Lord, Prepare Me
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Planning for a trip. Who likes to do that? Anyone?
My wife and I hate it. We usually say we don’t go on vacation because we are too poor to…really it’s because we don’t want to plan for it and pack for it.
I was thinking about the stages of preparing for a trip over time.
Really little and mom and dad tell you to pack you typically make sure to get some important items like a stuffed animal that you sleep with or favorite toy.
Pic of Lacy and suitcase of shoes
Get a bit older (junior high/high school) and start packing things on your own – forget your toothbrush
Pack to leave for college and can fit almost everything in the back of a car or pick up
Get married and can still fit almost everything in the back of a car
Move houses a few times and need a uhaul.
Then you have kids and 3 uhauals just to go to grandma’s for the weekend.
Eventually the kids get older and can pack their own things
Then they leave the house and you vow to never move again because you have too much stuff
Well, preparing to go on a trip might excite some of you…others like me, you probably don’t enjoy it as much…regardless, preparing for the trip is important, and probably can be said that it is essential.
In today’s Gospel, we are going to discuss some things that we can do to be prepared to do God’s work.
35 – take note of what Jesus was doing – he went into the cities and villages – proclaiming the gospel and healing them
35 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.
What is the Gospel?
Gospel means “good news” What is the good news? It’s that Jesus is here…the kingdom of heaven is here.
36 – he felt compassion for them. Why? They had leaders…. He calls them sheep without a Shepherd…
36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Now, they had leaders…but they were pretty messed up
Because Jesus is God of compassion. He has a heart and a love for people. As we saw last week, this was Jesus’ motivation
37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
37 – points out the work to be done…so do what? Ask the Lord. To pray.
When work is to be done…what do you do? You pray.
Then we move into Chapter 10
1 Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.
He calls His disciples together gives them authority….literally means power over demons, to cast them out, to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness….refer back to verse 35…
35 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.
this is what Jesus had just been doing. Now he is equipping His disciples to do the same.
This is a huge moment. Up until this point they have watched Jesus work miracles. They have now been given the power to do the same.
We talk about how big of a miracle it is when God took on flesh and came to earth – we celebrate it at Christmas….what about that time when He gave His followers the power to do supernatural things? That’s a huge moment.
Matthew 10 5
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.
10:5 – do not go to the Gentiles…these are just the non-Jews….do not go to the Samaritans
6- go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel…
Jesus says to go to the Jews first.
7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’
7 – as you go…preach- or proclaim…”The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Jesus ushered in the kingdom of heaven!
8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.
Go, and do the things that Jesus was doing…with the power that he had.
What does this all mean for us?
I think that we can learn some lesson in the preparation….
We begin with understanding the heart of God!
Jesus has the power and the compassion to bring the kingdom!
And, He equips the disciples to do the same!
8 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.”
The same power that Jesus gave His disciples…
He gives to 120 at Pentecost
15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty)
So, we are to believe that we can do the things that Jesus did!
This is a huge point!!!
But, is that the main point of this text?
If so, why don’t have a report of what they did?
If I were writing a book and included these things as the main focus…I would include some examples of what the disciples did. It would make for a stronger illustration.
I believe that in the mind of Matthew….the fact that Jesus gave them the power...is not necessarily the main point.
So what is the main point?
I think the point is that of preparation.
The power that they now have is astounding.
The message that they have is even greater.
But the topping on the cake is not what is happening now, but what will happen in the future.
I think the message is how we position ourselves for God to work in us and ultimately through us!
I am fully convinced that God has given us His Spirit.
I am fully convinced that He has given us His power.
I am fully convinced that the Kingdom of heaven is here and that we are to proclaim that…..
But what I take away from this is that He has a plan for us. He has a purpose for us. Just as He did with the 12 and the 120… he is preparing us as well!
Are we ready? Are we prepared?
Let’s look back at verses 37 and 38.
37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Jesus sets up the message today with preparation…
He then equips His disciples and sends them out.
So, how are we to prepare?
There are probably millions ideas woven throughout scriptures as to what is means to be prepared for ministry. I am just going to name a few things in our scripture reading today. This is my all means NOT a comprehensive list of means of preparing for God’s ministry through us.
1. Understand what the Gospel is. Jesus was proclaiming the Gospel and told His disciples to preach that the Kingdom of heaven is here.
What is the gospel (good news)?
I heard a story a while back about a prominent missionary who went overseas to a foreign country. Leaving the airport he catches a cab. On the ride the cab driver asks him what he does. The missionary tells the cab driver that he is a missionary. The can driver sits quiet for a minute. The says you know I have an issue with you religious folk. I see a lot of you come through and you each have your own little god that you hold up. You then say that if you don’t listen to your god and do everything that he commands, then he will send you to hell. You know, that doesn’t sound like good news at all.
The missionary then began to break out and tears and said “would you please allow me to apologize for all the Christians that you have met? You are right, that is not good news, the good news is that there is a God that loves you so much that even though you are on the path to hell, he would die for you so that you can have eternal life. He is not sitting there watching every move and waiting to send you to hell, he is sitting there with open arms, waiting for you to come home to him. That is the good news.
As Christian, we must have an understanding of what the Gospel is…what message are we sending those around us? Are we sharing the Gospel or a false gospel?
1 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve.
This is the good news that saves!
The message the 12 were sent to proclaim is that the kingdom of heaven has come…
The kingdom of heaven is still here!
So the first thing we need to know in order to be prepared is what the gospel truly is.
2. The second thing we must do to be prepared is to have compassion for others. Jesus has compassion for people and saw that they were distressed and dispirited.
Ministers sometimes lose sight of this….becomes about running the ministries or business and forget it is about people and Christ’s love for them.
I have met people who are too focus on “my relationship with Jesus and nothing else matters” – you see the people in this camp are only meeting half of the greatest commandment. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength…maybe they have that down….and love your neighbor as yourself….missing the mark there
When God is preparing you to do His work in ministry – it will involve others…do you have a heart an a compassion for the people that He will bring into your path?
So first thing in being prepared is to have a clear understanding of what the Gospel is…the second is to have a compassion for others.
3. Finally, the third thing is do you know where you are going and what you are called to do? Or, put another way, do you understand what the call is? Jesus clearly instructed the disciples on what they are called to do and where they are called to go.
Sometimes this is one of the most difficult parts of God’s calling. I have met some people who knew right away what God was calling them to do and they were able to articulate it clearly. More often then not, however, I have heard people say “God is calling me to do something, I just don’t know what yet.”
The advice that I typically give them is this:
1. Confess and turn from the sin in your life. Sometimes we get fogged over when our focus is not on Jesus.
2. Pray. Then pray some more. Then pray some more.
Nehemiah is one of my favorite stories in the old testament. He was a coup bearer to the king, which means that he held a very important position, full of trust. He heard that his home city and temple had been destroyed and God gave him a huge burden to return home and rebuild it. However, the thing standing in the way was his job, if the king did not honor Nehemiah’s request, he could have him murder for being disloyal.
4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. 5 Then I said: “Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments,
6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. 7 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.
8 “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, 9 but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’
10 “They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. 11 Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.” I was cupbearer to the king.
Nehemiah prays for days…confesses sins..and asks the Lord to remember His promises..
So, When you are not sure what to do..pray..and continue to pray
3. What are you passionate about? What you are passionate about is typically a reflection of your heart. God often uses those things to serve him.
4. Talk to mentors about what they think your gifts are and if they have a sense of what God is calling you to do.
5. Finally, just have compassion for others!
As we wrap up this morning…
So, are you prepared? Do you have a clear understanding of the gospel, have a compassion for people, and know what God is calling you to do?
