Matthew 10 Jesus sends out the 12 apostles Part IX

All right guys Matthew chapter 10 we're moving right along so This is what part of me.

I don't know what part of the series wrong, but this is Matthew chapter 10 This is where Jesus calls and sends out his 12 apostles

Remember Matthew is not in order So some of these events took place before the

Sermon on the Mount actually But I just want to talk about the 12 apostles for a little bit and their ministry and Jesus's commissioning of them

So here we are. Let's Open God's Word and let's hear what he would have us to say.

This is Matthew chapter 10 starting in verse 1 And he called to him his 12 disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to cast them out and to heal disease and every affliction

This word right here is our Greek of the week ladies and gentlemen. Our Greek of the week is

Exousia you see it over here on the right side of your screen exousia and it means authority

So Jesus calls his 12 disciples 12 apostles and he gave them exousia on over the unclean

New motto under the unclean spirits to the PN right here like Numa like pneumatic drill the unclean spirits and He gave them authority to heal

There are paying like therapy to heal Fossum every disease and every affliction

And as you know M a L M a L Mu alpha lambda

M a L means bad in basically every language, right? So When we look at this and we and we look at the list he gives us of his 12 apostles

This list it can be found in all four Gospels and in Acts It's always the same list of the same 12 people and it's mostly in the same order

Peter is always first Then Judas is always last Now several of his disciples all go by more than one name.

So with reading Luke or John they may have different names Like Thaddeus, for example may have a different name

Simon may be called Peter sometimes because there's two Simons Simon the zealot and then

Simon Peter so it's easier to just call him Peter Judas the nickname for Judas is

Jude like one of Jesus's brothers was named Jude There are several men in the

New Testament named James. I just want to talk about three of them real quick Two of them are of the twelve.

We have James the Apostle the brother of John traditionally called James the greater He is the one that's killed by Herod in Acts chapter 12

Then we have James the Apostle the son of Alphaeus sometimes called James the lesser And it's hard to tell when he's called

James the lesser in Mark 15 Does that mean like a shorter one like little James or like younger or what does that mean?

We don't know We have James the half -brother of Jesus He's the one that wrote the book of James in the

Bible and he was an early church leader in Jerusalem So the two James's is mentioned here in Matthew 10 are not

Jesus's brother who wrote the book of James just keep that in mind a Little side note for those you caught up in a worldly idea of diversity

Everyone on planet Earth is fallen in Adam. So we all fall woefully short of the glory of God.

We're all on equal footing there Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. That's true, too but the idea of diversity being that we have to have a quota of Ethnicities or gender or whatever and every single thing we do is evil and that's evil

And I'd like to point out for those Christians who believe that's a good thing. Please note that Jesus is 12

Apostles were all straight Jewish men they were all the same ethnicity.

They were all of the same sexual orientation Guys, come on you you can't

Take worldly ideas and apply them to God. Otherwise, Jesus would not have been a very diverse person

Which he was in the sense that diversity is a good thing. Not what the world says it is So here it is exousia is our

Greek of the week you can see that here And it means the authority the right to rule control or power used a hundred and two times in the

New Testament We have another one You might call it lame but Yesus yesus

Hebrew Yeshua, but in Greek yesus, that is Jesus means Savior or Yahweh saves 917 times in the

New Testament as you might expect So God instructs his church how to handle spiritual warfare in 2nd

Corinthians 10 in Ephesians 6 and physical ailments in the church James chapter 5

So he tells us in James chapter 5 to bring them for the elders to have them anointed with oil to pray for them But Jesus gives special and unique authority to his twelve apostles to perform miraculous signs and wonders.

This was to authenticate his ministry Had begun But also to authenticate the twelve apostles for who after he was ascended into heaven in other words

There would be no question of who the leaders would be in the early church after Jesus left earth He gave the apostles the ability to perform signs and wonders.

So it would authenticate their ministry in the writing of the New Testament Think about the power struggle that would have ensued if Jesus never identified who the leaders were supposed to be after he left

How difficult would have been to respect the authority of those Jesus merely said were leaders but never gave them the opportunity to exhibit that authority or leadership

Good leaders develop their successors not simply choose them Jesus is developing his apostles and given them not the opportunity to lead and demonstrate their authority

While he's still on earth not simply choose them and leave them to their own devices Leaders out there.

You should develop your replacement The magnitude and prolific nature of the signs and wonders performed by the

Apostles Should be seen as unique to them in the church age 2nd Corinthians 12 12 the signs wonders of an apostle

So when we look at Jesus's commission of them, this is their first mission trip there are other mission trips, but this is their first mission trip and he sends them out two by two in the different towns and He also goes and preaches and teaches in those same towns.

Keep a close eye on them We don't know how long this mission trip lasted this local mission trip but it seems to have lasted a couple weeks when you read the

The other accounts the parallel accounts in the Bible seemed to have lasted not super long maybe a couple weeks, but we don't know for sure and They were supposed to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel So this first mission trip was not for the whole world.

That's first mission trip was specifically for Jewish people because God promised The gospel would first be revealed to them

That's what Romans 1 16 says for I'm not ashamed of the gospel Christ was the power of God's salvation to all who believe

First to the Jew then to the Gentile it was always through you all nations on the earth will be blessed

First to the Jew also to the Gentile always that's how it's gonna be a Few notes about the

Old Covenant and the New Covenant that may help you So a comparison or maybe you should say a

Way of thinking of the Old Covenant and New Covenant and seeing their parallels God chose a people to enter a covenant with Israel in the

Old Covenant the elect and the new God chose a mediator of that covenant between the groups and the

Old Covenant was Moses and the New Covenant is Jesus not in the same way God inaugurated both covenants with blood and the

Old Covenant was with animals and the New Covenant is with Jesus You can read about this in Hebrews chapter 9 God gave documents for each covenant through writers that he chose

The documents explained the covenants and how each side of the covenant God and his people would keep their end

Old Testament New Testament Then God gave principal writers and figures in those covenant documents the ability to perform various signs wonders and miracles to Authenticate they were actually sent by God himself

Old Testament prophets New Testament apostles God would fill each covenant by his appearing on earth the incarnation fulfillment of the old

Christ returns the fulfillment of the new Jesus gives instructions to the apostles

Not to acquire a bunch of money while they go out to take nothing But what they have to to to not go and acquire a bunch of new stuff that whatever they need will be provided to them they can take gifts, but they should not seek gifts from people when they go into houses and If you know in verse 11 it says this in whatever town or village you enter find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart as You enter the house greet it and if the house is worthy let your peace come upon it

But if it's not worthy let your peace return to it And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words

Shake the dust from your feet when you leave the house or town true last day to you will be more bearable on the day

Of judgment in the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than it will be for that town The more revelation someone receives the more responsible they are to respond to that revelation in submission to God In verse 15 shows us a common theme with this

This necessarily implies that harsher judgments are in hell and greater rewards are in heaven we've talked about this before We don't know what those harsher judgments look like But trying to imagine what is more severe than the baseline judgment of eternal hellfire and internal darkness truly terrifies the soul

Verse 16 Often quoted verse I quote it all the time. Let me give you some practical application for verse 16.

Excuse me. Okay, anyway

Some practical application for verse 16 Behold I'm sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.

So be wise as serpents and innocent as doves be wise as serpents and innocent as doves

Notice for animals are mentioned here And there's a reason Joseph Jesus chose these four

We noted before when Jesus talked about wolves dressed in sheep's clothing those false teachers

Our shepherd is sending his own sheet out His own sheet his own sheep out whose chief predator is wolves.

Some of whom are actually dressed as sheep Now what I want to talk about is be as wise as servant as innocent as doves is this

We are to when possible be at peace with all people snakes for the most part hide their strength their ferocity their venom and It only comes out when they feel that they are in a situation where they actually have to use it

On the outside there is harmless as does but on the inside they are as dangerous. They are very dangerous

We are to be Wise as serpents, but as harmless as a dove So in other words, we are not to be naive in the world

We're to be kind. Yes, we're to be gentle. Yes, but not naive to the forces of darkness

So on the outside almost as though but on the inside we're also wise as serpents. That's what

Jesus is telling his disciples here So this one -time mission lasted for a few days maybe a little longer

But Jesus then in verse 16 through 25 Gives out more general advice and instruction to the whole future ministry of his

Apostles and how they will experience it when he's gone So this short mission trip is good practice for a lifelong mission.

You're going to live Let's look at a few things that Jesus advises disciples on for their long -term ministry

First off unbelievers will hate you and even convict you for living as a Christian Verse 19 if you note says

Don't be anxious about how you speak or what you are to say for it will be given to you in that hour That's not an excuse not to prepare for witnessing preaching and teaching but a promise of strength endurance and courage to God's children.

I Want to go back here to this side. I want to look at verse 19 together. Oh verse 21

Here we go Brother will deliver over brother. See we've moved on from the short mission trip to the future after Jesus leaves

Brother Adelphos will deliver brother over death father his child children rise against parents and have them put to death

You'll be hated by all for my name's sake, but the one who endures to the end will be saved the gospel divides the gospel divides

The gospel is foolishness to those who are perishing but it's God's power to those who are being saved

It divides we should though impossible live at peace with all men, but never compromise the gospel just to appease others

We don't have to be secret sensitive. We preach God's truth and trust it to do

What will happen? To do what it's going to do and it won't return void.

It will either be light for salvation or just region reason for judgment

All right now check out verse 23 when they persecute you in one town

Flee to the next for truly I say to you you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the

Son of Man comes This verse has tripped up many people like okay

What does this mean? They will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes If the phrase

Son of Man comes refers to a second coming which I think it does Then what does it mean they will not have gone through all the towns of Israel Israel's not that big

Well, I think it the answer lies with this phrase gone through if you look over here in the

Greek lecite lecite or Sometimes to tell us die to tell us die

And it means to have finished for the design to have been finished.

That's what that word means It's Yes, you see over there on the right to finish

To complete to perform to carry out you should see that over here on the right side of your screen So you will not have finished

With all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes completed your work In other words if the persecuting in one town don't sit there and purposely try to become a martyr flee to the next

Because you will not have finished converted Christianized gone through and Had everyone convert before I come back.

In other words, you'll get another chance Hey since they persecute me they'll be persecuting you too

Don't think like that and if they called the master of the house basil will you remember that from from before?

They've already called him that how much more will they malign those of his household? So have no fear of them for nothing is covered that will not be revealed or hidden that will not be known

What I tell you my dark same alike what you hear whispered proclaim on the housetops Don't fear those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul

Rather fear him who can destroy both body and soul in hell Please note that God here is claiming sovereignty over body and soul and he destroys.

I know sometimes we say things like God doesn't send anyone to hell

Well, he does he destroys both body and soul in hell. He doesn't do it with a smile on his face, but he does and I love this passage

Are not to spare are sold for a penny and not one of them will fall to the ground. I eat die Apart from your father, but even the hairs on your head are all number in other words, not like I know the number of hairs

They're all each individual number Fear not therefore for you are more value than many sparrows

Love that passage So everyone who acknowledges me for men on knowledge for my father who's in heaven and everyone who denies me before men

I will also deny before my father who's in heaven Again, the gospel divides Jesus goes to this talking about how the gospel divides

But but I think this part's key Whoever receives you receives me and whoever receives me receives him who sent this is clear in the

Bible Remember about how important is to serve each other guys not just listen to a sermon online

But actually serve each other when Paul it or Saul is persecuting Christians. Jesus asked him

Saul Saul Why are you persecuting me? When Jesus says blessed are you to those in heaven when

I was hungry? I was thirsty you gave me drink and they say when did we do that? We weren't even alive when you were on earth

He says if you've done it for each other you've done it for me The world will know you're my disciples by the way, you love each other

That's how important Christian service to each other is whoever receives you is like receiving me

And I know I kind of went through that last part kind of fast, but I'd like you to dwell, please on verses 29 through 33

Such a beautiful passage Not one sparrow two of them are sold for a penny worth half a penny if you want to think of in that terms

Dies without your father's consent So don't fear because we're worth more than many sparrows

God cares for all his creation But humans above the rest if he cares for sparrows that much a meaningless bird how much more for me and you

That is Matthew chapter 10 ladies and gentlemen. I hope this is of some benefit to y 'all.

I Offer this is just my computer and my Bible in front of me, you know little accordance

Bible software app. Yeah, I Don't have a fancy studio, but I really appreciate doing this and I hope it's of some blessing to you

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