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Matthew 9:32-10:31

Taught on

The Lord calls His followers to proclaim His message to the world—we are appointed to carry out a divine purpose. We learn in this study that we, like the apostles, find abundant life only in letting go of our own ambitions, plans, and comfort.

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2/1/2012
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Matthew 9:32-10:31
Matthew 9:32-10:31
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The Lord calls His followers to proclaim His message to the world—we are appointed to carry out a divine purpose. We learn in this study that we, like the apostles, find abundant life only in letting go of our own ambitions, plans, and comfort.
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40 Matthew - 2011

40 Matthew - 2011

From its opening genealogy through its careful record of Old Testament prophecies fulfilled, Matthew's gospel forms a bridge between the Old Testament and the New Testament. In this in-depth study by Pastor Skip Heitzig we'll consider Jesus' ancestry, birth, public ministry, death, and resurrection, and we'll gain a clearer understanding of Jesus as both Messiah and King.

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Study Guide

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Matthew 10
Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops.
Matthew 10:27
PRAYER: Father, thank You for sending Your apostles to preach the good news. Please teach me the importance of sharing the same message.
Journal your prayer here:


PREVIEW: In Matthew 10, Jesus called 12 of His disciples to be apostles, instructing and sending them to preach to the lost sheep of Israel.


Matthew 10 Outline:
The Twelve Apostles Are Sent – Read Matthew 10:1-4
The Twelve Apostles Are Instructed - Read Matthew 10:5-42
PREPARE: In Matthew 10, we see the disciples become “sent ones” or “apostles,” as Jesus gave them instructions for their mission.


The Twelve Apostles Are Sent – Read Matthew 10:1-4
1 And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.
2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;
3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;
4 Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.

1. In Matthew 9:38, Jesus instructed His disciples to pray. In Matthew 10, we’ll see that prayer answered. What was the prayer?





2. Jesus “called” His disciples to Himself (v. 1). Who does Romans 8:28-30 describe as “called”?





3. What did Jesus give His disciples (v. 1)? Why would they need what Jesus gave to them?





4. The names of the twelve “apostles” (instead of “disciples”) are listed in verse 2. Although they are the same people, the word apostle is the Greek word apostolos, which means “sent out ones.” Why are the apostles listed in pairs? (See Mark 6:7.)





The Twelve Apostles Are Instructed – Read Matthew 10:5-42
Matthew 10:5–42 (NKJV)
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.
9 Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts,
10 nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.
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.
14 And 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!
16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
17 But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues.
18 You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.
19 But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak;
20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.
21 “Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.
22 And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.
23 When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.
25 It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!
26 Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.
27 “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops.
28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.
30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.
34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.
35 For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’;
36 and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’
37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
40 “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.
41 He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.
42 And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”


5. Jesus sent out His twelve apostles. Where did He send them (v.6)? Where did He not want them to go (v.5)? Why were they not to go to these places? (See also Isaiah 53:6, Jeremiah 50:6, and Matthew 15:24.)





6. Jesus lists the mission statements for His apostles (vv. 7-8). What are their two missions? How is their mission similar to Jesus’ mission listed in Matthew 4:23? How is it different?





7. PRODUCE: In Matthew 10:8, Jesus said to His twelve apostles, “Freely you have received, freely give.” What did they freely receive that they were to freely give?





8. Jesus instructs His apostles not to take money (v. 9) or extra supplies (v. 10). Why? (See also Leviticus 19:13, Deuteronomy 24:15, and Luke 10:7.)





9. Jesus instructed His apostles to find a place to stay when they entered a town by inquiring who was worthy (v.11). How would they know if a household was worthy? (See Luke 10:5.)





10. PROCEED: In Matthew 10:14, Jesus instructs His disciples on how to discern whether or not to remain in a city, preaching and healing. What two indicators determined whether or not the apostles remained in a city or town? Why is this so critical? Share your answer with the group. (See also Matthew 7:6 and 10:40.)




11. PRACTICE: In Matthew 10:14, Jesus instructed His apostles to “shake off the dust from your feet” if a town or city wouldn’t receive them and their message. Shaking off the dust was a symbolic act practiced by the Pharisees when they left an “unclean” Gentile area. Here, Jesus uses this act as a warning to those who reject His apostles’ message. How are we to shake off the dust today? (See Matthew 7:6 and Acts 13:51.)





12. PROPOUND: When Jesus refers to Sodom and Gomorrah, what do you think He is saying about a city that rejects His apostles (Matthew 10:15)?





13. PROPOUND: In Matthew 10:16, Jesus sent His apostles out as “sheep in the midst of wolves.” What is the certain destiny of a sheep in the midst of wolves?





14. PROPOUND: In Matthew 10:18, why did Jesus say His apostles would be brought before governors and kings?





15. PROCLAIM: Share with the group how we can be “wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” (v.16) (See Romans 16:19, 2 Corinthians 12:16, Ephesians 5:15, and Colossians 4:5.)





16. Why were the apostles not to worry about how or what they should speak if they were brought before kings and governors (v.18)? (See also Exodus 4:12, 2 Samuel 23:2, Jeremiah 1:7, and 2 Timothy 4:17.)





17. Jesus warns His apostles they will cause division in people’s families and be hated (vv. 21-22). Why is enduring this persecution (v. 23) important for “sent out ones” of Jesus Christ (v. 22)?





18. PROPOUND: What did Jesus say His apostles should do if they were persecuted in a particular city? (See Matthew 10:23.)





19. Jesus again warns His apostles about mistreatment (v. 25) from those they will witness to. Read Luke 6:40. Why is Jesus sending His apostles to those He knows will mistreat them?





20. By whom was Jesus called “Beelzebub” (v. 25)? (See Matthew 9:34; 12:24, Mark 3:22, and Luke 11:15.)




21. Jesus instructs His apostles to be bold in their witness by preaching what they hear in the dark and in their ear in the light and from the housetops (v. 27). He gives them an eternal perspective (v. 28) on their preaching and mentions two seemingly unimportant items: sparrows and the number of hairs on their heads. Why does Jesus want them to be aware of His Father’s intimate knowledge of their lives (vv. 28-31)?




22. PROPOUND: Do you think Jesus is speaking figuratively or literally about the hairs on your head being numbered (v.30)? (See 1 Samuel 14:45, 2 Samuel 14:11, 1 Kings 1:52, Luke 21:18, and Acts 27:34.)





23. PROMOTE: Read Matthew 10:32-33. Why is it important to boldly tell others (confess) about Jesus?





24. It was foretold that the Messiah would bring peace (see Isaiah 9:6-7 and Micah 4:3-4). But in Matthew 10:34-36, Jesus said He didn’t come to bring peace, but a sword. How do you reconcile Jesus’ statement with these prophecies of the Messiah?





25. What is the cost of being a disciple and apostle of Jesus Christ (vv. 37-39)? (See also Luke 14:25–33.)





26. PROPOUND: In Matthew 10:40, Jesus lists what a person will receive if they receive the apostle and his message. How can you be absolutely certain that you’ve received this promise? (See Romans 8:9; 16, 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; 5:5, Ephesians 1:13-14, and 1 John 3:24; 4:13.)





27. PROTECT: Carefully read Matthew 10:40. What does the person receive who receives the apostle and his message?






28. Jesus promises rewards for those who are willing to receive a righteous person who proclaims the good news of Jesus Christ (v.41). How can you discern if the prophet is from God? (See 1 John 4:1-3.)





To learn about two people who received prophets of God and received a prophet’s reward, read 1 Kings 17:10-16 and 2 Kings 4:4-37.

29. Jesus states that a person giving to His servants (v. 42) “shall by no means lose his reward.” In Matthew 10:42, how easy did Jesus make it to earn a reward? (See also Mark 9:41 and Hebrews 6:10.)





PROCESS: Take some time to review what you’ve learned in Matthew 10. Highlight what the Lord showed you so you can share it with the group.
PRAY: Father, thank You for sending Your apostles. Help me to respond to Your calling, that I, too, may be sent to preach Your message to this world.
Journal your prayer here:

Detailed Notes

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  1. Introduction
    1. Growth is normal
      1. Physically
      2. Spiritually
        1. Born again: "Jesus answered and said to him, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God'" (John 3:3).
        2. Growth
        3. Maturity: taking seriously the call to go
    2. The disciples' unique opportunity
      1. To become apostles (sent ones)
      2. μαθηταῖς; mathētais; learners, disciples
        1. Watching
        2. Learning
        3. Processing information
      3. Up to this point, Jesus had done all the ministry
      4. Change from Jesus with the crowds to Jesus with the disciples for the crowds
      5. Disciples move from onlookers to participants
      6. Jesus prepares them for ministry
        1. Teaching
        2. Preaching
        3. Healing
      7. Jesus sees the people and reveals His plan
  2. The crowds
    1. People knew the prophecies of Isaiah
      1. Son of David
      2. Ministry of the kingdom age
        1. Healing
        2. Blind see
        3. Deaf hear
        4. Lame walk
      3. Attribute the miracles to God
      4. Pharisees attribute the miracles to Satan
    2. Jesus was moved with compassion
      1. σπλαγχνίζομαι; splagchnizomai - to be moved in the inward parts
        1. σπλάγχνα; splachnon - intestines, bowels
        2. The deepest emotion felt in the gut
        3. "Butterflies"
        4. Pit of the stomach
        5. We say, "from the heart," the deepest part of me
          1. To ancient Hebrews, the mind was the heart
          2. The heart was the place thoughts were processed
          3. "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7)
      2. Jesus has feelings and emotionally moved toward people
        1. When Lazarus died: "He groaned in the spirit and was troubled" (John 11:33)
        2. When arrested at the Garden: "Therefore, if you seek Me, let these go their way" (John 18:8)
        3. When He agonized over Jerusalem: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!" (Matthew 23:37)
        4. On the cross
          1. "Then Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do'" (Luke 23:34)
          2. "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43)
          3. Care for His mother (see John 19:26-27)
      3. They were weary and scattered like sheep having no shepherd
        1. "They were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd" (Matthew 9:36 NASB)
        2. Jesus saw their inward condition: lives devastated by sin
        3. Scribes and Pharisees should have been shepherds
          1. False shepherds
          2. Didn't bind up their wounds
          3. Didn't ensure they were fed
        4. God wants to raise up shepherds to feed his flock
        5. "Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?" (Ezekiel 34:2)
    3. The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few
      1. "There's much grain but not enough men to get it in." (Basic English New Testament)
      2. Figure of speech: Israel as stalks of grain that need to be brought in
      3. Need outweighs people to meet the need
      4. Jesus wants disciples to get involved
        1. Not more supervisors
        2. More laborers
  3. The Twelve
    1. Four lists in the New Testament (see Matthew 10:2-4; Mark 3:13-19; Luke 6:13-16; Acts 1:13)
      1. Three groups of four men
      2. Leaders
        1. Peter
        2. Philip
        3. James, son of Alphaeus
      3. Similarities
        1. Peter always listed first
        2. James and John are always coupled (James listed first; he is older)
        3. Judas Iscariot always named last
    2. Simon Peter
      1. Simon-one who listens
      2. Jesus renamed him Peter
      3. Impulsive
        1. After his profession: "From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, 'Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!'  But He turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men'" (Matthew 16:21-23)
        2. Mount of Transfiguration: "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" (Matthew 17:4)
        3. Cut off Malchus' ear (see John 18:10): "But Jesus said to him, 'Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword'" (Matthew 26:52)
        4. Denied Jesus
      4. Testimony of God's grace
        1. He chose him
        2. He developed him
        3. He restored him
    3. Andrew
      1. Means manliness
      2. Brother of Peter
      3. Disciple of John the Baptist
      4. Reluctant to trust in Christ
      5. At feeding of 5,000: "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?" (John 6:9)
    4. James and John
      1. Fishermen
      2. Sons of Zebedee
      3. Jesus called them Sons of Thunder
      4. "And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, 'Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?'" (Luke 9:54)
      5. John
        1. The disciple Jesus loved (see John 19:26; John 20:2; John 21:7; John 21:20)
          1. He wrote that about himself
          2. We should all see ourselves that way
        2. Author of: gospel of John, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Revelation
      6. James: first apostle martyred
    5. Philip
      1. Slow to comprehend spiritual truth
      2. Numbers man
      3. "Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, 'Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?'  But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do. Philip answered Him, 'Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little'" (John 6:5-7)
    6. Bartholomew (Nathanael)
      1. First apostle to doubt the Messiah
      2. "And Nathanael said to him, 'Can anything good come out of Nazareth?'" (John 1:46)
    7. Thomas
      1. Axiom for skepticism: doubting Thomas
      2. Pessimistic: "Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, 'Let us also go, that we may die with Him'" (John 11:16)
      3. Loyal
    8. Matthew
      1. Author of this gospel
      2. Converted tax collector
    9. James son of Alphaeus
      1. James the less
      2. Younger than James, the brother of John
    10. Labbaeus surname Thaddaeus (also called Judas the son of James)
    11. Simon the Canaanite
      1. Simon the zealot
      2. Zealots
        1. Religious political party
        2. Believe they should radically change culture through political involvement
      3. Tax collector and zealot on the same team
      4. Jesus takes those with differences and makes the church
    12. Judas Iscariot
      1. Iscariot-man from Kerioth
      2. He betrayed Jesus
  4. The Mission Discourse
    1. Second major discourse in Matthew
    2. Instructions to the twelve
      1. Until this time, Jesus doing all the work
      2. Now the twelve are sent
    3. Outline
      1. The Call (vv. 5-15)
      2. The Consequence (vv. 16-23)
      3. The Courage Needed (vv. 24-42)
    4. The steps
      1. Jesus saw the need
      2. Jesus sent the apostles
      3. Look at the harvest
      4. Pray
      5. They are the answer to their own prayer
    5. Solution to the world's need for Jesus
      1. Look at it
        1. See others as Jesus does
        2. See their need
      2. Pray for it
        1. Not just go
        2. You can always do more than pray after you have prayed; you can never do more than pray until you have prayed.
        3. "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15)
        4. "And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, 'which,' He said, 'you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now'" (Acts 1:4-5)
      3. Go for it
        1. If you pray for others, you become a worker
        2. May not go overseas with your feet, but you can and should go overseas with your knees
  5. The call: to the lost sheep of Israel
    1. Preach
      1. Κηρύσσετε; kēryssete-proclaim, herald, speak out
      2. Saying: "Preach the gospel and if necessary, use words"
        1. Untrue
        2. It's always necessary to use words
      3. The smaller commission
        1. Targeted on the Jewish nation
        2. The Jewish Messiah has come
        3. If they require proof, show them proof
    2. Heal
    3. Travel light
      1. Teaching them dependence
      2. Not always that way
      3. And He said to them, 'When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?' So they said, 'Nothing.' Then He said to them, "But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one" (Luke 22:35-36)
    4. Shake off the dust from your feet
      1. Rabbinical practice after traveling to a Gentile land
        1. Believed the Gentile dust would defile them
        2. Making a distinction between Jews and non-Jews
      2. Disassociate self from a idolatry
      3. Proclamation of judgment
      4. If they don't receive the apostles, they don't receive the message. If they don't receive the message, they don't receive Jesus as King. If they don't receive Jesus, they don't receive the Father
      5. Paul and Barnabas did this at Antioch (see Acts 13)
  6. The consequences: persecution
    1. Going into hostile territory
      1. Sheep in the midst of wolves
      2. A target painted on you
      3. The enemy will do everything he can to stop you
    2. Do not worry about how or what you should speak
      1. Not an excuse for laziness
      2. Context: in time of persecution
    3. Tribulation: God will deliver them
  7. The courage needed: being a fearless witness
    1. Beelzebub-Satan
    2. Gospel will be public knowledge
    3. God providentially controls seemingly trivial events
    4. Every aspect of life is monitored and under God's control

 

Greek Terms: μαθηταῖς; mathētais; learners, disciples; σπλαγχνίζομαι; splagchnizomai - to be moved in the inward parts; σπλάγχνα; splachnon - intestines, bowels; Κηρύσσετε; kēryssete-proclaim, herald, speak out

Cross references: Ezekiel 34:2; Proverbs 23:7; Matthew 9:36; Matthew 10:2-4; Matthew 16:21-23; Matthew 17:4; Matthew 23:37; Matthew 26:52; Mark 3:13-19; Mark 16:15; Luke 6:13-16; Luke 9:54; Luke 22:35-36; Luke 23:34; Luke 23:43; John 1:46; John 3:3; John 6:5-7; John 6:9; John 11:16; John 11:33; John 18:8; John 18:10; John 19:26-27; John 20:2; John 21:7; John 21:20; Acts 1:4-5; Acts 1:13; Acts 13

Transcript

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Would you open your Bibles to the Gospel of Matthew Chapter 9, exactly.  Where we thought we might cover it last week, but we did not and we did not do so on purpose.  Now you laugh.  (Laughter)

Now, before we pray and get started in our Bible study, a quick announcement.  Next Tuesday, the Women's Ministry is kicking back up for their next semester on living deliciously, Tuesday mornings at 9:30 in the morning, Tuesday evenings at 6:30.  We welcome you gals out.

Let's pray.

Father, when we consider that your son was sent into the world on a mission and declared, "As the Father has sent me, so I send you."  It becomes then the great question of our lives to what will you send us, to whom, when will that be and how will that task be completed?  Those are questions really, Lord, that only you can answer individually in the lives and hearts of your people and we pray that tonight's study would be in part the answer to that.

Lord, all of us in this room no matter what we do have been called by you for a purpose.  And, even if we're on the staff of this church, this is not a job, this is a divine call.  Help us to understand with great clarity.  According to the gifts you have provided for us and the need that we will see in our world, all those answers to those questions when, where, how, In Jesus' name, Amen.

I said that we left off in Matthew 9 on purpose strategically and we really did.  It is exactly where we want to be.  Part of life is growth.  You expect growth, it's normal, it's natural.  Everything that is in the physical world that is a living organism has some kind of a growth pattern.  You expect a baby to grow into a toddler, a toddler to become an adolescent, an adolescent to one day get out of the house when they become an adult.  You really don't want them to stay.  Now I know moms get a little bit sentimental and say, "Oh, I don't want you to grow up.  This is such a beautiful age."  But, if they were to stay at that age for 10 or 20 years, you would have a change of heart.

Growth is normal, you expect it.  In fact, when there's a lack of growth, when there's some physical retardation or mental capacity that is diminished, you get worried and rightfully so.  Well, what is true in the physical realm, the physiological realm is also true and the spiritual realm.  Jesus talked about a relationship with him in terms of being born.  "You must be born again to enter the kingdom of heaven."  But once you have been born, you expect growth, spiritual growth.  Growth to become mature and one of the evidences that you are a mature Christian is that you take seriously the calling to go into all the world, to be sent, as we're going to read about tonight.

The disciples in the section we are about to enter into are facing a very unique opportunity.  They have been disciples.  They are about to become apostles, sent once, that's what it means.  Up to this point as disciples, mathetes is the Greek word.  It means a learner, somebody who learns.  They were watching Jesus.  They were hearing Jesus.  They were processing all of the information.  But there came a point in their spiritual journey, their growth, when it was time to not just be a learner, but to be a sent one, not just a disciple, but now an apostle.  A mathetes and then a learner, then an apostle will send out one and we'll see that in this section.

The last part of Matthew Chapter 9 is a hinge point.  Look at it as a hinge that upon which swings a great door of Jesus' ministry.  Up to this point, Jesus has been doing all of the ministry and as I said, the disciples had been watching them.  Here now is the hinge.  From Jesus being with the crowds to Jesus now being with his disciples for the crowds, Jesus has done all the teaching, he's done all the healing, he's done all the preaching.  The disciples have been watching.  Now, they will take part in it.  Jesus will spend time with them and in spending time with them, prepare them for the ministry of teaching and preaching and healing.

So their face with an enormous opportunity, will I just sit on the bench and continue to learn or will I be sent?  Now, we never stopped learning, we're always disciples until the day we die.  There's always things to process and to hear and to watch.  But the real excitement, the real adventure comes in being sent.

In this section of John 9, Jesus will survey the crowd and see their condition, and it's a pretty pitiful condition.  In seeing the condition, he will then formulate a plan to meet the condition, to heal the condition, to fix the condition and that's where the apostles come in.

In Verse 32, we finished in Verse 31, "As they went out, behold, they brought to Him (Jesus) a man, mute and demon-possessed."  When the demon was cast out, the mute spoke.  "And the multitudes," notice the word multitudes, the crowds are gathering, "the multitudes marveled saying, 'It was never seen like this in Israel!'"  This crowd, these multitudes knew had heard in the synagogues all of the messianic prophecies like Isaiah Chapter 35, Isaiah 45 and others, that spoke about the Son of David and the ministry and the kingdom age, the healings, the blind opening their eyes, the deaf having their ears unstopped, the lame being able to walk.  They had heard all of that.

Now, they see Jesus and they hear Jesus and they say, "Man, it's never been like this."  It was prophesied like this, but it was never seen like this in all of Israel.  But the Pharisees said, "He cast out demons by the ruler of demons."  What a contrast.  You have the multitudes attributing the miracles to God.  This is proof that he is the Messiah.  This is the one sent by God the prophet spoke about.  It's never been seen like this in Israel.  This man must be the Messiah.  These miracles are from God.  The Pharisees on the other hand are attributing the miracles to Satan, interesting contrast, interesting way to process the same exact sermons and the same exact miracles.  In other words, no denying that Jesus was a miracle worker, but the Pharisees felt that though he was working miracles, the source of those miracles must be by the devil.

In Verse 35 is the summation.  "Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people."  Now we have in that verse a summation of Jesus' ministry in Galilee summing it all up.  This is what he did, he preached, he taught and he healed.

Now, we're going to see it changed.  Before we do, we have a question that's been texted in that ask, "Why did demon possessions seem more obvious and flagrant back then?"  Well I'm glad you asked the question that way, why did it seem more obvious.  I don't know that it is.  It just seemed that way.

There is no proof that demon possession is still not seen in the same way today.  In fact, many places around the world, not in Western civilization, but in places that I've been to, places like India, places in remote parts of Asia, demon possession is more obvious and flagrant like it was in the New Testament.  These are cultures like in Ancient Israel that were more in touch with the spiritual round.  We live in a Western culture that denies the supernatural.  So, when something manifests itself like this, it's usually relegated to mental disorder, mental disease and a medication is given, et cetera, not always favorably so.

So, when it comes to our culture, Satan is not an idiot and we shouldn't be ignorant of his devices.  What works over here to deceive people may not be what worked in Ancient Israel or in these other more primitive cultures.  But he's got his ways that are very effective besides obvious and flagrant demon possession.

Now, look at Verse 36, "But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.  Then He 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.'"

Jesus saw the crowds, but when he looked over the crowds, he didn't go, "Oh man, I hate crowds.  Where did all these people come from?  What a bother?"  No, that's what we say.  Jesus saw them differently.  He could look beyond, the outward, beyond just the fact that there were many people out there.  He could see their inner condition and we noticed that Jesus was moved with compassion.  Stop right there.

Moved with compassion is a very interesting Greek word.  The word is splagchnizomai.  Say that quickly 10 times.  Splagchnizomai comes from the word splagch, which means the gut, the intestine, the bowels and that is because the Ancient Hebrews believed that the deepest emotion of a person was felt in the gut, the pit of one's stomach.  If you've ever had to speak in front of people and you're not used to it, you dread being in front of people, but they call upon you for something you've got to come up and say a few words and you go, "Oh no," when you get up there, you often get what we call butterflies.  You feel it and where do you feel it?  Do you feel it in your fingers?  Do you feel it in your head?  No, you feel it in the pit of your stomach.  "Oh, I hate that feeling."  If a catastrophe happens, somebody tells you about a sudden death of a loved one.  You feel it in the pit of your stomach.

So the Ancient Hebrews believed that when a person feels the deepest, the deepest part of them emotionally is the pit of the stomach, the intestines.  Because of that feeling that is generated during those intense times.

Now in our Western culture, our modern culture, we use a different figure of speech.  We say, "It's from the heart.  It's all about the deepest part of me, deep, deep, deep in my heart."  The Ancient Hebrews, this was the heart.  It is a place where you think, it's where you process your thoughts.  This is the biblical heart.  It's -- as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.  Whereas, the deepest emotion that you feel is in the splagchniz, so, splagchnizomai.  Jesus was moved in the gut toward them.

It's a beautiful word and it reveals to us the kind of savior we have.  Here is Jesus feeling toward people, having an emotion toward people, emotionally moved toward the need of others and this isn't the only time.  When our Lord goes to the funeral of his friend Lazarus and he sees the crowd weeping and especially Mary and Martha their hearts are broken and they're weeping over the death of their brother, the scripture tells us Jesus was moved in the spirit and troubled in spirit, same word, splagchniz, splagchnizomai.  He was moved emotionally.  He felt deeply for those that he loved.

Or how about this, when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane and they came to arrest him, Jesus said, "If you're here to arrest me, then let these, my disciples go."  Why did he say that?  Because he cared about them, he felt deeply toward them, he wanted to get them out of the fray of this arrest that was for the glory of God that he was to undergo.

When Jesus -- a few days before that was coming into Jerusalem and he saw the City of Jerusalem over him.  Now, if you go to Israel today and we'll be there in a few months some of us, and you stand in the Mount of Olives, the first time you crest the Mount of Olives and you look over Jerusalem, you go, "Wow!"  There's a big smile on your face.  "I've heard about this.  I've seen pictures of this.  This is awesome."

Well, Jesus didn't do that.  He didn't pull out his camera and go, "I've got to get a shot.  Disciples, move over this way.  Get the temple behind you.  This is awesome."  The Bible tells us Jesus, wept and he cried out and he said, "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often I wanted to gather you together, your children together as a hen would gather her chicks, but you are not willing," and he foresaw the coming of the Roman army against them and the destruction of the temple.  Feeling deeply, he wept over them, like at Lazarus' funeral, Jesus wept with them.

On the cross, a torture that you think would be so self-consuming.  When you die a painful death, you're usually only thinking about one thing, the painful death.  Jesus was thinking about others.  He prayed, "Father, forgive them."  And then the second statement on the cross, "Today, you will be with me in paradise," to the repentant robber, and then before he died, he made sure that his mother was taken care of by John the Apostle, thinking of others, feeling deeply for others.

So that's the picture that should be in your mind tonight as you read, "And Jesus was moved with compassion for them."  Why?  "Because they were weary and scattered like sheep having no shepherd."  The New American Standard Bible if you have one, translates this verse a little bit differently.  "They were distressed and they were downcast."  That's the words the New American Standard Bible uses.

What Jesus saw was the inward condition.  Lives devastated by sin.  When we look at people, we see people and we go, "Nice hairdo, ugly sweater."  (Laughter) "He's gained a little weight lately.  He's lost a little hair lately.  She doesn't look the same."  We see the outward.

Jesus looks at people differently and he's able to see beyond the surface into the very condition of the soul, and he sees them as distressed, downcast or weary and scattered.  Why?  Because they were like sheep having no shepherd.

Interesting, that the Pharisees and the Scribes, the Sadducees, the religious leaders, they were to be -- they should have been the shepherds of the flock of Israel, the people of Israel.  They were false shepherds.  They didn't bind up their wounds, they didn't make sure that they were fed and one of the hard cries of God is to raise up shepherds that will feed his flock.  Ezekiel Chapter 34, "Woe to the false shepherds who feed themselves and not my flock."  And God promises that his heart, because he loves his flock, he wants to raise up shepherds who will feed them the knowledge of God.

So Jesus sees this flock, it should have been tended was not and he said to his disciples, "The harvest," speaking of the crowd, "is truly plentiful, but the laborers are few."  The New Testament In Basic English, a more modern translation renders this verse, "There is much grain but few men to get it in or gather it in.  There is much grain but few men to get it in."

Here, Jesus changed his metaphors.  He's been seeing them like a flock, but he speaks of them like a harvest.  Now, what was he speaking off?  Well, when you look out over a grainfields and you have these individual stocks of grain, if they just stay there, they're going to die where they're at and you're going to lose the grain.  You have to come in and cut them down, harvest them and store them, gather them in.

                   So Jesus sees the flock of the Jewish people, Israel, like stocks of standing grain that need to be brought in to the barn, if you will, of God's kingdom.  If they're left there, they're just going to die.  So he says, "Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."

                   Now, what was true then happens to be true now, the need outweighs the people to meet the need.  There's always more harvest, more grain, more work to be done in the field than workers who are willing to go out and do anything about it.  Thus, the concern of Jesus, and he wants his disciples now who have been watching, who have been listening, who have been processing to get involved.  First he says, "Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."

Okay, so we have no record what they prayed, but I bet they did.  I bet he told them to do it and I bet that they did that.  I'm just inferring based upon what I know about Jesus and them that he said, "Boys, look at this crowd, look at all the need out there, look at their inward condition.  There's a lot of people, but there's no workers to tend to their needs.  Let's talk to God, the Lord of the harvest, the one in charge, the sovereign king and let's asked him to do something about it."

So, I'm guessing, Peter might have said, "Boys, let's do what he said."  Maybe they bowed their heads, maybe they lifted their eyes and raised their hands and they said, "Lord, just like our master has taught us to do, we pray that you would sends out laborers into the harvest field."  Interesting that Jesus didn't say, "I pray that we get more supervisors."  All he needs is a laborer, anybody who will say, "Here I am Lord, send me."  That's the one Jesus is looking for, is somebody to do the work.

Okay, so keep that thought in mind, now we get to Chapter 10.  "And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.  Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him."

All right.  In the New Testament, we have four different lists of these disciples, one in Matthew, one in Mark, one in Luke and one in the Book of Acts.  It seems if you were to compare all four lists, that there were three groups of four men in the 12.  And these three groups were led by three leaders.  Peter being one, Philip being another, James, the son of Alphaeus being the third, just by the way they're grouped, it would just seem that they came in threes.

When you read the list, there's always certain things that remain the same, they're not exactly the same, but there are certain things in all four lists that are always the same.  Number one, Peter is always mentioned first.  Number two, James and John are always coupled and James is always mentioned before John probably because James is older than John.  In all four lists, Judas Iscariot is always named last, that's because he betrayed Jesus, that is made mentioned of because it is written after the fact.

First on the list of these disciples, and again, I'm going to tie all of these thoughts together, but let's follow the list.  First on the list is Simon who is called Peter. Who called him Peter?  Jesus renamed him Peter.  His name was Simon.  Simon means one who listens.  I can tell that you know Peter some of you, because you laughed at that.  (Laughter) Peter wasn't a listener.  Peter was a doer.  He was impulsive.  He wasn't the kind of guy to wait for things to happen.  He was the kind of guy that makes things happen, right?  He was the guy who wanted to move.  So, he wanted to do something about what he heard Jesus say was going to happen to him.

In Matthew 16 he said, "Boys, I'm going to Jerusalem.  They're going to arrest me, beat me up, kill me and I'm going to rise from the dead the third day."  Peter goes, "Oh no, no, no.  Far be it from you Lord, that is not, and I underscore not, going to happen."  Jesus' simple response was, "Get behind me, Satan!  You're thinking not like God but like a man."

Then I love the story of Peter on the Mount of Transfiguration when Jesus is transfigured.  A physical transformation takes place with Moses and Elijah meeting with Jesus, speaking about things pertaining to the kingdom.  Peter, James and John, the inner circle, they're watching this, they were there with Jesus, they're watching this and Peter in seeing this incredible miraculous occurrence decides, "I've got to say something profound."  He interrupts the conversation, he says, "It's good to be here.  (Laughter) I just wanted to say that."  I think Moses and Elijah went, "Where did you get this guy?  What is this?"  "That's Peter.  He has to say something.  He's impulsive.  He's the guy in the Garden of Gethsemane you remember, when Jesus was being arrested, pulled out a sword and went after the guys head.  It's good that he was a fisherman, not a swordsman, he missed, got the ear, Jesus healed the ear, said, "Put your sword away.  If you live by the sword, you're going to die by the sword."  Peter was the one who denied that he even knew Jesus.

I love that he's first on the list.  Peter works and all first on the list, marvelous testimony of the grace of God.  Jesus chose him, he developed him, he restored him after the resurrection and will use him first whole life.

So Peter's lists, so then Andrew his brother.  The word Andrew means manliness.  It's a great name.  I bet he loved his name and I bet he said, "Peter, I'm Andrew."  (Laughter)He's mentioned second probably because Peter was older, but he is the brother of Peter.  He was a disciple of John the Baptist.  He followed John the Baptist first and later on followed Jesus.  It was Andrew who was reluctant to trust in Jesus Christ.  When Jesus was feeding the 5000 and he was trying to work with the disciples and teach them faith, it was Andrew who said, "Oh, we have a kid with a few fish and a few loaves of bread."  But here's the question, but what are they among so many?

Well, we know the answer to that question.  Andrew, they're not much in and of themselves, but the issue is, when you place something little in the hands of Jesus, they become mighty and he will multiply them.  But he was the guy reluctant to trust in Jesus just didn't know how this thing is going to work, that was Andrew.

Next on the list are two brothers, James, the son of Zebedee and John, his brother.  They had a fishing business.  They were Zebedee's sons.  They were sons of Zebedee, they're called.  Jesus gave them another title, Sons of Thunder, because these two boys were the ones who in a town of Samaria, asks Jesus for permission for them to call fire down from heaven and nuke a Samaritan village because they didn't receive him.  They just sort of were cold an indifferent.  I just thought, "Jesus, can we just take care of the small stuff and just nuke this village, call fire down from Heaven, just destroy them.  Jesus after rebuking them, gave them the title and it stopped probably throughout their lifetime, Sons of Thunder.

So I pictured James and John as these are the disciples wearing black leather robes.  A little bit edgier than the rest of the game.  All right, John of these disciples since they're listed, I thought I'm just going through a little biography because John had the wonderful distinction, the unique distinction of being called the disciple whom Jesus loved.  He had that distinction of course he was the one that wrote that about himself, (Laughter) which I like even more.  Because I think all of us should see ourselves as the disciple that Jesus loved.  Who are you?  I'm the guy that Jesus loves.

Now, Jesus loved John and James and Bartholomew and Peter, but to know that Jesus loves you and to write that of yourself is a wonderful realization.  John will write the Gospel of John.  First John, Second John, Third John and the Book of Revelation, James, his brother, will become the very first martyr among these 12 apostles as will be seen in the Book of Acts.  Next on the list is Philip and Bartholomew and then Thomas and Matthew, the tax collector.  Philip was slow and if Andrew was reluctant when Jesus fed the 5000, then Philip was the slow one.  He had a calculator for a brain.  He was the one to trust in the Lord, he was the accountant among the bunch.  He was the guy who said, "Ah, I've ran the numbers, this isn't going to work.  We just don't have the budget for this."

So, when Jesus had the crowd that he is about to feed, he asked the question, "Where will we buy bread that we may feed this crowd?"  It was Philip who started thinking about, "Okay, I'm looking at the crowd, [Muttering] and put it all together and he go, "Okay, 200 denary worth of bread, which is eight months of a working man's wage.  If we had that much money, eight months of man's salary, we couldn't feed this crowd.  He has to calculate it.

Now, the right answer to the question, "Where are we going to find enough bread to feed this crowd?"  The right answer is, "I don't know.  You're Jesus.  You've got to cover it.  We trust you.  You've got us into this mess.  I trust that you'll get us out of this mess.  Can't wait to watch what you're going to do."  But no, he's calculating and trying to figure it out.  He goes, "I figured it out.  It won't work, can't do it."  That's Philip.

Next is mentioned Bartholomew, another name for Bartholomew you'll recognize, Nathaniel.  Nathaniel is the guy that Philip comes to in John Chapter 1.  It says, "We found the ones that Moses and the prophets wrote about, Jesus of Nazareth."  It was Nathaniel or Bartholomew who said, "Nazareth?  Can anything could come out of Nazareth?"

Now, I used to get myself in trouble when I first moved to New Mexico and I would name different towns that I thought were regarded as small towns and I said, "You know, Nazareth is sort of like this town or that town and I stopped mentioning them."

Thomas is next on the list.  Thomas was the skeptic.  He's axiomatic for disbelief.  If we want to say somebody is filled with disbelief, we say that person is a Doubting Thomas.  That name comes down because of the kind of -- he was the man from Missouri, the disciple from Missouri, the show me state.  "I don't believe until you show me.  I want to see his hands.  You show me his hands and his feet, I'll believe, until then, I won't believe.  Show me."  That was the license plate on his chariot.

Thomas was the guy who in John 11 said, "Our friend Lazarus is sleeping, I'm going to go wake him up.  Let's go to Judea," and one of his disciples said, "Wait a minute, Judea?  They want to kill you in Judea."  Jesus says, "We've got to go.  It's daytime.  The night is coming.  We've got to work."  Thomas says, "Let's go to Judea that we may die with him."  He always saw the dark side of things.  But I will say this for Thomas because he does get a bad wrap, he was loyal.  "Let's go with him.  If we die, we die.  We're going to die."  He's a negative personality.  "We're going to die, but let's go.  If he's going to die, let's die with him."  That's loyalty.  That part of him I admire.

Matthew.  Now, Matthew is the author of this book.  He is the converted IRS agent, the tax collectors now on the list of apostles.

Then James, the son of Alphaeus, also known as James the Less.  Why is he called James the Less, because he is the younger in the list of the 12 apostles, he is younger than James the Greater, James, the brother of John, I don't know much about him.  I just know that his dad was Alphaeus.

Lebbaeus whose surname was Thaddaeus, he also goes by another name, Judas, the son of James.

Verse 4, "Simon, the Cananite and Judas Iscariot who also betrayed Him."  Simon is also called Simon the Zealot, does that ring a bell?  Do you know what a zealot is?  A zealot was a political party.  It was a religious political party.  It was a -- see if you can -- some of you be able to relate to this.  It's a religious group who believe that they should change their culture by their involvement in the political realm, radically so.  They believe because they were under foreign occupation and it wasn't God's will.  God's original will for our nation was a theocracy and now Rome has taken over.  They were sworn assassins.  They were freedom fighters to kill Roman officers whenever they had a chance.  What I find interesting is that Jesus puts on the same team a tax collector and a zealot.  That's like putting an Israeli freedom fighter and a member of the PLO on the same team.

Matthew would have been a target for murder in a natural realm.  I love how the body of Christ works, how Jesus takes us from different backgrounds with different giftings and different callings and different dispositions and personalities and he says, "Now I've made you my church.  Get along.  Put your differences aside.  Love one another.  Get past the personality and get past the politics and love one another for my sake."

Then finally, Judas Iscariot, Iscariot means a man from Kerioth, which was a village in Judea.

These 12, Jesus sent out and commanded them saying, "Do not go the way of the Gentiles.  Do not enter the city of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

Okay, we are now entering into the second major discourse in the Gospel of Matthew.  The first major discourse was called the Sermon on the Mount.  This is the second one.  This is the sermon about the mission and here's the change, up until now, who's been doing all the work?  Jesus.  Healing, speaking, preaching, everything.

Now, he's going to use them.  He's going go gift them.  He's going to send them.  He's just giving them power to test to work miracles and these 12, Jesus sent out and commanded them saying and that word saying begins at the beginning of the second major discourse on the mission.  "Do not go the way of the Gentiles, et cetera."  Okay so, Jesus, the rest of this chapter is going to give a sermon.  Let me give you the outline.

Verses 5 through 15 is the call of the mission.  Here's the calling I'm giving you.  The second point Jesus makes are the consequences of the mission, beginning in Verse 16 down to Verse 23 and then finally, Verse 24 to Verse 42 is the courage needed for the mission.  So those are the major points Jesus -- he's giving them a sermon.  It's the sermon about the mission, their mission.  Here's your call, here are the consequences to your call and here's the courage you need to fulfill it.

So, tie together what you just read in Chapter 9 in your mind with what you're reading here.  Jesus saw the multitude.  He sees the need, the condition and he basically says, "There's so many people and there's so much need," and here's the third part, "and so I'll send you."  "So many people, so much need and so I'll send you," that's what we read in Verse 5.  These 12, Jesus sent out.  Now, what did he tell them to do in the previous chapter?  "Look, look at the harvest field, therefore, pray."  So then they were, "Lord, we pray for the harvest field that you would send out workers even as our master Jesus just told us.  We pray that you do that.  Amen."  They thought that's all over.

Now Jesus says, "Boys, good news, your prayers has been answered through you."  You're going and he sends them out.  He's commissioning them and he's preparing them now through this message that he's going to give them.

There is a solution to the present need today in our world.  Do you agree that there's a big need in our world?  Would you agree that people need Jesus?  How many of you actually believe people out there need Jesus?  I want to see a show of hands.  Okay, that's most of us.  What's the solution to the condition?  Now listen carefully.  These are all here.  Number one, look at it, look at the need, look at people, learn to look at people differently than you've been looking at people.  When Jesus looked at people, he didn't see a crowd, he saw the need of the heart.  You can't look at people just as clients anymore.  You can't look at people as your boss or the person that works for you or businesspeople or people in front of you on the freeway.  You can't look at people anymore.  You have to look at people as souls without Christ.  You have to look differently and look at the people of this world like Jesus looks at them.  So that's the first step in solving the problem and meeting the need to the condition, look at it.

Number two, pray for it.  Jesus said, "Look at the harvest field, therefore, pray to the Father."  He didn't say, "Therefore, get up and go."  He said the second step after you notice them and your heart is moved because of them, just to pray for them.  You can always do more than pray after you prayed.  You can never do more than pray until you prayed.  That's where God begins to move in you and shows you your gifting and your part in meeting the need.  So you pray.

I feel that much of Christian service has neglected this important second step.  A sterning message is given about the need and we need you to get involved and so people get involved without praying, and saying, "God, is this how you want me to get involved?  What is my part in the involvement?"  They just go out and do instead of sitting down to think and pray and find out what the Lord's direction is.  That's a mistake.

Now granted, Jesus will give later on the great commission and he will say, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature."  That's a sizeable commission, but in Acts Chapter 1, he tells his disciples, after he rose from the dead, before he ascended into heaven, he said, "But wait in Jerusalem until you be filled with power from on high for John truly baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."  "Go," he said, "but first wait, don't go yet.  Go, but before you go, make sure that you are equipped with the power of the Holy Spirit," and that's where the pray for it comes in, look at it, pray for it, third step, go for it.  Look at it, pray for it, go for it.  There comes a point in Verse 5 where Jesus sent them out.

You see, here's the interesting catch.  If you are a person who prays for the needs of people around you and you pray for the world.  If you go into our per chaplain, you're one of those dear prayer warriors who actually takes time out of your life to look at that map and pray for people groups and pray for different ones.  What you'll discover is that while you're praying, the Lord works deeply inside of your own life, your own soul and he moves you with the compassion toward those people where eventually you can't just pray any longer.  You have to pray and go for it, get involve somehow.

Now that doesn't mean we're going to go overseas or it might mean that you will go overseas, but I don't know that it will.  But I do know this, though you may never go overseas with your feet, you can and should go overseas with your knees.  You should go out into your community and your next-door neighborhood with your knees, you should pray.

You look at it, you pray for it and then you go for it.  So, he's sending them out and he gives them a mission in Verse 5.  "Do not go the way of the Gentiles.  Don't go so far up North.  Don't go enter the city of the Samaritans.  Don't go too far South where Samaria is."  He is now focusing their attention on a single people group, their people group, the Jewish people group that live around the area of the Decapolis and Scythopolis and the Galilee, that region, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and as you go, preach, you can't just go, you've got to preach.  The preach, kerusso means to herald, to speak out.

Now, I remember reading and hearing something some years ago and I hear it every now and then because people like to write this stuff because it makes them sound really chic and cool, and spiritual.  I believe.  The saying is, "Preach the gospel and if necessary, use words."  Well, that sounds clever and that people are going to go, "Oh, wow!  That's deep."  It is deep, but it's wrong.  It's always necessary to use words.

As you go, don't just do good deeds, don't just heal the sick and go, "I preach the gospel.  I fed you a meal.  I did a nice deed and I hope you're going to put two and two together and figure out that I'm a Christian and that this is God and that Jesus came from heaven, died on the cross, rose from the dead and I just hope you just figured that out."  If necessary, I'll use words.  It is necessary.  Use words as you go proclaim, be a herald, speak, preach it out, be a representative of the king, tell them why you're giving them a cup of cold water and healing their body and doing the wonderful philanthropic works that you're doing as you go preach saying, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Now, understand the mission.  Later on, he's going to give them the great commission.  This is the smaller commission and this is targeted on a single people group, the Jewish nation, the people living in that area announce to them that a Jewish Messiah has come according to Jewish scripture to fulfill all the predictions of the kingdom of God as predicted in the prophets.  It's come to you and if they require proof, show them proof.  Do these miracles that I've been abled you to do to show them the kingdom that I'm talking about.  Heal the sick, cleanse the leper, raise the dead, cast out demons, freely you have received, freely give, provide neither gold, nor silver, nor copper in your money belts, nor beg for your money, nor tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs, for a worker is worthy of his food.  He says, "Go out, travel light, no backpack, no extra money, no extra shoes."  Should I wear the brown sandals or the black sandals?  Well, I'm wearing the brown sash, maybe I should do the -- it just -- just go simply, just go and the Lord will provide.  He's teaching them dependence.  It's not going to always stay this way.  Don't take this and say, "Well, that's how a missionary is to go up," because then, we would just say to a missionary, "see you, go out and take nothing with -- not even a suitcase, get on the plane just your ticket."  But this isn't always going to be, it's temporary.

I'm going to read something to you now in Luke Chapter 22 that gives balance to this.  This is Chapter 22 of Luke Verse 35.  "He said to them, when I sent you out without money bag, nap sack and sandals, did you lack anything?"  So they said nothing.  Then he said to them, "But now, he who has a money bag, let them take it and likewise a nap sack and he who has no sword, let him take or sell his garment and buy one.  So take provisions, take protection and go for it."  Different kind of commission.  He is training them here in the 10th Chapter to live a life of faith and to travel light.

Now, whatever city or town you enter, Verse 11, "Inquire who in it is worthy and stay there until you go out and when you go into a household, greet it.  If the household is worthy, let your peace," your shalom, as the Jews would call it come upon it.  But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you and whoever will not receive you nor hear your words when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.  Assuredly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in that day of judgment than for that city.

The practice of shaking the dust off of one's feet was a rabbinical practice.  The rabbis when they would travel to Gentile land and reenter the land of Israel, they would do this, they shake the dust off their feet publicly so as to say, every particle of dust from this heathen area, we're leaving off of our bodies because they believe that even the Gentile dust would defile them.  They were making the kind of a statement that there is a separation between nonbelievers, non-Jewish people at that time and Jewish people.  The idea of shaking the dust off was to disassociate yourself from the paganism of that place.  That's what it is.  I'm now entering into the covenant land, I shake the dust off my feet from that place.  I'm disassociating myself with paganism, with idolatry, I'm making a clean break and shaking of the dust off of your feet is a pronouncement or proclamation of judgment against that place especially these ambassadors for the king, these apostles who are being sent out.  They are representing Jesus the king.  If they don't receive them, it's because they don't receive the message of Jesus the king and if they don't receive the message of Jesus the king, they're not receiving Jesus and Jesus said, "If they don't receive me, they don't receive my Father."

So to shake the dust off of your feet was a proclamation of judgment as well a cutting off, a disassociation.  Do we have anyone in the New Testament who actually did this?  You're staring at me like, "Well, answer it."  Yes, we do.  Paul and Barnabas did.  When they went to Asia Minor, modern day Turkey, they went into a town called Antioch of Antioch of Pisidia, they wouldn't do a synagogue.  They preached Christ and Paul gave a beautiful sermon.  The ruler of the synagogue saw these visitors and after the reading of the scripture, he said to Paul and Barnabas, "If you have any word of exaltation, come up man, say on."

So, Paul took it and spoke about the prophets and the promises of the messiah in the old covenant.  He spoke about Jesus and talked about God's plan to forgive, that you can be justified from the things even the law of Moses couldn't justify you from.  Or the Gentiles in the synagogue, they were non-Jewish believers who were close and they were in the back of the synagogue.  They were listening to the sermon, they've got all excited and they've said to Paul, "Hey, can you come next week and do that again?  That was so exciting.  It was the best sermon I ever heard?"

So, the very next Sabbath, Paul and Barnabas were in the synagogue again and they were so many people, say the whole town showed up, which made the rulers of the synagogue jealous and they tried to stir up the people and created division and call down curses from God, blasphemies on Paul and Barnabas, so they had to leave town.  Before they left Antioch of Pisidia and went over to Iconium, it says they shook the dust off their feet as a testimony against them.  So just as Jesus said, they did and Jesus said, "Assuredly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment and for that city."

Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.  Now, I'd be going, "Thanks a lot."  That's not a comforting position.  A sheep doesn't stand a chance against the wolf, a wolf being a synonym typically in the scripture for a false prophet, but you get the idea.  You're going in to hostile territory as a disciple, as a follower, as a sent out apostle of Jesus.  They're not going to sympathize with you.  When you go out into this world and you say, "I love Jesus.  I'm going to tell you his message," don't you realize you have a bull's eye, a target painted on you?  The enemy will do everything he can to get you to stop from being that.  So Jesus is honest, "I'm sending you out, a sheep in the midst of wolves."

We're coming now to the second point in his sermon.  The first one was the call to the mission.  Here's the consequence of the mission, persecution.  Therefore, be wise as serpents and harmless as dust, but be aware of men for they will deliver you up to the councils and scourge you in their synagogues.  You will be brought before governors and kings for my sake as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.  But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak for it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak for it is not you who speak, but the spirit of the father who speaks in you.  This is not a license for a lazy preacher to not study for a message.  The context is in a time of persecution, when your life is on the line because of your witness.  God at that time will gloriously give you the right words to say at that time.

Now brother, we'll deliver up brother to death and a father his child and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death, you will be hated by all for my name sake.  But he who endures to the end will be saved.  Don't let that throw you.  It doesn't mean that your spiritual salvation is in contingent upon your perfect witness in a time of persecution.  If you take this verse and you compare what we read about in the Book of Revelation, how after the three and a half years of hell on Earth and God pouring out his wrath on Earth and the wrath of the anti-Christ that eventually the salvation will come.  Salvation meaning not spiritual salvation, but physical deliverance will come in the nick of time for those during that time.  That will come to pass.

When they persecute you in this city, flee to another for surely I say to you, you will not have gone through all the cities of Israel before the son of man comes.  A disciple is not above his teacher, nor servant above his master.  It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher and that a servant be like his master.  If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household.  Beelzebub was a Philistine deity a.k.a., a name for Satan and so if they attribute the works of Jesus to demonic influences or Beelzebub or Satan, therefore, do not fear them for there is nothing covered that will not be revealed and hidden that will not be made known.  The gospel will become public knowledge.  Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops.  Do not fear those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  But rather fear him who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell or not two sparrow sold for a copper coin and not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will, but the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore, you are of more value than many sparrows.

Just think about that truth and probably here we should close, are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin even what you might consider the most trivial and insignificant aspects of life, God is in control of.  Even down to the bird that hit your window last week and died in the backyard, God saw it, God knew about it.  He is in sovereign providential control.  Nothing escapes even the hairs on your head.  The very hairs of your head are numbered.  God counts the hairs on your head.  For some, it's an easier task than for others, but he knows every head.

Now the average head has between 90,000 to 140,000 strands of hair or follicular units.  If you're a red head, it's about 90,000.  If you're a blonde, typically you're a bit higher around 120,000 to 140,000.  Wow 12,000, that's all tribes on my head.  But the point Jesus was making is wonderful.

Every little aspect of your life is monitored and in controlled by sovereign God, you're his child and again, like we said the other day, God never says the word, "Oops," not in his vocabulary.  Even the very hairs of your head are numbered.  Do not fear therefore, you are of more value than many sparrows.  We'll pick it up next time.

Lord, the joy about going from chapter to chapter, verse by verse is that we will always pick up where we left off.  We believe Lord that you've allowed us to cover exactly what we need to hear.  But the overarching truth that we have heard tonight is that not only are we disciples but we are also apostles.

Not only are we -- those who hear and watch and process information as learners or disciples, but we're on a mission from God.  Each of us, all of us are told to present our bodies as living sacrifices and not to conform to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds that we might prove what is that perfect and acceptable will of God for our lives.

So tonight as we close Lord, we close appropriately we say here we are.  Here's our bodies, may our bodies be headquarters.  May our lives be the place where you reside and the base of operations from which you reach a very needy world.  Many people much need and so I send you.  Lord, fill us with your Holy Spirit.  We can't do it on our own.  We simply ask that you'd show us the task and give us what we need to glorify you in it.  We ask it in Jesus' name.  Amen.

Additional Messages in this Series

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9/7/2011
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Matthew 1:1-18
Matthew 1:1-18
Skip Heitzig
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As we turn our attention to the New Testament, Pastor Skip explains what transpired during the 400 years of silence since the Old Testament. Our firm grasp of the political setting, language, and Matthew's purpose and perspective establishes a solid foundation for understanding his gospel. In Matthew 1, we see Jesus revealed as the royal Heir to the throne of David—the Messiah, Immanuel: God with us.
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9/14/2011
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Matthew 1:18-2:23
Matthew 1:18-2:23
Skip Heitzig
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Every year people around the world recognize the birth of a poor Jewish child born in an insignificant city. The birth of Jesus Christ, as recorded in the Scriptures, beckons us to worship and obey the King of the Jews. Let's examine Matthew's account of the miraculous circumstances of the nativity and the prophecies it fulfilled.
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9/21/2011
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Matthew 3
Matthew 3
Skip Heitzig
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Jesus called John the Baptist the greatest man among those born of women. John saw himself in the light of who Jesus is: not even worthy to loose His sandal. From the womb, he was filled with the Spirit, continually pointing people to Christ. Let's consider this powerful prophet, his ministry, and the message he preached.
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9/28/2011
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Matthew 4:1-17
Matthew 4:1-17
Skip Heitzig
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Prior to the start of Jesus' public earthly ministry, He was led up to be tempted by the devil. As we review His encounter with Satan, we uncover important principles of spiritual warfare. We consider not only when and how Jesus was tempted, but also how He fought—and the ministry that began on the heels of the battle.
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10/5/2011
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Matthew 4:18-5:4
Matthew 4:18-5:4
Skip Heitzig
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Leaving life as they knew it, the disciples followed Jesus and became intimate witnesses of Jesus' teaching, preaching, and healing. As we dive into this portion of Matthew, we turn our attention to their calling and listen in as Jesus begins the greatest sermon ever preached.
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10/19/2011
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Matthew 5:5-16
Matthew 5:5-16
Skip Heitzig
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The economy in God's Kingdom is quite different from that of the world: it's paradoxical; it's progressive. Let's consider the Beatitudes and discover what kingdom living looks like, and how it impacts those around us.
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10/26/2011
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Matthew 5:17-32
Matthew 5:17-32
Skip Heitzig
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The multitudes listening to Jesus teach were undoubtedly shaken by His powerful statement: "Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:20). How, then, could one be saved? As we continue our study of the Sermon on the Mount, we remember that salvation is not available through human achievement--only by divine accomplishment.
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11/2/2011
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Matthew 5:33-6:8
Matthew 5:33-6:8
Skip Heitzig
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As we continue our study of the Sermon on the Mount, we'll grow in our understanding of the contrasts between the world and the kingdom of heaven. Followers of Jesus are called to a righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees—a righteousness based on our genuine relationship with Christ, rather than mere outward obedience.
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11/9/2011
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Matthew 6:9-34
Matthew 6:9-34
Skip Heitzig
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Jesus taught His disciples to pray in this manner: "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10). As we continue our study of the Sermon on the Mount, we learn that when we make God's kingdom our focus, He provides everything we need.
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11/16/2011
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Matthew 7
Matthew 7
Skip Heitzig
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Jesus calls His followers to live differently from the world -- to live a kingdom lifestyle. In this study from the Sermon on the Mount, we consider what kingdom living looks like in both our relationships with others and our relationship with God.
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12/7/2011
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Matthew 8:1-26
Matthew 8:1-26
Skip Heitzig
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Throughout his gospel account, Matthew presents Jesus as the Messiah. Building upon the foundation of fulfilled prophecy, Jesus' identity is authenticated by miraculous signs. As we examine Matthew chapter eight, let's consider the compassion and grace Jesus demonstrates.
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1/18/2012
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Matthew 8:23-9:9
Matthew 8:23-9:9
Skip Heitzig
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Matthew carefully crafted his gospel to speak directly to the hearts of his Jewish audience. Through his detailed record of Jesus' genealogy, fulfilled prophecy, Jesus' actions, instructions, and miracles, Matthew proves that Jesus is Messiah. Let's take a close look at several of those miracles, and gain a firm grasp of His Deity.
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1/25/2012
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Matthew 9:10-31
Matthew 9:10-31
Skip Heitzig
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To the Pharisees, tax collectors and sinners were part of a lower, unpleasant class. But Jesus longed for fellowship with all people. He shared intimate meals with them, ministered to their needs, and reached out to the unlovely. As we study this passage in Matthew 9, we learn how we are also called to be heralds of the good news that brings spiritual health and enduring joy.
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2/8/2012
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Matthew 10:32-11:19
Matthew 10:32-11:19
Skip Heitzig
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In His second major discourse of Matthew, Jesus equips and instructs His apostles about going into the world and reaping the spiritual harvest. In this passage, Jesus expounds on the courage needed to complete the mission and warns His followers of certain persecution. He reminds us that while not all who hear will believe, God's wisdom is powerfully demonstrated in changed lives.
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2/15/2012
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Matthew 11:16-30
Matthew 11:16-30
Skip Heitzig
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In order to truly worship God, you must know Him. Speaking clearly and openly in this passage, Jesus proclaims some of His strongest warnings and makes some of His most intimate promises. He reveals the Father to His followers and assures us that life lived under His rule yields peace and rest.
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2/22/2012
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Matthew 12:1-21
Matthew 12:1-21
Skip Heitzig
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Though God intended the Sabbath to be a day of rest, keeping the Sabbath became difficult work by New Testament times. The oral traditions of the Pharisees had become weighty burdens-burdens the Lord did not mean for His people to bear. In this passage, Jesus demonstrates mercy and the true intent of the Sabbath as He and His disciples meet physical needs in the face of strong opposition.
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2/29/2012
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Matthew 12:22-42
Matthew 12:22-42
Skip Heitzig
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Though our current culture embraces a form of spirituality, the biblical view of God, Satan, and good versus evil has been dismissed by most. Ignorance and indifference cause them to relegate Satan to the stuff of fairy tales and myth. In this study from Matthew 12, Jesus demonstrates His authority over the devil and his minions--giving us a glimpse into the supernatural and a reminder that, "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4).
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3/7/2012
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Matthew 12:43-13:17
Matthew 12:43-13:17
Skip Heitzig
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Jesus consistently brought His message of hope to the common man: He spoke in parables to bring revelation to His followers and to conceal heavenly truth from the hard-hearted. In this message, we examine parables of our Master Teacher and Holy Judge, and discover that truth can be a blessing, but also a curse--we must be diligent to understand and apply God's Word to our lives.
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3/14/2012
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Matthew 13:18-52
Matthew 13:18-52
Skip Heitzig
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Jesus often used parables to explain spiritual truth to His followers. In Matthew 13, His seven kingdom parables are recorded--word pictures which explain the beginning, opposition, expansion, and culmination of His kingdom. Let's consider His teachings and apply these lessons, so that we may be fellow workers with Him in spreading the good news.
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3/21/2012
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Matthew 13:53-14:36
Matthew 13:53-14:36
Skip Heitzig
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In this passage from the gospel of Matthew, we see powerful examples of the results of both faith and the lack of it. Those who might have known Jesus best failed to trust in Him and missed out on His work in their lives, while others were carried through the storm in His care. As we consider our own trials, we should rest in His hands, knowing He has power to change us and use our lives for His glory.
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3/28/2012
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Matthew 15
Matthew 15
Skip Heitzig
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God is less concerned with the outward appearance than He is with the inward attitude. In this passage, Jesus boldly proclaims truth in a confrontation with the Pharisees, warning his followers to avoid hypocrisy. We also witness His tender response to the persistent faith of a Gentile woman, and His mercy for the multitudes. As we study Matthew 15, let's consider our own approach to Him: Do we recognize that we cannot live without Him?
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4/11/2012
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Matthew 16:1-20
Matthew 16:1-20
Skip Heitzig
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Through stern rebuke, gentle prodding, and powerful teaching, Jesus instructs those around Him about who He is and how we can know and serve Him. Matthew 16 records several lessons in faith - warnings and wisdom which encourage us in our own spiritual journey.
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4/25/2012
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Matthew 16:21-17:27
Matthew 16:21-17:27
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Jesus calls His followers to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Him. From this passage, we gain a clearer understanding of what it means to exalt Him as King in our lives and also get a preview of His future glory, when He will reign over all the earth.
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5/2/2012
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Matthew 18
Matthew 18
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How should sin be dealt with? As we examine Matthew 18, we learn not only to deal radically with sin in our own lives, but also the steps toward reconciliation with a sinning brother.
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6/13/2012
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Matthew 19
Matthew 19
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In the U.S., the lifestyle of Christians often mirrors that of unbelievers--divorce, self-indulgence, misaligned priorities. Using God's Word to teach lessons about divorce and eternal life, Jesus exhorts his followers to enter the kingdom of heaven--to live in wholehearted faith and obedience to the Him. Let's consider what Scripture says about godly living and the reward Jesus promises to His faithful followers.
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6/20/2012
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Matthew 20
Matthew 20
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As followers of Christ, what awaits us in eternity? In this study, we consider not only our eternal home but also our eternal reward. Saved by grace through faith, we must see beyond the circumstances and status of this world, and look toward our future glory.
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7/11/2012
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Matthew 21:1-32
Matthew 21:1-32
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In this intriguing passage, Jesus enters Jerusalem in a precise fulfillment of prophecy. It's an exciting study, where those who know they need forgiveness find refreshment and hope—and those who rely on their own righteousness receive a stern rebuke.
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7/18/2012
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Matthew 21:33-22:22
Matthew 21:33-22:22
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Jesus taught with complete authority, denouncing the misconceptions of the religious leaders of the day. With skill and precision, Jesus uses parables and their own words to silence their challenges and expose their motives. Let's consider His words, heed His warnings, and remember that He alone is righteous and worthy of praise.
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7/25/2012
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Matthew 22:23-23:39
Matthew 22:23-23:39
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In dealing with the Pharisees and Sadducees, Jesus speaks wisely, uncompromisingly, and with the authority of heaven—His Words shoot straight to the heart. Though many try to fit Jesus into their pre-conceived mold—to accept Him and His Words only as far as they are comfortable—we learn here danger of that the perilous position.
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8/1/2012
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Matthew 24:1-30
Matthew 24:1-30
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In this passage—the Olivet Discourse— Jesus provides a summary of end time events: the future of the world. We look forward to the Rapture and the Second Coming of Jesus, but those found outside of Christ face unparalleled suffering and judgment. Let's contemplate the wrath of God that's in store for this world—and share the hope of the gospel with those who don't yet know Him.
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8/8/2012
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Matthew 24:31-25:46
Matthew 24:31-25:46
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In this section of the Olivet Discourse, we consider Jesus' Warning Parables. As we examine the text, let's remember that while the church escapes judgment, many are left to suffer the Great Tribulation. We must be righteous, be ready, and be responsible.
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8/15/2012
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Matthew 26:1-30
Matthew 26:1-30
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As Jesus gathered with His disciples to observe the Passover one last time, He brought fresh meaning to a festival which had been celebrated for thousands of years. Rather than a memorial to their physical deliverance from bondage in Egypt, the meal represents His broken body and shed blood—and spiritual deliverance from sin for those who believe.
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8/22/2012
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Matthew 26:31-75
Matthew 26:31-75
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Following the Last Supper, Jesus entered the Garden of Gethsemane and willingly surrendered Himself to the will of the Father: Jesus was crushed for our sin, abandoned to the Cross, so that we might have fellowship with Him. As we study Matthew 26, we consider the spiritual battle before us, the choices we make, and the ultimate victory that is ours through Jesus Christ.
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8/29/2012
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Matthew 27:1-50
Matthew 27:1-50
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In this message, we see the ultimate demonstration of God's love—the cross. Jesus, the King of the Jews, was betrayed, falsely accused, illegally tried, scourged, and ultimately crucified. As we consider the details of His crucifixion and death, how could we be anything except amazed and humbled?
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9/19/2012
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Matthew 27:50-66
Matthew 27:50-66
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As He hung on the cross, betrayed by his friends and separated from His Father, Jesus declared "It is finished!" Victorious, not defeated—He completed the work the Father gave Him to do. In that dark hour, the grave gave up some of her dead, the earth quaked, and in the temple, the curtain that separated men from God was torn from top to bottom. As we study this text, let's consider the price Jesus paid to redeem us and the personal, intimate fellowship with God now available.
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9/26/2012
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Matthew 28
Matthew 28
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Jesus' resurrection: great news for His disciples—troubling news to his enemies. As the chief priests grappled with a cover up, the disciples met with the risen Lord and were commissioned to "Go and make disciples of all the nations." As we consider our text, we discover the good news for ourselves: Jesus is not dead—He's alive and has all authority in heaven and earth.
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There are 36 additional messages in this series.
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