Real Life Selkirk
**March 22** Compassion & Courage Part 2 (Matthew 10:16-11:1)
  • It Really Is Amazing Grace

      • 1 Peter 2:6–7ESV

  • Graves Into Gardens
  • Cornerstone
  • Way Maker

  • Sermon

    Key Passage

    Matthew 10:16–11:1 NIV
    “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. “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. “The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household! “So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 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. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. “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. “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn “ ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ “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. “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.” After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee.

    Pray

    Vision/Mission/Process

    Vision- We exist to reach the world for Jesus, one person at a time
    Mission- We do this by creating biblical disciples in relational environments

    Introduction

    Last week, we dove into an extended passage about Jesus sending His disciples out with a specific mission to the local areas around northern Israel.
    We will continue and complete this passage today.
    Today’s passage has some depth and challenge to it, so I want to do a good job of communicating.
    To set the stage for today’s passage, I don’t want to assume that everyone here has been here every week since the beginning of this journey through the book of Matthew.
    We began reading the Gospel according to Matthew
    Matthew wrote a selective biography about the life of Jesus
    His purpose was to reveal Jesus nature as Messiah
    His authority as God
    His death/burial/resurrection as a sacrifice for our sin.
    Matthew began by sharing about the birth of Jesus and how He is the fulfillment of prophecy
    Then Matthew progressed by further revealing Jesus nature by giving us an extended passage of Jesus’ teaching about how life is different as one of His followers.
    We are not bound to the law. We are bound to Jesus.
    Matthew then transitioned the emphasis of His Gospel account to showing the authority of Jesus
    Jesus showed authority over sickness, nature, Satan and demons, and even authority over the internal struggles to believe that each of us has.
    Last week, we saw that Jesus finally identified the 12 disciples and His ministry will now largely revolve around these 12 men.
    Jesus called them by saying:
    Matthew 4:19 ESV
    And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
    Jesus will send them out at the end of the book of Matthew by saying:
    Matthew 28:19–20 NIV
    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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
    So somewhere between calling His disciples and sending His disciples, He needed to prepare His disciples.
    What we see today is a very intentional step in Jesus preparing His disciples for the day that He will send them away to start the church in this world.

    Last Week

    In the first part of this passage that we preached last week, we saw the heart of Jesus
    Matthew 9:36–38 ESV
    When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
    Jesus saw the crowds that were around Him like sheep without a shepherd
    What is the viability of a sheep without a shepherd?
    They will get sick, hurt, or eaten by predators.
    Odds that things will turn out well for them is virtually zero.
    But Jesus had compassion on these sheep.
    He wants to bring them to Himself.
    As their shepherd, He would protect them, He would guide them, and by the proximity to Him as their shepherd, He would save them from their inevitable future of being eaten by predators.
    We saw the compassion of Jesus last week, and today, we see how He will implement that compassion for the lost.

    Sermon

    Matthew 10:16 NIV
    “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.
    This opening sentence today will set the tone for the rest of the passage that we will see.
    I am sending you out like sheep among wolves
    Jesus already said that he saw the crowds like sheep without a shepherd.
    But Jesus is sending his disciples out like sheep as well and even identifying that there are wolves. The same wolves that would be a threat to the other sheep.
    So what is Jesus doing? What is the difference between these two sheep?
    One sheep has no shepherd. One sheep is in the same place with a shepherd.
    One sheep is harassed and helpless. The other sheep is equipped, prepared and protected.
    What is the job of the sheep that Jesus is sending out?
    I believe that Jesus also said this last week:
    Matthew 9:37–38 NIV
    Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
    The job of the sheep Jesus is sending out is to be a harvester. Bring sheep back to the shepherd!
    This is an extension of the calling Jesus gave to His disciples:
    Come follow me, I will make you fishers of men
    Jesus is sending them out to fish for men, so they will follow Jesus and be a part of His flock (Kingdom).
    This isn’t just about this moment. What Jesus tells them is going to prepare them for this “Fishing for men” job for the rest of their lives.
    Jesus understands that if He sends out these sheep and there are wolves out there, He needs to adequately prepare the sheep.
    He gives the disciples four immediate instructions about how to be a sheep in wolf infested land.
    I want to pause here and ask this question:
    Is this prescriptive or descriptive?
    What I mean is this: Did Jesus say this only to His disciples for this time and not for anyone else? Or did He intend for this to be heard by all disciples of all time?
    I’ll give you a massive spoiler, there is a reason I believe Matthew included this in his biography about Jesus.
    This is directly applicable to us today.
    Jesus called us to be a light in darkness. A sheep among wolves
    We are called to go into a world that has rejected Jesus and we are supposed to represent what they have rejected.
    That is not always easy and that is not always safe.
    Let’s look at the four instructions He gives:
    Matthew 10:16–20 NIV
    “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.
    Here are the four things He tells us to do:
    Be shrewd
    Be innocent
    Be on guard
    Do not worry
    I love how Jesus brings so much balance into His instruction
    Be shrewd as a serpent
    He doesn’t say to be serpent like and be a snake to everyone. That would be a terrible representation of Jesus!
    Rather, we need to have a wisdom of the world as we operate in the world.
    Things of the world cannot catch us off guard or unprepared.
    Be innocent as doves
    The word “innocent” translates into “pure and innocent”.
    If left out of balance, this person would be naive and become easy prey
    We must be shrewd and innocent and pure together.
    Be on guard
    People will betray you
    This is what it is to be a sheep among a wolf. The wolves will be wolves.
    We must be innocent in our hearts, but wise in our actions.
    We must always be aware, because we are not an offensive force in this world. We are sheep among wolves.
    Do not worry
    It seems that if we are sheep among wolves that we should worry about the threats
    Jesus says, “Do not worry”
    In fact in the next paragraph, He says, “Do not be afraid” three times
    Be on guard, but do not worry.
    Why do we not worry?
    The Holy Spirit will be with us and guide us in those times.
    I want to highlight that this was not simply for the disciples being sent out in this moment
    They went out and came back and there is no record of any of this stuff happening to them.
    This isn’t because Jesus was lying
    This is because these instructions would be standing instructions and expectations for any sheep that is sent out into wolf country on behalf of Jesus.
    Church, we must be shrewd and innocent
    There is a spiritual battle going on around us.
    Our battle is not flesh and blood and governmental authorities
    Our battle is for the hearts of the sheep that are wandering around as helpless and harassed sheep without a shepherd.
    We must find the place where we are in the world and aware of how the world works, but not influenced by the world
    Where are our eyes?
    Garbage in— Garbage out
    We have a mission.
    We must be on guard, but also not afraid.
    This was true for Jesus’ disciples and it is true for us today.
    We’ll tie more of this together
    What comes next in this passage is a call for courage among the disciples of Jesus
    We tend to look at discipleship as a good program for maturity within relationship in the church
    But the reality of being a disciple of Jesus in this world is not a simple task
    The call to discipleship is a call to engage a world that opposes us.
    In the next section, we will see Jesus warn the disciples about what it is like to live as a sheep among wolves:

    A Sheep Among Wolves

    Matthew 10:21–25 NIV
    “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. “The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!
    Wolf living is a life that is lived in conflict
    Being a sheep means that we are people of peace. However, in a world of conflict, the reality that we follow Jesus becomes a point of conflict that the world will use to bring conflict to our front door.
    These last two verses highlight what Jesus is saying here.
    A student is not above the teacher, nor is a servant above their master
    If a student was smarter than the teacher, then the student should become the teacher. But this is not the order of things.
    The object of a student is to become as smart as the teacher.
    The object of a servant is to think and act as the master so the master doesn’t need to boss him around
    If the head (the master or the teacher) is called Beelzebul.
    Beelzebul is a reference to Satan in some pretty interesting terms here
    So Jesus is making an extended point here.
    He is sending us out as sheep into wolf territory.
    In wolf territory, there is conflict, division, strife and a rejection of you as a follower of Jesus.
    If a student grows to become like a teacher
    And if a servant grows to become like the master
    This world will grow to be more like Satan every day.
    I want to step back from this passage and ask, “Is this true?”
    There are so many things in this world that we attribute to physical issues, emotional issues, political issues, addiction issues.
    But the reality is that this world continues to grow and be more like its master, Satan
    This is not saying that every person is demon possessed or anything like that.
    This is saying that this is not a world that is surrendered to Jesus, so its authority is anything else. And everything else points away from Jesus which points to the ultimate deception and deceiver, Satan.
    I want to reiterate this question, “Why are we being sent?”
    We are being sent to save some. The harvest is plentiful, the workers are few. We have been sent as workers.
    We have been sent to these people.
    Jesus has compassion on them. So should we.
    But we must not be naive about the condition of the world.

    How do we live among wolves?

    Matthew 10:26–33 NIV
    “So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 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. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. “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.
    How do we live among wolves? Jesus gives us three “Do not be afraid” statements
    Do not be afraid— We have been given the truth
    Do not be afraid— God sees you, knows you and loves you
    Do not be afraid— You are valued by God
    What has been spoken to us, we must proclaim
    We speak the truth.
    As we step out, the truth will stand in stark contrast to the lies of the world.
    To the wolf, this is the prey that must be attacked
    And the world will attack.
    Jesus has not shied away from the reality that as sheep with the truth, we may be rejected, imprisoned, or worse.
    But we can stand firm knowing that we know the truth and the truth is what is being spoken.
    God sees you and knows you
    We can look at this and see that we ought not fear those who can kill the body but not the soul.
    If i have eternal life in Jesus, what can you do to me to take that away?
    Nothing.
    The only one to fear is God. He is the one who holds my salvation.
    A couple of weeks ago, we looked at the woman with the bleeding disorder. Jesus told her to “take heart” Tharseo.
    Take courage, be audacious, be over bold, have a heart of iron.
    We can do this because this world can literally do nothing to us of any eternal consequence
    You are valued by God
    Psalm 139
    Being sent as sheep in a land of wolves is hard. But we have assurance that we are protected. There is nothing these wolves can do to us that can harm us. Our lives and our eternity are in the hands of our shepherd.
    We can take heart and not fear because our calling is from Jesus.
    Jesus warns:
    This world will be hard— There are wolves and you are a sheep
    Jesus tells:
    How to live among the wolves
    Now Jesus will share the value of the shepherd.

    The Value of the Shepherd

    Matthew 10:34–36 NIV
    “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn “ ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’
    If we pause right here, we might come to the conclusion that this passage seems contrary to a bunch of other things Jesus has said.
    Things like, “Honor your father and mother” and “Blessed are the peacemakers”
    This is why context is so important.
    Jesus doesn’t end the passage right here.
    He is making a point by saying this.
    Here is His point:
    Matthew 10:37–39 NIV
    “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.
    Jesus is not saying that the relationship between you and your parents (or children) is worthless.
    Jesus is not saying that we should be conflict driven in our lives as if we lived among the wolves of this world.
    However, Jesus is saying that if He is our shepherd, then things become drastically re-prioritized in our lives.
    What Jesus is saying here is something all of His disciples had already done to some extent.
    Let’s keep the metaphor that Jesus has given us:
    A sheep that is in this world of wolves is called to come to the shepherd.
    The sheep without the shepherd is harassed and helpless
    But the sheep with the shepherd are literally invincible because they have eternal life.
    There is nothing a wolf can do to them because they have eternal life.
    Eternal life is only found when the sheep comes to the shepherd.
    Let’s say that sheep is invited to the shepherd and the sheep says, “No, I want to stay with the sheep I am with. My friends and family sheep.”
    Will that sheep ever find eternal life?
    That sheep will remain harassed and helpless for the rest of its life.
    Jesus called the disciples, “Follow me”
    Some of the disciples were even with their father.
    They had to choose between their father and Jesus.
    Or at least their life and follow Jesus.
    They had to turn their backs to one or the other and all of the disciples had chosen Jesus.
    This is not Jesus saying to be dishonoring or disrespecting.
    But Jesus is not going to share lordship with anyone, regardless of who they are.
    There is only one Good Shepherd and that is Jesus Christ.
    We talked about this a month ago.
    He becomes our priority.
    Not one of our priorities.

    The Reward for Following Jesus

    Matthew 10:40–11:1 NIV
    “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.” After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee.
    Jesus is sending His disciples out to these towns and preparing them.
    He says, “Anyone who welcomes you and this teaching of the Gospel will find a reward.”
    What is the reward?
    We have already spoken about it.
    I love how Jesus often talks about the reward of following Him, but rarely talks about what the reward is.
    I want us to think of this in two terms.
    First, we can stand in the face of this broken world in confidence, because there is nothing the world can do to take away what the Good Shepherd, Jesus, has given us.
    Eternal life, mission, purpose
    Second, we get the shepherd
    A shepherd who loves us, sees us, cares about us and will go to the Father on behalf of us.
    The cost of following Jesus is our lives.
    The cost of not following Jesus is also our lives
    May we choose wisely.

    Conclusion

    Church, this passage forces us to face a simple but profound truth: following Jesus has never been easy, and Jesus never pretended that it would be.
    He told us exactly what it would look like. Sheep among wolves. Truth in a world of lies. Courage in the face of opposition. Loyalty to Him above everything else.
    But we must never miss why He sends us.
    Jesus looked out at the crowds and saw people who were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. And His response was compassion. That compassion is the reason we are sent.
    Church, we have been entrusted with the highest calling that exists in this world—the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We carry the message that brings lost sheep to the Good Shepherd. We carry the truth that leads people from death to life. We carry the only hope this world has.
    And yes, Jesus is honest with us: It will not always be easy. There will be resistance. There may be rejection. There may even be suffering.
    But listen carefully: anything that costs us in this life cannot compare to what Christ has already given us.
    We have eternal life. We have the presence of the Holy Spirit. We have the love of the Father. And we have the privilege of joining Jesus in His mission.
    So the question for us is not whether the cost is high. Jesus already told us it is.
    The real question is: Is Jesus worth it?
    And the answer of every disciple through the centuries has been the same:
    Yes. He is worth it.
    But before we close, I want to recognize that there may be two kinds of people in this room today.
    First, there may be some here who are still like the sheep Jesus described earlier—harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Maybe you have never truly surrendered your life to Jesus. Maybe you have heard about Him, maybe you respect Him, but you have never come to Him as your Shepherd.
    Jesus’ invitation is still the same today as it was when He first said it: “Follow me.”
    Following Jesus means surrendering your life to Him. It means trusting that His death and resurrection are enough to forgive your sin. It means letting Him become the Shepherd who leads your life.
    And the promise is incredible: When you come to Him, you are no longer helpless. You are no longer alone. You are brought into His flock and given eternal life.
    If that is you today, the invitation is simple: come to the Shepherd.
    But for many of us here today, we have already done that. We know Jesus as our Shepherd.
    So the invitation for you is different.
    Are you embracing the calling He has given you?
    Because Jesus did not save us simply so we could sit safely in the flock. He saved us and then sent us.
    He sends us into workplaces. He sends us into neighborhoods. He sends us into schools, families, and friendships.
    Not as wolves—but as sheep. Not with fear—but with courage. Not with our own authority—but with His.
    The harvest is still plentiful. The workers are still few.
    So church, let us not shrink back from the calling. Let us not lower the cost of discipleship to make it comfortable. Let us embrace the mission with courage.
    Because we are sheep with a Shepherd. We are sent with His authority. We are filled with His Spirit. And we have been given the incredible privilege of reaching the world for Jesus, one person at a time.
    The calling is high. The cost may be great.
    But following Jesus is always worth it.

      • Matthew 10:16–11:1NIV2011

      • Matthew 4:19NIV2011

      • Matthew 28:19–20NIV2011

      • Matthew 9:36–38NIV2011

      • Matthew 10:16NIV2011

      • Matthew 9:37–38NIV2011

      • Matthew 10:16–20NIV2011

      • Matthew 10:21–25NIV2011

      • Matthew 10:26–33NIV2011

      • Matthew 10:34–36NIV2011

      • Matthew 10:37–39NIV2011

      • Matthew 10:40–11:1NIV2011

  • Who You Say I Am
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