Sunday
Morning Bible Study
January
10, 2016
Introduction
Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel
preached? Does it address the person who is: Empty, lonely, guilty, or afraid
to die? Does it speak to the broken
hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk – Meat – Manna Preach for a decision
Is the church loved? Regular: 2900
words Communion: 2500 words Video=75wpm
Luke was a doctor and a travelling companion of the apostle Paul.
He wrote this book while Paul was in prison.
In writing his book, Luke made use of other older documents like the Gospel
of Mark, as well as extensive eyewitness accounts.
Jesus’ ministry is under way, and the people have been amazed not just at
the things He’s been teaching, but the things He’s been doing.
10:1-16 Sending the Seventy
:1 After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them
two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about
to go.
:1 appointed – anadeiknumi – to
proclaim any one as elected to office; to announce as appointed a king,
general, etc.; to lift up anything on high and exhibit it for all to behold
:1 sent – apostello (“apostle”)
– to order (one) to go to a place appointed; to send away, dismiss
:1 the Lord appointed seventy others
Some manuscripts and translations
have “seventy-two”.
I prefer the number seventy.
The number seventy is an interesting number.
It is the number of elders that Moses appointed over Israel (Ex. 24:1; Num.
11:24,25)
(Exodus 24:1 NKJV) Now He
said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord,
you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu,
and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar.
It is the number of men in the Sanhedrin.
I think the most significant connection is that this is the number of the nations
of the world listed in Genesis 10 that came from Noah’s sons.
In God’s eyes, 70 is the number of the nations of the world.
It’s as if Jesus is picking out 70 men to reach the world, even though for
now they are going to reach Jews in the Judea.
Do we know who these guys were?
Church tradition gives us lists of these names, but I’m not convinced that the
lists are accurate.
Some on the list are Gentile converts, and there won’t be any Gentile
converts until Acts 10.
One suggestion is that it at least included
the seven deacons listed in Acts 6.
Epiphanius, the ancient writer, gives the names of some
of them:
Including the seven deacons;
Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor,
Timon, Parmenas, and
Nicolas; together with Matthias, Mark, Luke, Justus, Barnabas, Apelies, Rufus, and Niger.
Ancient church tradition (careful
here, it’s just tradition and may not be accurate) gives us the names of all
the seventy, along with where they eventually ministered as pastors:
Agabus, the prophet; Amphias,
of Odyssus, sometimes called Amphiatus;
Ananias, who baptized Paul, bishop of Damascus; Andronicus, of Pannonia,
or Spain; Apelies, of Smyrna, or, according to
others, of Heraclea; Apollo, of Caesarea; Aristarchus, of Apamea;
Aristobulus, of Britain; Artemas,
of Lustra; Asyncritus, of Hyrcania;
Barnabas, of Milgin; Barnabas, of Heraclea; Caesar,
of Dyrrachium; Caius, of Ephesus; Carpus, of Berytus, in Thracia; Cephas,
bishop of Konia; Clemens, of Sardinia; Cleophas, of Jerusalem; Crescens,
of Chalcedon, in Galatia; Demas, a priest of idols; Epaenetus,
of Carthage; Epaphroditus, of Andriace;
Erastus, of Paneas, or, according to others, of the
Philippians; Evodus, of Antioch; Hermas,
of Philippi, or Philippolls; Hermes, of Dalmatia; Hermogenus and Phygellus, who
followed Simon Magus; Hermogenus, bishop of the Megarenes; Herodion, of Tarsus; James,
the brother of our Lord, of Jerusalem; Jason, of Tarsus; Jesus Justus,
bishop of Eleutheropolis: Linus, of Rome; Luke,
the evangelist: Lucius, of Laodicea, in Syria; Mark, who is also John, of Biblopohs, or Byblus; Mark the
evangelist, bishop of Alexandria; Mark, the sister’s son of Barnabas,
bishop of Apolloma; Matthias, added to the apostles; Narcissus, of Athens; Nicanor, he died when Stephen suffered martyrdom; Nicolaus,
of Samaria; Olympius, a martyr at Rome; Onesiphorus, bishop of Corone; Parmenas, of the Soli, Patrobulus,
the same with Patrobas, in #Ro 16:14 of Puteoli, or as others, of Naples; Philemon, of Gaza; Philemon (in the Acts he is called Philip),
by whom the eunuch of the queen of Ethiopia was baptized, of Trallium, of Asia; Philologus, of
Sinope; Phlegon, bishop of Marathon; Phygellus, of Ephesus; Prochorus,
of Nicomedia, in Bithynia; Pudens; Quartus, of Berytus; Rhodion, a martyr at Rome; Rufus, of Thebes; Silas, of
Corinth; Sylvanus, of Thessalonica; Sosipater, of Iconium; Sosthenes, of Colophon; Stachys, of Byzantium; Stephen, the first martyr; Tertius, of Iconium; Thaddaeus,
who carried the epistle of Jesus to Edessa, to Abgarus;
Timon, of Bostra, of the
Arabians; Trophimus, who suffered martyrdora
with the Apostle Paul; Tychicus, bishop of Chalcedon, of Bithynia; Tychicus, of Colophon; Urbanus,
of Macedonm; and, Zenas, of
Diospolis.
Note: In both lists, Luke was one of these seventy.
He is the only gospel writer that makes mention of the seventy.
There is a problem with these
lists.
It includes Gentile believers, like
Luke.
At this point in the church, the
ministry was only done by Jews to Jews.
We tend to get fixated on the twelve and think they are the only ones
following Jesus.
There were many others.
When the disciples had to pick a
replacement for Judas Iscariot, Peter said,
(Acts 1:21–22 NLT) —21 “So now we must choose a replacement for Judas from among the men
who were with us the entire time we were traveling with the Lord Jesus—22 from the time he was baptized by John until the day he was taken
from us. Whoever is chosen will join us as a witness of Jesus’ resurrection.”
:1 sent them two by two
This is a great lesson for ministry.
Use the buddy system.
Lone Rangers have a harder task.
:1 into every city
When Jesus sent out the twelve
apostles on their first mission trip (Luke 9:1-6), He sent them into the cities
in Galilee.
(Luke 9:1–6 NKJV) —1 Then He
called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all
demons, and to cure diseases. 2 He sent
them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3 And He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither
staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece. 4 “Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. 5 And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city,
shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.” 6 So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel
and healing everywhere.
This group is going south to the cities of Judea, the land in the south.
They are the “advance men”, getting people ready for Jesus’ arrival.
In a way, so are we. We ought to be
getting people ready for Jesus’ return.
In Jesus’ day, the Galilee region
was kind of like the wild west. The Jews
had only moved back into this area over the last hundred years.
The area of Judea was the first
area that the Jews settled in when they had come back from Babylon 500 years
earlier. There are more towns and more
settled cities in the south.
:1 where He Himself was about to
go
When Jesus sent the twelve out into
the area of Galilee, they were the “advance men”, getting people ready for
Jesus’ arrival.
This group will do the same in the
southern area of Judea.
:2 Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the
laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of
the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.
:2 harvest – therismos –
harvest, the act of reaping; fig. of the gathering of men into the kingdom of
God; referring to time of reaping, the final judgment, when the righteous are
gathered into the kingdom of God and the wicked are cast into hell for ever
:2 great – polus – many,
much, large
:2 laborers – ergates
– a workman, a labourer; usually one who works
for hire esp. an agricultural worker; one who does, a worker, perpetrator
:2 few – oligos – little,
small, few
:2 pray – deomai – to want,
lack; to desire, long for; to ask, beg; the thing asked for; to pray, make
supplications
:2 send out – ekballo – to cast
out, drive out, to send out
:2 pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers
Jesus is talking to laborers.
Laborers are to pray for more laborers.
Some of us are guilty of praying
that God would send more people out to reach this world because we aren’t
willing to walk across the street and talk to our neighbor.
Lesson
God’s recruitment tool
When you are leading a ministry, you are going to find that there never
seems to be enough help.
Even though there would be seventy men sent out, that was a drop in the
bucket compared to the places Jesus wanted to reach.
Jesus didn’t ask them to pray for a smaller task, He asked them to pray for
more laborers.
There is a place for simply asking people to help.
(Luke 9:59 NKJV) Then He said
to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
Note that even Jesus didn’t have a great response when He
asked people.
Jesus suggests that we start our “recruitment” with prayer.
Luke told us what Jesus did before He chose the twelve apostles:
(Luke
6:12–13 NKJV) —12 Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain
to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. 13 And when it
was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose
twelve whom He also named apostles:
:3 Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.
:3 go your way – hupago – to lead
under, bring under; to withdraw one’s self, to go away, depart
:3 send – apostello – to
order (one) to go to a place appointed; to send away, dismiss
:3 lambs – aren – a sheep, a
lamb
:3 wolves – lukos – a wolf;
metaph. of cruel, greedy, rapacious, destructive men
:3 as lambs among wolves
Lesson
Vulnerability
Sometimes we don’t want people to see our vulnerability.
Illustration
Like this teacher…
If we want to learn what it is to be a lamb among wolves, think about how
Jesus lived it out:
(Isaiah 53:7 NKJV) He was
oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep
before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.
Be careful how you treat those who give you grief.
Lesson
Opposition
Sometimes when we get opposition in ministry, our first response is to go
all “Rambo” on the person.
If you thought I’d show you any more than that of this
clip, forget it, it’s way too bloody.
I’m not saying that there isn’t a time and place to defend yourself, but
Paul wrote,
(Ephesians 6:12
NKJV) For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,
against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Our real enemies aren’t the people we face, but the
spiritual forces behind the scenes.
“Any man who takes Jesus Christ seriously becomes the target of the
devil. Most church members do not give
Satan enough trouble to arouse his opposition”
-
Vance Havner
I don’t want to scare you, but for the sake of full disclosure, when you
step out to serve the Lord, whether it’s working in the Nursery, the prayer
room, the Food Outreach, or your neighbor next door, you can expect opposition.
:4 Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along
the road.
:4 Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals
:4 carry – bastazo – to take
up with the hands; to take up in order to carry or bear, to put upon one’s self
(something) to be carried; to bear, to carry
:4 money bag – balantion – a
money bag, purse
:4 knapsack – pera – a wallet; a
leathern sack, in which travellers and shepherds
carried their provisions, a sack of dried fruits, nuts, and dried meats, hard
bread, foods that were not perishable.
:4 sandals – hupodema – what is
bound under, a sandal, a sole fastened to the foot with thongs
They were to live by faith on this mission trip.
It’s not necessarily like this every time you go
on a missions trip, but especially in the beginning you need to learn to trust
God to meet your needs.
When Jesus sent the twelve out on
their first mission trip, His instructions were similar:
(Luke 9:3–5 NKJV) —3 And He
said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread
nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece. 4 “Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. 5 And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city,
shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.”
I’m not sure this is the case for
every time you step out in ministry.
It’s certainly not wrong for
someone heading out to the mission field to take time to raise proper support
before they go.
But an important place to start in
ministry is to learn to walk by faith.
We believe what Pastor Chuck used
to say,
“Where God guides,
God provides.”
:4 greet no one along the road
greet – aspazomai – to
draw to one’s self; greet, wish well to
A greeting was made not merely by a
slight gesture and a few words, but generally by embracing and kissing, a
journey was slowed frequently by these kinds of greetings.
A.T. Robertson: “These oriental
greetings were tedious, complicated, and often meddlesome if others were
present.”
I don’t think the point is that they were to be rude while they were
traveling.
But middle eastern greetings can sometimes take lots of time.
Don’t let anything stop you from getting where you need to be.
:5 But whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’
:5 house – oikia – a house;
an inhabited edifice, a dwelling; the inmates of a house, the family
:5 peace – eirene – a state
of national tranquillity; exemption from the rage and
havoc of war; peace between individuals, i.e. harmony, concord; security,
safety, prosperity, felicity, (because peace and harmony make and keep things
safe and prosperous)
In Israel, the typical greeting is “Shalom”, or “Peace”.
It's like the last word of the priestly blessing:
““The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you
peace.” ’”
Numbers 6:24-26
:6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it
will return to you.
:6 son – huios – a son
:6 a son of peace
A peaceful person, a person who
lived in peace.
:6 will rest on – epanapauomai – to
cause to rest upon anything; to rest upon anything; to settle upon, fix its
abode upon
:6 will return to – anakampto – to
bend back, to turn back; to return
:6 if a son of peace is there …
This was how these preachers were to determine where to stay.
If the host was willing to accept the preacher in a peaceful way, they would
find God’s blessing on their house.
If the host was not peaceful, the host will miss the blessing.
The preacher didn’t have to even
lose their own peace over the situation. Just move on.
:7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they
give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house.
:7 remain – meno – to remain,
abide; in reference to place; not to depart
:7 eating – esthio – to eat
:7 drinking – pino – to drink
:7 worthy – axios – weighing,
having weight, having the weight of another thing of like value, worth as much;
befitting, congruous, corresponding to a thing; of one who has merited anything
worthy; both in a good and a bad sense
:7 laborer – ergates
– a workman, a labourer; usually one who works
for hire esp. an agricultural worker; one who does, a worker, perpetrator
:7 wages – misthos – dues
paid for work; wages, hire; reward: used of the fruit naturally resulting from
toils and endeavours
:7 go from – metabaino – to
pass over from one place to another, to remove, depart
:7 remain in the same house
The preachers weren’t supposed to go from house to house until they found
the nicest place to stay.
If they found a place of “peace”, they were to stay put.
:7 the laborer is worthy of his wages
The preachers shouldn’t feel bad about people offering to take care of them
or support them.
They were working, and it was proper that they should be supported.
Paul talked about financial support
for those in ministry when he wrote,
(1 Timothy 5:17–18 NKJV) —17 Let the
elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who
labor in the word and doctrine. 18 For the
Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,”
and, “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”
:8 Whatever city you enter, and they receive you,
eat such things as are set before you.
:8 set before – paratithemi – to
place beside or near or set before; food, i.e. food placed on a table
:8 eat such things as are set before you
It’s only polite to eat what your host has set before you.
I’m not sure how far to take this…
When you are in Israel, you usually have at least one fish lunch.
Of course there’s always this kind of meal…
I didn’t know people really ate stuff like that until I saw Brittany Buttram’s video from three days ago in South Korea…
Video: Brittany’s Octopus Dinner
Jesus now contrasts the cities that will accept these men with those that
won’t.
:9 And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come
near to you.’
:9 heal – therapeuo – to
serve, do service; to heal, cure, restore to health
:9 the sick – asthenes – weak,
infirm, feeble
:9 is come near – eggizo – to bring
near, to join one thing to another; to draw or come near to, to approach
This is what Jesus has sent them to
do to those who would receive them and their message.
:9 heal the sick … say to them…
They are to do good works (heal the sick) and preach the message.
It’s just like we are to do.
It’s important to speak the message, but it’s preferable if you get a
chance to do something good for them as well.
Last month our Mexico team visited a boys’ orphanage last month and gave
them Christmas presents from you.
Video: Mexico Boys’ Orphanage
:10 But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into
its streets and say,
:10 go out – exerchomai – to go
or come forth of; with mention of the place out of which one goes, or the point
from which he departs
:10 the streets – plateia – a broad
way, a street
:11 ‘The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you.
Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has
come near you.’
:11 dust – koniortos – raised
dust, flying dust; dust
:11 clings – kollao – to glue,
to glue together, cement, fasten together; to join or fasten firmly together;
to join one’s self to, cleave to
:11 wipe off – apomassomai (“from”
+ “smear”) – to wipe off; to wipe off one’s self, to wipe of
for one’s self; to rub off with the hands
:11 dust of your city … we wipe off
Whenever a Jew visited a dirty pig-dog heathen Gentile country, on their
way home they would “shake off” the dust, indicating that they were disgusted with
the unworthy Gentiles.
The gospel at this time in history
is still aimed at the Jews only. It’s
not until Acts 10 that the door finally swings open for the gospel to go to the
Gentiles.
Jesus is telling these preachers that if the Jews they preached to didn’t
respond positively to the gospel, they were to treat them as they would pagan Gentiles,
a very clear (and offensive) message to a Jewish person.
:11 the kingdom of God has come near you
To be “saved” is to be a part of God’s kingdom.
When people are near you, the kingdom of God has come near to them.
It’s as if God’s kingdom has a door people need to get through, and we have
the key. The “key” is the message.
Lesson
You have the key
The message we have has the ability of ushering people into God’s
kingdom. It has the power to save
people. Paul wrote,
(Romans 1:16 NKJV) For I am not
ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for
everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
Paul also wrote,
(Romans 10:13–15
NKJV) —13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” 14 How then
shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they
believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a
preacher? 15 And how
shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How
beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad
tidings of good things!”
When people believe the message, they are saved.
But they can’t believe the message unless they hear it.
If you are a person who shares the message, you have
“beautiful feet”.
Just what is that message?
I think it could be as simple as saying, “You need Jesus Christ”.
It could be that you could elaborate on the message a little bit.
The Bible says that all of us are sinners and that our sin
has cut us off from God.
(Romans 3:23 NKJV) for
all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
(Romans
6:23 NKJV) For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is
eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The Bible says that Jesus came and died for the very
purpose of paying for our sin. He died
in our place.
(Isaiah 53:5 NKJV) But
He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by
His stripes we are healed.
(2
Corinthians 5:21 NLT) For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our
sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
God now offers to us a free gift of forgiveness and
eternal life if we will choose to turn from our sins and believe in Jesus.
(John 1:12 NKJV) But as
many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to
those who believe in His name:
(Acts 3:19 NKJV) Repent
therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of
refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,
(John
3:16 NKJV) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
When you share this message with people, you have brought the kingdom of
God near to them.
What happens next is up to them.
Our job isn’t to convince people or twist their arms.
Our job is to give them the key, whether they use it or not.
:12 But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom
than for that city.
:12 more tolerable – anektoteros –
bearable, tolerable
Comparitive from – anechomai – to sustain, to bear, to endure
Not just to “endure”, but to
“endure more”, to be “more bearable”
:12 in that Day
Jesus is talking about the day of final judgment before God.
:12 Sodom
Abraham’s nephew Lot had to be removed from Sodom when God decided to
destroy the city (Gen. 19)
Last month we visited the archaeological site “Tel Hamam”
in Jordan, which is beginning to look like it was the city of Sodom.
It’s just northeast of the Dead Sea
in the nation of Jordan.
Dr. Steven Collins was the first to
publish a paper of his excavations at Tel el-Hammam.
One of the strange
things he found at the level dating back to the time of Abraham. He found a strange substance that he
submitted to the Los Alamos Laboratory for analysis. They wanted to know where he found it, and he
said he would tell them after they told him what it was. They told him it was a substance known as Trinitite, something that is only found after a nuclear
explosion. It requires temperatures of
14,7000 degrees Fahrenheit to form.
Sodom is synonymous with God’s judgment for sin.
Jesus is saying that when a city rejects the message of these seventy
preachers that Jesus is sending out, their sentence from God will be more
severe than Sodom’s on that day of final judgment.
Sodom had contact with godly people.
They knew Abraham and Lot.
They had been rescued by Abraham
from the invading kings of the east.
They had “righteous Lot” (2Pet. 2:7) living with them.
But the cities that Jesus is warning will have actual preachers sent to
them by the Son of God Himself.
Years ago Ruth Graham once told her husband Billy Graham, “If God doesn’t punish
America, He will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.”
:13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!
For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting
in sackcloth and ashes.
:14 But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and
Sidon at the judgment than for you.
:13 mighty works – dunamis – strength
power, ability; power for performing miracles
:13 long ago – palai – of old,
former; long ago
:13 sackcloth – sakkos – a sack; a
course cloth, a dark course stuff made especially from the hair of animals; a
garment of the like material, and clinging to the person like a sack, which was
wont to be worn (or drawn over the tunic instead of the cloak or mantle) by
mourners, penitents, suppliants and also by those who like the Hebrew prophets,
lead an austere life
:13 ashes – spodos – ashes:
placed on sackcloth as a token of grief
:13 repented – metanoeo – to
change one’s mind, i.e. to repent; to change one’s mind for better, heartily to
amend with abhorrence of one’s past sins
:14 more tolerable – anektoteros –
bearable, tolerable
Comparitive from – anechomai – to sustain, to bear, to endure
Not just to “endure”, but to
“endure more”, to be “more bearable”
:14 judgment – krisis – a
separating, sundering, separation; judgment
:13 Tyre and Sidon
These were two magnificent heathen cities, the jewels of the Phoenician
empire, north of Israel.
Both of these cities had been warned by the prophets that they would one
day be judged (Isa. 23; Eze. 26)
They would eventually be wiped out by King Nebuchadnezzar and Alexander the
Great.
They were judged because of their great pride and sin.
:13 Chorazin … Bethsaida
These are two cities of the Galilee area which Jesus has already visited, located
in Galilee.
I had to laugh at my old notes from
2000. My sources at the time didn’t know
where these two places are.
We know today. They are located on the northern coast of the
Sea of Galilee.
Jesus is saying that if the ancient cities of Tyre
and Sidon had been visited by Jesus, like He did Chorazin
and Bethsaida, they would have repented from their sins.
Chorazin and Bethsaida rejected the Son of God
Himself. It’s only fairly recently that
we even have found these two cities.
Here’s what’s left of Chorazin today.
Here’s what Bethsaida looks like.
:14 more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon
In the day of judgment, it will be
more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than these two
cities because these two cities had been visited by the Son of God Himself.
You might think that Tyre and Sidon were already judged because they had been
destroyed, but that was only a temporary judgment.
There will be a final judgment when
all the unbelieving dead will be raised and brought before the Great White
Throne of God.
And it will be worse for Chorazin and Bethsaida than it will be for Tyre and Sidon.
Lesson
Degrees of judgment
The cities of Tyre
and Sidon weren’t just judged at their destruction, they would one day face an
eternal judgment by God.
When someone is judged by God,
there is not a single sentence that fits all.
There are degrees of
punishment. Some punishment is “more
tolerable” than others.
One basis for this judgment will be
the type of witness that a person rejects.
(Luke 12:47–48 NLT) —47 “And a
servant who knows what the master wants, but isn’t prepared and doesn’t carry
out those instructions, will be severely punished. 48 But someone who does not know, and then does something wrong,
will be punished only lightly. When someone has been given much, much will be
required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more
will be required.
Don’t get me wrong, hell will be
horrible. But there will be some parts
of hell that are worse than others.
:15 And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to
Hades.
:15 exalted – hupsoo – to lift
up on high, to exalt; metaph.; to raise to the very summit of opulence and
prosperity; to exalt, to raise to dignity, honour and
happiness
:15 Hades – hades
– name Hades or Pluto, the god of the lower regions; Orcus, the nether
world, the realm of the dead; later use of this word: the grave, death, hell
:15 brought down – katabibazo – to
cause to go down; to bring down; to cast down, thrust down
:15 Capernaum
This is the city on the Sea of Galilee where Jesus spent the most
time. This was his “headquarters”.
They had experienced the greatest blessing in that Jesus had actually lived
there, besides preaching and doing miracles.
And yet as a whole, they had rejected Him.
By the way, Capernaum doesn’t exist anymore either.
:15 exalted to heaven
Because Jesus had lived here.
:15 brought down to Hades
Because of their overall rejection
of Jesus as the Messiah.
:16 He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who
rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.”
:16 rejects – atheteo – to do
away with, to set aside, disregard; to thwart the efficacy of anything,
nullify, make void, frustrate; to reject, to refuse, to slight
:16 he who rejects you rejects Me
Lesson
Whose problem?
This isn’t to say that sometimes you and I don’t deserve rejection.
Sometimes we can be completely obnoxious, rude, and cruel.
But when we share the gospel out of love, and they reject us, it’s not our
problem.
It’s not about you, it’s about Jesus.
And if they reject Jesus, they are rejecting God Himself.
But there is something that is our problem.
We live in a world that needs to hear about Jesus Christ.
And that’s a problem.
Video: OneTimeBlind
– Not My Problem
Will you make reaching the world for Jesus your problem?