The gospel according to Luke (2)
Luke the man, the physician • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Welcome church family -Luke 10
Welcome church family -Luke 10
The simplicity of discipleship
Couple of things before we start...
apparently google contacts got hacked so if you get a text that says this... it’s a scam - that’s not my number - what happens if you press the link? They can steal passwords, monitor your activity, or give access to your device. This goes with any scam text you may receive from anybody.
Again, you are all invited to the celebration of life for Tom Chrestman at 2pm today. So come to comfort the family and rejoice for Tom; he finally has answers to his questions!
I want to thank Eric Smith for covering for me - he did a fine job - I wanted you guys to meet him because he’s heading up CR with Callie.
I spent the week in Florida because I was invited to come visit my dear friends: Alex and Joanne Di Pow-la who used to attend here which explains why I’m tanned up again.
I couldn’t get enough of the gorgeous weather - first time I walked these emerald beaches. The weather was a perfect 76 degrees with Sunny skies.
But the night I arrived it was ….raining!! Guess I brought Oregon with me!
This family took me to the Pirates Voyage, a Disneyesque musical complete with dinner created by Dolly Parton. Fabulous show!
Then the amazing Gulf Coast Salute Air Show —backed by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and other military jets that streamed the skies for hours.
Also spent time with Alex’s parents. His dad, John and I really connected. Just a precious family.
Also got a chance to see Charlie and Laurel Hays - they send their love!! They too love it there.
There is a new Calvary Chapel in Panama city Beach led by Pastor Christian Toth [Taught] who asked me to lead worship at his church Sunday and Wednesday night. I was more than happy to do it. It brought me back to the early days of this church.
Pastor Christian and his wife Ava are from Romania. They have 5 kids and one on the way!! He was saved in 2005 at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa and sat under Chuck for several years before going to bible college.
But most of the time I was walking on the gorgeous beaches, enjoying their family, the sun was always shining and I was working on my book or memoir.
It’s also interesting going to a patriotic red state. Everyone seems to have a happy mood there.
So in Luke 9 we saw the 12 being sent out
So now the group of followers has grown to 82. And I love it.
No new formulas but the same commission. The simplicity of discipleship - verse 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.
So as Yeshua was preparing his next step to Calvary, He sends 70 because time was short. Remember His mission was to Israel first. His instruction was basically the same with a few more insights given.
2 And He was saying to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.
So I realized this isn’t a recent issue in churches today but has been going on from the very beginning!
I have observed that in every church I visit they need volunteers. Especially in children’s church -
This happened at the new church. Pastor Christian made the announcement “we are in need of more children’s workers”. And sadly, the typical way we can find workers is to have a sign up sheet. But this verse tells us we all might be approaching this all wrong. Jesus didn’t say “Make ye a sign up sheet to find workers in your church” but rather “pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers” Why? Because He knows the right people to send. When I began the church, I prayed for a youth pastor like Tom Sanderbrink and the Lord sent Tom Sanderbrink!! So here’s the principal - instead of sign-up sheets for workers, we should pray to God about our need for workers and give it time.
Many of you may remember Alex and Joanne - well, Joanne Di powa is like Jolene Borelli, she’s all mom! four kids, homeschooling with a heart for teaching children.
As a matter of fact, the first day I met Jolene, it was the Summer of 1999; we were still meeting in the old lane community college building and I was praying God to send me many things at the time. My wife Sherri and 3 yr old Salina had gone to Michigan for the week to see her parents. So I had no childcare that weekend.
Our church was running 25 people so I prayed “your will be done Lord” Of course, it was the most kids that attended at that time. And that’s when a new family came to the church.
It was Brent and Jolene Borelli with four toddlers: Zach, Alanna, Jenna and Kalia.
As I was getting ready to teach, I apologized that we had no child care. But Jolene saw the need and did the deed - she asked if she could take the kids to the classroom in back. Just like that! She ended up working with Sherri and Kathy Boozer in the kid’s ministry for a couple of years!
So Ava the pastor’s wife leads the kids ministry at their church but has a 6th child on the way and Joanne noticed she was incapable of dealing with issues firmly so as Alex and Joanne discussed the situation with the pastor. And like Jolene, Joanne told him “I want to help, I can lead and organize children’s church” She had an impressive list to ideas to joy of pastor Cristian - It was great to watch Joanne offer her labor as if she was sent from the Lord of the harvest.
Like April has become for us here and now we’re sponsoring the 7th season of VBS!
Now I know the context of this passage as Jesus is referring to the seventy disciples going out but they were going to do what the church does now.
The simplicity discipleship. So Yeshua’s instructions are the same adding this warning.
“Go! Behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. “Carry no money belt, no bag, no sandals, and greet no one on the way. “Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.’
So the Lord is being honest with them, not trying to hype them up with false promises! But rather “Guys, be aware you’re going to be lunch for the opposition”! So don’t get weighed down bringing a large suitcase but rely on Me to meet your needs at the time! It is wise advice. Stay focused, don’t get caught up with people on the way. And if a person invites you in - say “shalom” which is a sign of respect - it doesn’t just mean “hello” - but carries the rich meaning of wholeness, well-being, completeness, and God’s blessing of peace. He continues..
“And if a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him, but if not, it will return to you. “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.
I like this, Jesus was saying “identify potential people receptive to the gospel”. We are not called to debate or argue with people but take time with the receptive people, Don’t feel like you have to keep moving from house to house, just develop the relationship.
“And whatever city you enter and they receive you, eat what is set before you; and heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’
Be respectable to those who feed you and if there are sick people - pray for them and tell them that ‘The kingdom of God is near to you.’ preparing them for salvation when Yeshua dies for our sins. What an experience this must have been for these young men. Just stepping out of their comfort zones and watching God move on people with no training, no formula, no hype, just learning how to build relationships. I love the simplicity of His discipleship.
Over the centuries, the church has made this kind of ministry so difficult and few missionaries experience this today. There’s all this paper work that needs to be done as well fund raising, traveling around to churches, making brochures, booking flights, following budgets etc...I understand, it needs to be done but every once in a while these missionaries deserve some real one on one with the people who are receptive and get to watch God move on their behalf.
“But in whatever city you enter and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your city which clings to our feet we wipe off against you; yet know this, that the kingdom of God is at hand.’
What does this mean? Religious Jews would shake dust off their feet when leaving a Gentile city so they wouldn’t carry “unclean” pagan dust back into Israel. So Jesus adapted and intensified this custom: By visibly doing the same thing in front of the rejecting town, the disciples were saying: “We have delivered God’s message of peace and the Kingdom. You have rejected it. We now have nothing more to do with you — even the dust of your town will testify against you on the day of judgment.” It was the exact opposite of a polite or respectful farewell.
“I say to you, it will be more tolerable in that day for Sodom than for that city. “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. “But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the judgment than for you. “And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades!
Along with Sodom, Tyre and Sidon were judged by God for similar wickedness but they never met Yeshua, never saw His miracles or heard his teaching and yet Jesus claims they would have repented in sackcloth in ashes long ago so these cities will receive stricter judgement than Sodom, Tyre and Sidon!!!
Which means there are levels of punishment in Hell.
The term “Woe to them” is the expression of deep lamentation or mourning.
You see, Sodom was not only judged for their homosexual perversions but Ezekiel 16 offers detail
“Behold, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had lofty pride, abundant food, and quiet ease, but she did not strengthen the hand of the afflicted and needy. “Then they were haughty and committed abominations before Me. So I removed them when I saw it.
Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum were located near lake Galilee - they experienced what Sodom didn’t. The Messiah’s ministry of miracles and healings!
1] Capernaum enjoy the most intense focus of Jesus’ ministry, since it was his headquarters were there at least two years. hosting more miracles and sermons than any other location—including raising of Jairus’s daughter, healing Peter’s mother in-law, the centurion’s servant, and the paralytic was not only healed but “forgiven” after he was lowered through the roof, Peter found the coin in the fishes’ mouth to pay temple tax, as well as a huge haul of fish!
This is a picture of the city today - It was destroyed by constant earthquakes, wars and fire and basically brought down to hell!
Now it’s a tourist sight - old synagogue and Peter and Andrew's home across the street
In Bethsaida came the miracle of the feeding of the 5000, and a blind man healed in a two stage way; when Yeshua spit on the ground (first partial sight, then full restoration) -
These miracles were so clear and powerful that Jesus said the Gentile pagan cities would have repented if they had seen His ministry — yet Bethsaida did not repent.
This is a picture of the city today! Bethsaida gradually faded from prominence, aided by natural events by which God tends to use for judgment. The earthquakes altered the Jordan River’s course, leaving the town disconnected from its fishing resources. Killed its economy!
Korazin - no miracles recorded in scripture but many who lived there would have visited Capernaum to witness. Only 2-3 miles away.
And because this little village had the unique privilege to see the Messiah heal and do miracles there but they still refused to repent and believe, thus their judgment was severe!
This is Korazin today! It too, once a thriving city suffered catastrophic earthquakes in 363AD
It’s funny how we often look at the sins of Sodom as the real bad ones but we wink at “indifference” “disinterest” “complacency”
Keep in mind, Yeshua knowing He doesn’t want this judgement to happen to His own people, He sends out the seventy to give them one more chance.
So this broader deployment signals that mission work extends beyond the Twelve’s inner circle to a wider network of believers which will become the church which remained a mystery at this time.
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.”
Jesus uses such statements in gospel of John “he who receives anyone I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” Abide in Me and I in you, Father, I in you and you in Me, is a chain of identification An Authorized identity – This was common in ancient times where acceptance of the envoy acts on behalf of others so that these messengers are treated as equals by the sender or envoy.
So how did it go? Verse 17 is the reaction
Now the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”
This is so typical of our human nature - to experience ministry success and think we had something to do with it! Hey Lord, “the demons are subject to us”! We get so excited after thinking it was my fasting, it’s because of my diligent study and prayer life! But once again, Jesus has to correct their thinking
And He said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.”
Notice Jesus doesn’t say “I was watching Satan and a third of his angels fall from heaven like lightning” He reminds them that the demons are subject to Him so we shouldn’t be so excited about authority over evil but excited that are names are recorded in heaven!
At that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, “I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”
Human wisdom can produce self-reliance, they can trust their own intellect rather than faith. And that was the problem with Capernaum, Chorazin and Bethsaida.
Babies and toddlers have no problem believing in God because they are reliant upon their parents who are supposed to represent God to them. Verse 22 is important.
... no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”
Well, if it were unconditional election why would Jesus have to will to reveal it? If it was irresistible grace, why would the Son need to “will this grace?” We finish with 23-24
23 And turning to the disciples, He said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see, for I say to you, that many prophets and kings wished to see the things which you see, and did not see them, and to hear the things which you hear, and did not hear them.”
[worship team]
I wish we could understand how privileged we are to be born-again today, to see that the Lord is good, that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God! The prophets and kings yearned and hoped and desired to meet their Messiah. Elijah, Elisha, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Jonah, David, Josiah, Hezekiah...all they could do it “wish”. In the same way we wish to be in heaven with the Lord. And if you have yet to yield to God’s Son - I have good news, the blind man cried “I was blind but now I see”. The deaf man cried “I can hear!” And today is the day of salvation
Shall we break bread with our LORD....
