Today we'll take on the first 20 verses of Luke chapter 10 in a message that I've called, A Reason to Rejoice. As a child, crying and wailing over insignificant issues or superficial situations, I could always count on those faithful words of my father, quit your crying or I'll give you something to cry about. Compassionate man. Has nothing to do with the study, I just wanted to get that off my head, to vent that. No, that's not really, in reality, it's not what our passage is about today, but in truth it is about the polar opposite. The disciples were rejoicing. but Jesus wouldn't really validate their reason that they chose to rejoice. Their reason for rejoicing, though not insignificant, it was superficial compared to where their focus should have been, where their joy should have been stemming And Jesus wants to give you and me, He wants to give us individually, corporately, a reason to rejoice. And that's something that it seems to me that in a world of current darkness and depression and despair and hopelessness, that we could all use. A reason to rejoice, a refresher course in rejoicing. Pray tell, preacher, what's this reason you speak of? Well, let's begin, shall we? Look with me, if you will, Luke's Gospel, chapter 10, beginning in verse 1, where we read, 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." Well now, it seems like a bit of a precarious or kind of a weird way to start a chapter after these things because it kind of causes a question to stir in us, doesn't it? What things are you talking about? Well, you may remember a couple of weeks ago, it's after Jesus explained to them the key to achieving greatness in God's kingdom. After he acknowledged and okayed the fact that not everyone has to do things the way that we do them or be a part of our group to be legitimate laborers in the kingdom of God. After He reminded them that He did not come here to destroy men's lives, but to save them. No need, boys, to smoke a Samaritan city on my behalf. You remember kind of a thing. And after He had encouraged a number of people to count the cost of discipleship and commit wholeheartedly, making Him their priority. After these things, The Lord appointed seventy others and sent them two by two before His face into every city, every place, where He Himself was about to go." Okay, a few things here we want to hit straight out of the gate. The question comes up, why seventy? Why pick this particular number of seventy people to send out before Him? And the answer, honestly, is we don't know. There is speculation, perhaps there was correlation with the 70 elders of ancient Israel. We talked about that a couple weeks ago in Numbers chapter 11. Perhaps it correlated more contemporarily with his current situation. There were 70 members of the Sanhedrin. of Israel at that day, and maybe Jesus was sending the signal, getting out the message, no, no, those guys aren't the way that we're to do things, this is what we're gonna do, we kind of got a new thing brewing. Perhaps, could have related back to Genesis chapter 10, where we see the 70 names from which, the 70 nations from which all, really, of humanity stemmed from. Now, which one it would be, or any of them, I don't know, I would love to think, that it deals more specifically with Genesis chapter 10 and the 70 nations from which we stem, and that Jesus was really sending forth the heart of God into reaching the Gentiles as well. You recall he had sent out the 12. Earlier, in chapter 9, he sent out the 12 that would become his apostles, and to minister specifically to the nation of Israel. And now we have a sending out of 70, which if in fact it was the heart behind it to reach the Gentiles as well, in that number, we have embodied in what's happening here, the fact that God so loved the world. that He gave His only begotten Son. It wasn't just for Israel. Now God sent Jesus through Israel, therefore He sent Him to Israel first, but God's heart is for humanity, you know, in general. And so again, whether or not that's specifically why, we don't know, but it's interesting to think through. And of course we see that He sent them out in pairs for the sake of accountability, the sake of safety, to have eyewitnesses embedded into each of their ministries. But here's what I want you to see. This is what I want you to realize. The time was closing in. on Jesus. The shadow of the cross was beginning to loom over him at this point in his ministry. Yet there was still all kinds of things that needed to be done. There were myriads of people who needed to hear that the kingdom of God was upon them. Yet there wasn't much time and Jesus couldn't be more than one place at one time. So there was a greater need practically than what Jesus was able to tend to physically. And when Jesus took it upon Himself to enter into humanity, one of the things that He laid aside temporarily was the ability to be everywhere at all times, or omnipresence. Now, now Jesus dwells in you, He dwells in me, He is everywhere at all times through the presence and the power and the person of the Holy Spirit. While he was here on the earth, ministering physically, he laid aside that ability temporarily. And so here's what he did. He multiplied Himself through making disciples of Himself and commissioned them to go before Him and prepare the way for Him so that He might come to them and share the good news of the kingdom of God on behalf in that light after they had been there. So they were going to share the news on behalf of Him so that when He would come to them the way had been made he was here's the deal he was facilitating he was delegating ministry Now, herein lies a great principle for you and me to glean from, and that is this. If the Lord saw wisdom in delegating the work, in raising people up, in pouring into their lives, in turning them loose on His behalf to get things done in a manner that would be expedient and efficient, well, how much more does that same principle apply to you and me as it pertains to ministry today? I have discovered some people have the mentality that they've got to do everything themselves. Perhaps you've met these folks here and there around. They've got to do everything themselves, and if they entrust it to anyone else, it will suffer in some way. It won't be as good as it could have been if they would have just tended to it, taken care of it themselves. Well, listen, I can appreciate someone's heart in wanting to have something be the very best that it could possibly be in their own eyes. The fact of the matter, however, is that if anyone had a legitimate persuasion that if they were to let someone else do it, it wouldn't be as good as it could if they would have done it, well, that would be Jesus. Yet, he realized that there was wisdom in equipping others, in committing to others the work that needed to get done. The fact of the matter is that people who hoard their ministries or their responsibilities for fear of something suffering are, listen, well I call them ministry murderers. You know, they murder ministry in the name of making sure it gets done right, All kinds of things suffer. People get offended being left out of the loop, so to speak. Different areas slip and all kinds of things get left undone because they just won't pour into people's lives. They won't release responsibilities into their hands. Let's learn the lesson from our Lord. Delegation, facilitation, appoint others to the work. Let God use their lives. Now, will He use them exactly like He would you? No. Will there be some mistakes made along the way, a learning curve, you know, things to be tended to as a result of this process? Yes. It's called discipleship. Don't rob people from the blessing of allowing God to use their life. Think it through. Someone appointed you to a task. Thank God they didn't hoard that to themselves. Now you, in turn, appoint others to a task, raise people up, pour into them, send them out into the area you yourself are ministering. Well, that's what Jesus did. That's what Paul did when he said, hey, listen, those of you that have a gift to teach the Word, pour into people's lives, other men's lives, who are able to teach the Word, so that they in turn can share with others. It's called propelling the kingdom of God. It's the work of the ministry, you see. We don't even know these guys' names. They're just called 70 others. You know? We don't know their names. They will go down in historical anonymity. Yet Jesus would use them powerfully, incredibly, radically. What's my point? You don't have to be in the who's who to be used of God. You know, as a matter of fact, it's better if you're in the who's he? You know, you've heard me say maybe before, because then there's no question God gets all the glory, you see. When it comes to a trade, you know, so as to kind of keep ourselves centered on what's happening here, there is a cultural thing. Well, I don't think it's cultural. I think it's just human nature, and it has been historically. And when it comes to trade work, people are often miserly with their trade. You know, that is, they don't train people. They don't want to train people too much in what it is that they do, because it's potentially detrimental for them to have others who can do that work. Because then they're out there sharing in that market. They'll pour into them, they'll learn from them, then they'll go out and start their own business, and they gotta start, you know, that kind of a thing. And I think that kind of mindset can creep into what we do in the church or as ministry. But in reality, not so in the ministry. There is plenty of work to be done. There is no lack of demand. It's there, you remember, verses 49 and 50 of our previous chapter 9, when Jesus taught us that far from forbidding ministry, we should be helping to facilitate ministry in people's lives. The harvest is great. There is plenty of people that need saved. There are plenty of people that need to be discipled, that could be cultivated, if you will, in Christ. And praise God if He affords you the platform to speak into people's lives, whether it's an assembly like this, whether it's individually or in a small group setting, whatever the case may be, in the break room, at work, whatever's going on, Praise God if he affords you the platform to speak into people's lives, helping to shape them spiritually, that they might be equipped to serve and to bring God glory. That's the heart here. Encourage people. Equip people. Give them responsibility. Allow them to labor diligently in the harvest. We need all the servants we can get. You know, it's true. And so the call's always going out, hey, if God's leading you, if God's speaking to you, if there is a burden upon you, get involved. Not because it's for our benefit, though certainly it's a blessing, but for your blessing and for your benefit. Now, look at verse two. Then he said to them, the harvest truly is great. But the laborers, this is a great verse to underline by the way, memorize, tuck away, do something with it. The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." Listen, Jesus is saying, listen guys, the work that needs done is overwhelming. But people who are actually willing to enter into the work are few comparatively. Therefore, pray. Now, it doesn't come across so much in the translation in the English, but you need to realize that there is a sense of urgency throughout the entirety of this particular passage. Why is that? He's speaking about harvest. He's bringing in a reference that agriculturally, culturally they would immediately identify with. And anyone who knows anything about farming, I mean, even if you've had a garden, but if you're farming on a large scale, You've seen hundreds of acres or thousands of acres or whatever. He brings up this idea here. He shares the fact that harvest time is a very limited window of opportunity. When the fields are ready to harvest, you have got to get on it. You have got to be diligent. You have got to stay focused or what? You will lose it. You won't get to all of it. You won't receive. Well, you won't be able to reap it all that's there because you're losing focus. You're not laboring diligently. You're being distracted by other things around you. You won't get to it all before it's too late. It'll spoil, it'll go bad, you understand. And here Jesus is saying, listen, the harvest time for humanity is upon us. And it is a very limited window of time in which we have to work. And the amount of work that needs done is staggering. Therefore, he says, in reality, two things specifically that need to happen as a result of that. Number one, primarily, he says, pray. Therefore, pray. We need to pray that God, we need to be a people of prayer. And we need to be praying that God would raise up and send out laborers into his harvest. Yeah, we can do other things. It's been said, you know, you can do more than pray after you pray, but until you pray, you can't do anything. Don't do anything until you pray. You can do all kinds of things after you pray. The point is this, prayer is the primary priority. Okay, you've got to get in line with the heart of God, the will, the desire, the direction of God. You've got to pray. You've got to be seeking the Lord. But meanwhile, as we'll see directly, the second thing specifically, we're not to be standing around idly doing nothing in the interim period. We're to be busy about working ourselves while praying that God raises up and sends out others. We, you and me, need to be about our Master's business. There's a lot to do. We got a long way to go. And a short time to get, we gonna, okay. Sorry, didn't go any better this time than it did last time. I threw it out there. Focus. Here's the deal. A lot to do and a little time to do it in. But guess what, guys? It's not gonna get done if we're just standing around goofing off. You know what I'm saying? There's an urgency here. It's what Paul was talking about when he said, see then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools. What's that? But as wise, redeeming the time. What's that mean if I'm wasting time? I enter into that foolhardy category, don't I? I've done that. I've been there. Now, he's not saying that relaxing and enjoying life is just this giant foolish thing to do. God has given us all things richly to enjoy. But what's the focus? What's the priority? What's the passion of your heart? What's the direction that God is leading you in? Are you busy about your master's business? Because the days are evil. There's an urgency involved in what we do as believers. in getting out the message of the gospel. There needs to be an urgency embedded in your heart with that. Look at verse three. He says, go your way. Behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals. Greet no one along the road. But whatever house you enter, first say, peace to this house. And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it. If not, it'll become obvious. He says, it'll return to you. 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. Okay. Jesus says, go your way. Here's what we need to see. Here's what I want you to realize. Jesus told them to go, but they didn't go until he sent them, okay? Jesus is the one who calls us, and Jesus is the one who commissions us. But the order is always the same. First, he calls us, And then, He commissions us. That is, He puts a plan in motion that's personal to us. But Jesus, here's the other thing you need to realize. Jesus will never only call you, that is, invite you into the kingdom. There, now, eat and rest and relax and all of that. That day's coming is not yet. Okay? He will never only call you. He will always, in some way, commission you. Now, that should be a searching question for you. Because what is it that's going on in your life as it pertains to the name of Jesus Christ? You see, He has a plan for us. He has a purpose for which He has called us. And it's not to sit around on the sidelines and cheer others on. You guys are doing a great job. Keep up the good work. I'm the called, you know, cheerleader of the church. No, no, no. Though it's great to encourage people, that is great. But the fact of the matter is we're not to sit on the sidelines and cheer others. We ourselves are to get down on the field and somehow, in some way, enter into the work. We're to be laborers in the field. Well, maybe you're thinking, okay, fine. Then how do I know? What's going on? Maybe I've been trying to think things through, or maybe I've just, okay, I'm hearing you, Lord. What's your plan? What's the plan? What's God want me to do? I don't know. I would ask you this. What's He have you praying for? What's on your heart? It's interesting that in verse two, Jesus got him praying. Get him praying. It's a first thing. Get to praying. But he got them praying for laborers, then in verse 3, he sent them out to labor. I have discovered that when the Lord begins to place something on your heart, or on my heart, to pray about, many times, not categorically, not exclusively or anything like that, but many times, The reason that he puts it on our heart to pray about is because he wants to use you or use me instrumentally in the purpose for which we're praying. OK, you're praying for the children's ministry, random example, or the youth group. You know, you've got kids there, grandkids there, or you just have a heart for kids and you just, you know, you realize these young, impressionable hearts, man, are the next generation. They're the ones that will carry the baton. It is a burden to you. It is a passion for you. You are praying for them that God would just really meet their needs and do great things for them. Well, listen, if that's your prayer, if that's your passion, odds of God calling you to serve in that capacity and help meet those needs are pretty high. Okay? If you are comforted by order and structure, you're praying for the ushers, you're praying that they would provide a sense of safety and security for the people, an environment that allows us to feed on the Word of God and these kinds of things specifically, or perhaps the worship team or, you know, whatever. Maybe your passion is centered on being or focused around being the absolute most godly mom and godly wife that you could possibly be for your family. The best husband that your household could ever hope for in Christ. It's a tremendous calling. Now, don't use things like that as a cloak to avoid serving the body. You know what I'm saying? Well, I'm just being a mom, right? That's cool if that's what God's got you doing, but make sure that before God you can say that, not just a cloak to keep people away from encouraging you to serve in some capacity. But you get the idea. God works in you, and then he works through you, both to will, Philippians chapter two and verse 13, both to will and to do. for His good pleasure, okay? So it begins to stir in you, then God begins to do a work through you, all right? Now, I wanna make a few observations about the nature of their calling. Number one, we note in verse three, if you'll just look at it for reminder's sake, where he says, behold, go your way, I send you out as lambs among wolves. Well, we see there that they could go out, number one, if you're a note taker or a margin etcher much, anything like that, they could go out with authority. That is, they could go out confidently. Why is that? Jesus was behind them personally. He said, I send. That is, and the word send there, more urgency, a more accurate translation would be thrust. I thrust you out. He says, I send you out. Number one, there's authority. They could go forth confidently. Jesus was backing their ministry. Number two, they were sent in humility, that is, as lambs. Yet Jesus made sure they were aware that there was inherent danger, that not everyone would receive them, which is number three, he informed them realistically. They were to go in humility, but it was very realistically he was with them. He didn't make it out to be an ivory tower experience. He said, you know what? You're to go as lambs, that is in humility, but make no mistake, realistically, you're being sent out among wolves. That is, last time I checked, lambs and wolves didn't get along too well. You know, there was an agenda in the wolf, and it wasn't to help the lamb in any way, shape, or form. There's danger. on the trail. Number four, he says, they were to travel lightly. That is, no money bag, no backpack, no extra sandals, you know, whatever. They weren't to be encumbered materialistically. They weren't to be bogged down by the things of this world. They were to trust that God would take care of them, that He would meet their needs. Fifthly, again, we note the sense of urgency. He says, don't even take the time to greet people. You understand the culture where there was very elongated, very tedious, elaborate Eastern greetings. You know, the kissing and the bowing and the this and asking and finding out. And there was all sorts of a long, elaborate kind of a routine ritual. He says, listen, don't do that. Don't get engaged in the tedious cultural things. Just be busy about your master's business. What you do, you do quickly. There is urgency. Stay focused on the task at hand. And sixthly, finally, they were to receive people's hospitality and not perceive it as charity. Because Jesus said, listen, the laborer is worthy of his wages. So that when people extend hospitality or generosity to you, Jesus says to them, he says, consider it part of your compensation package from the hand of God. Because he's looking out for you, he will move on people's lives to encourage, to bless, and to tend to you. And so don't consider yourself a charity package. Listen, God's blessed in your life, he's taken care of you. The laborer is worthy of his wages. And in verse five, He speaks to that message that we're to bring. And it's a message of peace. Listen, the gospel is good news. And God is seeking to make peace with man. This is the news that we bring. God is seeking to reconcile mankind to himself through the cross of Jesus Christ. And you know what? Jesus makes it real clear that it will become clear real fast if people will receive that peaceably or if they will reject that decisively. He says, you'll walk into that house, you'll give them the message of peace to this house, peace to you, and they'll either receive it, or they'll say, I don't want to hear anything about this Jesus stuff, and they'll reject it. And it'll happen just like that. And he says in verse eight, whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. Isn't that kind of interesting kind of interjection there? You go into a city and enter into a house, what they give you, eat. Why would he say that? I mean, isn't that, you know, this is in my mind, Jesus giving forth the instructions on what I call the missionary stomach. You know what I mean? If someone sets it in front of you, eat it. That's kind of the idea. If they're extending hospitality to you, return the common courtesy to them. Don't be offending people by refusing to eat what they provide for you. Let's just uncode this. Not everyone can cook. And different cultures eat different things. You know, and it can be kind of weird, even unsettling at times. And Jesus says don't turn your nose up and say, If I eat that, I might throw up. Don't do that. He says, listen, just pray over it and do your best to pound it down. You know, that's what he's saying. You want to minister to these people? Don't close the door through offending them because you refuse to eat their food. If they put it in front of you. Eat it. I'll never forget the time I was in Nigeria with my my. Family here and you know, you guys, some of you guys that were here, Russ was on the trip with us and. They were cooking us a kind of, I guess it was a special meal. It was chicken, and mostly chicken. And it was in some sort of, the best thing I can liken it to is it looked kind of like barbecue sauce. It did not taste like barbecue sauce. It just had this brownish sauce looking stuff all over it. And, you know, We were eating the chicken, and it was all kind of in this makeshift bucket looking thing, and you just kind of reach in, grab it out, and start pounding it down. And Russ reached in there and grabbed out a leg, and I kind of watched him take a couple of bites off of it. And after he got a few bites down, I said, hey Russ, what you got there? He said, it's a little big to be a chicken leg, don't you think? It was like, it wasn't no turkey, and we weren't eating goat. You know, I mean, it was just like, he just kind of goes, pulls it away and looks at it with this look of awe and semi-chagrin, like, oh my goodness, what am I eating? You know, kind of a thing. It was hilarious. You had to be there. But I'm not sure what it was. They called it bushmeat. And bushmeat is, you know, really what it amounts to is a giant jungle rodent. That's what it is. It just looks like this giant rat mingled with possum looking kind of thing with the legs on it. And it was one of the funniest things I've seen, man. He had committed to this thing. You know, so he's all, but guess what? He ate it, man. He ate it, you know? And we went out and we shared the gospel, you know, kind of a thing. And it's one of those deals where you're like, oh Lord, please, you know, bless this food to not just absolutely make a mess of my intestines, you know, kind of a thing. But it was good, man, it was a good thing. I mean, the food wasn't that good, but it was good experience, you know. He ate it. I tell you, that guy would, you know, what's that show, is that Fear Factor or something, where they eat all that nasty junk? I think Russ would excel in that program. He just, he'll eat it. Yeah, I ate what was in front of me, but I made sure it was chicken. I didn't eat the bush meat, I mean, I grabbed the chicken. I could tell the difference in something, you know, a little skinny little wing, because their chickens aren't healthy, you know, they're not, it's like, they're just real skinny little, you know, barely any meat, real kind of, you know, kind of a thing, but the bushmeat is different, you can tell. I mean, he just kind of haphazardly grabbed a piece of meat out of there and started eating it and wasn't paying attention. I paid attention. Verse nine, sorry. And heal the sick there, he says, and say to them, the kingdom of God has come near to you. But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, the very dust of your city which clings to us, we wipe off against you. Nevertheless, in other words, regardless, you understand the kingdom of God has come near to you. But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that day for Sodom Then for that city, here's the idea. You can either receive God's justification by grace through faith, or you can fall under God's condemnation. There is no in between. Jesus extends the offer of peace. That's his heart. Reconciliation. He demonstrates genuine consideration of your needs, genuine compassion toward your needs. But if we refuse to receive him, there's nothing left in our rejection of him outside of certain judgment. That's it. The kingdom of God has come near to you. That is, it is within your grasp. You can receive Christ. You can have peace with God. The forgiveness of sins. It's right here. It's available to you. It's right in front of you. But know this. There are eternal consequences in rejecting Christ. Now, Jesus never employed the hellfire approach in seeking to invoke fear in people, you know, trying to frighten them. But he was very honest with people regarding the eternal consequences of rejecting him. It was not a threat, but out of love You've got to warn them. You need to think this through soberly, because ultimately, the results are throughout eternity. And receiving Christ is this, rejecting Christ is this, and there is nothing in between. So think it through. It's not a decision you wanna make, you know, knee-jerk reaction to, just, I don't wanna hear about, no, listen, you need to think about it. Now, once the message had been proclaimed, the messenger was absolved of any further responsibility. The hearer's salvation or the hearer's condemnation was not based on the one proclaiming the message. but it was based upon the one hearing the message, okay? It is not my responsibility to be successful in the sense of this many decisions for Christ or, you know, building a mega church or whatever the case may be. It's my responsibility and yours, I might add, to be faithful. to be faithful with the message that God has committed to our trust. Not everyone's gonna receive it. Not everyone's gonna respond positively to it. That's very clear. He says in verse 12, I say to you, it will be more tolerable in that day, you know, for the one who did not receive it, than for Sodom, than for that city, he says. And he goes on to say, woe to you, Chorazin, Woe to you, Bethsaida, for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and in Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum." This was like the home city of Christ. This was his basis of operations. He said, though you are exalted to heaven, This man, the son of God, has made his home base right in your hometown. You will be brought down to hell or to Hades. Jesus here mentions three notoriously sinful cities, Sodom, Tyre, and Sidon, all of which received the judgment of God in the Old Testament. And he compares them to three contemporary cities of his day who would receive even greater judgment because of their refusal to receive Christ. What's the point? To whom much is given, much more will be required. The more you know about Christ, the greater opportunity extended to you through Christ. It will result in greater judgment should you choose to reject Christ. We are, you and me, we are accountable. Don't be deceived. We are accountable for the light that is shed upon us. And the greater that light, the greater the accountability. What are you saying? Well, when Jesus says things like, it will be more tolerable for them The notoriously sinful than for you. He's affirming to us that there are varying degrees of punishment in the pit, OK? And those degrees of judgment correlate directly with the revelation and opportunity for salvation and reconciliation to God that have been extended to you. You have chosen to reject. And the greater the opportunity, the more clearly it becomes to you that you decisively walk away from the greater judgment you'll receive. Interesting. And frightening, really, if you think it through soberly. These cities that that Jesus mentioned were were cities in which incredible things took place in the life of Christ. Miracles. Christ opening the scriptures to them, being right there and extending an invitation for them to come to him physically, practically, right there in their midst, personally. I mean, things that these other places, opportunities these other places never had. And yet they chose to reject him. Now, we don't know what exactly Chorazin, you know, he says, woe to you, Chorazin, woe to you, Bethsaida, and he mentions this city. We don't know what he did in that city. We don't have any record in the scriptures of the works that Christ did in that specific city, which kind of affirms to us, it's one way we know that the gospel records are only sketches of the life of Christ. They are not detailed accounts. They are, at best, sketches of the life of Christ. Remember, John affirmed that when he said, I think it's in the 21st chapter of the 25th verse right around there where John said, listen, if we were to write down everything that Jesus did, I mean, the books, there wouldn't be enough. This world could not contain the books that would be written. I mean, this man did. I mean, he was there. He was doing lots for everybody all over the place all the time. So we have sketches in the gospel records of what happened. But what we do see is that evidently whatever it was that he did there was significant because Jesus goes on record with regard to the judgment that was coming their way. And that it would be more tolerable for Sodom and for Tyre and for Sidon and the day of judgment than for these guys. Because of the opportunity that they had. That they chose to harden themselves against. Be careful. Hardening yourself against the message of the gospel be careful Now verse 16 he says he who hears you hears me and he who rejects you rejects me And he who rejects Me, rejects him who sent Me." Again, this is where we note, you guys, that the Father and the Son are a package deal. You cannot believe in God. You can't say, oh no, I believe in God, but you know, Jesus, I mean, I'm not sure about Jesus, this whole thing. You can't do that. You can't believe in God and reject Jesus. They are one. They are a package deal. You cannot have one without the other. The Father comes with the Son, the Son comes with the Father. And Jesus extends this same kind of principle to us. What a privilege, what a mind-blowing reality. Think it through. He says, what we do, we do in His name. And when someone rejects the gospel that you give them, that is tantamount to rejecting Jesus personally. Think about that. Yet on the other side, when the pendulum swings the other way, when they receive the message that you're sharing with them, it's like receiving Jesus personally. What an amazing thing, really, that Jesus has extended to us, to represent him in such intimacy, that to receive the words you bring him is to receive him. And to reject what you bring him is to reject Him. That's the truth. Now, verse 17. The 70 had been sent. In verse 17, the 70 returned with joy, notice, with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name. And He said to them, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Stop right there. These guys come to him, they are stoked, they are topped out, and understandably so. Jesus, when he commissioned him, he didn't say anything to him. Did you read that? I didn't read that. Did you read where he said, hey, demons are gonna be subject to you? I didn't see that. He sent him out. And they come back, and they're all, man, this is way more, Lord, this is great, this is way more than we ever anticipated. Which, by the way, is always what Jesus does. He always does way more than we could ever anticipate. But he says, you know what, that's awesome, you guys. Man, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. What does that mean? Well, you know, there's a couple of schools of thought on it. One, that Jesus saw the fall of Satan in the beginning, which undoubtedly He did. Whether or not this is a reference to that is certainly subject to debate. But, you know, and if that is the reference, it would be more or less a warning, recognizing Satan as a defeated foe and warning them against, well, the pride that caused his fall. They're coming in, they're stoked, they're topped out, the spiritual authority that they're wielding. And, you know, Jesus is, you know, maybe just saying, hey, you know what? Satan enjoyed spiritual status, Satan enjoyed spiritual authority, yet because of his pride, he fell. Be careful. Lest your spiritual authority become your pride and your pride bring you low. I mean, if Satan could fall from such a heavenly status. Be careful. Or number two, more likely, that Satan suffers major setback to his, that is Christ's disciples advancing the cause of the kingdom. In other words, Satan, when you take ground, Satan loses ground. As quickly and decisively, immediately and obviously, the kingdom of God increases. So that as God's kingdom is propelled, Satan's kingdom falls like lightning. Boom! It's just like that. And swiftly, decisively, obviously, the fruit is there. It's evident to see. And so Jesus could very well be saying, that's awesome guys, I was seeing it man, as you were taking ground, he was losing ground, and it was immediate, and it was decisive, and we can all rejoice in it, and that kind of a thing. Then, Jesus, in verse 19, extends to them spiritual authority and power and protection as they go out in His name. Now, understand the context here. This is not a snake handling, scorpion stomping festival. that he's encouraging. The context is with regard to spiritual warfare and all the power and the weapons of the enemy. He says, listen, there's nothing the enemy can do to you. There's no way that he can harm you. I'm giving you authority over that, you see. Doesn't mean they can't be hurt. Physically. All of them, with the exception of one or two. would suffer tremendously and be martyrs for the cause of the kingdom. The context is the spiritual security they have in Christ. Listen, I have your back. Nothing is gonna get between you and me. You know, neither height nor depth, things past, present, any created thing will separate you from the love of God that's in Christ Jesus. He says, listen, I'm giving this to you. and there is nothing that's going to get between us. However, verse 20, don't rejoice. He says, nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names, here it is, underline it, memorize it, tuck it away, your names are written in heaven. Hey, You're rejoicing over these things, over this spirituality. However, realize it's superficial, ultimately. You want a reason to rejoice, Jesus says? Man, I'll give you one. Let it not be, listen, you want to rejoice. then rejoice in this, not in the fact of what you've done for God. Let your rejoicing be not in what you've done for God. You know, you've healed people, you've preached the gospel, you've cast out demons. This is where they were at, man. Lord, we've been preaching, man. We've been casting out demons, man. People have been healed. This is awesome. So that's real neat. But don't let your rejoicing be in the things that you've done for God. In reality, our rejoicing needs to be in the things which God has done for you. You see that? He's forgiven you. Rejoice in that. He has cleansed you. Rejoice in that. And above that, listen, He's written your name in the Lamb's Book of Life, man. I want you to think on that. I mean, I want you to soak that in. Not just go, that's cool, you know? Hey, no, wait, listen. Don't rejoice in what you, some people are real impressed with what they do for God. You know what I mean? The fact of the matter is, we need to see what God has done for us as far greater than anything we could ever do for Him. Spiritual, can I just tell you something? Thank you. Spiritual authority in Jesus' name doesn't speak of a whole lot in the big picture. Really, it doesn't. Jesus said that people would cast out demons in His name, that they would do all sorts of great and mighty things in His name, and yet still not make it to heaven. Matthew chapter 7. So, don't hang your hat on being right with God, because spirits are subject to you in the name of Jesus. Evidently, there are different varying ranks of authority and strength in the spiritual realm. We're not far from finished, you guys, stay with me. You can see it in the book of Acts, you remember there? That's around 17, I don't know specifically, but it's right around in that portion of Acts where the guy was running around, the seven sons of Sceva and all of that, they were running around casting out demons by the name of Jesus that Paul preaches. They didn't know Jesus, but they said, by the name of the Jesus that Paul preaches. And you remember, at one point, that guy that the demon spoke to? Man, this would rock your world. And he goes, Paul I know, and Jesus I know, but who are you? It's just like, You know, right then, you know, the whole scene just changed. Because what happened? He leapt on him, man, and he just beat the snot out of all seven of those guys, and sent them out, and they ran out naked, fleeing. You know? I mean, so, but they had had a certain amount of success. They had been casting out demons by the name of the Jesus that Paul preaches. And I don't know if you ever watch, I don't make it happen, every now and then you see, you know, there are all kinds of paranormal shows on TV. And every now and then you'll see one come on, and these guys are concerned that maybe someone's demon-possessed, or the house is inhabited by demons, and without fail, you know, they'll try the psychobabble initially, and just working some things through, but then without fail, when none of that's working, what do they do? Man, they invoke the name of Jesus. In Jesus' name this, and in Jesus' name that. Doesn't mean they're right with God. You know, even many times it's like they get this sense, oh wow, the thing's much better, the spirit's gone, that's neat. It's problematic in and of itself, I won't get into reasons why, we don't have time. But just because the spirit has been subject to them in the name of Jesus doesn't mean they're right with God. So, don't rejoice in the fact, Jesus says, that spirits are subject to you. But rather, rejoice because your name Guys, think about it. You, your name, has been written in the Lamb's Book of Life, man. Your name. You know where you've been. You know what you've done. You know what that means for you. You know the things God's forgiven you of, and continues to forgive you of. Yet He's etched your name in heaven, man. So, may it never be about what we do for the Lord, but may it always be about what the Lord has done for us. Amen? Let's pray. Lord, I pray, God, that as we think these things through on this day at this time, that there would be a joy resonating in our hearts because our names have been etched in your book of life. We pray, Lord, that you would help us to stay focused, to not waste our time, but to redeem the time being diligent to labor unto you. And we pray, God, for more laborers, servants to help in the harvest. Lord, put us to work. Put your plan in motion in our lives. Help us to be obedient to you, to learn the nature of submission to you, and put us to work in your fields. We realize the harvest is plentiful. So much to be done, so many to be reached, and so few doing the work. Stir our hearts. Help us to hone in on what you'd have us to do, and then to do it. Lord, may we be doers of your word, and not hearers only. And while our heads are bowed, I want to give you just a quick moment here to think through some of these things we've talked about today. And here's the question I want to confront you with. Is your name in the book of life. Are you confident that your name is etched in heaven? If not, I want you to know that God is extending the opportunity to you today to have it penned in. The offer of reconciliation, the offer of forgiveness, salvation through faith in Christ is extended to you. Your name can be written, well, in blood. in the precious blood of Jesus Christ. You, covered, cleansed, forgiven. God wants peace through the blood of Jesus Christ. Salvation or condemnation? Listen, the choice is yours, but let me encourage you. Open your heart and receive Jesus Christ. Is that where you're at today? I don't know. I don't want to presume upon you that You're not a believer. But I don't want to presume upon you that you are. If there is a need in your heart and in your life to be reconciled to God, let's do it, man. Let's take care of it. I want to pray for you. You say, that'd be great. How do you know to pray for me? Here's how. I want you to raise your hand wherever you're at. I don't care who you came here with. I don't care where you've been or what you've done. God bless you. If I see you, I will acknowledge you. You can put your hand back down if you want to. So I just want to give an opportunity to you, how old you are, how young you are, whatever. If you need Christ in your heart and in your life, I want to pray for you. Is there anyone else I can pray for? God's just speaking to you, dealing with you, drawing you to himself. God bless you. Okay, Father God, I just wanna thank you for this work that you're doing in this place today. God, hearts being renewed in you, hearts turning to you. People just saying, you know what, Jesus, I need you. And Lord, even as they've received the message that's been brought, they've received you. And I know, Lord, that in a hand being raised toward me, that there is a heart that's being opened toward you. And I just pray for these people, Lord. And I want to just go ahead and lead you in a prayer. And you can just pray from your own heart there and just confess to the Lord where you're at and what's going on. That you want to be right with Him, that you want to be obedient to Him, that you're done doing things your way, you want to do things His way. You're a sinner, man, and you need His grace. And so just tell Him, just say, Oh God, here I am and I'm a sinner. and I'm asking you to forgive me of my sins. I don't wanna play games. I wanna be surrendered, I wanna be submitted to you, Jesus. And so I'm asking you to come into my heart and to forgive me of my sins and to fill me with your Holy Spirit and just affirm to me, assure me that my name has been written in heaven and I give you praise for that. And help me to lead my life for you, Jesus, all the days of my life from this point forward. I wanna encourage you that if you're praying a prayer like that, or maybe you're just renewing yourself to Jesus, that he hears you, he's responded to you, he's washed over you, forgiven, forgiven, receive it. Be blessed by it. Be encouraged and strengthened in it. Just let God have his way in your heart. Father, we just thank you and we rejoice. Lord, help us to rejoice as we reflect upon the magnitude of your forgiveness toward our lives personally. How can we not rejoice in you? So make that a reality to us today. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.