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Don Filcek; Matthew 10:1-15 Jesus Came to Call and Send
We've been going through the book of Matthew. I'm doing this Advent season Advent. Have you heard that word Advent before we a lot of more traditional churches celebrate? What's called Advent anybody going through an Advent calendar with your family right now or something similar to that where you open a little little?
You know box or something and read some stuff or do different things each day kind of in Preparation for Christmastime. Advent means coming that's simply what it means. The coming and it's the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
So that's what we're celebrating. So we think about that and we've moved from the book of Acts into the book of Matthew just for a period of time to Look at the things that Jesus Christ did that we can then in turn know his purpose.
Why did he come to earth now? The interesting thing is if you think about Jesus Christ, he's very different than us. Would you agree with that very different from us and in many different ways? But one of the primary ways that he's different from us is that he came to earth.
Now now how many of you came to earth. Like what like with purpose like you decided one day, you know what? I think I'll go to earth and become a human. Like did you have a choice in the matter? Like isn't that a little bit different so that when we look at the things that Jesus did and we look at his life.
We're actually seeing something of the the desire of God in the way that he was setting forth redemption buying us back. Reconciling us to God and we see something about God in the life of Jesus Christ in What he had planned from eternity past to come down and be one of us and to reconcile us and to fix this sin problem.
That we have kind of an awesome thing really when you think about it. And so as we look in the book of Matthew, that's what we're doing. We've been taking this and seeing that Jesus came to show us mercy a couple of weeks ago and then last week that Jesus came to show us compassion and He has he has come to do different things.
Last week we saw that there was kind of a problem that was set up in the text. It says that Jesus looked out on the crowds that were gathered around him and he had compassion on them. Because they they were harassed and helpless some really really rough words.
They were like sheep without a shepherd. He told his disciples to then earnestly pray. Because the harvest was plentiful, but the workers were few. There was this harvest and he was looking out on humanity and saying they're broken.
They're messed up. Anybody here willing to say? Yeah, I've experienced some of that. Little bit of brokenness a little bit of messed up and Jesus came to bring compassion into that situation. He says Jesus said to his followers pray that more would go out because Humanity is ripe for harvest ripe for healing right for correcting.
What is broken? So praying was part of the solution, but this week he also empowers his followers to carry forward his kingdom. Through works of mercy and compassion and we're going to see particularly his 12 followers going out in the region of Galilee.
Commissioned with the power of Jesus Christ to do ministry. That what we're gonna see here and sometimes the text leads us to do something I'm gonna you're walked away from a church service feeling you can need to do something different.
But sometimes the text leads us to be something different or to think in a different way. Particularly about God and what I want to zero in on and focus on this morning. Is that God is a God who sends?
That's in his character. He's a sending God. Who sent his son to come into the world with us and then in turn his son is sending us? Out and we should look at our lives as a continuation of the ministry of Jesus Christ as his followers.
That's what we're gonna see him do in this text is send because he is ascending God. The mission that we're looking at happened in a historical and geographical setting. So we will see as we read this text here in just a moment that Jesus makes some specific Requirements of his followers and we need to understand those in the context.
But the main point we will see is that our God is a God that's on a mission and he shares that mission with us as.
His followers.
He entrusts us with his work. Anybody think that's pretty cool that he trusts us with his ministry moving forward and so the challenge for us this morning is to honestly consider if we are in a place where we see our lives as a Continuation of the ministry of Jesus.
So I want you to open your Bibles, please to Matthew 10. And we're gonna be reading the first 15 verses of Matthew 10 page 694 in the Bible that's in the seat back in front of you six nine four and I say this often.
But if you don't own a Bible, we want you to take that Bible with you. We want everybody here to own a copy of the scriptures that they can read on their own and study to know him better. Well follow along as I read Matthew 10 1 through 15 and He Jesus called to him his 12 disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits.
To cast them out to heal every disease and every affliction. The names of the 12 Apostles are these first Simon who has called Peter and Andrew his brother James the son of Zebedee and John his brother Philip and Bartholomew Thomas and Matthew the tax collector James the son of Alphaeus and Thaddeus Simon the Canaanite and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.
These twelve these twelve Jesus sent out instructing them go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and proclaim as you go saying the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Heal the sick raise the dead cleanse lepers cast out demons you received without paying give without pay. Acquire, no gold nor silver nor copper for your belts no bag for your journey nor two tunics nor sandals nor staff for the laborer deserves his food and 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 is not worthy Let your peace return to you and if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words shake off the dust from your feet.
When you leave that house or town truly I say to you It would be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town. Let's pray father I praise you as we contemplate and consider the coming of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ His incarnation and Then the ministry and the work that he came to accomplish and that he then sends us out with the same message with the same ministry and Father as we work through this text.
I Asked that you would show us our deep need for you. Our deep need to see ourselves connected to you in a way that you are moving through us and working through us to continue this ministry. Father it would be easy for us to walk away hearing a bunch of things that we need to do differently and yet father I know that you desire to change us from the inside out not from us trying to conform to a set of Standards or rules or laws or trying to act a certain way?
But father that our hearts would be engaged in this ministry and father that you would be transforming us by the word as we hear it in our inner as it comes into our ears and then into our brains and as We we move that around and eventually Live it father I pray that you would transform us by the hearing of your word by the believing of your word and then by the doing of your word Father go before us in worship.
Even now as the band leads us that we would Rejoice in the salvation that we have through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ sacrifice on the cross. Yes, but also Sacrifice in the incarnation of his coming his advent his coming here to earth.
Father let our hearts rejoice and be in our praise this morning. I ask in Jesus name. Amen. What we see in our text this morning is we see that in response to his great compassion for the crowds Jesus is going to call us 12 disciples to step up to some action and to actually do some stuff.
What we're looking at in our text right off the bat is like a 13-man huddle. Which we know is going to get flagged every time right you're not gonna that's not gonna work for you. But in this case it does and Jesus is gonna give the 12 authority.
It says in the text He gave authority to them and tied to the notion of authority is the notion of power. And we're gonna see him give them some significant power. They come on me when when you you heard that you heard me read the text.
And just to remind you we're in Acts 10 in case you walked in somewhere after I read the text Acts 10 1 through 15 Matthew. Thank you, everybody. Thank you, okay, should I just start over again here?
Okay.
Yeah, hi. Welcome everybody. Matthew 10 1 through 15 page 694 heads in the Bible and sit back in front of you, but that's where we're at. Where was I going with all that? Well, so I did the notion of this is that he gives.
He gives power along with that authority and he's gonna do some amazing stuff. And I said what I was gonna say is you've already read it. You heard what the text is and you're gonna see him commission his followers to go out and do some amazing stuff.
How many you'd sign up for that kind of power like raise the dead kind of power? Like heal lepers kind of power like that. That would be pretty awesome. I would I would love that and we're gonna talk about where we're at in that because like.
Doesn't it kind of seem like he's commissioning his followers to do that should we be going out and doing that? We'll get there here in the text in just a moment. But he's giving them power to do stuff really cool stuff so look at verse 1 with me and consider these things that Jesus is giving them authority or power to do and.
Then consider what this says about who Jesus was. Look at verse 1 and he called that and called to him his 12 disciples. I gave them authority over unclean spirits to cast them out and to heal every disease and every affliction.
And then we're going to hear about raising the dead and things like that here a little bit later. What does that say about Jesus's power about his authority. Okay, it's not just that Jesus possesses the power and authority in himself to be able to do these things.
How many of you know if you read the Gospels you read Matthew Mark Luke and John. Jesus did some cool stuff. Okay, anybody you're aware of those those miracles. We talked about some of them healing blind people casting demons out making people talk who couldn't who had never talked before.
Healing legs that were paralyzed just doing amazing things. But it's not just that he had the power to do that himself, but he actually had the power to confer that on others. But do you see what I'm saying to give something to someone else implies that you own it, right?
Jesus owns this power. He owns this authority and he can't give it at will. Now has that changed? Has that ceased? Can God give somebody the ability to heal somebody today? Yeah. Can he heal? Paralyzed legs he can do that.
He can heal blind eyes. He can heal cancer. He can heal things and stuff and the bad things that happen in our lives. He can do that. So he has the power and he owns that power and he can confer that power.
In other words that power and authority was his to give at will. What is that? What does that say about who Jesus Christ is? He is God in flesh he possesses that power in and of himself by his nature.
He can do these things. Verses 2 through 4 are the first place in the book of Matthew that the 12 apostles are listed now many of you know their names. But I think we'd be all how many of you would admit you'd be hard-pressed to come out with all 12 names without the text.
In front of you think I mean, I know I mean I would be and I'm a pastor. So I have a degree from a Bible College and you know on and on. You um, you know just aren't gonna come up with those names immediately and I think that's part of the point.
The 12 are listed. And it's for a reason that he calls them the 12 disciples in verse 1. Look at your text. He calls him the 12 disciples in verse 1 and then by with the time we get to verse 2. He calls them the 12 what?
Apostles there's a difference between those two words. Disciple means I am a follower of someone. An apostle is a a.
Really.
Specific Greek word that means one who is sent out and There's a significance in the usage of that word for these 12 because they are in essence in our text becoming sent ones. They aren't apostles before this they're 12 disciples.
But Jesus is turning them into apostles ones who are sent out on a mission and that's what he's doing here. So even you even notice that there's significance in the word. Sometimes where you might not at first reading catch the difference that there's disciples in one and apostles in the other it matters.
And when we Study the text it's sometimes valuable for us to kind of meditate and think over and look at smaller chunks of scripture and get that on board and kind of think through it and meditate on it and consider and eventually you'll see Those things start to come to life.
So these guys are getting their Commission they're being sent. Other passages speak of them being sent out in twos and in Matthew here He literally preserves the teams. So we literally get in Matthew an opportunity to see who went out with who they're gonna Send it be sent out what's called two by two.
They actually go out in.
Pairs.
And that's what's gonna happen. And we actually see that in the way that Matthew records it we figure out that two sets of brothers went out together. To begin with Peter and Andrew were a team. The brothers James and John were a team.
Philip and Bart were a team. Thomas and Matthew and Matthew here is the author and he noticed what does he refer to himself as a Tax collector. He identifies himself as a broken individual in the text.
There's humility involved in that tax collectors were looked down on by Jews and yet he willfully identifies himself as a lowly Individual as one who had at one point sold out his countrymen to the occupying force and he identifies himself that way.
I think that's intriguing that he calls himself a tax collector in humility. James the son of Alphaeus and Thad were a team and then Simon drew the short the short straw and had to go out with Judas. Okay.
Now, I don't know if he looked at it that way at the time. But do you realize that implied in this text is that Judas is conveyed? Authority and power and he goes out and does miraculous things, too. You ever consider the position of Judas in the twelve that he saw the things that they saw.
He heard the teaching that they heard and yet many times we can look down our nose at Judas and be like wow. Dude, how could he have done that and yet? Can we see some semblance of or some of the aspects of Judas in ourselves where we can see and behold?
Miraculous things and see the glory of God and turn around and in a moment. Thumb our nose at God and go our own way and do our own thing. I don't need you for the next five minutes. God come back and talk to me in five or ten you ever been there and.
Yet Judas is here and he does miraculous things to the power of God and yet he has identified. Often there's a suffix and in his name if you go through and look at Judas. If you were to do a word study on Judas when his name appears it always is who betrayed him.
Something to the effect you don't see Judas's name without the mention of betrayal. How'd you love that to be your suffix at the end of your name? That's the way that it went for Judas. One observation about this list of guys.
They are the ones that are given power and authority. They are the Apostles. They are the sent ones by Jesus. Someone tell me something about James the son of Alphaeus. You know anything about him. He was the son of Alphaeus.
Thank you my wife. They're just right. She's a feel-sick. Yes. Know anything else? His first name was James and that's about it. He was an apostle he was a disciple. All right, here's one of the twelve.
There's some things we can say about him, but we don't know a lot, right? What about Thaddeus or Simon the zealot it says Canaanian the translation of the word Canaanian there is zealot. We do know something by that title about him, but we don't know anything about his personal history but he was a zealot that means that he was a.
To put him on one put him in the twelve and to put Matthew in the twelve is like Putting cats and dogs in the same cage nice tight cage. Matthew one who sold out his countrymen to the Romans. Simon the zealot one who was ready to kill anybody who sold his countrymen out to the Romans.
Zealot was a political term for somebody who was pro-jew anti-rome and ready to knife anybody in the back. At a moment's notice that zeal was for the nation of Israel and anti-rome. So isn't it interesting that God brings Jesus calls and brings people from disparate?
Very different portions of society together and we never see any disagreement between the two of them. Now that doesn't mean that there wasn't but we don't see it and it's not recorded for us. And I think there was significant disagreement.
There would be something there that would that would kind of point that out. But many of these men go forward in history and obscurity. Sure, there's some some Traditions some writings from the early church that show that these twelve and I think they're fairly historical because of how far back these stories date and The parchments that we have and the scrolls that we have that talk about these twelve all giving their lives for Jesus Christ.
So we do have pretty good assurance historically that it's fairly historically accurate that all 12 all 11 minus Judas. That 11 of them gave their lives up as martyrs in the cause of proclaiming the glory of Jesus Christ that he was Lord and Savior God in flesh.
But my point here is that these were not Superman. They were not rock stars. They were normal dudes that met Jesus were called by Jesus followed Jesus and were entrusted with his ministry moving forward.
My point is that God loves to use simple things. Is anybody here glad that God likes to use common simple everyday people? I am so grateful for that. They can use just common everyday people and so Jesus called them.
We see that in the text. He called these twelve to him. He entrusted them with his power and authority now in verse 5. He's gonna send them out on a local mission. We're gonna see a very hit a very.
Historical.
Geographical setting here. That's fairly important. And so before I launch into these instructions that he gives them because in the part of the sending he gives them instructions It's important that we understand that they're culturally driven instructions.
And I've heard I've read many commentaries this week that I fear get too carried away and I've heard messages that I think get too carried away on the little nitty-gritty details that Jesus gives to these guys and They have to make it like an analogy.
So where Jesus tells them an example of this Jesus tells him don't go get a walking stick. Well, what's a walking stick used for? Transportation so a follower of Jesus Christ shouldn't drive a nice car would be the the you know, do you see what I'm saying?
That would be the that would be the way some of these commentaries go as they just try to Pigeonhole every single detail in the instructions of Jesus and then bring it forward into our culture and say, okay.
Well because he wouldn't let him carry a walking stick with him in this situation and we shouldn't drive decent cars. That that you see where that could you could go off in error on that. Is that what Jesus meant by don't take a walking stick or we're looking at a specific Historical situation we need to ask ourselves.
Why does Jesus say don't take a walking stick? What's he getting at here? What's the point? Another example of this is the first thing Jesus tells them To not do is he says don't take the road to the Gentile lands now.
That's a literal translation of what you see there in verse.
5.
So verse 5 says in English Standard Version go nowhere among the Gentiles the word actually the phrase there has the word road in it. Don't take the road to the Gentiles now where they're standing when they're having this discussion is in the center of Galilee in Capernaum right off the coast of the Sea of Galilee and the interesting thing is He tells them don't go to Gentile.
Don't take the road to the Gentile lands and don't go to the Samaritans now. Does that mean that we shouldn't go to Gentile lands? Bummer because we're in one. Okay. This is not Israel. So we are in a Gentile in.
Anybody here a Gentile that means you're not a Jew. Anybody? Okay a handful of you. There's also a lot of Jews here. Apparently I did not know that I'm gonna definitely be preaching to a different audience now.
But most of us here are Gentiles and so that um, you know kind of how are you gonna follow that? Literally, do you see what I'm saying? I mean the interpretation of these things matter and we look at this and he says don't go to Gentile lands.
Well, we got to not go to Gentile lands. Oh, no. What are we gonna do? So something else is going on here. We got to figure out what's going on in the text. In fact the matters geography matters if you go north or east from Galilee from where he's giving them these Historical instructions to go north or to go east is to go to Gentile lands.
There's a primary road that leads north. You're gonna get out of Galilee and you're gonna go to everything else's Gentile go east. And from where they were talking to go east you'd have to get on a boat and they actually did that at one point.
But get on a boat head east across the lake and you're going to get to Gentile lands the east. The eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee is Gentile lands to go south from Galilee. Guess where you end up Samaria he told him don't go to Samaria.
So what is he in essence saying by this instruction? Hang out in Galilee. This is a local ministry. I'm calling you to I want you to hang out here in Galilee. By the way West you're gonna be with the fish because that's the western border is the Mediterranean Sea.
So in case you were wondering feeling like I'm leaving that out as an option. So yeah He's saying I want you to stay here. And by the way, there is a little bit of theological reason for this. He says I want you to go to Israel.
You see Israel was supposed to be looking for a Messiah, right? If they read the Old Testament correctly They were ready and they were the chosen tool that God was going to use to bless the nations. He had promised that to Abraham.
He had set down a covenant with them. Some of you are curious or confused about what the whole Old Testament is the whole Old Testament is God's working through history to bring about the Christ the Messiah and Showing us through the law that we can't do it on our own so that our hearts are Prepared for a Messiah to come to save us from our fallen broken.
We can't get up. We can't help ourselves. State does that make sense? So think about the Old Testament as one big case study about you can't do it on your own and God is working in human history to bring about redemption and reconciliation to God and he's gonna do that through one chosen Jew who's gonna be raised up and They were supposed to be waiting for him, right?
And so we look at this and he says go to the lost house the lost sheep of the house of Israel first. They are my chosen people. They are the ones through the conduit through which The nations are going to experience this and who were the missionaries in this early church?
Who were the ones who are going out and proclaiming and taking it eventually even to the Gentile lands who are the ones?
Jews.
The they were the conduit through which the gospel spread. Jews who came to believe that Jesus is the Messiah. Paul great example of that these 12 great example of that. Jews who come to understand Jesus is the Messiah.
He is the way. And then go out and proclaim it. Is that making sense? So do you see and why Jesus isn't saying I don't love Gentiles. Jesus isn't saying I don't love Samaritans. It's just not their time yet.
Let's start with the Jews. Let's start with those who have expectancy who are waiting for me to show up who are awaiting a kingdom. Let's proclaim that kingdom and then have them go out as sent ones to the Gentiles.
And we see that significantly in life of Paul. You've been many of you have been listening to my series on the book of Acts and Hearing about how God used a a prominent Jew to proclaim the good news to the Gentiles.
So hopefully that's making sense. Not that he is opposed to Gentiles. Praise God that Jesus is not opposed to Gentiles. I'm very grateful for that the phrase that starts verse 7 is an awesome command that I feel I feel comfortable just wholesale adopting.
That's straightforward and proclaim as you go. I Love that. This is what he tells them to do. He says proclaim as you go and I think you know. Obviously where he tacks on a little bit more to that proclaim as you go the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
I think our proclamation looks a little bit different than that. Just merely strictly that the kingdom of God is at hand is not not all of it to us. But I love that he says this. I would like to encourage all of us to proclaim the kingdom as you go as you move through life.
Proclaim and.
Even the word proclaim has significance. He doesn't say as you go argue. Right as you go debate. As you go prove everybody else wrong and you write. Is that what the text reads? What is our calling? What is what does he send out?
What does he specifically say? I want to reach this area. And so here's what I want you to do. Set up. Set up a building and ask people to come to it. Is that what he tells them to do? No, he says go out and proclaim and here is I'm gonna get on a soapbox for just a second here.
Proclamation requires.
Words.
Proclamation requires words. Did you guys know that how many of you knew that to proclaim something you need words to proclaim it? Because what happens and what's happened for I think the last 20 to 50 years in the church is that people are like this whole Friendship evangelism thing worked in and people were like, you know how I share the gospel in my workplace.
Do you know how I proclaim Christ? I do nice things for people and I work Really well at my job and do you know what people think of you when you do that? Think man, he's a good worker or man. She is so nice and so kind that's great and It rarely goes beyond that you guys agree with me on that.
Now. Should you do kind things for others? But the problem the problem with it is that we do one or the other right? How many of you know that part of that is a response to people who only spoke good things and didn't do good things.
Do you see that's an equal problem? If you're at your workplace and you talk the talk and you're like Holy roller this and Jesus and that and blessings and blah and all you do is do that and your life is junk.
Zip it Zip it stop.
Stop your defaming Christ by your lifestyle, but your words are even worse because it's heaping on. How do you know that people see through that like boom? Junk. I don't want to go. I don't want to go to church.
I don't want to be part of that.
Right.
Do you see how it's a balance? You see are you seeing what I'm saying? So proclamation requires some words though. So you can't just you're not doing evangelism if you're just being kind or you're doing your work 100 and you know, somebody's gonna come and say wow.
You're really good. I want to be more like you. And who are you lifting up? Who are you raising up?
Yourself.
Look at me. I'm good and people, you know what more more often than not what happens. Oh, he's just brown-nosing the boss or he's just doing this to get ahead or look at him. Mr Goody two-shoes or mrs. Goody two-shoes.
Do you see what I'm saying? You know that puts you behind. Rather than just saying I'm trying to do my best because I serve a king and I'm part of a kingdom. He's redeemed me and he saved me and granted you got to look for good opportunities to say those things because I've talked with you.
Multiple times here as a church about dropping the Jesus bomb. You know what? I'm talking about somebody's like telling you about the lot you're talking about the Lions game last week and they want to talk to you about a great reception that Calvin Johnson had and all of a sudden you're like and Jesus is awesome.
I know Dude back off. I don't know what you're talking about, but I need to go do something over there. Do you know what I'm saying? I mean I'm talking about just that that look to put Jesus in the awkward spot in the Conversation and the feeling like that sweat that's coming down and just do it naturally and look for opportunities.
How many of you know that if you love people and you love Jesus? There's gonna come times where there are natural opportunities to proclaim who he is. So it's a matter of looking for natural hooks in our culture.
And there's lots of them. But you need to be a student of the culture and you need to be a student of Christ and his word in order to make those hooks work. Do you know what I mean when I say hooks? It's like there's natural things in our culture that are begging for you like that conversation and when that person comes to you and says going through a nasty divorce.
You have those conversations from time to time. This is a real common thing in our culture right now. And if you are a trustworthy individual they'll eventually you're gonna have people talk with you about their heart and where they're coming from and those are Natural places to bring Christ into the situation and Christ can provide healing.
He might not save your marriage at this point. I don't know how far gone it is. But man, he can save your soul and he can give you wholeness you're gonna carry that junk from relationship to relationship to relationship until you get your heart right and you get this taken care of and The only way to get this taken care of is through Christ great opportunity to proclaim.
Not as awkward all of a sudden because they're sharing their heart with you. Well, that was my soapbox. That's not none of that's in my notes. So I got to figure out where I was here and get back to this.
What our message really is. So we're proclaiming and the message that they're given in the text is different than ours because of where they live in history. So theirs is the fact that Jesus has not yet gone to the cross.
Redemption has not yet fully been won and yes. People could be saved in the Old Testament by a hope for the future that God would provide a way for them. But they're proclaiming repent and by the way, that's found in parallel version.
So you don't see it in the text here, but as mark records it and as others record it it is repent. For the kingdom of God is near or the kingdom of God is at hand depending on your translation. Our message rhymes with what we see in the text.
He says repent the kingdom of God is near ours is repent for the kingdom of God is.
Here it's here.
Now.
Jesus has come and won it for us and the kingdom of God is now Awesome awesome truth and Then to demonstrate the power and authority of this kingdom. He gives them the commands some crazy commands. Heal the sick raise the dead cleanse lepers cast out demons.
Someone asked me a couple of weeks ago if Jesus is our example and we're called to live life just like him Then why don't we take this command to heal the sick raise the dead cast out demons, etc. Why don't we take that directly and go out and do that?
Never ask yourself that. All right, shouldn't we do that? Let me be the first to tell you if you haven't heard this before that if you can heal the sick. If you can raise the dead If you can cast out demons.
Please do it please. Pretty please go and do that. Don't hold that to yourself. You understand what I'm saying? If you can you should but I think that what we're looking at here is principles he's literally calling them for a specific task in a specific geography in a Specific time in history to go and do these things to show the kingdom is new and it's fresh and it's here and it's amazing.
They didn't have the Word of God then there were a lot of tools that we have accessible to us and available To us now that they didn't have then would you agree with that? And so it's a different time and it's a different error.
But the point being if you can.
You should.
But the question is has that power been given to us? You understand how that's a different question. Is it is that given to us? It was definitely given to them. But I'm unconvinced that it's given to us in the same way that it was given to them at that time.
Does God still do that? Yeah, he can do people abuse that and act like they've been given that yeah. And you can see it by tuning on tuning into the TV anytime you want. It's about 24 7 right now. You can see some someone purporting to heal somebody.
Is it do I want to wholesale call it all faults and fake? I Don't know. I'll leave that up to God. Right. Are you comfortable with that? Let God sort that out. I don't need to judge those individuals, but I am gonna admit probably just like many of you I'm skeptical of what I see on TV a lot and when I see those things I think well.
Let God work that out.
But the fact of the matter is when we look at these things we see principles so these are historically rooted commands, but we take them as principles that God is drawing out for us as we go about life, we should be merciful and compassionate towards others and Jesus gives his 12 followers his 12 Apostles an extra dose of authority and power.
Enabling them to show miraculous mercy and compassion to their immediate community to their locality. We also see another principle spelled out in verse 8 and that is the motivation of generosity. He says Ultimately we give compassion and mercy for free.
This is important. Just understanding that principle now. We don't charge money for the good news. We receive a free gift. We received it as a free gift. How many of you received salvation as a free gift?
Awesome, so we should give it out as a free gift, right? But that needs to be balanced with what Jesus says in verse 10. He says in verse 10 the laborer deserves his food and it seems like it could be confusing.
But between these statements Jesus instructed the 12 not to take provisions for themselves as if they were going on a long ministry. They're gonna be local. They're gonna be right here. This is gonna be short and they should not require significant preparation.
He's like I'm sending you out. Just go. Don't go home and get a bunch of extra stuff. So in essence, he says don't go get extra money and money bags. Don't go get a second tunic. Don't go get your traveling sandals don't go get your walking stick.
The basic principle here is trust in the provision of God and Accept the hospitality of others along the way so they're not in charge. They are not to charge rather for their ministry. I'm not supposed to be charging money for it.
But they are to accept generosity from those around them. This is the model that most churches have adopted regarding finances. We don't charge for services. You don't walk in the door and somebody asks you for money and nothing like that.
But but we are dependent upon generosity and I'm curious. Do you see the natural difference between charging for services and accepting donations for services? Can you see in your mind the difference between those two?
I figure that that's pretty straightforward and didn't need a lot of in-depth discussion. But there's a difference between charging for it and accepting donations for it. And that's what these guys are told to go out and do don't you know, don't stop giving mercy.
Don't don't charge and say well, yeah, you're blind and that's gonna be a thousand bucks. Do you know what I mean? I mean you're blind will heal and if you choose to take us in and house us for the night, that'd be great.
You see the principle that's there. All right. It's interesting to note that Jesus actually puts a limitation though on whom the disciples are to accept hospitality from a little bit strange. But but wait make sure that when you go into a house and you stay there that it's a worthy place.
What wouldn't the world does that mean? Worthiness is not a measure of religious zeal that oh that a worthy person is somebody who who just you know. Does follows the law correctly or is you know, just like you?
Worthiness is Simple kindness a gesture of simple kindness. Look at verse 14 to contrast what worthiness means with unworthiness in verse 14. You're seeing unworthiness. It's defined as not willing to receive the messengers of God and unwilling to listen to the message.
So there's a little bit of a hostility that's involved in that. I won't receive you and I won't listen to your message. If they are invited into a home to stay which was common practice. But then after entering that home and getting some conversation they find that the residents are hostile to the good news.
They are supposed to leave it says let your peace return to you. That's a it's a phrase. Figure of speech that means get out leave let your let your peace return to you and take off.
Which is just.
Interesting what you need to understand is that in a village in a small village in Palestine at this time? There'd be kind of a center square where the kids would play and different things like that. Kind of like a common green.
Any of you ever been to England, England? A lot of the little villages have this little common green. You don't have yards. You don't have a place to kick a soccer ball or play. I mean literally most people pave their yard.
It's so small we when we when Lynn and I lived there. We used a weed whip to do all the grass that was in our yard. And it was a patch that was this big by this big and then just kind of like an English garden back there.
So there's this common green people would come into town visitors staying they would come and usually sit down in that Center. Which was an indication that you needed a place to stay. People would come by pick you up and say hey I got an extra room.
Why don't you come and stay with me? So that's the picture of what you got going on here. So how could they ever get themselves in a situation where they end up inside a house? That's unworthy where they are not well received well a place where they haven't had an opportunity to proclaim the message yet.
But they've been taken in for hospitality and then upon saying a follower of Jesus Christ. And here's the message and here's the kingdom the person says I want none of that. That's where the dusting off the clothes and saying okay, we're out.
Do you get it so it can be a little bit confusing to our culture understanding? How could you even end up in a house where they wouldn't receive you well? They won't receive the message that you have to offer and once they find out who you are what you stand for.
They want nothing to do with you. They're told to shake the dust off their feet when they leave a town or a village that rejects them in the message. That's a sign of removing of removing impurity most often associated with a Jew coming back home To Israel after being in contact with unclean wicked Gentiles, that's us.
So for a Jew to shake off the dust from another Jews house. Think about how doubly insulting that is. It's basically placing that other Jew in a spiritual category outside of the house of Israel. Outside of the house of God.
That's what you're doing by saying that you're just like a Gentile and in that culture. And in that time that wasn't saying something significant. Are you getting that? And if that isn't bad enough Jesus wraps up his little commission in verse 15 by telling them it will be more bearable for Sodom.
And Gomorrah on Judgment Day than for the town that rejects the Apostles in their message.
Wow.
Okay, Sodom and Gomorrah stand as the antithesis of hospitality the exact opposite you cannot get more opposite than Sodom and Gomorrah when it comes to Hospitality. A lot of times we don't read that story in the context of understanding what Jewish hospitality meant it was Significant to reject somebody and not let them stay in your house it would be a Cultural curse and a community curse on you for not accepting that not giving hospitality to somebody.
And yet here in Sodom and Gomorrah. The villagers sought to rape the visitors. Say not very hospitable. Okay a little bit crazy. And creepy and weird and gross. All that all that rolled up. Yep. So how elevated though and think about why does he end this way like whoa?
This is gets crazy. Um, how elevated is the message of Jesus and how much authority has he conferred on his Apostles? How much has he given them and how important is that? So much that to reject the message and to reject his followers is the worst place you can stand on Judgment Day.
To reject the message that they've been commissioned to share and then in turn to reject his followers is a scary Horrible place to be on Judgment Day. Do you hear that? Do you hear that's why he's ending that way.
It's a scary place to be. Anybody besides me think that this text ends on a little bit of a heavy note a little bit heavy. But the main point of the text is not about judgment. It isn't even about taking money for ministry or how much stuff you own or how much stuff you take with you when you're doing Ministry or whatever.
This is a text about the missionary work of God. He sent his son to bring mercy and compassion. Jesus the baby grew into Jesus the man of compassion and mercy and Now in our text we see him as Jesus the sender.
Who calls out people to come and join him in the work of the harvest in the work of the kingdom. Uncle Sam is looking for a few good men but Jesus is looking for common everyday folks who will enter his harvest field with joy and Jesus will share his power and authority with you.
If you willingly accept him as the Lord of the harvest as the one who would send us out into a world in need. I can tell you that I've never raised a dead person. Love to I never have. I'm not healed any leprosy.
If you have here if you've done any of these things, I'm listening come and talk with me. I'd love to hear the story. I've not cast out any demons. But in stepping out and asking God to use me. I've seen people brought to new life in Christ.
I've seen them spiritually raised from the dead. I've seen people diseased with sin. Healed by the forgiveness of Jesus Christ. I've seen those tormented by religion on one hand and bad habits on the other and I've seen those chains both both the chains of religion and the chains of a Self-centered pagan lifestyle.
I've seen the the chains of bondage fall. So our calling might not be as glamorous as that of the disciples literally raising the dead literally healing leprosy. But it is no less miraculous when we see people's lives being changed.
Do you agree?
It's an awesome thing to see. We are witnesses to the glory of God. We have seen with our eyes. We have heard the glory of testimonies of lives set free right here at recast. We have seen the broken healed.
That's an awesome place to be. So what is our part. Those who are being made whole through the grace of Jesus Christ and I say it that way not have been made complete not have Been made whole but are being made.
How many of you are a work in progress? Praise God for that. We're a work in progress. We haven't arrived yet, but we are Being grown into the image of Christ. If you're in that position where you're growing, do you hear his call?
Do you hear it?
If you're in Christ, then you have been called to follow him. He has given you new life so that you have the power and authority to represent him in this world. It's a high calling. It's awesome calling.
And if you're with Christ if you're in Jesus Christ, then you have been sent. Whether you know it or not. Think about that you have been sent. To proclaim the good news of the kingdom that has arrived.
You are to proclaim as you are going as the text says and our proclamation is the good news that anyone who would pledge Allegiance to Jesus as king and come under the protection of his merciful and compassionate kingdom.
Will be saved will be forgiven and will be given a place in his eternal kingdom. That will go on forever and ever and ever and I can't say enough evers. Do you see yourself in the continuation of what God is doing in the world?
He is ascending. God sending his son. That's how much he loved the world. So John 3 16 tells us. He sends his spirit to reside with those who are his and he sends his followers us. To continue the work until the day of the final sending when he sends his son once again for a final and complete and utter restoration of this created order.
Restoring us. What do you look forward to that day that day when there will be a complete restoration? Do you know what my son this was really key? I was that we were talking with our kids and we were like, what are you looking forward to on the new earth?
What are you looking forward to. And my son Luke who's autistic? Do you know what he said? No more sin. I mean that made my heart proud to hear you to hear your kid get that and grasp that and understand it.
Say what I look forward to the most. Is no more sin. Man, I look forward to that day when we can relate to one another you look across this room. And we don't relate to each other. Well. We don't do this thing called life.
Well, we don't relate to our spouses. Well, we don't relate to our children like whole people complete. And one day we will be.
Restored.
We'll be complete and whole and not just that but I'm convinced it as life goes on. We build up a a Level of people that we look forward to seeing on the other side. Are any of you there in life where there are those who have gone on before and I think the step across the threshold looks better every year.
Do you know what I'm saying? Where we've lost people we love any anybody in here lost somebody that you love that you look forward to seeing and that that great and awesome reunion. I Look forward to that day every year.
Somebody else and the next year somebody else and I would imagine that by the time you get in your 90s. And the time that a hundred is pushing you're going man. It's just a step. It's just a step. By this point I'm looking forward to those reunions and seeing those people again.
That's the restoration that we have to look forward to. That's why that little baby was born in that manger 2 ,000 years ago. That's what Christmas is about is a restoration and a completion of this kingdom.
And he's sending us out to be a part of that is life brief. Is it sure anybody feeling like that? One more year seems like Christmas was just a month ago and it's next week and It accelerates. I'm feeling acceleration right now.
It's short and brief and we have a calling and ascending and I mean it comes a point where I hope that we all mature to the point where we don't care if. Somebody looks down on us because we're a follower of Christ that we're eager to share.
And I don't and I don't mean that as a two by four. Please don't hear me beating you guys up with a bat about sharing the gospel more. Do it because you love Jesus. Do it because he's put people in your life who need him.
Need completeness need wholeness. Need to be restored. This Christmas let's worship that God who sends. He engages and enters in and meets us where we are. When we're lost with no hope of getting back to him.
He sent his son the king and savior.