Matt 10:32-39- The Living Bible
32 "If anyone publicly acknowledges me as his friend, I will
openly acknowledge him as my friend before my Father in heaven.
33 But if anyone publicly denies me, I will openly deny him
before my Father in heaven.
34 "Don't imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth!
No, rather, a sword.
35 I have come to set a man against his father, and a
daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law-
36 a man's worst enemies will be right in his own home!
37 If you love your father and 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 are not worthy of being mine.
38 If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you
are not worthy of being mine.
39 "If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you
give it up for me, you will save it.
[If anyone publicly acknowledges me as his friend]
When Jesus speaks of confessing Him, He is not merely talking
about us saying “I am a child of God” or us saying “I go to church”. That is not
enough! when Jesus speaks of us confessing Him, He is talking about a 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week, 365-366 days a year full confession. When I say full
confession I am speaking of confessing Him in your speech, in your thoughts, in
your actions before people and away from people and how you conduct your daily
life. In other words, make it a LIFESTYLE !
We can’t say we represent Jesus and our lifestyle contradicts!
For example, how is it going to look if people who are working for Burger King
only sell McDonald products? Yea the sign may say Burger King, the staff attire
may be the Burger King colours BUT what is being offered on the
menu blatantly screams $1 menu from McDonalds. That is where the problem comes
in. The denial….
[But if anyone publicly denies me, I will openly deny
him before my Father in heaven.]
We have become used to too many choices and conveniences in
today’s society. We can TIVO stuff and watch it when it’s convenient,
we can microwave a full meal in 3 minutes, when it would usually take an hour to
prepare. We can customize our shoes and our rides; we can mix and match our
clothes to get that fly get up. BUT this is where the problem
arises; we want to take this convenience over to Christianity. We acknowledge
Jesus among certain friends and people; we act “Christian-like” when we are in
church settings. We know what scriptures to quote and what clichés to say “God
is good” “Amen” “Ain’t nobody do me like Jesus” but when it comes down to living
this lifestyle DIE HARD 24/7 we can't do it.
Why? Because the lifestyle of Christ is uncompromisable and
undeniable. This means that you can’t TIVO your salvation (put it on
when it’s convenient) and you can’t tint your windows (hide your light). It’s
CHRIST’S WAY or the DIE-WAY.
People will come with the excuse, God knows I’m human, He knows
I make mistakes. Besides you can’t Judge me, ONLY GOD CAN JUDGE ME!!!! The
famous words of a person looking for a loophole in the head lock of conviction.
Only God can Judge you huh? Well let’s fast forward to when GOD judges you.
Luke 13:24-27- And he replied, 24 "The door
to heaven is narrow. Work hard to get in, for the truth is that many will try to
enter but when the head of the house has locked the door, it will be too late.
Then if you stand outside knocking, and pleading, 'Lord, open the door for us,'
he will reply, 'I do not know you.' 26 "'But we ate with you, and you taught in
our streets,' you will say. 27 "And he will reply, 'I tell you, I don't know
you. You can't come in here, guilty as you are. Go away.'
OUCH !!!! dats like a smurf going for a lay up and getting
rejected by SHAQ.
The door to heaven is narrow, that means when we put on the
uncustomisable likeness of CHRIST, we are guaranteed to fit in. But if we get
caught up in putting rims, sound systems and GPS navigation onto our
Christianity for convenience, we are in danger of not being able to fit through
that small space.
Yes God knows we are human and prone to mistakes, but don’t use
that as a crutch to keep on sinning. I bet you know some people like this, how
annoying is it when you want someone to help you do something they're like “Oh
you know I can’t help you, I got a bad heart” or “I can’t do that, you know I
got asthma”. But switch the topic “Aye Yo! Let’s go play some football or go for
a run on the beach.” They’re more ready to do it than you. Where did the asthma
and heart condition go? It went nowhere, it was just used as an excuse of
convenience to suit their purpose for the time being.
The Bible says in Rom 6:14-17- 14 Sin need
never again be your master, for now you are no longer tied to the law where sin
enslaves you, but you are free under God's favor and mercy. 15 Does this mean
that now we can go ahead and sin and not worry about it? (For our salvation does
not depend on keeping the law but on receiving God's grace!) Of course not! 16
Don't you realize that you can choose your own master? You can choose sin (with
death) or else obedience (with acquittal). The one to whom you offer yourself-he
will take you and be your master, and you will be his slave.
Anyone who compromises Jesus is saying that the temporal things
of the world are more important and more valuable than the Eternal Things of
GOD. Point blank! If you don’t acknowledge Jesus 300% in EVERYTHINGGGGGGG you
do. He won’t know you at the judgment seat. Which do you prefer? To have Jesus
on your side as a lawyer and a witness or have Him opposing you as Judge and
Jury?
["Don't imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth!
No, rather, a sword…… a man's worst enemies will be right in his own home!”]
Your decision to rep Jesus
die-hard, no holds barred may possibly open a new door of conflict with the homies, the
blood, La Familia….the people who mean the most to you. The ones who are suppose
to ride and die with and for you.
Please don’t make the mistake and think that because your family
is against you, that maybe you are in the wrong. Nope! It’s as simple as this,
for example, some people have a bad heart, liver or kidney and a surgery is required to
replace this bad organ with a new and better one. The surgery is successful and the body seems to be doing fine.
But on the inside there is a problem! The body was used to the bad organ, it
grew up with that organ and functioned with that organ. And now there is a new
one taking its place? No can do buddy !!!!! So what does the body do? It tries
to reject the organ. In other words it is trying to kill the very thing that is
saving its life.
Where does that leave us?
[If you love your father and mother more than you love
me, you are not worthy of being mine]
You have to love Jesus more than blood relatives and friends,
you have to love Jesus more even if it means being rejected by family and
treated as the outcast.
They did it to Jesus, His own hometown didn’t even recognize Him
as the Messiah.
Mark 6:2-6 The next Sabbath he went
to the synagogue to teach, and the people were astonished at his wisdom and his
miracles because he was just a local man like themselves. "He's no better than
we are," they said. "He's just a carpenter, Mary's boy, and a brother of James
and Joseph, Judas and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us." And they
were offended! 4 Then Jesus told them, "A prophet is honored everywhere except
in his hometown and among his relatives and by his own family." 5 And because of
their unbelief he couldn't do any mighty miracles among them except to place his
hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 And he could hardly accept the fact
that they wouldn't believe in him.
Home boy was surprised that His own people did Him like that.
Because of their attitude towards Him, His potential there was limited. It
didn’t stop Him from doing miracles, but the magnitude to which they could have
been done was hindered. So Jesus had to step out from among them to do GOD’s
work.
For you, taking a step out may be literal. You may have to move
out or you may have to step out, in the sense of not doing things with them like
you usually did. For example, if you have a family reunion and they’re playing
music that contradicts your Christian beliefs, you don’t dance. If they're
drinking, you sip on the red koolaid. If they're passing the weed, you pass the
Bible. If they're having vulgar conversations, you either step out from it or
interject Jesus into it. If they're watching a movie that offends the spirit of
Christ within you, just see your way out of the room.
Yes it’s going to be a SACRIFICE !!! It’s no fun being the one
who stands out, it’s no fun always being alone. Quite frankly IT STINKS
!!!!!! I am not only the President of the “alone” club but I am a
member as well.
But I have to remind myself that if I compromise to please
people then I’m basically cheating on Jesus.
Jesus doesn’t like sharing His girlfriend. Matter of fact any
sensible, moral person doesn’t like sharing his lover.
We are the Bride of Christ, either we love Him enough not to
cheat on Him or we may as well stop wasting our time and His. Jesus said if you're
half stepping and creeping on Him, he doesn’t want anything to do with you
Rev 3:15-16 "I know you well-you are
neither hot nor cold; I wish you were one or the other! 16 But since you are
merely lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth!
In the original translations when He says “spit” it really means
vomit. Simply put, the thought of you cheating on Jesus makes Him vomit.
[If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you
are not worthy of being mine. "If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but
if you give it up for me, you will save it.]
Everyone has a birthday and a death day, it’s inevitable. Here’s
the thing, do you want to die like everyone else or do you want to die with
honour? Everyday people don’t carry their cross, they live for their own
interests and they live for the now, they get fun, success, their heart's desire
and then they are buried in the ground “hidden” from men and very soon
forgotten.
Christians are made to carry their cross, whether it's ridicule,
insults, mistreatments and whatever injustices that are thrown at us, we are
made to carry this cross until our death day. The world rejects us and spits on
us, we are the butt of jokes and insults and no one cares about us or what
happens to us. But here’s the thing, when you die. You get to die on the cross,
you are “hung up” for everyone to see.
This isn’t done for you to be a spectacle, but for people to say
“Dag! This dude/girl was uncompromising in what they believed, they died for it
despite what people said and did, I gotta give them respect for that”
Mark 15:37-39 And Jesus uttered a loud cry,
and breathed His last. 38 And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to
bottom. 39 When the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the
way He breathed His last, he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!"
Jesus died with an impact, this impact was so Great that the
very people who spit on Him, beat Him, cursed Him, insulted Him, nailed Him to
the cross etc. were the ones giving Him props in the end.
Everyone remembers Jesus’ death because He died on the cross, no
one remembers the Soldier’s death because he was buried in the ground. Matter of
fact, does anyone know his name?
[If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you
give it up for me, you will save it.]
If you spend your whole life trying to find yourself through
jobs, hobbies, success and wealth you have already lost your life. You are short
sighted, you are only living life for the 9 to 5. You have to think beyond that.
You have to think of the Ever after. Why would you want to spend your whole life
ballin' now and living poor forever? Than live your life “poor” now and Ball
forever.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying Christians are to be bored
and poor.
NEVER THAT !!!
I’m saying where your focus is, is where your heart and zeal to
succeed is!
Matt 6:19-21"Don't store up treasures here
on earth where they can erode away or may be stolen. 20 Store them in heaven
where they will never lose their value and are safe from thieves. 21 If your
profits are in heaven, your heart will be there too.
When you sacrifice all your wants and desires to pursue God’s,
that’s the best investment you can ever make. Take for example, my homeboys
Daniel and the Hebrew boys, as extreme as it was they were willing to lose their
life for Jesus.
The law said to worship the Idol, the Hebrew boys said
NO!
Dan 3:16-18 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
replied, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not worried about what will happen to us. 17
If we are thrown into the flaming furnace, our God is able to deliver us; and he
will deliver us out of your hand, Your Majesty. 18 But if he doesn't, please
understand, sir, that even then we will never under any circumstance serve your
gods or worship the gold statue you have erected."
The law forbids Daniel to pray to God, but homeboy still did his
thing.
Dan 6:7-10"All the commissioners of the
kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the high officials and the governors have
consulted together that the king should establish a statute and enforce an
injunction that anyone who makes a petition to any god or man besides you, O
king, for thirty days, shall be cast into the lions' den. 8 "Now, O king,
establish the injunction and sign the document so that it may not be changed,
according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which may not be revoked." 9
Therefore King Darius signed the document, that is, the injunction. 10 Now when
Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof
chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his
knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had
been doing previously.
What happened? The Hebrew boys were thrown in the furnace and
Daniel was thrown in the lion’s den. The End? Nope!…
remixxxxxx.............
The people who made the furnace to kill the Hebrew boys were
killed and the Hebrew boys got the hook up.
Dan 3:19-21, 26-30Then Nebuchadnezzar was
filled with fury and his face became dark with anger at Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego. He commanded that the furnace be heated up seven times hotter than
usual, 20 and called for some of the strongest men of his army to bind Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego, and throw them into the fire. 21 So they bound them tight
with ropes and threw them into the furnace, fully clothed. 22 And because the
king, in his anger, had demanded such a hot fire in the furnace, the flames
leaped out and killed the soldiers as they threw them in. 26 Then Nebuchadnezzar
came as close as he could to the open door of the flaming furnace and yelled:
"Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God! Come out! Come
here!" So they stepped out of the fire. 27 Then the princes, governors,
captains, and counselors crowded around them and saw that the fire hadn't
touched them-not a hair of their heads was singed; their coats were unscorched,
and they didn't even smell of smoke! 28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, "Blessed be
the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, for he sent his angel to deliver his
trusting servants when they defied the king's commandment and were willing to
die rather than serve or worship any god except their own. 29 Therefore, I make
this decree, that any person of any nation, language, or religion who speaks a
word against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from
limb and his house knocked into a heap of rubble. For no other God can do what
this one does." 30 Then the king gave promotions to Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego, so that they prospered greatly there in the province of
Babylon.
The People who plotted against Daniel were thrown in the lion’s
den and homeboy got the hook up as well.
Dan 6:20-28 The King called out in anguish,
"O Daniel, servant of the Living God, was your God, whom you worship
continually, able to deliver you from the lions?" 21 Then he heard a voice!
"Your Majesty, live forever!" It was Daniel! 22 "My God has sent his angel," he
said, "to shut the lions' mouths so that they can't touch me, for I am innocent
before God; nor, sir, have I wronged you." 23 The king was beside himself with
joy and ordered Daniel lifted from the den. And not a scratch was found on him
because he believed in his God.
24 Then the king issued a command to bring the men who had
accused Daniel and throw them into the den along with their children and wives,
and the lions leaped upon them and tore them apart before they even hit the
bottom of the den. 25 Afterward King Darius wrote this message addressed to
everyone in his empire:
"Greetings! I decree that everyone shall tremble and fear
before the God of Daniel in every part of my kingdom. For his God is the living,
unchanging God whose kingdom shall never be destroyed and whose power shall
never end. 27 He delivers his people, preserving them from harm; he does great
miracles in heaven and earth; it is he who delivered Daniel from the power of
the lions."
28 So Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the
reign of Cyrus the Persian.
So all in all it’s really better to acknowledge Christ than to
deny Him, cus even though we have a price to pay for doing it, the results are
worth paying the price.
Finally:
Matt 10:28-31
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot
kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body
in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall
to the ground apart from the will of your Father. 30 And even the very hairs of
your head are all numbered. 31 So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many
sparrows.
PEACE!!!
Originally posted circa 2006