Let's Not Be Silent About the Gospel

Every Sunday we are commissioned out from this building with the words of Jesus, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, therefore, Go and make disciples.” What a blessing it is to be reminded of our calling as Christ’s people — to represent Jesus, speak of Jesus, welcome others to Jesus.

But there’s a cost to this calling. There’s a cost to taking those words of Jesus, “Go and make disciples” seriously.

• This world does not like being told they are in need of a savior.

• Nor does it like being told Jesus is the only way to be saved.

Romans 1-2 says they are already reminded of the fact that they are accountable to God every single day simply due to the fact that they live in God’s world. So when you go out of your way to remind them of the very One whom they’ve been trying this whole time to ignore, they won’t like it.

Jesus says as much before his sends his 12 disciples out on mission in Matthew 10. Their task, like ours, is simple — declare the good news of the kingdom. Simple, but costly. They would go on their task as sheep amongst wolves. Hated by all for his name’s sake, delivered over to courts, flogged in synagogues, and dragged before governors all because of their choosing to preach the good news about Him. That’s the cost.

For us, speaking about Jesus will likewise prove costly, in different ways. Awkward stares from co-workers, judgmental stares from neighbors, ridicule from the general public. This is the cost that’s often forefront of our minds when an opportunity to share about Jesus comes our way. Our first thought in our heads is not “What will they do to me?” but “What will they think of me…if I speak about Him?”

In Matthew 10, Jesus acknowledges the costs of speaking about Him. But he also acknowledges a far graver cost. The cost of neglecting to speak about him. He states, “So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.”

Whoever denies me before men (before co-workers, next door neighbors, college buddies, members of your own family)… I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.”

Jesus’ words are intensely clear. You regularly, repeatedly deny me in this world. You, over and over again, remain contentedly silent about your knowledge of Jesus, love for Jesus, worship of Jesus in this world — you will pay a far greater cost than mere hatred from the world.

“Whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.“

Is that not the cost we should be fearing? Or are we really more willing to deny our savior than we are to bite the bullet of disapproval from a world that is fickle and temporary? The cost of speaking about Jesus is costly, but not as costly as contented silence about him. To remain silent about such a savior, to hone the habit of closing our mouths every time we might bring Jesus up in conversation — What a costly silence? And yet, it’s this very sin of silence we are all so guilty of committing.

It’s for this very sin, and so many others we’ve committed this week, that we come now, before our savior, in silent, humbled confession.