Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - Are You Willing to Sacrifice? | New Testament | Matthew 10

Episode Date: January 13, 2023

What does it take to follow Jesus? Are you willing to give things up in order to be a part of God's kingdom? Will you face rejection for the sake of God's kingdom? In today's episode, Tanya discusses Jesus's directions in Matthew 10. Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Join the TMBT community in reading the entire New Testament in 2023. Get your FREE reading plan here. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it with others, so others can find it too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter@TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Passages: Matthew 10

Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life and the time it takes to get to work. I'm Tanya Wilmeth. Every Mission Impossible movie begins the same way. Tom Cruise and his allies are somewhere, they're fighting an enemy, and they barely survive, only to scrape through and get back together to communicate with the person who's leading their operation. Then, they're invited to listen or watch a tape that explains the next mission. and it never sounds like something you or I would say yes to. It sounds like if you choose to accept this mission, you will fight for your life, you will cut ties with your family, you will change your identity, you will never return to life the way

you knew it before. Will you accept? Of course. It's Tom Cruise, or rather Ethan Hunt, this is what he was made for. He would rather take on the mission and risk his life than go back to living the way he was before. We tend to think of the disciples and Jesus' first followers as people who were weak and weary, who followed Jesus because he was kind and meek and his invitation was appealing.

But in the sermon on the Mount, the things Jesus tells the disciples about being rejected and hated and persecuted, well, they aren't really appealing. And the way Jesus teaches is with power and authority. He doesn't shy away from exclusive statements. and hard truths. But the disciples chose to accept because they didn't want to go back to life the way it was before.

And we might think of poor, and an educated fisherman and unlikeable tax collectors, we might assume they didn't have much to lose when they chose to invest their lives in Jesus. But they must have been stronger and more courageous than we might imagine. And what they saw in Jesus must be more glorious and more powerful

and more powerful than we tend to imagine, because the mission he asked them to accept was challenging. When Jesus sent out his 12, he told them what to expect when they went out on the mission to announce his kingdom. And it's actually very honest and eye-opening. Jesus told them to expect a lot of conflict, both internally and externally. But he also reassured them that it was always for something greater.

There would always be more peace and less anxiety when they surrendered to life with Jesus in his kingdom. Now listen in as Jesus teaches how he comes to restore his reign on earth in Matthew 10. He says, Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father,

a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, a man's enemies will be the members of his own household. anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me whoever finds their life will lose it and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it outside of the mother-in-law part this passage really challenges us

why would jesus ask us to turn our backs on our family when the bible tells us in other places to honor our father and mother. What is Jesus saying? What does this mean? Well, we need to understand that Jesus isn't talking about the love we have for our family members. He's talking about the love and commitment we have for him. See, the Jews who chose to follow Jesus, will they would no longer be allowed to worship in the synagogue where they grew up? They would not be welcomed at the tables or in the homes of their friends and neighbors. In fact, it would look like they were the ones rejecting God. Their Jewish leaders and family members would think their commitment to Jesus was a rejection

of Yahweh. When Jesus was crucified, it would look like the Jewish leaders were right. It would look like hope was lost. The disciples needed to be prepared for this. Even when Jesus was resurrected and walked on earth, there would be many who still refused to believe. And for all of this, Jesus wanted the disciples to be prepared. and they needed pure and devoted hearts. Their allegiance need to be rooted in Jesus Christ and the kingdom he ushered into the world.

This concept of pure-heartedness and devotion isn't a new part of Jesus' teaching. It's a theme that runs through the whole Bible. Abraham had to leave his home and his family to follow God. Joseph was hated by his brothers and sold as a slave to be used for God's purposes in Egypt. Jesus' parents, Joseph, and Mary chose to believe in. and trust God's plan for their lives as Jesus' parents, even though it costs their reputations. And when Jesus calls the 12, he knows he's not always going to be with them on earth. He wants to prepare them for the time when he will return to heaven,

and they will need more than half-hearted love and half-hearted commitment to persevere in their faith. It would be tempting to return to old habits and old relationships when Jesus returns to heaven. Jesus knows that their love for Him must be greater than every other love. They will face rejection and persecution for being attached to his ministry and his name. They need to get used to the upside-down feeling that marks life in God's kingdom. Jesus says that following Him will cost us relationships and an easy life. But has it cost you anything lately? maybe it has, maybe it's cost you a lot.

Maybe you know Jesus really did know what he was talking about because you've been left out or unwelcome by your family for following Jesus. Maybe you've missed out on an opportunity because you chose to follow Jesus when he said to put others first. But for most of us, the call to die to self, well, it still feels pretty janky. It's uncomfortable. We try to get around it instead of actually. going through it. Or we do it and we either complain about it or brag about it.

See, following Jesus creates conflict around us and within us. There's a lot of outer and inner turmoil before we get to the place where we experience peace. And I think this is where a lot of us park. We camp out in the turmoil part because we don't really want to give that territory over to Jesus. We don't really trust him, at least not completely, to take care of us, like we can take care of ourselves. But in this chapter, Jesus says, won't the one who takes care of the sparrows who are only worth a penny take care of you?

If we're afraid of losing a relationship for following him, we should remember he secures our relationship eternally with our Holy Father. If we're afraid of what others think about us, we should remember that Jesus has changed what God thinks of us, and we are no longer his enemies, but his heir. If we're worried about where we will belong, we should remember that we are so valuable to Jesus that he bought us with a price. And we belong to Him.

In God's kingdom, there are no privileged members or insiders and outsiders. There's just people, like you and me, called by Jesus to surrender to his will and follow him. Whether you know a little about the Bible or a lot. Whether you have a relationship with a church or not. Whether you feel like you know Jesus a lot or a little, he cares for you and welcomes you into his kingdom. So TMBT has a really cool resource to help you out this year. Our team created a downloadable reading plan for the New Testament.

And when you download it, you'll be able to read a chapter and then listen to the episode that corresponds. It's really easy to find in our show notes. So take a sec, download it, and even share it with a friend. It's a great way to learn more and talk. talk more about Jesus together.