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 means that the gospel is confronting, not that we should arm ourselves with the sword. He who lives by the sword will die by the sword. Our weapon is the sword of truth – the gospel. Go and take it out, knowing that most will not hear you. 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 and RI program 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!
VisionPoint! For cell groups from Sunday morning’s message.
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission..
Questions for Cell groups
Sunday’s sermon, “Where did God come from?” came from Matthew 1:1-17 by Ps Jay.
1. Have a look at some of the names in the genealogy of Jesus. Does this line look as if a Saviour would come from it? What do you think?
2. These names point to the historical line of Jesus coming through Abraham as well as being a son of David. Jay mentioned historical records regarding Jesus and how the NT was formed on Sunday. Do you recall some of what was said? How important is evidence to your faith.
3. Jay mentioned that while the line of Christ and evidence for the person and work of Jesus was readily available it was not enough to save a soul. Even Jesus said if you don’t believe Me believe the works that you may believe, John 10:36, 37. Explain what is necessary for someone to accept Christ, even more than, facts, evidence, experiences or miracles. What is your own testimony of coming to faith.
4. Persecution was what confirmed what books would finally make it into the NT. How was this done. Discuss 2Pet 1:16-21 as well as 2Pet 3:15, 16 as well as 1Cor 14:37.
5. Pray for your cell group and prayer/praise points. Pray for our “Blessing Beirut” appeal as we endeavour to help these ‘sons of Abraham’.
Prayer Points
1.Pray for Lebanon and the people of Beirut with this accidental blast from the storage of ammonium nitrate. 157 confirmed dead. 5000 wounded, 300, 000 left homeless. $10 - $15 billion to rebuild.
2. Continue to pray for Victoria, numbers of infections are going down, but the increased lockdown will see many businesses go under and depression and mental health to be a problem in the state.
4.Continue to pray for our government for wisdom and economic management.
6.Sunday’s messages. The message this week – “Give me a sign” Matt 16 – Ps Jay.
7.Church finances to meet our expenses and to put a roof over our café.
8.Our City and Country – Pray for revival over our city and the leadership of our country even through these challenging times.
Praise Points.
1.Finances continue to be maintained.
2.Wonderful spirit of joy in our church. Thankyou Jesus.
3. Donations to Café roof ($5,145) and Blessing Beirut ($900). Thankyou!
5.Unity, peace and grace at CBC.
6.Praise God for all those who serve at CBC.
Announcements
1.Prayer meetings Tuesday and Thursday mornings 5:30 -6:30am at Church
2.We have established a “Blessing Beirut” fund. After prayer and seeking after a support partner the Lord has led us to Ras Beirut Baptist. We have received word back from them. Pray our gift would bless Beirut with the gospel.
3.One service at 9:30am Every Sunday morning. This service will also be live streamed on Youtube. No kisses, hand-shakes or hugs are allowed. Hand sanitizer is to be used, tables will be wiped and chairs arranged for appropriate distancing. Families can of course sit together. CBC is allowed up to 50 people inside, then we have an overflow in the cafe.
4.Cell groups – Ask for details as to how and what is required.
5.Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
6.Kids Church will be run in the house when the message starts.
