A call to remember...

Intro: Chapter 22 makes a reference to chapter 9. This morning we are going to look of what Jesus taught in Chapter 9, in order to better understand what he is saying in chapter 22.

PRAY

This sermon is a call to the church to remember its mission in the world, pressing forward being ready and prepared to face difficult times.

The immediate context of this passage is Jesus’ last meal with his disciples, the Passover meal.

During this meal Jesus instructed and prepared the disciples for his imminent death. Using the elements of the Jewish Passover meal (bread and wine) he taught his disciples the significance of his death.

Chapter 22: 24-30 teaches us that in the kingdom of God we are all servants of each other.

Chapter 22:31-34 is recorded the dialogue between Jesus and Peter. Where the Lord foretold that Peter would deny him three times.

All these series of teaching with our passage today is probably happing during the Passover meal.

Chapter 22: 35-38 work as a connector with the rest of the book and to the future. In our passage today Jesus reminds his disciples that they can trust in him moving forward.

The rest of chapter 22 is recorded the arrest of Jesus.

Explanation: Verse 35 bring us back to chapter 9:1-6

“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.”

In this situation Jesus commissioned the twelve to go out into the nearby villages to proclaim the Gospel, heal the sick and expel demons.

What is crucial for us to pay attention here, is that Jesus did not allow them to take provisions for the journey. They were sent out as they were.

In other words, Jesus is telling them to go and to trust.

Why would Jesus do this?

Because Jesus wants his disciples to experience the power of God in providing for their needs as they go. It is a lesson about trust and obedience.

Chapter 22: 35 makes this lesson about trust very clear. Jesus asked them; “When I sent you out with no extra money and clothing did you lack anything? They said: nothing”

Jesus is reminding his disciples that the same way they trust in him in the past, where he provided for their basics needs such as shelter and food. They can continue to trust in him whatever the circumstances.

Trans: Verse 35 is a call to remember.

Remember…

1) Power and authority were given to us

2) The mission

3) The message

1) Remember… power and authority were given to us

a. He gave them power and authority

i. In other words, Jesus transferred to them the endowments of the Spirit to accomplish their mission.

ii. This is not the possession of the Spirit that happened in Acts 2. But a transferring of authority and power

iii. Up to this moment (chapter 9) only Jesus had healed, expelled demons and preached the Gospel. But now he is sending his pupils to field, to get a feeling, to experience of what later will become their full-time occupation.

He gave them power…

iv. The Greek work for power is Dynamis: might, ability, strength.

v. The same word Dynamis is used on;

Acts 1:8

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Luke 24:49

“And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

Jesus is reminding his disciples that he had given them heavenly strength, ability to carry on the task, to accomplish their mission.

He gave them power and authority.

a. The Greek work for authority is Exousia: permission, license

b. The same Greek word Exousia is used on;

Luke 4:32

“and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority.”

John 12:49

“For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak”

In these verses Jesus is teaching that his authority comes from speaking the words that the father had given permission to say. His words possess authority because he is speaking the very word of God.

To speak with authority means to speak the whole council of God without alteration.

Trans: Jesus gave his disciples in Luke 9 power and authority to accomplish their mission, but the question is, what was their mission?

2) Remember… the mission

a. To go into the villages and proclaim the Kingdom of God. They were sent out.

b. Their mission was to go and meet people in their towns, where they were.

c. They were empowered from above to carry on the message of the Kingdom.

d. They were called to act, to move.

e. The mission is not ambiguous, on the contrary is plain and clear.

Mark 16:15

“And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation”

Acts 1:8

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Trans: To the disciples Jesus transferred power and authority to go and to proclaim a very specific message.

3) Remember the message

a. To proclaim the Gospel.

b. Matthew 10:7 is even more specific: “Proclaim, preach that the kingdom of God is at hand”

c. This is the same message that John the Baptist preached.

Matthew 3:1

“In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

What is the Gospel?

A heavenly message from an eternal, holy, just, righteous and all-powerful God.

The Gospel is a message of forgiveness trough the death of an innocent man, Jesus Christ.

Every human being has a sinful nature. Because the disobedience of our forefathers (Adam and Eve) we inherent a rebellious heart towards God. Like our forefathers we are liars, slanders, gossipers, idolaters, disobedient to our parents, we envy, selfishness, pride, greed for money, we use the name of God in vain, adulterers, fornicators, sexual immoral.

According to the scripture all those things come from the heart of man. The heart cannot be changed by human efforts. It is a heart disease that only God can heal.

Because sin comes from within, we all are guilty before this righteous God. Humankind apart from Christ is helpless.

The Gospel is the good news that God the father provided in Christ, his son, salvation. Salvation from his judgement of sinners. In his son the eternal God applied his justice over the rebellious, sinners by nailing Jesus on the cross.

Those who repent and believe in this message and cry out for mercy will receive by faith the gift of eternal life. Those who would not give ears to this message and refuses to believe, is already condemned.

There is no other way. One message and one savior. Repent and believe.

This is the message that the disciples were instructed to preach.

The church is entrusted with the same message of reconciliation between sinners and God.

Luke chapter 22 Jesus is bringing to the memory of his disciples that in chapter 9 he sent them out, in the power of the Spirit to proclaim the Gospel.

He is reminding his disciples that back there when they obeyed and trusted in him, they lacked nothing. He sent them out without provision but God along the way provided for all their needs.

Illustration: I remember going with my grandmother when a was a boy to the bodega, to help her with the shopping bags. I did that couple of times with her.

But one day, she gave me a list of items to buy and told me “today you are going by yourself.”

I remember that she gave me clear instructions:

1) Be careful when you cross the street, be sure to look to both sides.

2) Bring me only the things that are on the list

3) And tell my name to the owner and asks him to add it to my account

I followed all her instructions very closely, and everything went well.

Looking back, I know that she was preparing me to life. She sent me out in this mission so that I could grow.

She entrusted me with authority to buy things on her name, and I knew I could trust her. She gave me assurance through her care and love that she was trustworthy.

Jesus entrusted, endowed the Spirit to his disciples so that they could perform their mission of proclaiming the Gospel.

He gave to his disciples clear instructions, and he proved through his care and love that they could trust him. Because they trust and obey they experienced the power of God being instruments in his hand. Shelter and food were provided without having provisions.

In Chapter 22 Jesus called to their memory the lessons of the past so that they can move forward doing the same things, but in a different context.

4) Be ready to face difficult times

a. Verse 36 he says but now… before he said to take provisions but now… they must take provisions if they have.

b. But now… is different. Why is different?

c. Verse 37 Jesus quotes

Isaiah 53:12

“because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.”

d. Jesus was preparing his disciples for what will be happening in a few hours. His arrest and crucifixion.

e. In quoting Isaiah 53, Jesus is telling his disciples that he will die for their sins.

f. Also, Jesus is warning his disciples that difficult times will come, and they must be ready.

g. However, they did not understand the meaning of these things.

h. A prove of that, is on verse 36 when Jesus said: “let those who do not have sword sell his cloak and by one”

i. They applied that literally. They thought Jesus was talking about physical fight, the kind of fight that you use sword. They understood that in a military, UFC kind of fight.

j. Throughout Jesus ministry the disciples struggle to grasp the spiritual realities of Jesus’ teaching.

k. Jesus was not telling his disciples to buy weapons and guns.

l. A prove of that is on chapter 22:50, when Peter cut off the right ear of the guard. Jesus rebuked him saying; “no more of this”

The central point in our passage today is… remember the lessons of the past and move forward with trust and courage whatever the circumstances might be.

Trans: What does this text have to do with us? What does it mean for us today?

Conclusion:

The Lord proved that we can trust in him. If you diligently look back in your life (especially this year), I’m sure you can see the mercy and faithfulness of God in your life.

The Lord showed great favor for the church as well, for COHC (this past year). Despite all the difficulties that we faced and still facing we still being a church.

The Lord proved and still showing to us that he is the Emmanuel (God with us).

This is a call for the church to remember that power and authority were given to us. So that we can accomplish the mission of proclaiming the Gospel.

Moving forward as a church we must understand that the times are different. We are living in a secular world. USA is not what it used to be in terms of Christianity.

We must accept and understand that we are living in an unbelieving world hostile to Christianity.

We are living in an area that we cannot assume that people understand the Gospel. The times are different.

We must be armed with the mindset that the world is not a welcoming place to Gospel and believers.

That is the reality of this country and this area. Unless we became conscious about this we will continue to complain about the circumstances and being pushed into the corner.

Matthew 28:18-20

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Remember… the power of the Spirit

Remember… the mission

Remember… the message