Give the Gospel Freely

Call to Worship: 1 Peter 2:9 // Prayer

Adoration: Our Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth: you have called us out of darkness and into your marvelous light. You have called us out of sin and its ugly misery to behold the endless excellencies of who you are—all the perfections and glories of all that you are. You have revealed these things to us through our Great Redeemer, your Son, and you have opened our eyes to see them by your Spirit.

Confession: Yet though your person is all excellence and beauty, we confess that we have often turned back to the ugliness of sin. We confess that selfishness has directed our eyes to greed, lust, and worldly comfort; we confess that our attitudes have been petty and prideful; we confess that our spiritual eyes have been attached to things other than you. Father, forgive us, for we have sinned against you.

Thanksgiving: Yet our worth as your children was never from our righteous deeds; it was always from the blood of your Son, shed for us. We are unworthy of you, yet you have made us worthy through Jesus’ own blood and righteousness, which he gave for us by your own eternal plan, by the power of the Spirit. Thus we know that you have loved and forgiven us, and that you will never let us go.

Supp: In awe of the excellency of your love, then, we appeal to you to work out your love in us. We ask that you would work among us by your power to bind us together in unity, as a congregation that knows that we have have been baptized into one Lord and one Faith—one hope of glory, one Power to sanctify us in this life, one mission to spread your glory, and one Spirit who dwells in us. Please empower us to live in harmony, mercy, patience, and a deep and abiding love for one another // and we ask for Hinson Baptist, that even with the loss of two staff pastors and the difficulties that have come with that, that you would especially empower them with hope and holiness and boldness for your gospel, and give endurance and wisdom to their elders in pastoring the flock entrusted to them // and we bring before you our brothers and sisters in India: we have heard of all their suffering and difficulty in the face of the Hindu Nationalist government, and we have heard of the various false doctrines which assault them; therefore we beg you on their behalf to give them all truth and sound doctrine, to give them passion and boldness for the spread of your gospel, and to give them comfort and assurance of your love and presence with them, and of the hope of glory which is theirs unspeakably; Father, may the Hindu Nationalists prove utterly unable to stop the spread of your gospel there // and now, please open our ears and hearts to be instructed from your Word for the mission you’ve given us...

Announcements

Next Sunday:

Potluck

Congregational Meeting: biannual financial update, a chance to share testimonies of God’s work, and a significant potential opportunity for Scholls—a door that’s opened up as a possible way for us to contribute to the great commission beyond our own community… all members, please make plans to be there for the congregational meeting if at all possible!

Benediction

Psalm 90:16–17 ESV

Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!

Sermon

Intro

I remember, some years back, watching a testimony of a husband and wife—they were telling their story of coming to faith in Christ. And she related how, when her husband was a relatively new believer, and very passionate, he was appointed to preach in a certain Anglican church. And she remembered telling him, “You can’t tell these people they need to be born again! They’re Anglicans!”

Now the thing is, there’s plenty of Evangelical Anglicans who believe the gospel. So why did the wife say that to her husband? She wasn’t even a believer yet herself. But she sensed something intuitively: she sensed that the gospel is inherently confrontational—the gospel confronts people. And so the fact that her husband was preaching it to their congregation made her extremely uneasy.

And she’s a believer now, and loves the gospel. But doesn’t this happen to us sometimes as well? Don’t we sometimes sense that the gospel confronts people? And when we see that, doesn’t it makes us try to smooth off the gospel’s sharp edge? And so then if we share the gospel at all, we water it down. Our witness becomes cowardly.

Or, maybe we make a different mistake: we keep the sharp edge of the gospel, and it makes us arrogant. Our gospel message is technically correct, but it’s harsh and prideful. The attitude of our witness runs counter to the actual grace of the gospel.

Or, maybe we see these errors—or other potential potholes—and just decide not to share the gospel at all. It’s too risky and difficult.

But our King is gracious. Along with the command to labor for the harvest—to share the gospel—he has also given instructions to train our hearts for the task. Do you struggle with sharing the gospel? This Sunday and next, we’ll be examining Jesus’ teaching on what kind of heart to take with you when you do. And it may give you some of the help you need for the task.

So with that in mind, this Sunday, we’ll hear Jesus’ first point: Give the gospel freely—some will receive your peace, others will reject it.

Reading the Sermon Wisely

Now, I just said that Jesus has given us instructions for the task of spreading the gospel. And what I’m referring to is the sermon he gave which makes up most of Matthew chapter 10. Our passage for this morning is roughly the first third of this sermon, and so before we dive in, let’s note how this sermon fits into the storyline of Matthew’s Gospel:

In the passage right before the sermon—as we saw last Sunday—Jesus noticed that the Israelites crowds following him around were like spiritually lost sheep. And so, he appointed the twelve disciples to go out into all the towns and cities which the crowds had come from to carry the gospel to them.

And so this sermon was Jesus’ instructions to the twelve right before he sent them out on this particular mission.

What this means is that the passage I’m preaching to you here is a mix of stuff that was specific to their mission at that time, and not binding on us, on the one hand; and on the other hand, general principles that apply to all gospel ministry, and so are vital for our own pursuit of our mission.

So as we go along, we’ll need to pay attention to what is what.

And the portion of Jesus’ sermon that we have this morning—vs. 5 to 15—is especially focused on instructions which were specific to that mission at that time. Yet, as we will see, it still contains crucial principles for us.

We’ll see that they were instructed go forward with Jesus’ gospel mission // that might look a little different for us… but we do have the same essential task of proclaiming the gospel

They were instructed to freely give the gospel—and that had some unique implications for their mode of travel // but the same basic principle of freely giving applies today

They were told what to expect—how their free gospel-giving would be received or rejected by their fellow Israelites // and once again, some things there were specific to them… yet the underlying principles remain the same for us.

Like the disciples, we’ve been entrusted with the gospel; and so, as we examine Jesus’ instructions to the twelve disciples for their temporary gospel mission which they had at that time, we’ll see that, yes, some of it was unique to their mission. But the underlying principles still apply to us. The underlying principles are vital for our mission: we are to give the gospel freely, knowing that some will receive, and others reject.

Giving the Gospel Freely

And you can see how this is set up in the first few verses:

Matthew 10:5–8 These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

—so, again, this mission is specifically to address these Israelites who are like sheep without a shepherd; Jesus had compassion on them and so now he’s sending his disciples to them—and he goes on:

“And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons...”

And as you look at that, you can see, he’s telling them to do exactly what he’s been doing among the crowds: preach the gospel of the kingdom, and signify the kingdom’s arrival with gracious miracles.

They are simply carrying Jesus’ gospel ministry forward.

And then Jesus gives them an all-important principle which must define their gospel work. It’s found in the last part of verse 8:

Matthew 10:8 “You received without paying; give without pay.”

So what’s the principle? Because you received this gospel without pay, you must also give it without charging for it.

Now, what does Jesus mean by saying, “You received the gospel without pay”?

Well, first of all, who could ever pay for the gospel? When Jesus found you, you were covered in the filth of your sin. You were an enemy of God. And in love, he spilled is own blood to cleanse you. He gave his own life to turn you from God’s enemy into God’s child. He hung on a cross to be condemned in your place, that you might be free in him.

The infinite worth of Christ was given as a gift to redeem you! What do the hymns say about this?

"Nothing have I, Lord, to pay, Nor can Thy grace pro­cure; Empty send me not away, For I, Thou know’st, am poor; Dust and ash­es is my name, My all is sin and mi­se­ry; Friend of sin­ners, spot­less Lamb, Thy blood was shed for me.”

“Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were an offering far too small—love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.”

Do you see it? The beauty, the goodness of God’s love to us in Jesus? Infinite love and immeasurable mercy to sinners. This is the gospel of the kingdom: no money, no skill, no fame, no list of righteous deed could ever buy your citizenship in God’s kingdom. Your sins are far too great. So the King himself died to cleanse you and to purchase your passport, as it were, by his blood.

Kids, do you see this? Imagine the most wonderful treasure in the universe. It’s made of the most magical, beautiful things you can think of. But it more money than you could save up in 10 lifetimes! And then, someone came and spent all his money to buy it and give it to you. It cost so much money! But for you, it was free.

God’s kingdom is like that. You can’t buy it with all the money in the world. And you can never be good enough to have it. But Jesus gave himself to die, so that you could have God’s kingdom. And it IS more magical and beautiful than anything.

“You received without paying for it,” Jesus says in verse 8. This defines the whole shape of the kingdom. There is no paywall of any kind between you and citizenship in heaven. Therefore: you also must give without payment.

“You received without paying; give without pay.” It’s a beautiful principle. But what does that actually look like in practice?

For them, in their particular mission, Jesus tells them what it should look like in vs. 9 and 10:

Matthew 10:9–10 ESV

Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food.

So, there’s kind of two things going on there: first, the 12 disciples were not to make money on the gospel; second they were to rely on the generosity of those they served. And the two go together: because they give freely, they also live on the generosity of those they give to. They’re not to accumulate money for food and lodging, and they’re not to take supplies and an extra tunic to allow them to camp out by themselves if needed. They are to give the gospel freely, trust in the Lord to provide for them, and receive the generosity of those they minister to.

Now again, that’s specific to their specific mission here, and to the culture they lived in. But it still gives us principles for today. Most directly, this applies to those who are devoted to gospel work—mostly, that means pastors and missionaries. Such people may not charge money for their gospel work. Instead, they are to rely on the generosity of God’s people. Period.

So do you see how this isn’t just some random regulation? It’s about the nature of the gospel itself. To charge money for gospel ministry turns the gospel into a commodity that can be bought and sold. It’s a horrible slander against the immeasurable worth of Christ, freely given to you and me.

But it’s not just pastors and missionaries and such… this principle has a wider application: each one of you who is a believer has received salvation freely from God. The greatest treasure in all creation—which you could never afford—has been gifted to you in full. How then should you respond? By turning around and giving it as freely as it was given to you.

What does that mean? That you look at a person who doesn’t know Jesus yet and think nothing about what you can get—or about what you might lose—sharing the gospel with him or her.

And to do this, brothers and sisters, you’ll have to be personally convinced of the gospel’s freeness—and I mean at the core of your being. ‘Yes, I who had nothing but misery and judgement have received forgiveness and a kingdom by the gospel. And so even if they reject me or wound me, I’ll take the gospel to them.’

We have received the gospel freely; we must give it freely.

Some Will Receive Your Peace

And when we do this, some will receive it. Look at verses 11-13:

Matthew 10:11–13 “And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. As you enter the house, greet it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it...”

So when one of these 12 disciples would enter a town, he would choose a household to stay in for the night, and it was to be a worthy household—meaning, a household where the folks had responded in a worthy way to the gospel—where folks had seemed to believe it.

Now, the concept of hospitality is universal. Every culture has it. But back in that time and place it was especially strong: to welcome someone into your house and feed him and give him a place to sleep was to express approval of his mission and message. So when a household took in one of Jesus’ disciples, it was a warm expression of faith.

But for the mission of preaching the gospel, it went even further: verse 12 says, “as you enter the house, greet it.” And what greeting would that have been? “Shalom”—meaning, “Peace.” Peace is a defining characteristic of the Kingdom of Heaven—and so those who receive the gospel receive peace.

And so, noticing that this household had received the gospel, the disciple would greet the house with peace. And if their hospitality turned out to be true generosity—a real expression of faith in the gospel—then that peace would stay with them and be theirs.

And so the point is this: each of those twelve disciples, who had freely received the gospel from Jesus, went out to freely give the gospel to others. And anyone who received the gospel from them entered into the same pattern. Because they had freely received the gospel from the disciples, they in turn freely supported the disciples’ gospel-preaching mission. They received freely, and so they gave freely.

But so, a lot of those details were particular to this mission that Jesus sent the 12 out to do among the towns of Israel. But again, there’s a principle here that applies to us also: gospel ministry is generosity-based. It is freely given and freely supported, because the gospel itself is free. In other words, the generosity of believers is evidence that God’s peace really has come to them—they’re generous because those who have freely received—the more they understand it—love to freely give.

Paul Washer, back when he was a missionary in Peru, told a story of this kind of generosity.

He and a local Peruvian missionary were lost in a rural area, and stumbled into a village around night fall. In desperation, they asked the villagers, “Are there brothers here?” Brothers was the term for genuine Christians. And they were told, “Yes. The lady who lives over there.” And so they went to her house. And as soon as she realized they were missionaries, she immediately brought them in an slaughtered and cooked a whole chicken for them, out of the few that she owned.

I don’t even know how to put that in American terms. Maybe that’s like spending 10k to make sure that a church planter traveling through town has a place to stay and a meal for the night. But do you see the generosity of her love?

Why did she do that for them? Freely she had received Christ. Freely, she gave. The peace of God’s kingdom was in her house.

So these things apply to folks like missionaries and pastors. But is there any sense in which they apply generally, to every disciple of Jesus? Well, for the most part, the average believer isn’t traveling around, needing food and lodging for the night to support your gospel witness. But there’s still a general principle which applies: When you share the gospel freely with folks, some will receive it.

And if they do, every word that you speak to them about the peace of the kingdom of Jesus—the goodness of the kingdom—will belong to them. They will receive it, it will become their eternal birthright, and it will even begin to define their lives on this side of glory, as their hearts are marked by generosity.

You will share it freely and they will receive it and find peace, entering into a kingdom which is based on generosity.

And so the point here—whether you’re in full time ministry or just sharing the gospel as a normal part of the Christian life—is that as you share the gospel freely, some will receive the peace you bring. And that is a marvelous truth.

Some Will Reject Your Peace

But, many will also reject it. Some might seem to receive it at first, and turn out to be false. The second half of verse 13 pictures this. If one of the twelve disciples, on mission, had at first greeted a household with peace, but then been rejected by it, Jesus says:

Matthew 10:13 “…but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.”

In the same way, some that we share the gospel with seem keen on the message of grace—at first. And no doubt, some of you have seen this. What happens? After a little while, they drift away. They never truly received the peace that you offered.

In a similar way, some will simply reject you:

Matthew 10:14 ESV

And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town.

Now, shaking the dust off your feet—that’s more particular to the disciple’s mission. They were supposed to go quickly from town to town. So if a town rejected them, they left quickly. Shaking the dust off their feet meant, ‘We tried to freely give you the gospel of peace, but you rejected it. And so, you have no part in the kingdom.’

For us, you might have years to witness to someone. Don’t give up if you’re rejected the first time. Pray for another chance to share the gospel, and share it freely.

And yet, there does come a time to move on. The shocking thing here is the strong language of verse 15:

Matthew 10:15 ESV

Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.

What is Jesus saying here? That when the gospel is freely offered, understood, and then refused, that is a greater sin than all the shocking things done in Sodom and Gomorrah. Why?

Again, this comes down to the freeness of God’s grace. Here is an offer to be redeemed—to be spiritually healed. Here is a gospel so free that it is equally accessible to rich and poor alike. Here is blood of infinite worth, shed to bring forgiveness to every kind of person. Here is God himself, clothed in human nature, come to redeem his people.

And you’ve refused him.

To refuse so radical and immeasurable a mercy as this, is to commit a crime of the highest magnitude. Think about that. Again, so many good neighbors who live around us here in Scholls. Respectable people. But at least some have heard of this grace, and rejected it. And a high crime committed politely is still a high crime.

And so the point is this: when you set out to share the gospel freely, some will still reject you no matter how well you explain it. They will reject the peace that the gospel brings in exchange for judgement.

Conclusion

So then, what have we seen in this passage? That a genuine Christian is someone who had nothing to give to God, but received from God the astounding gift of forgiveness and citizenship in heaven. And so, the natural Christian life is a life of turning around and freely giving what you so freely received.

Sometimes, you may experience the delight of seeing someone receive your witness, and join the kingdom. Such a person will receive the peace of the kingdom, and in an overflow of gratitude, will join you in practicing generosity for the sake of the gospel.

Other times, you will will encounter the heartache of rejection. You’ll offer something you know is beautiful, but the gospel you share will be rejected. And those who reject it—especially if they’ve understood it—are committing a crime whose evil his hard to describe in words. In rejecting peace, they are choosing judgement for themselves.

In the face of such things, what should keep us going? What should motivate us and drive us? Freely you received; therefore, freely give. Step out to share the gospel toward that person you think might wound or reject you not so much out of obligation to share the gospel but instead, as an act of free grace toward him or her—an imitation of the grace that you have already received from your King.

Some will receive you, others will reject you, but go out and give the gospel freely.