Lessons from the First Missionaries
Matthew 10:1-10
January 15, 2006
Introduction
Well, after Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years, we’re finally getting back to our walk through the gospel of Matthew.
We’ve gotten through 9 chapters, and have covered a lot of ground, including the Sermon on the Mount, and looked at some specific ways to live for and reflect Jesus in our world.
Today, as we start in chapter 10, we get a look at the very first missionaries sent out by Jesus. I’d like you to take your Bible and turn to Matthew chapter 10. If you’re using the Bibles in the seats, this is on page 688.
Anyone here ever have any "on the job training?" You know, where you learn what the job is all about and how to do it, while you’re actually doing it?
I can think of some real dangerous jobs where that wouldn’t work real well.
Things like, "nitroglycerin transportation," or "underwater submarine repairing." Or maybe "radioactive material disposal."
But in many cases, OJT is a good thing, and Jesus decides to use that here as we open chapter 10.
He’s spent some time with them, they’ve seen him work and heard him teach, and they’ve got an idea of what this "kingdom of God" thing is all about, at least generally.
So now Jesus sends them out to kinda test their wings, and give them a taste of what they’ll be doing after he’s gone.
He gives them a basic message - ’The kingdom of heaven is near.’ And tells them where to go and how to share the message with.
But before we get too far into the message, I want to take just a moment to make a special point about this passage:
Special point: Be careful what you pray for! Remember how chapter 9 ended?
Jesus was expressing his concern for the crowds, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd, and Jesus says -
"The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."
Jesus tells them to pray for workers, and then what does he do? He makes them the answer to that prayer.
And in doing that, he gives them some instructions, and from those instructions, we find a number of principles.
Today we’re going to look at four of these, from verses 1-10, and over the next couple weeks we’ll be looking at some more.
But for today, let’s take a look at four principles we can find from Jesus sending out these twelve guys, okay?
The first principle we learn is to...
1. Take the authority Jesus has given you.
He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.
2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
The word "apostle" means, "sent one," and not just in the sense of going on behalf of someone, but actually in the sense of acting on the full authority of the one doing the sending.
These guys were sent out on the full authority of Jesus himself.
Two types of authority here:
* Authority over spiritual enemies.
* Authority over illness.
Today we also have another authority from Christ:
* Authority to take the message.
Matthew 28:18-20 -
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
If you are a follower of Christ, you have the authority of Christ.
But it’s important to keep a couple things in mind:
First, when God gives authority, he gives the ability to fulfill that authority.
I think many of us have been in positions where we had the "authority" or the title, but little or no actual power to do anything with it.
They’re told to do something, but are never given the power to make decisions or spend money to do the task. And then when the boss asks them why it’s not done, the frustration comes to a head.
Ever been there? It’s really frustrating.
So you can imagine how things would have gone for these apostles if Jesus had said to take authority in these areas without giving them the backing they needed to do what Jesus had told them to do. But God doesn’t operate that way.
Here’s the second principle we can learn from Jesus’ sending out these twelve, and that is to...
2. Go the people Jesus has given you.
5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: "Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.
Now this might seem a little strange, in light of the fact that Scripture is very clear that God loves everybody. So what gives? Why didn’t Jesus send them out to wherever they wanted?
I think part of it had to do with geography. They didn’t have cars back then, and usually blue-collar types like most of the apostles didn’t drive around in chariots.
You might have heard the story about a long-haired teenager who wanted to be able to drive the car. His father didn’t like the long hair and said that he’d have to cut it before he could drive.
So the teenager said, "But Dad, Jesus had long hair!" To which the father replied, "Yup, and he walked everywhere he went, too."
Anyway, geography might have had something to do with it, but really the reason is much more theologically relevant, and it’s the fact that God wanted the Jews, through whom the Messiah would come, to be the first to be able to respond to the Messiah.
This is what Paul was talking about in that great verse from Romans 1 -
(The gospel) is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
When Paul was talking to the woman at the well in John 4, he said that salvation comes through the Jews - in other words, the Messiah that she had heard of, was from the Jews.
God wanted to give Israel every chance to accept his son.
It’s important to understand that this command to the apostles here was only for this time of missionary work.
A little bit ago we looked at Matthew 28:18-20, where Jesus tells them to go to the ends of the earth, to take the good news to every people group.
Who is this for us? Everyone around us. No one is exempt anymore, since God has sent the good news of Jesus around the world.
It also means those people being touched by the missionaries we support.
God has put you here to reach these people in this time.
So you need to take the authority Jesus has given you, you need to go the people Jesus has given you, and third, you need to...
3. Speak the message Jesus has given you.
7 As you go, preach this message: ’The kingdom of heaven is near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
The message they were to take was that the kingdom of heaven was near. So what’s that supposed to mean?
Just that the long-awaited kingdom, being ushered in by the Messiah was coming. The Messiah would soon bring redemption to his people, and bring a spiritual kingdom that would someday find fulfillment in both heaven and earth.
And Jesus says that their preaching would be "backed up," if you will, by such things as the signs and miracles listed here: healing the sick, raising the dead, cleansing lepers, and driving out demons.
So the question that we need to ponder is this: what is the message God has given us to speak? The same one: "The kingdom of heaven is near."
The kingdom of heaven is near. In fact, it’s here and available to all who will take it. You want to be part of the kingdom of God?
Then come to the one who brought it: Jesus. Put your faith in him, and let him be the boss, living for him instead of yourself. Do that, and you’re part of the kingdom.
I can’t promise that your bringing of the message will be accompanied by the kinds of signs and wonders these guys saw happen, but then again, the kingdom has been established now, and the need isn’t there to prove it to Israel anymore.
But hey, who am I to limit God? He might just have a surprise for you! You never know. He still does miracles, you know. Just look who he gave me for a wife!
So take the authority Jesus has given you, go to the people Jesus has given you, speak the message Jesus has given you, and lastly...
4. Take the provision Jesus has given you.
9 Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; 10 take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep.
I think part of the issue was that they needed to travel light. Remember, they were on foot, and didn’t have a pack mule or a Winnebago.
But at a deeper level, the issue was that the apostles were to do the work Jesus gave them, trusting in him to provide for their needs as they went.
I think it’s important to note that the verb for "do not take" is more accurately, "do not procure." In other words, don’t add to what you’ve already got. They already had a tunic and sandals and such - they just weren’t supposed to pack extras, trusting that their current supply would either last them, or that the hospitality of those mentioned in the next few verses would help their provisions last.
But the bottom line lesson here is that when God sends, he provides.
Not always in the way we think he should nor in the time frame we think he should, but if he’s really sending you somewhere, he’ll provide.
Conclusion
Well these are just four principles that we can find in these verses. And we could spend the next few weeks just analyzing these in even greater detail.
But I’d like you to keep coming back, so I’m not going to do that!
As you know, I’m a pretty bottom-line kinda guy.
And in this passage, the bottom line is that even though we’re not the apostles listed here in chapter 10 of Matthew, we have been given the good news so we could not only respond to it ourselves, but also so we could give it to others, trusting God to help us do it.
And as we’ll see in the coming weeks, God will give us not only the means, but even the words when we need them.
So in closing, let me just ask you two questions:
The first question is this: have you received the good news of the kingdom for yourself? If not, what’s holding you back? Why not leave here today knowing for sure that your sins are forgiven and that you have a home in heaven? During our closing prayer time, I’ll be saying a prayer that you can use for your own to take care of that today.
And here’s the second question: are you telling others about the kingdom that you possess? If not, what’s holding you back? Why not leave here today knowing that God’s got your back? That he’ll give you everything you need to spread the kingdom from here to the ends of the earth. During our closing prayer time, I’ll be saying a prayer that you can use for your own - giving yourself to God’s use for the kingdom.
Folks, as I’ve said over and over and over and over - the job’s not done. You see where it started, in this passage with Jesus sending out the twelve apostles. But it continues today, with you and me.
Jesus told us to pray for workers for the harvest. Are you willing to not only pray that prayer, but maybe even be used by God as the answer to it?
It takes guts, but God will help you if you’re willing. Let’s pray.
