Jesus's Preachers
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
Introduction
Introduction
Preaching has fallen on hard times over the last 3-4 decades.
A history of preaching shows us that where there once was an interest in the preached Word, there now is almost none.
Instead, what is of interest is the emotive, devotional, personal, “thoughts” on God.
The objective and verifiable explanation of some verse or passage in the text of the Bible has given way to a collection of stories, anecdotes, and the like.
There are 3 problems with this approach:
It does not sanctify.
It elevates man to the place of what is preached.
It contributes to the end-times apostasy:
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,
and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.
It has always been my opinion, based upon this passage, that the reason people aren’t tolerating biblical preaching much any more is not because of the shoddy preaching style, psychological boredom, or a collection of unrelated facts.
People typically reject biblical preaching and gravitate towards “myths” because they don’t like the authority that biblical preaching exudes.
Illustration:
That day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea.
And large crowds gathered to Him, so He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach.
And He spoke many things to them in parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow;
and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up.
“Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil.
“But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
“Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out.
“And others fell on the good soil and *yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.
“He who has ears, let him hear.”
Explanation:
“Hear then the parable of the sower.
“When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road.
“The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;
yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.
“And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
“And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”
“Unchurched people today are the ultimate consumers. We may not like it, but for every sermon we preach, they’re asking, “Am I interested in that subject or not?” If they aren’t, it doesn’t matter how effective our delivery is; their minds will check out.” (Bill Hybels said this) Expository Preaching, p.6.
The idea that the proclamation of the Word of God must be molded to the hearer comes in a variety of packages.
Hearers in the church come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
Some are true believers.
Some are not.
Some are mature in Christ.
Some are not.
But, the point that I want to make is this:
Approved preachers do not represent themselves.
Approved preachers do not represent the audience.
Approved preachers represent God.
v.20
v.20
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”
ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ὁ λαμβάνων ἄν τινα πέμψω ἐμὲ λαμβάνει, ὁ δὲ ἐμὲ λαμβάνων λαμβάνει τὸν πέμψαντά με.
“Truly, truly…”
“Truly, truly…”
= “listen to what I say, and change your thinking.”
Nearest “truly, truly” = v. 16.
= inclusio.
A = v. 16 = A slave is not greater than his master.
B = v. 20 = When you go out, you go representing My Father and I.
Why will this be important for these men to understand?
Because, the pressures of being a servant of Christ will mount and will come with consequences.
If they do not understand this, they may not think they are on the right track.
They may be tempted to quit.
Jesus gave them every resource they would need in order to remain faithful the end.
“Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.
“He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”
“Now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe.
“These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
“You are My friends if you do what I command you.
Especially
“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.
“If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.
“Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
“These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling.
“They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God.
“These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me.
“But these things I have spoken to you, so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them. These things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”
There are four groups of participants mentioned in this verse.
”he who receives” = hearer of the Word
”whomever I send” = preacher of the Word
”Me” = Jesus Christ
“Him who sent Me…” = the Father.
NOTE: The tension between those whom Jesus will send and the one who will betray Him is seen in the next verse.
When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.”
”He who receives..”
”He who receives..”
δέχομαι “to receive, hear or understand the words of someone.” TDNT
To receive is to welcome, accommodate, listen to, believe the teaching of, someone.
It is important to realize that what is being said here is that the speaker for Jesus, whether a preacher or a disciple, is doing just that; speaking for Jesus.
Therefore, to receive that speaker, and his words, is to receive the source of that speaker and his words; Jesus Christ.
What does it look like to “receive” the preacher?
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
Nathaniel, Peter, Philip, James, and John received Jesus’ command to follow Him (John 1:35-51).
The woman at the well received Him (John 4:29ff).
The citizens of Sychar received Him (John 4:39ff.).
The man born blind and healed received Him (John 9).
Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, received Him (John 11).
Etc..
“…whomever I send…”
“…whomever I send…”
Jesus sends preachers into every age.
And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,
for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;
until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
These preachers, beginning with the “sent ones (apostles)”, are sent by Jesus Christ to edify the church, which includes evangelism.
“Me…”
ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ὁ λαμβάνων ἄν τινα πέμψω ἐμὲ λαμβάνει, ὁ δὲ ἐμὲ λαμβάνων λαμβάνει τὸν πέμψαντά με.
Emphatic pronoun.
This is Jesus making a point.
These men needed to understand that when they speak, they speak for Jesus Christ.
Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
But, it does not stop with Jesus.
“Receives Him who sent Me…”
“Receives Him who sent Me…”
“As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.
So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”
Ultimately, the Father is responsible for it all.
Therefore, His absolute authority is expressed by the ones whom He has sent.
The Father sent the Son.
The Son sends the preachers.
Thus, the Father sends the Son and His preachers.
As His ambassadors, they bear His glory and authority.
There is no personal authority in the preacher, disciple.
But, the Word which they preach is authority and bears the Father’s authority.
Ultimately, who will hear?
“To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
“When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.
“I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.
And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”
Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.
“For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.
“Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
“In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says,
‘You will keep on hearing, but will not understand;
You will keep on seeing, but will not perceive;
For the heart of this people has become dull,
With their ears they scarcely hear,
And they have closed their eyes,
Otherwise they would see with their eyes,
Hear with their ears,
And understand with their heart and return,
And I would heal them.’
“But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.
“For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
If we learn anything from Israel, it is that sin makes you deaf to the Word of God.
Sin blocks the spiritual sound of the voice of Christ through His Word.
being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.
Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.
For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant.
“And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
Conclusion
Conclusion
These things speak and exhort and areprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you.
16 “The one who listens to you listens to Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me; and he who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.”