Jesus chooses His disciples, teaches about the characteristics of the true kingdom and instructs the disciples of John as to the Messiah’s true identity.
Matthew 10: The Twelve Apostles
1 And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.
2 The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;
3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;
4 Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles
5 These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, "Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans,
6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
7 And proclaim as you go, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.
9 Acquire no gold nor silver nor copper for your belts,
10 no bag for your journey, nor two tunics nor sandals nor a staff, for the labourer deserves his food.
11 And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart.
12 As you enter the house, greet it.
13 And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.
14 And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town.
15 Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.
Persecution Will Come
16 "Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
17 Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues,
18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles.
19 When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour.
20 For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
21 Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death,
22 and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
24 "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.
25 It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.
Have No Fear
26 "So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.
27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.
30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.
31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven,
33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
Not Peace, but a Sword
34 "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
36 And a person's enemies will be those of his own household.
37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Rewards
40 "Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.
41 The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward.
42 And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward."
Matthew 11: Messengers from John the Baptist
1 When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.
2 Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples
3 and said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?"
4 And Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see:
5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.
6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me."
7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?
8 What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.
9 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
10 This is he of whom it is written, "'Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.'
11 Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.
13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John,
14 and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.
15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
16 "But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates,
17 "'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.'
18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.'
19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds."
Woe to Unrepentant Cities
20 Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent.
21 "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
22 But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you.
23 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
24 But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you."
Come to Me, and I Will Give You Rest
25 At that time Jesus declared, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children;
26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.
27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
Things to think about…
1. Jesus asks the 12 disciples to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Note that Judas Iscariot was part of this group, Mt 10:5-8 who heal, raise the dead and cast out demons. The disciples were not to go to the Samaritans or the Gentiles. The gospel was to be given to the Jews first, then to the Gentiles. Continue to pray for the house of Israel that it may see its Messiah (Yeshua) and act accordingly to its neighbours. This is of course difficult when some are hurling rockets at you. Both Jews and Arabs need the saving gospel of Jesus Christ.
2. Have a look at Mt 10:16-25. This speaks specifically of Jews persecuting Christians in synagogues in Israel just prior to Jesus returning. There will be a great tribulation in Israel and Christians will not be exempt, Mt 10:24, 25 says if it happened to Jesus it will happen to His followers. Even so, may we be found faithful.
3. In Mt 10:34-42 Jesus says He did not come to bring peace but a sword. Truth does not always bring peace. Sometimes it affects close relationships within the family and even in the church. This is part of the cost of following Christ and part of our cross bearing. My wife and I know this in our own families and sadly we see it being expressed in some part of the the next generation. The gospel is confronting, but we do not arm ourselves with the sword. He who lives by the sword will die by it. Our weapon is the sword of truth – the gospel. Go and take it out, knowing that most will not hear you, even within your family. Encourage and refresh those who do the same, Mt 10:40-42.
4. Jesus explains His ministry to John the Baptist via John’s messengers - John needed encouragement, Mt 11:1- 6. Jesus then explains John the Baptist’s ministry to His hearers, Mt 11:7-19. John was the one prophesied by Isaiah as the messenger who would come before the Message. Jesus explains with the children and the marketplace analogy that Israel did not want to hear the Message even when the tune of the Saviour was played, they would not dance for the message of the good news. But rather reviled the messenger and the message.
5. What does such rejection deserve? The judgement of these cities of Israel - Chorazin and Bethsaida will be far worse than the Gentile cities of Tyre and Sidon, Mt 11:20-24. I was unsuccessful when in Israel trying to find these sites as I drove in these areas back in 2017. There are ruins at what is believed to be Chorazin today. Those who know much, much will be required. As such it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah than for Capernaum – another Israelite city – in ruins as well. Those who knew Christ then rejected Him are in a far worse position than having never known Him at all.
6. Who actually gets this stuff? Jesus says children do, Mt 11:25, 26. The wise will be shamed by the world’s fools who accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Please continue to pray for our Kidz@church ministry and RI programs in local schools of Ipswich. We know what it is to be yoked with Christ and to have spiritual rest in Him, Mt 11:28-30. Hallelujah!
Vision Point for cell groups
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Sermon title was “The context of blessing” - from Matt 7:7-24
1. The Sermon on the Mount begins with the word “Blessed”. It then proceeds with the context of how we are to be blessed. Jesus says that we must ask, seek and knock, vs 7. Jay mentioned the reasons why we should expect God to answer, but also why he doesn’t answer at times. He used the example of earthly fathers when our children ask for things. But also when we ask, sometimes we don’t ask correctly, Jam 4:3. Discuss.
2. Why discussed “Spiritual Gps” on Sunday and the narrow gate and difficult way, vss 12-14. How do we know we are on the right track spiritually?
3. What is the quality of the produce coming off your spiritual farm, vss 16-20. How can we measure whether the fruit is good or bad? Often what we listen to and spend our time on is a good indicator. How can we discern whether we are following a wolf in sheep’s clothing or not, vs 15?
4. I believe some of the most fearful verses in scripture are found in Mt 7:21-23. How can we discern whether we are known by God or whether we are of the group that says “Lord, lord” where Jesus responds to them by saying “depart from Me I never knew you”?
Prayer Points
1. Pray for ministries as they start up this week.
2. Pray for testimonies that people will be doing every second week. Please consider when you would like to do yours when the pastor asks you to share yours.
3. Pray for other building projects – café roof, the repair of the house roof.
4. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points.
1. Safe return of everyone from holidays
2. Ministries started back.
3. Worship led by Rod, Zac, Molly and Reilly. Rin, Tim and Dan on the desks. You made Sundays praise enjoyable.
4. More visitors and spirit of joy on Sunday.
5. More restrictions being lifted.
Announcements
1. Combined service. 5pm Sun 24th Oct, Riverlife Baptist Church.
2. PlayPatch starts back this week.
3. Kids@church back. Please check your rosters
4. Recharge Youth – back on Friday 6:30pm at church all high schoolers.
5. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
