Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel

Introduction: In this second discourse section in Matthew’s gospel, we find Jesus sending out the apostles to the lost house of Israel. This house is still lost. But I might add that we have a whole world full of lost houses today. It is estimated that there are over 5.5 billion people on planet earth who are lost, without the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Do you know any lost people?

Data tells us that 2.6 billion people claim Christianity, but we don’t know that every one of them are truly born again. So, there actually could be more lost people than we recognize.

How are lost people to be reached? Through the sent ones.

Here in this text, we find Jesus sending out the twelve. His original disciples, now named, apostles. They are now being sent out to do what He had taught them. This is what we are still supposed to be doing today. Here is what I read that the Lord did with his chosen twelve:

He brought them in – He built them up

He trained them for – He sent them out

Jesus sends out the twelve. They are the laborers in His vineyard.

I. Go to the lost sheep – 10:5-6

5 These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of theGentiles, and do not enter a city of theSamaritans. 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Do you recall what the word “apostle” means? It means “sent one.”

Jesus is now sending out the twelve. He had taught them, and now it was time for them to do what they had been taught, and what they had seen Jesus do. This is what discipleship is all about.

As Jesus sends out the twelve, He “commanded them”. Jesus was very specific with His apostles. He tells them about three groups of people, and who they were to focus in on. He says,

· Do not go into the way of the Gentiles. Who were the Gentiles? They were pagans. Jesus’ apostles were to avoid “the way of the Gentiles.” Many roads lead into Gentile territory and they were to be careful not to travel those roads.

· Do not enter a city of the Samaritans. Who were the Samaritans? They were half-Jewish. They were the descendants of those left when Israel was taken into captivity, and they intermarried with the people in the land (2 Kings 17:24), and in so doing they took on the culture around them. They were secular in their worldview.

· But go rather to the lost sheep off the house of Israel. They were to focus on reaching their own people. This was to be their priority.

Scripture tells us that Jesus came unto His own (Jews), and we know that they rejected Him (John 1:11). But the Jews were the ones that Jesus came for, and they are the ones to whom Jesus sends the apostles out to. Jesus gives the Jews every opportunity to recognize and receive Him.

Do you think that Jesus is concerned for lost sheep? Yes, He is! And we too should be concerned for lost people today. I might add here that there are quite a few ministries today that are seeking to reach the lost house of Israel.

· Jews for Jesus. A ministry to reach Jews that started in the 1960s in San Francisco. Founder was Moise Rosen.

· Chosen People Ministries(CPM). Founder, Leopold Cohn, a Hungarian-Jewish immigrant to the United States. Became a Christian, and founded the Brownsville Mission in 1894, now Chosen People Ministries. CPM has staff in 16 countries.

· Zion’s Fire – Founder, Marvin Rosenthal. Mission Statement: A Passion for God, His people, and His Plan for Planet Earth.

Worldwide there are 15.2 million Jews. 47% live in Israel. There are 7,181,000 Jews living in Israel today. (Jewishvirtuallibrary.org). Only 1.9 % are Christians. Which is about 136,439 Jews which have turned to Jesus for salvation. They are a lost house indeed!

Jesus commanded His apostles to go to the lost house of Israel. However, later we know that the Gospel went to all people – Jews, Gentiles, and Samaritans (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8; 10:34-48; 11:1-18).

As they went to the Jews, what were they to do? They were to…

II. Go preach and heal – 10:7-8

7 And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal thesick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

Jesus told His apostles to “go, preach”. To preach means to herald the truth. It means to say what God has said in His Word. Preachers represent. They are God’s messengers. They don’t make up the message; they declare what has already been spoken. In this case they were to proclaim:

The kingdom of heaven is at hand

This was the same message of John the Baptist (Matthew 3:2), and it was the same message of Jesus Christ (Matthew 4:17), and now it is the message of Jesus’ apostles (Matthew 10:7).

The kingdom of heaven was being offered to the Jews. Had they received Jesus Christ the kingdom would have been established right then and there, but they rejected Jesus Christ.

Next, the apostles were also to “heal”. Remember, Jesus had given them authority over demons, sickness, and disease (Matthew 10:1). Now, they were to go and to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out demons. What a ministry! Can you imagine seeing all this occurring at the hands of Jesus’ apostles? Do you think just maybe the preaching, healing, and raising the dead would get people’s attention? Do you think that it would authenticate the man and his message as being from God? Sure, it would.

Question: How do we receive anything from God? Freely! This is GRACE: Unmerited favor. We do nothing earn it, and yet we are on the receiving end. Scripture states,

“But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23b).

Jesus said to his apostles: Freely you have received, freely give.

If you are reading this right now you have got to realize that God is a GIVING God (John 3:16). He wants to give to you today (James 1:17). What is it that you need? Freely receive it. And more importantly make sure that you have freely received the gift of salvation and eternal life.

Ephesians 2:8-9 read,

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not of works, lest anyone should boast.

As the apostles went out to preach and to heal, they were also to fully trust in God’s provision for them. Trust and obey for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus than to trust and obey. The walk with Jesus Christ is a faith walk, or a trust walk.

III. Go and trust me in the going – 10:9-11

9 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.

The apostles were to trust the Lord to take care of their daily needs. Isn’t that what Jesus taught them? Isn’t that the way He had been living before them? Of course, it was. Jesus trusted that His Father would meet His daily needs, and He did, and the apostles witnessed it.

Look at what Jesus told them not to take with them on the “go”:

· No money – gold, silver, or copper.

· No bag for their journey.

· No two tunics.

· No sandals.

· No staffs.

On a side note, can you imagine if the apostles were all women? No money, No bag, no extra clothes, no sandals. Talk about counting the cost to follow Jesus, right?

All the items that Jesus spoke about are the things people relied upon daily through life. Jesus wanted them to solely rely upon Him. God will take care of your needs. Jesus also wanted them to learn an important truth, and one that the church still needs to learn today. What truth is it? It is this:

A worker is worthy of his food.

Jesus wanted His apostles to learn that as they minister to people, that people in their appreciation will minister back to them. God’s people are to take care of God’s sent ones.

R.C. Sproul once said, “The great shame of the American Church is that clergy are the lowest paid people in the country.” He went on to say that some 1500 clergy leave the ministry every year because they can’t survive on what they are being paid. He said, “I don’t know of any clergy that enters the ministry for money.” You see, God’s people are to care for God’s laborers.

Scripture tells us:

· 1 Corinthians 9:14 – 14 Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.”

· Galatians 6:6 - 6 Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches.

· 1 Timothy 5:18 - 18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer is worthy of his wages.” (See also Deuteronomy 25:4).

One author I was reading wrote, “Those who give their lives to God's service are human beings. They must eat, pay rent, buy clothes; they still have doctor bills and must keep the family car in repair. God will supply their necessities, but he intends to do it through his people.” (Bible Knowledge Matthew 1:1-16:12, Pg. 81)

Jesus also told them how to interact with the people that they would meet. He told them…

IV. Go to those who will receive you – 10:11-15

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 comeupon 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 theland of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!

The Worthy Ones

Who are worthy according to Jesus?Those who will receive your message, and who will receive you into their home. These are those who are worthy to hear the Gospel. Worthy ones are those who are open to the message of the apostles. Even today this same principle of sharing the Gospel applies. If people welcome you, then share the Good News, but if they reject you, then do what Jesus said to His apostles in verse 14,

And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake the dust from your feet.

A lack of reception is a sign of rejection! Have you ever heard the words, “Don’t shoot the messenger?” Well, this is what Jesus was wanting His apostles to avoid. Those who rejected them were rejecting Him! Why would anyone reject Jesus Christ? Jesus said,

“I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”(John 10:10b).

Finally, what did Jesus tell His apostles about all those who rejected their words? He said,

15 Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for theland of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!

We know how awful Sodom and Gomorrah were (they evil to the core, full of corruption, most wicked of all cities), and yet Jesus said that it will be more tolerable for them, then it will be for those who rejected the message of the apostles.

What could possibly be worse than the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah by brimstone and fire? What about an eternal hell?

Jews will either stand before Jesus as their savior, or they will stand before Him as their judge. What will it be for you? Savior or Judge?

For any Jew who might be hearing this sermon, there is a heaven to gain, and a hell to shun. Open your heart and life to Jesus Christ today. The Bible says,

“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day for salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2)

Millions of Jews today who belong to the house of Israel are lost in their sins – they are presented as sheep without a shepherd.

In 2022, 45% of Israel Jews self-identified as "secular"; 10% as haredi (ultra-orthodox); 33% as masorti (lit. 'traditional'); and 12% as dati (lit. 'religious' or 'orthodox', including religious zionist). (Wikipedia).

And we as followers of Jesus Christ should pray for the conversion of the lost sheep of the house of Israel. The apostle Paul penned these words,

“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.”(Romans 10:1).

In the very next chapter of Romans Paul wrote,

“And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is My covenant with them, when I will take away their sins.” (Romans 11:26).

Israel, don’t reject Jesus Christ, RECEIVE Him as your Messiah.

Conclusion: As I bring this to a conclusion what are the take home truths for us as followers of Jesus Christ?

1. As the apostles were sent out, so you and I have been sent out.

2. We are to go to lost people and share the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

3. All people – Jews, Gentiles, and Samaritans, need to hear about Jesus Christ.

4. Preach and heal and do what you can for others.

5. Go and trust Him in the going. Where Jesus leads He provides.

6. Trust God to use people to meet your needs.

7. Be open to those who receive you, and those who refuse you, well, just move on.

8. Pray for the lost sheep of the house of Israel.