Series: King & Countries (week 3)
Scripture: Matthew 9:35-10:42 (Main)
Title: “What does Jesus Christ call his people to do?” (Darien Gabriel)
Bottom line: Jesus calls us to surrender our lives to his mission of showing and telling the world that the kingdom of God is near.
Discussion questions for group and personal study.
1. Share a ministry opportunity you've had that opened your eyes to the great spiritual needs around you. How might you pursue such opportunities in the near future?
2. Do the massive spiritual needs of the world compel you to action or make you feel helpless? How might Jesus's call to pray in 9:38 impact your reaction?
3. How would you describe your attitude toward unbelieving coworkers and neighbors? What factors keep you from feeling compassion for them?
4. Why is the Bible's teaching on God's wrath and the final judgment essential to our motivation for making disciples?
5. How will you practically apply Jesus' summons to pray and go in this chapter?
6. What ministry situations tend to be the most difficult for you? Tesus speaks of being like sheep, snakes, and doves in Matthew 10. How would this apply to your current context?
7. What aspects of being like Christ cause you the most fear and anxi-ety? What promises in God's Word might bolster your security and joy? Name two fellow believers you might reach out to for strength.
8. What aspects of God's character in this chapter ground our confidence in Christ's mission?
9. In what situations have you been reluctant to confess Christ publicly?
10. How does God's promised reward help fuel our faith and the carrying out of our mission?
Final Questions (optional or in place of above)
What is God saying to you right now?
What are you going to do about it?
Find our sermons, podcasts, discussion questions and notes at https://www.gracetoday.net/podcast
Intro
Good-bye, Daughter
“A little more than two hundred years ago, Adoniram and Ann Judson boarded a ship and set sail for India on a journey that would eventually lead them to Burma (modern-day Myanmar). Along with William Carey, the Judsons are considered pioneers in the modern missions movement. These converted Baptist missionaries (they were previously Congregationalists) were and continue to be used by God in some extraordinary ways for the cause of global missions; however, their journey looked anything but successful on the outside.
The intense suffering the Judsons endured on the mission field was foreshadowed by a letter written from Adoniram to Ann's father asking for permission to marry his daughter. The following is Adoniram's candid request:
‘I have now to ask, whether you can consent to part with your daughter early next spring, to see her no more in this world; whether you can consent to her departure, and her subjection to the hardships and sufferings of missionary life; whether you can consent to her exposure to the dangers of the ocean, to the fatal influence of the southern climate of India; to every kind of want and distress; to degradation, insult, persecution, and perhaps a violent death. Can you consent to all this, for the sake of him who left his heavenly home, and died for her and for you; for the sake of perishing, immortal souls; for the sake of Zion, and the glory of God? Can you consent to all this, in hope of soon meeting your daughter in the world of glory, with the crown of righteousness, brightened with the acclamations of praise which shall redound to her Savior from heathens saved, through her means, from eternal woe and despair?’ (Anderson, To the Golden Shore, 83)
Gratefully, Ann's dad said "yes," the couple was married, and a year later they set sail. Ann's dad would never see his daughter or son-in-law again.
In fact, Ann would lose her life sharing the gospel with people who had never heard the good news of Jesus Christ. As a result of the Judson's service, today there are nearly 4,000 Baptist churches with more than a half a million followers of Christ in the heart of Buddhist Burma/ Myanmar.” -David Platt, Exalting Jesus in Matthew
This week’s message comes from Matthew 9:35-10:42. The title this week is “What does Jesus Christ call his people to do?”
Bottom line: Jesus calls us to surrender our lives to his mission of showing and telling the world that the kingdom of God is near.
Q. What do I want you to know?
A. The message, motive, and means for our mission.
The message is the kingdom of God is near.
The motive is compassion.
The means are prayer and people.
Q. Why?
A. So that you will know what you’re getting into and why.
Q. What do I want you to do?
A. Surrender your life to be on mission with Jesus Christ.
Q. Why?
A. Because it’s the one thing he calls us to do together with him to reconcile all things to him and under his authority. This is for our good and his glory.
Q. How?
A. That’s the rest of the sermon lol!
I. What is the message, motive and means of the mission of Jesus Christ?
A. The message is that the kingdom of God is near. (9:35)
B. The motive is compassion. (9:36)
C. The means are (9:37)
Prayer
People (specifically, followers of Jesus Christ)
II. Who is Jesus sending? His disciples. (10:1-42)
III. What are his instructions to his disciples. (10:-42)
A. Receive the authority Jesus gave.
B. Use that authority to heal and deliver. (Demonstrating the message)
C. Recognize that you don’t have to be the “greatest” to rescue the “least” of these
D. Start with the Jews and work out from there.
E. Proclaim the message that the kingdom of God is near.
F. Demonstrate the message…
G. What to take:
Travel lightly
Live simply.
“Remember, you can’t take it with you but you can send it ahead.” -Randy Alcorn
H. Trust the Lord to give you everything you need
For yourself
For your ministry/mission
I. Search for a “worthy person” (aka Person of Peace)
They welcome you
They like you
They want to help you
They aren’t opposed to your mission
J. Bless them as long as they are with you. Remove your blessing if they don’t.
K. Realize that Jesus sends you into dangerous places. Therefore, as you go,
“Be as shrewd as serpents, and
Innocent as doves.”
L. Be on guard
You’ll face the authorities.
Don’t be afraid—he’s with you.
God will give you the words to say.
Family will betray you. Not if—when. But not all.
M. You’ll be hated. You’ll be persecuted. But if you stand firm, God is faithful and you will be saved.
N. If it happened to Jesus, it will happen to you.
O. Don’t be afraid of them.
God will reveal the truth eventually and vindicate his people.
Proclaim what you hear from him in your prayer closet. (God’s word is your filter, of course)
Don’t fear who can kill your body.
Fear only he who can throw you into hell—who holds your soul in his hand. Honor and revere the Lord, don’t be scared of your enemy.
God values you. You are worth a lot to him. His son died for you. Doesn’t that say enough?
God cares about the details in your life. Even the trivial ones.
P. Acknowledge Jesus Christ publicly or he won’t acknowledge you publicly.
Q. He came not to bring peace but a sword. Truth divides those who trust and believe it from those who don’t. This is inevitable.
R. Love Jesus more than your family
Your parents
Your kids
Yourself
Otherwise, you are not worthy to be his disciple
S. You cannot trust and follow God apart from Jesus Christ. Trusting him is trusting the one who sent him. And trusting Jesus’ disciples leads to these things as well. Welcoming Jesus’ followers even with humble hospitality is noticed by God and rewarded.
Conclusion
“Recently, the story was relayed to me by one of our church's mission teams to North Africa about a lady in that region who was brought to a medical clinic in a wheelbarrow. She was sick and about to die, until she received care from Christians. These Christians later shared the gospel with her, and the lady trusted in Christ and then went back home to her own family. When she shared her new faith in Christ with her household, her own father beat her. This kind of reaction is all too common in that region, as most of persecution happens in the household, not primarily from any government. Nevertheless, this lady stood strong and shared the gospel, and her own father, the man who had beaten her, came to faith in Christ. He's now an evangelist, going from village to village sharing the gospel. This story is one of many in that region of the world; however, when you talk with these believers, as some of our church members have, it's not the suffering they talk about. It's the joy. In Christ, the reward far outweighs the risk. And all of this is happening because believers are sharing Christ in their daily lives.” -David Platt, Exalting Jesus in Matthew
Perpetual Perpetuas
“In the first three centuries of the church, if Christians were known for anything it was their courageous faith. The accounts of the early Christian martyrs tell the stories of many followers of Jesus who demonstrated this courageous faith even unto death. One such martyr was Perpetua.
Perpetua was twenty-two years old. She was married and the mother of an infant boy whom she nursed from her jail cell. She was in prison for being a Christian. All she had to do was recant her belief in Jesus, offer a simple sacrifice to Caesar, and call him, "Lord." Her father begged her to do this, but she refused time and again. Finally, as she was led out into the Roman Colosseum to be killed by beast or gladiator, she was singing hymns to Jesus.
Can you imagine that kind of courage? Twenty-two years old! Her last words, spoken to her brother, also a Christian, were, "Stand in the faith."
Do you want to follow Jesus? Great. Go for it. But know that if you are to follow him, you must do it without airs (humbly come to him and serve him as Lord), without compromise (he is first; everyone and everything else is a far second), and without fear (courageously trust him).” -Douglass Sean O’Donnell
Jeff Bezos was so determined to change the trajectory of his company that he quit his job as CEO so that he could focus on the things he believed would breathe new life into his company.
How much more should we desire new life. Jesus breathes new life into us when we pledge our allegiance to the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. When we deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him. How will you respond?
We see the responses of the people here:
The religious leaders oppose Jesus despite his authority over death, demons, disease and disciples.
The crowd who is amazed at his works but unmoved in the trajectory of their lives.
The new disciples who are healed and then immediately disobey his clear command.
The faithful disciple who answers the call to follow Jesus fully and faithfully. (Matthew)
Which are you? What story does your life tell?
Are you willing to repent and believe that you can have a better story?
Other notes
David French article
https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/frenchpress/
References/Bibliography:
“Preaching the Word” Commentary, Douglas Sean O’Donnell, Edited by Kent Hughes
“Matthew” by RC Sproul
“CSB Christ Chronological,” Holman
“Jesus Manifesto” sermon series, by Darien Gabriel: https://youtu.be/x65i2tqFrXk
“The Bible Knowledge Commentary” by Walvoord, Zuck (BKC)
“The Bible Exposition Commentary” by Warren Wiersbe (BEC)
“Exalting Jesus in Matthew” by David Platt (CCE)
Outline Bible, D Willmington
NIV Study Bible (NIVSB)
ESV Study Bible
ESV Gospel Transformation Bible (GTB)
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