Matthew 10:21-23 Go In Peace!

Matthew 10:21-23  Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.  You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.  When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another.  Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

In today’s focus, Jesus prepares his disciples with the understanding they will face hostile environments and fierce adversaries as they carry the Good News to the communities of Israel.  He also prophesies that through the coming decades, followers of Jesus will never be completely accepted in this world.  A spirit of hatred will always be present wherever the gospel is propagated.  You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.  Saying everyone will hate those who bring the Good News is a strong accusation against people, but generally the world does not want to hear of a God who will govern their behavior, especially their self-will, often expressed in licentiousness and selfishness.  Freedom is their mantra, above anything that God might demand of them.  After The Beatitudes sermon, Jesus said, Why do you call me,  “Lord, Lord,” and do not do what I say?  As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like.  They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock.  (Luke 6:46-48)  Jesus is very direct, at times harsh, in his teaching about following God’s will and not self-will, by saying the following, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’  Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you.  Away from me, you evildoers!’”  (Luke 7:21-23)  Jesus’ teachings should be preeminent in people’s lives, directing them to live in peace, spiritually powerful, but physically and emotionally harmless as a dove.  A dove, of course, is emblematic of the Holy Spirit’s presence.  Where the Holy Spirit is present in people’s lives, the beatitudes become very important to them; their wills are laid down at the feet of Jesus.  Of course, the Holy Spirit’s attributes run counter to man’s selfishness, his fleshly pursuits, and desires.  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  (Galatians 5:22-23)   Since the fall, people tend to orient their lives according to their own desires.  But Jesus said, do not call me Lord, unless you obey me.  Do not say you are a Christian, my follower, if you fail to heed my words.  This unwillingness to follow authority, especially God’s, causes an environment of dissemblance, contrariness, and rebellion.  This is the reason Jesus clearly told the disciples that people would hate them because they were his followers.  Of course, teaching about Jesus and the necessity of accepting him as Lord, implies the existence of God and the necessity to worship him.  The good news uplifts the salvation plan of eternal life through accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior, but also demands allegiance to a creator God, who controls the destiny of mankind.  This idea of beliefs and actions controlling ones destiny is contrary to people’s ideas of self-will and freedom.  Consequently, as the Good News spreads, hatred arises, Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.  In their hatred and anger, people reject Christians as their fleshly desires and sinful nature attack God’s truth.  

The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.  (Romans 8:6)  Jesus’ instructions made the disciples cognizant that they were venturing into the territories of the wolves as they moved from community to community.  They knew their message would be challenged in every town, for they were expressing a view contrary to the people’s lifestyles.  John the Baptist recognized and emphasized the need for the people to repent of their sins and turn to God.  The people were living lives under laws and regulations, but not in the purity of heart that God demands, a purity of love and grace.  The Jewish leaders demanded the people pay homage to them, but not necessarily to God.  John the Baptist knew the religious activity of the people had little relevance to their daily lives.  They were following religious leaders who were corrupt, leading them into hypocrisy, eventually manifested in their willingness to kill a righteous man: Jesus.  Even in the holy temple in Jerusalem, there was an environment of commerce going on, making money off others who had come to pay obeisance to God.  Jesus expressed his anger towards all of this corruption by turning over the money changers’ tables.  The Jews of Israel needed a Savior, someone who could come and bring peace to their world of turmoil and Roman dominance.  Jesus came to bring peace, but first He would be resisted by those who wanted to live their lives free from an intimate God who would demand something from them.  They would kill Jesus, but the Son of Man in his perfection would be revealed in his power by his death and resurrection.  Jesus told the disciples that they would not even finish their mission of delivering the Good News to all the communities before the Son of Man would be revealed: Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.  Jesus came out of the grave with power and authority over sin.  He brought with him the governing Holy Spirit who would occupy, comfort, and guide believers until their demise in the flesh.  No longer would men be without a compass in their lives; the Spirit would orient their lives toward God in an intimate way.  He would be the words inside their souls, directing them in a perfect way, expressing God’s nature through them by displaying the attributes of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus brought peace to all who live in the Spirit.  He broke down every barrier between the Jews of the law and the unbelieving Gentiles.  For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations.  His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace.  Ephesians 2:14-15)  He took the contrary nature of self to a oneness in God, obeying God in attitude and nature.  

Even though Jesus has brought peace to the world through his saving grace, there will always be opposition to this message, for people do not want a God of creation in their lives.  When Jesus looked over a large crowd of people, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.  So he began teaching them many things.  (Mark 6:34)  He wanted them to hear his words: this was his will.  Yet Jesus knew that even his disciples would flee from him when opposition threatened their lives.  Jesus was a healer, a man of goodwill towards the poor and disabled, one who loved others, but the world revealed its true nature by putting him to death.  He left this world alone without his disciples by his side.  Do you now believe?” Jesus replied.  “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home.  You will leave me all alone.  Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.  “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.”  (John 16:31-33)  The adversaries to the gospel will always be with us in great numbers.  They do not want God in their existence unless they can control this God in the way they desire.  They do not want a Jesus who says, Don’t call me Lord if you are unwilling to obey me.  The heart has to be changed for a person to alter the direction of his or her life.  If the heart is not changed, all the outward religiosity is just for show, kind of a salve to ease the conscience.  But God knows the heart.  He is unwilling merely to judge the outward appearance and activities.  He will judge the content of the heart, and his judgment is just and right.  Man chaffs under this idea of a God who knows the heart and will judge the thoughts and intentions of his innermost being.  But faith comes from hearing and obeying the words of the Lord.  In Jesus’ story about Lazarus the beggar, He tells about the rich man begging Abraham to send Lazarus back to his living brothers, to tell them what hell is like.  Abraham says to him, “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead."  (Luke 16:31)  Jesus has been raised from the dead.  He has provided life for all those who put their trust in that fact, but first people must believe in the words given by Moses, the prophets, and the disciples.  If they do not believe in those words, even if someone is raised from the dead, they will not believe.  Salvation faith is trusting in the words of Jesus Christ and putting them into practice.  Breakfast companions, life eternal will be the inheritance.  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  (John 14:27)  Go in peace, in spite of opposition, sharing the gospel message that JESUS SAVES!  

       

Matthew 10:16-20 Innocent as a Dove!

Matthew 10:16-20  I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.  Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.  Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues.  On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles.  But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it.  At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

This dynamic scripture manifests the truth of Christianity.  Those who have Jesus in their hearts are those who know God through the infilling of the Holy Spirit.  Only the Spirit can reveal the God of creation AS HE IS TO MEN.  We who are alive eternally are reborn because of the work of Jesus Christ in us, cleansing our temples by his blood.  In those temples dwells the Holy Spirit.  Jesus points to that reality by saying, But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it.  At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.  This scripture reveals clearly why Jesus told the disciples not to move from Jerusalem, until they were baptized with the Holy Spirit.  On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.  For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”  (Acts 1:4-5)  The followers of Jesus would need the Spirit of God in them to battle the spirit of the world.  They would be sheep among wolves.  Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.  They would need the wisdom of God when dealing with the godlessness of mankind.  They would need the protection of the Holy Spirit to preserve their testimony of God’s goodness and love to all people.  If they resorted to their own fleshly armament, using man’s knowledge and wisdom to combat their adversaries, they would despoil their mission of showing God’s love to the world.  In dealing with the hatred directed toward them—men’s willingness to persecute and put them to death, they needed to approach men as doves, innocent and harmless yet with the power of the Holy Spirit.  They were not to be ignorant of man’s intentions for them, for men intended to rid the followers of Christ from their communities.  The devil despises God’s children, his holy servants with their holy mission.  Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues.  On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles.  The world hates the Christ who saves; they hate that God created the world and everything in it; they hate that God demands allegiance, fidelity from his creation.  Acknowledgement of a God interferes radically with their self-absorbed tendencies to control their own lives and destinies as they desire.  Man wants to be God, dictate his own terms for living.  Of course in spiritual terms, this aspect of mankind is called the flesh or the sinful nature, which rebels against God.  Jesus emphasizes the need to follow the Spirit’s guidance in all situations.  Before magistrates, governors and kings, the disciples were to rely on the Spirit inside of them to speak.  They were not to prepare a defense of their situation beforehand.  Instead, they should wait upon God, asking him through his Holy Spirit to intervene on their behalf when they were before the authorities of the land.  If they relied on the Spirit’s defense of them, they would be valid witnesses for the sake of Christ.  They would be living testimonies of the work of Jesus Christ in the lives of his followers.  But on the other hand, if they prepared what they should say beforehand, they would carry their own ideas, words and schemes into the courtroom to extract themselves from their difficult and dangerous situations.  But Jesus asks them to allow the Spirit to speak for them, putting themselves in a place of faith, believing God is actually IN THEM to determine their destiny. 

We see Stephen and Jesus at the end of their lives following Christ’s words, speaking through the unction of the Holy Spirit.  Their lives were not spared, but they were proclaiming the reality of God.  When Jesus was instructing his disciples about the evils of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, He told them not to fear death, but to fear God above everything else.  “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more.  But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell.”  (Luke 12:4-5)  The religious leaders wanted to get rid of Jesus and his disciples.  They wanted to stamp out this apostasy to the Jewish religion, so they were looking for opportunities to arrest Jesus, to hand him over to the Romans to be killed.  Of course, the disciples were also in this precarious situation.  After Jesus, then who was next?  Of course, they knew the answer to that question.  They would be the next to be killed.  Jesus told them not worry about their demise, for God would be with them and they would have eternity with God as their inheritance.  Yet, that possibility was scary to them.  Jesus tried to ease their minds my telling them God would be their protector and that He would not abandon them, for He is the omniscient God who keeps an up-to-date inventory of all that exist, even to every sparrow that falls and every hair released from its follicle.  Yes, I tell you, fear him.  Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?  Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.  Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.  (Luke 12:5-7)  Jesus was reminding them of the enormity of God, his immense power and omnipresence.  God is far greater than the imagination of men.  The disciples were worth much more to God than they could even imagine.  So they should not fear death, but fear God who is able to take a lost soul and throw him or her into an eternal hell.  Consequently, why should they fear the Pharisees and teachers of the law who hated them?  Even in this life, God would direct them to combat the lies of their adversaries with his Spirit.  When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.  (Luke 12:11-12)  The Spirit of God would be with them because they were God’s children, and they were of much more worth to him than a flock of sparrows or anything else in God’s domain.  God’s love is forever, just as He said to Jeremiah, I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.  (Jeremiah 31:3)  

When we do not give the Spirit the rightful place in our lives, we lack a full understanding of who we are in God.  The Spirit is powerful, and He is ready to help us in all situations.  Sometimes we limit the Spirit to a mere feeling of inspiration and passion.  While the Holy Spirit does inspire and give us passion, the Spirit is much more than a temporary incitement of our spirits.  He is a steady companion regardless of our feelings or emotions.  In the Old Testament, the Children of Israel were not to be motivated by inspiration, but to persevere in their will to serve God.  Many times their emotions and passions were stirred up to serve God.  During these times they would cry out as one, WE WILL SERVE GOD.  But soon after the emotions and passions subsided, their congregate will to serve God weakened, turning them away from God to serving themselves or other gods.  They fled back to their fleshly desires, even committing sins that were worse than the unbelieving nations around them.  Inspiration, passion, emotions can be good, but we do not evaluate the voice of God or the will of God based on visceral feelings.  We know God because we hear him in our innermost beings.  We listen to that still, small voice and then act by faith.  All of this action is within the parameters of the word.  We are to follow the teachings of Christ, not when we feel emotional or inspired by them, but just because they are his teachings, and He always did the will of the Father.  As we read in the Bible, I can of Myself do nothing.  As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.  (John 5:30 NKJV)  Therefore, when Jesus tells us to love others even though they do not reciprocate, we love others.  If you do good to others only because they do good to you, you are not following the Spirit’s will.  YOU ARE NOT HEARING HIS VOICE.  If you will lend only to people who can repay you, you are not hearing the voice of God clearly.  Jesus says, you will not receive any credit in heaven if you loan only to those who are able to pay you back, for even sinners do that.  Jesus says, your reward in heaven will be very great if you are kind to the unthankful and the wicked.  None of his teaching is easy for the flesh.  Our human nature does not want to hear such things; neither in our selfishness do we want to obey such commandments.  But if we want to hear God when we are in trouble or as the disciples when we are brought before the magistrates and the rulers of this world, we must first hear the Spirit in following Jesus’ teachings.  The word of God is important; the presence of the Spirit is essential.  Both separate us from the nature of man and his obsession with himself.  We are to be as innocent as doves, but wise in knowing God and his intentions for us.  Breakfast companions who follow the voice of the Spirit, love others as you would want to be loved, be the light God has made you to be.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.  (1 John 1:7)  

         

Matthew 10:9-15 Share Your Peace!

Matthew 10:9-15  “Do not 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 worth his keep.  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 is not, let your peace return to you.  If anyone will not 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.”

In today’s focus we see part of Jesus’s instructions to the twelve disciples as they were sent out to the communities of Israel to preach the Good News “that the kingdom of heaven is come near.”  They were given exceptional power by Jesus.  Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.  (10:1)  Up to this time, the disciples were not given such power, but this special dispensation of authority over the evil world and its sicknesses was given to them at this time.  The disciples had such power that they could bless a community that received them or curse a city that refused to accept their message.  If anyone will not 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.  They also could bless a house or not bless a house, depending on how that household accepted them as messengers of Jesus.  As you enter the home, give it your greeting.  If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you.  This all reveals the tremendous power of the Spirit in lives that are committed to Christ.  Of course, these disciples and the seventy-two who later received the same commission from Jesus to go out to the lost sheep of Israel had not as yet received the infilling of the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit always abides in a clean vessel, washed by the blood of the Lamb.  But in these two situations, Jesus gave them the authority to have power over the spirits of the kingdom of death.  Demons were subject to their words and intentions.  After Jesus’ resurrection, He explicitly tells his followers to wait until they receive the Spirit’s infilling in their lives.  They were not to do anything with the lost sheep of Israel until the Spirit fell upon them. They tarried in Jerusalem, expecting something to happen to them, not really knowing what Jesus was talking about, until the reality of the Spirit came upon them, identified by their physical senses as a huge sound like a mighty rushing wind and images of fire alighting on the believers.  Interesting to note, their physical senses were involved in this new experience, so none of them could doubt the reality of this event.  Most of our experiences with the Spirit of God are spiritual, internal, not physical in nature.  We see in the above focus, that Jesus tells the disciples that households and communities who do not receive them will face retribution, but even the retribution is not quickly evident.  Jesus promises that judgment will fall on them.  Something eventually will happen to them in this world, not just in a spiritual sense.  What mighty power He gave to his disciples as they were sent out.  Jesus is the creator of all things.  He can accomplish what He desires: now He gave his disciples this power to determine what would happen to households or communities that would not accept their message of deliverance.  People could not simply reject the message of Jesus without someday paying a price.

Sometimes we Christians do not really believe that our prayers are heard or even honored.  Often we counsel God how to deal with a circumstance.  If we know of individuals who are depressed, we tell God to send something in their lives that will help them with their depression.  If we know of someone who has lost a job, we tell God to provide employment quickly.  If a sickness has fallen on someone, we instruct God on how to best deal with the person.  Of course, none of this is bad if our focus is based on faith rather than a demand to have our way.  But sometimes as sensitive people with a love for others, we try to tell God how to deal with situations rather than praying according to his will.  You do not have because you do not ask God.  When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives.  (James 4:2-3)  While He may or may not appreciate our counsel, his eyes extend far beyond ours.  He knows the beginning and end of all situations and his love for others is many times greater than ours.  Keep on praying as you desire, but understand as in this focus, when God is in you, He can determine the destiny of any situation with a few words or activity on your part.  If the home is deserving, LET YOUR PEACE REST ON IT; if it is not, LET YOU PEACE RETURN TO YOU.  If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, LEAVE THE HOME OR TOWN and SHAKE THE DUST OFF your feet.  Then how should we pray?  We should pray often and with reliance on the Holy Spirit.  Paul prayed constantly.  Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  (1 Thessalonians 5:16-17)  To not pray or give thanks to God is quenching the Holy Spirit.  We are tying his hands by not bringing people to the Lord.  There should be hundreds of people that we bring before the Lord.  However, if we have to spend time counseling God about how to deal with these people and their circumstances, we will only bring a few to the Lord daily, for that kind of prayer takes a lot of time, and most of you around this breakfast table are busy people, overwhelmed by tasks or circumstances in your own lives.  Look at our focus.  Does Jesus tell them to spend a lot of time counseling God on how to deal with these households or communities?  No, He just tells them to open the door for God to deal with them.  He did not tell them that they might as well not ask God for anything about these communities, for God will do what He wants with them regardless of their wishes and perspective.  No, the disciples were heavily involved with determining the destiny of these people to whom they were ministering God’s message.  God gave them this power through the commission Jesus gave them.

We do know God hears us because we are children of the Living God.  His love and presence is always with us.  As children, we seek his will for He is our Abba Father.  Paul tells us to pray often and not to be afraid to bring every request we have to the Lord.  We are to be in a constant mode of interaction with our Father God through the Holy Spirit who abides deeply within us.  Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  (Philippians 4:4-6)  We are to present our requests to God by faith with an alert mind.  We are not like the heathens or false religions that just go through a process of perfunctory prayers without a concentrated, active focus on the individuals we are petitioning for to God.  When we pray, we do not know how God will intervene in their lives, but we pray for God to bless them in the way He desires.  We open the door for God to deal with people, to bring them closer to their heavenly Father.  How many words should we use in our prayers for God to be involved with the people that we love?   Sometimes we pray many words along with fasting involved if it is a major concern as when Paul and Barnabas were sent out to minister to the Gentiles.  But usually, a simple prayer for God to bless brings him into people’s lives.  We are priests in the household of the Lord, and we wait upon him for direction and leading in what we do.  In the Old Testament we see Melchizedek bless Abraham with but a few words, but powerful.  God honored Melchizedek’s blessing.  Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine.  He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth.  And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” (Genesis 14:18-20)  God honors our prayers if we pray with alertness and faith.  He will be in the households of those we ask God to bless.  You can bless a household today as you drive down the road or as you are doing the laundry.  Petition God today for others.  There are hundreds of people in your lives that need God’s intervention.  Do not quench the Holy Spirit.  Do not hold up his work in the world.  You are the priests: you are the ones that God has given powerful authority to change the world.  Open up your mouths, let your peace rest on others.  This past Sunday in our online church service, we sang a song called, The Blessing.  This beautifully anointed song reminds us all that God has blessed us, and our children and their children to a thousand generations should the Lord delay his coming.  Isaiah speaks of this blessing.  And this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit will not leave them, and neither will these words I have given you. They will be on your lips and on the lips of your children and your children’s children forever.  I, the Lord, have spoken!  (Isaiah 59:21)  Take every opportunity you have to bless others.  Love, Dad and Mom

Matthew 10:1-8 Freely Receive, Freely Give!

Matthew 10:1-8  Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.  These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.  These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans.  Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.  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.”  

Jesus sends out his disciples to spread the Good News that the kingdom of heaven has come near.  To support this message of the Good News, He gives his disciples power to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons.  The disciples were already converts to his message about the kingdom of heaven coming near.  They knew Jesus was a man of miracles, confirming to them that something special was happening in their time of existence.  Events were occurring in the land that no one had witnessed since the beginning of time.  Now they were given the commission to propagate this message of Jesus, the Son of Man, the perfect man.  What an exciting time for them to accept their calling.  They were sent to the highways and byways to compel others to believe in Jesus and his works.  They were to be “little Moses,” clearing the way for a new kingdom where the Messiah, Christ Jesus, would rule justly and rightly.  Jesus sent them out with an understanding that the Good News had been given to them freely; they did not earn Jesus’ goodwill.   Freely you have received; freely give.  They were mostly unlearned men, men of little notoriety, except for maybe Matthew the tax collector and Simon the political activist.  Yet, Jesus had called them to his side, to walk with him and to proclaim a message of freedom from sin for the Israelites.  The disciples felt special because Jesus was becoming very well-known, popular with the general public, yet of course hated by the religious and political elite.  Up to this time, they were observers, but now they were going to be involved with Israel’s deliverance: Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.  Their commission was carried out successfully: in spreading the Good News, they were able to perform many miraculous deeds. Their accomplishments made it seem that mere men with the purpose of elevating Christ Jesus in the world would have the power of God to overcome any evil, sickness or trouble they faced.  Later, we see seventy-two disciples sent out with the same commission of spreading the Good News that the kingdom of God is near.  They rejoiced in their power over demons.  The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”  He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.  However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”  (Luke 10:17-20)  If the story ended here about the lives of the disciples, we would anticipate nothing but bliss in their lives from then on, but this is not where the story comes to a close.  In fact, we will see that the apostles and Jesus’ followers will suffer greatly for adhering to Christ’s teaching.  The majority of people will not accept the idea that Immanuel has come to Earth in the form of Jesus Christ. 

Consequently, the story goes on: Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed.  You will be hated ALL OVER THE WORLD because you are my followers.  (Matthew 24:9)  Jesus promises the disciples that their lives will be very difficult and will not end with them dying in the comfort of a bed with blankets keeping them warm in a safe environment.  In fact, most of them will die with people surrounding them with hatred in their eyes.  Some of them will have their heads cut off, others will have spears pierce their bodies.  Except for John they will die in hostile circumstances, looking at people who despise them.  Where is the authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy?  Where is the reality that nothing will harm you?  They were all harmed.  The early church, with the 72 disciples in it, faced enormous persecution.  Paul himself carried papers from the authorities of that time to persecute Christian Jews wherever he found them.  As with Jesus, who died on the cross, the early Christians would be persecuted.  That is why the disciples fled when Jesus was arrested.  Another day was dawning, a day when Christians would live by faith, not by sight or miraculous experiences.  Jesus told them, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.  The kingdom of God will come, not to elevate man in this fleshly kingdom on Earth, but it will come to those who are elevated through Christ into the eternal kingdom of God.  In this world there well be many trials and struggles, but in the eternal kingdom all that turmoil vanishes.  James encouraged the church with these words: Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  (James 1:2-3)  We are changed into children of the living God.  If everything on Earth had worked out well for the disciples and for the early church, faith would not have been needed.  Faith is not needed if the empirical evidence of a happy, blissful life is present in our daily reality.  However, Christians experiencing the vicissitudes of life have hope for something better.  If all we have hoped for is now, no faith is needed.  If Issac is born, no faith is needed, but if Issac is not born, and we are in old age, with no hope of a Issac being born, we need faith.  If the Promised Land is already here, no faith for a Land of Promise is needed.  But Abraham believed God, and God was faithful to him.  Issac was born and the children of Israel did inhabit the Promised Land.  When all hope is lost in the natural, people of God trust in the Lord by faith!  

The Bible is very clear about enduring to the end by faith regardless of the experiences we have in life.  Issac, the Promised Land are realities within our minds of faith.  But full realization of either will not come until the death of the flesh.  We accept the reality of God’s promise to us of eternal life, but we will not experience it until we breathe our last breath.  But you, Timothy, certainly know what I teach, and how I live, and what my purpose in life is.  You know my faith, my patience, my love, and my endurance.  You know how much persecution and suffering I have endured.  You know all about how I was persecuted in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra—but the Lord rescued me from all of it.  Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.  But evil people and impostors will flourish.  They will deceive others and will themselves be deceived.  (2 Timothy 3:10-13)  Our full redemption will be experienced someday.  Then we will know God’s love fully implemented in our lives, but as with Paul we might suffer many things before our deaths.  We might face rejection, heartbreak, adversaries, homelessness, hunger, retaliation, sickness, and the like.  But God has promised us an Issac, a new birth, and a new Promised Land.  As now, in this land of the flesh, we people of faith in Jesus Christ and his work have Isaac and the Promised Land in our spirits by faith.  The Holy Spirit within us makes this faith position of ours real to us.  Trust in Jesus is the gate to a new beginning and a new life.  No other path is available for eternal life.  He came, suffered, died, and rose again that we might have a life of bliss and happiness with God.  The disciples were sent out in a hostile environment, known as the earth, but Jesus gave them special powers to conquer all the troubles that the evil one had placed on the lives of the Israelites.  They had divine power to deliver people from captivity.  We also have this divine power to deliver people from captivity through our words, prayers, and lives.  Let people see the light of Jesus in our words, in our experiences, in our prayers.  As we wrote last week, we are the light of the world, and we are going to let our light shine so people will glorify God.  God knows our lives and has planned out our lives from the womb.  You saw me before I was born.  Every day of my life was recorded in your book.  Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.  (Psalms 139:16)  The disciples, who were greatly blessed by Jesus, experienced the high place of seeing even the demons under their control, but they also experienced the adversary’s hatred towards them.  But they were people of faith, looking forward to a new life, a new place to settle.  We are those people too!  God has planned out our lives for his glory, but our part is to endure through faith, believing God desires good for us no matter what we experience in our fleshly bodies.  How is your faith today?  If you lack faith, ask God for more so you might endure in joy and peace, understanding God knows everything that is in your life.  As servants of God we submit to him in every part of our lives, even when things are not going as we desire.  God chose us to serve him.  As with the disciples, go into the world, share the Good News that God has come to Earth to all people.  Let them know that Immanuel can live in their hearts through the residence of the Holy Spirit.  All that is needed is faith in Christ Jesus, the Savior who will come to all who call upon his name.  For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  (Isaiah 9:6)