Choosing The Twelve

Every four years, except for 2020, since 1896, nations from around the world have gathered together in one place or another for the Olympic Games.

And as you know, every country has its own Olympic committee that goes to great lengths to ensure that its very best athletes are chosen to represent the nation.

And for nearly 100 years of that time, participation in the Olympic Games was limited to collegiate or domestic league amateurs.

In other words, professionals weren't allowed to participate.

So these Olympic committees would have to study those who were performing or competing collegiately or in certain local leagues throughout their nations to find someone that could represent them.

But in 1992, as some of you will remember, the International Basketball Federation allowed professional players to participate in the Summer Olympics for the very first time.

And it was a team from the United States that consisted of a group of men that many have considered to be the greatest sports team to ever be put together, ever.

It was replete with superstars like Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson and Larry Bird and Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing.

And we could go on and on and on.

And maybe the one that we would say really shouldn't have belonged on the team was Christian Laettner.

But they needed one collegiate player and Duke was the only place that had someone available.

And so Christian Laettner joined the team as well over Shaquille O'Neal, actually.

What was amazing about this team is that they were absolutely unbeatable.

They defeated every opponent on average by 44 points a game.

Not that they scored 44 points, but they beat everyone by 44 points a game.

And actually, 30 years ago this week, Sports Illustrated, the issue for February of that year, 1991, had a picture of a few of the players on its front cover.

And they dubbed the team the Dream Team.

It was the very best that basketball had to offer, not only in the United States, but actually all around the world.

And so from 1991 until now, that term has become something that we recognize quite often.

Even if you don't like basketball or sports in general, you know what people mean when they say the Dream Team.

Hopefully you know what they mean when they say the Dream Team.

Well, the passage that we're studying today, this text, was also involving the selecting of a group of individuals

that by human standards was more of a nightmare than it was a dream.

In fact, one of the Gospels' themes, as you study through Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John,

one of the themes that characterize the way that they deal and talk about and write about Jesus and His ministry

is they write about Him as the King who was establishing His kingdom on earth in power and in authority.

And if we were to imagine that Jesus was going to put together a team of men or individuals or whoever

that would help Him to establish this kingdom, that would inaugurate this kingdom on earth,

we would assume that that team would be made up of individuals who were brilliant, strong, loyal,

along with many other adjectives that we may assign, that they would be worthy of that calling.

But the men that Jesus actually chose were uneducated, they were weak men,

and they were completely unreliable.

In fact, consider Jesus' life.

Specifically consider His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane.

This is the night of His arrest.

It's leading into His crucifixion.

These 12 men have been with Him for nearly three years.

One of them at this point has already betrayed Him, which is why He's being arrested.

And you would think, surely at least, Peter would continue and try to be there and support the Lord

and do what he could, but what the Scripture tells us happened is that all of them forsook Him.

All of them.

Now, we focus often, when we're thinking through this time frame, we think a lot about Judas' betrayal, right?

We acknowledge that.

We always think about that.

We think about Peter's denial because it's just so prominent in this gospel story, right?

And we appreciate that so much because of his restoration.

What we don't often think about is the fact that the other 10, they ran too.

In fact, the Scripture says they all forsook Him, every single one of them.

This team of people that Jesus had put together, they were completely unreliable.

But Jesus wasn't trying to build a dream team.

But He wasn't choosing the best out of what was available.

He was selecting individuals that He Himself would transform.

He was going to transform them from nothing.

And He was going to use them mightily in His purpose and in His plan.

And this is a common theme in the Scriptures, isn't it?

God specializes in taking insignificant people from insignificant places

and making them unbelievably useful in His purpose.

If you had heard the rumors about the significant events that were taking place in Galilee

and decided that you were going to go to Capernaum and check out Jesus and what was going on,

you'd have been completely underwhelmed by the team that He had assembled.

But consider for just a moment,

all the people that have come to know Christ as Lord and Savior over the last 2,000 years,

the gospel has transformed millions and millions of people, including us.

We have been transformed by this gospel message that Christ died for our sins,

that He rose from the dead, that He is transforming us by the power of His Holy Spirit.

And of all of that, through 2,000 years, it all gets traced back to these 12 misfits.

Because they're the ones that Jesus started with.

It's a motley crew, it really is.

But God used them.

And so we may read through this in Mark chapter 3,

Mark 3 · chapter mention

similar to the way that we read through verses 7 through 12 last week,

and we think, really, what really is there here for us to understand?

But we're reminded, what Paul wrote to Timothy,

that all Scripture is profitable.

All Scripture is of profit to us.

And this simple calling of the 12 apostles is profitable for us as well.

I want to kind of wrap our thoughts around just three words.

Calling, commissioning, and then warning.

Calling, commissioning, and warning.

Let's first look at the calling in verse 13.

Would you read it with me again?

And he went up into a mountain,

and called unto him whom he would,

and they came unto him.

That second phrase there, called unto him whom he would,

it's emphatic in the Greek.

It literally means he summoned those that he wanted.

So it wasn't an arbitrary thing.

It was very, very specific.

It was a specialized call.

Let's look, he went up into the mountain.

There's a dramatic shift.

If you were here last Sunday,

or maybe you listened to the audio online,

there's a dramatic shift in the context between the summary scene in verses 7 through 12,

and then what is taking place here with the calling of the apostles.

The chaos of the crowds in Galilee stand in stark contrast to this progression of purpose,

really is what it is, in the ministry of Jesus that's taking place on the mountain.

But Luke adds a note here that Mark omits that I think is significant for us,

and I'd like to just briefly take a moment to look at it.

In fact, would you turn with me there?

Luke chapter 6.

Luke 6 · chapter mention

I want you to see it.

Luke chapter 6.

Luke 6 · chapter mention

In Luke's account, he also records both of these events together.

He just reverses the order.

The emphasis is not on, you know, which came first.

They're not necessarily dealing chronologically.

The emphasis is on presenting these two scenes together to see the contrast between the crowds

and then the small group that Jesus was actually investing more time in.

Look at Luke chapter 6 and verse number 12.

Luke 6 · chapter mention

And it came to pass in those days that he went out into a mountain,

and what did he do?

To pray.

And he continued all night in prayer to God.

And this is significant for us to understand, I think.

Not so much for the sake of Jesus and what he was doing,

but the model, the example that he gives to us here.

The Gospels often present Jesus as going into seasons of earnest prayer

just before monumental moments in his life and in the Gospel narrative.

And we've seen him do this already a couple of times in the Gospel of Mark.

If you'll remember back in Mark chapter 1,

Mark 1 · chapter mention

Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist,

and there was this amazing scene surrounding that.

And then immediately the Holy Spirit drove him into the wilderness.

Well, what did he do in the wilderness?

For 40 days he fasted and he prayed.

He was tempted of Satan in that,

which is significant to the prayer and the fasting as well.

But he fasted and prayed.

Well, what was that?

That was a preparation stage for his public ministries beginning in Galilee.

It is after he returns from that time of fasting and prayer

that Jesus launches into this public ministry.

And it says in verse 15 that he went about in Galilee,

preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom.

Repent and believe the good news.

The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

And then we see it again later on in Mark chapter 1.

Mark 1 · chapter mention

After Jesus had had that day in Capernaum

where all of those people were coming to him to be healed,

and he healed Peter's mother-in-law,

he got up early before dawn,

and he went out into a solitary place.

And what did he do?

He prayed.

Well, what was he praying about?

To leave Capernaum.

He had every reason to stay.

But his prayer is actually what led him to leave,

which was a significant part.

And of course, we study the life of Christ.

We see this time and again.

The most important, perhaps, being in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Just before Jesus is arrested,

just before he is crucified,

what does he pray?

Not what I will, but what you will.

And what's that all about?

Prayer's not merely about making requests to God.

That's a dynamic of it.

But it's not the sum of it.

Prayer, in summary,

is aligning our hearts to the will of God.

That's what it is.

Now, I'll tell you what my tendency is.

My tendency is to make a decision,

to act upon my will,

and then go to the Lord in prayer

if I need some help to make it right

because something really messed up in the process, right?

Most of us are that way, aren't we?

We get in the business of life, right?

And things are happening.

You don't have time to stop 100 times a day

and pray about every decision

and things like that, right?

And so you go through

and you make all these decisions,

and before long,

you're not really giving any consideration

to the Lord's will

or to the Lord's heart

and what you're doing.

And then something just blows up on you, right?

And what do you do then?

You immediately go to the Lord.

Lord, I'm really going to need your help here.

I don't know what's going on.

And what's going on is that

you didn't spend any time in prayer to begin with.

You were acting on your will.

You were never having a moment

to where you could align your own heart

with the will of God.

Oh, what a difference it would make in our lives

if we first aligned our hearts with God in prayer

before we made a decision,

before we made that decision about a relationship

or before we made that decision about a career,

before we made that decision about our money

or whatever it may be.

perhaps our weakness in prayer is actually a sign

of how little we desire the will of God over our own.

But Jesus modeled something very different than that.

And here again, as he is just on the cusp

of calling his 12 apostles, what did he do?

He labored earnestly all night in prayer.

Well, back to Mark chapter three.

We're told in verse 13 that he called to him

those he desired and they came to him

on the mountain that is.

Now out of all of Jesus's followers,

he only called 12 of them on the mountain.

And I wanna be careful here.

I wanna be careful to hold intention

the fact that these men had a unique purpose

in the work of God,

but that they do not represent

an elite group of Christians

that consists of the most committed followers

or committed believers.

That's not really what's happening here.

Jesus had a lot of followers at this point,

a lot of disciples,

even is what he would have called them.

The calling of these 12 men

wasn't about looking amongst this group

and saying, okay, these are the cream of the crop

and they're kind of rising to the surface.

So I'm gonna choose them.

That's not what's happening.

They weren't an elite group of Christians.

They weren't an elite group of believers.

But God did have a very specific purpose for these men.

And we gotta hold those two things in tension

as we go through.

It's helpful for our understanding,

especially as we apply this passage to our own lives.

But sometimes we get the idea

that there is a difference

between a believer and a disciple.

But the scripture makes no such distinction.

The call to salvation is the same

as the call to discipleship.

It's one and the same.

The uniqueness of these men in this passage

is that they were being called to apostleship,

not to discipleship.

There was a specific purpose that God had for them.

But even still, their apostleship,

which is something that did not continue

beyond these men, was a matter of calling,

not personal value.

Again, Jesus didn't look at them and say,

okay, these are the best.

I'm gonna go with them.

No, it was just a matter of he called them.

He called them and then he was gonna do the work

to make them into what he wanted them to be.

And James Edwards helps us here.

The emphasis in Mark, he writes,

is not on designating a special category

of super followers who are distinct from others.

This is made evident, he says,

by the fact that the word apostle

occurs only once for certain,

and that's in Mark chapter six,

whereas the word disciple or disciples

occurs 45 times in the gospel of Mark

with still other expressions for Jesus's followers.

And here's what I'm getting at.

These men weren't the only people following Jesus.

They weren't the only disciples,

but God did have a specific purpose for them.

The common denominator between these men,

as we've mentioned already,

is that they were utterly ordinary.

There was actually nothing significant about them.

And we constantly have to come back to this question,

why then, if Jesus had all of these followers,

if there were all these people

that were truly believing in him,

why did he choose these men?

And the scripture just doesn't tell us.

We don't know.

It just says that he did.

And then we learn something from that,

that it's not actually what they could offer him.

It's what he would do in and through them.

Though their purpose was unique,

the call and the commission of these 12 men

represent all people who have and will follow Christ.

They did have a unique purpose in the beginning stage,

this beginning era of the church.

But what Jesus called them to,

what he commissioned them to do,

is the same for the rest of us.

And so that's why we care about this passage.

These men represent us as believers.

Their call is the same that Jesus issues to us.

Their job, their role is the same

that God has given to us.

In fact, Paul wrote that they laid the foundation for us.

Think about it in Ephesians chapter two.

Paul wrote, so then you are members of the household of God,

built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets,

Christ being the cornerstone,

in whom the whole structure being joined together

grows into a holy temple of the Lord.

Do you understand that illustration?

There's a cornerstone, that's Jesus.

That starts the whole thing, all right?

Has to start with him.

He's the cornerstone.

If that's not there,

nothing else is gonna work out

in this construction process of the church, right?

And so Jesus is the cornerstone.

And then how did he lay the rest of the foundation?

With these 12 apostles.

Each one of them representing a foundation stone.

And then what happened from there?

Every single believer,

every person that knows Christ as savior

is a living stone that then is put on this foundation of Christ

and the message that the apostles preach.

These apostles, these disciples,

we're not an elite group.

They are representative of all of us.

Jesus calls us the same way he called them.

He commissions us to the same task that he commissioned them.

Now we noted in our study of,

in chapter one of Jesus's call of the fishermen in Galilee,

that rabbis did not typically call students to follow them,

as I understand it.

Instead, students chose to follow a particular rabbi

in the same way that we would choose

to go to a particular college or a university.

It's not so much that we are recruited to that

as we make a choice.

And rabbis, from what I understand,

were careful not to give the impression

that their person themselves superseded the law.

In other words,

the student had a focus on the law,

not on the teacher.

So the student chose who they were going to learn from,

but the end goal was not to be like the teacher.

The end goal was to learn the law

and to understand the law and to move forward.

That is very different than what Jesus does though.

These men didn't choose Jesus.

Jesus chose them.

And what did he call them to?

Notice verse 13.

And he went up into the mountain

and he called unto what?

Him.

He called unto him.

This calling of discipleship and salvation,

for that matter,

is not like we just are in this realm

of choosing religions

and trying to find some philosopher

that we want to kind of pattern after

to get to the greater good

of learning the ideas of life.

That's not what this is.

Jesus has this authoritative call.

He calls us not to the law.

He calls us to himself.

Do you see the distinction in this?

And that's probably why some of the Pharisees

really struggled with him

because this was so unordinary.

This was unusual.

Jesus wasn't calling these men

in order to teach them the law.

He was calling them to himself.

He wasn't saying,

come and learn the law with me.

He was saying,

come and be with me.

Come and watch me.

Come and follow me.

Come and learn of me.

Why?

Well, this is a nod to his identity.

He wasn't just a teacher.

He wasn't merely a rabbi.

He was the one that wrote the law.

He was greater than the law.

And the call that Jesus extends to us

is just the same.

He doesn't call us to a system of religion.

He doesn't call us to Christianity.

That is as a religion.

He calls us to himself.

I thought about him studying this week.

There was a song that we sang a lot

when I was growing up.

You probably know it.

It's called Softly and Tenderly.

Do you know that song?

Softly and tenderly,

Jesus is calling,

calling for you and for me.

See on the portals.

He's waiting and watching,

watching for you and for me.

Do you know the chorus?

Come home, come home.

Ye who are weary, come home.

Come home.

Earnestly, tenderly,

Jesus is calling,

calling,

O sinner,

come home.

This call is extended

to every believer.

No person will ever follow Jesus

without him first initiating this call.

So these men

are representative of us

in that

Jesus has issued his call

and each one of us

must respond to that call.

But then he's also commissioned us

beyond that call.

Commissioned us to a task.

That's the second point.

Commissioning.

Look with me at verse 14.

And he ordained 12

that they should be with him

and that he might send them forth to preach

and to have power to heal sicknesses

and to cast out devils.

But once Jesus called these men

up onto the mountain,

what took place?

What was it all about?

Mark says he ordained them

or he appointed them.

There's purpose in this.

It's not merely a formality.

It had a distinct purpose.

He wasn't asking them for companionship.

He was appointing them

to apostleship.

Jesus reminded his disciples of this in John 15.

John chapter 15 and verse 16.

John 15 · chapter mention

He said,

You did not choose me.

I chose you.

And I appointed you.

And here's what he said.

That you should go

and bear fruit

and that your fruit should abide.

So Jesus' call to salvation

and to discipleship

and then by extension,

at least for these 12 men

to apostleship,

this call is not in a vacuum.

It's not purposeless.

It's connected to the rest of life.

He calls to salvation

in order that he may transform

and then commission us,

commission these men

and then to commission all believers

to a particular task.

Jesus has called us to himself

in order that he might commission us

for his purpose.

And what is that purpose?

That we would go,

that we would bear fruit

and that that fruit would abide.

Well, there's three things here

in these verses

that I think show us exactly.

It actually becomes pretty evident.

It's not just the typical preacher

coming up with three things.

There really are three things here.

Look at verse 14.

What's the first thing

that he was calling them to do

or commissioning them to do?

To be with him.

To be with him.

And he ordained 12

that they should be with him.

The foundational element

of discipleship

is time spent with Jesus.

Now, listen.

True discipleship

is a relationship

before it is a task.

Discipleship

is a relationship

before it is a task.

We often think as disciples

that we have a job to do

and we do.

We have a calling.

We have a duty even,

you could say.

But before we ever get to the task,

we are called to a relationship.

And the biblical idea here

behind discipleship

refers to an apprentice.

It's someone who would

learn his trade

over a number of years

by living with

and observing his master.

We don't have

very many things

in our culture

that are equivalent to this.

Perhaps the closest thing

is a residency program

perhaps

in the medical profession.

These 12 disciples,

they traveled with Jesus

for years.

They lived with him.

They saw him.

And he left his mark on them.

In fact,

in Acts chapter 4,

Acts 4 · chapter mention

Peter and John

are preaching

to the Jews.

And this is what verse 13 says

the reaction of the Jews were.

Now when they saw

the boldness of Peter and John

and perceived that

they were uneducated,

common men,

they were astonished.

They were amazed

at what they knew

and what they understood.

And then it says,

and they recognized

that they had been with Jesus.

What was the significance

of Peter and John here?

They didn't have

a formal education.

They didn't go

to the rabbinical schools.

None of them did.

None of these men did.

But they had been with Jesus.

And Jesus had left his mark.

And in that,

he sets forth the pattern

for discipleship

for all of us.

That we are not called

first to one another.

We are first called

to him.

To be with him.

And here's the amazing

thing about it.

Relationships go two ways,

right?

Good ones do at least.

Jesus wanted them

to be with him

because he wanted

to be with them.

Did you catch that?

Jesus called them

to be with him

because he wanted

to be with them.

Now think about salvation.

What is happening

in conversion?

We are separated from God

because of our sin, right?

And then through Jesus,

there is this ministry

of reconciliation

that Paul calls it,

I think maybe

in the Colossian letter.

What is this reconciliation?

Sinful man being reconciled

to a holy God.

Well, how does that happen?

That happens through

the substitutionary death

of Jesus Christ

on the cross.

Because of Christ,

we are then reconciled

to God.

Well, that's on God's initiative,

not on ours.

He initiates that.

He initiates that relationship.

He has redeemed us

because he wants us.

And he calls these men

to be with him,

not just because he wants

to show them the ropes,

but because he wants

to be with them.

He wants to have

this relationship with them.

He is setting right.

In this example,

he is setting right,

setting right what was broken

in the fall.

And what did time

would Jesus do for these men?

They were transformed.

Think about the list here.

Look at verse 16.

Simon, he surnamed Peter.

Simon was the leader

of the band.

We often see that.

Jesus gave him

a different name.

Petra, rock, Peter.

Jesus didn't give Peter

that name because Peter

was stable and strong.

He was actually

the opposite of that.

He wasn't stable at all.

He had no control.

Think again on the night

of Jesus' arrest.

What does Peter do?

He just immediately reacts, right?

He immediately reacts

and cuts a guy's ear off.

And I don't think

he was aiming for his ear.

He's just really bad at it.

He was brash.

It was earlier that night

that Jesus said,

all of you are going

to forsake me.

And Peter,

Peter rejected Christ's statement.

Great follower, wasn't he?

He said,

though all of these guys,

he points to the other 11,

though all of these guys

turn their back on you,

I will never turn my back on you.

And what did he do

later that night?

Denied him three times.

Peter was not a rock.

He was not stable.

And after that,

he went through a series

of really being defeated spiritually

and Christ restored him

from that in John chapter 21.

John 21 · chapter mention

What was the purpose

in nicknaming him Peter?

Peter,

it wasn't because he was a rock.

It was because Jesus

was going to make him

into a rock.

This was pointing Peter

to what Jesus

was going to do with him.

And that's exactly

what he became.

You get into the book of Acts

and it's Peter,

the representative

of the apostles

on the day of Pentecost

that preaches this message

of the gospel

and 3,000 souls

come to Christ.

It is through Peter

that these men were led

to preach the gospel

all throughout the world.

He became the rock.

But then look at the next verse,

verse 17.

James,

the son of Zebedee,

John,

the brother of James.

He gave them a nickname too.

This nickname was

Bonaerges,

sons of thunder.

This wasn't because

that's what Jesus

was making them into though.

It's actually the opposite here.

this is what he was

transforming them from.

Now think about it.

Remember there's a time

in the gospels

that John was upset

about a particular town's

rejection of Jesus.

And John tells Jesus,

why don't we pray

to the father

that he send down fire

from heaven

to consume them?

Like he's a son of thunder.

Sure.

He didn't mess around.

But how do we know

John now?

He's actually

the apostle of love

we refer him to.

Why?

Because Jesus

transformed his life.

Being with Jesus

did something for him

that no textbook

could ever do.

Being with Jesus

made a difference

in his life.

Think about these other men.

You've got Andrew

on one side

who is like

the eternal optimist.

Every time you see Andrew

he just immediately believes

and tries to bring

other people

to remedy a situation.

On the other end

you have Thomas

who's the eternal pessimist.

Who though he was loyal

to an extent

still said

well we might as well

go with Jesus to Jerusalem

and all die with him.

He was just

an eternal pessimist.

And Jesus brings

these two people together.

And then you've got

Matthew the tax collector

and Simon the zealot

the political radical man

that would have sooner

murdered Matthew

than actually live

with him for three years.

Jesus brings

he transforms their life.

He taught them.

Why did he teach them?

Because he had a purpose.

What was that purpose?

Well Acts tells us

again

Acts chapter 1

Acts 1 · chapter mention

and verse 8

Jesus says

you will be my witnesses.

Jerusalem and Samaria

and all around the world.

Time with Jesus.

He taught them truth.

He taught them doctrine.

He taught them who he was.

He trained them.

He said watch me.

They saw how he interacted

with people.

They saw how he cared

for the needs of people.

They saw his mannerisms.

They saw his love.

They witnessed

all of these things

and then Jesus periodically

would send them out

like on these little

mini missions.

And they would go and preach

and they would come back

and report to Jesus.

He trained them

for their purpose.

How did all that come to be?

Well it's just because

they were with him.

They were with him.

You say what does this

have to do with me?

We don't have the privilege

of walking through Palestine

with Jesus.

that's the uniqueness

of the call for these men.

We don't have that opportunity.

We have something different.

We have the scripture.

You say how can I be with Jesus?

You were Jesus through his word.

Jesus told the Pharisees one time

he said you go to the law

you go to the scriptures

believing that in them

you have eternal life

but I'm telling you

that what the scriptures

are about

they testify of me

Jesus said.

He said it doesn't matter

where you turn.

You go to the Old Testament

guess what you're going to find?

Jesus.

That's its purpose.

You go to the gospels

you see Jesus.

You go to the epistles

you see Jesus.

You want to be with Jesus?

Get in the word.

It's a living book.

Hebrews tells us

that it is

it is

a living book

that it is sharper

than any two-edged sword

it pierces to the dividing

asunder.

It reads the thoughts

and intentions

of our hearts.

That's what it does.

Jesus does his work

through his word.

That's why when we come

to church on Sunday

we're committed to the word.

That's why we spend

so much time praying

that the word would increase

and prevail in our lives

because that's how

we spend time with Jesus

through the word.

You say I don't feel

like I know him well.

I don't feel like

I have this understanding

and I don't feel like

I have this training

to do what he's called me to do.

Well just get with him.

Just spend some time

with him

every day

in the word.

And guess what?

He's going to transform you too.

Because that's what he does.

He doesn't call us

because we're capable.

He calls us

and then he transforms us

into what he wants us to be.

So they were called

to be with him.

Secondly,

they were called

to preach the gospel.

This just makes sense,

doesn't it?

They were called

to preach the gospel.

Look at verse 14.

And he ordained the twelve

that they should be with him

and that he might send them

forth to preach.

Preaching

was Jesus'

primary purpose.

So it doesn't come

as a surprise for us

that it was to be

the priority

of his followers as well.

While he remained on earth,

they preached the gospel

of the kingdom

that he was preaching

in chapter one.

But once he ascended

back to heaven,

their message

was to be about

the crucifixion

and resurrection.

Flip with me

to Acts chapter 10.

Acts 10 · chapter mention

Would you just do that quick?

I know I've had you

turning a lot,

but it's just good.

So turn to Acts chapter 10

Acts 10 · chapter mention

with me if you would.

Acts chapter 10.

Acts 10 · chapter mention

Look down with me

at verse 39.

So Peter has gone

to this

Gentile man

named Cornelius

and he begins

to preach the gospel.

And listen to what Peter

says in verse 39.

He says,

We are witnesses

of all things

which Jesus did

both in the land

of the Jews

and in Jerusalem

whom they slew

and hung on a tree.

Him

God raised up

the third day

and showed him openly.

Not to all the people,

but unto witnesses

chosen before of God.

Even to us,

Peter says,

who did eat and drink

with him

after he rose from the dead.

I saw him

with my own eyes.

I witnessed it.

And he commanded us

to preach unto the people

and to testify

that it is he

which was ordained of God

to be the judge

of the living and the dead.

To him

give all the prophets witness

that through his name

whosoever believeth in him

shall receive remission

of sins.

What was it they were

supposed to preach?

This is it.

This is it.

That Jesus is the son of God.

That he died

for the sins

of man.

That he rose

on the third day.

And that all

who come to him

in faith

will receive

forgiveness

of their sins

and eternal life.

that's the message.

That's what Jesus

had taught them.

That's what he had taught them

not merely

in his own teaching

but through the example

of the prophets.

Did you notice

what Peter said?

That even the prophets

witness of this

and he just goes

through what?

Not his own thoughts

or ideologies.

He goes through

the word.

And as he preaches

the word

he inevitably preaches

the gospel

and Cornelius

and a bunch of other people

get saved

and they receive the spirit

and they are baptized

in that moment

and it's amazing.

Guess what?

This wasn't a commission

only for these 12 men.

It's a commission

for you.

It's a commission

for me.

That we take

this same gospel

and we share it.

Somebody told me

recently that

you'll never find

evidence

in the New Testament

of the church

exhorting people

to evangelize.

Well that's foolish.

Jesus himself said

in Matthew 28

all authority

in heaven

and on earth

is given to me.

Go therefore

and make disciples.

It wasn't just

the disciples

the 12

that were gathered

at that moment.

There were lots of people

gathered around

when Jesus made this statement.

Go therefore

and preach the gospel.

Baptize them

in the name of the Father

and the Son

of the Holy Spirit.

Teach them to observe

all things

whatsoever I have commanded.

And then he gives

this great promise.

I'll go with you.

Isn't that the worst thing

about evangelism?

Is you're worried

that you won't know

what to say

and you're worried

that you're going to be

asked a question

that you won't be able

to answer

and then you're just scared

because people are just

sometimes malicious

and you're not sure

if you want to stick yourself

out there like that.

But then you think

back to this promise.

Jesus says go

so it's a matter of command.

He commissions us

to do it as believers

but then he says look

I'm going to go with you.

I will help you.

And what you'll find

is the more

that you share the gospel

it's amazing Marty.

It's amazing how

when you share the gospel

Jesus helps.

He brings to your mind

exactly the verses

that otherwise beforehand

you wouldn't have been

prepared to share

but he brings them

to your mind.

Why?

Because you've been with him.

You've been with him.

And in the process of that

he's given you

a burden to share

and then he's also

taught you what to share

and I should share

this truth.

He brings it on

and then sometimes

people are going

to be aggravated

and they're going

to ostracize you

for the message

and guess what?

He's still with you.

He's still with you.

To the end of the age

he says.

We could go on

and on in the New Testament

but look this wasn't

just a call for these men.

This is a call

for every one of us.

Anyone who names

the name of Christ

preach the gospel.

Thirdly

to do good

and oppose evil.

To do good

and oppose evil.

Look with me

back at Mark 3

Mark 3:15

verse 15

and to have power

to heal sicknesses

and to cast out

devils.

Now

the Holy Spirit

did empower

these men

to do supernatural

things.

Healing sicknesses

we see it in the scripture

casting out demons.

In the gospels

it was an extension

of Jesus' ministry.

In the book of Acts

it was

a sign

of this

apostolic age

in which

the Holy Spirit

was empowering

these men

as a proof

of the gospel.

Now

God doesn't call us

to heal people

and he doesn't call us

to exercise demons.

You'll never find that

in the New Testament

anywhere.

How does this apply

to us?

Do good

and oppose evil.

There's plenty

of instruction

in the New Testament

for that.

I can't heal anybody

but I can help them.

I can see a need

and try to make

a difference

in their life

and the resources

that God has given me.

I can't cast out

a demon

but I can stand firm

on the truth of God

and stand against

the cultural evils

of our day.

Both of these things

are accomplished

first when we

faithfully share

the gospel.

It's just by nature

how it is

but Jesus did

much more

than preaching.

Preaching was his purpose

but he put a significant

amount of time

and effort

into helping people

loving people

opposing

the evil

of his day.

James Edwards

again

disciples are not

simply defined

by what they stand for

but also

what they stand

against.

They're commissioned

to confront

demonic and evil powers

however they manifest

themselves

and to confront

them not only

in thought

but in word

and action.

Remember what

James said

in James chapter 2

James 2 · chapter mention

what good is it

my brothers

if someone says

he has faith

but does not

have works

can that faith

save him?

That is the important

thing there.

Can that kind

of faith save him?

If a brother

or sister

is poorly clothed

and lacking

in daily food

and one of you

says to them

go in peace

and be warmed

and filled

without giving

them the things

needed for the body

what good is that?

So also

faith by itself

if it does not

have works

is dead.

It's dead.

What's God

called us to?

We'll be with him

share the gospel

and then do good.

Do good

and oppose evil

in whatever way

it may manifest itself.

As we close

I just want to say

discipleship

is not about

what disciples

can do for Jesus

but it's about

what Jesus

will make

of disciples.

You say

I've come to Jesus

because I have

so much to offer him.

No you don't.

You may have

a lot to offer me.

You may have

a lot to offer

our church

but there's nothing

you can offer him.

But the grace

of Jesus

is exemplified

in the fact

that he wants you

anyways.

No matter what

your qualifications

he'll transform you

into what

he desires

for you to be.

The commission

given to these men

is unique.

There's no doubt

about that.

We are not apostles

but they're

representatives

of every disciple.

Church

we have a call

to be with Jesus

to preach

his gospel

to do good

and to oppose

evil.

.