"Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven"
(Matthew 10:32-33 NKJV)

will we confess or deny Jesus?

These verses tell us something about Jesus, His Father, His disciples, and us.

1. If Jesus were not deity (God) this passage would be blasphemy. Imagine a mere man encouraging people to confess him as they would confess the Father in heaven! Who could escape the severest ridicule for such a claim? And yet, when Jesus says these things, it is perfectly natural and fitting. He was and is more than mere man.
2. Jesus promises to confess His confessors (people who confess Him) before His Father in heaven. After this life ends, and we stand before Him in judgment, what do we want Him to say about us? Our eternal destiny depends, in part, on our confession of the Lord while we live on earth. The greatest tragedy awaits those who will not confess Him.
3. In Matthew 10, the Lord is sending His disciples out to preach in this “limited commission” (as opposed to the greater commission in Matthew 28). They will be rejected, threatened, and persecuted. They will be tempted to remain silent about Jesus. Will they remain faithful? Surely these words gave them strength.
4. These verses force us to make a choice. No one can serve both the Lord and His enemies. Earthly enemies may oppose us (Matthew 10:34); the Lord alone can save us. Will we confess Him or deny Him? We determine the Lord’s verdict.

– Rick Duggin