Sent By Jesus – part 2
Luke 9:1-9 (3-9)
September 2, 2018
We started on this text last time
Regarding Jesus sending out the twelve apostles.
To pull us back into focus you’ll remember:
• For 18 months Jesus has been traveling all through Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and performing miracles.
• However, after the parable of the soils He warned them that they are in danger of losing this access.
That will be true in:
Luke 9:51 “When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem;”
And so the time for Galilee is short.
• From reading Mark’s gospel we know that after raising Jairus’ daughter, Jesus then returned one last time to Nazareth, but they refused to believe.
• He then began traveling one more time through Galilee
• However since their time is almost up, Jesus is about to engage in a saturation campaign.
• So now He is sending out the 12.
• Later in chapter 10, He’ll send out the 70
• And then that will be it.
It really is a picture of the long-suffering of our Lord.
And many of us are so grateful that He is so patient,
For we have a lot in common with the stubborn Galileans.
I don’t know that any of us can boast that
We readily followed Christ without any struggle whatsoever.
For many of us, faith began as an argument with the Lord,
And where it not for the Lord’s persistence and sovereign grace,
We would have rejected Him.
So none of us have a problem with
Jesus making one final push here in Galilee.
There are 5 points to be made in this text, and we looked at the first 2 last week.
#1 THE CALL
Luke 9:1
Here we simply pointed out that for the first time
Jesus pulled the twelve out from the midst of the rest of the disciples.
Here He gave them “power and authority”
They were endowed with the same power and authority that Jesus had.
What Jesus has done, they now have authority and power to do.
• They could heal the sick
• They could cast out demons
• They could raise the dead
• They could cleanse lepers
• They could restore paralytics
Jesus just called them and subsequently equipped them.
(You’ve been equipped to, with the word)
And then we saw the second point
#2 THE COMMAND
Luke 9:2
This is the “what to” of missions.
Which is to say, if you wonder what you are supposed to do,
Then read this passage, for Jesus is not cryptic here.
He could not be more straightforward.
“And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing.”
We again recognize that the mission required them to be “sent…out”.
We know that the unregenerate world is not coming to us.
• At least not unless the church consents to corrupt their worship and make it
something that is gratifying to the flesh, as many churches have done.
• But if we aspire to keep worship sanctified and holy, and gratifying only to the
Spirit and not the flesh, you can rest assured that the lost have no interest.
So getting the gospel to them requires us to go to them.
That is why Jesus sent them out.
We also remember what He sent them out to do.
PRIMARILY “to proclaim the kingdom of God”
That is, they were to preach that God has a kingdom
And men can now enter it.
Included in this is the necessity of repentance of sin
And humility before God.
That is why Mark’s gospel says:
Mark 6:12 “They went out and preached that men should repent.”
Man is not fit for the kingdom of God in his sinful condition.
He must repent of that sin and be made clean
Through the atonement which is found in Jesus Christ.
THE SECOND ASPECT of their ministry was “to perform healing”
And we talked extensively about this.
• This was validity, this was proof.
• The apostles had no New Testament that they could turn to and preach from.
• This miraculous power was to prove to the crowd that what they were saying
was the message of God.
Today we don’t need these powers
Because we have something more powerful,
Which is the apostle’s teaching; better known as the New Testament.
These are the very words of God
Which separate soul and spirit, joints and marrow
And are able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Whereas miraculous demonstrations may in fact return void,
God’s word never returns void.
So we now stand on that for our validity.
But that wasn’t the only reason they were commanded “to perform healing”.
Also included there is the call for COMPASSION.
Jesus forced the 12 to get up close and personal with people’s pain.
• It is very easy for a preacher of divine truth and a holy standard to grow callous toward sinful men when he is never around them.
• Even our Lord, that He might sympathize with our weaknesses, put on flesh and dwelt among us.
Jesus wanted this same compassion from His preachers,
And we learn that as well.
We go, we preach the gospel and the necessity of repentance,
And we do it with compassion.
These are broken people
These are lost sheep
Another good verse that summarizes that mentality so well is:
Matthew 9:36-38 “Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. “Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”
“distressed” there is SKULLO (skoo-lo) in the Greek, it means “to skin” or “to flay”
“dispirited” is RHIPTO, (rdip-to) it means “to cast or throw off”
• These people weren’t just sheared sheep, they were skinned sheep.
• Life had skinned them and thrown them aside.
• The religious leaders had exploited them and cast them out.
And the response of our Lord to this was is clear.
“Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them”
And He ended up commanding His disciples to pray
That the Lord would send out more workers into the harvest.
Compassion for sinners leads to preaching of the gospel.
Jesus wanted both from the 12.
And that’s where we ended up last time.
This morning we move forward.
The Call, The Command
#3 THE CONDITION
Luke 9:3-4
I’m quite certain you are most likely familiar with this command
Especially since it is recorded in all 3 synoptic gospels.
However, focusing in on it, is bound to give you a little pause,
For it is somewhat of a PECULIAR COMMAND.
Jesus is sending these 12 out throughout Galilee.
• In Matthew’s gospel Jesus specifically tells them NOT to go to the region of the Samaritans, but only to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
And as we said, Galilee is not that big.
It’s only about 25 miles by 50 miles.
That’s not that much bigger than Dickens county.
And Jesus tells them specifically NOT to take preparations with them.
“Take nothing for your journey, neither a staff, nor a bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not even have two tunics apiece.”
• Travelers would usually take “a staff” to help them walk, and even a second smaller club in case they got in danger.
• They would take a “a bag” in which to hold the things they might buy
• They would take “bread” to make sure they did not get stranded without food
• They would take “money” in case they needed to buy something
• They would take “two tunics” in case it got cold and they had to sleep out in exposure.
And none of that sounds bizarre for a traveler.
If you travel, I’m betting you do at least that.
Why did Jesus tell them not to take it?
Furthermore he tells the apostles “Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that city.”
• There were no hotels in Israel, and inns were commonly nothing more than brothels.
• When you traveled you counted on the hospitality of other Israelites.
And Jesus says when you get somewhere, “stay there”.
Don’t move around from house to house.
Show up at a house with no provisions, stay at that house,
Go out and preach, and return back there every night
For your meals and lodging.
What is the point to all of this?
Well, there are several.
The FIRST, is to teach the THE VALUE OF THEIR MINISTRY.
Let me read it to you from Matthew’s gospel.
Matthew 10:7-10 “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘ The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. “Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, or a bag for your journey, or even two coats, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his support.”
Matthew’s gospel spells it out: “for the worker is worthy of his support.”
I think this hits to a very real insecurity and deception
That runs through the minds of believers far too often.
When you live in a wicked society it is all too easy for the culture to convince Christians that their preaching is a nuisance and a bother.
Jesus says just the opposite.
Jesus says what you are doing is valuable and worthy of compensation.
I don’t think believers really think that way anymore.
(Now certainly I’m not saying you should expect a $20 bill every time you talk about Jesus to someone, obviously)
What I mean though is that far too often
Believers seem to think that witnessing to someone
Is almost inappropriate and rude.
“Excuse me, I don’t mean to bother you, but…”
“I hate to take up your time, but if you have just a second…”
Now look, I’m not advocating rudeness or anything like that,
But Christian do you realize that what you are doing is not wasteful?
No one could possibly be bringing
Anything more worthy or valuable to them
Than you are when you bring them the gospel.
What the Bible say about people who preach the gospel?
Romans 10:15 “How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!”
I think Christians today see themselves more like hovering furniture salesmen that are really more irritating than helpful.
AND THAT IS NOT TRUE.
The Bible says those who go and proclaim the gospel have beautiful feet!
They are the most welcomed sight in the world.
And Jesus wanted the 12 to know this.
Don’t feel guilty about going into a city or town and preaching the gospel
Like you’re some sort of traveling medicine show
That is wasting people’s time.
• No one has ever brought anything more valuable into a city than what you are
about to bring.
• In fact, they ought to compensate you for taking the time to bring it to them.
Considering the value of this message, take a look at the early church immediately after Pentecost.
Acts 2:43-47 “Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
Surely you’ve recognized that scene before.
It almost reads like socialism.
What was going on there?
• Well, at that time you only had 1 church in the entire world, and it was in Jerusalem.
• And 3,000 of these Jews who came from out of town to celebrate the feast of weeks (remember Acts 2:9 – Parthians, Medes, Elamites, etc.) and while they were there, they got saved.
• And there was only 1 place in the world to hear the gospel.
• There was only 1 place in the world to fellowship with believers.
• And these travelers didn’t want to go home, but their resources had run out.
But understanding the value of the gospel, and the value of fellowship,
People were selling everything just to keep it all together.
The point?
It was valuable.
Jesus taught is in that parable of the treasure in the field
And again in that parable of the pearl of great price
That the gospel is worth everything a person has.
He is reiterating that to the 12 here.
• They should not enter a city feeling like men who would be a nuisance.
• They should enter a city feeling like men with the greatest offer ever.
As Paul would later say:
1 Corinthians 9:11-14 “If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? If others share the right over you, do we not more? Nevertheless, we did not use this right, but we endure all things so that we will cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ. Do you not know that those who perform sacred services eat the food of the temple, and those who attend regularly to the altar have their share from the altar? So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel.”
The point is, what you are doing is valuable.
Christian, don’t forget that.
And you may have to remind yourself of that at times.
Every week, after I finish with my sermon notes, Peggy puts them in a binder for me, and when it gets full she brings it to my office.
I’ve been preaching for 17 years, and from a physical perspective,
The sum total of all that I’ve accomplished fits on 2 shelves in 20, 3-ring binders.
That doesn’t look like much for 17 years.
15 years of that has been here in Spur.
This church has paid my salary for 15 years, that’s quite a chunk of money.
In exchange, all you got was about 18 of those binders.
Preaching the gospel may not feel like much, or look like much.
BUT GET PAST THAT THOUGHT, IT IS VALUABLE!
That’s part of what Jesus is saying here.
ANOTHER part, also requires Matthew’s gospel to better understand it.
Matthew 10:7-8 “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.”
As I told you earlier, one of the things Jesus told the apostles
Not to take with them was “a bag”.
Certainly this had to do with carrying essentials,
But even more than that it had to do with
BRINGING BACK THE THINGS YOU RECEIVE OR BUY.
And the point of Jesus here is the other side of the coin.
• Your ministry is valuable, it’s a blessing, it’s worth all the support you receive.
• It’s worthy free lodging, it’s worth free food, it’s worth compensation.
BUT…
Do not assume that you are going on this venture to make money or get rich or obtain the things of this world.
As Matthew recorded, “Freely you received, freely give.”
Can you imagine the human impulses and temptations that would have entered the minds of these apostles now that they had been empowered with the ability to heal the sick and cast out demons and raise the dead?
It would have been very tempting to start adding a price to their services,
And you and I both know people would pay it.
We see that type of corruption today with our “so-called” faith healers.
Peter said it best:
2 Peter 2:13-16 “They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you, having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children; forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but he received a rebuke for his own transgression, for a mute donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet.”
Peter knew that they were only in it for the money.
• They were modern day Balaam’s and Peter (because he learned it from Jesus)
was warning about these types of greedy false prophets.
This also explains Peter’s admonition to the elders of the church.
1 Peter 5:1-3 “Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock.”
I like the King James there which calls “sordid gain” – “filthy lucre”
Don’t do it for the money!
There is ALSO a measure of contentment expected here.
Jesus told the 12, “Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that city.”
What if the first house you stay in is the house of a poor man?
• And after a few days a tax collector gets saved and invites you to his house?
• The accommodations would certainly be more comfortable.
And some preachers certainly did this.
They made the circuit, jumping from house to house, preaching exploiting and moving on to collect all they could from everyone.
DON’T GO OUT AND USE THIS POWER TO GAIN THE WORLD.
And certainly a third point to be made here is the expectation of TRUST.
These men would have to go out and be faithful to the calling
As their first priority and let Jesus deal with all the logistical details.
When you set out without a reservation or even any food in the cooler,
You are certainly placing all the trust in the Lord for provision.
It sort reinforces His famous teaching:
Matthew 6:33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
The apostles were to remember where their focus was to be.
They were going to preach the kingdom of God.
They weren’t going to get rich…
They weren’t going to get applause…
They weren’t going to get souvenirs…
Just preach the gospel, trust Jesus to provide,
And know that what you are doing is valuable
So don’t feel like some sort of intruder when you arrive.
For balance sake, however, we also read later in their ministry:
Luke 22:35-38 “And He said to them, “When I sent you out without money belt and bag and sandals, you did not lack anything, did you?” They said, “No, nothing.” And He said to them, “But now, whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag, and whoever has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one. “For I tell you that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me, ‘AND HE WAS NUMBERED WITH TRANSGRESSORS’; for that which refers to Me has its fulfillment.” They said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.” And He said to them, “It is enough.”
The point is, that making plans to go on vision is not a sin.
Jesus was teaching trust to the disciples,
But even later He reminded them that in this world, provisions must be made.
But hopefully you get His point.
These were the conditions for their missionary journey
It speaks to the true purpose and value of their mission.
Understand that Christian when you go as well.
The Call, The Command, The Conditions
#4 THE CONTINGENCY
Luke 9:5-6
Here is an interesting verse,
And one that certainly addresses an issue
That would have been on the mind of the apostles.
I know You said our ministry is valuable, and people should be willing (even eager) to meet our needs, but what if they don’t?
What about when you encounter those who are hostile to the message?
“As for those who do not receive you, as you go out from that city, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”
WELL IT SOUNDS BAD, BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
To fully understand it, you have to understand something of the Jewish (and even global) understanding of the value of land.
Do you remember the story about Naaman the Leper?
• He was the commander of the armies of Aram, who was sent in to Israel to be
healed by Elijah of his leprosy.
• Elijah told him to dip in the Jordan river 7 times and he’d be cleansed.
• He did, and he was.
• After being healed, he wanted to pay Elijah.
2 Kings 5:15-17 “When he returned to the man of God with all his company, and came and stood before him, he said, “Behold now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel; so please take a present from your servant now.” But he said, “As the LORD lives, before whom I stand, I will take nothing.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused. Naaman said, “If not, please let your servant at least be given two mules’ load of earth; for your servant will no longer offer burnt offering nor will he sacrifice to other gods, but to the LORD.”
Naaman wanted that so that He could worship Israel’s God on Israel’s dirt.
There was a mentality about land and how it was tied to worship.
Commonly when a Jew had to travel through Gentile regions,
• Before crossing the border into Israel they would stop and shake the dirt out of their sandals before transporting pagan dirt into Israel.
It was a sign of reproach, it was a sign of disdain.
We don’t want your pagan dirt contaminating our worship of the true God.
And that is what Jesus is referencing here.
• If they won’t hear you…
• If they won’t listen to you…
• If they want you to leave…
Then as you go, “shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”
Basically, right there in their presence, with them watching,
You perform this ritual of disdain and reproach.
You will in effect be saying, “You are a pagan. You are not a worshiper of the true God, and I don’t even want your dirt, effecting the rest of Israel.”
That’s contempt isn’t it?
That’s seemingly intolerant isn’t it?
But that’s what Jesus commanded.
You say, “Wow, that doesn’t really sound much like Jesus.”
Well, how about this one?
Later, in Luke 10 when Jesus commands the 70
Luke 10:10-12 “But whatever city you enter and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your city which clings to our feet we wipe off in protest against you; yet be sure of this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ “I say to you, it will be more tolerable in that day for Sodom than for that city.”
That’s even worse!
• Not only are we shaking the dirt from you yard off our feet to protect against
cross-contamination,
• But we’re getting out of here like Lot fleeing Sodom!
And all of this is done publicly
All of this is done “as a testimony against them”
And if you’ll remember, Paul did this on a number of occasions.
Acts 13:50-52 “But the Jews incited the devout women of prominence and the leading men of the city, and instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. But they shook off the dust of their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 18:5-6 “But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself completely to the word, solemnly testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. But when they resisted and blasphemed, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”
WHAT DO WE TAKE FROM THIS?
I think it’s pretty clear.
When you go out and preach, not only is your message valuable, BUT IT IS NOT OPTIONAL.
• You’re not offering people a new alternative…
• You’re not offering people a different way to try something…
• You’re not just throwing something out there to consider…
You are preaching the message of God about how to enter His kingdom.
• If you repent you and submit to God’s King, you enter the kingdom.
• If you don’t, you remain outside the kingdom, and enemy of God, and under certain condemnation and promised destruction.
How is this for a picture?
• An army approaches the city gates, and it is clear that they have the man-
power and the fire-power to destroy your city.
• Before attacking, the commander of that army sends delegates to the city to
offer terms of peace.
• Those delegates come in, you show them around the town, you give them a
Spur Bulldogs cap and T-shirt, you invite them for supper,
• They express the opposing general’s terms.
• You must apologize to the commander of the army, for having rebelled against
him, and you must submit yourselves to his authority, or he will crush your
city.
• And you say, “Tell him to get lost, and you get out of here too”
The delegate says, “Ok”, but before he leaves, he takes off the Spur hat, and Spur T-shirt, throws it down and says, “Judgment is coming.”
THAT IS WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE.
Look, Jesus wasn’t rude…
And Jesus certainly wasn’t cruel…
But let me also remind you that Jesus never budged
On the requirement of the kingdom.
• He didn’t send the 12 into a city to organize a town forum to see if there was some sort of middle ground where they could compromise.
• He sent the 12 to go and graciously offer peace based on a few non-negotiable requirements.
And that is part of evangelism.
Is that present in your evangelism?
• Do you offer the gospel as though it is the greatest offer ever?
• And if people reject it, do you make sure they understand the grave implications of their rejection?
That is what Jesus taught the apostles to do, and they did it.
(6) “Departing, they began going throughout the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.”
That is the “What To” of being sent by Jesus.
But there is one more point, and one that I’m going to have to make very quickly.
#5 THE CULMINATION
Luke 9:7-9
Here we run across a text that really seems to stick out as not belonging.
But it does.
Herod is a mini-picture of the response of Galilee
To the preaching of the apostles.
• Not only does Herod hear about these 12 and what they are doing,
• Herod also summarizes for you how the people are responding to the message.
I don’t have the time to give you all the background on Herod,
Just know that this is the guy who beheaded John the Baptist.
And here we find that Herod “was greatly perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen again.”
SO
• The apostles went out and preached the kingdom.
• They went out and worked attesting miracles of healing.
• They told of King Jesus, and the necessity of submission to Him.
And after hearing the sermons, who did Galilee say that Jesus was?
“John” or “Elijah” or “one of the prophets”
Certainly they recognized the supernatural abilities of Jesus,
But they still refused to honor Him as was demanded.
They all saw Him as a powerful delegate from God,
But none saw Him as God’s King whom they must serve.
And even though it says that Herod wanted to see Jesus,
We all know that in 18 months he will get his chance, and all he will do is mock Jesus.
In fact in
Luke 13:31 “Just at that time some Pharisees approached, saying to Him, “Go away, leave here, for Herod wants to kill You.”
Herod didn’t want to submit to Jesus either.
Despite the apostles preaching, everyone missed the point.
THE GENERAL CONSENSUS OF THE REGION WAS
To give credit to Jesus for His power,
But to refuse submission to Jesus as their Lord.
THAT’S NOT WHAT JESUS WANTED
Fast forward to an accurate response:
Luke 9:18-20 “And it happened that while He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned them, saying, “Who do the people say that I am?” They answered and said, “John the Baptist, and others say Elijah; but others, that one of the prophets of old has risen again.” And He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered and said, “The Christ of God.”
When Peter was asked, Peter named Jesus as God’s King,
God’s Messiah, God’s Christ.
Do you see the difference?
This is what we are shooting for when we take the gospel to the world.
• We are NOT JUST trying to get people to be amazed at Jesus’ ability…
• We are NOT JUST trying to get people to believe in Jesus’ power…
• THE GOAL IS for rebels to repent and submit their lives to God’s King!
AND WE’LL SAY MORE TO THIS LATER.
However this morning we come to the TABLE OF THE LORD
Where not only do we understand the need for repentance before God,
But we also remember the price of our pardon before Him.
God allows men into His kingdom, even unworthy men,
But not before a penalty is enacted against the rebels who defied Him.
This is the necessary requirement of a holy God.
We celebrate because Jesus paid the price of that rebellion.
• He was treated as the rebel that we are,
• So that we can be accepted as the Son that He is.
2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
THIS MORNING WE CELEBRATE THAT.
Before we do, we have a time of preparation to once again bow our hearts to our King and to thank Him for His great sacrifice.
