The Sending of the Seventy
A detailed Account - Gospel of Luke • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 47:39
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Power and Authority
Power and Authority
What does power and authority mean?
Do people today have power and authority?
We previously have seen that Jesus commissioned the twelve (Lk9:1-11).
Limited commission for the task at hand then.
The commission come with specific instructions.
Do we have a commission today that we need to fulfill? If so, what is it?
(Transition) In our passage this morning we are going to see the commissioning of seventy, or seventy-two some say. We will see the instructions, the warnings given too. So may we turn together to our passage.
Our Passage
Our Passage
1 Now after this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come. 2 And He was saying to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.
3 “Go; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. 4 “Carry no money belt, no bag, no shoes; and greet no one on the way.
5 “Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.’ 6 “If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you.
7 “Stay in that house, eating and drinking what they give you; for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not keep moving from house to house. 8 “Whatever city you enter and they receive you, eat what is set before you;
9 and heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 “But whatever city you enter and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say,
11 ‘Even the dust of your city which clings to our feet we wipe off in protest against you; yet be sure of this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ 12 “I say to you, it will be more tolerable in that day for Sodom than for that city.
13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had been performed in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 “But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the judgment than for you.
15 “And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will be brought down to Hades! 16 “The one who listens to you listens to Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me; and he who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.”
What do you notice in this passage, any general thoughts?
Give this some thought, (v.1) says “after this,” ask yourself, after what? How do you find your answer?
After Jesus explains about the cost of discipleship
After Jesus taught on humility
After Jesus told them again of what was going to happen to Him
After the healing of the Man’s son
After the transfiguration.
The seventy were told to do something (v.2) what is it?
Seek the Lord of the harvest, so in other words pray.
Going out as lamb’s in the midst of wolves Jesus gives some simple direction (v.4)?
Carry no money belt, bag, shoes, no stopping and greeting along the way.
How would they know if there was a man of peace in the household (vv.5-6)?
They will offer peace and peace will return to them if it is a man of peace in the household.
Jesus starts with more instructions (vv.7-8), what do you see?
Go, stay, eat, do not keep going from house to house.
More instructions (vv.9-10), what are they?
Heal the sick
Tell them the kingdom of God has come near to them.
We also see a warning if they are not received, but that really carries out in the following verses
If not received what were they to do, and why (vv.11-12)?
Wipe the dust off their feet in protest against them because the kingdom of God has come near and they did not accept it.
Jesus gives some “woe’s” against who (vv.13-14)?
Chorazin, Bethsaida
Why? For they did not even believe the miracles done in their midst
If those were done in Sodom, Tyre, Sidon there would have been repentance.
Jesus then teaches a strong truth about rejection (vv.15-16), what is it?
If they reject you, they reject Me and He who sent Me.
The Commission the sending
The Commission the sending
1 After this, the Lord appointed 70 others, and He sent them ahead of Him in pairs to every town and place where He Himself was about to go. 2 He told them: “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.
3 Now go; I’m sending you out like lambs among wolves.
Jesus had already set his face toward Jerusalem (9:51); He knew time was limited and there was much more to do yet.
Commissioning more than the twelve, to go to all the villages He will go through, so, to go prepare the way.
Maybe you wonder, why seventy, here are some possibilities:
Maybe just a good selection of people of whom was there.
Maybe a picture of the seventy elders that were with Moses at the base of the mountain.
Maybe a picture of the Sanhedrin.
Some believe it may be these seventy who would translate the Old Testament into Greek for everyday man, everyday life.
Jesus sent them out by two’s. Remember it is by the mouth of two or three witnesses that things are confirmed.
Think about this for a minute, you are the disciples of today. You are the ones sent with authority and a message to prepare the way before the Lord comes.
Why send them, the harvest is plentiful, but the workers (Laborers) are few.
Therefore beseech (pray) the Lord of the Harvest.
There is always need for prayer when it comes to evangelism
We are to pray to the Lord of the Harvest
We are to pray for workers of the harvest, evangelism
We are to pray to participate, be active in the harvest
We are to pray to always remember whose harvest it is!
“Now the Greek is much more forcible, it is that he would push them forward, and thrust them out; it is the same word which is used for the expulsion of a devil from a man possessed. It takes great power to drive a devil out, it will need equal power from God to drive a minister out to his work.” (Spurgeon)
When thinking about this, think, praying for workers, and you are to be a worker, you praying for God to use you, send you!
Out as lambs among wolves, as we continue to spread the good news the sheep continue to increase and the wolves loose power. Wolves maybe fierce but the Lord of the Harvest is stronger.
The Instructions given
The Instructions given
4 Don’t carry a money-bag, traveling bag, or sandals; don’t greet anyone along the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’
6 If a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. 7 Remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they offer, for the worker is worthy of his wages. Don’t be moving from house to house.
8 When you enter any town, and they welcome you, eat the things set before you.
First they were told to pray (10:2); now they are told to take nothing with them (10:4).
Don’t get bogged down with the things of this world
Trust God that He will provide what you need to accomplish His will as you prepare the way for Him.
They were to offer no greetings along the way, sounds rude doesn’t it?
This can be a distraction from the task at hand and the culture at that time, well, let me give you a decent quote about it.
“In the East greets are so tedious, so full of flattery, so certain to lean on to wayside gossip, that men who are out on a work of life and death must run the risk of seeming unsocial at times.” (Morrison)
Stay in a house, bring peace to the house.
It was common at that time to stay in homes vs. Inn’s which could be used for questionable purposes (houses of ill repute).
They are to bring peace, offer peace to the people of the home
They were not to go from house to house looking for the best accommodations and food. They were to stay and allow God to provide to them through the home they are in.
The laborer is worthy of his wages.
They were to be humble and accept anything that was offered to them, not as charity but as wages for the work they are doing. It was not to be a hand out, but a helping hand for the work.
Go, and do this
Go, and do this
9 Heal the sick who are there, and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near you.’
Heal the sick, tell them the kingdom has come near.
Everyone expected when the kingdom came, it would come with power, the healing demonstrates the power of God at work.
The healing was a part of the preaching, and proving that the kingdom had come near “arrived,” (Greek word engiken) The real power was going to be displayed at the resurrection in the not too distant future.
A stern warning
A stern warning
10 When you enter any town, and they don’t welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 11 ‘We are wiping off as a witness against you even the dust of your town that clings to our feet. Know this for certain: The kingdom of God has come near.’
12 I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town. 13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes!
14 But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will go down to Hades!
16 Whoever listens to you listens to Me. Whoever rejects you rejects Me. And whoever rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.”
The instructions, the warning to give was to be bold, was to be specific.
It is important that man understand the cost of rejecting Jesus.
The message, the truth, the power was sufficient evidence and should bring about repentance. For the kingdom had come near. Are we willing to share the truth, share it boldly?
Rejection after the poof, Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum were in worse shape than Sodom, Tyre and Sidon who were all judged by God.
Think about Capernaum, this was the home of Jesus Galilean ministry. This is where He grew up, and they are not believing the signs.
Rejection would lead to Hades
Stern promise and warning, hear you, hear Me, reject you, they reject Me.
As God’s laborers may we remember it is not about us at all, it is all about Jesus. Our greatest concern is that we be good disciples, good servants that bring the kingdom of God near to others that they too may embrace the hope that is in us!
(Prayer) (Exit)
