The Advance Team

Luke 10:1-24

©Copyright April 25, 2010 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche SERIES: Walking with Jesus

Before the President of the United States makes a visit anywhere there is a whole group of people who go ahead of him to set things up and make sure security is at its highest.

Many of you have watched a Billy Graham Crusade on television. The key to the Crusades is the advance team. This team brings together Pastors and churches months ahead of the Crusade itself. They set up prayer teams, get out advertising, and train the various volunteers who will work at the Crusade.

This morning we read about Jesus and his “advance team”. Luke 10 begins with these words, “After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.” There job was to prepare the way for the ministry of Jesus. This morning as we look at the instructions Jesus gave to the team and the report of their work we will see five great principles that we need to keep clear in our own head.

Lesson One: There is a Great Need

² He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. [Luke 10:2]

Since “the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few” Jesus underscores the fact that there is a great need. Look around, people are looking for meaning in their life. They are looking for stability. What is needed are those who will share the truth . . . those who will work to build bridges, begin conversations, and find ways to show and tell others about Jesus.

In the book of Acts Jesus sent his followers to “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). As believers we are called to share the gospel with those closest to us AND to look for ways to share the gospel globally. We must be doing what we can to impact nations around the world.

Even in the Midwest where there are wonderful, decent people and religious people there is much work to be done.

· There are people who feel unloved

· There are people who have troubled marriages

· There are those who (surprisingly) have never heard the message of salvation…we live at a time when many are hostile to a message they have never heard.

· There are good people who think they are “good enough” to earn God’s favor. These people believe they don’t need to trust Christ for their salvation.

· There are some who believe they are Christians. They go to church (some even semi-regularly) and maybe even serve in leadership positions. They like Jesus but they aren’t really followers of Christ. They say they trust Christ but the way they live their lives says otherwise.

· There are people so wrapped up in their daily tasks that they have never considered “ultimate issues” such as: “where is my life headed?” “What happens after I die?” “Will there be a judgment before a Holy God?”

There is much work to be done. Jesus tells us to pray for more workers (not simply more people to attend church). We need to pray for people who are willing to boldly follow Christ, who view their faith as not simply a badge they wear or a club to which they hold membership. We must pray for those who will serve the Lord. However we are not only to pray . . . we are to GO. The Lord needs people who will get off the sidelines and actually get involved in the work of the Kingdom.

Lesson Two: We Meet the Need in His Strength Not Ours

Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. ⁴ Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.

I love the fact that Jesus never gives us a distorted picture of what he wants us to do. He doesn’t pretend this is easy. We are like lambs going out into a world of wolves. That sounds like a suicide mission, and let’s face it, at times we feel very overmatched. Jesus doesn’t tell us to “think like wolves”, he tells us to trust Him.

⁵ “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ ⁶ If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. ⁷ Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.

Rather than trust a technique or some memorized “sales pitch” (like the vacuum cleaner salespeople) we are to trust the Holy Spirit to open doors, to provide what we need, and to give us the words to say. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t prepare . . . we should. It doesn’t mean we can’t learn different ways of witnessing; it means we shouldn’t rely on our methods or our abilities but on Him.

In the book of 2 Chronicles we read these appropriate words that were spoken by King Hezekiah as he faced the strong army of Assyria,

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. ⁸ With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.” (2 Chronicles 32:7-8)

To this end we should seek the Lord in prayer more than we spend read books on witnessing, outreach, or church growth. We must constantly put our focus on His sufficiency rather than dwelling on the greatness of the task before us.

Lesson Three: The Stakes Are High

⁸ “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. ⁹ Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is near you.’ ¹⁰ But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ¹¹ ‘Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.’ ¹² I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.

¹³ “Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. ¹⁴ But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. ¹⁵ And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths.

¹⁶ “He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

These are staggering words. If people do not respond to the gospel they will be judged. Sodom was destroyed with fire and brimstone. The destruction was much like Hiroshima when it was destroyed by the atomic bomb. This is not a game we play. We are not working to gain a ring or a trophy to treasure and put in a case. The work God calls us to is a desperate rescue mission to save those who will perish apart from the message of salvation.

Jesus says the people who have been exposed to more of the truth will be judged more severely. Practically, this means the United States will be judged with great severity if we continue to turn away from the Lord. We have had every advantage, enjoyed every blessing, we have heard the gospel in churches, on the airwaves, and have it in print. If we turn away . . . it will be more severe on our land than on Sodom, or Korazin or Bethsaida! This is true for churches, communities, and countries.

Consequently,

1. We should make every effort to share the truth with others

2. We should live in such a way that gives people no excuse to reject the gospel because of us. We cannot afford the luxury of laziness.

3. We should be people of prayer. We must urgently seek God for opportunities, for ready hearts, for the words to speak, and for the courage to speak the words.

4. We must take seriously the opportunities we have to be equipped through worship, Sunday School, small groups . . . this is essential survival training. If we do not take our preparation seriously, we will be seriously unprepared.

Imagine going to a Pharmacist with a prescription for some kind of heart medicine. Suppose the Pharmacist said, “Hey, I’ve heard of this drug . . . I think it is a white pill.” Suppose they find a white pill and tell you that “this could be it” and they put it in a bottle and hands it to you. You would (and should) be horrified! Drugs are helpful but they are also dangerous. Pharmacists go through rigorous schooling so they are equipped to dispense medicine.

It is not enough to say to someone, “you know, I think it says in the Bible somewhere . . .“ We need to know what the Scriptures actually say! It is not enough to have miscellaneous information about the Bible. We need to be ready to give an answer for the reason of the hope that is within us. (1 Peter 3:15)

Imagine a musician who prepared as diligently in their music as you prepare for sharing your faith with others. Would you enjoy hearing that musician play? How far would an athlete get who works at his sport as seriously as you work at your faith? How many battles would be won by soldiers who were as preoccupied as the average Christian?

If your child was in danger I would hope that you would do anything in your power to protect and save them. People we love are in grave danger! They are standing on the ledge leaning toward Hell. We must do more than simply shrug. We can’t complain about what others failed to do when we are unwilling to do anything ourselves! We must prepare and prepare with diligence.

Lesson Four: The Pay-off is Great

Understand the great potential . . .

¹⁷ The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”

¹⁸ He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. ¹⁹ I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. ²⁰ However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

After the “advance team” returned from their mission trip they told great stories of the miracles they witnessed. Bodies were healed, tormented people were set free. They saw God work in amazing ways. They were riding high at what the Lord was able to do through them when they dared to do what He said.

Jesus told them that this was really just the beginning. The Holy Spirit could do much more through them. It is not that the disciples were supposed to be reckless and start playing with snakes and scorpions . . . this was not something they were to do all the time, it was something that God would do through them when the need arose. Jesus was not telling us to seek spectacular signs; He promised that great things would happen as we faithfully presented the message of the gospel.

Jesus rushed to point out that the real issue is not about the miracles they perform . . . it is about the message they proclaim and the very real effect that message has made in their own lives. The greatest miracle is that our names can be written in Heaven (we have “advance reservations”).

As we faithfully share the Word of Truth we will see great things happen. The greatest thing of all will be the redemption of a human life. We will be given a glimpse of the incredible transformation God can bring to a human life.

Lesson Five: We Have Been Given a Great Privilege

²¹ At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.

²² “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

²³ Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. ²⁴ For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

Jesus reminded his followers that they stood on the shoulders of a great heritage. All the Old Testament patriarchs, prophets, priests, and Kings yearned to see God’s Messiah. They longed to know what we know and take for granted! They yearned for “the One who was to come”. We have the privilege of knowing that Jesus was that “one” and we can learn from Him and follow Him.

The Old Testament saints and prophets were, if you will, like blind men. A blind person can touch the person they love. They can “see them” in one sense with their hands. The Old Testament saints could know God. They could experience His love. They could, if you will, feel His presence.

In cases where a blind man is given his sight he is able to see in a whole new dimension. He can see a loving look, experience the twinkle in an eye, and see facial expressions. These all enhance joy. In the same way you and I have the privilege to see the redemptive plan of God. We can know Christ. We can read His words. We are filled with His Spirit. We know the depths God would go to save us. We can study Him, serve Him, and walk with Him. Too often we think it is no big deal . . . but it is a big deal! We are privileged and we must never take for granted the privilege to point others to the Savior and Redeemer of the world.

CONCLUSIONS

Let me conclude with some principles we draw from this passage.

1. God calls a wide variety of people to minister. We don’t know who was on this “advance team.” We don’t know their names, but God does. You may be laboring faithfully in the shadows. You may feel your contribution is worth nothing. Paul tells us that God uses the various parts of the body just as He determines. He uses us in the way He needs us to be used. The most valuable employee is not necessarily the one who sits at the desk in an office it may be the one in the shipping department that makes things happen. The most valuable people in the church may not be the person on the platform but the person who is on their knees at home praying for the church. We may have different jobs on the “advance team” but they are all important.

2. The Lord has entrusted the message of reconciliation and eternal life to us. We can debate whether or not that was the best move but it doesn’t change the facts: If people are going to come to faith, God is going to bring them through our testimony.

If you saw a child in a swimming pool who couldn’t swim and they were drowning would you help them? I hope you would make every effort to save that child. Keep that image in your head and realize that people you work with, people who are part of your family, people in other nations, people who are on the same team or belong to the same club as you do are drowning in their sin. They are heading toward the drain of destruction and will perish unless you and I do something. We must never forget the weighty responsibility that is ours.

3. The messenger is far less important than the message. If we are going to faithfully do our job then we need to prepare. We need to study to show ourselves approved. However, the job is not going to be done because of our ability. We will fulfill our roles as we allow God to work through us. We must walk through the doors He opens and prayerfully say the words He gives us. The message is what is important.

If you have never responded to the message of the gospel please understand that
God sent Christ into the world to reach out to you. He offers you a new beginning. Through the sacrifice of Christ your sin can be paid for. Through the power of His Holy Spirit your life can move in a new direction with new priorities and a new heart. If you have never said “Yes” to Jesus I encourage you to do so today. There is no more important decision in life. What will you do with Jesus? Will you turn Him away or will you run to Him and embrace Him as your Lord and King?

4. The greatest impact we can make with our life is to introduce people to Jesus. There are lots of things we can do with our time. There are many things we can talk about with others. However, there is no greater investment than to point people to Christ. Here are some suggestions.

a. In the morning pray for God to use you as part of His advance team

b. Look for ways to “bless others” with a smile or a word of encouragement (the equivalent of giving your blessing to the house)

c. Intentionally try to turn the conversation to spiritual issues (rather than avoiding that conversation like you would a downed power line).

d. Look for ways to show your faith through your caring and loving acts. Physical acts of kindness and love open the door to spiritual transformation. A loving and respectful attitude is just as important as a good presentation.

Jesus still has an advance team and you and I are part of that team. Our job is to prepare people for the Second Coming of Christ; the day when they will stand before Christ at the Judgment at the end of life. You may feel like the job isn’t all that important… but you would be wrong.

©Copyright April 25, 2010 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche SERIES: Walking with Jesus