Please turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 10 as we continue our study through the Word of God. And if you remember from our last study, Jesus said to His disciples, "...‘The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.’" Matthew 9:37-38. And thus, as we move into Matthew chapter 10 we are going to see the Lord sending out His men to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. With that said, let’s dig into Matthew chapter 10, beginning in verse 1, and see what the Lord has for us this evening.
VERSE 1
1. Here we see Jesus give His 12 men the power over sickness and demons, both the physical and spiritual realms. This display of power was to authenticate the ministry of Jesus. It is as Isaiah 35:5-6 says, "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert." Now the ministry of Jesus was a partial fulfillment of what Isaiah said. The complete fulfillment is seen as the Lord reigns in the kingdom age!
2. We too have the power over darkness and the power is found in Christ. You see, it is as Paul said in Ephesians 6:12, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." And the Lord has given to us the power to stand against the enemy, and that power, as I have said, is found in Christ!
VERSES 2-4
1. There were many disciples or learners, what the word "disciple" means, but there were only 12 apostles. The word "apostle" means "to send forth with a command." Thus, we are all disciples and apostles in that sense. But the apostles, the office of an apostle, has now faded off the scene. You see, the apostles and the prophets laid the foundation of the church, but now that structure is built upon by evangelists, pastor/teachers, and teachers, besides all of the body of Christ working together.
2. And for these 12 apostles, Jesus is sending them out, and it seems that they were sent out two-by-two. We see Simon, whose name means "shifting sand" and the Lord changed it to Peter, or "rock." And there was his brother Andrew who brought people to Jesus. Then the son’s of thunder, James and John. All four of these men were fishermen and Peter, James and John were part of that inner circle with Jesus.
Philip was the one who brought Nathanael to Jesus and many believe that this Nathanael is the same person spoken of here as Bartholomew. There was Thomas, also called Didymus whom we know as "doubting Thomas" and Matthew, the writer of this gospel and a former tax-collector.
We don’t know much about James, the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus whose surname is Thaddaeus and is also known as Judas the son of James. Lastly we see Simon the Zealot who opposed and fought against the powers of Rome, a real nationalist, and he was teamed up with Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Jesus. These are the men that Jesus prayed all night about and chose for the work of the ministry. I think there is great hope for all of us, that God can use us if He could use them!
VERSES 5-6
1. Now Jesus is not forbidding them to speak or minister to the Gentiles, but their first priority was to the Jews. Why? Possibly because the Jews had the Scriptures, the promises of God, and thus, as the sick were healed and the demon-possessed set-free, they would recognize that Jesus is the Messiah, the fulfillment of what the Old Testament prophets spoke of. They were given the promises of God. And notice they are not going to the so-called "lost tribes" of Israel, but to the "lost sheep" of Israel, individuals! And keep in mind that in Matthew chapter 28, in the Great Commission, Jesus tells us to go to all nations, throughout the world, to both Jew and gentile!
VERSE 7
1. Notice the message has not changed. John the baptist spoke of the kingdom, Jesus did, and now His men are doing the same, if the people would only receive it. And it is the same message today - people can enter the kingdom of God by faith in Christ and one day this kingdom that is now internal and spiritual will be external and physical as Christ rules and reigns from the throne of David.
VERSE 8
1. We too are to bring the healing touch of Jesus to people, but, the problem we see today is people trying to make a profit off of God or using God for their own benefits. A for profit, prophet, you might say! And that is wrong. God has freely given to us talents, abilities, gifts, and we are to give those back to His people by using them!
VERSES 9-10
1. Here this restriction was to teach them to trust in the Lord and not their own resources. And, for those that supported their work, the blessings from God they would receive.
VERSES 11-14
1. They came to share that the king had come and his kingdom was near. For those that received their words, they would be blessed. For those that rejected their words, they were to shake the dust off their feet and move on as a symbolic gesture of disdain, of coming judgment upon them for their actions.
VERSE 15
1. Sodom and Gomorrah were wicked cities and judged for their actions with complete destruction. But, for those who have heard the truth and rejected it, their punishment in Hell will be more severe! Yes, the Bible does teach there are degrees of punishment in Hell just as there are degrees of rewards for the saved!
VERSE 16
1. Today we are seeing a rise of militant Christianity where Christians are taking back this world by force, by violence. And I think it goes back to the idea of what is known as Kingdom Now theology, where we need to make this a Christian world before Christ comes back. All He will do is sit on the throne. Obviously that is wrong, you won’t find that in the Scriptures, and it won’t happen! Can you imagine instead of having the Navy Seals we have Attack Sheep preparing to destroy the wolves. I’m not sure how, maybe by putting them to sleep! Jesus is saying we need to be wise as serpents, who can survive with no arms or legs and as gentle as doves, letting the songs of Christ fill our hearts and minister to others.
VERSES 17-18
1. We see this persecution grow after the death and resurrection of Jesus, where Paul was brought before the governor and other leaders, and on into today where more Christians have been martyred for their faith than at any other time in the history of the church. And, ultimately it is looking on into the tribulation period where the Antichrist will come against those who have come to know the Lord during that 7 year period of time.
VERSES 19-20
1. This is not speaking of sermon preparation but times of persecution, where God gives you the words to speak. Too often pastors will not prepare and just walk up to the pulpit and share and sometimes stall, not knowing what to say. How sad, and how can you give your people what you don’t have? Pastor’s do need to prepare, and as I have said, that is not what this is talking about, but of persecution. When you read in Acts chapter 7 of what Stephen said as he was brought before the council, it blows you away! He knew the Scriptures and God spoke through Him. And one of those fascinating points that Stephen brings up, because the Jews exalted their fathers, and Stephen says that their fathers persecuted the men of God. He said that the first time Joseph was thrown into the pit before he was recognized by his people. Moses was rejected the first time as the deliverer. And you have missed your Messiah the first time also, Jesus Christ, but you will receive Him the second time! Awesome what God said through Stephen.
VERSES 21-22
1. Christian persecution has been around since the start of the church, as I have said, but during the tribulation period, especially during the Great Tribulation or the last 3½ years of the 7 year tribulation period, it will reach its climax where family members will turn in those who have come to Christ to the forces of the Antichrist!
VERSE 23
1. The point here is you can’t force people to come to Christ, thus, if they reject your words, move on. And here the implication is that Jesus will be following right behind His men, the cities they went to. You see, it is not wrong to escape from danger - only from duty!
VERSES 24-25
1. In Matthew 9:32-34 we are told, "As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a man, mute and demon-possessed. And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke. And the multitudes marveled, saying, ‘It was never seen like this in Israel!’ But the Pharisees said, ‘He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons.’" Thus, Jesus is saying that if they are coming against Him; the Teacher, the Master, then don’t be surprised when they come against you; the student, the servant. It is a promise of persecution because of our faith in Christ. Not one of those promises we like to hold on to, and yet, as Paul said in II Timothy 3:12, "Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." It doesn’t say a "few" or "some" but "all" and not "maybe" but we all "will" suffer persecution for our faith! We need to understand that so that as we are going through difficult times, we understand why!
VERSES 26-27
1. Do not let fear cause you to stop sharing your faith. Those things that God gives you during your quiet times, those things that you have heard, speak them forth, shout them out, let others know of the love of Christ. A few of the ways we do this here at Calvary is the sending out of our teaching tapes and the written notes, and also on the Internet, for our Web page has all of our studies for people to freely use! What God has given to us, we are sharing!
VERSES 28
1. There is nothing wrong with taking care of your body, for it is the temple of God. But many today go to such extremes on preserving their physical bodies and yet their soul they have no concern for. Understand that the physical body will go back to the dust of the earth while our soul, our spirit will go to be with the Lord if we are His! And as Christians, we can let fear of attack stop us from doing the work of the Lord. The only thing the enemy can destroy are these bodies of flesh and that is only if God allows it. If you don’t believe that fact, then read through Job chapters 1 and 2 on your own and you will see that before Satan could do anything to Job, he had to get permission from God! And if you still do not believe that God is in control, let’s read on!
VERSES 29-31
1. Please understand that Jesus is not just aware of all these things, but He is also in control of all things. Not one thing will happen without His knowledge or His approval, even down to the insignificant sparrow or the numbers of hair upon our head. He is sovereign! Thus, if God cares so much for the sparrow, how much more dose He care and is actively involved in the things of our life! In other words, why fear when God is in control?
VERSES 32-33
1. The confession here must speak of salvation, it does not mean that if I don’t stand up for the Lord He will deny me. Think about it, on the night Jesus was arrested, Peter denied the Lord three times. Jesus did not deny Peter but restored him! There are times when we blow it, but that does not mean we will lose our salvation. If we have come to Christ, confessed Him as Lord and Savior, we are His! Many today are professors of God, but not possessors. You see, words can be empty as we are told in Titus 1:16, "They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work." It must come from the heart and then it will be manifested in our actions. In fact, whatever is in your heart, will be manifested in your actions!
VERSE 34
1. Jesus came to bring peace with God and to experience the peace of God, but many times when a person comes to Christ there is conflict. And before peace will ever permeate this land, things will become more evil, culminating with the tribulation period which will then give birth to the kingdom age.
VERSES 35-36
1. It is amazing the behaviors that families accept, overlook, but when someone comes to Christ, look out! Families can be divided over this issue because the light exposes their darkness and they don’t like it!
VERSE 37
1. If Jesus is not first in your life, if He is not the priority, when difficult times come, family persecution, you will deny the Lord and follow after them. But, it is your choice and whatever is the most important thing in your life, you will follow. You see, there is a cost to pay many times in regards to family and friends when a person comes to Christ!
VERSE 38
1. The cross spoke of death, and for us, the death of the old life outside of Christ. You see, to follow Christ will cost you, and the question is, "Are you willing to give up those things to follow Him?" But also understand that He alone has the words of eternal life.
VERSE 39
1. Who are you going to serve, Jesus or self? Jesus gives life, the self-life takes it away! If you want that joy, die to self, live for the Lord and serve others. If you want to be miserable, focus on yourself and you will find out you lose, there is not joy in that kind of relationship!
VERSE 40
1. Notice how much Jesus identifies with us, His people. As we are treated, the Lord is treated, for He is with us!
VERSES 41-42
1. Not all of us can go into the mission fields in other countries, but we can support them through our giving and our praying, and thus, in doing so we are going to share in their rewards as if we were out there with them. Now also understand that we are to go out, maybe not to Africa, but in our own communities and share Christ, minister God’s love to those that are hurting. It is as Paul said in II Corinthians 5:20, "Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God."
VERSE 1
1. As He sent His men out, Jesus was following up, ministering also in these cities after they departed.
VERSES 2-3
1. John the baptist has been placed in prison for coming against the marriage of Herod Antipas and his brother Phillip’s wife, Herodias. And John had recognized Jesus as the Messiah, for in John 1:30-34 we are told, "This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water. And John bore witness, saying, ‘I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, "Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit." And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.’" But now in prison John is getting anxious, he doesn’t see the power of Rome coming to an end and the kingdom of God being established. So he is questioning if Jesus is the Messiah. And since he is in prison, he sends two of his disciples to go and ask Jesus, "What’s up!"
VERSES 4-6
1. Notice that Jesus was not angry with John for his question, it was an honest one. Also, notice that Jesus did not say "I am!" What He does is He tells these two disciples of John to listen and look at the miracles that were done, and then go back and tell John those things you have seen and heard. You see, He again is authenticating His ministry as the fulfillment of the one the Old Testament prophets spoke of. I love the way that Jesus encourages us, not with empty words, but He also tells us to listen and look at the things He is doing in our own life! You see, they will match up with what He has said in His Word!
VERSES 7-10
1. Now as the disciples of John leave, Jesus speaks to the multitudes about John. And He tells them that John was not weak or vacillating like some reed blowing in the wind. He was not dressed in fancy clothes to attract people. What attracted people to John was the message he spoke, he was a prophet of God! John the baptist was also a fulfillment of what the Old Testament prophets spoke of, a herald for the Messiah!
VERSE 11
1. John was greater than all of the Old Testament prophets like Moses, Elijah, Elisha, Daniel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and-so-on. Why? How can that be? Because John saw with his eyes what they only spoke of and believed by faith. He saw the Messiah. And yet, all believers after the death and resurrection of Jesus are greater because we can understand the love of God and His finished work on the cross of Calvary for us, and John only had a glimpse of what was to come!
VERSE 12
1. This verse can have two interpretations and I do think both apply, as you will see. The first being that persecution, violence is coming against God’s people, which we still see today. The enemy is trying to take the kingdom by force. Secondly, the kingdom is taken by those who are actively pressing in, laying hold of the promises of God. It is not the time to just sit back, but to forge ahead. Both are applicable to the days we are living in and what we as Christians should be doing, moving forward in the battle!
VERSES 13-15
1. John the baptist came in the spirit and the power of Elijah if they would have received him. But Jesus was rejected, John was put to death, and the kingdom was not established yet. But Jesus is coming again, and before He does, Elijah will come to prepare the way. On Passover the Jews leave an empty chair for Elijah and periodically the children will check to see if he is at the door. They are expecting his return before the Messiah comes!
VERSES 16-17
1. Jesus is painting a picture of people never satisfied no matter what takes place, no matter what you do for them. I am sure you have met people like that, no matter what you do, you can’t win. That is the illustration, and now He will bring it to light.
VERSES 18-19
1. John was a ascetic or he denied himself of things, and the Jews thought he was demon-possessed. On the other hand, Jesus came eating and drinking with sinners, and they saw Him as a glutton. They found fault in both ways. Nothing made them happy because true joy, true happiness is only found in the Lord and not outside of Him. Thus, if you follow the ways of the Lord, you are wise. It is as Paul said in I Corinthians 1:30-31, "But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God-- and righteousness and sanctification and redemption– that, as it is written, ‘He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.’"
VERSE 20
1. Jesus is going to pronounce judgment upon these cities for ignoring or negating the mighty works He did there.
VERSES 21-24
1. Jesus starts out with a "woe" or a sorrow because of the judgment that was going to come upon them for their unbelief. He mentions here three cities on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee and all three of these cities experienced the judgment of God, and today all that is left of these once thriving cities is ruins. In fact, Tiberias is the only main city still growing and flourishing, when, if it were not for the judgment of God, these other cities would be doing the same. God’s Word does come to pass, just as He says. For there is no reason why these cities should not be flourishing except, as I have said, the judgment of God! And these cities were judged according to the light that was given to them. And again we see the idea of degrees of punishment in Hell.
VERSES 25-27
1. Here again we see the sovereignty of God at work. The wise tend to reject the simple truths of God while the simple receive it with a child-like faith and they enter into the kingdom of God. The sovereignty of God and man’s free will to accept the gift of life in Christ, to choose. I can’t explain how it is all God and all man, but that is what the Scriptures say, and I believe it by faith. You can open the door or keep it closed, the choice is yours!
VERSES 28-30
1. Sin is heavy, it burden’s us down, but if we come to Christ He lifts that burden from us and we can rest in Him. Religions will weigh you down as did the Jewish religious leaders with all their activities for salvation. Jesus says to come to Him and rest! It seems so easy and yet man feels there must be more to it than that, so they put forth all their efforts in working and finding no rest! It is as Paul said in Hebrews 4:1-3, 9-11, "Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: ‘So I swore in My wrath, they shall not enter My rest,’ although the works were finished from the foundation of the world...There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience." May you enter in by faith and receive His rest!