Never Be Ashamed of Jesus

* Missions Update:  Before I get started I want to provide you a quick update on the Haiti missions trip.  The team made it safely to Haiti on Saturday.  They had a great day ministering yesterday.  It really touched me that Isabella ministered to a young girl who thought she was ugly and said she looked like a monkey.  The Lord used Isabella to help the young girl see herself as beautiful – seeing herself the way God sees her.  Here is a link to some of the pictures from the trip thus far:  https://goo.gl/photos/jbTQmzDz7yeXHMtS6.

Now let’s get to the Word.

(Read Matthew 10:32-33)

This morning we continue our series, “Grace that is Simply Amazing” by continuing our mini-series entitled, “Grace Based Success (Prosperity)”.  We have been studying the life of the Apostle Peter.  Our study has brought us to Matthew 10.  Today we will look at verses 32 and 33.  

When Jesus sent His disciples out to perform ministry, He knew they would face staunch opposition, just like He had, but He expected them to press through the opposition.  Jesus expected His disciples represent Him and share the gospel message in spite of the hostility towards it.  Jesus was so strong in His belief that His disciples should not buckle under the pressure that He said, “If you stand before others and are willing to say you believe in me, then I will tell my Father in heaven that you belong to me.  But if you stand before others and say you do not believe in me, then I will tell my Father in heaven that you do not belong to me.”  That was a very strong statement, and it is something we should certainly consider today.

So what does this mean to you today?  Let’s get into it.

1.  What Jesus was preaching was not popular.  He was up against opposition daily, especially from the religious elite.  So when Jesus sent His disciples out to preach the same gospel He was preaching and to minister the power of God as He had been doing, He knew they would face opposition.  But He expected them to claim their allegiance to Him and the Father in spite of it.  Guess what?  Jesus expects the same of us today.

2.  We live in a society where the moral fabric is falling apart and the moral compass is going haywire.  The pressure is on followers of Jesus to accept the ways of the world and to be ‘politically correct’.  When you feel this pressure, please remember Jesus’ words.  He said, “If you stand before others and are willing to say you believe in me, then I will tell my Father in heaven that you belong to me.  But if you stand before others and say you do not believe in me, then I will tell my Father in heaven that you do not belong to me.”

3.  God wants you to prosper, He wants you to be successful at work, at home, and in every area of your life.  But as you pursue success in life, don’t forget that you will never find it outside of Jesus.  If you lose Jesus in pursuit of success, you have lost it all.

4.  True success is found in your relationship with Christ and for your relationship to be strong, you must be willing to represent Him daily.

5.  Never deny the Christ who saved you.  Never deny the God who changed you.  Stand for God and He will stand for you!

6.  If you allow pressure from the world to cause you to deny Jesus, you may enjoy earthly acceptance for the moment, but in the long run your life will fall apart.

7.  Never be ashamed of the God who saved you like a brand from the burning.  The name “Jesus” may not be popular today, but winning a popularity contest won’t help you when you are standing before God giving account of your life.

Closing Confession:   Father, I thank You for teaching me about Your grace and my requirement to live by faith.  I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation.  I am not ashamed of my relationship with You.  I am not ashamed of what I believe.  I believe You, I stand on Your Word (even when it is not popular), and I live by Your standard.  I refuse to allow pressure from this world to cause me to call wrong, right.  I don’t bow down.  I don’t buckle under the pressure.  I stand for You and You stand for me.  I am a child of the Most High God.  I am a follower of Jesus.  I believe the Bible.  I live by every Word that proceeds from Your mouth.  And I am not ashamed to say it, believe it, live it, or personify it.  Father, I will never deny You and I know You will never deny me.  I declare this by faith.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.
This is Today’s Word!  Apply it and Prosper.