Matthew 10:32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
Oh Friends, I know them, and so do you; the closet Christians! Yes people, there are some of us, even one is too many, who only practice Christianity behind closed doors. They spiel a lot in private, or amongst their Christian associates, but when it comes time to come out of the closet and face the music, taking it to the streets in public, they’re either nowhere to be found, or go into their silent routine. When a call comes for all Christians to raise their hands or stand up and be counted, they won’t be numbered amongst those saying, ‘Yeah! I am a follower of Jesus!’ Oh people, as one scholar claims, ‘confess me’ means ‘Acknowledge that you belong to me.’ For it’s a practical impossibility to be a disciple in secret, except in those societies where it’s prohibited, and open admittance leads to unnecessary persecution. Jesus specifically states, ‘confess me before men.’ That means if we want to be His followers, then we should be proud and brave enough to stand up in public and admit it. Chapter 10 of Matthew is where Jesus chooses His disciples, and He’s laying down the ground rules for them; telling them about the rough ride they’ll face if they witness in His Name, but also the great rewards that will be theirs at the end. It must have taken a lot of faith and bravery on the part of those uneducated men to accept the terms of Jesus, especially since He did not have much earthly goods to offer as enticement. But even before Jesus came, Bruh David was man enough to say; ‘I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed.’ (Ps.119:46) Oh Friends, we don’t have to march down the street with a big, ‘I am a Christian’ sign on our chests and backs. Although, come to think of it, that might just be an interesting experiment (smile) But if asked, we must be proud and brave enough to shout out ‘Yes!’ or bravely acknowledge it in whatever form or fashion is appropriate. But acknowledge it before men, we must, if we’re serious about following Christ. If we do that, then Jesus promises to also confess us before His Father in heaven. Luke puts it this way: ‘Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God.’ (Luke 12:8) Wow people! Wouldn’t it be wonderful to see Jesus get up before the whole congregation of heaven and hear him call out your name as a good and faithful servant? It’s possibly the best reward we can achieve. By the same token, Jesus said, ‘But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.’ (Mat.10:33) Now Friends, that wouldn’t be a very nice thing to have happen to us, is it? How will we feel, if we approach Jesus at the pearly gates, and He says, ‘Get thee behind me satan!’ Shocked at that rebuke, we’ll blurt out some inane response. But then Jesus will remind us of the many times we denied His Name, didn’t acknowledge Him before men as being the prime mover and shaker in our lives. We’ll try to argue, but it’ll be too late then Friends. We’ll just have to bow our heads in shame and walk away forlorn, to eternal damnation. ‘But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.’ (Luke 12:9) Oh Friends, please don’t let that happen to us. And we’re not talking of one, single denial here, like Peter, but a constant, lifelong resistance to acknowledge Christ. That obviously bars us from ever being a true follower. And as I keep saying, Christianity is more a verb than a noun; it does something; it’s an action statement. So Friends, please, be proud to confess him, let people know to whom we belong and what we stand for, by getting out there and acting, doing something worthwhile in the Holy Name of Jesus. That’s a Christian’s job! Much LOVE!…stand up, stand up for Jesus…the trumpet calls obey…
Oh Friends, I know them, and so do you; the closet Christians! Yes people, there are some of us, even one is too many, who only practice Christianity behind closed doors. They spiel a lot in private, or amongst their Christian associates, but when it comes time to come out of the closet and face the music, taking it to the streets in public, they’re either nowhere to be found, or go into their silent routine. When a call comes for all Christians to raise their hands or stand up and be counted, they won’t be numbered amongst those saying, ‘Yeah! I am a follower of Jesus!’ Oh people, as one scholar claims, ‘confess me’ means ‘Acknowledge that you belong to me.’ For it’s a practical impossibility to be a disciple in secret, except in those societies where it’s prohibited, and open admittance leads to unnecessary persecution. Jesus specifically states, ‘confess me before men.’ That means if we want to be His followers, then we should be proud and brave enough to stand up in public and admit it. Chapter 10 of Matthew is where Jesus chooses His disciples, and He’s laying down the ground rules for them; telling them about the rough ride they’ll face if they witness in His Name, but also the great rewards that will be theirs at the end. It must have taken a lot of faith and bravery on the part of those uneducated men to accept the terms of Jesus, especially since He did not have much earthly goods to offer as enticement. But even before Jesus came, Bruh David was man enough to say; ‘I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed.’ (Ps.119:46) Oh Friends, we don’t have to march down the street with a big, ‘I am a Christian’ sign on our chests and backs. Although, come to think of it, that might just be an interesting experiment (smile) But if asked, we must be proud and brave enough to shout out ‘Yes!’ or bravely acknowledge it in whatever form or fashion is appropriate. But acknowledge it before men, we must, if we’re serious about following Christ. If we do that, then Jesus promises to also confess us before His Father in heaven. Luke puts it this way: ‘Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God.’ (Luke 12:8) Wow people! Wouldn’t it be wonderful to see Jesus get up before the whole congregation of heaven and hear him call out your name as a good and faithful servant? It’s possibly the best reward we can achieve. By the same token, Jesus said, ‘But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.’ (Mat.10:33) Now Friends, that wouldn’t be a very nice thing to have happen to us, is it? How will we feel, if we approach Jesus at the pearly gates, and He says, ‘Get thee behind me satan!’ Shocked at that rebuke, we’ll blurt out some inane response. But then Jesus will remind us of the many times we denied His Name, didn’t acknowledge Him before men as being the prime mover and shaker in our lives. We’ll try to argue, but it’ll be too late then Friends. We’ll just have to bow our heads in shame and walk away forlorn, to eternal damnation. ‘But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.’ (Luke 12:9) Oh Friends, please don’t let that happen to us. And we’re not talking of one, single denial here, like Peter, but a constant, lifelong resistance to acknowledge Christ. That obviously bars us from ever being a true follower. And as I keep saying, Christianity is more a verb than a noun; it does something; it’s an action statement. So Friends, please, be proud to confess him, let people know to whom we belong and what we stand for, by getting out there and acting, doing something worthwhile in the Holy Name of Jesus. That’s a Christian’s job! Much LOVE!…stand up, stand up for Jesus…the trumpet calls obey…
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