Matthew 10
In Matthew chapter 10 Jesus sends out his twelve disciples and gives them instructions on what to do as they go. He also tells them of the hardships they will face as the cost of following Him. He candidly lets them know in advance that they will be hated, flogged, and even imprisoned on account of following after Him. Here are some verses I have pulled through to give a glimpse of Jesus’ instructions in sending out his twelve disciples.
Matthew 10:1 Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. He gave them these instructions in verses 7-8, “As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.”
In verses 14-23 He said, “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.”
In verse 28 He says, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. . . verse 30 – And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
And in verses 32-33 He says, “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.”
Some points that stand out to me from these passages.
1. If the Son has set you free, you are free indeed. Therefore, what are we doing with Jesus? In verse 8 He said, “Freely you have received; freely give.”
a. How are you giving Jesus to others?
b. Are you invested in spending time with Him?
2. Vs 17 Be on your guard. Persecution will come (in some form or another), but even so, we do not have to fear.
a. Be prepared by remaining in constant communication with Christ.
b. Pray on the Armor of God every morning. Stay rooted in the Word.
3. Stand firm to the end.
a. No matter what trial or tragedy strikes, remember that your foundation is in Christ and hold firm to Him.
b. Your Heavenly Father values you greatly. Vs 30 You are worth more than many sparrows.
c. We do not have to fear.
This next verse is tough but is so important. In verses 37-39 Jesus says, “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.”
We can give up many things in life, and even profess to set things aside for the sake of Christ. But how many of us can truly say we love Jesus more than our family – our very children? To take up our cross and follow Jesus is truly a high calling, but one I believe that we cannot disregard. When we put things in the right perspective, it changes our view of everything. Jesus put us above Himself even when He didn’t have to. He chose to willingly lay down His life for us, so that we may have eternal life with Him in Heaven. He is now calling us to love Him above all else, above our careers, our homes, our finances, our families, our very lives. That may seem like a high ask. But I’d say it’s the least we can do compared to what He has given us. He is our creator who gave us life, who gave us our families, who has provided all we have for us. It is an honor and a privilege to serve Him and to follow Him.
Chapter 11
Matthew 11:1 When Jesus finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee.
When John sent his disciples to find out if this was the one to come, the Messiah, Jesus replied in verse 4 saying, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see. The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” In verse 10 Jesus speaks to the crowd about John saying, “This is the one about whom it is written: ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’”
In Matthew 11:20-24 Jesus is denouncing the towns in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. He details that if the miracles had been performed in other cities, they would have repented long ago, but for those that did not repent, the day of judgement will be unbearable. He speaks directly of those that will go to Hades rather than be lifted to the Heavens.
These verses weigh heavily on my heart as I know there are many places and people groups who have not yet come to repentance and belief in Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior. For me specifically, I carry a heavy heart for my hometown of Hilton Head and now the greater Bluffton/Low Country area. It is a beautiful place here that we live, and we are truly blessed to live in such a wonderful little beach and river town here in the South. Yet, I am sad to say that the majority of our population here are not faith-based believers in Jesus Christ. The need is great for missions all around the world indeed, but the need is just as great in some of our hometowns in which you and I reside. I have a note in my Bible beside this passage of scripture that says, “Lord, Bring Bluffton and Hilton Head into repentance to serve you, our King!” It is one of my greatest desires to see our little town become a mighty army of believers in the faith, but it will not happen if we remain complacent with what we know about our Savior. We must be intentional to share Him with others and to show kindness and love and be involved locally.
In verses 27-30 Jesus said, “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
No one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
If you do not know Jesus, ask Him into your life. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you.
If you look back at Matthew 7:7 you will find that Jesus says,
“Ask and it will be given to you;
Seek and you will find,
Knock and the door will be opened to you.”
He comes offering rest.
We carry the weight of the world on our shoulders, do we not?
We worry about yesterday, today and tomorrow.
And yet, we have a loving Savior who says, “Give it to me. Give me your cares. Give me your worries.” (my paraphrase)
“I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Does it get any sweeter than this?
I would love to have you join me at a free training to learn how to share Jesus without fear. We have the greatest news to offer – let us share Him with joy and with urgency! What better way to love our friends than to share the love of Jesus! Come join me for coffee and muffins this Saturday April 7, 2023, to my free event! Click below!
Friends, I urge you, if you know Jesus – What are you doing with Him? Are you in a local church? When was the last time you invited someone to church, or invited someone to Jesus?
If you want more information on sharing the love of Jesus and inviting people to Him, please join me in my Share Jesus Without Fear group to ask questions, attend a discipleship event, and be a part of the Great Commission in Matthew 28 that He has called us all to. Click here to join me! Join Me!
And friends who don’t know my Jesus – Who do you say Jesus is? Do you know where you will spend eternity? If you want more information on who this Jesus is I speak of, join me in discussing who He is and how you can come to know him! I would love to hear your story and get to know you. Join me here! Join Me!
Be blessed my brothers and sisters,
Your beloved sister in Christ,
Mandy
Matthew 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
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