Jesus Sends The Twelve To The Lost Sheep Of Israel Series

Introduction

A. The interviewer examined the job application then turned to the prospective employee. "I see you have put ASAP down for the date you are available to start, meaning as soon as possible, of course. However, I see you've put AMAP down for required salary. I don't believe I've ever seen that before, what does it mean?" The applicant replied, "As Much as Possible!"

B. Last week we began looking at this passage

1. The one significant thing to see is that Jesus sent the twelve to the lost sheep of Israel

a. If we were to take our commission from this passage we would be limited to evangelizing Jews

b. So this passage is not for us to use as our commission

c. However God recorded this for our edification

d. And there are principles for us to glean for our missions

C. Initially, Jesus called His disciple to be with Him

1. We saw the Apostles apprenticeship

a. First they were students

b. Then sent as apprentices

2. Then we saw Jesus motive

a. He saw the multitude and was moved with compassion for them

(1) Jesus loved the wandering, struggling, masses

(2) And Jesus was moved to begin this training mission because of their inevitable judgment

3. Then we saw that these twelve guys had a divine commission

a. The apostles were called by Jesus Christ, God incarnate, in His sovereignty

b. They weren’t just looking for a job

c. They didn’t volunteer, they were called and commissioned by the Lord

d. For a few weeks the apostles were official ambassadors of Christ

4. We also saw that older, more experienced people of God hold out three criteria by which we can know how genuine our calling is

a. First is a strong desire to enter ministry

b. Second is the confirmation from the church

c. And third, is the presence of an open door

D. And now we will examine the rest of our passage

1. Lets turn to Matthew 10:5

II. Body

A. The Command of Christ

Matthew 10:5 NKJV

These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.

1. According to Matthew 10:5, Jesus not only sent the disciples but also commanded them

a. It would seem that the concept of command would need little or no explanation, however the word has a larger context

(1) So lets take a moment to look into this matter of command

(a) The first idea we are very familiar with is the military context

i) There was a class of West Point cadets that were in the field studying an antenna. The instructor asked the class how many commands would it take to erect the antenna. The guesses ranged over 10 to 50 commands, but one cadet said it would take only one order. The instructor asked what that order might be and the cadet answered, “sergeant, get this antenna put up.”

(b) There is the legal sense

i) Legal in the context of a summons to appear in court

a) A summons to jury duty

b) A summons to appear as a witness

c) Or a summons to appear as a defendant

(c) There is the ethical sense

i) When you learn what is ethically right, you are bound to obey it

ii) It becomes a matter of integrity

(d) There is the literary sense

i) Such as following the rules of grammar, oratory, and literary composition

ii) It defines exactly how something was to be done

(e) There is the medical context

i) Your doctor writes you a prescription

ii) Or advises you how to take care of yourself

(2) In each of these instances a person is obligate to respond

(a) There are consequences if the response is inappropriate

i) If we fail to obey our commanders orders, we could wind up in the brig

ii) If we fail to answer a summons we could wind up in the county jail for contempt of court

iii) If we fail to obey what we know is right we will get caught and wind up in jail

iv) If we fail to follow the rules of grammar, oratory, and literary composition we would be looked upon as an ignorant dolt

v) If we fail to follow our doctor’s advice we could be very sick

a) I am supposed to get my blood tested every month to help insure I won’t have a stroke

b) My Doctor’s orders, along with a prescription for medicine that keeps my blood thin enough so as to avoid a stroke

b. Our commission is from the Lord

(1) We are soldiers and He is the commander

(2) We are in court and He is the judge