SERMON OUTLINE:
responsibility (vs 7)
reliance (vs 8-10)
repentance (vs 12)
reward (vs 13)
SERMON CONTENT:
Ill:
• Some people are naturally pessimists;
• They would rather see the negative than the positive.
• I like the story of the man and his dog were walking along the beach,
• When they came upon another visitor to the beach.
• The owner of the dog was proud of his dog’s latest trick;
• So he said to the visitor, "Watch this!"
• Whereupon he threw a piece of driftwood far out into the sea;
• And the dog instead of swimming out to get the wood;
• The dog ran on top of the water, fetched the wood, and ran back.
• The visitor was not too impressed;
• He turned to the owner of the dog and said; "Your dog can’t swim, can he?"
Ill:
• In November 1837, distinguished British physicist Dionysius Lardner;
• Proved mathematically with equations nobody could question,
• That a steamship would be incapable of a non-stop voyage to New York.
• He printed copies of his proof and they arrived in New York 24th April, 1838;
• The only problem was they arrived onboard a ship called ‘the Sirius’;
• Which was the first ship to cross the Atlantic entirely by steam.
This chapter (No 6) shows us various instances that of unbelief:
• Last week in verses 1-6: You saw opposition to Jesus in his home town.
• In verses 6-13: We will see opposition to the 12 disciples when they tell about Jesus.
• In verses 14-29: There is opposition to John the Baptist by Herod and his family.
• This morning I want us to focus in on verses 6-13:
• And glean some principles concerning sharing our faith.
(1). Responsibility (vs 7).
“Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.”
• Notice that Jesus entrusted the job of sharing the gospel to his disciples
• They were responsible for taking the message of Jesus to others.
Ill:
• King George V was to give the opening address at a special disarmament conference,
• The speech was to be relayed by radio to the U.S.A.
• As the broadcast was about to begin, a cable broke in the New York radio station,
• And more than a million listeners were left without sound.
• A junior mechanic in the station,
• A man called Harold Vivien,
• Solved the problem by picking up both ends of the cable;
• And allowing 250 volts of electricity to pass through him.
• Harold Vivien became the living link that allowed the king’s message;
• To get through to the people!
• Now I am sure you can see the application of that story:
• God is in the communication business;
• He expects his people (Christians) to be became the living link;
• That will allow the king’s message to get through to the people!
Question: Did you notice - everyone had a job to do? (verse 7)
• He sent out all 12 of the disciples!
• Jesus has a mission for every Christian
• While it is true that some of us are teachers, some are pastors, some are evangelists,
• Some are encouragers, some are supporters, some are….etc.
• Let me remind you that every Christian is a witness!
• We are all called to get involved and do something!
Ill:
• When the Titanic was sinking there were three other ships in the region.
• The nearest was the ‘Sampson’ whose crew was involved in illegal hunting.
• Not wanting to get caught, they turned away from those who needed rescuing.
• The next ship was the ‘Californian’;
• Whose crew were so afraid of sharing the Titanic’s fate they proceeded very cautiously.
• Perhaps they were annoyed because they had tried to warn the Titanic.
• The third ship was the ‘Carpathia’ which came as quickly as possible.
• They risked their own lives and were able to rescue more than 700 people.
Quote:
• “You and I are Plan A to reach a lost world;
• Remember that there is no Plan B.
• If we do not ‘Go’ they will not hear!”
(b). Reliance (verses 7).
“Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits”.
• The way Jesus sent the disciples out was quite deliberate;
• He wanted to develop their faith, their trust, and their reliance in him!
• But these disciples were still spiritually young.
• They had only been with him for a short time.
• They very much had their ‘L’ plates on!
Ill:
• If you want to become a good fisherman;
• Then you can only learn so much in the classroom;
• Sooner or later you need to go to the riverbank!
• For the disciples that meant going to the villages around them;
• Speaking and sharing the message of Jesus with those who crossed their paths.
Notice:
• (a). They were sent out in pairs (vs 7)
• “…and began to send them out two by two.”
• Sending them two by two would provide the disciples with mutual support.
• Encouragement after all speaking to unfamiliar persons is a frightening experience.
• I believe Jesus was teaching that to impact the world;
• You and I aren’t going to be able to do it all alone.
• They like us - were going to need one another.
• ill: There is no place for ‘Lone Rangers’ in the Church or in evangelism.
• God puts us in fellowship with others for support, encouragement and protection.
Ill:
• When geese fly south for the winter, they fly in a V-shaped formation.
• If not, they’d never reach their destination.
• Researchers know that the V-shape;
• Helps geese fly at least 71% farther than they could alone,
• Because each bird creates an updraft for the bird behind it,
• Making flying easier.
• If a goose falls out of formation, wind resistance slows down the bird.
• If it doesn’t act soon, it won’t be able to keep up with its flock.
• So it quickly gets back into formation
• (b). They were given authority (vs 7).
• “…He gave them authority over unclean spirits.”
• We are in a spiritual battle;
• And therefore we need spiritual weapons to defeat the enemy.
• That is why the Bible says, “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of HIS might.”
ill:
• Just as a policeman’s authority to defeat criminals;
• Is because authority has been delegated to him because of his position and job;
• If he resigns from the force he will be powerless to act in many situations.
• i.e. he cannot stop anyone for speeding.
• Yet if he remains in the force he has the authority to help defeat crime.
• You and I are given authority to make a difference to a broken world.
• The secret to knowing that power is remain close to the master.
(c). They were given instructions (verses 8-11).
Ill:
• A business had relocated and was having a grand re-launch party;
• And one of the friends of the owner of the new business;
• Wanted to send him flowers for the occasion.
• So he phoned a flower shop and left suitable instructions.
• When the owner of the new business received the flowers;
• He was surprised by the accompanying card which read: “Rest in Peace.”
• The owner was angry and called the florist to complain.
• After he had told the florist of the obvious mistake and how angry he was,
• The florist replied,
• “Sir, I’m really sorry for the mistake,
• But rather than getting angry, you should imagine this:
• Somewhere, there is a funeral taking place today,
• and they have flowers with a note saying,… ‘Congratulations on your new location”.
The disciples were given instructions to follow:
• The urgency of their mission required that they travel lightly.
• They were not to be weighed down by suitcases and possessions.
• ill: They were going on a rescue mission not a holiday.
• NOTICE: they were to also depend on God to provide food and shelter.
• They were going to learn that the God who calls is the God who provides!
• They are to look to him for food and shelter and not other people.
• Now often God provides through other people – verse 10 is an illustration of that;
• But they must look to God and not to others for their needs.
• NOTICE: they were to be content with what they had;
• Verse 10. “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town”.
• The disciples of Jesus are to be led by the Lord to people in spiritual need;
• When God leads them to a house,
• They must stay there and make friends with that person or family.
• They were to be servants of those they visited not pampered guests
ill:
• When Paul went to Philippi,
• He met Lydia and stayed at her house until he left that place.
• Lydia’s house became a house church for Philippi. (Acts 16:11-15)
• NOTICE: How they were to respond to those who opposed the message;
• Look at verse 11.
• “And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you,
• Shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them.”
Ill:
• Jewish people knew what this meant;
• Pious Jews did this when they were leaving gentile territory.
• It was a symbol of disassociation.
• This was a graphic representation of being glad to get away from somewhere:
• Shaking the dust off meant one wished for no association with the place,
• Nothing of it to cling to one’s person.
The disciples are the ambassadors of Jesus:
• Therefore people who do not welcome them or listen to them are actually rejecting Jesus.
• The gesture was to show the people that they were making a wrong choice.
• So to make them aware of the importance of the situation;
• The disciples performed a physical sign;
• Of shaking the dust off their feet,
(3). Repentance (verse 12).
• “They went out and preached that people should repent”.
• The disciples preached the same message that Jesus & John the Baptist had preached;
• Their message was that people should repent.
Quote:
“Repentance = I recognise that where I am is not where I am supposed to be.
So I turn and move towards where I am supposed to be”.
Ill:
• A young man got converted to Christ;
• And applied to be a member of a local church.
• Two of the leaders went to see him and one of them asked him a question:
• "Were you a sinner?"
• The new convert replied: "Yes."
• The Church leader asked him: "Are you still a sinner?"
• The new convert replied: "Yes."
• The Church leader then asked him:
• "Then what real changes have taken place in your life?"
• The new convert replied:
• "The best way I can explain it is that I used to be a sinner running after sin,
• But now I’m a sinner running away from sin."
(4). Reward (verse 13).
Quote: Reader’s Digest on success.
“A successful man is one who can make more money than his wife can spend. A successful woman is one who can find this man”.
• Well the disciples were successful;
• Not because they made money but because they blessed people (verses 13).
• “They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.”
• These ordinary men were able to do extra-ordinary things;
• Because they trusted in and followed the masters instructions!
Quote:
“Obedience is like a computer password to the riches of God.”
• This is not rocket science! It is a reminder;
• That if we want to know the power and influence of God in our lives;
• If we want to see him working in us and through us;
• Then we need to do things his way!
• We need to follow the masters instructions!
Ill:
• Gladys Aylward was just a simple woman;
• Who did what she believed God called her to do.
• During the 1930s she left her home in England and sailed to China.
• Here she opened a home for orphaned children
• Who’d been left to starve or wander the streets;
• Until the government placed them in wretched warehouses.
• When the Japanese invaded China, Gladys was forced to flee.
• She ended up trekking through the Chinese countryside for 12 days;
• With 100 children in her care.
• In the face of extreme difficulty and danger;
• She devoted her life to becoming a mother to each of them.
• Years later when she was publicly honoured,
• She explained her amazing work like this:
• "I did not choose this. I was led into it by God.
• I’m not really more interested in children than I am in other people.
• But God gave me to understand that this is what He wanted me to do - so I did it!"
Punchline:
• Who is God asking you to speak to?
• Or what is God calling you to do?
