"5 These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: “Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; 6 but rather go 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, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. 9 Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, 10 or a bag for your journey, or even two coats, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his support. 11 And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay at his house until you leave that city. 12 As you enter the house, give it your greeting. 13 If the house is worthy, give it your blessing of peace. But if it is not worthy, take back your blessing of peace. 14 Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet. 15 Truly 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."
If
you have recently received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please
write or text to let us know so that we can pray for you. Also, let us know if
you would allow us to share your story. Each one of us have been
blessed with a unique testimony. We'd love to hear from you.
As
we look at the world today, it is often difficult to that God is still
on the throne and that He is still in control, it looks as though
wickedness and evil are winning that battle between right and wrong. I
believe that God is still very near today. We have the opportunity to
embrace Him, to participate in His Kingdom, to be a part of it every
day. Living in this fallen world, we often get distracted from the daily
opportunities to catch the glimpse of God and His kingdom, we fail to
realize, that in spite of what's happening, He is right here beside us.
I
see far too many Christians getting caught up in the world, cheap and
easy grace, and the shining distractions of the world. Our natural
tendency is to get caught up in political matters, social causes,
networking and connecting for personal gain and advancement
opportunities rather than being caught up in the things of God and His
Kingdom. Churches and Christians tend to be more focused on pleasing the
world than pleasing the God we claim to serve.
The Kingdom of Heaven was first proclaimed by John the Baptist. Then Jesus Himself proclaimed the Kingdom of Heaven. Now, we see the twelve being sent out to proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. They are to preach and to keep preaching that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. God's rightful reign in the hearts and lives of men has arrived, is still being proclaimed yet today.
In our study of Matthew, we have seen that Jesus called ordinary, imperfect, flawed, not particularly well-qualified men from all walks of life, He poured Himself into them and made them capable of changing the world. Sending them out to proclaim the Gospel, to advance of the Kingdom, in ways far beyond their human abilities. I believe this a marvelous, powerful truth that holds true, even today. As we draw nearer the end of the age, there never has been another time such as this when the Kingdom of Heaven must be proclaimed.
Let's us pray
Heavenly Father,
We ask and pray this in Christ's name
Amen
Today's Message: The Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand - Part 2
All my life I have heard people say God will provide. Throughout the pages of Scriptures we're told God cares for us and will provide for our needs. And let me be clear, I believe every word. However, it was until I had no way to sustain my my family, no more financial resources available that I came to fully realize the powerful Truth of these words. I can tell you not because of what I've read or heard, not what my opinion is or what I believe. But from what I have experienced first hand, God will make a way, He provide for you, even when there seems to be no way!
There's another point I'd like to make, when you are called to represent Jesus Christ, you're no longer in charge of your own life, you no longer call your own shots. When you are called to ministry you become the property of God, it's no longer about what you want, what direction your ministry is to take, you must answer to Him for everything you do. It is your sole responsibility to please Him and no one else. It is God Who calls, Who gives us the gifts that we have received in order to serve Him, it is His Holy Spirit Who prepares and trains us and it is God Who sends us out to serve Him by serving others. Even the church and flock are not our own, we are called to love, care for and oversee them for God. To sum it up, we are in total submission to Him. Everything we are, everything we say and do, is under His Authority! In other words, He alone determines what I am and what I do.
If
we are to be successful in instructing others on how to live the Christian
life in a way that pleases God, we must first understand that Satan is
trying to draw us away from God. There's more to ministry than reading a
Bible verse and telling the congregation a story of human philosophy.
We have a responsibility to read and explain God's Word, in it's
entirety until the Lord returns, even though we may not experience a
standing ovation, a pat on the back or great message pastor. It's not
about us and our pride, it's all about Jesus Christ.
It is extremely disturbing that there are many who claim the name of Christ, and all they want is position, power and money, and they will step on and crush anyone in order to obtain it. Rather than coming to the rescue of those that are hurting and suffering, they mercilessly exploit and defraud them, raising thousands of dollars while using only a nominal amount of the funds raised to help those they claim to serve. Because we are no longer living in an apostolic era, we cannot heal the sick or raise the dead, but we can show them mercy and compassion. I believe that is how we can identify the true man of God today, by the unselfish and compassionate way they represent Christ. I believe that if we are going to claim to represent Christ, best we do it in such a way that can be believed by they way we live, where we go and who we serve and not by seeking self-promotion and personal gain.
"These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: “Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, or a bag for your journey, or even two coats, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his support. And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay at his house until you leave that city. As you enter the house, give it your greeting. If the house is worthy, give it your blessing of peace. But if it is not worthy, take back your blessing of peace. Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet. Truly 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."
"Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts." If we're truly going to serve Christ, we're not going to charge anyone, we are going to freely give what we have freely received. Don't take "a bag for your journey, or even two coats, or sandals, or a staff." We must trust God to manage all of the resources we need. Trusting God is like survivalist training. That's the thrust of what He's saying here.
If you have confident faith, and trust in Him and you don't need to take anything with you, you do not need to charge anyone a fee, because you have complete trust that He will provide you with all that you need. God’s going to bless you with these things for serving Him and doing His work. It is your responsibility before God to support the one who serves Him. That's the meaning of the end of verse 10, "for the worker is worthy of his support." Effective ministry is a full-time responsibility, praying with and for others, hours of study and sermon preparation, not to mention helping to provide for others who are in need. God is going to bless those who take care of His servant. It has been my personal experience, when I have given my last to help others, God has repeatedly blessed me through others ten fold, not only enabling me to meet my families needs but the ability to help others even more.
In I Corinthians 9, Paul says, "If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? If others share the right over you, do we not more?" And in verses 13-14, "Do you not know that those who perform sacred services eat the food of the temple, and those who attend regularly to the altar have their share from the altar? So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel." Those who preach are entitled to live by their preaching, to be supported by it. God works through His people to meet that need. By the grace of God you are what you are, follow the
example of Jesus and His apostles in offering themselves
freely to the lost, those who benefit from that teaching should also freely give to support them.
A faithful pastor often foregoes secular work in order to serve others in
spiritual matters. Should they not be entitled to live humbly?
Verse 11, "And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay at his house until you leave that city." People love to misinterpret this verse. What is is clearly saying is that when you go into a town, do not stay with the unregenerate, vile, wicked people in that town because when you go out and preach the Gospel, people are not going to believe you. Because you will be identified with the unholiness of those in the place you stay. Stay with someone who are "worthy," those who are godly. I have personally stayed in places that most of you probably wouldn't even consider staying. Very humble conditions, in fact, in one of them there wasn't even an indoor bathroom. In spite of what many today believe, God doesn't always put you up in the luxury Royal Penthouse. Settled contentment, that is what God provides, not luxurious living. Far too many Christians, especially those in ministry never know the experience of contentment. But we do need to be cautious not to stay in a disreputable place.
In Philippians 4, Paul says "I
know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in
prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of
being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need." We need to learn to focus on what God calls us to do and to be content with whatever He provides. I hasten to add, without grumbling and complaining. When you find a place that is worthy, humbly and graciously stay there.
Verse 12, "As you enter the house, give it your greeting." He's talking about blessing the house where you are staying. A blessing and benediction, and by all means, minister to those people who graciously received you, pour yourself into their lives, giving them everything you have. And as you go out preaching, going from house to house, if that house if worthy, give it God's blessing.
Verse 13, "If the house is worthy, give it your blessing of peace. But if it is not worthy, take back your blessing of peace."
Upon entering a worthy house, those that welcome the gospel message and the messenger, are to given a special blessing, intended to have a profound effect on all that goes on within the household of where Christ’s workers rests. However, if the household proves to be found unworthy of the worthiness the pronounced blessing, it was to be taken back by the disciple. The pronounced blessing of peace and the prosperity of mind, body and soul was to be removed, forfeiting the blessing of peace which accompanies the gospel.
I believe those in ministry must have the same focus in our ministries today. There is far too many adapting the message of the Gospel to please a sinful, fallen society focusing on inclusion and receptivity rather than to those hungering for authentic salvation. I have committed my ministry to feeding the hungry souls, seeking the Truth, who have a desire to grow and want to be nurtured in the true saving Gospel. You have to confront sin in that way that people see they’re not worthy of God’s grace, yet He offers it to those who are willing to be transformed. I do not believe that you can going around telling sinners that God wants to bless and welcome them and their sin. God’s blessing is not to be so haphazardly tossed around as to be given to the unregenerate and ungodly nor to those who living under the false pretense they are saved, when they’re not, lest you become a partaker in his evil deeds. To be quite frank, they’re not worthy of God’s blessing.
Look at verse 14, "Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet."
If people don’t want to hear your message, if they reject the Gospel, that's the way Scriptures says you treat them. We are to visibly and symbolically reject those who rejected God. Because we have not the slightest thing in common with them. In fact, because of their rejection of the message of God, God will also reject them, whether it be an individual, a household or an entire city. When they reject Christ's messenger, one whom He has sent, they reject God and His message.
By the way, that's exactly what Paul did in the book of Acts. Listen as I read, Acts 13. "The next Sabbath nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were blaspheming. Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, "‘I have placed You as a light for the Gentiles,
That You may bring salvation to the end of the earth.’"
That You may bring salvation to the end of the earth.’"
Refusing to hear and obey the Word will bring judgment. Refusing to hear and obey the Word will bring judgment. None will escape it, people today need to understand that Truth. Once you have received Christ, you are compelled to obey His Word. John 14:15, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." I believe many pastors today would do well to remember this when preaching to the lost. That's why expository preaching is crucial, it helps to keep preachers in
the Word, and not to become sidetracked the various social or political issues of the day.
The lost need to know the gospel of Jesus Christ and His
kingdom as well as the coming judgement. You cannot hide that Truth from those who are perishing. Salvation is a gift, I believe it must be preached as such. When they have heard the message of salvation, and when they have been given
ample opportunity to respond to it, and their conclusion is to reject it, then
you must treat them as what they are; undeserving of such a precious gift as salvation.
Tragically, even many of the Christian Television stations have capitalized on the idea of cheap grace, they have a large number of messengers teaching error as if it were truth. Flaunting their pride, promoting self-indulgence, literally making a fortune misrepresenting God and perverting His Word by propagating their lies; all for filthy lucre. Sadly, people will eat up that false teaching that cheapens the Word of God! Many of them are not even ordained, they're without moral or spiritual qualification; they have no conscience.
They just proclaim lie after lie, teaching doctrines of demons, manipulating the Word to mean whatever will bring them more financial gain. It is the sacred responsibility of anyone professing to speak on behalf of God to live by and guard the Truth of His Word.
That brings us to verse 15, "Truly 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." If you know anything about Sodom and Gomorrah, it wasn't good, in fact, both of those two cities were so badly destroyed they can’t even find any trace of them. I believe Jesus is declaring the seriousness of their judgement. God will show greater mercy to the notoriously wicked and perverse land of Sodom and Gomorrah than to those who reject His Word and His messengers. I won't belabor the heinous offenses of Sodom and Gomorrah, in the eyes of God, but is is well documented in Scripture. Rejecting Christ and the teaching of the Gospel, and salvation, the greatest gifts this life affords is a far greater sin than those committed by the wicked in those cities!
In Closing..
Since we cannot judge a man's heart, we can't determine who is worthy or unworthy, we must therefore take the Gospel to all the lost in the world. It is the proclamation of the Gospel that separates the worthy from the unworthy. When people have been exposed to the Truth and choose to turn their back on it and those giving them the message, who are sent by Jesus Christ Himself, divine judgment is set upon them. When they're all there is to hear about salvation and they refuse it, is it impossible for them to be redeemed, renewed to the point of repentance. They bring judgment upon themselves, and their judgment is going to be very, very severe.
That's why I believe we must preach the Truth expositorily while we can, to whom we can, because they have all the wrong standards. Only God has the right ones and He has blessed us with those standards in His inspired, revealed Word. We must not compromise the Truth or it's message, in order to please the unregenerate, unredeemed sinner or those who are deceived. We must proclaim the message of salvation and it's warning of judgment to all who will listen with patience, compassion and humility in hopes that it will be rightly heard.
May we be so effective in bringing the lost to Christ.
May it be so..
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
Copyright © 2019-2022 All Rights Reserved