Jesus' Instructions To All Disciples

Intro

Young William Wilberforce was discouraged one night in the early 1790s after another defeat in his 10 year battle against the slave trade in England. Tired and frustrated, he opened his Bible and began to leaf through it. A small piece of paper fell out and fluttered to the floor. It was a letter written by John Wesley shortly before his death. Wilberforce read it again: "Unless the divine power has raised you up... I see not how you can go through your glorious enterprise in opposing that (abominable practice of slavery), which is the scandal of religion, of England, and of human nature. Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who can be against you? Are all of them together stronger than God? Oh, be not weary of well-doing. Go on in the name of God, and in the power of His might." 

1. Introduction: The Revelation of the King – this chapter ends this section of Matthew (ch.1-10)

a. Christ Has Revealed His Person (ch.1-4)

b. Christ Has Revealed His Principles (ch. 5-7)

c. Christ Has Revealed His Power (ch. 8-10)

1) In ch. 8 & 9, He revealed His power through a series of miracles

2) Here He sends ambassadors to perform miracles and carry the kingdom message

3) Remember, wherever you have signs, you are dealing with Jews and the kingdom message

- 1 Corinthians 1:22-24––“For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”

d. Purpose of this Chapter

1) Understand its structure–Applying all of this chapter to the original 12 Apostles will be confusing––the nature of His instructions change in vv. 16, 24

2) Understand its scope–These changes refer to leaps over centuries and deal with the message of the kingdom in their day, our day, and the end of days.

2. Instructions to the Past Apostles (10:1-15)

a. This Commission was Contemplated (vv.1-4)

1) Preparation in Prayer (9:37-38)

a) Jesus observed the need for laborers for the harvest, and began by telling them to pray

b) We can expect that, if we start praying for the lost, God will use us in answering those prayers

2) Promotion for Performance (vv.1, 2)

a) The “disciples” (learners) in v. 1 become “apostles” (delegates) in v. 2

b) They are, here, officially the first missionaries

3) Provision of Power (v.1)

a) Christ bestows on them special diving power (v.1)

b) God always equips those whom He calls into service

c) He also uses a variety of people to accomplish His work

b. This Commission was Clear (vv.5-8)

1) Preach the Kingdom of heaven and go only to the Jews (Jesus did not forbid preaching to Gentiles and Samaritans on the way, but their message first was for the covenant people in nearby regions)

2) Predecessors in Mission–John the Baptist had already done this (3:2); Jesus had done this (4:17); now it was the disciples job to spread the message across the nation

3) Purpose of Miracles–The miracle they would perform would be their credentials that they represented the King (v.8)

- Heb. 2:1-4––“Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.”

c. This Commission was Contained (vv.9-15)–This commission, as a whole, is not for the church or individual missionaries today; it was to prove a point

1) Purpose of the Miracles–God no longer needs to bestow miraculous powers; they were reserved specifically to the apostles

a) Mark 16:17-18––“And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

b) 2 Corinthians 12:12––“The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works.”

2) Provision for Families–Today’s servant of God is not to depend on material things, but he must prepare to provide for himself and his family

- 1 Tim. 5:8––”But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”