Chosen Disciples of Christ Jesus

 Appointing the Apostles and the Sermon on the Mount

 Book of Luke Chapter 6

 What is wrong with much of the Church today? People tend to institutionalize religion, making it full of form and ritual, rules and regulations, ceremonies, and services.

 What does the Bible say about this? 2Ti 3:5  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 

 The modern church is denying the power of the Holy Spirit, and many have kicked the Lord Jesus Christ out of the doors of the church.

 The Church becomes a religion like all the false religions and far from Christianity, which is the desire of our Heavenly Father.

 The Church is to walk in the ways of the Lord Jesus Christ, or it is not a church!

 Why were we saved to begin with? The Lord Jesus Christ needs people!

 In fact, that word "need “is wrong. The Lord Jesus does not need any of us!

 It is those who are lost who need Christians; they do not need religionists!

 We are chosen to carry the message of salvation to the world.

 How did the Lord Jesus go about choosing people to serve as ambassadors from Heaven?

 *****Luk 6:12  And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. 

 The Lord Jesus chose His people after much prayer.

 No matter what we are about to take on, we are foolish not to spend much time in prayer.

 There was a large group of people following Jesus at this time, and not all of them had the right reasons for doing so.

 The leaders of Judaism were filled with hatred for Him, and their hatred was increasing.

 In every circumstance, prayer is the refuge for those who serve Christ!

 Most of us can say our prayers in a minute or two, but in reality, this is not enough time to get our message to our Heavenly Father.

 Yes, He knows what we need, but why should He help us or our ministries if we refuse to spend some time with Him?

 The Lord continued all night. Once the Lord started this prayer, He stayed with it until He got His message across and received His answer.

We may not always get an answer when we pray, but we must get our intentions to the Lord!

Jesus was about to choose men to carry the Gospel to all the world, and yet He had a reason for every choice He made.

 We know that one of those men was Judas Iscariot, and though we may not know the exact reason he was chosen, we do know Christ had His reason.

 By the time the sun had come out, the Lord Jesus Christ knew whom He would choose.

 *****Luk 6:13  And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;

 There were many who were following the Lord Jesus everywhere He traveled, but He chose twelve men from those who were called disciples with the intent that they would be His apostles.

 A disciple of Jesus Christ must:

 1) Believes in His doctrine.

2) Rests on His sacrifice.

3) Keep the knowledge of His Spirit.

4) Follows His example.

 Rest meaning: Mat 11:28  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 

Mat 11:29  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 

Mat 11:30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.  

An Apostle of Jesus Christ:

 1) They are commissioned to preach the Gospel.

2) They had the authority of the Master.

3) They aided in the ministry of Christ.

4) They followed His example.

 These are the same things we, who are disciples, must do!

How were an Apostle chosen:

 1) They were men who had been with Jesus.

2) They could testify to the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Act 1:22  Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.

3) They were given the keys to the Kingdom of God.

4) They were given supernatural gifts. Act 2:43  And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. 

5) They were called by the Lord Jesus Christ: Gal 1:1  Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;) 

6) They were given the inspired Word of God and would not depart from its truth: 1Th 2:13  For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

 These Apostles were to have no successors. They were the only authoritative teachers of the Doctrines of Jesus Christ.

The office of the Apostle ceased when these men died.

 We cannot be apostles, but we can be the messengers of Jesus Christ and the Gospel.

 The Lord Jesus called Himself the Apostle sent from Heaven: Joh 17:3  And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 

 That word “sent” is the Greek word "Apostello," meaning sent on a mission.

 The Apostle Paul also said the Lord Jesus was an Apostle: Heb 3:1  Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; 

 The Lord Jesus Christ, our great Apostle, was sent from Heaven with the message of salvation.

 So, the Lord chose His Apostles:

 *****Luk 6:14  Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, 

Luk 6:15  Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes, 

Luk 6:16  And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor. 

 There should be no doubt that these twelve men were a diverse group.

 Simon, whom the Lord had already named Cephas, which means a "mass of rock" and is translated as Peter, was chosen, as was his brother Andrew.

 We could say that Andrew was more Greek than he was Israelite. He had also been a disciple of John the Baptist

 James and John, along with Simon, were businessmen, and these three seemed to have a closer relationship with our Savior than the rest.

 James and John were also called Boanerges, "sons of thunder".

 Some say this was because of their preaching, but in reality, the name came because of their temper.

 Luk_9:54  And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?

 The enthusiasm of James serving the Lord was probably what got him selected as the first martyr.

 Matthew may have been the wealthiest of them all, but he may have given even his wealth up to follow the Lord Jesus.

 We know Thomas as doubting Thomas, and he may have been a twin.

 James the Less was a son of the sister of Mary, also named Mary.

 One was a political nationalist and an insurrectionist, Simon the Zealot.

 The Zealots were pledged to overthrow the Roman government and to assassinate as many Roman officials and their Jewish cohorts as possible.

 Philip was a native of Bethsaida and seems to have had a prominent place among the Apostles.

 Bartholomew was also known as Nathanael and is always mentioned with Philip.

 Not much is said about Bartholomew. The Lord Jesus did appear to him on the Sea of Tiberias after His resurrection, and he did witness the Ascension of the Lord.

 The Lord Jesus said he was indeed an Israelite. Joh 1:47  Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!

 Guile means being crafty, so Bartholomew was a man who fulfilled the true idea of Israel. A man of God, and we could say a man who could get in touch with God through prayer.

Bartholomew would be one of those Israelites who stand at the wall today, praying.

 Judas or Jude, the son of Alphaeus, who was also the son of Caphi, who was a Jewish general under Jonathan Maccabaeus.

 He seems to be the brother of James the Less.

 Then there is Judas Iscariot, the betrayer, also called the Son of Simon. Joh 13:26  Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. 

Joh 13:27  And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly. 

 None of these men was famous or in any way tied to the government.

 As this group comes together, we can see the power of Christ, who gives us all purpose and meaning to life.

 We should understand that the Lord knew that Judas the traitor would betray Him, and this also was the providence of God.

 1Co 1:27  But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 

1Co 1:28  And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 

1Co 1:29  That no flesh should glory in his presence. 

 Once these things were settled, the Lord Jesus had a sermon that needed preaching.

 *****Luk 6:20  And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. 

Luk 6:21  Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. 

Luk 6:22  Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. 

Luk 6:23  Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets. 

 Many Bible scholars call this passage the Sermon on the Plain to say it is different from the Sermon on the Mount, but we are going to see what the Lord says here.

 The Lord Jesus had just chosen His twelve Apostles, knowing that one of them would betray Him, which is another lesson for the Church.

 It shows that anyone can spend a lot of time with the Lord Jesus and appear to be saved when they never truly accept who Jesus is and why He came as a Shepherd and will return to be King of kings and Lord of lords.

 Jesus is not only speaking to the crowd that had gathered, but He is also speaking to those chosen to be His Apostles.

 This message, some call the beatitudes, explains clearly what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ.

 What is materialism? Materialism is the philosophy that considers the fundamental principle of all things and denies the independence and autonomy of the spirit.

 Some say it is naturalism, but it is not.

It can be called sensualism, but this is an incomplete meaning.

 Materialism is sensual enjoyment in its fullest sense and denies the existence of the spirit world.

 We should understand that some parts of our being are non-material.

 Gen 1:26  And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 

Gen 1:27  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 

 What is the image of God?

 The image of God in mankind cannot be material because God is Spirit.

 Joh 4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. 

 God is spirit, and He does not have a body.

 1) Personality is nonmaterial because each of us has self-consciousness and self-determination, which allows us to make choices. Animals do not have this trait.

 Without this, we could not be redeemed!

 Personality reveals our ability to exercise dominion over our created world and develop the earth.

 Gen 1:28  And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. 

 Gen 2:15  And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 

 2) Our Spiritual being. God is Spirit, so the human soul is a spirit.

 The attributes of a spirit are reason, conscience, and will. These are all non-material.

 God has endowed each of us with those attributes that belong to His own nature as a Spirit.

 This is why we can know God and the foundation of our belief in our Creator.

 If we do not have the image of God, we cannot know Him, and we would be like the animals.

 3) We have a moral nature.

 Man was created in moral righteousness, also called knowledge and holiness, which was lost in the fall of Adam.

 Eph 4:22  That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 

Eph 4:23  And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 

Eph 4:24  And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

 Col 3:10  And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 

 We are not all material but are also spiritual.

 This was Darwin's error that has followed mankind through the last few centuries.

 We did not evolve from animals!!!!!!!

 The Lord Jesus begins His sermon, preaching to those who are poor in spirit.

 There is nothing in this material world that can make us rich in spirit!!

 We must seek our Creator, our God, and His Kingdom, knowing that He alone has the power to make us rich in spirit.

 Mat_6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

 Being poor in spirit is being full of self.

 There is a lot of difference between having self-righteousness and having God's righteousness.

 Self-righteousness dies when the body dies.

 The righteousness of Christ Jesus lives forever.

 Jesus says all those who become rich in spirit will inherit the kingdom of God.

 2Co 5:21  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 

 Blessed are the hungry. Again, this is spiritual hunger and not physical hunger.

 Being hungry is not a blessing; it is sad and tragic.

 If we hunger after righteousness, hunger spiritually, it means we have a starving spirit that craves the righteousness of God.

 Righteousness means to be right and to do right according to the Word of God.

 Just being righteous is not enough; we must do righteousness!

 Loose living is dangerous. People do whatever they desire, and they feel comfortable with their relationship with Christ, and they are wrong. They must be righteous and do righteousness to be secure.

 Self-righteousness is the first step to legalism and being judgmental.

 Jesus does not say Blessed are the righteous because no one is.

 Rom 3:10  As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 

Rom 3:11  There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

 Jesus says Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.

 Jesus continues Blessed are those who are sorrowful, those who weep and mourn.

 The thought here is of a broken heart over wickedness, helpless against evil, desperate.

 It’s the same brokenness we should feel when we see the Lord Jesus Christ on that cross.

 We should be broken when we realize that we should have been on that cross rather than our innocent Savior.

 We should be desperately sorry for our sin.

We should feel sorrowful for other sinners.

We should feel sorrowful when we experience personal tragedy or trauma.

 When the Lord says He will wipe away all tears, it means we will laugh with the joy and comfort of our salvation and redemption.

 Psa 16:11  Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. 

 We will pass from death to real life!

God will wipe away all our tears.

 We should feel blessed when the world looks upon us as the disciples of Jesus Christ.

 We will be hated without a cause.

Our names will be seen in slander.

We will be charged with false crimes and accusations.

 We should rejoice and jump for joy because our rewards are in heaven and not on this earth.

 We must remember that we are not of this world; our home is in Heaven!

 Those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ and depend upon materialism will not have any of these blessings.

 *****Luk 6:24  But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. 

Luk 6:25  Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep. 

Luk 6:26  Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

Judgment is coming to all those who depend upon materialism.

We already know that materialism cannot satisfy our God given spirit!

We can say that woe is equivalent to great grief.

I do not consider myself to be rich, but we could say that anyone who has something that they can put away or save after their needs are met are richer than our parents and grandparents were.

Mar 12:41  And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. 

Mar 12:42  And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. 

Mar 12:43  And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: 

Mar 12:44  For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living. 

The wealthy are esteemed, honored, and envied.

Wealth brings power!

Those who are already wealthy usually work hard to gain more.

What does God say?

Eph 4:28  Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. 

What did the Lord tell the rich young ruler?

Mat 19:21  Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

Riches make most who have it selfish.

Riches attach us to this dying world.

Those who are full are those who are so full of themselves that they do not have room for God!

Those who choose to be full of what this world has to offer.

Rom 16:18  For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. 

They will leave everything they have accumulated behind when they pass on.

There are no desires that can be fulfilled after death.

There are no delights fulfilled in Hell that will last for eternity.

They shall hunger for righteousness, but it will be too late.

What did the Lord Jesus say?

Rev 3:17  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 

Those who laugh now are those who laugh in their sin.

They have no sense of sin, no sorrow, and no regret over evil or suffering or wickedness.

They pay no attention to this dying world!

They will be alone in Hell to weep over their great losses.

Job 20:5  That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment? 

Job 20:6  Though his excellency mount up to the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds; 

Job 20:7  Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say, Where is he? 

Worldly people want attention, honor, and praise, but all these things do is fill them with pride that they cannot overcome. 

We must also be aware of the so-called preachers that the world speaks well of.

The modern church would not allow Jesus Christ in the pulpit today.

The modern church has allowed the world into the church, and though they are rich, they are failing because they have rejected the Doctrine of Jesus Christ, who God has made Head of the true Church.

The sermon on the mount and the sermon on the plain would be rejected as false, and the false church will keep growing in sin and riches and end in Hell.

Amen

The Disciples of Jesus Christ

 Jesus Called Disciples and More Healings

 Book of Luke Chapter 5

 

 In the time of Jesus, every teacher had his own company of disciples.

 Jewish Rabbis had theirs, Pharisees had theirs, John the Baptist had his, but the difference in the disciples of Jesus Christ was that He chose twelve men Himself.

 This inner circle of men had to forsake their lives and follow the Lord Jesus wherever He went.

 They also continued the ministry of Jesus after He returned to Heaven.

 The most important thing was that they were trained to carry the ministry of Jesus forward after He was gone.

 They changed from disciples to Apostles.

 That word apostle has a similar meaning to ambassador.

 We should realize that the Lord Jesus also appointed another seventy men and commissioned them.

 Luk 10:1  After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.

Luk 10:2  Therefore said he unto them, the harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. 

Luk 10:3  Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. 

 A disciple of Jesus Christ will submit to baptism, submit to the teachings of God's Word, and obey all the Lord Jesus has commanded.

 The Lord has told all His disciples that He will make us fishers of men: Mrk_1:17  And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.

 Jesus would have all mankind caught in the Gospel net!

 *****Luk 5:1  And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, 

 Lake Gennesaret is the same body of water known as the Sea of Galilee.

 The call of men is needed more today because the world has more than eight billion people in it who need to hear the truth of the Gospel and make a decision for themselves.

 We can see that these people wanted to hear what the Lord Jesus had to say.

 They wanted to hear the Word of God!

 They had a hunger and thirst for things that the Lord Jesus was saying.

 Mat 5:6  Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 

 We need that same hunger and thirst today for the truth.

 *****Luk 5:2  And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them and were washing their nets. 

Luk 5:3  And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. 

 Have you ever noticed how sound travels so well when you are on the lake?

 I believe the Lord Jesus had a booming voice that could be heard from a great distance, but no man can talk over a large, disorderly crowd hanging all over him.

 Simon Peter makes his fishing boat available to the Lord Jesus, so Simon participates in the work of the Lord.

 Like a pastor preached recently, "What do we have in our hands to give unto the Word of the Lord"?

 Do we make available our resources to the work of the Lord?

 *****Luk 5:4  Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. 

Luk 5:5  And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. 

 The work of the Lord is not all drudgery; the work of the Lord can be rewarding.

 Now, this is not saying that Jesus teaches a prosperity Gospel, but God will reward those who are on the battlefield of the Lord, but it is rarely financial, other than meeting our needs.

 Peter and those with him had fished all night and had taken nothing.

 This is the outcome I have most of the time, but catching fish is not the main reason I go fishing.

 Here again, the Lord Jesus had a reason for the miracle that He was about to perform.

 The title Master comes from the Greek word meaning teacher.

 Sometimes the same Greek word for teacher is used as the title doctor.

 Peter was an experienced fisherman, and he knew if the fish did not bite in the night, they were not going to bite in the daytime, but the Lord Jesus wanted to start working on Peter's faith.

 The Lord also wanted Peter to accept Him as the Messiah who has control of all nature.

 The lesson from the Lord Jesus was out with the old and in with the new.

 A New Covenant was beginning, and it would have better results than the Old Covenant.

 The lesson for us all is that we can place our faith in the infallible Word of God.

 As we build on our Christian lives, doubt must be replaced with obedience.

 There are no hopeless situations for the child of God.

 The results of obedience will always be a blessing.

 When we are drawn to God, we need to obey our hearts.

 I can remember a few weeks before I came to this church, I was walking in my yard, and the Holy Spirit asked me why I was throwing my life away because of the way I was living.

 I only knew the truth of that day when I came through the doors of this church.

 Peter was having a similar feeling on this day with the Lord Jesus.

 *****Luk 5:6  And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. 

Luk 5:7  And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. 

 The miracles of the Lord Jesus Christ showed that He could do things that only God could do.

 There are many charlatans out in this world today, but none of them can do what only God can do. And we must not be fooled by them. 

The Holy Spirit will not allow their lies to be true.

 Those who claim the power to heal should go to the closest hospital and stop the suffering of those on the inside.

 If Peter had only caught a few fish or even a net full of fish, he would have thought little about it.

 The Lord Jesus wanted Peter to feel the willingness to serve the Lord.

 If Peter thought he was exhausted, he was about to find out what true exhaustion was all about.

 Peter's net could not hold all the fish, and he called for another boat to come to help. Both boats had so many fish in them that they were in jeopardy of sinking, which the Lord would not have allowed because it would have defeated His purpose.

The Lord Jesus knew exactly how many fish it would take to sink those boats!

 When we make decisions in this life, we must make those decisions according to the Word of God and our faith.

 Peter's faith began to rise.

Peter's faith rested on the Words of Christ, "At Thy Word". No one else could have talked Peter into letting down his nets he had just cleaned.

Peter's faith led to obedience without questioning.

 Many of us are disappointed at what this life offers, but we find that as we walk in step with Jesus Christ, we learn what blessings are all about.

 Peter became overwhelmed because of his own sin of doubt.

 *****Luk 5:8  When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. 

Luk 5:9  For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: 

 Peter understood exactly what had happened!

 Peter was overwhelmed by his own unworthiness!

 Peter understood that he had just witnessed a miracle.

 The people on the shore are not mentioned, but they were there, many of them, because they had witnessed or heard of the many miracles of healing that the Lord Jesus had performed.

 To Peter, the Lord Jesus was no longer Master but now Lord. We know Him as Lord of lords.

 Peter came to the Lord Jesus upon his knees in confession of his sins.

 1) Peter confessed to his sin of unbelief. He had questioned the Lord's will. He had to acknowledge that the Lord's power was not of this earth.

 2) Peter confessed that Jesus was indeed Lord. In this verse, the Greek word "kurios" means supreme in authority.

 1Co 12:3  Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. 

 Peter acknowledged that the Lord Jesus was the authority that must be obeyed, and we had better understand this also.

 3) Peter confessed his fear and his reverence as Peter was in awe of the miracle that the Lord Jesus had just shown him.

 This reminds us of the Prophet Isaiah: Isa 6:5  Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

 Peter was close to salvation as we know it:

 Rom 10:9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 

Rom 10:10  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 

 And others had witnessed this miracle.

 *****Luk 5:10  And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.

Luk 5:11  And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him. 

 This passage tells us when these men realized that Jesus is Lord of all, and they were determined to follow Him.

 This passage tells us something else.

 We know that in typology, this fishing boat is in type the Church, and the Church cannot do anything without the Lord Jesus Christ being onboard.

 Jesus Christ challenged these men to follow Him and become fishers of men.

 It is the job of the Church to produce and train fishers of men with those who answer the call of Christ and are filled with the Holy Spirit.

 To Peter, it was now obvious that the Lord Jesus was indeed the Messiah come from God, and he had what we all need.

 A reverent fear of God and an actual fear of the Almighty God and the Lord Jesus, sensing this fear, said, "Fear not".

 The Lord Jesus had not come at this time for "judgment". He will judge this world when He returns the second time.

 So, we too can "Fear not".

 In actuality, the world has already been judged, and we are judged as sinners.

 This is the reason the Lord Jesus came to earth the first time.

 Rom 3:10  As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

 Rom 3:21  But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 

Rom 3:22  Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 

Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

 What do we know of our own calling?

 Joh 15:16  Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

 There were two of the disciples of Christ who were named James.

 Here we have James, the brother John was the son of Zebedee.

 It is this James with his brother John and Peter who become the Lord's inner circle.

 This James is never mentioned apart from John.

 This is the James that King Herod had killed with a sword. As far as we know, the first Christian martyr.

His brother John was the only Apostle of Christ who was not murdered.

 There is another James, the son of Alphaeus, called James the Less, because he was shorter than James, the brother of John.

 There are also two other men named James.

 James, the half-brother of the Lord, who later became the pastor of the Church in Jerusalem.

 It is this James who wrote the epistle of James.

 Then there was James, the father of Judas Iscariot.

 Those who are called of God will forsake all and follow the Lord.

 Luk 9:23  And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 

 *****Luk 5:12  And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 

 There are some things we should see here.

 Leprosy is a type of sin in the New Testament.

 In the salvation plan of God, we must first acknowledge that we are sinners.

 Then we must acknowledge the cleansing.

 In reality, we are not healed from our sin; we are cleansed from our sin.

 Only the Lord Jesus Christ can cleanse us of our sin.

 We must be washed to become clean.

 Rev_1:5  And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

 Is the Lord Jesus also the Great Healer? He certainly is, and He can heal us from any ailment.

 Mat_14:14  And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.

 He will do neither without a show of faith.

 Luk_9:11  And the people, when they knew it, followed him: and he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing.

 This leper, who came to Jesus, was sustained by his hope. He saw hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our only hope in this world!

 He called Jesus Lord because he knew that Jesus is Lord of lords.

 1Co_12:3  Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

 We must realize just how dirty and defiled we are on the inside and on the outside before we can be cleansed of that defilement.

 We must humble ourselves before the Lord, who only can cleanse us!

 Leprosy was the most terrible of diseases in the day of Jesus and was greatly feared by the people, and we should see sin in the same way today.

 It would cause disfigurement, and many times it was fatal; again, sin causes these same things.

 It is no wonder that leprosy is a type of sin in Scripture.

 The leper was considered unclean.

The leper was judged to be the walking dead.

The leper was an outcast and banished from society.

The leper was considered polluted and incurable.

 Sin will cause these same things, but because of the mercy and grace of God, He looks deep into our hearts, and He knows there can be something special in each of us if we will only trust Him.

 The leper had asked the Lord Jesus if He could be willing to help him, and the Lord said; 'I will".

 *****Luk 5:13  And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him. 

 We see that the Lord Jesus Christ is willing to help anyone if they show faith in His powers.

 The Lord Jesus is always moved with compassion for those who are hurting in any manner.

 This leper acknowledges that he is hopelessly lost and the only thing that can help him is God's "Grace".

 Only "Grace" can heal a leper because only "Grace" can cleanse us of our sin!

 So many have become desperate in our world today because this world cannot help them, and if it could, it refuses to help them.

 The Lord Jesus reached out and touched this man when no one else would ever touch a leper for fear of getting the disease.

 Every leper was considered untouchable!

 The Highest of all God's could go low enough to touch the unclean leper when no one else would.

  The Lord Jesus Christ will reach out and touch all who are considered untouchable in our world if they trust Him.

 The Lord Jesus is always willing to help those who have faith that He will help them.

 How did Jesus heal this leper? It was that sword in His mouth. He just spoke the words "be thou clean," and this man was cleansed.

 We can all be cleansed by the Word of Jesus Christ.

 What did the Lord Jesus do throughout the time He was upon this earth the first time?

 Mat 9:35  And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 

Mat 9:36  But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. 

 For this, He was crucified!

 *****Luk 5:14  And he charged him to tell no man: but go, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. 

 What did this man need to do next?

 This man needed to worship and offer thanks to God and learn to obey the Word of God before doing anything else.

 Remember, this man did not have a place on his body that was not covered with leprosy.

 In typology, he was deep in sin. He wanted to run and tell the world that he was now.

 We must understand that the Lord Jesus had come to this earth as a lowly servant, and He did not want people to think more of Him than this.

 Php 2:5  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 

Php 2:6  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 

Php 2:7  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

 Jesus Christ did not do the things He did for self-exaltation.

 Jesus wrote all prophecy, and He knew some would try to make Him king, but it was not the time for this to take place.

 It was highly unlikely that any lepers were healed in those days. A priest had to go through a detailed list of laws to ever confirm that any leper was cured.

 This leper still needed a certificate from a priest saying he had been cleansed.

 Book of Leviticus, Chapters 13, verses 38-59, and Chapter 14, verses 1 through 32 will give us some idea about the cure of leprosy.

 *****Luk 5:15  But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities. 

Luk 5:16  And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.

 The fame of our Lord actually interfered with His ministry so much that Jesus had to withdraw to the wilderness and talk to His Heavenly Father.

 This is another great example for us.

 When the world interferes with our relationship with our Savior, we need to get alone with God and tell Him what we are going through.

 Jesus had the message of salvation and the power to heal, but the message of salvation is much more important!

 It was God and prayer that were the source of His power, and He needed much time alone with God, just as we all do.

 *****Luk 5:17  And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.

 As the fame of the Lord Jesus grew, the old religionists came to investigate.

 Above all, the Lord Jesus Christ was at this time Teacher, and it is His message that is of greater importance.

 This committee had representatives from all over the country. Every major area was represented.

 These people could not get along with each other, but they came together to critic the Lord Jesus.

 These critics did not come to help Jesus in His ministry of salvation, and they certainly did not come to learn from Him.

 They came to investigate and observe Him. They were like spectators at a ball game, except salvation is not a game. Salvation is a God thing, and God sent His Son to show us the only path to Salvation.

 What did the Lord Jesus do? He just kept on doing what He was doing and paid them no attention.

 Rom 14:4  Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. 

 We are not here to judge any minister who is serving in the name of our Savior.

 We were never called to be judges but witnesses!

 *****Luk 5:27  And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me. 

Luk 5:28  And he left all, rose up, and followed him. 

Luk 5:29  And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them. 

 When the Lord Jesus Christ began building His disciples who stayed with Him, He chose those who were the outcasts of society.

 This man called Levi is the same as Matthew, who wrote the Book of Matthew.

 Levi was a dreaded tax collector.

 The tax collectors of that day were normally Jews, and it was Rome who set up the tax standard, but most of the tax collectors were rich because they collected more than was required.

 For this reason, they were hated because they worked for the Roman government.

 To the Lord Jesus, Matthew was just a sinner like we are all sinners, and we should see other people as sinners just as we are sinners.

 We may be better off than those who reject the Lord Jesus, because He has made a way for us to get to Heaven, but we are not better than anyone we meet, lost or saved.

 In fact, Christian Pride can interfere with the job the Lord has given us to do.

 We should have a testimony about what salvation has done for us, but the message we have is the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 The Lord Jesus went forth, whether it was from a house or a city, because it was time for Him to be busy about His Father's business.

 What is the business of our Heavenly Father? 1Ti_2:4  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

 By associating with a man such as Levi, Jesus was exposing Himself to ridicule and acceptance by the upper class of Jerusalem.

 These outcasts were not acceptable to the social network of society, but Jesus loved them.

 We must understand that we were all outcasts from Heaven until we accepted the truth of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Just as the Lord Jesus humbled Himself before these outcasts of society, we have to humble ourselves before Him.

 Everything that the Lord Jesus did was an example for us to learn as we are to be more like Him in all His ways.

 Matthew made a great feast in his home, and there were many more of the tax collectors there because they were each other's only friends.

 Matthew's heart was now filled with joy, and he wanted all his friends to learn of God's Messiah.

 Matthew forsook his riches and became a disciple of Jesus Christ.

 The Lord Jesus wants us all to do the same thing today.

 2Co 5:19  To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 

2Co 5:20  Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. 

2Co 5:21  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 

 As always, the super religious crowd found faults in the way that the Lord Jesus worked His ministry, and these outcasts of society were not wanted in their religious circles.

 They were not acceptable!

 *****Luk 5:30  But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners? 

Luk 5:31  And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. 

Luk 5:32  I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. 

The religious crowd saw Jesus Christ only as a person who associated with the rejected of society.

Today, this would be the drunks, those who consume drugs, those who have addictions to all sorts of illegal substances, those who are in jails, and anyone else who accepts the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jesus called us to witness His truths and not be like those who only judge people to see if they think they are acceptable.

If you did not keep the laws of the religious crowd on that day, you were ceremonially unclean and rejected.

Thank goodness we are not under the law, but under grace, God's Amazing Grace.

The Lord Jesus said to this crowd that only those who realized they were sinners needed a Savior.

All those who are righteous in their own eyes do not need anything.

These are those who are sick, but they do not know it.

They will never call the doctor, so they can never be healed.

The Lord Jesus came to save sinners.

The Lord Jesus died to pay the sin debt of all sinners, even those who think they are not sinners.

The Lord Jesus gave His life for the life of all sinners!

The righteous crowd does not accept the fact that they need repentance!

They say they do not need saving.

Those who trust in some false god say they do not need saving.

Those who are rich think their money can buy them salvation, so they do not need saving.

Those who trust in the ways of the world say they do not need saving.

What does God teach us? 

Joh 3:17  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 

Joh 3:18  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

And God the Father adds: Psa_2:4  He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

Pro_6:15  Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.

Pro_1:26  I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;

Today is the day of salvation, don't wait until it is too late to call upon the Lord!

Amen

Chosen and Sent

 Jesus Sent Men on a Mission

Book of Matthew Chapter 10

Who is a disciple of Jesus Christ? 

1) They will believe His doctrine.

2) They rest upon the sacrificial works of the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation.

3) They are full of the Holy Spirit the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

4) They will follow according to His example.

You cannot be a disciple of Jesus Christ if you reject any of these things!

There were many who followed Jesus at the first, but Jesus chose 12 specific men for His own reasons.

*****Mat 10:1  And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. 

We can say that Jesus chose twelve men because there were 12 Tribes of Israel. 

At the time of Jesus the separation of the tribes of Israel did not exist in the fashion as determined by Moses.

It is the Church who will "Judge" the twelve tribes of Israel during the 1000-year reign of the Lord Jesus.

Mat 19:28  And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 

Notice men have no power before they are given power by the Lord Jesus Christ.

These men were given only the same powers that Jesus had already shown to the world!

Mat 9:35  And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

Jesus considered all humans as spiritual sheep:

Mat 9:36  But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. 

Jesus also said many more would become disciples if there were enough laborers with His message:

Mat 9:37  Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few; 

Mat 9:38  Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest. 

These powers were amazing powers to be given to men. 

At this time they could only preach the same message as John the Baptist except to say the Messiah had come.

1) They had power to heal all manner of sickness and disease.

2) They had power to cast out evil spirits.

If you do not have the Holy Spirit living in you, then you have an evil spirit living in you!

Then we see the names of these 12 disciples who are now called apostles.

The 12 Apostles were men specifically chosen by the Lord Jesus Christ.

We know that the traitor Judas is in this first group, but he is later replaced by the Apostle Paul, still because every Apostle had to be specifically chosen by the Lord Jesus Christ.

We know Paul, then Saul, was chosen as he traveled the Damascus Road.

There were no other apostles then nor can there ever be.

The Church is the one and only group chosen to spread the Word of God throughout the world today!

Their names:

*****Mat 10:2  Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 

Mat 10:3  Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; 

Mat 10:4  Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. 

We must understand that when the Lord Jesus allocates power to individuals, it is not about ranking it is only about His ministry.

It is not about position, it is not about wealth, it is not about fame, it is not about earthly dominion.

Those given the power of Jesus Christ are given that power to reach and help people.

The soul of man is the most important commodity to the Lord.

The power of God is to be always directed against the evilness and wickedness in this world.

It is not the power to judge, the Lord holds that power to Himself.

Jesus Christ in the flesh could only be in so many places.

The Lord Jesus taught men to carry on His work after He completed that work and returned to Heaven in all His glory.

These 12 men were not administrators, they were always just ministers.

The Church has only one Head and that Head is the Lord Jesus Christ!

It is not the Pope or any other religious leader.

Eph 5:23  For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

The Church is that "body", the Body of Christ.

Israel was first called the people of God, but they rejected the Lord.

Remember, the Lord Jesus will not force Himself upon anyone. When you say leave He will leave as Jews insisted before Pilate.

Mat 27:22  Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. 

Mat 27:23  And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. 

Mat 27:24  When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. 

Mat 27:25  Then answered all the people, and said, “His blood be on us, and on our children”. 

Mat 27:26  Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. 

Why would they still believe they are God's people?

The Church is now God's chosen people!

1Pe 2:9  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

It is these Apostles who taught the message given to them by the Lord Jesus, how can we reject their message?

Jer 3:15  And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. 

An apostle belongs to the One who sent them.

An apostle is commissioned to be sent out.

An apostle possesses the authority and the power of the One who sent them.

These powers were given to these 12 men and to Paul and no others.

Because these men died, then their apostleship died out.

At first these men went only to the Jews, but we must also remember, the Lord Jesus is all-knowing, and He already knew what would happen, Jesus came to die for all sinners in every land!

*****Mat 10:5  These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: 

Mat 10:6  But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 

These disciples were undergoing a training program that they did not really even understand at this point.

This was a temporary mission. 

They were to go only to certain places. 

They had a specific message.

They had a specific manner in which they were to conduct themselves.

They had specific powers given under the authority of the Lord Jesus.

We should completely understand that no one is given the power to preach the Word of God unless they are called and then sent by the Almighty Living God.

Much of the problems in the Church today is because of so-called men of God were not truly called of God.

The message to the Jews was a message of repentance as John the Baptist preached. 

The difference being John preached Jesus was coming.

These 12 would preach that Jesus the Messiah was now here.

These 12 after the death of Christ and after the Holy Spirit gave them full power would preach, Jesus is coming again and their message would be to all people, in every nation, Jew, Gentile, and Samaritan alike.

Every human being will fall into one of these categories!

There were at this time many others who were following the Lord but most of them followed Him because of the miracles He had shown.

You see a ministry for the Lord is not a profession with retirement plans and salaries and all such things.

A ministry for the Lord is a commission!

Without the power of a calling to serve, you would have to serve in your own strength.

Without the power of a calling, you will try to serve with your own ideas of God's plan.

Without the power of a calling, you will always come up short in proclaiming the Gospel.

Without the power of a calling, you will always wonder if you are doing any good at all.

We find these problems in many a house of God today.

These 12 went only to Israel at this time and not to the lost world.

Only after the death of Christ and the Holy Ghost came down to these disciples at Pentecost, would their message be a true salvation message!

Rom 9:30  What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. 

Rom 9:31  But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. 

Rom 9:32  Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; 

Rom 9:33  As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 

Rom 10:13  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 

We must understand that Israel will always hold a special place in God plans.

God made certain promises to Israel and He will keep those promises.

If we truly understand the plan of God for our salvation, then we should also understand once we are saved our first priority is to reach out to our family. 

These Jewish disciples were reaching out first to Jews a lesson to them for the future and a lesson for us once we come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as our own personal Savior.

We also see that those who are lost are as sheep. Sheep have to have a Shepherd to survive!

What was their message?

*****Mat 10:7  And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

They were not sent to “discuss” the Kingdom of Heaven, they were sent to preach!

They were to proclaim the Kingdom of God is at hand.

They were to preach the message that the Lord Jesus gave to them, not some message of their own.

What did God tell Jonah?

Jon 3:2  Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, "and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee".

This is another problem in the modern church. The modern Church has forgotten "to preach the message of Jesus Christ".

This is the message given to the Apostles after Pentecost when they were filled with the Holy Spirit and sent out to the World!

We are never to preach or teach our own ideas about the Gospel, we are simply to preach and teach the Gospel of salvation and then all the Word of God as it is written.

2Pe 1:20  Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

These disciples preached repentance and this repentance message is forgotten today!

We have to stop our sinful ways and turn toward Jesus Christ and His ways.

We cannot say God made me the way I am and refuse to repent, this is what the meaning of being "Born Again" is all about!

We must turn from our old ways and turn to the ways of Jesus Christ!

These disciples were given other powers that are not given to the workers of Christ today.

The Jews always had to have proof.

Mat 12:39  But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:

This same sign that was shown to the Jews was shown to the world!

Mat 12:40  For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 

The Lord Jesus Christ remained in a borrowed tomb for three days and three nights just as He said!

*****Mat 10:8  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. 

These disciples were given great powers from the Lord, these powers do not exist on this world today.

These things cannot be done without the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Mat 10:1  And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. 

We should understand all powers for the ministries of Christ come by Christ!

Notice the differences in the powers given to the Church and the powers given to these disciples who were to go strictly to the Jews.

1Co 12:28  And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. 

1Co 12:29  Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? 

1Co 12:30  Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? 

1Co 12:31  But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way. 

The greatest trait we can be given from the Lord is a giving love!

1Co 13:3  And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, "and have not charity", it profiteth me nothing. 

The message of Jesus Christ is nothing without "love"!

These disciples had to go to the house of Israel based upon their faith in Jesus Christ!

*****Mat 10:9  Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, 

Mat 10:10  Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.

If we place our faith in any of these things, then we cannot say we have true faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Most missionaries today do not go to the field until they have established a fund of support for themselves and their families, but the Lord Jesus did not allow these 12 disciples who would become the 12 Apostles, after Paul joined them, to carry these things with them.

The only thing they had, was their faith that Jesus was the Messiah, and the Kingdom of God was surely at hand.

These disciples were not allowed to accumulate great estates through their ministry, and they were not allowed to spend their own money on the ministries of the Lord.

1) Their minds and their hearts had to be centered on the Gospel and ministering to the people. Not buying, selling, or accumulating.

2) They were to trust God to meet their needs and teach dependence upon the Lord.

3) They were to depend upon God's people to provide.

4) They were to allow God's people to be a part of the Lord's ministry by the act of giving to that ministry!

The true servant of God is worthy of our support!

These Apostles were to give full time to the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, and they could not do this without support from God's people!

*****Mat 10:11  And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence. 

Mat 10:12  And when ye come into an house, salute it. 

Mat 10:13  And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. 

A worthy house would be a hospitable house. A person who was willing to entertain strangers. 

There was most always someone like this in every town, city, or village, it was in the Jewish culture.

These people would have good reputations for their hospitality to strangers and have good morals according to the Word of God.

These disciples were to stay in this home until their work was done in this area.

A worthy host would normally not be the rich nor the leading citizens of a city.

In many cases, the worthy host may not have the best accommodations, but this was not important.

God's people are never to seek more comfort and luxury over a Godfearing home!

All these things were to test the sincerity of these soon to be Apostles.

Once established they were to go house to house with the words of Christ.

Pro 18:24  A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

Col 4:6  Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. 

If they were accepted into the home, then they were to share the peace of God.

If they were not accepted, then their salutation would be enough, and they would go elsewhere.

They were to say nothing else at all.

It is called being courteous no matter what that person did to you.

We are not ambassadors for Christ to make enemies!

If they reject the message of Christ, then they have rejected Christ!

These were all Jews but no matter what was served at mealtime was not to be rejected!

They were to be content with their accommodations!

If the house be worthy of it, God shall give them the peace you wish them. If not, He shall give you what they refuse. 

The same will be the case when we pray for them that are not worthy.

*****Mat 10:14  And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. 

Mat 10:15  Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city. 

What is discernment? 

Mal 3:18  Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. 

As witnesses of the Lord Jesus we must discern and make "righteous" judgment, of the people we witness to.

We are not their personal judge, but we can judge according to the Word of God!

Jas 2:18  Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

1Pe 2:12  Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

1) Are they kind and gracious or cold and hard?

2) Are they just shy and bashful or really not interested?

3) Are they truly receptive or just kind and gracious to everyone?

4) Are they spiritually sensitive or just interested in religious questions?

In reality, we are not to waste our time on those who will never trust the Lord.

1Th 4:8  He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit. 

How did the Apostle Paul react to these things?

Act 20:26  Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. 

Act 20:27  For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. 

Jesus put things a little harsher!

When we are rejected as witnesses for the Lord, just trying to tell someone about Jesus, the Lord Jesus says Hell will be hotter for those people.

If we consider the people of Sodom and Gomorrah to be some of the worst of all sinners, then we are thinking wrong.

Gen 13:13  But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly. 

We see many living in this lifestyle today and they will suffer in a like manner of Sodom and Gomorrah but those who have rejected the simple witness of the child of God, will find the "Judgment" of God to be even more severe!

Jud 1:7  Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. 

Sodom and Gomorrah rejected the truth of God!

Lam 4:6  For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, that was overthrown as in a moment, and no hands stayed on her. 

Today those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ, reject the "Grace" of God who sent His only begotten Son to die for them.

All sin brings death of the soul and eternal damnation and eternal separation from a loving God, but to reject the Son of God brings with it an even harsher judgment!

At this time, these 12 men were witnessing to the Jews, but it will be the same for all those who reject God's Son!

The witness for Christ is just the messenger as is every true Pastor and Preacher.

Those that reject the messenger also reject the message, and that message is the salvation plan for this world.

This rejection brings the condemnation of God!

Jud 1:14  And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, 

Jud 1:15  To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and "of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him".

As the messengers of God we are God's sheep, and our Shepherd is the Lord Jesus Christ.

*****Mat 10:16  Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. 

The Lord Jesus has told us we would face persecution for becoming His sheep.

Joh 15:20  Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

2Ti 3:12  Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

It is only the Lord Jesus Christ who can send true messengers of Heaven.

We as disciples are commissioned by the Lord Jesus Christ, and we should have great comfort in this fact because we go forth with the power of God.

The Lord Jesus is fully aware of the persecution we will face!

Persecution teaches us about God's care for us.

Persecution matures us as believers.

God sometimes uses persecution to touch the hearts of the persecutors.

We must also consider that if we are persecuted to our death, we will be in Heaven before our dead body hits the ground.

Death holds no power over God's children!

We must not be caught off guard when persecution comes.

It is almost impossible to walk upon a snake, they can feel your presence as you walk.

A snake will get out of your sight as quickly as possible.

A snake is very quiet!

A snake does not expose itself needlessly.

A snake always seeks to preserve itself.

A dove is mild and meek.

A dove bears no ill or hurt.

A dove is innocent and inoffensive.

A dove is a symbol of peace and not war.

When we have the love of God, we will act like we have the love of God!

1Co 13:4  Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 

1Co 13:5  Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 

1Co 13:6  Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 

1Co 13:7  Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 

1Co 13:8  Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 

1Co 13:9  For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 

1Co 13:10  But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 

There is much more to be being a witness for Jesus Christ than just walking around with a Bible in your hands!

Amen

The Apostles Of The King

THE APOSTLES OF THE KING

　

Our Text: Matthew 10:1-42

The work of salvation was accomplished by Jesus "alone", at the Cross. The witness of His testimony and His resurrection can only be done by God's Word and by His "disciples". To be a disciple of Jesus Christ one must first accept and trust Him as Lord and as Savior.

The King needed ambassadors to carry His message and He still needs them.

An "ambassador" is: As an ambassador is sent to a foreign court to declare the will of the king, so every Christian, is Christ's ambassador sent to wherever He may send to declare the will of his King.

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

We will now learn how our Lord, who is truly the Lord of the Harvest, sends forth His laborers. He does it here as the King, who came to offer the Kingdom to Israel.

These first ones sent forth, the Apostles, would announce the same message Jesus had just preached, the sermon on the mount and the same message of repentance of John the Baptist. This message was altogether in connection to the Kingdom and ended with the full rejection of the Kingdom by the nation of Israel:

The Apostle John says it best:

Joh 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

Joh 1:11 He came unto his own, and [his own received him not].

Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

Jesus Christ was a Jew, of Judea. People could tell just by looking at Him that He was a Jew and He was rejected by His people the Jews.

Joh 4:9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, [How is it that thou, being a Jew], askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

After the "Rapture of the Church" this same message will be preached again by 144,000 Jews during the great tribulation.

Rev 7:3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, [till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads].

We cannot ignore any of the Word of God, but this Chapter 10 of the book of Matthew is not the same commandment given to the Christian disciple which is:

Mat 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Mat 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

This chapter 10 is devoted to the twelve apostles:

1.) We will see their names.

2.) We will see their "first" commission.

3.) We will see their provisions.

4,) We will see their opposition.

5.) We will see their assistant.

6.) We will see some reaction to their ministry.

7.) We will see some rewards of their ministry.

*****Our Text:

Mat 10:1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.

Mat 10:2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;

Mat 10:3 Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;

Mat 10:4 Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

Mat 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:

Mat 10:6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Mat 10:7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Mat 10:8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

Mat 10:9 Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,

Mat 10:10 Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.

***What is an "Apostle"?

The term "apostle" comes from the Greek word "apostolosos" and it basically [means one who is sent]. In a sense it is the same as the Latin word "missionary" or one who is sent forth for a specific purpose.

These chosen disciples, "Apostles", were empowered (not brute force but by authority from God) with many abilities, among those were the power to heal all disease and cleanse all manner evilness.

Notice:

1.) They received a personal calling.

2.) They were discipled by the Lord Jesus Himself.

3.) They were sent out as "ambassadors" to the King, (King Jesus).

These things are similar to the calling to those of the Church:

A.) It will always be personal calling from Our Lord.

B.) The Church is discipled by the Word Of God, which are the Words of Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

C.) The Church is sent out to Witness to all we come in contact with.

Each one showed a love and loyalty to Christ at this time.

D.) Each Christian must be loyal Christ Jesus also. (faith)

Each Apostle had to meet certain requirements:

E.) Each Christian must meet certain requirements:

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

*****To be an Apostle:

1.) They had to have seen Jesus:

1Co 9:1 Am I not an apostle? am I not free? [have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord]? are not ye my work in the Lord?

2.) They would have had to fellowship with Jesus:

Act 1:21 Wherefore of these men [which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,

Act 1:22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection].

3.) They had to be chosen by Jesus:

Eph 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

4.) It is these Apostles that laid the foundation, which is of Christ Jesus Our Lord, of the Church:

Eph 2:16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

Eph 2:17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.

Eph 2:18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

Eph 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

Eph 2:20 [And are built upon the foundation of the apostles] and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

Eph 2:21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:

Eph 2:22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

The names of the Apostles:

1.) Simon Peter *****[who hears and obeys, the "rock"]

2.) Andrew*****(brother of Simon Peter)[a strong man, manly]

3.) James***** (The son of Zebedee)[supplanter, with an abundant portion)

4.) John*****(Brother of James and son of Zebedee)[Jehovah is gracious]

5.) Philip***** [lover of horses, warlike]

6.) Bartholomew***** [son that suspends the waters]

7.) Thomas***** [a twin]

8.) Matthew***** [gift of Jehovah, a reward]

9.) James*****(the son of Alphaeus) [supplanter that changes]

10.) Lebbaeus Thaddaeus***** [man of heart, large hearted, courageous]

11.) Simon***** (the Canaanite, Simon Zelotes) [the zealous rock]

12.) Judas Iscariot***** (the betrayer)[man of murder, a hireling]

Judas Iscariot was replaced with Matthias, by the Word of God.

Matthias means [a gift of God]

These twelve apostles have a definite relation with Israel:

Mat 19:28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, [ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel].

The New Jerusalem:

Rev 21:12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, [and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel]:

Rev 21:13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.

Rev 21:14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

We can be sure that it is Matthias and not Paul that will judge the nation of Israel, and his name will be on one of those gates.

The Holy Spirit, guided this selection of Matthias by the Word of God.

The Scriptures had said:

Psa 109:8 Let his days be few; and let another take his office.

Act 1:20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.

Act 1:22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.

Act 1:23 And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.

Act 1:26 And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

We can see that the Apostle Paul recognized Mathias as an apostle:

1Co 15:5 And that he was seen of Cephas, [then of the twelve]:

Paul goes on to say:

1Co 15:8 And last of all he was seen of me also, [as of one born out of due time].

Paul separates himself from them as being different from these twelve:

Gal 1:1 Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)

Paul said he was specially chosen by the Lord for a specific purpose.

It is through Paul who had no earthly connections but chosen by the God of Glory after His resurrection, that the Gospel of Grace and the mystery that was formally hidden might be made known. To the Church, Jesus Christ is not King as such, but He is the Lord of Glory. It is from His Glory as the Head of the Body of Christ that He gives His gifts to the Church.

Eph 4:4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

Eph 4:5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

Eph 4:6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Eph 4:7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

Eph 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

Eph 4:9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?

Eph 4:10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

Eph 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

IT IS EASY TO SEE THAT THERE CAN BE NO APOSTLES TODAY!

1Pe 1:8 [Whom having not seen], ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

We have yet to see Him but we will see Him one day and one day soon:

1Jn 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, [when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is].

*****In verse 6 we can see the first commission of these Apostles. They were to go only to the lost sheep of Israel. Not to the Gentiles, nor to any mixed race of the Jews.

It would be after the resurrection of Christ that these things would change:

The second commission of the Apostles:

Luk 24:46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:

Luk 24:47 And that repentance and [remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem].

In this commandment of the Lord, these Apostles were to preach that the promised Kingdom for Israel, and through Israel to all the nations, was about to come. This is not the message of the Church but this will be the message preached again after the Rapture of the Church.

If not for the God of the second chance how many of us could be saved! I would burn in Hell if not for the God of mercy and grace and the God of the second and even third chance.

There are at least two principles that we can observe that do not change in the Church age:

1.) The Gospel is to be free!

The Church is not a business to make money.

2.) The Lord will provide for those He chooses!

We must have faith in God's providing power before we take it on our own to step out. Mankind will let the missionary down, and the preacher down, and the Church down. It is our faith in the providing power of God that will keep us going.

Jesus ask later:

Luk 22:35 And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing.

These Apostles depended on the hospitality of others as they ministered the Word given to them by Jesus. They could only stay with believers!

The Apostles were not to compromise the message given to them of Christ Jesus. There is no compromising the Gospel. God says what He means and God means what He says.

*****Our Text:

Mat 10:14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.

Mat 10:15 Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

Mat 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

Mat 10:17 But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;

In this time of Jesus, the refusal to show hospitality was equal to a refusal to hear one's message. If you shook the dust off your feet that would tell those around you that you considered their place to be unclean. This was a sign that they had rejected the kingdom of heaven while Jesus was still on this earth in the flesh!

The Bible says:

Act 13:49 And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region.

Act 13:50 But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts.

Act 13:51 But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium.

When we study our Bible we know that the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was a complete destruction and their location never found, yet Jesus says:

"It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city".

Of course the judgment mentioned here is the "Great White Throne Judgment" of the Book of Revelation:

Rev 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

Rev 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Rev 20:15 And [whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire].

Are there different degrees of judgment? This verse could indicate that this is true but there is no doubt that they all will be cast into that burning lake of fire.

*****Verse 16 gives another principle that we know to be true in all ages:

The instructions of Jesus at this point are instructions to all that are sent forth in the name of Jesus but these instruction will meet there fulfillment at the time of the great tribulation:

1.) Notice most of the opposition will come from organized religion:

Vs 17) "for they will deliver you up to the councils"

2.) And from governments:

Vs 18.) "ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake"

3.) And "All" must be saved to deliver this message:

Vs. 20) "For it is not ye that speak, [but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you]"

Joh 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

Joh 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

4.) There will be "Worldwide" persecution:

Vs 22.) "And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake"

5.) Then, The Second coming of the Lord;

Vs 23.) "Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come"

We know that some of these things took place in the Book of Acts and the Pauline Epistles. We know that some of these things take place in the day we live but we can see that the fulfillment of all these things will be in the time of the Great Tribulation. (Matthew 24-25)

The tribulation period will be a time of great opposition. Remember the Church will already be in Heaven.

The opposition will come from:

1.) Organized religion.

2.) Organized governments

3.) From ones own family.

All these things happen to some extent in our day but we will see this greatly increase as time goes by. At the time of tribulation these things will be worldwide, even in our own families.

God's people will need to be tough, tough-minded and still tender hearted.

At some point during the tribulation period Religion and Government will join hands: Rev 13.

The Antichrist will force the world to worship him and his false prophets.

Rev 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

There will be no natural affection:

2Ti 3:3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

2Ti 3:4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

2Ti 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

As Christians we must trust the Spirit of God to help us remember what the Lord has taught us. We must study to show ourselves worthy of His leadership:

Joh 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

The Bible we have been given "is" the "Word that Christ Jesus has said to us"!

We should not flee when persecution comes upon us!

*****Our Text:

Mat 10:24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.

Mat 10:25 It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?

Mat 10:26 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.

The emphasis on this section of scripture is Vs 26, "Fear Not".

When we have a fear of confessing Christ openly, and many of us do, we are not fulfilling our obligation of confession to the Lord!

Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and [with the mouth confession is made unto salvation].

The world has it's CIA, FBI, Massad, Interpol and others BUT:

God does not have a Secret Service!

Christ was persecuted, we will also be persecuted. However:

1Pe 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

1Pe 3:13 And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?

1Pe 3:14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and [be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;

1Pe 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear]:

1Pe 3:16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

Why?

1.) God will bring everything to the light (Vs 26-27).

2.) We are to fear only God Himself (Vs 28).

For God will not condemn His children:

Joh 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

3.) God cares for His children (Vs 29-31).

A farthing would be about a half a penny in our money. You could get two sparrows for a half cent. To humans a sparrow was worthless but to God, He kept up with every life of this worthless bird. If God does that for this birds then He will do even more for His chosen children.

More and more in our age [the human life becomes more and more worthless to the societies we live in] but God will always be there for us:

Luk 12:24 Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: [how much more are ye better than the fowls?]

4.) God honor's those that confess Him (Vs 32-33)

a.) Jesus is our High Priest in Heaven.

b.) Jesus is our Advocate in Heaven.

1Jn 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

1Jn 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

5.) A Christian will always have conflict around them (Vs 34-39)

Eph 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Eph 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

If you put on armor you are preparing for war.

2Ti 2:3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

2Ti 2:4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

THERE IS NO MIDDLE GROUND IN THIS WAR!

6.) We can be a blessing to others (Vs 40-42)

When we become the children of God through faith in Christ:

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Joh 14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

We become disciples when we follow in the footsteps of Christ Jesus:

Luk 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

This is a daily walk and not a part time walk.

Let's Pray!