Sent with God's salvation in Jesus - Luke 10:1-24

Mission Impossible?

Ever been given a tough job that felt impossible?

Brand new job as a youth and young adult minister. My rector said to me, we’re going to fill our church with young people from the community by running a battle of the bands. It’s on this date. Make it happen.

We just wrapped up a series on Our Convictions and of course one of the key reminders for us there was we’ve all been given the job of being disciple making disciples. Maybe that feels impossible?

If so you’re in good company with the 72.

Context

Highs

Back in Chapter 9 Jesus has already sent out the 12 disciples (9:1-9). Preaching and healing people everywhere.

Jesus has done his own mircales of provision and healing (feeding 5000 and healing a demon possessed boy).

Peter declares Jesus to be the Messiah (9:18-20)

The Tansfiguration. Some of the disciples seeing something of who Jesus really was. The Son of God.

Lows

He has predicted his death twice

There has been opposition from the Samaritans

And Jesus has taugh the disciples that following him is costly.

Luke 9:58 NIV

58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

Luke 9:60 NIV

60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

Luke 9:62 NIV

62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Now in Luke 10:1-24 we have the sending of the 72.

Luke 10:1-24 - Sending the 72

As we see Jesus send the disciples on this disciple making mission I think the first thing that’s interesting is how we see Our Convictions at play here.

Jesus Christ is head of the church, he has sent us to make disciples, by word prayer and service, supported by fruitful, godly leaders, God being our provider and us stewards of His gifts.

The 72 as sent by the authority of Jesus, as leaders, they are encouraged to pray for more workers, to trust God’s provision, to proclaim the word that the kingdom of God has come near, to perform acts of service by healing.

But we’re not talking convictions today. There are four big things I want us to reflect on from the passage today:

1. God is Sovereign and Jesus is central

2. Disciples serve God in dependence, resting on his provision

3. The stakes in the gospel message are high

4. The most important thing and most wonderful blessing in the world is life with God

1. God is Sovereign and Jesus is central

The 72 are sent by Jesus (Luke 10:1), and as they are sent they are called to proclaim peace (v5), heal the sick (v9) and proclaim the kingdom of God, the good news about Jesus( v9).

They are not sent and told make sure as many people welcome you as possible. They are told to go with God’s message about Jesus and see how people respond. Those whom God is opening the hearts of they are to preach and minister with. Those who are not open, they are told to move on from.

Often times we spend a lot of time knocking on the same door when we seek to share the gospel. And time after time we get rejected and yet we keep going back. That’s ok. We are called to love our neighbours and be persistent in our prayerful sharing of the gospel with them. But sometimes I wonder if we miss out on other opportunities because we fail to trust God’s soverignty and look for those people of peace whom God has caused to be receptive to us and His message.

Take the church I used to work at in Melbourne. Holy Trinity Doncaster. Recently they celebrated 20 years of their ministry to Chinese people. 20 years ago Paul Barker whom some of you will rememebr preaching here earlier this year realised that this was a new mission opportunity God in his soverignty had placed before the church. Up to that point, the church was still very much connected primarily to the white rich farmers who had sold their land for housing developments in the 50s and 60s and the middle class Australians who had moved into those houses. It was doing ok, but not seeing that much fruit.

Now 20 years later having started the chinese ministry they have baptised over 1,000 new chinese believers!

This is a good example of prayerful trusting God’s soverignty as we seek to be strategic in mission. Who is God calling us to?

So, God is soverign and Jesus is central.

2. Disciples serve God in dependence, trusting His provision

Notice how Jesus sends them out and says bascically you’re gonna have to trust me.

Luke 10:4 NIV

4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.

Don’t take anything. Instead trust that God will provide people to look after you.

The ministers God sends to proclaim the message of the gospel are worth paying.

Luke 10:7 NIV

7 Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.

But it’s not just provision of food and money, its also provision of people.

Luke 10:2 NIV

2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.

As he sends them out he says you’re gonna need to ask God to provide more help.

There’s much more that could be said here, but I said much of it last week, and I’d encourage you to listen to that sermon online if you missed it.

God is soverign, Jesus is central, we serve God in dependence trusting in his provision. Next we see:

3. The stakes in the gospel message are high

Look what Jesus says:

Luke 10:10–16 NIV

10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ 12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. 13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. 16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

For those who reject the message about Jesus a terrible fate awaits them.

Their fate will be worse than Sodom. Remember Sodom?

Back in Genesis 19. For their sin and rejection of God the LORD rains down burning sulfur and destroyed all who lived their and all the vegitation! Genesis 19:23-25.

Jesus says it’s gonna be worse than that for the places that reject him!

Rejection of Jesus brings judgment and death. Ultimately it leads to hell.

When we remember this. It ought to make us mourn for those we know and love who don’t know Jesus and who have rejected him. And it ought to motivate us to prayer. That God would soften the hearts of those who to date have rejected him.

So God is sovergin, Jesus is central, we go about our mission trusting God and seeking his provision, and we know that the stakes are high. Life and death are on the line when it comes to the message we have.

4. The most important thing and most wonderful blessing in the world is life with God

Look what happens when the disciples get back from their mission trip.

Luke 10:17 NIV

17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”

Hey Jesus how cool is this! We can tell demons what to do!

That is pretty cool! What power! What privelige!

But how does Jesus respond to their joy at their new found demon busting powers?

Luke 10:18–20 NIV

18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Yes it is cool. But that’s not what you should be excited about. Rather be excited, rejoice about the fact that you are saved! Your names are written in heaven!

As Darrell Bock says: “Ministry with God is a privilege, and access to God’s power is exciting, but the real cause of joy is that we have true and everlasting life before God.”

Don’t sell short your salvation for this is the source of great joy. Often we think oh I wish I could see more miracles then I’d be more excited about God. Likewise I remember a kid I was discipling once in a local high school lunchtime group. He had begun to take his faith seriously because his brother had been miraculosly healed from Lukemia. Great I said, but you ought to have greater joy in both your and your brothers salvation!

And in fact our reading finishes off by reminding us of just how good salvation in Christ is. For from Luke 10:21-24 Jesus basically says those of us who are saved have seen what the prophets and kings of the Old Testament longd to see (v23-24). The messiah who brings salvation. Not only that it is a gift that Jesus has given to us (v22)

This is what it’s all about! Salvation. This is what the message of Jesus brings. Salvation. Reject salvation and you get judgment. But recieve it and rejoice!

1. God is Sovereign and Jesus is central

2. Disciples serve God in dependence, resting on his provision

3. The stakes in the gospel message are high

4. The most important thing and most wonderful blessing in the world is life with God

It may seem like an impossible task, bringing this message of salvation to our world in 2019. But if we continue to trust God, ask him to provide and see every opportunity to share the message. We will see God bring salvation to many more.

I hope you’ll join me in praying that God will grow our church with new believers who are overjoyed at finding salvation through Jesus Christ.