Matthew 10:5-15

Introduction

This Past Year, I’ve Thought a Lot About the Words We as the Church Use

The Words We Use Affect the Way We Look at Things

Example: I Use the Phrase Church-House to Describe Where We are Now

When We Call This Meeting Place a Building…

We Automatically Think of it as a Cold, Impersonal, Business-Like Place that We are Detached From

But When We Call it a House…

We Think of it as a Warm, Personal, Family-Like Place that We Share Together

That’s What This Place Should Be to Each of Us

We Should View it as Our Shared Home

There are Some Words/Phrases I Wish We Would Stop Using

Many are Words/Phrases From Decades Ago that Have Just Become Tradition or Muscle Memory

There are Some Words/Phrases I Wish We Would Use, Because They are Biblical

But We Refuse to Use Them Because Denominations Use Them

Lately, I’ve Thought a Lot About the Word Minister/Ministry

A Minister is Simply a Servant

And a Ministry is the Service that Servant is Providing

All Christians are Meant to Be Ministers

And All Christians Should to Be Taking Part in Some Kind of Ministry

For the Next Few Weeks as We Study the Gospel of Matthew…

You’ll Be Hearing Me Use the Word Ministry a Lot

It’s a Word I Think We Should Make a Part of Our Regular Vocabulary

Small Changes Like This Can Help Us to Be More Servant-Minded and Intentional

Matthew 10:5-15

Last Week, Matthew Introduced Us to the 12 Apostles

Jesus Gave Them Authority Over Evil Spirits, Diseases, and Sicknesses

This Allowed Them to Do the Things He Had Been Doing in His Ministry

He was About to Send Them Out to Multiply His Ministry

Our Text this Morning is the Beginning of Jesus’ 2nd Major Teaching Discourse in Matthew’s Account

Jesus Has Shown the Disciples How He Conducts His Kingdom Ministry

Now He is Going to Teach/Instruct Them (and Us) On How to Participate in This Ministry

Matthew 10:5–6 (NASB95)

These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: “Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

As Their Titles Express (Apostle = One Who is Sent)…

Jesus Sent Them Out

But First, He Instructs Them

“Instructing” = To Make an Announcement About Something that Must Be Done; To Give a Command

The Words of Jesus We are About to Study Were Direct Orders to His Apostles

A More Literal Translation Might Sound Like:

“Don’t Go on a Road of Gentiles and Do Not Enter a City of Samaritans”

Any Roads Going North or East Would Lead to Gentile Areas

And Going South Would Eventually Lead You into Samaria

Jesus was Telling His Apostles to Avoid Ministering in Gentile and Samaritan Areas

Gentiles = Non-Jewish People

Samaritans = Mixed Race of Israelites and Gentiles

Matthew 10:5–6 (NASB95)

These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: “Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Instead, Jesus Wanted His Apostles to Stay in Galilee…

And Minister to the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel

At the End of Chapter 9, Jesus Noticed How the People of Israel…

Were Like a Bunch of Harassed and Abused Sheep Without a Shepherd

But Now the Good Shepherd is Here

And His Ministry to His Sheep Has Begun

But the Question is: Why Only Those of Israel?

Don’t Gentiles and Samaritans Need the Good Shepherd as Well?

Is Jesus Discriminating Against Non-Jewish People?

No, Jesus Has and Will Continue to Minister to Non-Jewish People

But the Purpose of His Ministry is the Same as God’s Purpose in Choosing Israel

The Whole Reason God Chose Israel…

Was So that They Could Represent Him to the Rest of the World

In Order to Properly Understand Jesus’ Ministry…

We Have to Properly Understand God’s Promise to Abraham

Genesis 12:1–3 (NASB95)

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

God’s Mission for Israel was to Bless Israel and for Israel to Bless Others

God Would Bless the 12 Tribes of Israel that Formed the Foundation of the Nation…

And They Were to “Be a Blessing” to Others

Through Them, All of the Other Families/Nations of the Earth Would Experience the Blessings of God

How Did Israel Do with the Mission They Were Given?

Overall, Terribly!

When They Weren’t Despising and Hating the Other Nations

They Were Joining Them in Their Pagan Idolatry and Wickedness

The Mission of Israel was to Be a Transformed and Godly People…

Who Influenced the Rest of the World to Be Transformed and Godly People

But These 12 Tribes Failed in Their Mission

But Now the True Israel/Son of God is Here…

And He is Going to Succeed in Fulfilling the Mission of God

As I’ve Said From the Beginning of Our Study in Matthew…

Jesus is Reliving the Story of the Old Testament

But He is Doing it the Way it Should Have Been Done

He Blesses and Chooses 12 Men to Be the Foundation of God’s New Great Nation

And He Sends Them Out First to Bless Their Own People, the Nation of Israel

And Only After His People are Blessed…

Does He Then Send Them to Be a Blessing to the Rest of the World

Jesus Isn’t Prejudiced or Discriminatory Against Non-Jews

He is Fulfilling the Mission of God

Matthew 10:7–8 (NASB95)

“And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.”

We Looked at this Passage Last Week…

And I Believe it is So Important for Us to Understand the Ministry of Jesus’ Kingdom…

Both in His Day and in Ours

The Ministry of Jesus’ Kingdom People is to Proclaim the Kingdom and Demonstrate the Kingdom

Proclaim:

“The Kingdom of Heaven is Near”

“God’s Reign is About to Begin”

Demonstrate:

Do Compassionate Works for Those in Need

These Compassionate Works Were Tiny Foretastes of What Citizens Should Expect…

When the Kingdom/Reign of God is Complete

They Had Freely Received From Jesus

They Were to Freely Give to Others

We’ll Talk More in a Minute About How Jesus’ Ministry Applies to Us Today

Matthew 10:9–10 (NASB95)

“Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, or a bag for your journey, or even two coats, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his support.”

Jesus Then Tells Them Not to Worry About Having Enough Money, Clothing, Possessions, etc. for Their Mission

He Tells Them that a “Worker is Worthy of His Support”

“Those You Minister to Will Take Care of You”

Paul Referred to Jesus’ Words in 1 Corinthians 9

1 Corinthians 9:14 (NASB95)

So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel.

Concept is Simple

Those Who Truly Believe/Accept the Good News of the Kingdom…

Will Happily Share What They Have with the Messengers of this Good News

Those Who Don’t Believe/Accept the Good News of the Kingdom…

Will Not Be Willing to Share with it’s Messengers

Matthew 10:11–13 (NASB95)

“And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay at his house until you leave that city. As you enter the house, give it your greeting. If the house is worthy, give it your blessing of peace. But if it is not worthy, take back your blessing of peace.”

“Inquire” = To Try to Find Out By Use of Careful Methods

With Every Town They Entered, They Were to Carefully Find Out Who Would Be a Worthy Host

They Would Stay with This One Family the Duration of Their Stay

To Expect Gracious Hospitality of Others Seems Bold to Us Today

But in Their Time and Culture, it was Expected of the People to Be Hospitable to Others

A “Worthy” Household was Probably a Family that was Willing to Be Their Gracious Host

Since the Apostles Were Given Jesus’ Authority to Be His Representatives…

When Someone Rejected Them or Their Message…

They Were Actually Rejecting Jesus

When They Would Enter Someone’s House They Would Pray, “Peace Be to This House”

But if the Hosts Proved Unworthy (Unwilling to Provide for Jesus’ Representatives)…

The Apostles Were to Take Back Their Prayer of Peace Upon that House

Those Unwilling to Show Hospitality to the King’s Representatives…

And Unwilling to Accept the King’s Message…

Are Unworthy of the King’s Blessings

Matthew 10:14–15 (NASB95)

“Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet. Truly 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.”

Jews Would Shake the Dust Off Their Feet When Leaving a Gentile Area

It Symbolized Warning and Rejection

They Didn’t Even Want Gentile Dirt Sticking to Their Feet

The Apostles Were to Do the Same Toward Those Who Rejected Them and Their Message

It was a Warning of Judgement Against Their Rejection of the Messiah

The Day of Judgement Will Be Easier On Sodom and Gomorrah Than On Those Who Rejected the Messiah

Again, This Goes Right Along with the Mission Given to Abraham and His Descendants

“I Will Bless Those Who Bless You and Curse Those Who Curse You”

Application

The Ministry of Jesus and His Disciples is:

To Proclaim and Demonstrate the Kingdom/Reign of Heaven

The Message is: “The Reign of God is Near!”

But What was/is That Supposed to Mean to Those Who Hear it?

When God Reigns:

The Blind See

The Deaf Hear

The Lame Walk

The Sick and Diseased are Healed

The Dead Come Back to Life

God’s Enemies are Destroyed

The Devil, His Angels, the Wicked, Sin, Death

There is Restoration and Renewal of All Things

Peace and Harmony Never End

Everyone Loves Their Neighbor the Way They Love Themselves

Poverty and Injustice No Longer Exists

Everyone are Brothers and Sisters/Children in God’s Family

That Sounds Good, Doesn’t it!?

That’s What the Kingdom of Heaven is All About

That is What Happens When God Reigns

This Will All Be Reality When Jesus Returns

Our Ministry Handed Down to Us From Jesus and His Apostles is to:

1.) Tell People About the Kingdom of Heaven/God’s Reign

2.) Demonstrate the Kingdom of Heaven/God’s Reign

Give Them a Tiny Foretaste of What Life Will Be Like When God’s Reign is Complete:

Love Them

Help Them with Their Physical Needs

Help Them with Their Spiritual Needs

Welcome Them into God’s Family of Kindness, Generosity, and Self-Giving Love

That’s What it Means to Proclaim and Demonstrate the Kingdom of Heaven

That is Our Mission/Ministry to the World

We are to Share Freely What Has Been Freely Shared with Us

Proclaiming and Demonstrating the Kingdom Results in:

A New Life with a New Purpose

Transformation By the Power of the Holy Spirit

Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control

A New, World-Wide Family of Transformed Believers

A Family Who Generously Shares Their Love, Time, and Possessions

A New Hope that Empowers Us to Endure Any Hardships Our Present Life Throws at Us

Hope that Reminds Us that When Our King Returns, Everything Will Be Better

That’s the Good News!

If We Will Stop Viewing Jesus’ Ministry as:

Having the Answers to All of Peoples’ Difficult Questions

Trying to Persuade People to Stop Sinning and Repent

Trying to Persuade People to Be Baptized

Trying to Persuade People to Be a Member of the Right Church

If We Would Only Proclaim and Demonstrate the Kingdom of Jesus Christ…

The Way He and His Apostles Proclaimed and Demonstrated it…

We Would Find that Repentance, Baptism, and Being Intimately Connected to the Church…

Would Happen Naturally, Willingly, and Joyfully

The Church Isn’t Dying Today Because the World is Any More Wicked Than it’s Always Been

The Church is Dying Because We’ve Forgotten the Gospel

We’ve Stopped Proclaiming and Demonstrating it

We’ve Traded the Good News of God’s Reign…

For a Cult-Like Religion that is More Focused On Our Own Filthy-Ragged Righteousness…

And Our Tightly-Held Traditions…

And We’ve Completely Forgotten About Jesus…

What He Did, What He’s Doing, and What He’s Promised to Do for His People

Whenever We as Jesus’ Church Get Back to Focusing On Jesus and His Kingdom Ministry…

I Believe We Will See the Kingdom Spread Like We’ve Never Seen Before

We are All Meant to Be Ministers

We are All Meant to Participate in the Ministry of Jesus

The Same Ministry/Mission God’s People Have Always Had

Because We’ve Experienced God’s Blessings…

We are to Be a Blessing to the World

Demonstrating the Kingdom Will Look Different From Person to Person

We All Have Different Gifts and Various Ways to Minister to People

But the Message Should Always Be the Same

Proclaim the Good News of the Reign of King Jesus

What He Did, What He’s Doing, and What He Will Do

If They Reject it, Shake the Dust Off Your Feet and Move On

There are Plenty of Others Out There Who Desperately Wish They Could Hear and Experience Such a Ministry