Being sent out properly
Luke the man, the physician • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 18 viewsThe wrong way I was sent out
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Luke 9:1-6
Luke 9:1-6
Before we step into our study, I realized I completely missed the Feast of Purim last week. My trip to Costa Rica threw my rhythm off a bit.
But as you know, while we were gathering last Sunday, war broke out by Israel and the United States to wipe Iranian Regime and their stockpile of warheads.
I realize when something like this happens, it’s easy to fire our opinions from the cheap seats—disagreeing, cheering, complaining, congratulating, or expressing disappointment. Nobody wants war.
So I want to offer three sites to know what we should know as believers regarding the war in Iran.
atheycreek.com
Brett Meador was my fellow co-worker during the Applegate days in the 90’s and has a huge church in Portland offering a prophecy update every Friday night
rosenbergreport.tv is a weekly
Joel lives in Israel and is a born-again Jew whom many label as a prophet of sorts - why? he began his journey as an author of fictional political thrillers. His first book was “the Last Jihad” which was about Sadaam Hussein aiming to assassinate the president of the US and a plane crashing into the World Trade Center nine months before 9/11! His last study on Jeremiah 49 was quite eerie. It’s a prophecy about Elam - the ancient name for Iran!
thirdly, calvarycch.org - is calvary chapel chino hills -
pastor Jack Hibbs is following the war and how it may link with Ezekiel 38 and has many saved Jewish and Arab friends and gleans from their perspectives weekly. People like Amir Tsarfati and James Kaddis - Kadeece who know Islam and the languages very well and know the OT prophecies.
As your pastor and shepherd I want you to know these men are safe and biblical and miles ahead of me when it comes to these prophetic passages so rather than having my own comments, I will say these guys are trustworthy!!
And there’s a lot self-appointed prophets who take advantage of gullible believers to gain followers but Jesus warned us “see that you be not deceived”.
So check them out
But here’s what caught my attention: it happened the day before the Feast of Purim in Israel. Purim means “lots”—Based on the Book of Esther, Purim is a celebration of Jewish joy & survival.
It refers to the date Haman selected to destroy all of the Jews. He was a descendant of King Agag who was a descendant of Amalek going all the way back to Esau!
All enemies of Israel! So this is an ancient hatred. But God overturned Haman’s plot through the courage of Queen Esther and the leadership of her uncle Mordechai.
At this time the Jews who stayed in Babylon after 70 years ended up under the government of Medo-Persians in 539BC. That would be Iran today!
Coincidence or prophetic? Keep in mind this war was not a sudden decision!
13 years ago on September 27, 2012, Netanyahu stood before the United Nations and held up a cartoon bomb to warn the world that Iran was racing toward nuclear weapons. And He wasn’t exaggerating.
And it turns out Iran doesn’t just have tunnels in Gaza but massive underground bunkers and tunnel networks inside Iran itself—all built to hide and protect their nuclear program. And Russia is assisting them behind the scenes.
The other question is: Could this be setting the stage for Russia's involvement?
“I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your military force, horses and horsemen, all of them magnificently dressed, a great assembly with large shield and shield, all of them wielding swords;
Ezek 38.5-6 - Persia, Ethiopia, and Put [Libya] with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer [Turkey] with all its troops; Beth-togarmah [East Turkey] from the remote parts of the north with all its troops—many peoples with you.
No one knows - all we can do is guess but it seems the pieces of the puzzle are coming together.
All we can do is pray for wisdom for our country and Israel, that this war will succeed and that righteous leaders will rise up in Iran, we can pray for our troops and protection of innocent people getting caught in the middle of the fighting, and that this mission is done swiftly with minimal loss of life. So let’s pray for that!
[PRAY]
Ok turn to - Luke 9 - We come to the moment when Jesus decides to send out his boys for the first time -It’s been about a year and a half of listening, watching and following Yeshua who hand picked each one of them. Andrew, Simon Peter who dragged his feet at first but finally gave in, James & John, Philip, Nathanael, Matthew so on...in Luke 6.12 it states Jesus spent the night in prayer choosing these men for this very purpose.
This event is also mentioned in Matthew 10:5-15 and Mark 6:7-13.
Each have subtle differences. In Matthew he adds Jesus saying “Freely you have received, freely give”. Received what? The truth of the word!
You recall, last week we talked about the effects of the word - so how does this next chapter connect with that? Let’s begin
1 And calling the twelve together, He gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. 2 And He sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
Note these guys were given the power and authority by Christ Himself. They couldn’t call it down on themselves at their own will. It had to have a purpose.
Mrk 6.7 states they were sent in “pairs” to preach the Kingdom of God or as Matthew put it Kingdom of heaven which is synonymous with the gospel since he was writing the Jews. According to Matthew 10.5-6 Jesus instructed them, saying, “Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
The Greek word preach is (kēryssō) meaning “to proclaim or announce like a royal messenger”. This goes all the way back to Mt Sinai when the trumpet blast or shofar signaled God’s arrival and message to Israel. So the commandments became the very first words of God ever written in stone!! Not Genesis 1:1.
While teaching is for believers, preaching is addressing people who don’t know God to repent of sin and self-reliance, to believe the good news that God loves them and wants to set them at liberty spiritually. It wasn’t a message of condemnation but rather an invitation to experience God's rule in their lives now, to have a better purpose to live on earth, and look forward to eternal life later. But while they were to take a message, they were leave their traveling provisions behind! Verse 3
3 And He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, neither a staff, nor a bag, nor bread, nor money; nor have two tunics apiece. 4 “And whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that city.
Wow, talk about a crash course in evangelism! But notice how this training began. No formulas of what to say but what not to bring! Jesus left it up to each disciple to preach the kingdom utilizing their own personalities and tapping into the power and authority He gave them to battle demonic influence or healing. No clinics or classes - just the power and authority of His word!
All these items like backpacks of clothes, food and staff would encumber their journey but
God wanted them to be free to trust for His provision & believe that the people they meet would invite them into their homes.
Today, for good reason, this would be frowned upon but hospitality back then was highly encouraged before and after the church was established.
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.
Abraham was famous for his hospitality.
I recall enjoying an Abraham’s lunch when we went to Israel and it was delicious. And it was a few hours! You would be greeted by Eliezer and then invited to sit under a large desert tent, water or cool drinks were served, then an espresso, fresh baked unleavened bread, dates, olives, and cheeses were offered.
then some middle eastern dish would arrive and it was delicious. [I think we got some kind of chicken] and then some espresso - this event would give the disciples opportunity to share why they came. Verse 5
5 “And as for those who do not receive you, as you go out from that city, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” 6 And departing, they were going throughout the villages, proclaiming the gospel and healing everywhere.
Shaking off dust from your feet was a visual statement anyone who rejected the good news as a symbolic judgment and showing respect that you won’t even take their dust with you.
So how does this chapter connect with chapter 8? I want you to notice something....
LW: we talked about the parables regarding the word as a seed that needs to be heard and received into the proper heart that isn’t cluttered,
And the oil lamp [symbolic of the HS] was the gospel that acted as light - it couldn’t be hidden but revealed right?
As I stated none of us are capable of having a 100% honest and good heart.
However, the word incarnate is and His example showed them His real family, His power over storms, his authority over the demonic realm, and his ability to heal disease and even raise the dead.
All impossible for us to conquer 100% of the time but perhaps 30fold or 60fold.
And we’ve seen in church history that miracles did happen, some people die and come back, demons are exorcised from people, families are united, and storms cease! Because they believed and did the word and bore fruit. But these events vary throughout the centuries. There is no formula we can follow but there is a person we can follow and that’s Yeshua!
That’s why He said “Take up your cross, deny yourself and follow Me”. In other words: “Make Me your top priority, enter the narrow gate for difficult will be the way but you will find life, and when you get weary, take my yoke upon you and learn of Me, [that is, learn to sit at my feet taking in my word] and you will find rest in your soul!” - And few who find it will bear much fruit!!
Two thousand years later, being sent out has changed.
I had just turned 41 when I was sent out from my church with thirteen other men.
But it wasn’t just to visit villages and come back but to start a church from scratch.
To be sent to a place I never heard of or had connection to.
It was “go into that city and leave my home of 21 years, my friends and all we knew”.
Within a month we were packing up and moving from a house almost paid off to search for a rental we could afford in Cottage Grove
After just starting a family and doing foster care! There was trepidation on my part because like these disciples I didn’t feel trained or ready but the church offered to support us for a year.
So was this my calling? If I’m offered support for a year and don’t do it, how could I say I never got a chance? These were serious questions folks!
But to be fair, these disciples were green, had some schooling in synagogue growing up but no bible college, not even born-again at this point, young and ambitious, but they appeared to be zealous to go and to see what happens. That’s all I could do, yet I was 41, saved for 16 years, avid bible reader and learning a lot about the Lord by pastor Jon, a songwriter with some experience, no diploma, no bible college, a supportive wife and two toddlers yet to be adopted and here we are 28 days later!
Yeshua didn’t hype them up with promises or tell them to fast or pray for days before. Not that these things are not good but to show us their success had nothing to do with any energy they put forth. Only to follow “His word”, that is, believe He gave them the power and authority.
We have two confirmations
1] The word is powerful
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, [KJV says quick, and powerful], and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
2] The word is authoritative
All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be equipped, having been thoroughly equipped for every good work. [This was written before the NT was compiled]
I want us to read together - Eph 4.11-16{ASK WORSHIP TEAM]
So no matter our ability or personality, we too were called or invited to take the gospel to whomever we meet. It’s not our education that gives us this power, it’s not being a leader that gives us authority, it’s His word. But when we keep investing time reading it, studying it, being taught about it, we can be prepared for every good work!
I want to challenge you - what are you doing with what you know about His word? Because we’ve all been sent out to do our part - as Sam plays I’m just going to read this
Ephesians 4:11–16 And He Himself gave some as apostles, [missionaries] and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ, {Saints, your call is to serve and build up this body] But for how long? Until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, [same word in 1 Cor 13:10 when that which is mature has come] which are the attributes of those who know the word and do it - but how far?] to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ, so that we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming, [caught up in false teaching] but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is Christ, from whom the whole body, being joined and held together by what every joint supplies, [Colossians adds ligaments - everything matters] according to the properly measured working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
How do we grow? When we are all in it to win it! As we come to get the elements let’s allow His blood to speak a better word!
