Powerful thoughts here by John MacArthur:
...in Matthew chapter 10 we have a very interesting section of Scripture. I want you to pick it up as Jesus teaches here regarding the cost of discipleship at verse 32, Matthew 10:32. "Jesus said, Everyone therefore who shall confess Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven."
In other words, Jesus says everyone who openly, unashamedly, unabashedly with conviction speaks My name before men, I'll speak their name before My Father. In other words, if you'll claim Me, I'll claim you. If you don't claim Me, I won't claim you. Verse 33, "Whosoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven." Now we're dealing with a very serious issue here, friends. This is a matter of salvation. If you are continuously and constantly ashamed to confess Christ, then He will be ashamed to confess you before His Father. You don't belong to Him if He doesn't belong to you. If you won't acknowledge Him, He won't acknowledge you. And the implication here is that there's a price to pay for that. Notice verse 34, "Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth, I didn't come to bring peace but a sword." Jesus is saying I know there's a cost here. "For I came to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter‑in‑law against her mother‑in‑law and a man's enemies will be the members of his household."
In other words, I know that if you confess Me in that Jewish environment, you're going to pay a price for it right in your own family. But if you're not willing to do that, then I'm not willing to confess you. And verse 37 He follows it up, here's the real issue, it's who you love most. "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. He who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. He who doesn't take his cross...that means be willing to die...and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. And he who has found his life shall lose it. And he who has lost his life for My sake shall find it." In other words, if you're willing to confess Me, if you're willing to take what rejection comes, if you're willing to give your life over to Me even to death, then I'll confess you before My Father. But if you're ashamed of Me, and if you're constantly ashamed of Me and continually ashamed of Me, then I don't have any relationship to you at all and I will not claim you before God.
In Mark chapter 8 verse 38, you remember this text, don't you? "What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" Listen to what comes after that. "For whosoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation," you get that? You're ashamed to speak up for Christ because you know society is hostile to Him. "The Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." Boy, what a statement.
In other words, Jesus says everyone who openly, unashamedly, unabashedly with conviction speaks My name before men, I'll speak their name before My Father. In other words, if you'll claim Me, I'll claim you. If you don't claim Me, I won't claim you. Verse 33, "Whosoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven." Now we're dealing with a very serious issue here, friends. This is a matter of salvation. If you are continuously and constantly ashamed to confess Christ, then He will be ashamed to confess you before His Father. You don't belong to Him if He doesn't belong to you. If you won't acknowledge Him, He won't acknowledge you. And the implication here is that there's a price to pay for that. Notice verse 34, "Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth, I didn't come to bring peace but a sword." Jesus is saying I know there's a cost here. "For I came to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter‑in‑law against her mother‑in‑law and a man's enemies will be the members of his household."
In other words, I know that if you confess Me in that Jewish environment, you're going to pay a price for it right in your own family. But if you're not willing to do that, then I'm not willing to confess you. And verse 37 He follows it up, here's the real issue, it's who you love most. "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. He who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. He who doesn't take his cross...that means be willing to die...and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. And he who has found his life shall lose it. And he who has lost his life for My sake shall find it." In other words, if you're willing to confess Me, if you're willing to take what rejection comes, if you're willing to give your life over to Me even to death, then I'll confess you before My Father. But if you're ashamed of Me, and if you're constantly ashamed of Me and continually ashamed of Me, then I don't have any relationship to you at all and I will not claim you before God.
In Mark chapter 8 verse 38, you remember this text, don't you? "What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" Listen to what comes after that. "For whosoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation," you get that? You're ashamed to speak up for Christ because you know society is hostile to Him. "The Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." Boy, what a statement.
