Instructions for the Sent Out (Matthew 10:1-15)

Moving Through Matthew • Sermon • Submitted 4 years ago

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We are back in the book of Matthew.

The book of Matthew is written by the disciple & apostle Matthew and it gives us a look at Jesus’ life, ministry, his death, burial, resurrection, his final earthly words to his followers, and his ascension into heaven where he is right now until God tell him to come back to get those who have believed and followed.

Before we left to go back to America, I have started from Matthew Chapter 1 and preached through Chapter 9, so we are picking up in Matthew 10.

-------PLEDGE------

Matthew 10 is the account of Jesus sending out the 12. He gives them instruction about how they are to go, what they will come against, and how they should be. Then in the final verses of Chapter 10, Jesus explains to them the reward that will come from their work.

But this morning, we are only going to look at the first 15 verses of Matthew 10, and next week we will finish the chapter.

Read Matthew 10:1-15

So this morning, this first 15 verses gives us a little history of Jesus’ followers, as well as how we can apply what he is commanding them then, so a follower of Jesus Christ today.

Before we get into the history, I want you to see the continuation from Chapter 9 to Chapter 10. When Matthew wrote this Scripture for the first time, he did not say that this is Chapter 10, verse 1. Or this is Chapter 10, verse 2. When Matthew wrote this book of the Bible 2000 years ago, it was all together. From what we know as the first verse in Matthew 1 to the last in Matthew 28, it was one continuous writing. There were no stops and dividers from Chapter 1, 2, 3.

Show Papyrus 46, 2 Corinthians 11:33-12:9

But today when we begin with Chapter 10:1, we think it is a starting point, but really Chapter 10:1, is a continuation of the end of Chapter 9.

In verse 36 of Chapter 9, Matthew writes that Jesus had compassion on those who were helpless, lost, like sheep without a Shepard. In other words…THEY HAD NO HOPE. But there was hope, they just needed to hear about the hope. So in verse 37 he says:

English Standard Version Chapter 9

37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

The reason you know about the gospel, the reason you have the Word of God in your hands, is because laborers have gone into the fields and their efforts have brought a harvest. I am not talking about a harvest of maze. pepe’s, or tomatoes, am talking about a harvest our souls…lives that have been changed because they heard the gospel., accepted the gospel, and now follow Jesus. You know because of those who came before you.

But going all the way back to this moment, Jesus knew that people had to hear in order to follow and he looks at his 12 disciples and gives them a responsibility.

English Standard Version Chapter 10

10 And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. 2 The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

Most of these names are very familiar: Peter, Andrew, James, John, Matthew, even, Judas. But look at something here is the 1st & 2nd verses.

In verse 1: he identifies them as disciples.

In verse 2: he identifies them as apostles.

Why the change? Why did they change from a disciple to an apostle?

We have talked before that the word “disciple” has a meaning of one that learns, or one that sits under the teaching of a master. Bala & Victor learned how to tile from a master. For over a year, they would work with him, understanding the techniques of tiling and how to be good at tiling. When Jesus called his disciples, they began to follow him. They listened to his teachings, they saw the miracles…they were learning at the feet of their master. So now, with all of the things they have learned, he is sending them out, to put into practice what they have learned. So they go from being a disciple “one who is learning” to an apostle “one who is sent out.”

Matthew 10:5–8 ESV

5 These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.

As Jesus sent them out, he told them exactly where to go and who to talk to. He said ‘don’t go to the Gentiles, and don’t even go to a town filled with Samaritans, he said, I want you only to go to the Jews, the Israelites.’ Why was Jesus saying this? Did Jesus not like the Gentiles or the Samaritans? I thought Jesus said in John 3:16, that God loved the whole whole, he sent his own son, and EVERYONE who believes in him will have eternal life? So why would he not want the apostles to tell everyone they could? Because God’s plan was that his chosen people, the Israelites, or the Jews would hear first. Jesus said in Luke 24:47

Luke 24:47 (ESV)

47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

Jerusalem was the central city for the Jewish people, it was were the temple was.

In verse 8, as he is sending them out as apostles, for the first time he gives the power to do incredible things:

8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons.

These gifts…healing the sick…raise the dead…cleanse lepers…cast out demons

were specifically given to these men only…an apostle. Why were they given to them to do so? These were the miracles that Jesus himself was doing, so why did he allow them to do them?

When Jesus performed his miracles it showed that what he was saying was true. It showed that he was the Messiah…God. That what he was saying was true. It also showed that he had compassion on people.

So as he is talking about the coming Kingdom, as he performs these miracles it shows that what he is saying is true and that he really is God.

So now, as he is sending out his apostles “to the harvest” he empowers them with these same abilities, so that people will see that what they say is true.

Then the last part of verse 8:

English Standard Version Chapter 10

You received without paying; give without pay. 9 Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, 10 no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food.

There were many people in that day going around, talking, and expecting money from the people who were hearing. Many of them were not spreading the gospel, they were just people teaching other ideas, but they would expect people to pay them. Jesus said that his apostles should not do this, they should only be looking for something as a provision for food or even a place to stay.

English Standard Version Chapter 10

11 And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. 12 As you enter the house, greet it. 13 And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.

In that day, people would welcome travelers into their home. And Jesus told them… if the house is worthy, let your peace fall upon it. That word peace is like the Hebrew word shalom , which means blessing. The look at what Jesus says in verse 14:

English Standard Version Chapter 10

14 And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words,

Sometimes, people get focused on miracles. But the miracles were only there to show that the words they said were true. What were the words? The Kingdom of God is near, the promised Messiah from the Scriptures. This was the message, and Jesus said that if don’t receive this message:

English Standard Version Chapter 10

shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town.

There are people who reject the gospel, people who either don’t believe in Jesus, or truly don’t take him seriously. It’s a fact, people that you go to school with, people who walk up and down this road, people that you will work with later in life will reject the gospel of Jesus Christ. They will turn away for many different reasons.

But, there is coming a day. There is coming a day when everyone will have to stand before God. And the one question God will want to know is: what have you done with my son? Hearing about my son…what did you do? Knowing about what he did for you, what did you do?

Jesus talked about that day. What the Bible calls the Final Judgement.

Read Matthew 25:-31-46

So what have you done with His Son? What have you done with Jesus? Is he teh giver of your life? Yes. If he the one that loved you so much that he gave his life for you? Yes. But is he the one that is worthy of your love, your time, and everything you are? Because what you do with him now, will determine what your eternity will be like.

He finishes this thought for those who do not follow him by saying :

English Standard Version Chapter 10

15 Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.

Sodom and Gomorrah were the two cities that God destroyed with fire in the Old Testament because of their wickedness, their desires for their own selves and pleasures, Jesus said that as bad as it was for them, those who reject the gospel will be even worse.