We're going to pick up in Matthew chapter 10 and verse 16, as he's going to continue the instruction to the apostles. And as I mentioned last week, this was a combination of Jesus' instructions about the first part of their mission, or that time where they're gonna go out and prepare the way, the cities that Jesus is going to be in. And I believe that this is also speaking of throughout the next three years that Jesus will be with them, and it's also preparing them for after their crucifixion, resurrection, and the ascension of the Lord, and what they are to expect being his disciples. He is paving the way for the early church to understand that They are not this mighty force that's going to overwhelm with power, but rather they are a holy priesthood that is taking a message of peace and of reconciliation, taking it to people who are going to be hostile to them, that they are going to be despised. They're going to be hated. They're going to be ill-treated. And when that happens, Jesus gives them instruction. But let's pick it up at verse 16 here. So Matthew 10, 16. Behold, I send you out. So there is that idea of being apostles where Jesus has sent them out. I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But be aware of men, for they will deliver you up to the councils and scourge you in their synagogues. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Oh, Father God, I ask you, please, you would use me once again to deliver your message, deliver your word. Lord, I ask you to forgive me of my sin and my shortcoming. And Lord, that you would use me in spite of that. And Lord, that the message of Christ would go out to here, to these who are gathered. And Lord, you bless us through the ministry of your word, as is in Jesus' name, amen. He's telling that they're being sent out. So we know that they're being sent out. We know that they're also not going out of their own, their own idea, or that's not a great word to use right there, but this wasn't their own plan, okay? Jesus has initiated them going out. Jesus has called them to come follow him. Now Jesus is going to send them as they still follow in his teachings and follow his instructions, but yet now they're going to be sent out by Jesus. And this is something that, we still hold to. We believe that men ought to be sent out by the Lord. And we will see in the book of Acts. particularly in the book of Acts, and particularly in Acts chapter 13, we have Paul and Barnabas, they're there with a local church, and the Holy Spirit tells the elders at that local church, separate unto me Paul and Barnabas, who I have this mission for, and then so the church listens to the Holy Spirit, and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, right, the Spirit is leading the church, all those who are led by the Spirit, Those are the sons of God. So all these sons of God are led by the Spirit to follow what the Spirit said. And the Spirit has selected those apostles to go out and do what they were supposed to do. It's also interesting here is that the Lord, so back in Matthew chapter 10, the Lord is gonna use these metaphors, these similes. He is going to give in the same verse, really almost in the same sentence, a two-fold simile or a two-fold metaphor talking about four different animals. This is actually something that Jesus does throughout his teaching. He uses animals to make a point. So we have a coupling of wolves and sheep, and we also have a coupling of serpents and doves. He says, I'm sending you out as sheep. That imagery of the sheep is used throughout the Gospels and is used throughout Christianity, throughout Christian doctrine to depict the followers of Jesus Christ. We know that in the Gospel of John, Jesus says that, my sheep, hear my voice and follow me. You are not my sheep, so you don't follow. Or another way it says, you're not following me because you're not my sheep. So the sheep hear the voice of the shepherd and they follow after the shepherd. Sometimes that's literal. Sometimes that's a physical following and that you have to, there's some animals that you drive, that you push them. There's other animals that you have to be out in front and you have to start. And then eventually they come after and they follow after. Jesus calls to his sheep, his sheep follow them. Now, this is interesting, is that Jesus says, I'm sending you out as sheep. I think this would indicate that Jesus has gone on before them. So how is that possible? If Jesus is there at that location, how is it that these who are supposed to be following the shepherd, how is it if Jesus is there, that they could follow him somewhere? I think this is done through the work of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who is working. He is working in these apostles. And not only is He working in the apostles, He is at work in those who receive the apostles' message. The Spirit of Christ goes on before the apostles of Christ. It goes on before the disciples of Christ. And the Spirit is already at work. But then the Lord uses us to then complete the mission, so to speak. He uses the other animal He speaks to of there, is of the wolf. Of the wolf. The wolf being the predator, the wolf having fangs and claws, the wolves that we could read throughout the scriptures that they tear, they devour, they're ravenous, they're grievous, they seek destruction. These types of wolves that often the scriptures speak of is they are not just there because they're hungry. but rather they have this murderous intent seeking to destroy and specifically seeking to destroy the church of God, seeking to destroy the work of God. And Jesus is telling him, this is who I'm sending you out amongst. I'm sending you amongst hostiles. I'm sending you amongst people who are going to be fierce against you. You are going to have opposition. But you are not to fight fire with fire in that context or in that sense of just because they have fangs and claws, it doesn't mean that the apostles were to be also have fangs and claws, but rather they were still to follow the teachings of Christ. The other example that he gives, or the other animals that he speaks to here, and this may seem kind of strange to us, because oftentimes we think of serpents as being bad. We think of serpents as being evil. But he gives us this idea of to be wise as serpents, or to be as shrewd as serpents. There's difference between that wise in the wisdom and cunning and deceitfulness. The cunning and the deceitfulness is the bad side of that. But rather, but the wisdom, understanding, acknowledgement, That's the wisdom he's speaking of. And he also then couples that with being harmless or being innocent. Another way, Ted, that is interpreted is as being simple, as simple as doves. I have a couple of quotes here I thought were really good. I was gonna share with you about explaining about being wise as serpents and being harmless as doves. He says that, this is from Craig Blomberg, and it says that Jesus calls the 12 to exhibit great acutement without sinful compromise. Without sinful compromise. Innocent literally means unmixed, or the idea of being harmless, or being innocent. It is unmixed and refers to purity of intention. Shrewdness and integrity form a crucial combination, not often found in the Christian church. I thought that was actually rather insightful, but also kind of a sad statement. To be wise and still have your integrity. to understand your surroundings, understand the people, understand who you're dealing with, understand the scenario and the situation, but yet still maintain your integrity of purpose. without compromising, without taking money, without taking a lover, without doing all these things that sadly too many churches have failed on, too many preachers have failed on, too many ministries have failed, that they mix in the pleasures of the world. They mix in these other influences. They are no longer simple. They're no longer dedicated. They're no longer pure. Another quote, this one from Spurgeon. Spurgeon writes, the Christian ministry, excuse me, missionary, the Christian missionary will need to be wary to avoid receiving harm, but he also must be of a guileless mind, guileless mind, that he himself does no harm. We are called to be martyrs, but not maniacs. We are called to be martyrs, but not maniacs. We are to be simple hearted, but not simpletons. We are to be simple hearted, but we are not simpletons. This is the idea what Jesus is telling them is, listen, I'm sending you in. as sheep going amongst predators, going amongst those who are gonna be hostile to you. And as you are doing that, you are supposed to be wise and understand that there is danger. A lot of snakes, we think of snakes as these really aggressive, vicious creatures, but oftentimes, most species of snakes are usually in defense mode, and they're actually trying to get away. That's usually their first reaction is to go, to get away from the threat. And then if needs be, then they get into a defensive posture. It's interesting that rattlesnakes, rattlesnakes rattle as a warning. Basically, they're giving you a warning. When you hear that rattle saying, hey, you're too close to me, you need to be careful. You need to watch out. And even then, rattlesnakes often will get poised as if they're going to strike, but then a lot of times they'd rather not. They'd rather just the threat back away. They'd rather the threat go away. And then once that happens, the snake, then he goes away. Very, that's usually the case. Now, of course, there's exceptions to that. But the idea is that, understand that you're in a threatening environment and you have threats around you. It's also interesting is that as Jesus is seeking for the sheep to go out, they have a purpose. And their purpose is to be messengers, to prepare the way for the king and to preach the coming of the king. And not only are they to be these messengers, they're to be these ambassadors, but they are also to be soul winners. They are actually trying to change the wolves. That's foolishness. People look at that and say, hey, wait a minute. How can this sheep who is actually rather vulnerable and is prey to these predatory animals, you're telling me that these animals that in this scenario, they can actually overcome their enemy. And the truth of the matter is, is that they cannot, but their shepherd does. is the message of the sheep and he who works in the sheep. It is Christ who has sent them out. It is the spirit of Christ. It is the Holy Spirit at work, that he is preparing the message. And then we actually have a wonderful example of that in the scriptures themselves with the apostle Paul. Paul is he who wrecked, Havoc on the church. He sought to destroy the church. He quite literally had people killed because they believed in Jesus. Active in persecution. Actively trying to seek out the death of Christians. But then, the shepherd confronts this wolf named Saul of Tarshish. And the shepherd confronts that wolf. And by God's grace, saves that man. And then tells Saul to get up and go talk to a sheep. Now, of course, we're talking, this is again, metaphor, simile. He goes and he talks to a Christian, and that Christian man is then instructed by the Lord and say, hey, I'm bringing this Saul to you, the one who used to persecute my people, the one who used to kill Christians, or at least arrest Christians, and that would lead to their death. This is one of mine. He is one of my sheep. He was a wolf. But now by God's grace, he is a sheep. And this now sheep turned wolf follows his shepherd to go make more sheep. To go back into the fray, to go back into the hostility, to go back into the persecution. He who used to persecute the church is now a pillar of the church. He himself is now an apostle, one who has been sent out by Jesus Christ. to go and make disciples, to go and preach the gospel. And part of that preaching the gospel is converting people. But then once that conversion happens, it's also the discipleship, and the training, and the encouragement, and sometimes the admonishment, saying, hey, I know you guys are saved, But you are lacking. You're failing. You're weak in this area. Or you've been led astray. Or you're participating in something that's not good. You are a child of the light. But now you are dabbling in darkness. You're coming under the influence of the world. You're under the influence of demonic thinking. You are looking at something that seems cool and hip and fun, and even it's just a moment. It's just a day. It's just an event. It's an occasion. That's still too much. You as a child of God, you cannot be a child of darkness. You cannot play with that. You cannot role play, cosplay, dress up with that. We cannot be dark people. In fact, I want to share some of these thoughts that the apostle Paul has and to a couple of churches. You don't have to turn there, you can write these down if you wanna look them up later. Romans 16, Romans 16 verse nine, it says, for your obedience has become known to all. Therefore, I am glad on your behalf, but I want you to be wise in what is good and simple concerning evil. Interesting that Jesus tells them, Jesus sent the original 12 apostles out here saying, be wise and simple, be wise and harmless, be wise and innocent, right? We are simple hearted, but not simpletons. Don't be a stupid Christian. Don't be ignorant. We have a lot of, I'm naive. A lot of us, I have a lot of naive, we're naive about a lot of things. And in some ways that's actually good. However, the apostle Paul says, be aware, be wise. In fact, he continues with that thinking in Colossians chapter four. Colossians chapter four, verse five says, walk in wisdom. walking wisdom towards those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one." In a similar passage, a parallel passage, he also says, redeeming the time because the time is evil. There's an evil time, and there's a presence of evil. And we, as the church, you as a Christian, you have to be aware of that. And you have to be aware that your enemy, the devil, is seeking about whom he may devour. And he does it a little bit at a time. Sometimes it's one big gulp. Sometimes it's one ferocious attack. But other times it's subtle, because that's what the devil does. He is that bad side of the serpent, of the cunning, the deceitfulness, the subtlety, the camouflage, the sneaking in, and making you think, oh, it's okay, this is just fun. We have to be careful of that. In Ephesians, this is a little bit of a longer passage, but Ephesians chapter five, verse six through 17. Ephesians five says, Don't be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins. For the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. Don't participate in the things that these people do. For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light. For this light within you produces only that what is good and right and true. carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness. Instead, expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret." That's something that I think the Christian church has really gotten away from. Understanding that there is such things as shame, and they're shameful things. And for us even to discuss them is shameful. For us to bring it up here in the church, from behind the pulpit, in one sense, it fouls the sacred desk. It fouls our conversation. to even talk about, to even bring up the fact that, hey, this is a sin and this sin is shameful. To even talk about it is shameful. Then you got people actually are participating in it. Think about how much more the anger of God is right. If it's shameful just to talk about, hey, be careful guys, this is sin, that's shameful. How much more so the people who are actually doing it? People are guilty of those shameful acts. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret, but their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, for the light makes everything visible. This is why it said, awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead and Christ will give you light. Verse 15 says, so be careful how you live. Don't live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don't act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don't be a foolish person. Elsewhere, Paul would write that when I was a child, I acted as a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things. As Christians, we are called to be maturing, to be growing. There's a reason why, or there's several reasons why, but the reason why now I don't insult your intelligence by pressing play on a VeggieTales tape right now, okay? because you have progressed past that. Hopefully so. Hopefully the Holy Spirit has been at work in you, that you are no longer a child, a simpleton. Our love for the Lord is simple. Our message is simple. We are connected. We are direct. We are pure. We don't have an admix of error. We are unmixed, as Blomberg's quote said. We are unmixed in our devotion to the Lord. We are unmixed in the mission. It's not, hey, I'm gonna do this, and I'm going in on a disguise of the platform of the gospel, but really I want to be benefiting from the world's pleasures and the world's treasures. So back here where Matthew chapter 10, Jesus is telling the apostles to be careful, be aware, be aware that you are different. The apostles were different. They weren't a wolf, they were a sheep. And they would also have understanding and to there to conduct themselves with a wisdom and with simplicity or as harmless or as innocent. Verse 17 says, but be aware of men, for they will deliver you up to the councils and scourge you in their synagogues. You'll be brought before governors and kings for my sake as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But as I remember, so as I opened up with saying that this was Jesus telling them about, they had a particular mission that that week, in the years to come, and the church will have a mission in the centuries to follow. The reason I say that this, we know that this is him explaining to them about future ministry, because remember he said that you're to go to the lost house of Israel. But now he says about going in front of the Gentiles. their ministry would expand. At first, they were preaching to Jews. They were preaching to the Hebrews. They were preaching to the Israelites. And then that would expand to include Romans and Greeks, barbarians, Scythians, which nowadays we would call those basically Ukrainians and Russians. That's that range where they were going out. And they would get brought in front of not just the Jewish Sanhedrin, but then they would go in front of the Roman governors, the Roman kings, and even the Roman emperor himself. Those were the Gentiles that they would stand in front of. And when they did do that, they were still to be as sheep, and perhaps even winning some of them. And eventually, by the grace of God, they did. Verse 19, but when they do deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak, for it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit, that's the Holy Spirit, "'but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.'" I mentioned that these guys are being led by the Lord Jesus, and the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ. He's also the Spirit of the Father. He comes from both. He proceeds from both. He goes out by both. We believe in Trinity. We believe in an eternal God. We have an eternal Father, an eternal Son, and an eternal Holy Spirit. And these three are one. It would seem that the Father and the Son send the Spirit. This is what the teaching, the whole counsel of God gives this idea that it's the Holy Spirit who is, he's co-equal with the Father and Son, but as Christ was also obedient, so the Holy Spirit is also obedient. And so as the Spirit, as the Father sends the Spirit, so too, so the Spirit does. The Spirit has a ministry. And then he's saying, Do not be anxious about when this happens to you. Whenever the apostles were going to get picked up, whenever they got arrested, whenever they got brought to court, and they got brought to trial, and then whenever they got beat, and they're gonna try to figure out, I need to have a winning argument. In this day and age, in the Roman Greco world, especially the Greeks, the Greeks loved rhetoric. They loved the oral argumentation. They loved the speaking. They loved to be able to have a persuasive speech. And in fact, that's what oftentimes won their court trials, was how eloquent and how entertaining their orator could be, how brilliant the rhetoric was. It really didn't matter about the facts. Many times the evidence, they didn't care, they could care less about evidence. It was how brilliant of an argument can you make? He's telling them, don't worry about that. Do not be fixated on that. Do not be anxious. Do not be overwhelmed and overcome with anxiety about how you're going to speak to these officials, because it's going to come from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is gonna give them the words. Now, let me make a point here, and I'll move to the closing. These instructions were specifically to those 12 apostles that Jesus sent out in this time, okay? That they were to take great hope and have courage, that as they are going through these cities that they're unfamiliar with, and they're going out as sheep amongst wolves, they're going amongst the hostility, the persecutions, and perhaps even martyrdom, Do not worry because the Holy Spirit is there with you and the Holy Spirit will give you the words to speak. That was very true for them. In some ways, that's still true for us today. That's still true for church today. However, let me tell you what this doesn't mean. This doesn't mean that you don't need to study the Word of God. This doesn't mean that you don't prepare beforehand, that you do not, that, let me say, you, as a teacher, as a pastor, as a preacher, as an evangelist, as a missionary, as a minister of the gospel, we are called to study. In fact, that's one of the qualifications. Study to show yourself approved. You are a man of God. You are a worker of God. You are the workman of God. And you are not to be ashamed. And we are called to study the Scriptures. To prepare in the Scriptures. To grow in the knowledge of the Lord. To grow in the knowledge of God. To grow in the knowledge of what God has said. And what God would have us to do. And as that preparation comes out, and we go through and we prepare throughout, in the church's case, Sunday, on Sundays, on Wednesdays, the pastor should have spent time in the Word, time praying, time getting ready, time to minister the Word to the people through the power of the Holy Spirit. The reason I bring this up, there are people who still, their interpretation is that Preachers should not go to school. They should not go to Bible college. They should not go to seminary. It's a waste of time to take any kind of homiletics class. It's a waste of time to take any kind of speaking class. It's a waste of time to do any kind of study. Because if, this is what their thinking is, if that man has the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit is gonna speak through him at any given time. And so there's therefore no need to ever study. I had a deacon at one of the churches I was at that he had a friend who also was a former deacon. He, this former deacon, felt that a pastor should not write any notes down. Because that's basically, you're not relying on the Holy Spirit. And then if he did write notes, he should have, or he had to basically tear those up and throw them away at the end of the service. Because in his thinking, the Holy Spirit spoke the word for that time, that meeting, that audience, that's it. And whoever heard the message, that's who was supposed to hear the message. And whatever notes that he had, tear it up, throw it away. Now, that's a conclusion. Faulty, it's a faulty conclusion, but that's not the prescription. That's not what the Lord says here. Specifically, what Jesus says to the 12 apostles is that when you're in front of the Gentile governors, when you're in front of the Jewish councils and the Jewish synagogues, the Jewish elders, the Jewish Sanhedrin, at that time, at that ministry, in that dispensation, in that particular era of the church, don't worry about what you're going to say. the Holy Spirit would speak. I believe there is a principle there that we can extrapolate to the church today, that for the pastors today, speakers today. And the principle is this, is that we are to be as sheep, and we are to be wise, and we are to be focused and simple. and we are to rely on the Holy Spirit. We pray for the Holy Spirit to speak. And I hope it's the Holy Spirit that is one that is working and moving in me and working and moving in you. And so in that sense, yes, the church, the speaker, the pastor is to rely on the Spirit to speak. But it is also true is that we are called to study and prepare and minister the word that God has given us. As the apostles were sent out into hostility with a mission, so too the church today should have the same expectation. Not everybody you come across is gonna be happy to hear about Jesus. And not everybody you come across is gonna be happy to hear the gospel. And there's times that I think there's that where the wisdom comes in, is saying, is this something where do I need to change tactics and perhaps pursue differently? Or do we understand saying, okay, hey, not now. This isn't it, he's not the right one, she's not the right one, I need to back off. It's not quitting, it's not surrendering. It's a tactical withdrawal based on wisdom. As the apostles needed to be wise, the church today, and even more so, needs to be wise and aware. I pray that the Lord will give you that wisdom. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Heavenly Father, Lord, we do come to you in the name of our Lord and Savior, our great shepherd, our shepherd Jesus who calls us and who still leads us. I pray that we would hear our shepherd's voice and be led to where he would want us to go. I also pray for the leading of the Holy Spirit, that the Spirit would indeed work within us and lead us and guide us, give us wisdom, give us understanding, make us aware of the evil things around us and these deceptions that are so easy to creep up I pray that we would be a people that shun evil and hate wickedness, and we do not dabble in the darkness. I pray that we would be people of the light, for you are the light. I say these things in Jesus' name, amen.