The Method of the Kingdom

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Let’s Jump into today’s message.

If you are new to our church today, it would be helpful for you to know that we practice a form of preaching called “Expository Preaching”.

What that means, is we believe the Bible is best taught by taking books of the Bible and then breaking them down from beginning to end, chapter by chapter, verse by verse. Our goal, to better understand not only what God’s Word says, but what it means in our lives today.

We are currently walking through the NT book of Matthew.

If you have your Bible turn with me to Matthew Chapter 10

Pastor Rustan dove into a system that Jesus is introducing to the Apostles and All believers who would learn from it.

Last Week We covered step one and two plus a little of Step 3

In Step 1 Jesus Lays out the Objective

The Objective

Matthew 10:5–6 CSB

5 Jesus sent out these twelve after giving them instructions: “Don’t take the road that leads to the Gentiles, and don’t enter any Samaritan town. 6 Instead, go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Look Jesus tells us in multiple scriptures to get our house in order.......

If the Kingdom is going to spread first the original House needs the opportunity to be brought into the Kingdom.

Deuteronomy 7:6–7 CSB

6 For you are a holy people belonging to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be his own possession out of all the peoples on the face of the earth. 7 “The Lord had his heart set on you and chose you, not because you were more numerous than all peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples.

Romans 9:4–5 CSB

4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the temple service, and the promises. 5 The ancestors are theirs, and from them, by physical descent, came the Christ, who is God over all, praised forever. Amen.

God has his eye set first on Isreal because he has already promised that Through the Seed of Abraham all Nations would be blessed.

Acts 3:25 CSB

25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your ancestors, saying to Abraham, And all the families of the earth will be blessed through your offspring.

So first lets rescue the lost Sheep. Jesus is building an army of Evangelists.

For this time the message is for Isreal and Isreal only but we will see that Later Jesus will include all the ends of the Earth.

Step 2: Jesus lays out the The Message

The Message

Matthew 10:7 CSB

7 As you go, proclaim, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’

Since He is sending them after the lost sheep of Isreal the message is quite simple.

“The Kingdom of heaven has come near.”

The King is Here and With Him is the Kingdom.

With the Kingdom comes Step 3

The Method

Matthew 10:8–12 CSB

8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you received, freely give. 9 Don’t acquire gold, silver, or copper for your money-belts. 10 Don’t take a traveling bag for the road, or an extra shirt, sandals, or a staff, for the worker is worthy of his food. 11 When you enter any town or village, find out who is worthy, and stay there until you leave. 12 Greet a household when you enter it,

The Message is The Kingdom has Come Near.

Prove it by Being empowered by the Holy Spirit to do Miracles.

All of these Miracles stated were Miracles that Lost Sheep would recognize as Messianic Miracles.

They would see this as a sign and then would come reach out to the Disciples for Answers.

The rubberneckers and the Searchers

Those who are searching...........

Those who are searching will reveal themselves.

This is why Jesus tells them not to take any provisions because those who are searching are going to actually be the ones used by God to provide for the Basic Needs of the Apostles.

This is a once and done command. Jesus only told these twelve to go and not take provisions.

I have heard of Missionaries using this scripture and going into lost lands with no provisions or plan and failing miserably.

Luke 22:35–36 CSB

35 He also said to them, “When I sent you out without money-bag, traveling bag, or sandals, did you lack anything?” “Not a thing,” they said. 36 Then he said to them, “But now, whoever has a money-bag should take it, and also a traveling bag. And whoever doesn’t have a sword should sell his robe and buy one.

The instructions changed. This is why Missionaries come home for Itinerantion every 4 years. To make sure they have the necessary supplies to fulfill the mission.

The same goes for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in this part of the Method.

The Apostles seem to have all the Gifts at Once.

I believe this instruction and empowerment changed once the King was no longer present on this earth.

In Acts 2 we find not just 12 but 120 ten times the amount that were first sent.

All 120 recieved Power when they were Baptized in the Holy Spirit by Jesus.

Matthew 3:11 CSB

11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is more powerful than I. I am not worthy to remove his sandals. He himself will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Jesus is the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit.

With that baptism comes Gifts that belong to the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 12:1–11 CSB

1 Now concerning spiritual gifts: brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be unaware. 2 You know that when you were pagans, you used to be enticed and led astray by mute idols. 3 Therefore I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. 4 Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are different ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are different activities, but the same God works all of them in each person. 7 A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good: 8 to one is given a message of wisdom through the Spirit, to another, a message of knowledge by the same Spirit, 9 to another, faith by the same Spirit, to another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another, the performing of miracles, to another, prophecy, to another, distinguishing between spirits, to another, different kinds of tongues, to another, interpretation of tongues. 11 One and the same Spirit is active in all these, distributing to each person as he wills.

The Objective and the Message have expanded:

Matthew 28:19–20 CSB

19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

The Method Has Expanded to all Believers. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is available to all believers.

I would challenge you to begin praying

“God if there is something more that I have not recieved, that will allow me to be a better evangelist, then I want that gift.”

But I believe the is something more that we can learn from this method.

Matthew 10:11–12 CSB

11 When you enter any town or village, find out who is worthy, and stay there until you leave. 12 Greet a household when you enter it,

This leads to Step 4.

The Result

Matthew 10:13–15 CSB

13 and if the household is worthy, let your peace be on it; but if it is unworthy, let your peace return to you. 14 If anyone does not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that house or town. 15 Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.

The method was not about large crowds it was about individuals and households.

We don’t all have to be street preachers, traveling evangelists, or missionaries.

While I do believe God is still calling people into these roles.

God does his best work through conversations between individuals and households.

What we can learn here though is that some are going to receive and some are not.

It is not our responsibility to worry about who will and who won’t.

The Holy Spirit is the one who draws.

Matthew 10:13 CSB

13 and if the household is worthy, let your peace be on it; but if it is unworthy, let your peace return to you.

Matthew 10:14 CSB

14 If anyone does not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that house or town.

This isn’t an opportunity for you to Damn those who won’t accept your message. This is a call to dust the rejection off you and your feet and move on to the next opportunity to share.

Matthew 10:15 CSB

15 Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.

This is Jesus telling the disciples God is going to take care of the rejection so move on.

So as I wrap up today what are the takeaways.

Would you look around the room. Do you see all the empty chairs.

Each one of those chairs represents an individual or household that is in need of a search party.

Each one of you here if you are a believer in Christ are called to Join that Search Party.

Your Objective: is to Fill Empty Seats.

Your Message: Is the Good News of Jesus the Christ.

Your Method: To be Empowered by the Holy Spirit.

The true sign that the Holy Spirit is at work in a Church is found at the end of Act Chapter 2.

Acts 2:46–47 CSB

46 Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

Baptism!

Would you stand with me!