https://youtu.be/ZCTV3wZXCn8

Written in the Heart

Romans 2:12-16 NKJV

For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law 13 (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; 14 for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, 15 who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) 16 in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.

Paul’s purpose in writing this letter to those in Rome was two-fold: 1. they had received distorted rumors about Paul’s message and theology, and so he felt it necessary to put into writing the gospel he had been preaching now for 25 years; 2. He sought to correct certain problems in the church occurring of wrong attitudes of Jews towards Gentiles (specific to ch. 2) and Gentiles toward Jews (ch.11). The overall theme of this letter is God’s gift of righteousness is demonstrated in our death with Christ to sin and the power to live a victorious life in and by the Holy Spirit. Paul declares that a transformed life in Christ results in the application of righteousness and love to all areas of our behavior- the body of Christ, social, civil and moral.

What is Paul saying here?

Paul is explaining to these Roman believers that those who live without the Scriptures to guide them will still be found guilty before God because at the judgment it will be shown that they ignored their Creator and violated the warnings of their moral conscience. Each deliberately walked away from God and without a Savior will suffer eternally. People who had the Scriptures (Jews) will also be found guilty because they did not obey them.

To prove to the reader that pleasing and obeying God is not impossible for those who don’t know the Bible, Paul describes a deep change that was taking place in the Gentile converts when they were born again. Even though they had little knowledge of Scripture, their lives began conforming to God’s righteousness. Paul speaks of “the work of the law written in their hearts” and their conscience and thoughts guiding them to obey God and do His will. This is in alignment and fulfillment of OT prophecy:

Jeremiah 31:31-34

31 “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— 32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, [a]though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their [b]hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

Paul continues to persuade Jewish believers, when the time comes for these Gentile converts to stand before God and the hidden, private areas of their lives will be disclosed; there will be no surprises and the record will show that they fulfilled God’s law.

I need to address a few heretical teachings in today’s church

https://youtu.be/-as6B2VoquY

Whenever we think about the purpose of life, (especially when we are young) … we usually boil it down to the 3 basic things we heard and saw growing up:

1.  EDUCATION 

2.  CAREER 

3.  FAMILY

“You need to get an education!!  You need to go to college!!  You need to get a job… so you can have a family… so you can live on a cul-de-sac / drive a minivan / and get a 4K TV … that you sit in front of, until you DIE!!”

IE:  The reality for most of us is, since Junior High … “LIFE” has been like this TRAIN-RIDE that you’ve been on …and each year, the train gets faster and faster!!

It’s just full-speed head… because again: 

“I’ve got to graduate High school, so I can go to college, so I can get a job…

         so I can raise a family, so I can live in a cul-de-sac, so I can drive a mini-van, so I can retire;

         so I can excel, succeed, and WIN… at this game called ‘life’.”

Yet, the reality is that so many people relate to the poet and great philosopher Henry David Thoreau, who said:   “(Most men)… The mass of men, lead lives of quiet desperation.”

Then, there was William Wallace… (who in BRAVEHEART) stood before all his warriors; who in this moment, after years of fighting… Find themselves full of FEAR; 

--they find themselves WEARY from war, ready to QUIT and go home.

IE:  The battle cry of these men was self-preservation, safety and comfort.

And so, they said to their leader, (they said) - “We want to leave and to run, so that we may live.”

“We want to go home, for the English are too many.”

So, William Wallace gives them that ROUSING SPEECH where he says -- “FIGHT, and you may die.”

“RUN, and you’ll live… for at least a while.”

“But dying in your beds many years from now, would you be willing to trade all of the days (from this day to that)… FOR ONE CHANCE, just one chance… to come back here and tell our enemies; that:

     -- ‘They may take our LIVES, but they will never take our FREEDOM’!!”

IE:  He gives them a CAUSE / He gives them PURPOSE!!

       And then he summarized his speech, by saying -- “Every man dies, but only a few men really live!” 

I remember watching that in High School and going – “Man, that fires me up!!”

“I too want meaning and purpose to my life!!”

“I want to fight for a cause!!”

“I want to live for something greater than myself

But about 10 years later, (in my mid 20’s)… I experienced what I called ‘A Quarter-Life-Crisis’.

I looked around and thought – “Everything I’m chasing and pursuing, ISN’T satisfying my heart.”

And I was like – “I don’t want this.  I don’t want to LIVE, and then DIE in this nothingness.”

So, in this midst of this season of sadness and gloominess… I remember that I randomly went and sat-down in my DAD’S office… and he looked up at me, (saw my deflated demeanor) and said:

-- “What’s wrong son?”

And I told him… I said – “Dad, I just don’t really know what I want;”

“…I don’t really know what I’m supposed to do with my life.”

-- And Dad said, “Well son, you’ve got to build your life on something…”

https://youtu.be/LfZ7txTT8z8

God Doesn’t Play Favorites     (Romans 2:1-11)     *All verses in NKJV*

Romans 2:1-11, Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. 2 But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. 3 And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? 5 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: 7 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; 8 but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, 9 tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; 10 but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 11 For there is no partiality with God.

1. Don’t be a hypocrite.

- Hypocrite: A word taken from the Greek word meaning “an actor” or “a stage player”, It then took on an extended meaning to refer to any person who was wearing a figurative mask and pretending to be someone or something they were not.

- A hypocrite is someone who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings. A person who is pretending to be someone of virtue but lives a lifestyle of sin.

- When you don’t practice what you preach, it completely discredits your message. The message may be biblical truth, but your contradictory behavior tells people it’s a lie.

- Example: Several people this month arguing why Christianity is false or harmful, using people’s actions in the name of Jesus as the evidence. (Burning crosses, adulterous TV preachers, We say we are loving but we openly hate on gay people, liberals, and Hilary Clinton…)

- I always tell people, “God’s standard is true and consistent, even if his people don’t have the ability to live up to it.”  But I haven’t seen it change anyone’s mind about the hypocrisy of Christians.

- Matthew 7:1-5, “Judge not (condemn not), that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

- Don’t be quick to point out the faults of others, or write them off because they have screwed up. Extend forgiveness because you want forgiveness from others when you mess up too.

- If you don’t recognize your own sin and failures, why would anyone listen to you about theirs?

- Don’t forget, the brother still has a speck in his eye that needs to be dealt with! Just because the messenger is a hypocrite, doesn’t mean his message about your sin is not true!

- Romans 2:1-3, Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.

https://youtu.be/0AMXH-JjfPU

Matthew 11:1-19 Have you ever been misunderstood? Trying to do something, or explain something, and people misconstrue what you say and say you aren’t who you are and try to turn people against you?I’ve had it happen. Here at this church- I’m not mad about it- just saying it happensProbably happened to you in a relationship, or at work, or some other timeIts frustrating for us- not sure if it frustrated Jesus- but this story kind of deals with itLets see what we can get out of this passage- 

Waiting doesn’t change who Jesus is

Now you may not know or remember- but John was the forerunner of ChristMalachi 3:1 “Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant,In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming, ”Says the Lord of hosts.And John is this messenger. He’s the one fortold to ‘prepare the way” and he goes to prisonJohn the Baptist The Bible indicates in Matthew 14 that John the Baptist was placed in prison by Herod Antipas as a result of John condemning Herod for having divorced his wife and then having married Herodias, the divorced wife of Herod Antipas' half-brother Philip.So John is in prison- the guy who said “Prepare the way of the Lord” and called people to repentAnd two of his disciples come to him and he says to go to Jesus “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”Think about it- John is in prison for being someone who is calling people out on their sins to return to God- he knows that God is/has sent a deliverer and you’re in prison. Not delivered. Here’s the truth- when you have hope in something that you don’t see happening- it can easily turn into despair. It can wreck your heart and you think things and create narrativesJeremiah complained that God had deceived him- Jeremiah 20:7 O Lord, You induced me, and I was persuaded; You are stronger than I, and have prevailed. I am in derision daily; Everyone mocks me.Its human to do this! John is in prison and wondering- are you the guy, or should we look else?He felt deserted in prison. He had to know- Zechariah 9:9 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey A colt, the foal of a donkey,- he knows this but he is in prison (Not a prison like today)- these prisons are dank, dark, stench filled underground torture chambers- “a fate worse than death” to discourage crime. Can you imagine living under that condition- John probably was contemplating denying ChristHenry- The remaining unbelief of good men may sometimes, in an hour of temptation; call in question the most important truthsWhat do you do when the Jesus you expected isn’t the Jesus you see? You’re in prison! If we were honest, many of us identify with this prison experience of JohnFeeling like we’re locked up- sitting in some sort of prison and questioning our faith“This Jesus- is he the one- or should we be looking for some other deliverer” Because when you are WAITING you think and feel like God is never going to SHOW UPI get it- Paul probably felt that way when he was beaten and whipped in prisonBut you don’t get to give up- you are not going to give up- you are not quitting. Philippians 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;I don’t care what kind of prison you’re in- don’t look at your circumstance- look at God!Its normal to feel that way- I am just admonishing you TODAY- DON’T GIVE UP DON”TGala 6:9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.I know MANY people who didn’t reap the harvest because they gave up- Show up is 90% of it. Isaiah 40:30-31 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,

https://youtu.be/D3CnKHgkVE8

Romans 1:26-32 (NLT)

1 Corinthians 6:15-19 (NKJV) Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.” 17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.  Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?God abandoned when they started to do vile and degrading things with each other’s bodiesThe last thing I want is God to abandon meJohn 15:5(Nkjv) - I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.Women started having sex with other women – turning away from the natural wayMen instead of having desires for women- The natural way – started burning for lust with each otherMen did shameful things with other men, and as a result they suffered within themselves – the penalty they deserveRomans 1:28 (AMPC) And so, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God or approve of Him or consider Him worth the knowing, God gave them over to a base and condemned mind to do things not proper or decent but loathsome, until they were filled (permeated and saturated) with every kind of unrighteousness….God gave them a chance to know Him yet they refused to acknowledge or consider HimRomans 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and [a]Godhead, so that they are without excuse,The human race refused to acknowledge God – Today we trust science more than God 

They  sinned against the body that God created;  each thing male and female and said it was good, because of these sins which is unnatural (Sex outside marriage between man and woman– we birth:wickedness, [b]covetousness, [c]maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 [d]undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, [e]unforgiving, unmerciful;The writer concludes that:These people knew the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them

God is HolyWe get carried away with details and we forget the reason why Jesus died on the cross for usThat we were separated from God and our sins were cleansed, so that we can be Holy and live with God in eternityI believe that the issue is not necessary the sin, it’s the lack of reverence for God’s Holiness1 Samuel 2:2 (NKJV)- No one is holy like the Lord, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like our GodExodus 15:11(NKJV)- Who is like You, O Lord, among the [a]gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders?Isaiah 6:3 (NKJV) - In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. 2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;The whole earth is full of His glory!”Psalm 22:3 (NKJV)- But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel.1 Peter 1:16 (NKJV) “because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy”

We are called to be Holy so we can have a relationship with A Holy God

https://youtu.be/olornS2trIg

Matthew 10:40-4240 “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. 41 He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”If you remember the last few weeks, Jesus has been talking to his disciples as he is sending them out to do Gospel workHe empowers them to deliver people from demons, cure diseases, he tells them where to go, and what to do when they get there. Tells them not to take any money or extra clothes. Tells them to not stay where they are not welcome, that they are going to be persecuted as they go on their travels. That they are going to see families fighting because of their message. He encourages them that God goes with them, and they will be taken care of because they are going to out to confess the name of Jesus. Doing this will cause division. And so now- today he ends his pep-talk with a final word- You are going out as my prophets and if they receive you, they are receiving me. Those who receive you will get a reward. Even the smallest act of kindness bestowed upon the disciples will equal a reward. 

V40- Receive the FatherReceiving Jesus messengers is receiving the fatherJesus is encouraging these disciples that as they go out to do Gospel work, that they are operating as emissaries of Jesus- If people accept them, they are accepting Jesus, and by proxy, accepting the one who sent HIM- The fatherThat’s really the point of Jesus whole ministry- to get people to come to the FatherIt’s the reason why John the Baptist preached repentance, and why Jesus came- to get people to the Father- God. John says it this way- John 13:20 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”Pretty basic- if I tell one of my kids- to tell one of my other kids that “Dad said” Means moreAnd this idea that disciples are operating under the authority of Jesus under the FatherTeach you a bit about Military- NCO v Officer v President- You are following the President. The point is pretty simple- if a disciple is telling someone something it is as if God himself is speaking- and to deny this or agree with this is akin to denying Jesus1 John 2:22-23 Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. 23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.It really throws up on end this whole “Do not judge” thing- that we can’t say anythingWe, as people of God have a mutual dependence on each other as children of God to help one another hear the voice of the father through each other- The problem is that people are so locked up in their individualism that they don’t want anyone to tell them anything about anything or nothing. Starbucks this week- door locked- hot sun- telling people- still go and pull the handleChristian people- have other Christian people saying things like “I wouldn’t do that if I were you” and people lose their ever loving mindLuke 10:16 He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.”Now specifically- this pertains to the Gospel message of repentance unto salvation- but the implication and application that we see further in the Bible is that another Christian disciple trying to square you away is doing you a biblical favor and you should receive it. Here’s what Paul said to the church in Galatia Galatians 4:14 And my trial which was in my flesh you did not despise or reject, but you received me as an angel of God,

https://youtu.be/YPOzA4PgFmE

Romans 1:18-25 NKJV

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who [a]suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is [b]manifest [c]in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and [d]Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like [e]corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

A revelation of the wrath of God is needed to understand the righteousness of God. How can you understand grace if you do not even recognize what you have been delivered from? All mankind liable to God's wrath.  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold back the truth in unrighteousness. Here Paul begins is argument, the first position to be established is that all mankind without exception is guilty of sin before God, and therefore unable of itself to put in a plea of righteousness. But that’s not fair you say, so said the Israelites before you

Ezekiel 33:12-20

 "The wrath of God" is an expression with which we are familiar in the Bible. It denotes his holiness, his antagonism to sin, to which punishment is due. It expresses an idea as essential to our conception of His righteousness as do the words, "love" and "mercy." Wrath means “vengeance”. To Paul, it was indispensable to use words which people used; but when applied to God they do not mean precisely what they do when applied to man. When the Savior is said Mark 3:5 to have looked on his disciples with anger (Greek, "wrath," the same word is here), it is not that he had the feelings of a man seeking vengeance. Wrath is in opposition to His favor, by excluding the offender from the favors which he bestows on the righteous. It is not an unamiable, or an arbitrary principle of conduct.  Wrath or indignation is used in the following Scriptures:

Ephesians 2:1-3And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the [a]course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

1 Thessalonians 2:15-16who (speaking of the Jews) killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they do not please God and are [a]contrary to all men, 16 forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins; but wrath has come upon them to the uttermost. This word occurs 35 times in the New Testament.

Matthew 10:34-39 - Jesus Sword

This is a difficult portion of scripture to managePart of what I am constantly doing here- is trying to introduce you and keeping you acquainted with the Jesus of the scriptures, not the Jesus of Social mediaIt is very difficult in this day and age because some of the most ignorant people alive have just as much opportunity to share aberrant theology as the good guysAnd sometimes likes, shares and exposure will lead people to believe things that aren’t trueYou will hear people say things like “Jesus would never do that because he’s loving”Understanding what a loving Biblical God looks like is more important than having good SM So from a cursory look it might appear that Jesus is being contradictory or hypocriticalThat these statements are an affront to a loving God who Claimed that Jesus would come as the prince of peace (Isaiah 9:6, luke 2:14)We are supposed to honor father and mother (Mark 7:10, ex 20:12)We are supposed to love people 1 John 4:11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.So we know these things and we come to this scripture and it throws out some pretty big bombs in the textThat he wants to bring war and not peace, to create division between a man and his family so much so that they will actually be his enemyHe Goes to the heart- and says “after I’ve set you as enemies with your family, I’m going to be looking at your hear to make sure you don’t love them more than me” And then he goes to the next- if you wont go be crucified- I’m not for youFinishes with “lose your life- lose it for me and you’re gonna find it” 

what can we get out of this text- 

Jesus came to divide 34-35 - Jesus Sword

34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 For I have come to ‘set[j] a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; 36 and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’This idea that Christ came to divide is a central truth that you must internalizeGenesis 4 cain and abel beginning of familial strifeProphecy of Micah 7:5-6 Do not trust in a friend; Do not put your confidence in a companion; Guard the doors of your mouth From her who lies in your bosom. 6 For son dishonors father, Daughter rises against her mother, Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; A man’s enemies are the men of his own household.This prophecy was true and is true today- put yourself in the sandals of the early Jews who saw Christ as messiah and decided to follow him and become his discipleWe do it somewhat easily today- there are a billion people who believe in JesusIt’s not like you were the first 12 disciples that made the choice to believeBut it still takes a bit of gumption to choose to follow Jesus demonstratively If you understand this and apply it to your beliefs and practices- it will help you as you navigate through the confines of the earth as you attempt to honor God with your life- you can’t otherwise navigate it because when you come to a fork in the road so to speak- you’ll strugglePeople naturally want to conform to the groups around themPeople conform to group pressure because they are dependent on the group for satisfying two important desires: the desire to have an accurate perception of reality and the desire to be accepted by other people.Scientists Asch and Sherif did studies where they had people judge distances of light- how far they were from each other, and how different were the lengths of lines- Here’s what they found- They had confederates with wrong answers to influence and people will go with the group that is wrong more likely than not because of the desire for acceptance and the desire to feel like they have an accurate perception of realityMe? I want whats right- not the group- Hot sun, line,

https://youtu.be/jXYx8kTeN7U

Intro story-band I used to like

He had allowed himself to become ashamed of the Gospel of Christ

Romans 1:16-17

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel [a]of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

This is a powerful scripture

This verse shows pauls convictions and that they lay in the Gospel of Christ

He is someone who demonstratively lives his life for Christ and makes it known to all

This should be a baseline for all Christians today

At the minimum you should not be ashamed of the Gospel that has set you free from sin and death

The gospel that through Jesus Christ we will be resurrected with Him in the end to live out our days glorifying Him

We have no need to be ashamed of what Christ has done, paul surely wasn’t

This gospel is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes

When reading the word I try to put myself in the position to understand why the writers say things the way they do

Of course paul would say hes not ashamed, we all should

To really understand the depth of this scripture we should analyze some other things first, like who was paul before this

The reason why its important to understand who he was is because it puts a whole new meaning and importance on this verse

Paul was born around the same time as christ

His original name was saul of tarsus

He was born to a family of devout Jews

His lineage was from the tribe of Benjamin

His family lineage was very attached to pharisaic tradition

They followed jewish law very closely and strictly and saul even became a pharisee himself

saul was well known for his attack and persecution of the early church

He would hunt Christians down imprison them, flog, them and even execute them

We see this in scripture during the stoning of Stephen

Acts7:57-8:1

57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; 58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Saul Persecutes the Church

8 Now Saul was consenting to his death.

At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

saul was someone who would do whatever he thought he needed to do even kill Christians to uphold jewish law

saul denied that Jesus Christ was the messiah and it showed by the persecution he placed on the Church

Until one day on the road to Damascus

Jesus himself appeared to saul

It changed his life forever

https://youtu.be/-ha1MmR9m1U

Matthew 10:28-33 (All verses in NKJV)

- Matthew 10:28-33, And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. 

- Jesus is sending out his 12 Disciples to all the cities and villages to heal the sick, cast out demons, and preach the gospel. They are to declare to the Jews that “the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

- He has told them they will face persecution and people will betray them. They will be kicked out of the synagogues and may even be arrested, but Jesus says to them…

- Matthew 10:22, And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.

1. There is a fate worse than death.

- Matthew 10:28, And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 

- Hell: The word being used here is the Greek “Gehenna”, which originally referred to a valley outside of Jerusalem where some of the Kings of Judah worshipped idols, and sacrificed their own children by fire to the Canaanite god Molech.

- It was considered cursed, and was renamed “the Valley of Slaughter” before it was eventually destroyed by King Josiah. 

- Judah was exiled to Babylon for 70 years, and upon their return, the Valley of Slaughter was re-purposed from a place of infanticide to an ever-burning rubbish heap. It became a place where corpses of criminals, dead animals, and all types of waste were thrown to be destroyed.

- The Gehenna Valley was now a place of burning sewage, burning flesh, and maggot infested garbage. Utterly filthy, disgusting, the smell was sickening and the smoke burned their eyes.

- This is the image Jesus used here as a depiction of hell, and eternal separation from God.

- “Do not fear man” because the worst they can do is kill you. Can we even understand a concern like that within the context of our culture? Death!?

- Example: When I joined the USMC, I had no reason to fear death on the battlefield. It was possible but seemed highly unlikely. That is a totally different story than post 9/11.

- Example: India 2019: Hostile to Christians, describe trip, splitting up the team, preaching in the tea gardens and outskirts, hearing their stories: Pastor kidnapped and hung from rafters of his church, prominent family dragged out of their house and beaten to death…

- There are many places your Christian faith can get you killed. Pray for them! 10:40am

- Romans 8:31-39, What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution,