In Luke 10:1-16 instructions are given by Jesus to his seventy followers as he prepares them for ministry. Verses 17-20 describe the debriefing that took place following their return. In this debriefing, Christ instructs the seventy to have correct priorities as Christians and in so doing takes a stand against Christian pride and arrogance.
I. The Privilege of the Seventy (verse 1-16)
A. The Privilege of Prayer– verses 2-3
1. Psalms 34:15 "The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry."
2. For Laborers – the want of laborers –
a. There are too many semi-Christians.
b. Ezekiel 22:30 "And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none."
3. Be willing to be the answer to your prayer – If you are praying for a harvest be willing to work for the harvest.
a. Brother Andrew in The Calling wrote “At the spiritual level, planning means taking the initiative. It’s not about sitting around until you are absolutely certain God is calling you to a particular task, direction, country, or ministry. Nor is it waiting for the doors to open so you can go there easily. Planning is an act of faith. Jesus never told his disciples to wait for an invitation. He told them to go.
b. Mark 13:34 "For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch."
B. The Privilege of Christian service.
1. God has chosen to use very ordinary people like you and me to minister to the world, to bind up hurts, to tell the truth to those who are in darkness.
2. Many Christians spend much of their lives as spectators on the sidelines. They don’t really believe that the work of ministry is a privilege, that to use the gifts God has given them is an honor.
3. But consider the difference in the early church. We read in Acts 5:40-42 "... when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ."
4. The reason there are so few workers is that too many see serving Christ in the world as being too hard or too dangerous.
a. The work of the ministry is often hard, with a great deal of strain and long hours.
1) I don’t want to commit to do anything -
2) Been there, done that, been burned or burned out, not going to do it anymore. Let someone else do it.
3) It is better to wear out for Christ than to rust out.
4) Luke 19:13 "And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come."
5) Occupy – give diligent action, work, commit to diligent walk and labor, never letting up.
6) There is a little Mexican folk song whose chorus repeats the line, "No me gusta trabajar," which being interpreted is, "I don’t like work."
7) 1 Corinthians 15:58 "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord."
b. It can also be dangerous. Notice Jesus’ words in Luke 10:3: "I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves." Following the Lord and taking up the challenges, he lays before you can put you in hot water. - 2 Timothy 3:12 "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."
C. The Privilege of Protection and Provision – verses 3-4
1. Trust God for protection – sheep among wolves
a. Matthew 10:16 "Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves."
b. Psalms 34:7 "The angel of the LORD encamps round about them that fear him, and delivers them."
2. Trust God for provision - neither purse (moneybag), nor script (traveler’s bag), nor sandals (an extra pair of shoes).
a. Philippians 4:19 "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."
D. The Privilege of Ambassadorship – verse 16
1. George Shultz, when Secretary of State during the Reagan administration, kept a large globe in his office. When newly appointed ambassadors had an interview with him and when ambassadors returning from their posts for their first visit with him were leaving his office, Shultz would test them. He would say, "You have to go over the globe and prove to me that you can identify your country." They would go over, spin the globe, and put their finger on the country to which sent--unerringly. When Shultz’s old friend and former Senate majority leader Mike Mansfield was appointed ambassador to Japan, even he was put to the test. This time, however, Ambassador Mansfield spun the globe and put his hand on the United States. He said: "That’s my country." On June 27, 1993, Shultz related this to Brian Lamb on C-Span’s "Book notes." Said the secretary: "I’ve told that story, subsequently, to all the ambassadors going out. ‘Never forget you’re over there in that country, but your country is the United States. You’re there to represent us. Take care of our interests and never forget it and you’re representing the best country in the world.’"
2. II Corinthians 5:20 "Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God."
3. 1 Peter 2:9 "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:"
E. The Privilege of Power (verse 17-19)
1. Power over the forces of Satan and his angels
2. Ephesians 6:10 "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might."
3. Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me."
4. Sometimes there is an enormous gap between what we think we can do and what God calls us to do. Our ideas of what we can do or want to do are trivial; God’s ideas for us are grand.
II. The Warning against Pride and Arrogance and the Establishment of Correct Priorities (verses 17-20)
A. Don’t boast in your achievements and privileges since circumstances can change and you will not always have the same result.
1. There is nothing so weak, for working purposes, as this enormous importance attached to immediate victory. There is nothing that fails like success.
2. Philippians 4:12 "I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need."
3. There is a danger in successes. Moderate success in Christian service can be a spiritual hazard. It can make us content to live without the manifest presence of God.
4. Philippians 3:13-14 "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."
B. Don’t rejoice in your power
1. Consider the statement the disciples made, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name." Note two important words in that statement - "to us." The disciples could be tempted to think that they themselves, in fact, were the instruments of righteousness, that they were more important than the power of God behind them.
2. Acts 14:11 “And when the multitudes saw what Paul had done, they raised their voice, saying in the Lycannian language, "The gods have become like men and have come down to us." And they began calling Barnabas, Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds.”
3. Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.
4. Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me."
C. Rejoice in what God has done for you. – verse 20
1. "If you want to rejoice in something, rejoice in this: you have a relationship with Jesus Christ that will last forever, You names are recorded in heaven," That fact ought to be the source of our excitement.
2. Psalms 20:5 "We will rejoice in thy salvation and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the LORD fulfill all thy petitions."
3. Galatians 6:14 "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world."
4. I boast not of works ; Nor tell of good deeds, For naught have I done; To merit His grace, All glory and praise Shall rest upon Him, So willing to die in my place.
My trophies and crowns, My robe stained with sin, ’Twas all that I had To lay at His feet, Unworthy to eat; From the table of life ’Til love made provision for me.
I will glory in the cross, In the cross, Lest His suff’ring All be in vain, I will weep no more, For the cross that He bore; I will glory in the cross. [© 1978 John T. Benson Publishing Company (Admin. by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc., 741 Coolsprings Blvd., Franklin TN 37067)] CCLI License No. 754427
