Latest / HBCWestminster / 8.2.20 Luke 9:1-9 Pastor Danny Gardner

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8.2.20 Luke 9:1-9 Pastor Danny Gardner · HBCWestminster

• 0:00
  If you guys have your Bibles, you can open to Luke chapter 9. Luke chapter 9, and our text will be verses 1 through 9. I've titled this morning's message, Multiply and Divide. And if you're able to stand in honor of God's word, we'll begin with a reading of the text, and then I'll pray, and we'll begin. In verse 1, And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases. And he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.
• 0:28
  And he said to them, Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money, and do not have two tunics. And whatever house you enter, stay there and from there depart. And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town, shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them. And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere. Now Herod the Tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was perplexed.
• 0:55
  Because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen. Herod said, John, I beheaded. But who is this about whom I hear such things? And he sought to see him. And Lord, your word, Father, and your word alone. And Lord, your son, and your son alone, and your name, and your name alone, and your will, and your will alone are our hearts.
• 1:31
  Father, bless the preaching of your word this morning, and it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Well, Luke chapter 9 in our text this morning is a transition passage. Jesus has been for better than a year ministering in and traveling around the Galilean region. He was teaching in synagogues. He was healing the sick. He was casting out demons, and yet we find people have remained hard to his message.
• 2:01
  And although the God of creation, the supreme ruler over every creature, over every molecule and atom, could have advanced his kingdom entirely on his own by force, he always had in mind the use of human messengers who would win other disciples. It was always Christ's goal not only to win converts, but to make disciples by entrusting the advancement of his kingdom to them, winning them.
• 2:29
  to the faith, educating and training them, and then sending them to go and replicate that mission. What we see in our text this morning is the beginnings of the Great Commission. Because what Christ began in Luke chapter 9 is what he is still doing today. Christ, Scripture says, is building his church by using his followers. He is quickening the hearts of sinful men through the preaching of the gospel.
• 2:57
  They, in turn, are then made a part of Christ's body, the church, where they are educated and trained. And then they are commissioned to make additional disciples who will go out and begin the process all over. And this was what Christ was doing in Luke chapter 9. This is what Christ is doing today. And this is the mission of Highland Baptist Church in the year 2020. And let me ask you,
• 3:24
  An honest question, church, where are you in that process? Every single believer is somewhere along that road, somewhere between the moment when your heart was quickened, where God intersected your life. You were made alive in him. You cross over from death to life. You were taken out of darkness and into his marvelous.
• 3:49
  Somewhere between that point and to the point that you yourself are making disciples. Somewhere along that road, each one of us exists. Now, I've been a part of Christ's church my entire life. Longer than I've even known Christ, I have known the church. The last 20 years, I've even been leading the churches where I have been a part. I've observed an interesting phenomenon. Not all members of Christ's church progress through those phases.
• 4:21
  In fact, many, many, I'm going to say even most church members get stuck somewhere along that line. I can recall a time I was about six years old or so where I was swimming in a pool, a pool that had a lifeguard. It was a public pool.
• 4:41
  And I can recall, I was about six. I couldn't really swim yet. I didn't really know how to do it yet. And I recall kind of scooting my way along the side of the pool to the deeper end of the pool, losing my grip and kind of slipping down the wall of that pool. I can remember very vividly, actually, it's a really weird memory, looking up, seeing the surface of the water and just thinking, there's nothing I can do. I'm going to drown. I can remember a lifeguard coming running over, reaching in. I can remember seeing his outline, blurry outline there in the pools.
• 5:08
  water, reaching and grabbing me and pulling me out. And when he did that, Church, and laid me up on that concrete, and I just began to sputter and gasp for air, I began to cough and just seeking desperately to have my air restored. Can I ask you, what expectations were laid upon me in that moment? I mean, none, right? I had just been saved.
• 5:33
  from drowning. And let me just assure you, church, when you are rescued from drowning, not much is expected of you but to lay there and breathe. That's it. And if you are new to the faith, if you have recently come to knowledge of Christ, then our only expectation on you is to lay there and breathe. That's it. In fact, George Mueller even calls prayer the breath of life for the Christian. But...
• 6:03
  What if I now, nearly 40 years later, were still laying there on the concrete next to that pool? I mean, wouldn't you at some point be wrecked? Like, somebody's going to come along and say, hey, what are you doing here? Well, I nearly drowned when I was six. Well, yeah, aren't you in your 40s now? Well, yeah, but you don't understand. I mean, I really did nearly drown. Yeah, I'm really sorry for that, but...
• 6:29
  That was 40 years ago. I mean, at some point, and I think relatively early in the process, more will be expected of you than to lay there and breathe. In fact, once you are rescued, Scripture says that you become a part of Christ's body, the church. And the church's primary function in the life of the believer is found in Ephesians 4, where it says,
• 6:53
  the saints for the work of ministry. What we do as a church, what I do as a pastor primarily, first and foremost, my primary function as the pastor of Highland Baptist Church is to equip the saints for the work of ministry. That is my job, to give you the tools, to train you how to use the tools to go out and do ministry yourselves. The church is kind of like school for the believer. Learn.
• 7:18
  Practice, train, prepare to go into the world, into your school and job and your neighborhood and to win disciples. This summer marks a significant shift in our home because our oldest son, Pearson, in two weeks is going to college. He's moving out of our house, moving into a dorm.
• 7:36
  We rejoice in that, but I'm not going to lie and say that there haven't been a lot of tears that Hallie hasn't many times recommended that we watch the movie Toy Story 3 because it's the one where the little boy Andy grows up and goes to college and is getting rid of all of his toys. And we're even preparing to have a garage sale where many of the toys are being sold. It's a little bit painful, but honestly, Hallie and I understand that it's time for Pearson to grow up. I mean, what if he just decided to kind of hang around?
• 8:06
  I'm not going to grow up. I'm not going to keep progressing. In fact, I'm going to regress. I'm going to go back to elementary school. People would come and say, well, aren't you 18? I mean, you're six foot two. What are you doing here? You're 18 years old. And he'd just reply, yeah, but you don't understand. I mean, I really liked the first grade.
• 8:25
  I really liked it. My teachers were so nice. I mean, nobody ever has a mean first grade teacher, right? They're so nice. They never really asked me to do anything hard. I'm just going to stay here. I'm just going to stay in first grade. And in my experience, church, most people get stuck long before they actually begin preaching, long before they ever begin evangelizing.
• 8:46
  Long before they begin making disciples, many people get stuck very early. They get saved, they cough and sputter and gasp for breath, they lay there and breathe, and then they never really progress. They might get to first grade, but then they get stuck. They don't want to be asked to do anything hard. Many, I find, sit in the pews for years and even decades before they ever share their faith. Many will never reach the point where they say, well,
• 9:18
  I guess it's my turn. Well, I guess it's up to me now. Many I find in the church become like the Dead Sea, ever being poured into and never pouring out. In our passage last week in Luke chapter 8 and verse 56, the Lord ends with kind of a funny phrase. It's a weird little phrase that I just kind of glossed over last week. I didn't have time for it, but I'll go back now.
• 9:44
  reference it, but in verse 56 of chapter 8, it says, and her parents were amazed. You'll recall from last week's message that Jairus' daughter had been brought back from the dead, right? Jesus says she's not dead, but sleeping, right? But he brings her back from the dead in verse 56, and her parents were amazed. And then there's this weird phrase, and he charged them to tell no one what had happened. Don't tell anybody about this. Jesus knew exactly how his story would end. He knew the curse of Deuteronomy, that any who hung from a tree
• 10:14
  which was an early reference to crucifixion, any who hung on a tree were cursed. He also knew from Daniel 9 the exact timing of his crucifixion. He knew he needed to be in Jerusalem on a certain day, having accomplished certain things in order to be prosecuted by the Jews and for the Gentiles to hang him on that cross. Now, several times throughout his ministry, this timeline was threatened.
• 10:40
  He was orchestrating the events that would lead to his eventual crucifixion by the Gentiles on the Passover. He knew that that was coming, but several times throughout his ministry, that timeline was being threatened. And throughout the Gospel of John, Christ even utters the words, my time has not yet come, or my hour has not yet come, in an effort to slow negative public opinion down. He knew there was growing animosity and resentment toward his ministry.
• 11:09
  especially from the religious authorities. And so he would often perform a compassionate miracle, such was the case with Jairus' daughter, but then try to keep it under wraps so as not to kick the religious hornet's nest. He would either, if he did, end up being executed by stoning, which was not right, because that's what the Jews would have done, or he would have been crucified before he had accomplished the fullness of his mission. Now, let's go back to Luke chapter 9.
• 11:39
  The Lord in Luke chapter 9 and verse 1. Understanding that time was running short. Understanding that he was now a mere 18 months to the cross. And understanding that this would likely be his final time in the region of Galilee. The region where he grew up. Where his hometown was. All of those Galilean kind of farming, agriculture.
• 12:03
  fishing cities and towns, that region, this would be the last time he would ever be there, ever preach there, chose to multiply his ministry by authorizing other people to preach and to perform miracles. And so I've got two points this morning. One is the multiplication of ministry, multiply, and then the dividing, right?
• 12:27
  taking time and very strategically removing himself, separating himself from Herod, okay? And so multiply and divide. Let's look first at the multiplication of his kingdom. And in verse 1, it says, he called the 12 together. He called the 12 together. And despite all that Christ had accomplished, the healings, the exorcisms, the breaking of natural laws,
• 12:54
  He, for the first time, did something really unexpected. That's kind of funny to say. I mean, if God had come to earth, you would expect him to perform miracles. If God came to earth, you would expect him to throw demons around like ragdolls. I mean, that's what you would expect. What would be the last thing you would expect God on earth to do? How's this? Entrusting the advancement of his kingdom to other people? To frail?
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  and meager people to sinners? I mean, at best, the apostles to whom he is entrusting the multiplication of his kingdom were unintelligent, uneducated, impulsive, and unreliable. Read the Gospels. That is them. Anybody, I think, who doesn't see the irony in verse 1 that he would entrust the multiplication of and even survival of his kingdom to these apostles,
• 13:56
  probably has way too high an opinion of their own abilities. I know how frail I am. I know how often I fail. It makes no sense to me that God would entrust the preaching of his word to me. It makes no sense to me. It is humbling to me that he would do that, and yet that is what we see.
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  Now the proof of their weakness can be found at the end of verse 1. It continues, he called the twelve together, and he gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases. Why would he have to give them power and authority? And the answer is because of how weak they were. They were not strong. He didn't imbue them with power because of how strong they were. He gave them power because of how weak they were.
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  And there are two words to take note of. First, the Greek word for power. We've used this word before. It's even a word maybe you know. It's the Greek word dunamis, where we get the word dynamite. Dynamite. This is the power, power that gets things done. Dynamic power. But the second word, the word authority, is the Greek word exousia. It means that the apostles were not only given the dynamic power,
• 15:04
  power to perform miracles, but they were also given the authoritative right to exercise that power. And you may ask, well, then why does this matter to us today? The answer is because we have been granted that same power and that same authority. In Acts chapter 1 and verse 8, the Holy Spirit comes upon the apostles in chapter 2, but in chapter 1 and verse 8,
• 15:33
  Jesus says the Holy Spirit will come upon you and will give you power to become my witnesses. Power. And it's the same power. Dynamic, dynamite, get things done kind of power. We as followers of Christ have the same power. Second, we have also been granted that same authority. In Matthew 28.
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  And verses 18 to 20, when Jesus issues the great commission to the church, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching, okay? When he issues the great commission, right before that in verse 18, he actually says, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, and I now command you. I now authorize you. Church, not only have we been given power, but we've also been given authority.
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  In 2 Corinthians 5, we are called ambassadors of Christ. Christ actually, God actually making his appeal through us. You, oh Christians, have been endowed with the dynamic power of God, a power that gets things done. And you have been authorized to use such disciple-making force. The question then is, what are you going to do with it? The day may come.
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  And man, we live in a weird time. The day may even come sooner than later when we are told that we can no longer worship. The day may come when we are told we can no longer preach. When we can no longer evangelize. The day may come when we must make a choice on that day whose authority ranks higher. Do you recall?
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  when Peter was brought before the Sanhedrin in Acts chapter 4, and they actually commanded him to stop preaching in the name of Jesus. And he says in Acts chapter 4 in verse 20, whether it's right or not for us to stop, that's up to you. But then he says, but we cannot help but speak of what we have seen and heard. You decide whether it's illegal or not. I mean, the laws are up to you, but we have been authorized to continue to preach in this name, and we will preach in this name. We cannot stop but preach in this name. We cannot help ourselves.
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  But speak of what we have seen and heard. We see the apostles being called together, empowered, and authorized. And then in verse 2, you see them sent. Look at verse 2. And he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. Now, why would Christ entrust us with such a mission? I think two reasons. First, we've already mentioned it, for the purpose of multiplying the advancement of his kingdom.
• 18:20
  but also in order, I think, to shove his kids into the deep end of the pool. The multiplying of Christ's ministry did not end in Galilee. It's what is still happening today. It has been carried to the furthest ends of the earth, even Westminster, Colorado in the year 2020. We have not only been empowered and authorized church, but we have also been sent. It is now our job to take the gospel where it has not been preached.
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  For 2,000 years, the gospel torch has been handed down. And had we divine insight, I think that we could even trace the gospel's path from the words of Christ in Luke 9 down through the ages, enlightening one heart at a time, all the way until it reached our ears and was embraced by our hearts. The gospel's path has found its way to you.
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  Well, then what is our responsibility with it? When we share our testimonies, we often include the influences of men and women who God ordained to intersect our paths. Men and women faithful to God and faithful to his word and who shared his word with us. Is it now not your goal to make it into the testimonies of other believers? And not for pride's sake, because God gets all of the glory for it.
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  Not for pride's sake, but for the sake of reaching the end of your journey and hearing well done. Shouldn't it become our goal to take the gospel torch which has been handed to us, enlightened our hearts and minds, and now to go and give it to others? Timothy even says to entrust it to others. It's been entrusted to us. Now entrust it to others. Shouldn't that become our goal? We believe in the sovereignty of God and we preach.
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  The culpability of man. But have you considered that God has uniquely orchestrated your relationships, your neighbors and coworkers and family and friends, even down to the strangers that you encounter on your days off as opportunities for you to exercise your gospel power and authority? Church, make no mistake. You have been sent. The text continues in verse 3, and he said to them, take nothing for your journey.
• 20:47
  No staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money, and do not have two tunics. Don't even take a change of clothes, he says. Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart, and wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town, shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them. Now, I don't think that this is necessarily a model for modern missions work. I am for the financial support of missions abroad.
• 21:11
  supports missionaries around the world and so does our family. I personally give to missionaries around the world. If this were the only instance of a group being sent and the command was take nothing with you, then it would probably be a little more prescriptive than descriptive. But I do not believe that Christ in Luke 9 and then again in Luke 10 is prohibiting the raising of support in order to do ministry. In fact,
• 21:39
  The Apostle Paul in Romans chapter 10 actually encourages missionaries to be sent, right? How will they go? How are they to preach unless they are sent? In other places in the New Testament, the Apostle Paul was supported by giving. The Apostle Paul encourages financial support between churches in 2 Corinthians 8. He also says that it is okay for Christian workers to make a living from their work in 1 Timothy 5.18. We find that there are many...
• 22:09
  pastors and missionaries today who are bivocational. That means that they have two jobs. They work a secular job in order to support their Christian work. But there are also modern countries who have made it illegal for Christians to work in their country in order to support themselves. And so missionaries like Isaiah de Lorenzo from our church in the nation of Peru is not allowed to make money there and so has to raise support in order to fund that mission's
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  They have to raise support in kind of creative ways. Now, I do not believe that this passage is necessarily calling for missions finance reform. However, it may be that what is necessary is a higher expectation on those who are sent. One of the things I really struggle with is the church's low expectation on what it means.
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  to become a financially supported missionary. It seems as though some missionaries just assume that their simple claim of being called automatically obligates other churches to send them to support them financially, and I'm not sure that this should be the case. Look at verse 6. It says,
• 23:28
  and went through the villages preaching the gospel and healing everywhere. So they received this call and they left, whether they were financially supported or not. It seems as though Christ's prerequisite is not financial, but rather Holy Spirit power. These men had nothing. They took nothing with them, and yet they turned the world upside down. And yet with all of our education, with all of our elaborate systems and support networks,
• 23:56
  In the words of Chuck Smith, we are not even tilting the world, yet much less toppling it. He says, somehow I have to think that God's ways are better than ours. And I think we could take a page out of Hudson Taylor's school on missions work. When he was called in the 19th century to China, says that he actually raised very little support, but instead became like the Chinese people he was ministering to in every way, even growing out.
• 24:26
  and braiding his hair so as to look like them. And yet when I look at the monthly breakdowns of many missionary requests for funds, the amount of money they are asking for would make them some of the wealthiest people in the country that they are ministering in. And now make sure that you hear me, church. Please hear this. It is absolutely a priority of mine personally and of our church to support missions work around the world. Absolutely it is. Look at our budget. It reflects that.
• 24:57
  But Christ's point in Luke chapter 9 is that the financial aspect of mission's work should be at the bottom of our priority list and not at the top. If we want to multiply the work of Christ around the world, we must understand the power and authority that we have been given. And we must understand that we have been sent. That's first, the multiplication of the kingdom by entrusting the gospel message to others. But notice second, divide.
• 25:27
  Jesus would actually take a step back from his relationship with the king. It says in verse 7, And Luke's inclusion.
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  of Herod's response seems kind of random and actually seems kind of like a downer considering the excitement of the kingdom's advance in the previous six verses. You can imagine what these apostles are doing. They're going all over the place and they are doing crazy things, things they didn't even think were possible. And now here is this little addendum that Luke adds, kind of a reminder of that hostile undercurrent that Christ was always aware of.
• 26:16
  and having to deal with. And so let's look. Verse 7 says, Herod the Tetrarch. Let's be reminded of who this Herod was. Now you'll recall from our study of Luke chapter 3, all the way back in January, six months ago, in Luke chapter 3, there are five, five prominent Herods in the New Testament. Herod the Great, Herod Archelaus, Herod Antipas, Herod Agrippa I, and Herod Agrippa II.
• 26:45
  Now, the confusion is caused by the fact that at some point in the New Testament, all five of them are simply called Herod. But they're actually not all the same guy. They were actually five different men, all called Herod at different points. The first guy, Herod the Great, reigned in Israel from 37 to 4 BC. He was the Herod appointed by Rome, who reigned with an iron fist. This was the Herod.
• 27:12
  responsible for ordering the murder of the baby boys in Bethlehem during the time of Christ. He was the Herod on the throne during the birth of Jesus. He was mean. He was cruel and hated by his people. He was extremely paranoid. He murdered most of his wives and sons. One of the Roman emperors even said of Herod, it would be better to be Herod's pig than Herod's sons.
• 27:41
  The only sons that survived him were the sons that escaped him. Three sons. The first was Herod Archelaus. Herod Archelaus reigned in his father's place upon his father's death. He reigned over Judea and Samaria. This was the Herod that was in charge during the youth of Jesus' life. He was just as cruel. He was a tyrant. He was hated, just like his father was.
• 28:05
  This was the Herod whom Joseph was warned about in Matthew 2. Don't go back to Judea. Go to Galilee instead from Egypt because Herod is on the throne. That was actually Herod the Great's son, Herod Archelaus. Well, Herod Archelaus had a brother named Herod Antipas. And this is the Herod, Herod the Tetrarch, that we see in verse 7. This Herod reigned longer than any of the others. He actually reigned for better than 30 years, which means that Rome must have been happy with his reign.
• 28:33
  This was the Herod that Jesus was kind of passed back and forth between this Herod and Pontius Pilate during his trial. Neither of them wanted to take responsibility for Jesus, and so they passed him back and forth several times. That was this Herod, Herod the Tetrarch, Herod Antipas. Perhaps the most famous thing that Herod Antipas ever did was cut off the head of John the Baptist, whom Jesus said was the greatest man that ever lived.
• 29:04
  Among those born of women, none is greater than John, Jesus said. And Herod was the one who, in a fit of idiocy, cut off John's head because John had preached against Herod's taking of his brother's wife. Well, that is this Herod. And you may say, well, why would Jesus try to divide from him? You look at verse 9. Herod said, John, I beheaded.
• 29:34
  How could John the Baptist be back? I beheaded him. I cut off the guy's head. Who is this about whom I hear such things? And it says, and he sought to see him. And he sought to see him. Why wouldn't this be good news? Why wouldn't Jesus seek an audience with Herod? This was the king. If the king was seeking an audience with him, why wouldn't he seek an audience with the king? And it is because Herod had no genuine desire to worship.
• 30:00
  You hear how cavalier his words are regarding John the Baptist. There was no remorse. It's just a simple statement of faith. Well, I cut that guy's head off. I cut his head off. And he was probably seeking, sought to see him. He's probably seeking Jesus in order to do the same thing. If this is John the Baptist, I'll cut his head off again. His motives, Herod's motives, were actually laid bare in Luke chapter 13 and verse 31, just a few chapters from now. It says, at that very hour, some Pharisees came and said to Jesus, get away from here.
• 30:30
  For Herod, that is this guy, Herod the Tetrarch, Herod Antipas, Herod wants to kill you. And Jesus said, go and tell that fox, behold, I cast out demons. I perform cures today and tomorrow. The third day, I finish my course. Jesus was doing great work, heavenly work. And he knew the evil that resided in Herod's heart. And so he took no time for such a small fry.
• 30:58
  Go and tell that fox, I don't have time for you. Now, beloved church, each of us is somewhere along that journey between salvation and disciple-making. And if you know Christ, then your heart has been quickened. You have crossed over from death to life. By all means, take a minute to breathe. Catch your breath, but don't lay there for too long. Get involved in the church. Learn how to put on your spiritual armor.
• 31:28
  Learn how to use your sword. Learn how to make disciples. But don't just sit there in the church for decades and do nothing. Don't become a Dead Sea, ever being poured into and never pouring into others. But go. We've been empowered, authorized, and sent. And therefore, do the work of evangelism. Preach. How will they be saved, the Apostle Paul says, unless someone tells them the good news. And Lord, I pray.
• 31:58
  That as we consider your words and consider the power that has been given to us and the authority that has been given to us and even the commission sending us out, God, may we be inspired to go and do that very thing. Lord, you have not called all of us to the ends of the world. You have simply called some of us next door. And so, Lord, may we be godly neighbors who call people to repentance and belief. May we be godly co-workers and cubicle mates who call others to repentance and belief.
• 32:30
  Lord, we are so thankful for the work that you've done for us. And as we prepare our hearts for communion now, Lord, may we be reminded of the good things we have in Christ because of his body given and his blood spilt. And it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.