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
(3) We are students and He is the teacher
(4) We are patients and He is the Great Physician
2. I said that we are obligate to respond to Christ’s command
a. So, what is the appropriate response
(1) More than anything God simply wants your willing obedience
(2) We are not the author we are simply delivery boys.
(a) Mac Arthur says, we are not the chef; we are the waiter. God doesn't want us to make the meal; He just wants us to deliver it to the table
(b) We are servants under a divine commission
i) I am reminded of two missionaries. Both wanted very much to be missionaries. One wanted to be a missionary to a place like Haiti the other to one of the European countries. Both prayed a prayer something like this, “Lord, I am willing to serve you any place except Africa.” Neither candidate got anywhere in beginning to find the resources necessary to go to the field. Sponsors were lacking, funds were lacking, mission societies were lacking. Then they both prayed, “Lord, anywhere You want, I will go, even if its Africa.” Then everything fell into place, sponsors, finds, and the mission society’s acceptance. The one went to a place like Haiti and the other went to Africa.
(c) All of us have been commissioned in some sense, some officially as witnesses, evangelists and pastors
i) But we all are obligated to obey Christ's call to represent Him in this world
ii) The effective servant realizes he is under divine orders, we are under divine orders
iii) We are committed to obeying the Word of God.
a) Lets turn to Matthew 10:5 - 6
B. Jesus’ Central Objective
Matthew 10:5-6 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. {6} "But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
1. The disciples weren't to go near Gentiles or Samaritans
a. At this particular time Jesus was limiting the gospel to a specific place and people, but it wasn't a permanent command
(1) This plan illustrates how God gives people a central focus and very clear and limited objectives
(a) Where has Christ placed us?
(b) What is our goal?
(c) What is our ministry?
(d) Here in Julesburg we have a limited, howbeit, an extremely important ministry
i) We provide a safe environment for children to learn of Christ’s love for them in AWANA
ii) And we open the ministry to those who are called to minister in this capacity
2. Why did Jesus limit the scope of the Apostle’s mission?
a. First, I believe that it was a very practical application of the apprenticeship principles
(1) Jesus apprenticed to Joseph as a carpenter
(a) Joseph would never have given any of the boys in the family a very sharp tool and had them begin to build something, something like a table
(b) He would have taught them how to use the tools
(c) Then he would have given them simple tasks, judging each step until the boys had mastered that skill
(2) You don’t give an inductee an M-14 rifle and tell them to go kill the enemy
(a) You first teach them everything about the enemy
(b) And everything about the M-14 rifle
i) Alvin York must have been a delight because he was a champion shooter before he was drafted
(3) The Gentiles and the Samaritans did not have the background the Israelites had in the Word of God
(a) A Jewish child was educated in Synagogue school and taught the law, Psalms, and the prophets
i) They knew the promises of Scripture
ii) They knew the covenants
iii) They knew the prophecies
(4) Can you imagine talking to a Jew, “You know about the promised Messiah, well He has come and He is Jesus of Nazareth.”
(a) The task would be simplified by the background the Jews had concerning Jehovah
(b) The work would be providing evidence that Jesus was the Christ
(5) Gentile and Samaritans did not have the background the Jews had
(a) They were for the most part ignorant and even hostile concerning the God of the Israelites
(b) They worshiped various and sundry false gods
(c) They probably saw no need of salvation
(d) Or they believed in a god or gods of a capricious nature
(6) The Samaritans honored only the first five books of the Bible
(a) Genesis
(b) Exodus
(c) Leviticus
(d) Numbers
(e) And Deuteronomy
(f) So the Psalms and the prophets were left out of the religion
i) Turn to John 4:21 - 22
b. Secondly, note Jesus words to the woman at the well
John 4:22 NKJV
"You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.
(1) Turn to Genesis 18:18
(2) Beginning with a man named Abram, the Hebrew people were God’s chosen
Genesis 18:17-18 NKJV
And the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, {18} "since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
(a) That blessing is the Salvation in Christ who came through the Jews or the Hebrew people
i) Turn to Romans 1:16
(3) Paul writes concerning our salvation
Romans 1:16 NKJV
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
(a) The gospel message was for everyone
i) Jew
ii) Samaritan
iii) And Gentile
(b) The Jew first means in time not in importance
3. We could go into a great deal of things concerning the Jews, concerning the Samaritans, and the Gentiles
a. But, we won’t
(1) But, we need to turn to Matthew 10:7-8
C. Jesus message was simplicity itself, a very clear message
Matthew 10:7-8 NKJV
"And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' {8} "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
1. Turn to Matthew 28:19
2. This has the very definite flavor of the Great Commission
Matthew 28:19 NKJV
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
a. I have pointed out before that this verse literally translated means, “While you are going make disciples”
3. The message was, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand”
a. For us, the kingdom of heaven can be seen three ways
(1) In our conversion, our salvation, when we enter the kingdom
(2) In our consecration, our sanctification, when we live out the kingdom
(3) And in the consummation, when the kingdom comes to earth in its millennial form
b. Of course, the ultimate will be our eternal home, eternity with Christ
(1) Turn to Matthew 11:2-5
4. But, in the case of the Jews, 2000 years ago, it meant that the promised Messiah was at hand, and that Messiah was Christ Jesus
a. The message was as Jesus answered John the Baptist
Matthew 11:2-5 NKJV
And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples {3} and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?" {4} Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: {5} "The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
b. This was the promised one
D. Our mission
1. I pointed out before that according to the definition of the word Apostle we are all Apostles
a. One sent with a commission
b. The Lord made it clear that we are to make disciples
c. That we are to be witnesses of Him in the uttermost parts of the world
d. That we are preach the gospel to every creature
2. We have to ask, “how am I doing, Lord?”
E. Quickly lets read the remainder of our passage
Matthew 10:9-15 NKJV
"Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, {10} "nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food. {11} "Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out. {12} "And when you go into a household, greet it. {13} "If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. {14} "And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. {15} "Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!
1. We should understand that these instructions were temporary
a. Turn to Luke 22:35-36
2. These are Jesus words, giving new instructions to the Apostles
Luke 22:35-36 NKJV
And He said to them, "When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?" So they said, "Nothing." {36} Then He said to them, "But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.
a. Those instructions stand today for the missionary, evangelist, and Pastor
b. And for us as we go making disciples
