Ambassadors for Christ Part 1 - 11/3/2024 Sunday Sermon

The Tabernacle Today

Ambassadors for Christ Part 1

What is the ingredient that adds fruitfulness to faithfulness? Courage to speak when others remain silent. When a faithful believer by faith presses through their fear, meets needs and proclaims Jesus, fruitfulness to some degree will follow!

Matthew 10:1-15

Three Basic Bible Study Principles (O-I-A):

Observation – What the text says – what was God saying to the first audience in their context.

Interpretation – What the text means – what is the timeless theological teaching here.

Application – How the text applies today – what God is calling us to do in our context.

Those who are called go forth to represent Christ, not themselves - V. 1-4, 7-8

We are called first to grow in our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and our ministry for Him is to be the overflow from the time we have spent with Jesus, ministering to people like He would if He was physically present.

There is a word that ties together the Sermon on the Mount message and this commissioning of King Jesus’ Ambassadors message. It is the Greek word exousia, which can be translated as right, authority, and power. Chapters 7-9 established that Jesus is the Lord of all realms – the authority over the Doctrinal/ Moral realm, the Physical realm, and the Spiritual realm.

They had seen Jesus meet needs and proclaim the Kingdom – Now He sent them out to do the things that He had modeled for them. Most of us can’t work healings in this church age, but we are also called to meet needs together and proclaim Jesus!

These basic men being called reminds me that God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called.

Jesus doesn’t wait until you are fully ready to give you your first ministry experiences (you will never be fully ready); Your first ministry experiences make a difference now and are part of getting you more ready for later ministry experiences to come.

This particular trip was to get Israel ready for decision day - V. 5-7

The entire gospel of Matthew is building toward Matthew 28 – Jesus’ Great Commission for His disciples to go to all the people groups of the world.

Now we can surmise a practical point here – in training disciples it is probably best for them to first minister to people more familiar to them before they go outside their comfort zone to people very different than they are.

Before we get to Matthew 28 Matthew’s gospel is building toward His triumphal entry to Jerusalem in Matthew 21, and Jesus’ formal offer of Himself to be Israel’s King.

Nineveh repented when Jonah the Prophet preached; but Israel as a whole did not repent, they did not vote “Yes” to King Jesus when He came, so one coming of their Messiah turned into two with the church age we are in now between the first and second coming of Jesus.

Disciples are to trust God to meet your needs; they are not in it for the money - V. 8b-10

They were not to charge for their ministry, but they could accept basic hospitality and support and watch God meet their needs – basic reliance and trust. And the people they ministered to who appreciated their ministry would learn to support the ministry (verses 40-42). Paul later called for church saints to support their pastors financially (1 Tim. 5:17-18;1 Cor. 9:9-14).

The Disciples’ job is to meet needs and proclaim Jesus, and leave the results to God - V. 11-15

There is no doubt that God is calling you to step out in faith and boldly speak to people you come across about Jesus. Some will like it, and some won’t!

Lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” - Isaiah 6:10b

And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after this comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him. - Hebrews 9:27-28