Jesus' DIsciples

 

COLERAINE INDEPENDENT METHODIST CHURCH

SUNDAY 17 NOVEMBER 202 – MR KYLE PARKS

MATTHEW 10 VERSES 1 to 8

The study of the disciples in whom the Lord Jesus Christ called to be apostles is a really interesting study.  Different men with different personalities and backgrounds all serving the Lord, all for the sake of the gospel outreach.  The Lord had many disciples.  In the account we read it focused on the 12 who were called to be apostles.  We think of other disciples Jesus had – such as the Mary’s of the bible.  Mary his mother, Mary of Bethany,  the sister of Martha and Lazarus who seemed to understand that Jesus had to die.  Mary Magdalene the one whom Jesus cast out 7 devils.  She was the first woman to see Jesus after his resurrection.  We think of the little boy who brought his 5 loaves and 2 fish to Jesus, he gave everything he had.  He was a disciple. In Luke 10 we read of the “other 70 disciples” who Jesus sent them out 2 by 2 into the cities.  The Lord has his group of disciples and he sends them out for him.  In the passage we have read the Lord calls these 12 disciples, 12 men that the Lord is going to devote himself to.  He is going to spend more time with these men than any other.  Not only be part of 70 but there is something different about them.  God is going to begin with them to build his church.  It is to these 12 the Lord pours himself into, to train, to bring them up, to teach them, personally getting to know them better than anyone else.  The Lord has been going around and has been involved in ministry.  A ministry that was more effective than any other ministry ever had been or will be.  The Lord Jesus had power over defilement, distance, diseases and demons.  He was performing more miracles wherever he was.  He was gaining quite a following.  No surprise that flocks of people crowded to him.  No surprise that disciples were being made.  It is to these 12 that Jesus pours his time into. I want us to notice 3 simple facts about this text – the master, the Lord Jesus Christ, then the men, who were these men he called and finally the ministry they were called to.

Firstly the master – verse 1.  Matthew the author of this gospel first wants our eyes fixed on the Lord, to see his power and absolute lordship over his disciples.  As he calls these disciples they are there waiting his command.  It is a blessing for those who are Christians to look back on their lives to a time when they were called by Jesus, when I got saved.  When once in darkness now in the kingdom of light. It is a blessing to look back to the point when I was saved by Jesus, when he called me out of the bondage of sin into his light, to be reconciled to Christ.   To look back on a time when you were an enemy of Christ, when he reached down and saved you and you are now a friend of his.  Like the psalmist in Psalm 40 “He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay and set my feet upon a rock and established my goings.”  I am sure these disciples could look back on a time of blessing, being called by Jesus himself.  Matthew was a tax collector, the lowest of the low when God called him, reached down and saved him.  Maybe we can look back to a time in your life when Christ established your going out.  Or maybe you cannot look back on such a time.  You have not been saved.  You  are still on your way to a lost eternity in hell.  You haven’t known the grace God has to give.  You have not met with Christ, you are not a disciple of his.  The truth is there is no better time to serve the master like this morning. 2 Corinthians 6 verse 2 “behold now is the accepted time, behold, now is the day of salvation”.  What a blessing it would be if you left here today and could say  “I came into the kingdom of darkness and am now leaving in the kingdom of light.  I am one of the master’s men. I am a follower of Jesus Christ.”  What a blessing if you could leave here saying that.  In verse 1 we see these 12 disciples and the Lord Christ he gives them authority – verse 1.  The Lord Jesus throughout his ministry had been constantly proving himself to be God, the second person of the Trinity. He did this in many ways. He did it through his preaching and teaching, through his many miracles, through showing he had power over unclean spirits, he was able to cast them out.  Think of Mary Magdalene from whom he cast out 7 devils.   He healed all manner of sickness and diseases.  Now he is proving he had authority to take the ability that solely belonged to God and gave that to his disciples.  Now his apostles are ready to go into ministry for Jesus, to serve their master, to take his command to go into the gospel outreach.

The men – verses 2 to 4.  In the first time in the New Testament this title of apostle is applied to these men.  These men were the apostles.  Then as you come into the book of Acts Paul comes in to the role of apostle.  There were no more apostles than these.  Jesus started off with these men.  I want you to notice 3 simple things about the disciples.  They were ordinary men.  Average men.  Nothing special about these men.  If you were walking down the street you would not have picked them out.  They were flawed men.  Full of mistakes.  They were a diverse group, all different from each other.  They were ordinary men – 12 whom the Lord called, he didn’t go out looking for the brilliant academics that society had to offer, who knew the Old Testament scriptures better than anyone else.  He did not look for the Pharisees, the Sadducees and scribes.  He was not interested in the religious establishment.  He called normal, ordinary, average men.  Never thought of them as people who would have the church on them, who would set the world on fire, change the course of human history.  Not scholars or great philosophers.  Nothing special about them.  Look at Simon Peter and his brother Andrew.  They were fishermen, doing an ordinary job.  Remember how Peter was called.  When Jesus was out teaching the crowds and the crowds were getting bigger and bigger.  They were saying “this is a man speaking with authority” and more people came and heard him.  Jesus was being pushed back closer to the water.  He needed to go out into the water and a get into a boat.  He picks Peter’s boat and after the crowds left he tells Peter to go out and cast down his net.  He thought he would not catch anything.  He knew the Lord spoke with authority so he went out, let down his net and caught so many fish that the boat could not hold them.  Peter came and fell down at his feet.  The Lord tells him “you will no longer fish for fish but fish for men.”  He is lifted from an ordinary career and given an unordinary task, to make disciples of Christ.  Think of Bartholomew – we do not know very much of him.  He is in the background, so ordinary.  Seems to be the case with the Lord.  Just seemed to call ordinary people to serve him.  1 Corinthians 1 verse 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.”  That is definitely me today.  I am foolish and I am weak. I am sure you can look at your life and say the same.  What does he do with them?  God calls ordinary people.  So many people don’t get into service for Christ because they think they are too ordinary to be used by God.  They say “Look at that one who is good at preaching or that other person who is good at teaching God’s word to children, I am far too average.”  God calls average, ordinary people not because of their own power or strength but because of God’s power.  God had the authority to give these disciples this authority.  God gave them this power.  You may not feel you can do anything for God but it is God who equips the unequipped.  “I can do all thing through Christ that strengtheneth me.”  He can use you.  I am sure none of these men ever thought they could turn the world around, that could serve in God in the way they did, but with Christ’s strength that they could do something extraordinary for Christ.  If you are feeling ordinary today you are just the kind God can use in an extraordinary way.  These men were average, ordinary but also flawed.  They made mistake after mistake.  Think of Peter.  Peter denies the Lord 3 times yet the Lord restores him and uses him to accomplish wonderful things for Christ.  Think of Thomas, he does not believe the Lord can be resurrected.  He sees the Lord  and he is restored.  The Lord can use broken, fallen people.  People feel God can’t use them because of a past mistake in their life, it haunts them.  Look at the disciples today – mistake after mistake, failure after failure.  The Lord restores them, uses them in a wonderful way for him.  That could be the case whether it be for Peter, Thomas or you today.  The Lord’s always ready to restore the believer that needs restored.  To reconcile the sinner that needs reconciled. There is no sin too big or too small that would stop you being reconciled and serving the Lord Jesus Christ.  “If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1 verse 9.  Are you not serving the Lord because you are looking at your past and saying “I cannot serve the Lord after what I have done?”  Would you come to Christ and seek that restoration he offers.  These were flawed men but the best of men are men at best.  They failed God many times.  The Lord restored them and used them again and again.  These men were ordinary, average men.  Nothing special about them.  They were flawed men, made mistake after mistake but God restored them.  These men were also diverse.  None the same as the other.  They brought with them different baggage. Different backgrounds, different personalities, talents, abilities and flaws.  The differences between them were massive.  Before Jesus called Matthew he was a Jewish tax collector.  You cannot get worse than that.  Israel was an occupied nation.  The Romans came in and wanted Israel’s taxes.  They set up tax collectors.  The Jews didn’t like this – here is the enemy looking for our money. Matthew he was a Jew and a tax collector, a traitor to his own people.  Matthew was a tax collector working for the Romans yet Jesus calls him into this group of disciples.  The Lord also called Simon the Canaanite.  Luke 6 refers to him as a Zealot.  The Zealots were a Jewish group known more for their hatred of Rome than any other group. They had such a resentment towards the Roman occupation that inspired them to become the most violent and aggressive group in the region.  There was no Jewish group that was politically motivated and opposed to the Roman occupation as much as the Zealots were.  There were one group of Zealots known as the dagger men.  They concealed curved daggers in their robes, they would sneak up to Roman politicians and soldiers and stabbed them in the back.  They were also known to burn or destroy Roman targets in Judea and then retreat into the Galilean countryside.  We do not know if Simon was inn one of these groups, we do know he was a Zealot.  He hated the Roman occupation and wanted it gone.  He wanted it gone at any means.  He was not afraid to kill or be killed for the cause.  For the Zealots tax collectors like Matthew who collected for Rome were treated as traitors to the nation. These Jewish tax collectors were often a target for attacks or assassinations.  You couldn’t get 2 men more opposed to one another than Simon the Zealot and Matthew the tax collector.  They were vastly opposed to one another, you couldn’t get 2 men in any way different than any other.  At one time Simon would probably have killed Matthew.    In the end they become spiritual brethren, working alongside each other for the same cause, the spread of the Gospel.  Worshipping the same Lord Jesus.  We see such differences in these men. Completely different attitudes, different opinions, different political opinions yet Christ takes them and has them work together for his glory.  See different personalities in these disciples.  Think of Andrew, he is so positive, always bringing people to Christ.  Think of Thomas, he is more negative.  There was one account where Jesus wants to go to Bethany.  Thomas deemed Bethany to be unsafe.  In a sarcastic way he shouts out “fine then let’s just go and die with Jesus.”   So negative. Not like Andrew bringing people to Christ whereas Thomas is so negative - he just says “we can’t go there.”  Maybe there are negative and positive people in this church.  Maybe they are needed to balance things out in our church.  Think of the differences amongst the disciples.  Think of Peter and John.  Peter is so impulsive, he seems to wear his heart on his sleeve.  He is doing things in the extreme. He goes from 0 to 100 in a split second.  Think of when the guards came to get Jesus and Peter draws his sword.  Or when the young woman says “do you know Christ” and he says “I swear I don’t.”  John is not like that at all, he is methodical, he is a real thinker  – John 1 verse 14 “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the word was God.  In him was life and the life was the light of men.  And the light shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not.”  Later he writes “And the word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. “  This is not Peter writing that, he is more impulsive.  That is John, there is more depth to him, he takes more time, he is methodical.  He is not rushing through life. You see the personality of John through his gospel.  These disciples were different.  God uses both these personalities to do works for him. The Lord takes them and makes them into the most effective team the world has ever seen.  We are all different.  We can serve God in ways no one else could.  God has made you different than anyone else.  To use you in a different way. No one can do what you can do for God.  One of the greatest strengths of this team was its diversity. Each and everyone was their own individual.  Not one was the same as the other.  Maybe you feel you cannot help the work of Christ.  Maybe you feel “I wouldn’t fit in here, I am different than anyone else here.”  It is that difference in personality that makes you able to be so effective for the kingdom of God.  These were ordinary men, flawed men, diverse men.  So different.  It is still the same today in the church.  Everyone is so different.  There is no one like you.  God can use you in a different way than anyone else.  Think of the master, the Lord Jesus Christ as he called these disciples and gave them power.  Then of the men, the disciples he called.

The ministry – verses 5 to 8.  The Lord Christ is gathering these 12 men, is giving them power, now he is commissioning them with a new service for him.  Essentially, we have the 12 disciples being told to go into gospel outreach for the kingdom of heaven.  They are told to preach the kingdom of heaven, to heal the sick, cleanse the leper, raise the dead, cast out devils.  This commission was temporary, it was given to these disciples.  It is not to be confused by the great commission which we follow today.  They were to go out to speak to those Jews in Israel.  In Matthew 28 verse 16 – 20 the great commission is given.  This commission in Matthew 10 was a temporary commission.  They were to preach the gospel to the house of Israel but it doesn’t take away from the great commission we now have.  To go into all the nations and preach.  When someone is saved they are to be baptised.  It does not take away from the fact that we are to go out still and preach that the kingdom of heaven is at the hand.  It is so vital that we like the disciples are to go out and share the goodness of the gospel.  That the Lord would come to the earth and take on flesh and dwell among sinful man.  He would live his life so perfectly knowing that he would have to go to the cross one day.  That would bear our sin on the cross.  It did not end there - he rose again the third day.  We can have a personal relationship with Christ.  It is our job to tell people that Christ is offering forgiveness of sins.  “Say not ye, There are yet four months and then cometh harvest? Behold, I say unto you,    Lift up our eyes and look on the fields, for they are white already to harvest.” John 4 verse 35  So many are dying, going to hopeless eternity of hell.  Our job is to share the good news.  “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom the have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?  And how shall they preach except thy be sent? As it is written, ow beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace.”  The 3 things are simple.  Christ had complete authority to give these powers to his disciples.  Ordinary men were called, nothing special about them, flawed, diverse men.  Finally we see the ministry.  It is still our task to preach the kingdom of God tell people the good news of the gospel.  We have a great task, we need everyone to chip in, to bring their  different talents and abilities and backgrounds.  We need people to work in ministry for the master.  We all need to work together.  Have you looked around and are asking yourself “where do I fit in, where can I serve the Lord, to tell people of the Lord Jesus.”  Look at the team of disciples. See what the Lord can do with diverse people.  Maybe ordinary people but God used them to accomplish wonderful things for God.  God can do that today with you.