Enemies of Your Household
Text—Matt. 10: 34-37
Intro.
A. Prince of Peace and a sword? –vs. 34
1. People don’t want to hear that about Jesus
a. Isa.
9: 6, “For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
b. Hear about the love of Jesus, etc. etc.
2. Why is Jesus dividing?
a. Dividing Truth from Error
b. Dividing Disciples from False Prophets
c. Dividing Sheep from Goats
B. Household of Division
1. Family members at odds with each other
2. Religion divides some.
a. Co-worker
b. One side Catholic, other side Mormon
c. Stuck in the middle
A. Some OT Examples
1. Cain and Abel—Gen. 4: 3-5
a. Division of belief
b. Jealousy—vs. 8
2. Abram left Father and family—Gen. 12: 1-3
a. Terah—father, Nahor & Haran—Sons
b. Worshipped other gods—Josh. 24: 2
3. Isaac and Ishmael—Gen. 17: 16-21
B. Some NT Examples
1. Jesus and his family—Matt. 12: 46-49
a. Jesus had a mother and siblings
b. But they weren’t with him when he taught.
c. Those who are together for worship are family.
2. Blind Man—Jn. 9: 9-21
a. Receives sight—vs. 9-11
b. Encounters Pharisees—vs. 13-17
c. Inquired of parents—vs. 20-21
d. Division of beliefs—vs. 22
e. Man cast out—vs. 34
f. Parent more concerned about synagogue than son.
A. Paul to Ephesians in Miletus—Acts 20: 17
1. Taught them everything—Acts 20: 26-27
2. Warning—vs. 28-30
B. Paul to Corinth—1 Cor. 1, 3
1. Paul’s letter in 1 Corinthians discusses divisions
a. 1 Cor. 1: 11-13
b. 1 Cor. 3: 3-5
C. Paul to Timothy—2 Tim. 4: 1-5
1. Urged to continue—vs. 1-2
2. Warning—3-4
3. Keep the faith—vs. 5
A. Atheists—Lk. 14: 26
B. Secret Disciples
1. Nicodemus—
a. Jn. 3—God be with him
b. Council—7: 45-52
c. Body of Christ—19: 39-40
2. Joseph of Arimathea
a. Council Member—Mk. 15: 43
b. Disciple—Matt. 27: 57
C. Apostles in Acts
1. Peter and John—Acts 4
a. Arrested—vs. 1-3
b. Before Sanhedrin—vs. 7-10
c. Forbid Jesus—vs. 17-20
2. Paul
a. After conversion—
i. Preaches Christ—Acts 9: 20-21
ii. Escapes Death—Acts 9: 23-25
b. Before Felix—
i. Acts 24: 17-21
ii. Bribe—vs. 25-27
D. Christians Today
1. Robertson Family (Duck Dynasty)
a. Phil—Public Enemy #1
b. 1 Cor. 6: 9-10
c. Sandra Bernhard comment (Barbara Walters)
“I don’t know how much lower we can go when you see Barbara Walters sitting with those toothless morons,” Bernhard told the New York Daily News. “Why should we even know about them? Why should we be intrigued by them? I’m not sure where we are headed.”
Newsbusters.org Tim Graham, Dec. 27, 2013
2. Debates are not PC!
a. Thing of the past.
b. No one wants to discuss differences.
c. You believe…I’ll believe.
A. Don’t lose Faith!!
1. God’s on your side—Rom. 8: 31
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”
2. Although alone, continue to stand—Eph. 6: 13
“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
3. Stay on the path—Matt. 7: 14
“Because narrow is the
gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there
are few who find
it.”
4. Set your mind above—Col. 3: 1-3
“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
5. Men are mortal—Ps. 56: 11
“In God I have put my trust;
I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?”
B. Turn to your Spiritual Family
1. Alone in Family, turn to church—Matt. 12: 48-49
“But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers!”
2. Buddy System—Gal. 6: 1-2
“Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
3. Remember your home in Heaven—
a. Phil. 3: 20, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
b. Heb. 12: 28, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.”
C. Stick to the Scriptures
1. Tossed to and fro—Eph. 4: 13-15, “till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ.”
2. Study—2 Tim. 2: 15, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
3. Exercise—Heb. 5: 14, “But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
4. Test all things—1 Jn. 4: 1, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
Micah 7: 5-7