Intro
• We are all sinners that do not deserve salvation yet God, in His mercy, provided a way that we can be saved.
• By Jesus coming to this Earth, living a sinless life, and dying on the cross He paid the ultimate penalty for our sins and the sins of all mankind.
• Three days after His death God raised Him from the dead as the victor over sin and death.
• I thank God that He sent Jesus Christ to save us!
• We should all thank God everyday for the salvation He has provided.
• There is nothing that we can do to attain salvation by our own merit.
• When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior we are saved at that very moment.
• Once we are saved, we are saved - no question about it.
• However, once we do become a follower of Jesus Christ, we are expected to work to further His Kingdom.
• These works do not save us but they are an outward manifestation of the Spirit now living inside us, transforming our lives.
• Remember the words of James:
• James 2:17-18 - "In the same way faith, if it doesn’t have works, is dead by itself.18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith from my works."
• Once we are saved, we are commissioned for service to further the Kingdom of God.
• Today, we look at Luke 10 and see where Jesus commissioned 70 followers.
• Jesus will answer three very important questions in this scripture regarding our commission as Christians.
• Pray
Why Should We Go?
• Luke 10:1-2
• Often times I get discouraged because sometimes week after week goes by and our invitations are empty
• Many times we close a service and many times at the end of our evangelism events we have no one, that we know of, that has been saved.
• Don't get me wrong, we have seen a lot of changed lives but wouldn't you like to see greater amounts?
• If we are not careful we then begin to develop an attitude of apathy and cease trying to bring the lost to Jesus Christ.
• However we have to remember a few things regarding why we should go; why we should keep trying to reach the lost.
• A. We are commanded to Go and therefore if we are to be obedient then we must go.
• The Great Commission - Matthew 28:18-20 - "Then Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
• B. The Harvest is abundant.
• Oftentimes I believe that we think that we cannot find the lost and if we do find them then they are not going to listen to us anyway.
• This attitude causes us to throw our hands up in the air and then turn inward to only focus and care about those already in the church.
• We cannot give up on reaching the lost.
• Jesus tells us something here that is very exciting news v2 - The Harvest is Abundant
• We should be compelled to go because the harvest is many and it is ready!
• However, the workers are few.
• C. We may not always harvest; we may sometimes plant or water.
• 1 Corinthians 3:6 - "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth."
• God may use us to plant a Kingdom seed in the hearts of lost people.
• God may also use someone else to water that seed and grow.
• I wonder how many seeds God has used us to plant during the evangelistic events we have participated in: Downtown Fall Festivals, Christmas Parades, Relay for Life, Vacation Bible Schools
• We may or may not see fruit come from our efforts but we must be obedient.
• We should be obedient to Christ's command to go because the harvest is abundant.
• Remember, He uses His church to bring in the harvest but in order for the harvest to be brought in then we must go.
What Should We Look For?
• Luke 10:3-8
• As Jesus is commissioning these 70 followers He instructs them about things that they should be looking for.
• Isn't great to know that Jesus does not send them out unprepared but He takes the time to instruct them.
• Jesus still instructs His followers today through God's Word and through His Holy Spirit.
• A. In v3 Jesus tells them that He is sending them out like "lambs among wolves."
• This was a common saying meaning that He was sending them out into danger.
• The 70 followers were not to look for a warm welcome by everyone.
• They shouldn't look for a great reception to their message by all either.
• In fact because of the message that they proclaimed they could count on persecution and they might even die.
• Christians today are commanded to go and we should also look for the same persecution that these Christians faced.
• We too can face death for proclaiming the message of Jesus Christ.
• B. Jesus also instructs the 70 to look for "a person of peace." (v6)
• As the 70 went to the different in homes in the towns they entered they were to look for a person of peace.
• What is a person of peace?
• A Person of Peace is someone who responds in peace to the message of Jesus Christ.
• A Person of Peace is someone who is open to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
• If a person responds in peace to you, then you have a open door into their life; an open door to dig deeper and ask them about spiritual matters.
• I believe we oftentimes think of evangelism as an event where in fact evangelism should be a part of our everyday lives.
• As we go through life we should constantly be looking for persons of peace.
• We should be looking, searching and praying for ways to begin new relationships with people and introducing them to Jesus Christ.
• As you go through your life, are you searching for people of peace?
• Are you searching for people that you can begin new relationships with and share Jesus Christ with?
• As Christians we should remember that as we go and carry out the Great Commission, we need to look for and look past persecutions and earnestly seek out persons of peace.
What Should We Tell Them?
• Luke 10:9-12
• Jesus sent out the 70 with a message
• Look at v9 again - "The Kingdom of God has come near you."
• Jesus sent the 70 to these specific places to prepare the people that He was about to come there Himself (v1)
• Christians are commissioned to Go, but what should we tell the lost?
• What is the message that Jesus would have us to relay on His behalf?
• After we have gone and found a person of peace, what do we tell them?
• A. We tell them the gospel message of Jesus Christ and how they can be saved.
• We tell them that everyone is a sinner and because of our sin we are separated from God. (Rom 3:23)
• We tell them that even though we are sinners separated from God, He loved us enough to send His one and only Son to die a brutal death on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. (Rom 5:8)
• We tell them that they have a choice to make; to either accept Jesus and be saved or to continue to live in their sin and be condemned (Rom 6:23)
• We tell them that they can be saved by believing in their heart that Jesus is Lord and by confessing with their mouth that God raised Him from the dead (Rom 10:9-10).
• We tell them that they can have assurance to know that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved!
• What else can we tell them that is greater than the gospel message? nothing!
• B. What if they do not believe what we tell them.
• The 70 would face this issue and Jesus gave them specific instructions if their message was rejected.
• Look at 10:10-11 again
• We cannot pressure people to accept Christ or make them accept Christ - They must be convicted and do so of their own freewill.
• Once we proclaim the message and the hearer does not accept the message then we are to move on - we cannot compel them to accept, only Christ can
• This person has rejected Christ and has brought condemnation upon himself.
• v12 - More tolerable for Sodom than for the one that rejects the message of Christ.
• We should always go about life proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ remembering that some will accept Him and others will reject Him.
Conclusion
• Jesus has answered three very important questions in this scripture regarding our commission as Christians.
• Why Should We Go? - We are commanded to and the Harvest is Abundant
• What Should We Look For? - Look past persecutions and look for people of peace.
• What Should We Tell Them? - The Gospel of Jesus Christ and How they can be saved.
• Challenge:
o Have you accepted Jesus Christ and made Him your Lord and Savior? If not, will you do so today?
o Knowing that the Harvest is Abundant, will you be obedient and go?
o As you go about your daily life, will you search for people of peace?
o Will you make a commitment to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ and look for people to witness to?
