Alright, take your Bibles this morning and turn to the book of Matthew in chapter number 10. We're only going to have one verse of Scripture, and we're going to deviate from our series of messages that we've been preaching on They Searched the Scriptures. I wanted to, and in the series on They Searched the Scriptures, I've been talking about the things that I have learned that have been important to me. A couple of weeks ago, I've said and I've studied this message, and I've put it on the back burner, just waiting for the time to preach it, and that time is today. Our text today gives us a statement of fact, and it tells us this. Matthew chapter number 10 and verse number 22, I want to pay specific attention to the second part of that verse. It says, And you shall be hated of all men for my name's sake, but he that endures to the end shall be saved. This passage of Scripture gives great assurance to the believer because it tells us he that endures to the end shall be saved. So it's a great promise And we can trust in that and believe in that and know that it is true. But you'll notice the first part of that passage of Scripture says, And you shall be hated of all men for my name's sake. That part of that verse is difficult for us in the past maybe to realize the truth of that passage. Even though we know that it is true that the Bible says, Yea, in all they that live godly shall suffer persecution. And in our country, we have enjoyed great freedoms. The First Amendment to our Constitution gives us the freedom of speech and the freedom of religion. The First Amendment says that we have, that the government shall not establish any religion, no state religion. And it also says it will not hinder an individual from the free exercise of their religion. And for the last 200 and some odd years, we have enjoyed that freedom. That we could worship however we choose to worship. And no one can say, you can't worship that way. And our government would never interfere with churches and say, you have to do this and you have to do that and you can't do this and you can't do that. That's never happened before. But with some of the Supreme Court decisions that have taken place recently, they are now dabbling, the Supreme Court is dabbling in our religion, attempting to tell us what we must and must not do. They're going to come to the place to where they're going to try to dictate what we do as a church. And so, all of a sudden, the first part of this verse It's easy to understand that we're going to suffer persecution. That if you are living godly and you are living according to the Scriptures, there are many people that are not going to accept you and they're going to try to force you to make decisions that go contrary to your beliefs and what you practice. So we need to believe this passage of Scripture today. And we need to understand that there are people, listen, if I come and say that abortion is murder, there's people that are going to hate me because of that. If I come and say that marriage is between one man and one woman and I'm not going to perform any marriage other than that marriage, there's people that are going to hate me for that. I'm not trying to force them to follow my beliefs, but they're going to hate me for the beliefs that I have. And so all of a sudden, the truths that are found in this passage of Scripture, they're becoming more and more real to us. And so as we face these things and recognize that these things are going on in our country and in our world, we have to understand the promise is If we endure the end, we're going to be saved. Now, it is so important for us to do this, and for us to believe the truth, because like the song that the kids sing, it is amazing love that Jesus Christ has given to us. The Bible tells us that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. When we recognize that we once were lost, but now we're found. We once were dead in our trespasses and sins, but now we're made alive unto God and we have salvation. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain. Worthy, worthy, worthy. The Lord is worthy of every bit of our following Him that we can give unto Him. So we want to learn this passage of Scripture. We want to learn what's going on. And we do want to understand, if you endure to the end, not if, He that endures to the end, the same shall be said. So we're going to use Matthew 10, 22 kind of as our jumping off point today for our message and try to be encouraged by the fact that if we understand when we endure, the outcome of that is it is proof that we are saved. And we're going to spend eternity with Jesus in heaven. So the first thing we want to recognize, and I've already kind of generally mentioned that, is the second part of that verse. It is a statement of fact. You do notice that it ends with a period. He that endureth to the end shall be saved. That is a statement of fact. It doesn't say if you endure, then you will be saved. It says the one that endures shall be saved. Really what it is saying is this, those that are saved will endure. There are many people that have put on the name of Jesus Christ and there are many people that call themselves Christian, but they will turn their backs on the Word of God. They will turn their backs on the principles and the precepts that are taught in the Word of God and they will go away from the Word of God and they're not going to endure this persecution. If they don't endure, it's proof that they're not saved. The saved will endure. If you are saved by the grace of God, you will not turn your backs on the Word of God. You will not turn your backs on the church of God. You will not turn your backs on following Jesus Christ when you are saved. And so we understand that this is a statement of fact and it is true that the saved will endure. Now Jesus makes this same statement in Matthew 24 and verse number 13. when he says this, but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. This passage that Jesus is referring to is the events that's going to take place in the last days. If you turn over to Matthew 24 and read a few passages with me, a few verses, we recognize that Matthew 24 is talking about the things that's going to take place in the last days. Begin reading in verse number 4 of Matthew 24. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many. And you shall hear of wars, and rumors of wars. See that you be not troubled. For all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in diverse places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you. And you shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. Then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because of iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations. And then shall the end come. So we know that in Matthew 24, that what Jesus is describing there is the events of the last days. But He makes the same statement, the one that endures in the end, the same shall be saved. But in Matthew chapter number 10, He's not talking about the end time events. We understand, as you turn back to Matthew chapter number 10, we understand that in Matthew 24, when you read the statement, the one that endures to the end, the same shall be saved, you understand that that is a larger context. That Jesus is talking more than just about the one that endures to the end. If you look at the larger context, what He's really talking about is the end time of death. If you go back to Matthew chapter number 10 and you read that passage of Scripture, verse 22, that says, the one that endures in the end, the same shall be saved, you understand that that statement is true, but you understand that it's part of a larger context. He's talking about more than just enduring to the end. And what we want to talk about today is the larger context of where that verse is used. So let's turn to Matthew chapter number 10, and we have a lengthy reading. We're going to read verses 16 through 24, or 42, I mean, but before we get there, I just want to make some comments on verses 1 through 15. In verses 1 through 15, those first 15 verses of Matthew chapter number 10 are specifically speaking to the twelve apostles. It tells us in verse number 1, And we have called unto him his twelve disciples. And so we know that the things that he tells them in these next few verses are specifically speaking to them. But as he comes to verse number 16, we know that he expands his audience to more than just the 12 apostles, but he's speaking to all followers in a general kind of way. To all who are the disciples and the followers of Jesus Christ, and as the message we preached last week, all of those that are called to be saints. These verses are speaking to you. If you are saved by the grace of God, if you are called to be a saint, if you're called to be holy, if you're called to be separate from the world and called to be separate to God, which you are if you're saved by the grace of God, these verses are speaking to you. So let's pick up the reading in verse number 16 and see what Jesus has to say. Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be you therefore wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues. And you shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what you shall speak, for it shall be given you in that same hour what you shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child, and the children shall rise up against their parents and cause them to be put to death. You shall be hated of all men for my name's sake, but he that endures to the end the same shall be saved. But when they persecute you in this city, flee you into another. For verily I say to you, you shall not have gone over the cities of Israel till the Son of Man be come. The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his Lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his Lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household? Fear them not, therefore, for there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed, and hid that shall not be known. What I tell you in darkness, that speak you in light, and what you hear in the ear, that preach you upon the housetops. And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul, but rather fear him which is able to destroy both body and soul in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing, and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your father? But the very hairs of your head are all numbered, Fear you not, therefore, you are of more value than many sparrows. Whosoever, therefore, shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. Think not that I have come to send peace on earth. I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man's foes shall be of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross and followeth after me is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it, and he that loses his life for my sake shall find it. He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward, and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. And whosoever shall give a drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water, only in the name of the disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward. Just some general comments about this. I do want you to notice, if you have a red letter Bible, that these are the words of Jesus. Many people will say, now, you want to make sure that you want to give words to people that will make them want to be followers of Jesus. You don't want to tell them the difficult things. You want to tell them all the great things there are about being a Christian, and so they'll desire to be a Christian because of all the good things that's going to happen to them. You shouldn't preach hard stuff to people, people will say today. Well, I don't believe that you can go wrong speaking the words of Jesus. And Jesus didn't only say the good and the easy. Jesus told the difficult things too. Jesus tells the truth. There are some people in this world that will only tell you the easy things. They will only tell you the good things. And they will do that in such a way that they will want to try to cause you to be a follower of Jesus. Jesus told the bold, hard truth. And I'm sharing that with you today. Here's the bold, hard truth. You live godly, you shall suffer persecution. There's going to be difficulties that come because you are a follower of Jesus Christ. But the end result is this. You endure to the end, you will be saved. If you are truly a follower of Jesus Christ, you put Him first in your life, and you follow Him, you deny yourself, and you take up your cross, and you follow Jesus Christ. At the end of your life, what you're going to find is eternal life. And you're going to spend eternity with Jesus in heaven forever. And it'll be worth it. Everything you suffer on this earth, The rewards that you receive in heaven are going to be worth all the sacrifices that you made here on this earth. You need to understand that. You may suffer physically. You may suffer emotionally. Some people suffer financially because of their being followers of Jesus Christ. But if you give something up for Christ, Your reward will far outweigh the sacrifice that you make for Him in eternity. And so you must keep your eyes not on this world, but on eternity. And set your affections not on things on this earth below, but set your affections on things above. And recognize that the difficult things that you may face here on this earth, the reward for it will far outweigh the sacrifices that you make. I just kind of wanted to make that preface. And we understand, why would we be willing to make these sacrifices? Why would we be willing to deny ourself and take up our cross and follow Jesus? Why? Because following Jesus leads to eternal life. Why? Because God spared not His own Son, but freely gave Him up for us all. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. The reason that Jesus is worthy of me denying myself and taking my cross and following Him is because He made a greater sacrifice for me that I could never make for Him. He surrendered everything that He had. Think about this. He was the Son of God living in glory. He was in the presence of His Father. But the Scripture says, He who knew no sin became sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. The Bible tells us that He became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Jesus Christ left the presence of His Father in glory and came down to this sin-cursed earth that He might live the perfect life and bear your sins in His own body on the tree and He's going to give you eternal life. He gave His best for you. He made the ultimate sacrifice for you. You following Him, He is worthy of you following Him. Never forget that. What He gave for you is far greater than what you could ever give for Him. Always remember that. But Jesus, listen, He doesn't sugarcoat it. He kind of tells us some things plain out. The very first thing He tells us in verse number 16 is that, I'm going to send you out into the world, and as I send you out into the world, be wise as serpents, but be harmless as doves. There's lots of things that we could say about each one of these verses, but remember this. Jesus Christ didn't come into the world to condemn the world, but He came that the world might be saved. As we go out into the world, let's make sure that our objective is always to be harmless as doves. That our objective is to tell others about the gloriousness of Jesus Christ and to share with them the truth of the life that Jesus Christ gives us. Our job is not to go out and to condemn. Our job is not to go out and to convict. Our job is not to go out and to destroy other men's lives. Our job is to go out and to share with them the message of peace and the message of life. We're not to go out, as Westboro does, and picket soldiers' funerals. That's not our job. Our job is to share the message of life. And I could stand here and preach for a long time, but I've got to move on because I've got a lot to say today. Remember this, verse 17. Men will deliver you up to councils and they will scourge you in their synagogues and you shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake for testimony against them and the Gentiles." Now this doesn't happen to everyone. There's been many saints of God who have walked peaceably and stood for the truth and have never came before the council. But I foresee in our future based upon where our government is going and the things that our government is promoting, that in the very near future, those words could be said for those of us who are followers of Jesus. We've got to understand that. The potential is there for our government, for us to be brought before the councils, and for us to suffer because of our standing for the truth of the Word of God. Some of the things that Jesus tells us, He tells us so we will not be taken by surprise when they happen. But we'll be prepared and we'll be ready. So if you're called in question for your faith and what you believe, don't be surprised about it. Jesus said it's going to happen. Is the potential there? Yes. Am I saying it's going to happen? No. But the way that our government is going, the potential grows. that we could call in question for our faith and deliver it up to the counselors. We must keep that in mind. Let's read on. What should we do? What should we say? How should we respond? Jep 19. But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what you speak. For it shall be given you in that same hour what you shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. So don't worry about it. If you are delivered up for the councils, don't worry about what you should say and what you should speak and how you should respond. Just listen to the Holy Spirit. Say what the Holy Spirit tells you to say, and you will be fine. Notice what else it says in verses 21 and 22. Who's going to be your enemies? And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child, And the children shall rise up against their parents and cause them to be put to death. Where's your enemies going to come from? They may come from your own household. Just recognize that's the truth. And so if it happens, if you're standing for the truth of the word of God and someone from your own family rises up and becomes your enemy because that, recognize that Jesus said it's going to happen. Now that doesn't tell us to go out and be mean and nasty and cruel and seek an enemy because what are we supposed to do if someone becomes our enemy? As Christians, what are we supposed to do for them? Pray for them, right? You're not to become their enemy. They are your enemy, but it's all on their choice. Not you have chosen to be their enemy. What are you supposed to do? Pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you. You're not to go on the offensive towards them. You're to pray for them. You're to forgive them, like Jesus did. Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Okay? Keep these things in your mind. Let's read verses 24 and 25. What does it say? Or verse 23. But when they shall persecute you in this city, flee you into another city. For verily I say unto you, you shall not have gone over the cities of Israel till the Son of Man come." There's lots of things what this passage of Scripture means. In my studies, I believe that what Jesus is specifically talking about is when the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost. You'll not have reached the entire nation of Israel before the Holy Spirit comes upon you on the day of Pentecost. So recognize the Holy Spirit will empower us as we go about to do this work. Why are we going to face these things? Why is persecution going to come? Verse 24 and 25. The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his Lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his own household?" What did they do about Jesus? When Jesus was performing miracles, what did they accuse Him of? They said, well, you're performing those miracles through the power of Satan. And if they call Jesus Satan, it shouldn't surprise us that they accuse us of being Satan, right? It shouldn't amaze us. They hated Jesus. They persecuted Jesus. It shouldn't amaze us if they hate us and they persecute us. They hated Paul. They persecuted Paul. It shouldn't amaze us if they hate us and persecute us. Let's just make sure that we're not being hateful. Let's make sure we're not giving them a reason to hate us. Let's make sure that the only reason that they have something to say against us is because we're standing for the Word of God, just like Daniel. We learned in the men's sonship class this morning. They set up Daniel because they had no way of accusing Daniel. They looked at Daniel's life and they said, Daniel's life is perfect. There's no way we can find an opportunity to accuse him. So they had to find a way to deceive him, not really deceive him, but they had to set him up so that they had to make it against the law for him to worship God. That's the only way that they could get Dan. Let's make sure that they don't have a reason to hate us. Let's make sure that they don't look at our lives and say, oh, well, look at that, and have a reason to hate us. Let's make sure that the only reason that they would have to hate us is because we say, I'm going to believe the Word of God, and I'm not going to stand, or I'm not going to change what I believe in the Word of God. I'm going to stand on the Word of God, regardless of what the law says, regardless of what you say. I'm going to stand on the Word of God. Let's make sure that the only accusation they can make against us that you are going and living according to the Word of God. Don't be hateful. Don't be a hateful person. Don't be on the offensive and on the attack and give them reason to hate you. Just, I'm going to stand according to the Word of God. No more, no less. Okay? They hated Jesus. Okay? The world didn't understand the works of Jesus. They will not receive us. Now, verses 26 and 27. Fear not to speak, my notes say. Fear them not, therefore, for there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed, and hid that shall not be known. What I tell you in darkness, that speak you in light, and what you hear in the ear, that preach you upon the housetop." What we have in the Word of God, let's just preach the truth. That's all they're saying. Don't be afraid to speak. If they say it's against the law to speak against abortion, listen, the stuff that's going on in our country right now with Planned Parenthood, That should appal us. It should appal us that they're taking... We need to establish this fact. When does life begin? Life begins at conception. That means at the moment that conception happens, there is life. They're taking these babies who are in the womb and they are tearing them out of the womb, and they are harvesting their organs and selling them. That should appall you, that they are murdering babies doing that. Our government says that's okay. As a matter of fact, I read some things where it says one of the problems that Planned Parenthood is having is the fact that these babies are being born before they can get their procedure done. and they're still harvesting the organs. So what's that mean? That means the baby is born and they take a live baby and kill it and harvest its organs. That should appall us. But when we say abortion is murder and we stand for that truth, we shouldn't be afraid of that and we shouldn't be afraid to say, I believe that abortion is murder. Because that's what the Bible said. I love one of the things that Brother Burford said on Friday night. Life is precious because it's created in the image of God. Every one of them little children that are aborted is a life that is precious to God that has been created in His image. We kill thousands of them a week and people don't even think a second thought about it. That should bother us. But when the time comes for us to say, how do you feel about abortion? It's murder based upon the Word of God because life begins with conception. We shouldn't be afraid to say that. When the time comes for us to, how do you feel about marriage? Well, I believe that marriage is between one man and one woman for a lifetime. We shouldn't be afraid to say that. Why? Because it's based on the Word of God and what the Word of God says. If what we believe is based upon the Word of God, we should not be afraid to say it. That's what Jesus is saying. Don't be afraid to take a stand for what the Bible says, and this is what I believe the Bible says. You shouldn't be afraid to say that. Okay? Fear them none. Don't fear what they say and how they may threaten you. Whatever the truth is, you share the truth. Okay? Verse 28. Fear not them which kill the body. Is the potential there for them to do that? Sure it is. But don't be afraid of them, because they cannot touch your soul. Every one of us should fear the One who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. I thought about this, and I know abortion is more in my mind today. But it's just the cause of what's going on in our society. And I don't know if people realize this, but think about those abortion doctors. One day, they're going to stand and give an account for all of those murders. They're going to give an account to God. Now, they may not believe in God today, but one day they will. And when they stand and give an account, they're going to give an account for all of those babies that they've murdered. These mothers that go to the abortion clinics and allow their babies to be removed from their bodies, they're going to stand and give an account for that one day. These young girls who make a mistake and they go and have that baby removed from their bodies, one day they're going to give an account for that. Sometimes the young man, the father, pays for the young lady to have the procedure done. He's going to give an account for that one day. Listen, they should be afraid of God. They're going to give an account to God for that one day. Fear not them, they can only kill the body. Fear the one that can kill body and soul in hell. Listen, there should be a fear of the living God because He is God and we should be afraid to offend Him. We should be afraid to break His law. We should be afraid to take that and destroy that which was created in His image. You can take that even and go to euthanasia that would take place because, oh, well, someone's too old to receive medical care anymore. Let's just take them out. What is that? Kevorkian that used to do the mercy killings. Listen, we should be afraid to do that, too, because that life is created in the image of God. Fear not the one that can only kill the body. Fear the one that can kill both body and soul in hell. Maybe that will help you in your decision process if you understand, I'm going to give an account one day to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, the Sovereign God who created all things out of nothing in six days and He is still the Sovereign Lord of this earth. I'm going to give an account to Him one day. If you recognize that fact, that might help you in your decisions. Fear the one that is able to kill both body and destroy both body and soul in hell. Now listen, I know this is not a feel-good message today, but there's a point behind what I'm going to say. Remember, he that endures the end shall be saved. When we are faced with all these trials, when we're faced with all these heartaches, and we continue to trust God, we continue to trust Christ, we continue to walk with Him, and when we endure, We know we're going to have eternal life. And that's what you will do as a believer. You will endure these things. You will not turn your back on Jesus Christ. You will not deny Him. You will walk with Him no matter what the world says, no matter what the government says. You will not deny Christ because you are saved by the grace of God. And if you turn your back on Christ, it's probably proof that you weren't saved in the first place. The one that endures to the end, that's the one that's going to be saved. They're not going to back up, not going to deny Jesus. And there's a glorious truth in that. We're going to receive eternal life. We're going to spend eternity with Jesus in heaven. And I'm going to endure all of these things because of the sacrifice that He made for me. What a glorious truth that is today. Even though it's hard to swallow sometimes, it is a glorious truth. Let's read on, verse 29. Think about this. The King of Kings. The Lord of Lords. As we said, the One who spoke this world into existence. Who made all of this creation in six days. Out of nothing, He made this entire world. The Bible says that He took the clay of the ground, the dust of the ground, and He formed it into man. And He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and He became the living soul. The one that gave you Your life. That's who we're talking about. The one who breathed into your nostrils the breath of life and you are now a living soul. What's this say about it? Verse 29. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your father. But the very hairs of your head are numbered. Fear you not therefore. You are of more value than many sparrows. What's that telling us? It's telling us our value to God. The One who created this world, the One who gave you life, that breathed into your nostrils the breath of life, you became a living soul. The One is sustaining you and giving you life right now. You are of more value to Him than many sparrows. You are the greatest of God's creations. Humans are the greatest of God's creations. And you are of great value to Him. So don't fear the world. Don't fear some other man. Trust Him. Believe Him because you're of great value to God. There are a few things that hold great value to me. Yesterday at the bash, one of the little games they always play is they always ask you like they give Bible trivia questions. They'll if you answer Bible for every question you get a prize and they always play also Sort of like let's make a deal, you know, if you have this or this I'll give you a prize, you know, like yesterday they asked for a red pen and sometimes they ask for a MasterCard Sometimes they ask for a million dollar or a million dollar bill. Whoa $100 bill Well yesterday one of the things that one of the questions they asked us Who's on the face of the $2 bill? And I said, I'll do you one better than that I have one. I'll show you." And they said, oh, wow, that's awesome. Who's on the face of a $2 bill? Thomas Jefferson. Bo asked me, he said, can I have that? I said, no. What's a $2 bill? Well, you see, this $2 bill that I carry with me all the time is one of the only possessions that I have from my father. My dad gave me this $2 bill. Is it of more value than $2? Yeah, sure it is. This is of great value to me because it came to me from my dad. This would be, listen, this $2 bill is of more value than a $100 bill to me. Right? It is. This $2 is of more value than a $100 bill. It holds great value to me. are of more value than all the sparrows in the world to God because He gave you His life. That's why you follow Him. That's why you serve Him. Because you are of great value to God. Don't fear that man down the road. Don't fear that man that lives on Pennsylvania Avenue. Don't fear any man. They're just some man. What'd they ever do for you? They could care less about you. But now God gave His only begotten Son that you might live. You are of great value to Him. That's why you fear Him. That's why you love Him. That's why you serve Him. Because you are of great value to Him. It's difficult. Now we're going to get down to the nitty-gritty. Verse 32 and 33. Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven. You stand before men, you confess Jesus Christ, you do not deny Him, one day Jesus Christ is going to confess you before His Father. Listen to the next verse. But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven. You turn your back on Jesus Christ, You turn your back on the Word of God? You stop following Jesus because you think that it's too difficult of a truth? You deny Him, He'll deny you. That's why I said, if you turn your back on Jesus Christ, if you turn your back on following the Word of God, you turn your back on the teachings of the Word of God, that's proof that you're not saved in the first place. Because His people will not deny Him. He will confess you if you confess Him. But if you deny Him, He will deny you. It's a serious thing whether you're going to be a follower of Jesus or not. It's going to be proof of where your eternal life lies. Listen, one of the commentators has to say this. Even not to confess Him through fear of men is interpreted by Christ A denial of Him. If you are afraid of a man and you do not confess him because you're afraid of a man, to Christ that is a denial of Him. You want to say, depart from me, you worker of iniquity, I never knew you. See, this is serious. Because it's a proof of what is in your heart. Verse 34, think not I have come to send peace on earth. I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I come to set a man at variance against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. What's he saying there? I come to prove who really loves me, who is really my follower, or who is just playing games. So one of the things that's going to happen with all of the things that's going on in our court system with the Supreme Court saying it's okay to giving the homosexuals the right to marry and the things that's going on with abortion and all the other things that's going to happen. Here's what's going to happen. The true followers of Jesus are going to continue to follow Jesus. Those who aren't true followers of Jesus are going to follow the way of the world. Jesus is going to prove who is really His follower and who is not. There's really a revival that's going to take place because the false followers of Jesus, they're going to leave. But the true followers of Jesus, they're going to be drawn closer to Him, and they're going to be more dedicated to Him, even though it may cost them greatly. They're going to follow Jesus because He's worthy, and He is their Savior, and they are truly His, and they're truly following Him. They're not playing the game of religion. That's why, listen, people always say, well, the young people, you know, when they get old and they quit coming to church, you know, they were saved, and then they quit coming to church. No, no, no, no, listen. You are a follower of Jesus Christ and you are truly saved. I don't care if you're 19, I don't care if you're 20, I don't care if you're 21, 22, 23, 25, 30. I don't care if you're truly a follower of Jesus. You're not going to quit coming to church. You're going to continue to follow Jesus. You're going to put Christ first in your life. You're going to make your decisions based upon His Word. You're not going to turn to the world. If you turn to the world, it's proof that you're not a follower of Jesus. Truly saved young people will not turn their backs on Jesus. If they're truly saved, they're going to continue following Him. And if they're not, they're going to go to the world. By their fruit you shall know them. What's going to happen during all this time? The true followers of Jesus are going to be made evident. Those who are truly followers of Jesus, they're going to continue to follow Jesus. They're going to confess Him no matter what the government says. And they're going to endure until the end. And they're going to be saved. The others are going to turn their back on Christ. They're going to deny Him. And they're going to quit following Him. And in the end, they're not going to be saved because they were never truly followers of Jesus Christ. Remember, Hebrews 4.12, it says, the Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, dividing asunder the joints of the marrow. The Word of God is divisive. We need to understand that. That's why you need to ask yourself, am I truly a follower of Jesus or am I just playing games? Well, I can guarantee you this. The truth will be told. What's really in your heart is going to be found out. You just need to ask yourself what's really in your heart. Verses 35 through 37. For I have come to set a man at variance against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and a man's foes shall be of their own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." Simply, Jesus will check your love to Him. What is more important to you, something of this world or Him? Are you going to make your decisions based upon these world's philosophies? Or are you going to make your decisions based upon, I'm putting Christ first in all things? Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and then all these things shall be added unto you. What are you going to do? Jesus is going to check your love. Verse 38-39, And he that taketh not his cross and followeth after me is not worthy of me. If you will not take up your cross and follow Jesus Christ no matter the cost, you're not worthy of Him. He that findeth his life shall lose it. He that loses his life for my sake shall find it. When you dedicate yourself to Christ, and you put Him first, and you're going to follow Him no matter the cost, you find the true reality of what life is. You find the reality of eternal life, and you find contentment in this life, and one day you're going to spend eternity with Jesus in heaven. But if you spend your life on this life and the things of this world, you're going to lose your eternal life. Not in that you were saved and you were lost. You just never did have it in the first place. Remember this, verses 40 through 42. He that receiveth you, and he that receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me. He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward. And he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. Whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water, only in the name of the disciple, verily I say unto you, He shall in no wise lose his reward. What's he saying? There are rewards for faithfulness. You follow Jesus. You put Him first. You deny the world. And you confess Jesus Christ. And you follow Him. No matter what the world says, you follow Jesus. There will be rewards for that. And the rewards for faithfulness to Jesus Christ will far outweigh any rewards that this world might have to offer. Listen, I can't explain it to you. Sometimes, you know, you even wonder yourself, Lord, we're making all these sacrifices. And, you know, we're doing all these things for you. And sometimes I don't seem to be receiving those rewards. But you remember, our rewards are eternal rewards. They're not temporal rewards. And sometimes we think, I don't see how all these sacrifices I'm making on earth, I don't see how they can be rewarded. And what I'm doing here, I don't see how the reward can be so great in heaven. Sometimes you don't understand that. But what do you do? You take God at His Word and you say, God says that I'm going to receive rewards for faithfulness and the things that I receive are going to be far outweigh the sacrifices I've made on this earth. What am I going to do? I'm going to take God at His Word and believe it even though I don't maybe understand it or can't comprehend how it can be. But I know this. You deny yourself. You follow Jesus. You make sacrifices. You take up your cross. You endure until the end. You'll be saved and you'll be rewarded. You turn your back on Jesus Christ, you don't endure, you deny Him, He will deny you. Listen, I choose to follow Jesus. I'm going to say I'm going to choose to follow Jesus no matter what happens in this world. That may not be always the easiest thing to do, and you don't know what the future holds. But Jesus loved me enough to send His Son, or Jesus loved me enough to give His life for me. He loved me enough to redeem my life that was lost. I was dead. I deserved to die. Literally, I deserved to die. I was a drunkard. I was almost an addict. I deserve to die. And Jesus rescued me from that. My life was a mess. And He rescued me from that. Is He worthy? Yes. He's worthy. So I pray that I'll have the strength to endure to the end. And I pray that you'll have the strength to endure to the end. that you'll recognize that the sacrifice that Jesus made for you, that the life that Jesus Christ has given you, is far greater than anything this world can give. And whatever this world can take away from you, that you will realize that the rewards for following Jesus are far greater than anything this world can ever take from you. And you will not fear what men can do, but you will honor God, and you will love Him, and you will follow Him, no matter the cost. One day, you and I will be rejoicing around the throne of God forever and ever, forever and ever and ever, because we have decided that Jesus is worthy of our faithfulness. Remember, go back to Matthew 10, 22, the second part. But he that endureth to the end shall Be safe. You endure all that this world has to throw at you, you'll be safe. What a blessing. What a truth. Let's be thankful to Jesus for that promise. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, what a difficult the passage of Scripture to share today. God, we know that as we look around the world, there are many that are making these decisions, even right now, to put you first, and to deny the world, and to follow after you. There are people today that are losing their life for their commitment to you. God, we know that The potentiality for these things that happen in our own land are real. I pray God that when the hour of temptation comes, that you will give us strength to stand. And God, that each of us today will determine that you are worthy of our standing for you. And that you will enable us to stand for the truth. and the faith that was once delivered to the saints. And in so doing, we will show the world the gloriousness of your Son, Jesus Christ, and the blessings of faith, and the hope that we have of spending eternity in heaven with you. God, there may be one here today that doesn't know your Son, Jesus, And they've come to realize, Lord, that they're not following You, that God, maybe they've played the games of religion before, but they're not really Your follower. Or maybe, God, they've never even considered Your Son, Jesus, before. And today, Your Holy Spirit has opened their heart and caused them to consider Jesus, and they realize that Jesus is worthy, and they want to follow Him. I pray today, dear Heavenly Father, that Your Holy Spirit will deal with hearts. God, if You save a lost soul, give Him the glory. We know today, God, that you will save from sin, and that you will give a new heart and a new life, and you will give your Holy Spirit that will strengthen us and enable us to walk through this present evil world. Just pray that you'll work in the hearts of your people today. In the name of your son, Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.