Matthew 10:32

CONFESSING CHRIST. -- Matthew 10:32-42.

GOLDEN TEXT. -- Whosoever, therefore, shall confess me before men, him will. also confess before my Father which is in heaven. -- Matthew 10:32. TIME. -A. D. 28. Immediately after the first commission to the apostles. PLACE. --Somewhere near the sea of Galilee. HELPFUL READINGS. -- Matthew 16:13-16; Acts 8:35-37; Romans 10:8-11; Mark 8:34-38; Luke 12:8-12; Matthew 10:9-31. LESSON ANALYSIS. --1. Confession of Christ; 2. Peace or. Sword; 3. Taking Up the Cross.

INTRODUCTION.

The Lord not only called the twelve disciples and educated them for an apostleship, but he appointed them and commissioned them to go forth and preach. In connection with the commission he gave. charge, and spoke. discourse. The present lesson is the concluding portion of that discourse. This portion of the discourse is peculiar to Matthew, though some of the sayings occur in the other gospels. As such trials and emergencies as are described did not occur on this first missionary journey of the apostles, some have supposed that the discourse belongs to. later period. But Matthew, himself an apostle, and present, would be most likely to record the whole discourse. The Twelve alone were prepared for so early. revelation about persecution.-- Schaff.

I. CONFESSION OF CHRIST.

32. Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men.

The Lord has pointed out in the preceding part of the discourse the hardships which will visit his disciples, the hate of the world and persecution. Then to encourage endurance he gives various grounds of encouragement.

1. The Master was called on to suffer and the disciple is not above the Master.

2. Every secret will be brought to light and all injustice visited upon his disciples will be made known.

3. Their enemies might kill the body but they could not destroy the soul.

4. The Father's watch-care would be over his disciples continually, and

5. The last and greatest motive to faithful endurance was that every one who confessed Christ before men he would confess before his Father in heaven.

To confess Christ does not mean to accept some particular creed, but to publicly acknowledge the Lord, and to live before men as his servant. It implies,

1.. confession of faith in him with the lips, such. confession as Peter made. Matthew 16:16, and the Eunuch, Acts 8:37. Paul describes this confession in Romans 10:10 when he says: "With the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." It implies,

2. An acknowledgment of Christ by obedience and by giving the life to his service. Confession is. demonstration of faith,

(1) by public acknowledgment, and

(2) by an obedient life.. verbal acknowledgment of Christ is not enough if the life is. denial, for it then shows that the acknowledgment was. lie. The two must correspond.

Him will. confess.

Christ sitting on the throne of judgment promises to acknowledge as his own faithful brother, as one saved by his grace, every one who has thus acknowledged him before men. All who come out on this side and who remain true to him spite of temptation, trial and tribulation, will receive the eternal reward.