What I tell You In Darkness Matthew 10:9 – 11:6 ~ We left off in the darkness of a precious jewel mine on our safari in the last report. We saw the jewel of the Kingdom at hand. Jesus could say the Kingdom was at hand at that time because He was right there with them in their midst. I hope you didn’t miss that because it’s easy to miss and if THAT jewel is not found in your crown you will not be rich at all. You’ll be an ordinary, regular, run of the mill crown wearer if you don’t have this unique and exotic stone. Some people are certainly stuck in that mine stumbling around trying in futility to perform sign gifts, you may remember? They’re not coming with us from here because they’re going to die stuck in the darkness of that mine. Well, we’re not going to stay here because Jesus sends out the apostles – and we’re going with them! Do you see how beautiful this Bible story is? If you have read all of Genesis and the Guidelines you have read (not including Matthew) fifty nine reports and approximately 190,000 words. What that means to you is about a 500 page novels worth of genesis alone. We’re going to expound out here now in Matthew and really look around. Jesus has more than adequately demonstrated His power and authority to furnish the dynamic that empowers our ethics to live as a Christian. If that does not make sense to you then all is well – just go back to the Guidelines and read all the way to catch us and you will understand. How else can you understand? I’m afraid you can’t, my friend, if you’re not willing to come to God His way you’re not coming to God today – or ever – again! You may just want to write that down as you click your way back to, at least, Genesis. Is the Bible supernatural? – You bet it is! ~ Jesus commissions His apostles to go out to the lost house of Israel now but they were specifically told to stay away from the Gentiles, remember? We saw how sign gifts were given to these men at this time for a very definite reason. We also saw how sign gifts are not for today. If you can heal the sick then you can raise the dead because Jesus gave it all as one package, let’s not go there again today. I challenged one of these fakes one time by offering to drive him to a hospital. Of course, that’s where they really need him; specifically in the morgue. See, this man wasn’t interested in going outside of the place where he could take an offering. But here – Jesus says…. X 9 Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, ~ Okay, I have asked in futility for support, yes. First, no one has helped - and second, let’s put this in its correct context; Jesus said unto them when He sends them out the SECOND time: ‘’When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye any thing? And the apostles said, nothing. Then said Jesus unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.’’ You can find Luke’s statement in his Gospel at chapter twenty two at thirty five. You see, friends, if you don’t know who’s speaking to whom about what at what time and in what context in the Word of God then this makes no sense to you – it CANNOT be opened to you. Until you will ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes you may comprehend portions of this report but you take away no spiritual remembrance of the Lord Jesus Christ…. 10 Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat. 11 And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence. 12 And when ye come into an house, salute it. ~ This may be more applicable than we think because there are many fine people that will take you in and feed you if you are truly doing the Lords works. Overall, if you can stay where there is a whole lot of privacy I would not object to staying in homes. You REALLY better double check if you are IN the Spirit of God before you make that move. The people you reside amongst had better be men and women of God, too, or the arrangement may end in catastrophe these days. This is a very different age we live in today as opposed to the age we are studying, naturally. What we are studying is a specific three year period the life of Jesus where He taught His disciples. I trust we can all agree on this in that light of context? ~ 13 And if the house and the people in the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. 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. ~ Oh, what a confused commission people have assumed today. I hear this piously thrown out at the end of a religious argument in a bad attitude when a person cannot defend whatever points their trying to make on that day. It’s shear hypocrisy to invoke this as a means to ending exhortation in the Word of God. None of us have ever left a town and shaken the dust off of our feet, get real! To say we have done it in a spiritual context is to over-spiritualize the meaning of this account and to miss it completely. These instructions are all given to particular men for a particular reason at a particular time…. 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. 16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. ~ Before were the instructions for material things and here we have the instructions for the principles that the apostles are to live by; and these are for time and eternity. The real dangers occur trying to implement one and not the other. I know people that are wise as serpents but they sure aren’t as harmless as a dove. They’re as mean as mother bears and will tear your legs off if they get you. Others are just gullible; they’re harmless as doves but they’re also unwise, and some are actually just dumb. The serpent is dangerous but the dove lives IN danger. The balance is critical for any balanced Christian life…. 17 But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; ~ Have you ever been scourged in a synagogue? If you think you have you better look up the definition of those two key words in that question; because, I doubt it. I have been spiritually flogged in a good Bible believing church, though…. 18 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. 19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. 20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. ~ Jesus knew the hour would come when they would arrest Him. He told them not to make preparation for anything, really. Jesus knew these apostles would be given up in front of governors but not in a good way; He is attempting to prepare them for what they are to do in that hour as He tells them not to worry about what the Holy Spirit shall say. God should control you, friend; not like a zombie robot but like a son and daughter. His law should be written on your heart and His Word should be ever in your mouth…. 21 And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. ~ Jesus coming into the world at this time did not bring peace and it did not unite mankind. Jesus at this time brought division! Jesus will soon say, ‘’think not that I have come to bring peace but the sword of division.’’ What’s the sword? The Sword is the Word of God! This is all foolishness to those who perish – they are already dead! We that are saved have the power of God in us right now. Christ Jesus divided mankind at this time we are studying and we are divided today. Within a family when one member gets saved and the other doesn’t you’re likely to have the division of a non-speaking term relationship real fast…. 22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my names sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. ~ I am not ignoring this very important verse if you flip over to my commentary of Matthew chapter twenty four at thirteen for reference and complete clarification. The only difference is that here we are looking at application to His three year ministry on earth; next we will have this application to the Great Tribulation period. As we know, that period only lasts a maximum of seven years. This is important information in order to grasp properly what you are looking at and seeing here today…. 23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come. ~ Let’s be smart and understand here that the Lord Jesus means Israel: as in - over there - in that land. This is NOT Orlando, FL or any other place. ‘Till the Son of Man be come’ - okay – it’s difficult for us to conceive in our thinking how He covered this land of Israel. Israel had a real division in it, too, at this time. ALL you had to do in Israel is ask someone who they thought the Lord Jesus was and you would get as many different answers as you had people there – except for two or three, usually. The Lord Jesus still happens to grace the cover of the most controversial book in the world - ever! So, let’s look on to how we can represent the Lord Jesus Christ because He must come first! ~ 24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. 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? 26 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. ~ Friends, your life is going to be turned wrong side out one day – as will mine – as will the lost, also. When Christ takes a look at your inward space it better look as good as your outer….space - because that’s precisely where we’ll be – with Him! And then the Lord Jesus saith…. 27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye openly and outwardly. 28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered because Jesus knows you better than your mother: 31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. 32 Whosoever therefore shall not be a fool to deny Jesus but confess Him before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. 34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. ~ We saw this before where Christ didn’t come to bring peace - and the liberal preacher loves this section of the Bible. This verse at thirty four should be the moniker on the letterhead of the United Nations today; not that silly garbage they have printed on there about swords and plowshares because their whole philosophy is ridiculous; it has proven a failure and yet man clings to it like it works – it does NOT work and it NEVER has! 35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. 36 And a mans foes shall be they of his own household. ~ Have you found the Bible to hold true so far in our safari? Does the truth cry out at every tree we rest under? This that was true two thousand years ago is true today. We are more up to date than next month’s magazines. But unless you have committed your life to Christ – having truly paid a price by selling everything and giving it to the poor to follow Him; well, I wouldn’t talk too loud about your commitment to Him – Peter says Christ is the one Who is faithful and, friends, that is the wonder of it all - just a friendly word of advice as we move along now…. 37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. ~ I would have liked to have heard the way He said, ‘not worthy of Me!’ – Which WORDS did He emphasize? Many of us are not worthy of the Lord Jesus Christ. He’s not going to throw us overboard – He may even heal us - but He may not use us! He only uses those that are really committed to Him and that should put YOU on HIGH alert! ~ 39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. 40 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. 41 He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophets reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous mans reward. 42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward. ~ Back at verse thirty nine we have one of the many paradoxes that follow the Lord Jesus and we’ll do well to understand it properly. We close out chapter ten by noting it is our reward we are working for – NOT salvation. We don’t work for salvation and that’s why we cannot lose our salvation. We may, however, not have any reward in Heaven because we didn’t do anything for God while we were here on earth. I think that makes you a spiritual beggar in Heaven? – I don’t know but I don’t want to be that person. Let’s remember Jesus is speaking to those who are His own here. And speaking of His own; let’s ride down the highway and into the streets with the apostles in this chapter of rejection. We need to help others get the Word of God out. We literally turn the corner here in the ministry of the Lord Jesus. When Jesus sends His apostles forth to proclaim His arrival they utterly dismiss and reject the apostles. Even John the Baptist gets a little disturbed here. He’s been in prison since chapter four so he’s been there seven chapters. I don’t care how you date it - that’s a long time. John is expecting the prison doors to open any moment and Jesus to deliver him because John thinks the Lord Jesus is going to take the throne in the land at that time! John had questions and the question in verse three is a correct one. We know it’s a correct question because ALL questions are appropriate and proper with God! He will convict your mind if you get out of bounds with Him, friends. John assumed that Jesus would have taken the throne by now so he’s troubled…. XI 1 And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities. 2 Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, 3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? 4 Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: 5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. ~ This astoundingly beautiful answer that Jesus sent back to John the Baptist can only be understood in light of the credentials the Old Testament prophets said the Messiah would have. Well, Jesus has them. Isaiah says again and again these things in verse five will be the credentials of Christ! John recognizes the authority of Jesus. Jesus says…. 6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. ~
Posted on: Thu, 07 Nov 2013 05:04:48 +0000