Luke 9:1-20

1 And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. 3 And he said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics. 4 And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. 5 And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them.” 6 And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

Notice with me, this important...

Transition of Power

Jesus sent out the twelve.

Why twelve?

Judgment on the twelve tribes of Israel

Transition of power and authority

from

Genetic, fleshly, national Israel

true, spiritual, Israel.

Have you ever considered that none of the twelve are priests or scribes?

God empowering these twelve represents a radical departure from the old system.

Consider with me

Romans 9:6–8 ESV

6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.

I am not saying that God has rejected all Jews in favor of gentiles.

All twelve of these guys were Jews.

Jesus is a Jew!

Antisemitism is ridiculous and ungodly!

True Israel is made up of Jews and gentiles who have repented and placed their faith in Jesus.

There has always been a remnant of believing, faithful, Jews.

The guy who wrote Romans that we just read was a Jew of the Jews.

But all of those who are in Christ are sons of Abraham, and the true and spiritual expression of Israel.

Okay, so even the fact that there were 12 apostles is meaningful.

By the way, are disciples and apostles the same thing?

No.

The Greek word translated disciple is μαθητής⸃ - meaning student, learner, pupil.

The Greek word translated apostle is ἀπόστολος, - meaning one who is sent out on a mission, messenger, ambassador.

One is a student, the other is a messenger - implying that the students have learned the message and have now been sent out to share it.

These who were merely students have become ambassadors.

Luke 9:1 ESV

1 And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases,

Jesus equipped them to minister to the needs of the people and gave them the power that would validate their message.

The Jews wouldn’t necessarily have listened to these guys, but when they cast out demons and cure diseases, all the sudden their message seems a lot more credible.

We looked at the compassion Jesus had for suffering people last week, and we see it here again.

The miracles he empowered his apostles to do were those that would alleviate human suffering.

Now, I told you that apostles meant “sent ones”.

What were they sent to do?

Luke 9:2 ESV

2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.

He sent them to carry the gospel message and do ministry.

He has been sending out his servants to do those same things ever since.

There was another important transition of power here.

Up to this point, Jesus had done all the work.

The disciples just watched and learned.

Now, they are transitioning to apostles, or sent ones, and they are to do the work of the kingdom with the empowerment of Jesus.

You can find a lot of churches with a lot of frills, and that may be okay...

but...

what is not okay is forgetting to do these two basic things...

Proclaim the gospel and minister to people.

How can we miss something so simple?

What are we, as a church supposed to do?

Gather for corporate worship

Equip the saints for the work of ministering to people and proclaiming the gospel.

Preach the Word.

Properly administer the sacraments, or ordinances, of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

and

Properly exercise church discipline.

But, as a Christian individual, what are you supposed to do?

It’s really simple and clear.

Proclaim the gospel and minister to people in love.

So, when you get up tomorrow, you already know God’s will for your life.

Sometimes people get all wound up and paralyzed because they are trying to find God’s will before they move forward.

In one sense that is commendable, but if you aren’t already doing what God tells you to, why should He tell you more?

(3 year old hears that older sibling is learning calculus and wants to learn)

Do the first things first.

Do you want to understand the deep mysteries of Scripture and have a vibrant relationship with Jesus?

Then obey what you understand that He has told you.

If you want to be productive for the kingdom and serve your Lord well, keep it simple.

Proclaim the gospel and minister to people.

Back to the apostles...

Can you imagine having the power to heal every disease and to cast out demons?

You could go to South Central and just clear the place out.

It wouldn’t be long before you would figure out that you could get really, really, rich.

Look with me at v. 3

Luke 9:3 ESV

3 And he said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics.

I think Jesus knew these guys would have the temptation to take money or glory for themselves.

He told them from the outset that God would provide for their needs.

We all know charlatans who intend to get rich off the gullibility and desperation of people.

I would guess there is a special place in hell for people who profit off such desperation.

Neither Jesus nor the Apostles would have had anything to do with such people.

(Well, maybe Judas)

Notice to whom the apostles were sent.

The Gospel is for Everyone

This message, and the power and authority that were given to the apostles, was to be freely given to everyone.

The message of the coming of the kingdom of God was not sent to just the religious folks...

just the rich and powerful

just the down and out.

It was for everyone.

Remember the parable of the soils?

The apostles were to go out and sow seed.

Jesus reinforced his parable of the soils with what he says in v. 4-5

Luke 9:4–5 ESV

4 And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. 5 And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them.”

When the apostles found good soil, they were to stay there.

When they found hard, unreceptive soil, they were to leave and shake off the dust from their feet as a testimony against those who would not receive the message.

If we will pay attention, this will teach us a lot about how to work with our neighbors, and in the Highlands community.

There will be people who are receptive - we need to stop and invest in those people.

There will be people who are hard ground - we need to move on, not waste our time there, but pray that God will cultivate that soil - and revisit it later.

What did the apostles do?

They kept it simple and did exactly what they were told.

Luke 9:6 ESV

6 And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

I know that you and I don’t have any miraculous gift of healing, but we really do have the same commission.

We are to preach the gospel and minister to people.

It is simple, yet terribly neglected because we get too wrapped up in ourselves.

That kind of sounds like one of those soils we studied...

Do you remember?

Luke 8:14 ESV

14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.

Stay focused.

Keep your eyes on the main thing.

When you meet Jesus do you want to have been living distracted by the cares and riches and pleasures of life

Do you want to meet him having been a faithful and obedient servant, doing what the Master told you to do?

It’s all about priorities!

Priorities go awry and have to be reset.

If yours are off, please hear the Lord today and re-prioritize!

News of Jesus, his apostles, and all these miracles reached Herod.

In v. 7-9 Herod asks a great and profound question.

Who is Jesus?

Luke 9:7–9 ESV

7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, 8 by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen. 9 Herod said, “John I beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things?” And he sought to see him.

I believe Herod had a guilty conscience, don’t you?

It would be unnerving to think that you murdered a prophet of God and that he was back from the grave.

I think Herod was a little nervous...But He did ask an excellent question.“Who is this about whom I hear such things?”

We live around a lot of people who have heard of Jesus, but who have no clue who he really is.

How do I know?

Because if they really knew, they would be in here, eager to find out what he said, how they can receive eternal life, and what Jesus expects of them.

Clearly they are not.

That is why we need to tell them.

It is true that our country used to have more “good soil” than it has today, but that does not change our job as sowers.

I tried to witness to our pest control guy the other day.

He said that he did not have time, but he thanked me for asking.

He told me that he goes into churches all the time and nobody had ever inquired about his relationship to God.

We won’t know the condition of the soil unless we sow the seed.

Herod wasn’t the only one asking who Jesus was.

Look with me in v.18-20

Luke 9:18–20 ESV

18 Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” 19 And they answered, “John the Baptist. But others say, Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen.” 20 Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”

There was a lot of speculation by the people.

Why would they think he was John the Baptist?

Probably because he was preaching the same message of repentance.

A lot of folks leave that out of the Americanized gospel.

It is true that you can, and should, come to Jesus just as you are...

but

I guarantee he will not leave you like you are.

God does not tolerate and wink at the sin for which his Son suffered and died.

God does not enlist dead, wretched, rebels - He transforms dead, wretched, rebels into new creatures.

Repentance is part of that.

Anyone can come to God to receive grace and mercy, but no one can come to God on his own terms.

Jesus, like John the Baptist, preached repentance and so must we.

Others said that Jesus was a resurrected Elijah.

Why do you think that was the case?

God did astonishing miracles through Elijah.

God stopped and started the rain in Israel with the prayers of Elijah

He resurrected a child through Elijah

He called fire down during the showdown with the false prophets

and

God kept the widow’s flour and oil from running out during all the days of the drought.

Such amazing miracles had not been seen in Israel in a very long time.

Other people said that one of the prophets of old had risen.

In other words, we don’t know exactly who this guy is, but he has some old school, scary, powerful, miracle abilities.

Peter, though, had the right answer.

He said Jesus was “the Christ of God”.

How did he know?

For one thing, he had been hanging out with Jesus for about a year and a half.

So, he had exposure to the real Jesus.

People still need that today, and you and I can give it to them through our testimony.

But also, God revealed the truth to Peter.

Matthew 16:17 ESV

17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

That is the way it works for us as well.

When we witness to people, we cannot be persuasive enough, or eloquent enough to convert them.

God has to reveal it!

BUT...

That is really encouraging if you think about it.

Wouldn’t you hate to bear the responsibility of having to be so eloquent and persuasive?

I mean, if that is how it worked, your friends and neighbors would go to heaven or hell based on how good a salesman or saleswoman you are.

Thank God, as we already learned, how the soils receive the seed is NOT based on the skill of the sower.

Whether anyone hears and repents because of you is based on whether you are obedient to do the sowing though.

Jesus Leads by Example

Go back with me to v.10.

Luke 9:10–17 ESV

10 On their return the apostles told him all that they had done. And he took them and withdrew apart to a town called Bethsaida. 11 When the crowds learned it, they followed him, and he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing. 12 Now the day began to wear away, and the twelve came and said to him, “Send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions, for we are here in a desolate place.” 13 But he said to them, “You give them something to eat.” They said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.” 14 For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” 15 And they did so, and had them all sit down. 16 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. 17 And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.

In verse 11, we see Jesus doing what he told the apostles to do.

He “spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing.”

Jesus was not one to say, “do what I say, not what I do.”

Instead, Jesus modeled what to do and empowered them to do it.

This is sort of what we do in the church.

I am called to model what to do and equip you to do it.

The power still has to come from Jesus, but we can be equipped through the preaching of the Word and discipleship.

These apostles returned very excited.

They told him all they had done.

They were anxious to report back to their Lord.

Keep this very recent victory in mind for a minute.

The apostles come to Jesus and tell him to send the crowd away...

I guess because Jesus needed their advice...

Weird, huh?

Anyway, Jesus tells them to give them something to eat...

Do they remember the miraculous stuff they just did?

Apparently not.

I am not criticizing, I’m sure I wouldn’t have known what to do either.

But, the point is that Jesus will empower you to do what he tells you to do if you will have faith and go for it.

He used the disciples to accomplish this miracle.

Luke 9:14 ESV

14 For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.”

and

Luke 9:16 ESV

16 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.

What would Jesus do in and through us if we really stepped out in faith while prioritizing the proclamation of the gospel and ministry to people?

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