Amen. Please open up your Bibles to the Gospel of Matthew. The Gospel of Matthew chapter 10. We're going to start at verse 11, just down to verse 15 today. And then after that, we're going to turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 2 and verse 14. But for now, let's read Matthew chapter 10. Starting at verse 11, this is God's holy word. Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out. And when you go out into, 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. 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. Surely 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. Please turn with me to 2 Corinthians 2. Chapter 2, starting at verse 14. Once again, this is the Word of God. Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us Diffuses the fragrance of his knowledge in every place For we are to God the fragrance of Christ Among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing to the one We are the aroma of death leading to death to the other the aroma of life leading to life and Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God, but as of sincerity. But as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ. Thus far the reading of God's holy word, all of God's people said. Amen. Let's pray together. Father, help us open our hearts, open our minds to see wondrous things out of your word. Father, your spirit is needed here by the hearers and by the preacher. None of this matters if your spirit is not working in us to see Christ from this scripture. Apply it to us. May it change us and move us to walk more obediently and faithfully to you, leaning all on Christ for our righteousness and salvation. Father, we pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Please be seated. Congregation of the Lord Jesus, How would you describe Christianity in one sentence? I've read a Christian article that actually came from the Gospel Coalition, which is a very well-established para-church organization aimed at strengthening the Christian faith, helping us to navigate through the hot-button issues of the cultural, political, theological issues of our day and it's meant to make us confident in our faith right to to go and be confident in this in the gospel that we proclaim that we defend so you want that you can click on this article that was written last week entitled all Christians are losers doesn't that make you feel confident All Christians are losers, and he goes on to say that Christianity is a religion of short-term losers, but it's okay, we just need to lose well. And he goes on in his article to explain how we are losers. We are losers because we are losing cultural influence upon our society as Christians. And we are losing respectability. Now, I don't disagree everything with what he said in the article, but the way that it is framed is, to me, a bit ridiculous. The world will hate us because it hated Christ. We have no respectability in the eyes of the world. That's a myth that we have bought into American cultural Christianity. We are losing cultural influence while we shouldn't. We didn't have that in the first place. Paul never saw himself as a loser. Paul says, I run that I may hold of that which for which Christ Jesus has also laid out for me. I press on towards the prize. Prize being heaven and the glory that Christ has already gained for him. Anything that we lose in this life, we count it as gain, because we gain Christ. Whether it's physical comforts that we lose, whether it's securities that we lose, whether it's our self-righteousness that we lose, all of which are to gain Christ. Christians are not losers. The church are not made up of losers. But neither are we winners either, as if to say that we have earned or gained something. Christians are people who are lost, but are now found. Christians are people who are sinners, saved by grace. And certainly Jesus is not sending his disciples as losers. He fills them with confidence by equipping them with power, equipping them with the message, and providing for all of their physical needs. And now that they are equipped, they go in confidence, preaching the gospel, because God will accomplish His plans through their witness. The word that is going forward will not fail. The gospel that goes forth through our life, through our words, through our proclamation, it will do one of two things. It will either soften hearts, or it will harden hearts of those who hear Christ proclaimed. Which leads me to my theme for us. this afternoon, that as the church, we freely offer the gospel, knowing that it will accomplish peace to those who receive it by faith, or judgment for those who reject it. And I have separated my sermon today with these three points, by offering peace, rejecting God's peace, and greater judgment to come. Let's start at verse 11. Now verse 11 says, now whatever city or town you enter, so Christ is now sending, after equipping them, he is sending them out to focus directly on Galilee, which is predominantly Jewish people. We explained that last time, why their focus is on the Jews. which then will eventually branch out into Gentiles as well, in a much more clear way as the gospel of Matthew continues. And he tells them, he's sending them as laborers. Remember the other passage in chapter nine, that we need laborers to harvest, to bring the harvest. And so now he is sending his disciples as laborers to bring the harvest within this vicinity of Galilee. And how they will be provided for is through the hospitality of others. Because remember, Jesus says, don't bring anything. Don't bring bags. Don't bring extra clothes. Don't bring any money. Don't bring anything other than what you already have. you will be provided for. And then Jesus mentions in another passage, going back to this moment and asking them, did you lack anything? And they said, nothing, we lacked absolutely nothing. And so that's how God provided for these disciples. And so as they were going in and out of house to house and city to city, They were there to go and find those who are worthy and find hospitality. Those who receive the message of the gospel, who invites them, that's how their needs will be taken care of. And he uses this language of being worthy, which is in reference to verse 10. For a worker is worthy of his food. So they are laborers presenting Christ's message, and they will be paid and rewarded by hospitality of these people that they are going to. And if the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. I'm sorry, in verse 12. And when you go into a house, greet it. So as they're going house to house, it was customary for Jews to begin their conversations with saying the word Shalom. Shalom is that special word that has a pact full of meaning. That means peace. We all know that. It also means welfare. It means wholeness. A lot of connotations are connected with that word Shalom. It means complete peace and wellness, ultimately with God. But, you know, in basic conversation, in everyday conversations, when they were to say Shalom, it was more of a sign of respect. It was a wishful prayer. Um, kind of like what we say in our culture, you know, good luck to you. You know, I wish good things would happen to you. I wish peaceful things to you. Or maybe like in, in, in Christmas time, when we, when we hear the song of Feliz Navidad, you know, Prospero Año, Felicidad, prosperity and happiness, we wish for you, you know, that's a wishful, uh, prayer. But what Jesus does here is he uses a common greeting, but he infuses it with gospel meaning. So it's not just a, I wish peace upon you. It's more, when they're saying shalom, they're actually saying, we are offering peace to you. How will you receive it? And so, in this, and this goes on with, you know, the gospel writers, or sorry, the apostles, and always beginning and ending their letters with peace. Grace and peace be to you. Or always ending with peace be with you. And that's why we ourselves begin and end our worship services by, with peace. It's not just a, a, you know, something in our imagination, something that we have a wishful thinking, but it is peace that is grounded in truth based on the gospel. And so we see that reflected here in our passage, as they're saying in the conversation, greeting each other by saying peace. So depending on how they receive the message of the gospel, that the kingdom of God is here, if they receive it, then that peace that they're offering is given to them. Think about that. Every time we proclaim the gospel, it has an effect. And sometimes we may think about, well, what if we say the wrong thing? What if we don't say enough? First of all, the message isn't yours to begin with, and the results aren't yours to worry about. And these disciples are not preoccupied with who is receiving the message. As we'll go on to see, how if one rejects it, you move on. You move on to the next person and the next person until one receives it. The Apostle Paul also tells us that there is a powerful effect that we as Christians have, whether we believe it or not, whether we think about it or not, when we are living our life in this world. Paul uses in 2 Corinthians 2, this imagery of fragrance, which is utilizing Old Testament imagery when they were to conduct burnt offerings. You see the smoke arising to heaven is a symbolic gesture of having peace and fellowship with God. A sweet aroma. But as Christians, of course, we don't present burnt offerings. We are the burnt offerings. That's why Paul says in another passage that we are to give ourselves as an offering to others. Romans 12. That wherever we go, we bring the fragrance of Christ. Why? Because we have the peace of Christ in us. Because we have fellowship with Christ. We have, we are walking testimonies of the grace of God doing a work in our lives. Everywhere we go, Paul says, not just in church, everywhere we go, we bring the fragrance of Christ. Because we love our Lord. And we are loved by our Lord Jesus Christ. That's not something to be taken lightly with our fellowship with God and how it will inevitably pour itself out in one shape or form in our daily relationships, in our work ethics, in our decisions that we make for our lives, in the relationships that we build. We are bringing the fragrance of Christ. And God is going to accomplish his will when the gospel is presented one way or another. But what happens when they reject the message? We go on in our passage in Matthew 10. If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 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. If they reject it, This gesture of shaking dust off of the feet is a common thing that the Jews did when they were walking from a Gentile area into... before approaching the temple, let's say. They would do so because they were walking in an unclean territory, and now they're crossing over to clean territory. And so this is a... not just a cultural gesture, but there is a spiritual meaning behind it as well. That if the person who is hearing and listening to the message wants nothing to do with him or with the message, shaking off the dust is deeming that person unclean. is deeming that person as someone who is still in their sins. And the disciples are not preoccupied about that. They're not belaboring the fact that, oh my goodness, someone has rejected me. Someone has rejected the faith. Just moved on. Carried on. into the next house, into the next city. The gospel needs to continue. Now this may look differently in our family relationships that we are close with. We have continual daily encounters with them. But this is the situation with the disciples and Jesus calling them. And of course, if they were to receive it, they would befriend them. And of course, they would become brothers or sisters in Christ. But in general, in this missionary endeavor, the purpose is to spread the gospel as far as possible. Not worrying about the reception, but being more preoccupied with giving the message. Everywhere they went. And as a result, in verse 15, surely I say to you, the word is amen, means truly. Another translation could say, truly, truly, I say to you. Why is the judgment greater? The judgment is greater because God has revealed his Son in a way that he has not revealed his Son in the past. Because today the gates of heaven are open. Redemption has been accomplished. And all who turn to Christ will be forgiven. Like the boat in Noah's day. The Torah is open. All who come into the boat will take refuge and be saved from the judgment to come. And Sodom and Gomorrah. We all know Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19. And after the events in Genesis 19, Sodom and Gomorrah would become synonymous with God's judgment. proof, evidence that God will not always be patient with wickedness. Because of the sexual immorality in that city, because of the rampant hatred against God, God finally said it was enough. Of course, we know that from that story, from that passage, Abraham interceding on behalf of Sodom and saying, if there are ten righteous people, don't sweep the righteous with the unrighteous. But there were not even ten. And so, God saw it fit, God saw fit to unleash his judgment upon them. And God sent angels to rescue Lot and his family, to get out of this place. If we were there, seeing it from afar, we would be overwhelmed by the smell of sulfur, by the heat radiating from the fire and brimstone that was raining upon that city. We will be overwhelmed by the shrieks of terror as people were being consumed by God's judgment. And yet, Jesus proclaims that God was holding back. But God was taking it easy on them in comparison to the judgment to come. The judgment, the final judgment that we await. We as an American culture, our society in America, we tolerate and promote pornography and sexual immorality that breeds A culture that opens the door for marital unfaithfulness, for rape, for spousal abuse, for abortion, for divorce, for human trafficking, and many more other forms of unrighteousness. Where sin has become so common that righteousness to us seems strange, or at least to the world it seems strange. living a life of purity before marriage, or even the design of marriage between a man and a woman is looked down upon us as an archaic way of living that is long past its expiration date. America is not exempt from God's judgment. And we know that. I heard it said that if God doesn't judge America, he will have to give an apology to Sodom and Gomorrah. As Christians, we're often forgetful of this grand reality that judgment is to come. And we focus so much on politics and social reform That we miss the whole point of why we as Christians are going out to reach the lost. It's not just to better their life. It's to prepare them for judgment. To prepare you for judgment. I know people may hear that and say, well, do we not care for the physical needs of our culture? Do we not care about the wrongs that are being done in society? And should we not pursue social reform? Should we not pursue change of some kind to better people's lives? One, it depends. But two, of course we do. Faith without works is dead. But also know this. Works without faith is also dead. Then we focus on just benefiting the circumstances of their life, but they are still not ready for judgment. What have we done or accomplished? Say that we throw a bone for every political agenda, every social reform that we can think of that would better our society, abolishing human trafficking once and for all, abolishing abortion once and for all, or perhaps on the other side of the political aisle to accomplish equity for all, equal access to resources, equal outcomes for everybody, and having everybody being taken care of equally in the image of whoever is pursuing that political agenda. Give a bone to all of these reforms. So what? So what? We have the peace of Christ that transcends all understandings, that nothing in this world can offer or bring. God's not sending down angels to preach the gospel. God's sending you. God's sending me. Well, I'm not qualified. Yep, you're absolutely right about that. Well, I don't know what to say. Do you have fellowship with Christ? Do you know him? How about start from there? We're not giving someone that we don't already have. God. God did not spare the angels who fell from heaven. God did not spare the ancient world and the flood. God did not spare Sodom and Gomorrah. God will not spare this world that is filled with wickedness. But by grace, God has spared you. Now how he spared you? Because he didn't spare his son. All of God's hatred against sin that makes Sodom and Gomorrah look like child's play was poured out on the sinless, righteous Son of God. Your sin. My unrighteousness. And the punishment for it was not spared. on the Son, who was laid upon him. He was counted as a transgressor. Because of Christ taking the judgment for us, we do not fear the day of judgment. We stand upon his righteousness. We stand upon his perfect sacrifice. That's why you are spared in Christ. You hear Paul's question at 2 Corinthians 2, who is sufficient for these things? Whatever you're thinking is probably what he was thinking. I'm just a man. I'm just a person. Don't you know what my record is? Don't you know how screwed up I am? And I'm called to present and offer the fragrance of Christ, offer the peace of Christ that can spare other people from the judgment that is to come? We have this treasure in jars of clay, but we still have the treasure. We still have peace that we can offer all sinners who are willing, who place their faith on Christ. Judgment Day has not happened yet. Today is a day of salvation, Paul says. We can bring the fragrance of Christ And to those who will receive it, it will be a fragrance of life. As long as there is breath in that individual, there is hope for them. Let us not be overwhelmed by the weight of it, because it is not our message we are bringing, it is Christ's message. It is not in our power, it is his power. God will provide the rest. Amen. Amen. Let's pray. Gracious Father, we are humble ourself. Give us the compassion or to see the loss with the people around us. The shoulders we rub with, Lord, in our daily lives, in our workplaces, in our surroundings, Lord. Open doors and opportunities for us to be in people's lives and to share Christ with them, to share and offer this peace that can bring them healing. Nothing else in this world will bring that other than Christ. No Christ, no peace. Help us not, Lord. Lord, help us not to be afraid. Fill us with confidence, not in ourselves, but in your gospel. We pray these things in Jesus' name, amen.