  preach the Kingdom
• Promise of persecution
• Jesus encouragement to Fear Not
• Passage at hand The Dividing Gospel

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The Churchs Misconception

• the church's integrity problem is in the
  misconception that we can add Christ to our
  lives, but not subtract sin. It is a change in
  belief without a change in behavior. It is
  revival without reformation, without
  repentance. Patrick Morley
• It is much easier to repent of sins that we have
  committed than to repent of those we intend to
  commit Josh Billings

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The Passage Matthew 1034-39

• 34 "Do not think that I came to bring peace on
  the earth I did not come to bring peace, but a
  sword. 35 "For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS
  FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A
  DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW 36
  and A MAN'S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS
  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. 39 "He
  who has found his life will lose it, and he who
  has lost his life for My sake will find it. (NASB)

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The Passage Matthew 1034-39

• 34 "Do not think that I came to bring peace on
  the earth I did not come to bring peace, but a
  sword. 35 "For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS
  FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A
  DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW 36
  and A MAN'S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS
  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. 39 "He
  who has found his life will lose it, and he who
  has lost his life for My sake will find it.
  (NASB)

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I Did Not Come to Bring Peace, but a Sword

• Jesus First Coming
• To impart truth and to pay the price for sin
• Lk 1251 Parallel passage uses division
• The Word Divides
• Sword of the Spirit the word of God (Eph 617)
• For the Word that God speaks is sharper than
  any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing
  line of the breath of life (soul) and the
  immortal spirit, and of joints and marrow (Heb
  412, AMP)
• Lk 1249 I have come to cast fire upon the earth
• Fire Burns up Impurities

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I Did Not Come to Bring Peace, but a Sword

• Jesus Second Coming
• To Judge!
• His name is called The Word of God. (Rev 1913)
• of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword (Rev
  116)
• His eyes were like a flame of fire (Rev 114)
• He Will Again Come to Divide!
• Mat 2532 All the nations will be gathered before
  Him, and He will separate them one from another,
  as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats
  34 Then the King will say to those on His right
  hand, Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit
  the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation
  of the world 41 Then He will also say to those
  on the left hand, Depart from Me, you cursed,
  into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil
  and his angels

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The Passage Matthew 1034-39

• 34 "Do not think that I came to bring peace on
  the earth I did not come to bring peace, but a
  sword. 35 "For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS
  FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A
  DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW 36
  and A MAN'S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS
  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. 39 "He
  who has found his life will lose it, and he who
  has lost his life for My sake will find it.
  (NASB)

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Set A Man Against His Father

• The Root of Division Sinfulness and Hardened
  Hearts
• 2 The godly has perished from the earth, and
  there is no one upright among mankindthey all
  lie in wait for blood, and each hunts the other
  with a net. 3 Their hands are on what is evil, to
  do it well the prince and the judge ask for a
  bribe,and the great man utters the evil desire of
  his soul thus they weave it together. 4 The best
  of them is like a brier, the most upright of them
  a thorn hedge.The day of your watchmen, of your
  punishment, has come now their confusion is at
  hand. 5 Put no trust in a neighbor have no
  confidence in a friendguard the doors of your
  mouth from her who lies in your arms 6 for the
  son treats the father with contempt,the daughter
  rises up against her mother,the daughter-in-law
  against her mother-in-law a man's enemies are
  the men of his own house. 7 But as for me, I will
  look to the LORD I will wait for the God of my
  salvation my God will hear me. (Micah 72-7, ESV)

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The Passage Matthew 1034-39

• 34 "Do not think that I came to bring peace on
  the earth I did not come to bring peace, but a
  sword. 35 "For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS
  FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A
  DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW 36
  and A MAN'S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS
  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. 39 "He
  who has found his life will lose it, and he who
  has lost his life for My sake will find it.
  (NASB)

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He Who Loves Father or Mother More

• The Outcome of Division Repentant Vs.
  Unrepentant
• Genuine Repentance Yields Wholehearted Love for
  God
• You shall love the Lord your God with all your
  heart, with all your soul, and with all your
  strength (Deut 65)
• Matthew calls this the first and greatest
  commandment (2238) and says that the entire law
  hangs on this commandment (2240)
• This is only possible by the love God places in
  us (Rom 55, Gal 522)
• Family Relationships Should Pale in Comparison!
• Lk 1426 If anyone comes to Me and does not hate
  his father and mother, wife and children,
  brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also,
  he cannot be My disciple.
• As different as hate vs. love (yet not actual
  hate 1 Jn 315)
• Read Deuteronomy 338-10, 136-10
• Read Mark 332-35 for Jesus importance of truth
  over family

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The Passage Matthew 1034-39

• 34 "Do not think that I came to bring peace on
  the earth I did not come to bring peace, but a
  sword. 35 "For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS
  FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A
  DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW 36
  and A MAN'S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS
  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. 39 "He
  who has found his life will lose it, and he who
  has lost his life for My sake will find it.
  (NASB)

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He Who Does Not Take His Cross

• Repentance yields a crucifixion of the flesh
• By Identity (Who we are in Christ)
• Gal 220 I am crucified with Christ nevertheless
  I live yet not I, but Christ liveth in me and
  the life which I now live in the flesh I live by
  the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and
  gave himself for me.
• Rom 66 knowing this, that our old man was
  crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be
  done away with, that we should no longer be
  slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been
  freed from sin.
• By Imperative (What we must do to prove our
  identity)
• 1 Pet 41 Therefore, since Christ suffered for us
  in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same
  mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has
  ceased from sin, 2 that he no longer should live
  the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts
  of men, but for the will of God 19 Therefore
  let those who suffer according to God's will
  entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while
  doing good.

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The Passage Matthew 1034-39

• 34 "Do not think that I came to bring peace on
  the earth I did not come to bring peace, but a
  sword. 35 "For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS
  FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A
  DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW 36
  and A MAN'S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS
  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. 39 "He
  who has found his life will lose it, and he who
  has lost his life for My sake will find it.
  (NASB)

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He Who Has Found His Life

• Repentance yields a complete denial of self
• Let him deny himself and take up his cross (Mk
  834)
• What does it mean to find your life and lose your
  life?
• Jn 1225 He who loves his life will lose it, and
  he who hates his life in this world will keep it
  for eternal life.
• John interprets life as life in this world
• James 44 Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend
  of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

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Group Study

• How has Christs teaching united the members of
  your family? How has it divided them?
• What are some signs of an unrepentant false
  convert? How can you use todays passages to
  witness to them?
• How can you deny yourself for Christ this week?
  Ask the group to pray for you in this area.