Advanced Training for the Servers

Luke BI

I’m not Jewish. Who is Jesus to me?

Savior of all. Son of Man

Luke 9 BI

This is advanced training for the servers.

ch.8 trained them what to expect when they were out serving.

Now, how and what are they to serve when they are out there.

Who exactly is Jesus and what can they expect of Him?

Context

Ch. 6

Sermon on the mount

The old way is out the new way is in

2 types of people. Good and bad. Good and evil.

Ch. 7

1st non-Jew healed.

1st person raised from the dead.

Savior for all ppl. New life for Jews and non Jews.

Ch. 8

Receivers become servers. Training to become a server.

Parable of the sower. 4 types of soil. Most will reject you.

Parable of the lamp. Those who accept will let their light shine

Miracle. Sent into the storm. Don’t panic. You need Jesus. Just ask.

Miracle. Jesus is more powerful than a legion of demons.

Miracle. The bleeding woman

Miracle. Jairus’s daughter.

Whomever calls on Jesus as King and Savior will be saved. Jews who used to be healthy but now are dead. Gentiles who have always been dead can now call on Jesus to save them.

Ch. 9

From receivers to servers

Now, Advanced Training to Serve

Sending out the 12 to serve

Luke 9:1–9 NIV

When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere. Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was going on. And he was perplexed because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead, others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life. But Herod said, “I beheaded John. Who, then, is this I hear such things about?” And he tried to see him.

Got to get some experience.

Ed model:

Teach them

Equip them

Demonstrate it to them

Let them do it

Evaluate them

Repeat w/ Advanced training

Basic instructions:

Preach the kingdom of God

Heal the sick

(cast out demons)

Don’t take money or extra clothes. Why?

Brief mission.

Evidence of success: Hospitality and belief.

How would they know if the message and Messiah was being accepted?

They were accepted and hosted for the night.

If the village is bad soil, leave.

Shake the dust off.

When Jews would leave Gentile territory b/c it was considered unclean they would shake the dirt off their sandals.

Rejecting Jesus would mean you’re unforgiven so shake it off.

They went everywhere. From village to village. Jew and Gentile territory.

Equipment

What they didn’t have: No guns, hammers, bibles to pass out.

Power and authority (special spiritual ability)

Jesus had just shown his power over these and transferred it to them.

Not their own authority, but Jesus’s

The message

Result?

preached and healed ppl.

Herod’s response?

Everybody was talking about it.

Marketing. Momentum. Miracles. Message. Here we go!

Good? You’re about to be known and outed as a disciple of X.

Who is this?

Herod knew it wasn’t JB. He had personally had him killed.

Elijah is about to appear. This isn’t Elijah.

Who? What? How? all the questions were being asked even to the highest levels of the govt.

Everyone wanted to see Him. But they did not all want to believe in him.

So, if you’re serving for Jesus, what are you serving, how are you going to get it done, and what will you receive for doing it?

Feeds 5000

Luke 9:10–17 NIV

When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida, but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing. Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.” He replied, “You give them something to eat.” They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.” (About five thousand men were there.) But he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” The disciples did so, and everyone sat down. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

Any down time after the experience?

Yes and no.

PPL followed them, they got away, but it presented the next opportunity for advanced training.

Same model they practiced when out. Preach the kingdom and heal the sick.

Herod asked, “Who is Jesus?”

He is the Savior for all who can meet the needs of his followers.

Fully able to provide for them abundantly.

What is the message? Who/What is Jesus? Bread of life.

Miracle, object lesson about the Bread of Life.

“Send them away” Mercy? Too aware of their own limitations w/out being aware of what Jesus can do?

Common sense.

Not from around there. They needed to go to the surrounding villages to find food and a place to stay.

What do you have?

1 boy’s lunch. A Happy Meal. 2 fish and 5 loaves.

Clearly an inadequate supply to satisfy the number of ppl there.

5,000 men. But they only counted men, not women and children. So, upwards of 15K to 17K

Think basketball arena.

Jesus organized the ppl then blessed what disciples had.

What happened? They passed it out, everyone ate and was satisfied, 12 basketfuls left over.

What do YOU have? I am completely inadequate in supply to feed the ppl Jesus brings to me.

It would make sense to send them to someone else, somewhere else. But, Jesus says I need to feed them.

What am I feeding them? Bread of Life.

Jesus will bless what I have.

Help me get organized.

When I’m done, everyone will be satisfied and I’ll get to eat too.

5 loaves 2 fish over 15,000 ppl.

What can we do when we are serving Jesus?

Just so we’re all clear, who is Jesus? Who is Jesus to me?

Peter declares Jesus is the X

Luke 9:18–20 NIV

Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.”

Like Herod’s Q. Who is Jesus?

JB? No, he’s dead

Elijah? Elijah’s message? Similar.

God is still alive and active in the lives of believers even if Israel is rejecting him as a nation. Repent and return to the 1 true God.

Elijah is about to show up. Jesus is not Elijah or any of the other prophets.

He is his own guy.

The disciples had inside info. A number of private lessons and miracles the masses were not privy to.

Whatever the masses say, they are the receivers.

What about the servers? What are they serving?

Who do the disciples, the servers say that Jesus is?

Jesus’s sufficiency in the moment of feeding all those ppl was the instant the disciple fully realized who Jesus is.

They had already been sent out once. But the process of believing in who Jesus is was ongoing.

Scary. Jesus might send you out before you know everything there is to know.

They affirm. He is the God’s Messiah.

Bread of Life. Serve the Savior

Then there is something else they need to know about the Messiah.

This is advanced stuff. This is not 100 level class stuff. This is upperclassman information.

X predicts his death

Luke 9:21–27 NIV

Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone. And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”

The Lamb of God has to die.

He’s not just another guy who’s a charismatic leader, great teacher, miracle worker. He’s more.

Jesus is Jewish. The disciples are Jewish. The Jewish leaders have been anxiously waiting the arrival of Messiah for centuries.

The disciples get it. He’s here! But they are outcasts. Few of the insiders, Jewish leaders, will believe their message

Jesus says the Jewish leadership is going to play a prominent role in his suffering and death.

That does not compute. Major contradiction.

Messiah is going to die. What? He raises ppl from the dead. Feeds ppl miraculously. God’s chosen Savior. He’s not going to die. They can’t kill him. Unless He lets them of course.

He says he’ll be raised 3 days later. Do you think they heard that? Not until after the resurrection did they put these pieces together.

But he had to die to pay for our sins. Abraham and Isaac. In a way it was easier b/c they hated Him. Imagine if they loved Him.

Marketing up to this point was great! Miracles. healing. Dead raised. Demons cast out. Message was just believe. No guilt-laden performance.

Not only does Jesus have to die, but we have to be willing to die too. And, give everything up everything short of death.

Faith of followers means this:

Then, Jesus lays this marketing message on them.

But the message so far was the kingdom of God.

The remembered the sermon on the mount. A new way. Hold your earthly possessions lightly.

The ppl saw the disciples had left everything to do this. No more fishing. No more tax collecting.

How foolish. Jesus must have made them. Forced them.

The next part of the message they were to model and preach.

He would never ask anything of us that he has not already done for us.

Jesus modeled it for us. Now He expects this from us.

Deny yourself. Surrender everything. Every worldly possession. Your desires, passions, personality. Everyone and everything you love.

Your choice. Choose to do it. No one will make you.

PU your cross, your lethal injection, guillotine, electric chair.

Choice. Own it. Own your death every day. Give up every right.

If you choose to save your earthly life, then you will lose it for eternity.

But, if you will let go of everything (sermon on the mount) then you will gain so much more in heaven.

Are you too embarrassed or ashamed to do this for Jesus?

Then He will be ashamed of you.

Some of you will see the kingdom of God before you die.

Peter, James, and John will see Moses and Elijah at the transfig next.

The transfiguration

Luke 9:28–36 NIV

About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.) While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.

The bigger picture. The history and the future.

If Jesus dies, will he stay dead? When we die, will we stay dead?

How long had Moses and Elijah been dead? How’d they look now?

Zombies?

Confirms who Jesus is; witnesses. Messiah. Even tho’ he will die.

Jesus’s clothes were changed just like Moses’ face was changed when he was in the presence of the glory of God.

The 2 witnesses.

Moses and Elijah represent the beginning and end of Israel.

Moses gave them the law and established them as a nation

Elijah will return during the Tribulation to wrap it up.

The 3 had a conversation about his departure.

He will ascend to heaven after his death and resurrection. He will join them in heaven in a few weeks.

He will have accomplished deliverance from slavery and salvation for all who believe.

Blood of the lamb. Deliverance from Egypt. Moses

Repent and return. Be restored to God. Elijah

The shelters. Feast of booths. When families would pitch tents in their back yard, temporary shelters, and celebrate being delivered from Egyptian bondage and traveling to the PL.

A weeklong celebration of worship services. Like revival.

Jesus is delivering us from slavery to sin and into our PL, heaven, the kingdom of God. Which is what they were preaching.

It’s a shorter journey. But the shelters represent that journey.

Peter didn’t realize exactly what was going on here. No shelters were built.

The cloud enveloped them. Like the cloud that entered the tent of meeting for Moses and the temples Solomon and Zerubabbel built.

God’s divine presence.Evoking fear. Respect. Awe.

It was real and tangible.

They heard the voice of God like at his baptism.

Listen to him. This is a reference to the OT (Deut. 18:15) where the Messiah is predicted and the ppl will need to listen to and obey him.

X delivers the demon possessed boy

Luke 9:37–43 NIV

The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. A man in the crowd called out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him. I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not.” “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.” Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the impure spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father. And they were all amazed at the greatness of God. While everyone was marveling at all that Jesus did, he said to his disciples,

It only works by prayer

X predicts his death 2nd time

Luke 9:44–50 NIV

“Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.” But they did not understand what this meant. It was hidden from them, so that they did not grasp it, and they were afraid to ask him about it. An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.” “Master,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.” “Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “for whoever is not against you is for you.”

Starts his final journey to Jerusalem

Samaritan Opposition: No Grace

Luke 9:51–56 NIV

As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” But Jesus turned and rebuked them. Then he and his disciples went to another village.

Begins his journey to Jerusalem t/b crucified.

Official ministry coming to an end and prep to die is beginning.

The Cost of Following Christ

Luke 9:57–62 NIV

As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Ch.10 X sends out 72

Even more than the 12

Number of servers is growing.