Important Instructions from Jesus Our King (Part 1)

The Gospel of Matthew

Matthew 10:5-16

Sermon by Rick Crandall

(Prepared December 24, 2021)

MESSAGE:

*Someone put together a list called "Kid’s Instructions on Life." Nine-year-old Rocky said: "When feeding seagulls, always wear a hat." But my favorite was twelve-year-old Joel who said, "Don't pick on your sister when she's holding a baseball bat." (1)

*Those are some pretty good instructions, but we’ve got infinitely better instructions right here in the Word of God.

1. AND THE LORD'S FIRST INSTRUCTION IS FOR US TO MAKE HIS MESSAGE OUR PRIORITY.

*Just after Jesus chose His twelve Apostles, vs. 5-7 tell us that:

5. These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.

6. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

7. And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'

8. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

*We must understand that the message of the kingdom was infinitely more important than the miracles. As wonderful as those miracles were, they were only temporary. But the kingdom of heaven last forever! And the miracles were given to prove the truth of their message.

*Jesus told His Apostles, "As you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" Of course, all of us are not called to be preachers, but all of us are called to be reachers. All of us are called to do everything we possibly can to help reach more people for Jesus Christ. He is our King! And our King wants us to let people know that "the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

*Jesus Christ is the King of the whole universe. He is the righteous and holy Judge of all. We are accountable to Him. And there would be no hope whatsoever for us, -- except for the good news that our King is also gracious, kind, and full of mercy for everyone who will trust in Him.

*As believers, we know that our King Jesus loves us. He came into this world for us. He even died on the cross for our sins and then rose again from the dead. When we call upon the Lord, He forgives all our sins and gives us His eternal life. He makes us citizens in His Kingdom. He even makes us part of His royal family!

*And we can echo David's joyful words in Psalm 95:1-7

1. Oh come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.

2. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.

3. For the LORD is the great God, And the great King above all gods.

4. In His hand are the deep places of the earth; The heights of the hills are His also.

5. The sea is His, for He made it; And His hands formed the dry land.

6. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.

7. For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand. (2)

*Everyone needs to know this truth, so King Jesus calls all of us to do all we can to spread this good news about the Kingdom of Heaven. And our task is ever more urgent, because we live in a world where God's enemies do all they can to spread their lies.

*James Hewett gave an example of how God's determined enemies work. This happened years ago when James was serving the Lord in Miami. And James said, "While working among Cuban Americans in Miami, I frequently heard the following story: Shortly after the Communist revolution in Cuba, there were strong attempts to turn the people away from God.

*In elementary schools, Communist teachers would ask their students whether God could live up to His promises or not. Of course, the students said 'Yes.' The teacher would then use a deceitful trick to make her case that God was weak.

*The teacher would tell the students to pray very hard for some candy. After ten minutes, the teacher would ask if anyone received any candy. The students responded with a sad 'No.'

*Then the teacher would ask the students to ask the Communist state for candy. And when the children did, the teacher would go around the room filling the students' hands with candy." What a monstrous thing to do! (3)

*You may think, "Well, things like that could never happen here in the United States." But they are happening here, because many people in our nation are just as opposed to Jesus Christ. Now, more than ever, we must do everything we can to spread the good news about our King!

2. JESUS WANTS US TO MAKE HIS MESSAGE OUR PRIORITY. HE ALSO WANTS US TO TRUST IN HIS ABILITY.

*God wants us to trust in His boundless ability. This was the point of the Lord's instructions to His Apostles in vs. 8-10. There Jesus told them:

8. "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

9. Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your moneybelts,

10. nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food."

*Jesus gave similar instructions when He sent out 70 other disciples in Luke 10:1-11. But on the night before He went to the cross, Jesus basically rescinded these commands.

*This happened in Luke 22, just before Jesus went into the Garden of Gethsemane. Please listen to the Lord in Luke 22:35-37:

35. And He said to them, "When I sent you without money bag, sack, and sandals, did you lack anything?'' So they said, "Nothing.''

36. Then He said to them, "But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a sack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.

37. For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me: 'And He was numbered with the transgressors.' For the things concerning Me have an end.''

*Why did Jesus send them out at first with no supplies? The very important answer is found in the Lord's question in Luke 22:35: "When I sent you without money bag, sack, and sandals, did you lack anything?'' And they said, "Nothing.''

*Jesus wanted them to know, and He wants us to know that even if it looks like we have nothing we need to accomplish His work, we truly do have everything we need, because we have Him! Jesus Christ will supply all of our needs!

3. AND HE WANTS US TO TRUST IN HIS ABILITY. BUT JESUS ALSO WANTS US TO FOLLOW HIS PLAN FOR OUR SERVICE.

*The Lord outlined His immediate plan for the Apostles in vs. 11-13. Here Jesus said:

11. "Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out.

12. And when you go into a household, greet it.

13. If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you."

*Jesus told them to stay with "worthy" people. He was talking about people who had a good reputation in the community, courteous, friendly, hospitable people who were willing to receive the Apostles and provide for them. (4)

*Jesus told them to stay with worthy people, but He surely did not mean for them to completely avoid well-known sinners. We know this because the Lord Himself was criticized for eating with notorious sinners.

*Matthew 9:9-13 says:

9. Then as Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, "Follow Me.'' And he arose and followed Him.

10. And so it was, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples.

11. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?''

12. But when Jesus heard that, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.

13. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.''

*Here in Matthew 10, Jesus was not telling His Apostles to avoid people with bad reputations. Instead, He simply recognized that staying with disreputable people could have made it harder for other people to receive the gospel. That's why Jesus told them to find worthy people.

*Then in vs. 12-13 Jesus said, "And when you go into a household, greet it. If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you."

*Albert Barnes explained that this peace was the peace we seek for the home by telling them about Jesus and praying for them to receive Him as their Lord and Savior. But if those people refused to receive the Lord's peace, then it had to remain in the hand of the giver. (5)

*Jesus wants us to look for people who are open to the truth. Some of them may be going through hard times. (God often uses hard times to soften hard hearts.) But our job is to look for people who are open to the truth, whether they are going through hard times or sitting on top of the world.

*This was most obvious to me on a mission trip to a Muslim country. We wondered how we would know when and where to share the good news. One of the local Christians pointed us to that very similar Scripture in Luke 10. There in vs. 5-6 Jesus said, "But whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house.' And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you."

*That local Christian told us that we would be able to tell when we had met a man of peace, and he was exactly right. Perhaps someone will be able to fool us, but we will almost always be able to find people of peace when we look for them. And that's what God wants us to do.

*Also notice that Jesus has a specific plan for your service. Here in vs. 5-6 Jesus told the Apostles, "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Later, after Jesus rose again from the dead, in Acts 1:8 He told them, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.''

*God gave them specific plans for specific times in their life, and He will do the same for us. Jesus has a specific plan for your service. We will always find the basic principles in God's Word. And the Lord will reveal the specifics to us as we prayerfully seek His will.

*And never underestimate what God can do through you when you follow His plan for your life! Even small things can make a giant difference forever.

*Isabel Wolseley told a story about a modest, soft-spoken, Christian lady from Oregon. She wasn't the type you would notice in a crowd. This woman often felt worthless and told her pastor, "Everyone else at church seems to have some special talent, but I just don't have any ministry at all."

*About that time, halfway around the world in Papua, New Guinea, a young missionary stooped down to go into a grass-thatched hut. Sometimes this missionary hiked with those natives down a jungle trail. Sometimes he flew his helicopter to take them to a doctor or bring them supplies. Sometimes he flew over dangerous country to carry Bible translators to their workstations.

*One day a friend asked him, "How did you happen to become a missionary?" He answered, "Well, my brother and I were going around our neighborhood one Halloween when a neighbor dropped an invitation to Sunday School into our trick-or-treat bags. That's what started Mom and Dad and my little brother and me going to a Bible-believing church."

*"What's happened to the other three in your family?" his friend asked. He replied, "My brother is a Sunday School director. Mom writes articles for Christian publications. Dad directs the church choir and other activities."

*His friend was astounded and sat silent for several seconds before saying, "And all this resulted from a simple invitation to Sunday School that was dropped in your trick-or-treat bags." (6)

*Isabel Wolseley told that story, because she is the mother who became a Christian writer, and that missionary is Isabel's son. Extraordinary things happened, because an ordinary Christian did something to help tell the good news about Jesus Christ.

*Think for a moment about all of the people who have been blessed by Isabel's articles, all of the people her husband helped lead in worship, all of the people their son helped in Sunday School, and all of the people over in New Guinea, who were led to the Lord by Isabel's missionary son.

*All of those blessings can be traced back to a woman who thought she was worthless for the Lord. She made a difference that went far beyond her wildest imagination. And glory to God, so can we! -- If we will follow the Lord's plan for our service.

4. JESUS WANTS US TO FOLLOW HIS PLAN FOR OUR SERVICE. HE ALSO WANTS US TO RECOGNIZE THE DANGER OF REJECTING HIM.

*In vs. 14-15, Jesus told the Apostles:

14. . . "Whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.

15. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"

*The Day of Judgment is coming! What a dreadful day for all who are lost in their sins. What a dreadful day for those who do not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior!

*All of us need a better grasp of the terrible danger lost people are in. We need to see how terrible it is to be lost.

*James McCullen saw a tiny example one Friday at a mall. James was there with his grandson. And as they sat down for a few moments, James saw a little girl laughing and playing. But he did not see her parents.

*James later wrote, "I said to my grandson, 'Look at that little girl. She is not with her parents.' Then the little girl realized that her mother was nowhere around. She looked shocked and then began to cry and cry out, 'Mommy! Mommy!'

*My grandson ran to her to try to console the little girl. Then her mother came running to her and all was okay for the little girl. I thought, 'So many times a person laughs and plays through life until they realize they are lost.'" (7)

*Have you ever come to the point in life where you realized you were lost? Have you ever seen your need for Jesus? And seeing the need, have you put your trust in Jesus Christ?

5. JESUS WANTS ALL OF US TO RECOGNIZE THE DANGER OF REJECTING HIM. AND HE WANTS US TO WALK IN THE WISDOM OF THE LORD.

*This is God's message for us in vs. 16 where Jesus said, "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore, be wise as serpents and harmless as doves." Here the Lord used 3 different animals to help us understand how to live.

[1] FIRST JESUS SAID, "BEHOLD, I SEND YOU OUT AS SHEEP IN THE MIDST OF WOLVES."

*Tim Parsons explained: "God's People are like sheep, and He wants us to know that there are wolves out looking to kill us. A sheep is the most helpless animal on the earth. He has a number of enemies. He is not like a dog with sharp teeth, a deer with fast feet, a bee with a sharp stinger, or a skunk that can drive other animals away with his smell.

*Sheep are very easily frightened, and if they get scared, they will stampede. Sheep like to wander away from the flock. And they have no sense of direction when they get far away. Take a cat 50 miles from your home, and somehow, he will find his way back. Take a homing pigeon 1,000 mile from home, and he will find his way back. But a sheep can't do that.

*A sheep cannot protect himself in any way. Sheep need a shepherd. And Jesus Christ is the only Shepherd who can protect us from the spiritual wolves in our world. (8)

[2] JESUS TELLS US THAT WE ARE SHEEP. THAT'S WHY HE ALSO TELLS US THAT WE SHOULD "BE WISE AS SERPENTS."

*Here Tim Parsons explained, "A snake is wise in the way he uses his eyes. He sleeps with eyes open. With the very smallest movement or shadow, he knows what is going on. . . We must keep our spiritual eyes open at all times, watching and looking.

*A snake is also very wise in the way he uses his time. He will not jump at everything coming and going but will wait till the right moment to grab his prey. A snake is also very wise in the way he chooses his location. Snakes like to hide in the rocks, and we need to keep hidden in the Rock of our Salvation!" (8)

[3] JESUS TELLS US TO BE "WISE AS SERPENTS." HE ALSO TELLS US TO BE "HARMLESS AS DOVES."

*I don't think anybody has ever been attacked by a dove. Doves are peaceful animals. In fact, they are so peaceful that they have become the symbol for peace, and the Lord wants us to be like doves.

*John Gill explained that Jesus is telling us to be "free from all wicked cunning and craftiness, without spite, malice, and wrath. We should not be meditating on or seeking revenge. Instead, we should be meek and humble, trying our best to live peaceful lives." (9)

CONCLUSION:

*These are great instructions from our Savior Jesus Christ. May God help us to always make His message our priority, trust in His boundless ability, follow His plan for our service, recognize the danger of rejecting Him, and keep walking in the wisdom of the Lord. Let's ask for His help as we go back to God in prayer.

(1) Original source unknown - (Found in Dynamic Preaching Sermon “So Much We Don't Understand” by King Duncan - John 16:12-15 - Second Sunday in June - 2001)

(2) Psalm 95 was written without a title, but vs. 8 says, "Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, as in the day of trial in the wilderness." And Hebrews 4:7 tells us that this was written by David - JOHN GILL'S EXPOSITION OF THE BIBLE by Dr. John Gill, D. D. - 1697-1771 - Published in 1746-1766, 1816 - "Introduction to Psalm 95" - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2000-2019

(3) James S. Hewett, "Illustrations Unlimited" (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) pp. 110-111 - Found in "Bible Illustrator for Windows" - Topic: Teaching - Index: 1778-1782 - Date: 7/1996.333 - Title: Differing Perspectives

(4) Sources:

(6) Testimony by Isabel Champ Wolseley - Original source unknown

(7) Cross & Crown Sermons - "If the Apostle Paul Were My Dad" by Dr. James McCullen - Acts 26:11-29

(8) Adapted from SermonCentral sermon "How Sheep Ought to Behave in Wolf Country" by Tim Parsons - Matthew 10:16