The Foundation to Something New

Founding Fathers

About 250 years ago, a group of men and women felt called by God to start something new.

They had to chart a new course, one that had never been traveled before. They had no examples to follow. They only knew what they had experienced did work and they did not want to repeat it.

The discussed, argued, fought, and pounded out the documents that would lead this nation forward. Today we struggle to maintain the course they set.

To do this, individually and personally they had to set a new course. As well, they needed to set a new course collectively.

So, I thought it would be good to go back and look at the inspiration for this nation as we celebrate the anniversary of our independence.

They had no examples to follow, but they had the Holy Spirit and God’s Word to follow.

Here are a few examples of the course some of the key members of our founding fathers was on.

George Washington

John Adams

Thomas Jefferson

John Hancock

Ben Franklin

Samuel Adams

John Quincy Adams

Then, collectively, they came together to chart the course for this new nation. Here are two quotes, drafted by Thomas Jefferson, but influenced by the whole group as they hammered out what they believed to be God’s vision for this new nation.

Declaration of Independence

Constitution

Here you can see, their faith and dependence on God as they declared their independence from England and established us as a new nation.

You can also see how far we’ve wandered away from the founding principles they found in the bible that were their guides to set us on this course.

How much longer can we survive on the course we’ve altered to?

There is another group of men who started something new. They did it almost 2000 years ago. They, too, had to chart a new course for their individual lives. Then, they came together collectively and charted the course for their new organization.

They had no examples to follow. But like most of our nation’s founding fathers, they had faith. They also had 1 advantage. Jesus was with them to help them get started.

Individually, they had their own calling and course:

Luke 1:1–4 NIV

Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

While Luke was not one of the original 12, he interviewed them to get his facts straight.

John was one of the 12, an eyewitness. He was the youngest apostle who lived the longest and wrote the latest.

John 1:1 NIV

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 20:30–31 NIV

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Collectively they came together around these words of Jesus:

Matthew 16:18 NIV

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

How is He going to do this?

Acts 1:8 NIV

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Empowered, gifted, and led by the HS; we will spread out across the entire world to share our Jesus stories w/ others.

Jesus started it, they built on it, and we continue it.

As we continue the work that Jesus started then sent the apostles out to do, we will achieve the same results if we follow the same guidance.

The specific instructions were for these guys. The HS will give us our own specifics. But the encouragements apply to all of us.

Up to the point where we are in this series, it’s been all Jesus all the time. He has got to prepare his disciples to continue the work once he’s gone. The passage we are looking at today is the first biggest step in preparing the disciples to carry on the work once Jesus is gone.

It’s a long passage. I’m not going to teach every verse, but just hit the highlights of what Jesus did in his preparation of the 12 to carry on.

Education Fundamentals

Matthew 9:35–10:1 NIV

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “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 called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.

Matthew 10:5 NIV

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans.

Fundamentals are fundamentals. You heard me quote our founding fathers on the fundamentals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Teachers, educators, you will see the fundamentals of education that Jesus performed just like you perform in your classroom.

I learned them 40 years ago when I was working on my first Master’s degree in secondary ed. They have been tried and true for longer that we realized.

Jesus used the fundamentals as He prepared the disciples to lead this new org after he was gone.

Jesus taught them.

He modeled it for them.

Then, He sent them out to do it themselves.

He will later evaluate them once they return from this mission trip.

It has not sunk into them, yet, that He will be leaving them. Much less, the manner in which he will leave. So, they don’t get the deeper reason why He’s doing this right then.

They are very happy to be his right hand men. But, at this point, they fully expect Him to be their leader, physically in their presence, for the rest of their lives.

You will see a couple of times in this passage where he refers to things that haven’t happened yet. We look back, like they did sometime later, and get what he was talking about. You wonder what was going thru their minds, if anything, about what the next 60 year will hold.

I say 60 years b/c that’s how long John will live and write his last books included in our bible, Revelation.

Did the lessons take? Well, w/ one big caveat, the indwelling help of the HS, they obviously took b/c here we are in MP, AZ 2000 years later doing what Jesus called them, and us to do.

Before He sent them out, he had more instructions for them. A few specific things for them to focus on this time. There will be more later. But, this first time, just the 3 things. You’ll see. They are big enough to digest.

A Few Instructions

There’s a lot to leading the church. Much more than what He lays on them here. But, aren’t we all glad Jesus doesn’t dump the whole load on us right away after we first come to faith.

3 Instructions. Who, What, and a Warning:

Who

Matthew 10:5–6 NIV

These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.

Only Israel.

We know that it was predicted in the OT that Gentiles would have the chance to be saved. We also know, b/c we have the whole NT, that Gentiles will get the same opportunity later.

But, for right then, Israel was still God’s chosen, and Jesus came to offer them the kingdom first.

In theory, had they accepted, then the kingdom would have begun right then. But, we knew it wouldn’t. The offer of a Jewish only kingdom will be rescinded and the Jesus’s kingdom will be offered to everyone from every background.

But, for right then, the 12 were sent only to Jewish villages.

This would be a great place for the disciples to begin b/c they had so much in common and could more easily build the bridge from the law and prophets to Jesus.

The bridge for the Gentiles will be built later by ppl who better understand them. For now, it’s ministry 101, kindergarten before they get to grad school.

Only Jewish villages.

Next instruction, What to tell them and what to do. Tell them the kingdom of heaven is near and show them what it will be like when the kingdom is established.

What

Matthew 10:7–9 NIV

As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. “Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts—

We have no details about the miracles God did thru these men. Whatever else, they raised the dead. Freely they had rec’d, and freely they were able to give.

The kingdom was offered right then. This is what it will be like in heaven.

No one gets sick, ever.

No one dies. If you’ve already died, you will be raised to live in heaven.

Leprosy was seen as an illustration of the effects of sin. You rot. Body parts fall off. There will be no sin nor its effects in heaven.

Satan has no presence in heaven. There will be no demonic activity there.

Jesus goes on to say, don’t pack a bag. Trust God. Just like Israel in the wilderness and for all of us in heaven, God will provide what we need when we need it.

PPL step up after being prompted by God to feed you, board you, and provide whatever needs you may have on this trip.

Imagine their personal growth during this trip. Who takes a trip w/out packing a bag? They had to grow. Their faith had to strengthen. Then, they were models for the ppl they were serving.

It req’d them to fully depend on God so they could encourage the ppl listening to them w/ a message of integrity and authenticity that they were doing the same thing.

I owe Simon Cowell a huge debt and thank you for making me a better preacher. His works echo in my head every week when I prepare a sermon. When he was a judge on “American Idol”, he would regularly criticize the those auditioning and the contestants w/ these words:

“I don’t believe you believe a word you are singing.”

The best singers singing the best songs put themselves in the situation the song is about and must convince the audience they are telling them their own story. Otherwise, it’s simply karaoke.

I have to believe what I preach. That’s why most of my sermons begin w/ personal stories that illustrate the big idea of the day.

If it’s true, then I should have a story about when I was able to apply the lesson. That sort of integrity is vital to good sermons.

Jesus made sure the disciples could preach their own story related to His story.

So, he gave them the who and the what, the last instruction was a warning. It will be hard for reasons you may not appreciate yet.

Warning

Matthew 10:16–18 NIV

“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles.

Be shrewd. Be wise. Be sensible. Be prepared, you will be attacked. That’s what wolves do to sheep. Don’t be naive. But, be gracious when they come after you.

No one likes to get in trouble. But, you will be treated like you are trouble.

Local councils will convict you. You’ll be punished, severely.

Just like Jesus is using them as an example to those they are serving, the local Jewish officials will use them as example for what can happen if they follow their lead.

You’d think that Jesus would pave the way, make things smooth. If you’re wanting to build a new org wouldn’t you point out how easy it is to get on board and all the benefits of participation.

He doesn’t do that. Not this time. Not ever. Every one of the 12 w/ 2 exceptions will die horrible and painful deaths at the hands of the religious opposition.

Judas Iscariot commits suicide after betraying Jesus. And John lives out his life in exile into old age.

The others are martyred. They needed to understand what this will cost them. None died on this journey. They obviously were not ready to face that. But, Jesus felt they were ready to face the opposition and pain of a good flogging.

After these instructions, he offers 3 encouragements. If they heard this, they might not want to go. Okay only Jews, Kingdom and miracles are pretty cool. But, maybe they were not sure they could handle the floggings. So, He encouraged them w/ these words.

Encouragements

It will be hard. And there will be times of little or no success. There will be times of hardship and persecution. It that’s all that there will be, it would be hard to get ppl to go out and do this.

But then there will be times that will blow your mind and will encourage you to keep going. As tough as it is and as much it will cost you, these situations will reward you.

What to say

Matthew 10:19–20 NIV

But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

Imagine being in a situ where, going in, you have no idea what you are going to say. Then, once in it, the words flow intelligently, concisely, and convincingly.

One of the ways to learn to trust God is to expect Him to give you the words you need to say when you need them. You may not get them early. You will never get them late.

Also, realize, there are times when we need to remain silent. Don’t get frustrated if the words don’t come. Jesus gave us that example when he was on trial and did not defend himself. His silence accomplished his purpose.

When heading into a difficult convo or situ, trust God to give you the words. They will be there when you need them.

There is a rarely applied spiritual gift, the word of knowledge. As a gift, the person is able to come up with the right things to say all the time. But even those who don’t have that gift, we are able receive what we need from God occasionally, when we need it.

That’s a powerful moment when you realize God just put words in your mouth and they worked to accomplish his purpose in that situ.

Some will be saved

Matthew 10:22 NIV

You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

Not everyone. Maybe not the ppl you most want to see be saved. But, some will make a decision that will change their lives for the better forever. And you will be there to see it and know God did it thru you.

When someone makes a life-changing decision and you get to be part of it, it will keep you going for a long time.

Example to follow

Matthew 10:24–25 NIV

“The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!

The point here is Jesus would never ask us to do what He hasn’t already done. We are not trying to figure this out on our own. We have an example to follow.

And, when the leader does the grunt work for the followers see, we are much more likely to do it ourselves. Jesus has never called anyone into a situ to do something he hasn’t already done and shown us how.

No fear

Matthew 10:26–28 NIV

“So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

We have nothing to fear. There is no reason to be afraid. They may have feared for their safety and well-being. Too often we fear not knowing what to say. Already, He addressed that.

Satan cannot hurt us unless we let him. He will try. But we have the power to stand up to every evil force and influence around us.

Respect him. He is powerful. But we need not fear him.

And if we don’t need to fear Satan, there is nothing else to fear.

This is the goal. This is what all the teaching, miracles, examples, trusting, and speaking lead to.

There is no halfway w/ Jesus. You’re either all in or not in. If one foot is out, then you’re all out.

It’s a hard line. And Jesus will enforce that line. Some who in will be rejected by those who are not. That will be hard.

But this is the work

All in or Not in

Matthew 10:34–39 NIV

“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn “ ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

Bottom line on what He sent the disciples out to do.

You’d think Jesus would have a better PR person advising him. Or, He needs a better marketing campaign.

He’s trying to build something new. He wants to attract ppl. So his line is, whoever finds their own life will lose it, and whoever loses their life, for my sake, will find it.

That’s all. Just be willing to give everything up.

You watch TV this afternoon, and every commercial will be about how much you can get for how little it costs. But Jesus is all about getting life which is great. But it costs us everything.

And, there is no halfway. Jesus demands total submission, subjection, and obedience.

We may not understand that right away. But, as we get to know Jesus better, we get to know what He expects of better.

And, remember, He would never ask of us what He hasn’t already done for us. He gave up far more for than we could ever give up for him.

This is truth that will divide families, communities, and this country. Ironically, where we started versus where we are right now, it’s hardly recognizable.

God has not called us to be a Xian nation. He has called us out to be a nation of Xians. It is an individual decision that will effect the whole. The more of who choose to give out lives up for Jesus, the better our country will.

Likewise, the fewer of us who give up the life we were born w/ the get the life Jesus will give us, the more chaotic our nation will be.

Jesus sent out the 12 to begin to lay the foundation for the church.

And God called our founding fathers to lay the foundation for this new nation. They have a lot in common.

And we are called to continue the work, on both fronts, all of being willing to give up our life for Jesus. And, our military being willing to give up their life for their country.

These sacrifices will not go unnoticed nor unrewarded.

The specifics are different. The instructions are different. But the encouragements are the same. If we do the work, we will see the same encouragement in our lives today.

Applications

Words

The HS will give the words to say when you are in a tough situ or a tough convo. Trust God.

Silence might be the perfect response. Don’t feel like you have to come back w/ anything.

Trust God to meet your needs and give you the right words to say when you need them.

Is there a situ or convo you are avoiding b/c you’re afraid you won’t know what to say?

Make the date and trust God to give you exactly what you need. He will.

Saved

As you tell your story about your relationship w/ Jesus, from time to time you will have some ppl who will respond w/ faith of their own.

There is no great decision anyone can make than to accept Jesus as their Savior. Choose to believe in Jesus to be saved.

You don’t have to answer all their questions. You don’t need t/b a biblical scholar. You just need a relationship w/ Jesus and be willing to talk about it.

There is a party in heaven each time someone new comes to faith. Be the one who facilitates that party by leading someone close to you to follow Jesus.

Who are you praying for to come to Jesus? Who are you inviting into your life in safe environments where these convos can take place?

Invite ppl over for coffee, games, dinner, out for a hike and create more opp’s for a convo to happen where you can lead them to faith.

There is no greater feeling than knowing you participated in helping secure someone’e eternal reservation at Jesus’s table.

No Fear

We have nothing to be afraid of.

We will get the words. We are only telling our own story.

I am the world’s foremost expert on my own opinions and experiences. You’re and expert, too.

Satan can’t hurt you unless you let Him. Put on the armor of God. Sometimes we accidentally or inadvertently give him and opening.

Jesus can patch that hole and make us whole when Satan takes a chunk out of us.

Live w/out fear. Follow Jesus’s instructions for your life. And live confidently and hopefully all the time.

Jesus sent out the 12 to begin to lay the foundation for the church.

And God called our founding fathers to lay the foundation for this new nation. They have a lot in common.

And we are called to continue the work, on both fronts, all of being willing to give up our life for Jesus. And, our military being willing to give up their life for their country.

These sacrifices will not go unnoticed nor unrewarded.

The specifics are different. The instructions are different. But the encouragements are the same. If we do the work, we will see the same encouragement in our lives today.

Empowered, gifted, and led by the HS; we will spread out across the entire world to share our Jesus stories w/ others.

Jesus started it, they built on it, and we continue it.

As we continue the work that Jesus started then sent the apostles out to do, we will achieve the same results if we follow the same guidance.

The specific instructions were for these guys. The HS will give us our own specifics. But the encouragements apply to all of us.

Communion