Jesus Rejoices Over the 70

Intro

Let’s let the Lord have the first word today

Read Luke 10:1-22 and pray.

Go and Make Disciples

Jesus gives specific instructions and then SENDS his disciples out to prepare the way for Him and declare the kingdom of God is near

He gives similar instructions to the 12 earlier in Luke 9.

All of this is training for when Jesus ascends into heaven and gives His followers the instructions to go and make disciples

Cf. Acts 1:8; Matthew 28:18-20.

When the disciples would have heard the command, “Go and make disciples,” or “be my witnesses,” they would remember what Jesus taught them in Luke 9 and 10.

If we are going to be disciple-makers, we need to pay attention as well

Disciple-making = core value

New mission statement = Stony Brook fellowship is a spiritual family that encourages the under-churched and over-churched to live as devoted followers of Jesus Christ.

In this disciple-making mission, we need all hands on deck

“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few” (v. 2)

Disciple-making is not a spectator sport (like watching the Super Bowl today)

GO and make disciples

Not just about doing the work of God’s kingdom, but praying for others to be sent as well

Re-read verse 2b

*Share about Howard’s prayer alert at 10:02* Add the alert and commit to pray.

With Urgency

Many of Jesus’ instructions pointed to the urgency His disciples needed to have on their mission

Didn’t take anything extra with them (no money, travel bag, extra sandals)

This helped them rely on God to provide and required them to rely on others as well

“Greet no one on the road” does not mean don’t be friendly; it is a call to urgent focus:

Not here to socialize (could take a while in those days) but to be on mission. No lollygagging or sightseeing!

*Share experience with travelling home with Karen’s parents as opposed to mine*

His disciples were to find a person of peace, and then stay at that house

*Person of peace in e3 strategy*

“Do not go from house to house” is not talking about door-to-door evangelism, but about not eating, drinking and being merry.

Stay focused! Stay on mission! Go and make disciples with urgency!

Why be urgent in mission? Because the stakes are so high

At the core, the task of disciple-makers is giving people an opportunity to accept or reject who Jesus is:

Re-read verse 16

To reject the truth about Jesus (Messiah, Son of God, Saviour) is to bring about tragic consequences

Shaking off the dust = warning sign of judgement

Still proclaimed the truth about Jesus and the kingdom (time to turn to Him)

More bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah! They were consumed with fire!

“Woes” are lament, not a proclamation of judgement; it breaks Christ’s heart

If these are stakes, how could we not act with urgency?

With Authority

Jesus warns his disciples that he is sending them out “as lambs in the midst of wolves”

Making disciples is spiritually dangerous work; you will be opposed by other people and other forces

Cf. Mat. 10:16.

Wise as serpents = Be cunning, be aware, be creative in making disciples

Innocent as doves = Don’t retaliate, or make trouble. Love even those who oppose you

But Jesus does not send His disciples into the wolfpack unarmed. He sends them with His own spiritual authority

When the 72 return, they are amazed at how even the demons obey them!

Re-read v. 17

*Share Cornerstone story and Harry Potter books*

How is this possible? Jesus gives His disciples the authority to overcome all forces of evil

Re-read v. 19

Described as serpents and scorpions

“Nothing shall hurt you” is not a promise of physical safety, but of victory over dark supernatural powers. Do not be afraid!

By relying on the supernatural authority of Jesus Christ, BIG things can be accomplished for the kingdom of God

The disciples were excited, but even their ministry might seem relatively small

Jesus doesn’t think so: Re-read v. 18

Not talking about a pre-incarnation memory, but the spiritual impact of the disciples ministry

What you do matters. It is part of the downfall of Satan and his influence in this world

With Joy

The faithful ministry of the disciples brought them joy

Originally joyful at the power over demons

Jesus corrects them and points to the greater joy: having your name written in heaven

There is tremendous joy in having our names written in the Book of Life and being able to look forward to eternal life with Christ

There is also tremendous joy in seeing others accept the truth about Jesus and inherit eternal life as well

The angels themselves rejoice! Cf. Luke 15:10.

Jesus also rejoiced over the faithful ministry of His disciples and the joy of the Good News

Re-read v. 21-22.

The joy of the good news is not found in human wisdom and achievement

Cf. 1 Cor. 1:18-25.

Not literally children or folly; but to be contrasted against human made wisdom

Joy is found in accepting the simple truth of who Jesus says He is; childlike faith.

The joy of the good news is not discovered, but revealed

It is the work of Christ to reveal His true nature to others, not your work

Disciple-making is not about convincing, coercing or manipulating people into saying a specific prayer

This is the soul work of Jesus; drawing people to Himself and transforming the old into something new and beautiful

We cooperate, but it is God’s work that changes lives

Conclusion

What can we do? Follow the training of the early disciples, and go and make disciples for Jesus

Do so urgently, because the stakes are high and the kingdom of God is at hand

Do so with authority, knowing that all spirits are under the powerful name of Jesus, and you are protected

Do so joyfully, watching God change people’s hearts forever

There are a few next steps:

Train= specific evangelism training in our context to help be wise as serpents and innocent as doves

Pray:

Prayer prompt for workers at 10:02

Pray for someone you would love to see come to Christ by name for 3 weeks

Go: Be good witnesses to what Jesus has done for you. Talk to people, share your faith, invite them to church, and rejoice as God does His thing.

Pray.