THE KINGDOM OFFER
Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on July 1, 2020 under AM Bible Study |
AM Bible Study Group: July 1, 2020 from Luke 8:40-56
Theme: The spread of the gospel to the nations was preceded by the offer of the kingdom to Israel.
(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).
Click HERE for the live-stream archive of this Bible Study.
This morning, we come to the 9th Chapter of the Gospel of Luke. And you might say that it marks the beginning of the end of a very important stage in Jesus’ earthly ministry.
It tells us the events that finish off our Lord’s ministry in Galilee. In verse 22, He told His disciples, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.” He repeated this warning in verse 44. And by the end of this chapter—in verse 51—we’re told that He “steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem”. But before this all happens, He—the King of the Jews—first makes the offer of the kingdom to His people.
Jesus had ministered for several months in Galilee—by the very edges of the Gentile world. His twelve disciples watched and saw as He demonstrated to them that He was—indeed—the King of the Jews. He proved by His teaching, and His miracles, and by the displays of His great authority, that He was the Son of God in human flesh. And now, He sends His twelve disciples on a mission trip to proclaim to the Jewish people that their King is about to come. Luke 9:1-6 says;
Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 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. Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. 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.” So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere (Luke 9:1-6).
* * * * * * * * * *
A good way to appreciate the importance of what is happening in this morning’s passage is to look far ahead—in Chapter 20—to what our Lord had to say while in Jerusalem. As the leaders of the Jewish people were in the process of rejecting Him as their King, He told a parable:
“A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time. Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out. “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. Probably they will respect him when they see him.’ But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.’ So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others.” And when they heard it they said, “Certainly not!” Then He looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written:
‘The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone’?
Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.” And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people—for they knew He had spoken this parable against them (Luke 20:9-19).
The Lord Jesus is the King of the Jews. And He first offers that kingdom to His people. They will reject Him and His kingdom offer; and as a result, the King and the blessings of His rule will be offered instead to the Gentiles.
Now; it’s important to remember that God does not completely reject His chosen Jewish people. The Bible tells us that, in a future date, the Jewish people will repent and receive Jesus as their King. As we’re told in Romans 11:25-26, “blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved …”
We’re living today in the times in which the blessings of the kingdom are offered to the Gentile nations. But what we find in the first six verses of Luke 9 is the beginnings of the offer of the kingdom first to the Jewish people.
* * * * * * * * * *
So; let’s look at this story of the beginnings of the offer of that kingdom. First we see …
1. THE GRANTING OF AUTHORITY.
The preachers of our Lord’s kingdom never go forth on their own. They are sent. And in being sent, they are first given authority by their Master. We’re told in verse, “Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.”
For several months now, these twelve disciples had watched as our Lord healed the sick and cast out demons. He had demonstrated the greatness of His authority by these things. And now—in preparing them to be sent out to the people to whom the kingdom rightly belonged—He first gave them the authority to do what He had done. It was by doing what He did that they would be able to verify that they were truly going forth in His name.
Now; though their task was different from ours today, we—in this age of grace to the Gentile world—still go forth under His authority and power. On the night before He went to the cross, He promised the coming of the Holy Spirit as the “Helper” of His people; and He said,
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it” (John 14:12-14).
When the Lord Jesus sends His workers out into the world, we can be sure that He sends them with His authority. We can be assured of that authority in our part of His work.
Second, notice …
2. THE COMMISSION OF THE WORKERS.
Verse 2 tells us; “He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” At the very beginning, John the Baptist announced Jesus’ coming into the world to the Jewish people by saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matthew 3:2). And after John was put into prison, Jesus took up the proclamation; saying, “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel!” (Mark 1:15). And now, these twelve disciples—who have been eyewitnesses to Jesus’ identity and authority—are to go forth and proclaim the same message before Him as He prepares to make His way to Jerusalem. In the account of this story as Matthew gives it, we find in Matthew 10:5-7 that He tells them;
“Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:5-8).
Their commission was different than ours. They were to go to the Jewish people only. We are to go to all nations. They were to preach that the kingdom of heaven was at hand. We are to proclaim the good news that He has died on the cross for us, has been raised from the dead, will one day return, and that now all who believe on Him—Jews and Gentiles—will be saved.
Third, notice …
3. THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE WORK.
Again, because their commission was different from ours, the instructions for fulfilling their commission were also different. Verses 3-5 tell us; “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. Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. 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.”
Notice that they were to take no provisions for themselves. Not staff (probably meaning the staff that is used to carry a bag), not a bag (in which to carry goods for the journey), not bread (in order to feed themselves), not money (in order to buy things that they needed), and not even an extra jacket. In Matthew 10:10, Jesus explained, “for a worker is worthy of his food”. They were not going to the Gentiles. They were going to the Jewish people to preach the coming of their King to them. The kingdom was rightly theirs. It was being offered to them. Therefore, the heralds of the King had a right to expect support from the King’s people.
Notice also that they were to stay put. When they came to a town, they weren’t to move from house to house—as if they were looking for better accommodations. Instead, they were to stay in whatever home welcomed them; and they were to bless it. Matthew’s Gospel tells us;
“Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out. And when you go into a household, greet it. If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you” (Matthew 10:12-13).
And notice that, if any town did not welcome them, they were not to stay. The offer of the kingdom to the Jewish people—at this time of their history—was not to be forced upon those who did not want it. To reject it was a cause of judgment. Matthew tells us that He said;
“And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!” (Matthew 10:14-15).
And finally, notice …
4. THE FULFILLMENT OF THE TASK.
Verse 6 says; “So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.” The healings happened; but the preaching was paramount. And they faithfully did what they were sent out to do. Verse 10 says;
And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done. Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida (v. 10).
* * * * * * * * * * *
Now; sadly, the Jewish people did not receive their King. They rejected Him and crucified Him. Later He would say;
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’” (Luke 13:34-35).
But their rejection of King Jesus has resulted in the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus the Savior around the world. And just as the commission of the twelve involved the authority of Jesus, the commission to proclaim, and the instructions for fulfillment, so does ours. As Jesus has put it in Matthew 20:18-20;
“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen (Matthew 28:18-20).
EA
Add A Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.