Matthew 10:1-15

The 12 replaces the 12

Introduction:

Jesus had recently chose 12 Apostles.

He had been spending quite some time with them.

This reaches back to last Sunday’s sermon.

This is the pivotal point in the book of Matthew.

The Pharisees accused Jesus of casting demons out by the power of Satan.

Jesus is now openly hiding His ministry from them.

Judgement was set for them and now we see that build up to this moment.

The Pharisees thought the Messiah would show up and validate their ministry.

He does just the opposite.

He chooses the 12 to replace them.

The 12 tribes are no longer bringing about salvation but the 12 Apostles are bringing salvation to the ends of the earth.

The church is an extension of Him just like we are an extension of Christ’s body.

We will anoint the earth with God’s grace by preaching the gospel until Christ returns.

READ VERSES 1-15

We see in verse 1 Jesus gives them authority to do the very things He had been doing.

Jesus gave them the same authority over demonic spirits and over all disease and affliction.

The sending out of the 12 was just as much for the 12 as it was for the locals in Israel.

Jesus knew it would not be long before He would return to Heaven.

He was giving the Apostles a little taste of His power in His absence so they would grow in faith.

Once His exodus(departure) occurred they would need that resilience in their faith.

All the Apostles die a martyrs death except two( John the Baptist:old age/Judas:suicide because he betrayed Christ)

because their faith was so strong and it was strengthened by moments like this

2. Because the Holy Spirit carried them to the finish line

God allows us to go through moments that strengthen our faith and the Holy Spirit carries us to the finish line.

Not a single on of us makes it due to our own strength.

Thank God for that.

Verses 2-4 only go on to name the Apostles.

However, it ends in verse 4 by saying, “and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.”

How would you like going down in human history with that title?

The one who betrayed him.

Well you can.

There are billions who will go down with that title.

Every unrepentant person will reach eternity in hell with that exact title.

Betrayer of the Son of God.

That’s what being a sinner is.

A sinner is someone who breaks God’s law.

A transgressor/ A betrayer/ Guilty against the High Court of Heaven

You don’t have to go to Hell

All you have to do is put faith in the finished work of the cross and you’ll be made perfect in the same essence of the Son of God.

In verses 5-8, Jesus instructs them to go nowhere near the Samaritan’s or Gentiles but only focus on the house of Israel.

This is a judgment statement.

They are going to hear first because judgement was getting ready to fall on them for rejecting the Son of God.

They were God’s people and they should have know He was exactly who He said He was.

All the scriptures point to Him.

Remember Jesus said,

Matthew 21:43 ESV

Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits.

Christians are from every nation with the fruit of the Holy Spirit. We are working and toiling for God’s Kingdom.

Revelation 5:9–10 ESV

And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”

God has not just chosen us from the foundation of the world but also called us joint heirs.

The church is the people in who Christ gave the Kingdom.

Christ reaffirms this in verse 7.

Matthew 10:7 ESV

And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’

At hand, arms length, in your midst, here in this present moment.

You just can’t visibly see it.

In verses 9-11, we see Christ tells his disciples to leave with virtually nothing.

You mean to tell me he wanted them to traverse great deals of land

And fully trust him? Absolutely.

They not only left with nothing but returned safely.

This tells us Jesus supplied every need on the way.

He was preparing them for His departure.

Once He was gone, they would remember they could trust Him then just like they could trust him when He was only several cities away.

Jesus still takes care of us this way today.

Nothing has changed.

Jesus cares for His sheep.

In verses 11-14, we see Jesus tells the Apostles something contrary to what a lot of people project onto the church.

We live in a culture that states the Christian should allow gross immorality to impede his or her life.

Jesus says,” when you enter a house and someone won’t listen to you proclaim the gospel shake the dust off from your feet and leave.”

Don’t waste your time.

Move on,.

Shaking the dust from your feet was a Jewish gesture.

The Jews would leave a Gentile town and shake the dust off from their feet.

This was to state you are so unclean that I am not even bringing the unclean dust from your location back with me.

Jesus says when someone rejects you they reject me

Shake off the dust/ Leave them in the unclean state and move on.

In verses 15, Jesus says it would be more tolerable on Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town or those people,

Israel having festival near Sodom and Gomorrah this year in defiance to God.

The dust was once shaken off to Sodom and Gomorrah years ago.

God will do it again.

Closing prayer.