There's Good News for Lost Sheep | Matthew 10:5-15

For those of you who have been with us for a while now, you might know that we're in a part of Scripture where our evangelist Matthew is reporting on a very specific commission given to a very specific group of men.

And last week we started to look at this mission as these guys were to go and announce the good news of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Now I mention this because as we go through the text that we have before us this morning that was just read out for us,

we have to keep in mind that this commission was a specific mission that our Lord wanted His chosen apostles to go out on.

And so on the one hand there's going to be some things in our text that are very unique for these guys.

Yet on the other hand there's going to be some truths that we need to pay attention to and adopt into the way that we think about doing evangelism in our own time and city.

And so before we get into any of this this morning would you please join me in asking the Lord of the Harvest, Jesus Christ,

to help us understand the words that He's given us this morning. Would you please pray with me?

Lord Jesus, we do indeed know that we are handling eternal words this morning, breathed out by the Spirit and given to us, your Church.

We ask this morning that you would please help us to understand what you would have us to do.

And Father God, we would ask that the Lord Jesus Christ is magnified in our midst and that you draw us closer to Him.

We ask for this in Jesus' name. Amen.

If you have your Bibles with you this morning, look with me at the first part of verse 5.

We read, these 12 Jesus sent out with the following instructions.

Okay, so the first thing that I want to mention really follows on from last week, what we looked at last week.

Jesus, out of the masses of people who had been following Him, chose 12 men to really have all access to Himself

because they were to be trained and sent out into the Harvest to work for the Lord, as we saw in chapter 9, verses 37 and 38.

Now, some of the guys on the list we've met before, like Peter, Andrew, James, John and Matthew,

and we got a bit of a back story about how they came to follow our Lord.

And with the others, we can presume by looking at the other accounts of the Gospel, that they came to follow Jesus

from either the ministry of John or were collected along the way as Jesus went through their towns

ministering to their people on the kingdom of heaven.

As we know of these guys that followed Jesus, they saw signs, wonders and miracles, hearing what Jesus had to say.

But something was unique about them in that as they followed Jesus, as they saw the way He would minister,

they saw the significance of the role of faith in that it is the way, the instrument that God uses to bestow the blessings

of the kingdom of heaven on people who trust Jesus.

All this to say these 12 men were chosen and taught by both word and deed, and now it was time for them to be sent into the Harvest.

But as we see here, they weren't to go out blindly into the Harvest, but with very specific instructions

to their very specific mission, which had already started to take place in their nation by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

And so we read here at the beginning of chapter 10, Jesus gathered these 12 to Himself,

and He gave them instructions on where, what and how to go about their work.

And that's what we'll look at this morning. So first, He tells them where to do mission.

We read that in verses 5 and 6. Jesus says, Don't go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans.

Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.

I remember the first time I was allowed to go out by myself to a friend's house on the other side of Baladurah where I grew up.

I wasn't allowed to go anywhere else. I wasn't allowed to deviate off the known streets or go into a stranger's house,

but go straight to my mate's place. The instructions were specific and clear.

And in like manner, that's what our Lord is doing here. He's giving His disciples instructions not to go off the beaten path and into a stranger's house.

No, they were to go to their own people in their own land.

Now straight away, you might think to yourself that that's pretty odd that Jesus doesn't want them to go to anyone else apart from their own people.

But that's why we have to keep our passage in context this morning.

We have to remember that this isn't the great commission that will come later, but a specific commission for a certain time and place.

And for this time and place in history, our Lord wanted these chosen twelve to go to the lost sheep of Israel.

And so we might ask why? Why Israel first?

Well, to answer that, I actually want to give you two reasons. First, a theological reason and second, a practical reason.

First, the theological reason. You see, at the very beginning of our Bibles in the book of Genesis,

God made a promise, a covenant, if you will, to a man named Abraham. And to this man, God promised to make a great nation and be their God.

Now, if you trace that great theme of God and nation and promise throughout the Bible, the children of Abraham did indeed become a great nation called Israel.

But throughout their history, even though God kept his side of the promise to be their God,

they rebelled against him and strayed off the path time and time and time again into all sorts of sin and rebellion.

But you'll also notice this, even though they strayed and rebelled and were sent into exile, in the midst of it all,

God chose men. He made them into prophets and commissioned them to announce to his people that one day he would send them a messiah.

And the messiah would reunite them in faith and fellowship with himself. And God would dwell among his people.

And that's important to understand because time and time again, our evangelist Matthew has shown us that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of what God said he would do.

Jesus is the promised messiah to Israel. And so by choosing and sending his disciples out to Israel first,

that order makes sense because it's fulfilling the promises of God to bring his people back to himself, just like he said he would.

There's a theological reason here. Paul actually picks this order up when he writes the Roman Church many years later,

saying, for I'm not ashamed of the gospel because it's the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.

First to the Jew and then to the Gentile. Hear that? The good news was first to the Jew and then to the Gentile.

He goes on, for in the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last.

Just as it is written, the righteous will live by faith. Romans 1, 16 and 17.

To put it plainly, church, God's chosen people, Israel, were always going to receive the good news of the messiah and the kingdom first

so that they could respond in faith because that was God's promise to his people from long ago.

He would make a nation. He would send them a messiah and the messiah would reunite them in faith and fellowship with himself.

That's the theological reason. But I'd say that there was a second reason and that's much more practical.

You see, there was many, many in Israel like sheep without a shepherd.

We saw Jesus lament over that in verse 36 of the previous chapter.

However, there were some who were expecting the messiah to come. They were, you might say, sheep waiting for a shepherd.

I mean, if we think about the gospel according to Luke, there were people going out to John the Baptist

because they were living in something called a messianic expectation.

But I'd also point out a guy I found there in chapter 2 of Luke's account to which our evangelist reports,

now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel.

Consolation meaning comfort, the peace of God. Luke 2 verse 25.

Luke 2:25

Now I mention John's disciples and this guy because it goes to show that there were people in Israel

that didn't just hear the word of God but actually believed his promises

and thus lived in expectation of when he would fulfill them.

And so if we think about all of this practically, what better place for our Lord to send his apostles

to announce God's kingdom than to people who were living in expectation of him to come and rescue them.

Now again, it must be said that this commission was very specific in its time and place.

And if we read forward in Matthew's account of the gospel, the ministry of Jesus will extend

to the Gentiles, the non-Jewish people, more and more.

And we've already had hints of that thinking of the centurion in chapter 8 of Matthew's account.

But, and this is worth taking note of, the order of first going to the Jews and then to the Gentiles

does seem to be the pattern of the New Testament.

I mean if you read through the book of Acts, Paul would go to the synagogue first

and plead with the Jews because he knew that they had the promises of God held out to them.

Now that's not to say that they all believed his application of Jesus being the fulfillment of those promises.

But it is to say that we do see the pattern of first going to the Jews and then going to the Gentiles

throughout the early church's missionary efforts. We see that pattern.

All this to say, the Jews are a special people on the world stage that must never be ignored by the church.

Think about it. Our Lord was born to a Jewish woman, born under a law that was given to Israel.

Jesus was first sent to the Jewish people and then when he first sent his disciples out

it was to take the good news to the Jews and then from there to take the news to the Gentiles.

Jesus is the Saviour of all people, all nations.

But we must remember that that came by and through his promised ministry to his people as the Jewish Messiah first.

And they are still a people, they are still a people that need to hear about how God did indeed fulfill his promises to them

in Jesus Christ of Nazareth. That's first. Our Lord told his disciples where they were to do mission.

That was to the lost people of Israel.

Second, he told them what they were to do on mission. We see this in verses 7 and 8.

As you go proclaim this message, the kingdom of heaven has come near. Heal the sick, raise the dead,

cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons, freely you have received, freely give.

I want to look at this in two parts with you. Two parts.

They were to go out in the power and authority of Israel's Messiah in both word and deed.

I'll say that again. They were to go out in the power and authority of Israel's Messiah in both word and deed.

So what were they to speak? Well that the kingdom of heaven has come near.

And it will set us up well to briefly define what the kingdom of heaven is.

Because it was promised in the Hebrew scriptures in our Old Testament in places like Isaiah 56 and Daniel 2.

And so we might think of the kingdom of heaven as God's eternal sphere of authority which is both present and future.

In other words, the kingdom of heaven is about God's perfect rule and reign.

And notice it. This isn't the first time we've heard about this theme in the book of Matthew, right?

No, we're told by our Lord in chapter 6 that we're to actually pray for God's perfect rule and reign to invade earth.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Well, these guys were commissioned to go and preach to Israel that God's reign was indeed closer than ever.

And that was obviously happening in their midst in and through Jesus their Messiah, the King of God's kingdom.

And so we might say that these guys were commissioned with the good news that the long awaited Messiah had come to them.

God's Messiah had come to Israel to establish God's eternal sphere of authority among them, just like he said he would.

Now obviously these guys weren't commissioned to just go and say one sentence, but this is a message.

And we know that because the kingdom of heaven has come near is shorthand for what John the Baptist and Jesus had both been proclaiming to Israel.

And if we look at what they were both saying, it was about coming back to God, coming back to their God.

In other words, it was a message of repentance.

Now if you were part of the nation of Israel, that message, if you weren't expecting it,

would have been rather foreign because you'd be thinking to yourself, but I live in the house of Israel.

I live already in God's place, so why would I need to come back to him?

Well, that's the thing that both Jesus and John the Baptist spoke into.

Now what heritage, lineage, people group you belong to, something radical has to happen in the heart.

And that something radical is a realisation that you are at odds with God and in rebellion to him.

You need to turn from the way you're going and return to him and enter his kingdom.

A few days ago, God chose and sent a man named Ezekiel to very, very, very lost sheep who were in exile.

We heard this read before from Matt in Ezekiel 36.

The prophet Ezekiel was commissioned to announce that there would come a time when God would make a new covenant

with his people and that he would wash them clean and give them a new heart and give them a new spirit.

To put it simply, through the Lord Jesus Christ, he would give them spiritual life.

And so the message of the kingdom at its core is one of great blessing.

It's about people dwelling in joy and peace with God, but if we think about it, it's also a message of repentance.

Because without realising that we don't deserve a place in the kingdom, we can never turn and call upon the name of the Lord and enter it.

That's exactly what God has provided for his people in the gracious news of the kingdom of God.

God's blessing has come in the Messiah.

And for those who would believe the good news, they are to come freely because God has made a way in Jesus Christ.

For some, this was the long-awaited news that they were anticipating.

Yet for others, this would have been really difficult to wrap their heads around because they were under the influence of the Pharisees.

And their theology was, if you're a child of Abraham, if you're part of the covenant nation, well, you're pretty much fine.

So Jesus not only gave his apostles a message, he also gave them signs to prove that this message was from God and legitimate.

And I briefly made some comments on this last week, but I'll just add another thing here.

Notice the signs that the twelve were commissioned to do.

Notice these wonderful signs. They were commissioned to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy and drive out demons.

And that's important for us to know because, to put it simply, they were given the power and authority by Jesus Christ

to give a foretaste of the kingdom of heaven in the present age.

A foretaste of a reality where there will be no sickness, death, disease or evil because those things are a result of the curse.

A result of sin and the curse.

And isn't that a beautiful reality for us to behold, Church?

The kingdom of heaven is a reality where the people of God will be free for all eternity from the curse of sin and death and evil.

A reality where there will be no more pain physically, mentally, spiritually.

A reality where God will dwell with his people and we will dwell with our God forevermore in peace and joy and perfect harmony.

These guys, they had the incredible privilege of going around to their people, bringing that good news that was promised to them in word and deed.

They were equipped by the Lord himself to do that great ministry.

That's why he goes on to say here in verse 8, freely you've received, freely give.

In other words, Jesus was saying to these guys, go and serve our people.

Go, not to gain but to bless, not to receive but to offer.

And brothers and sisters, isn't that a picture of the Christian life for us now?

Are we not a people that are to follow our Lord's example and give freely what he has freely given to us in the Gospel?

I mean of his own volition, he left all to become our all.

He took on the position of a servant to serve us in a way that we could never hope to imagine.

He used his very life to serve us and now as his people, he has bestowed gifts on us all so that we too might serve others for the sake of Christ and the Gospel.

Jesus told these men that he had given them this power not to elevate themselves but to freely offer the Gospel and its blessings to lost sheep.

And that goes for us too.

What blessings, resources, gifts and opportunities our Lord has given us are freely to be given to others.

Not for personal gain but for kingdom advancement.

We received the Gospel freely and so we are to give it freely to all.

So first our Lord, he told his disciples where they're to go.

Second, he tells them what they're to do on this mission.

And third, he talks about how they're to do it.

First, Jesus wanted them to go and totally rely on the Lord of the harvest.

We see that there in verses 9 and 10.

Don't get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts.

No bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff for the worker is worthy of his keep.

To make a very brief comment on this, because these guys were just going on a short term mission trip and not to the nations just yet,

he told them not to worry about the usual things that you would need on a long trip.

He's basically said the Lord knows what you need and will provide for you.

Now this isn't to say that missionaries shouldn't receive financial help with the work that they're doing in all time and all places.

We have to remember the context here.

But this does remind us that as we plan as Grace Christian Church to evangelise

and as we support our missionary partners from this church, we must remember to never just look to our own resources and smart ideas.

This is the Lord's work that we're engaged in.

This is his business.

This is his harvest that he is sending us to spread and tell people the good news of Jesus.

And so at all times and every step of the way, like the apostles here, we must rely on our Lord to help us in the task.

Second, they were to be wise and discerning with the people they ministered to, verses 11 and 13.

Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave.

As you enter the home, give it your greeting.

If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it.

If it's not, let your peace return to you.

In other words, as they travelled and as they met the people of their nation, as they went proclaiming the good news,

they were to use wisdom and discernment in how their message was being received.

If it was accepted, these men were actually permitted to announce that the peace of God had really come to that place.

But if they were rejected, this is interesting, if they were rejected, they weren't to then force people to listen, to accept and repent under duress.

No, a Christian is never permitted to force another to convert.

They were simply to proclaim the good news of the kingdom and show signs of its arrival.

If people rejected that, then they were to show that God had rejected them by withdrawing the offer of God's peace.

And this is important to note, God's peace that was really, really held out to them.

And third, we see all of this summed up in verses 14 and 15.

If anyone won't welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.

Truly, I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

If those in God's house of Israel rejected the message of the ambassadors of the kingdom, rejected their messiah,

then the apostles were to show them through an outward physical act by shaking even the very dust of their town off their feet,

a way of saying that you are an unclean people, that they were like a stranger in God's house,

like a resident of a wicked nation, an unclean people that remained under the coming judgment of God.

Church, you and me in 21st century, Perth, Western Australia, who have called upon the name of the Lord,

who have put our faith in Jesus and who have been saved by grace, who have entered the kingdom of heaven,

who have peace with God and eternal life, are the product of God keeping his promises.

He kept his promises by sending his messiah to his people, to the lost sheep of Israel.

And from the faithful remnant, our Lord then built his church and then commissioned them to take the gospel to the nations.

It's by God's covenant making and keeping promises in Jesus that we Gentiles were able to receive the gospel,

that we were able to be added to the number of those being saved so as to receive the blessings of the kingdom that were first held out to Israel.

You and me, brothers and sisters, were lost sheep, lost sheep.

Yet because of God's great love and faithfulness, he sent his messiah into the world,

sent his workers into the harvest to share the gospel because, and this is so important for us to recognise,

because he loves to rescue his sheep. Jesus loves to rescue his people.

And doesn't that give you a sense of just how important and urgent the call to share the gospel really is?

I mean, if 2000 years ago, Jesus was sending people out and saying the kingdom of heaven is at hand and judgment was close,

and then the very last words of scripture are pretty much, behold, I come quickly.

Doesn't that give you a sense of just how quick we should be in getting the gospel out to others?

Jesus came first as the Jewish messiah, but we know that he will return as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

And we just don't know when our Lord will return to judge the living and the dead.

But one thing we know for certain, we're closer than we've ever been to that day before.

Church, there is salvation for anyone and everyone who trusts the gospel and puts their faith in Jesus.

Jesus is the saviour of all people, both Jew and Gentile.

We have freely received this gospel, and so let us be a people that freely give it.

Let us be a people that pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers so that we can see many saved.

Let us be a church that supports those who are in the harvest with our prayers and our resources.

Let us pray for those who are faithful to the great commission.

Let us pray that we remain faithful to our Lord's great commission.

Church, would you pray with me this morning to the Lord of the harvest?

Would you pray with me now that Grace Christian Church would be faithful?

And let's pray for missionaries that he sent out into the world.

Would you join me in that this morning?

Lord, we began our time this morning by asking you to help us understand these eternal words,

to move us to be drawn to you that we, Lord, we ask now that we wouldn't leave this place unchanged.

Lord, these indeed are eternal words settled in heaven.

This commission was planned from the foundation of the world, and you chose us.

You chose a people for yourself, and you have given us the task to share these wonderful words of eternal life,

of your life, of your death, of your resurrection, and of your triumphant return.

Lord, we ask that we would be a people that wouldn't deviate off the truth of the gospel,

that we would be a people by your Spirit, continually leading and guiding people to you,

disciples making disciples.

Lord, we think and ask and pray to you this morning of the missionaries that you already have in different places.

Lord, we're well aware of the war that is happening in the Middle East, in Europe,

and that missionaries have had to come home.

But Lord, for those who have stayed to minister to those of all nations,

we would ask that you would give them everything that they need, that you would protect them,

that you would keep them safe, Lord, that they would have access to Bibles,

that they would have access to worship together, and Lord, that they would remain faithful under such duress.

Lord, we ask for those that you were raising up as missionaries to send them,

maybe to Armidale, maybe to parts of Australia, to other parts of the world, Lord,

that you would make a way for them to be educated, make a way for them to be sponsored,

that they would be able to get to the place that you want them to get to easily,

and Lord, that they would see your gospel go out and the harvest,

as they go into the harvest, that many would be saved.

Father, we're well aware that the day is coming closer,

and Lord, we would ask that you use us for your glory until Kingdom come.

We ask for this in Jesus' name, Amen.