SENT: Character

Road trips are great character revealers and builders. They bring out the worst & best in us. With five kids and many road trips under my belt I have had ample opportunity to witness both. Matt. 10 is what Jesus said to His disciples before He sent them on a road trip. Christ commissions, trains, equips and sends out the twelve apostles. He gave them traveling instructions. It might look as if Jesus is simply giving orders – but there is a fundamental underlying assumption that is critical to our understanding of Christ’s commission to them and us. What He is telling them to do outwardly won’t fly unless there is an inward reality matching it. God wants to display His character through His chosen ones in order to make the gospel attractive to those who will believe.

Jesus gives the apostles an itinerary. They were to go where Jesus was sending them, to work among the lost sheep of the house of Israel. They were to do what Jesus had been doing: preach, heal, raise, cleanse, cast. They were to give freely, as they had received. Jesus taught them to trust God's provision through the generosity of those to whom they minister, and teaching those who receive the blessing of their ministry to support the servants. They were to appreciate hospitality when it was given. Those who accept the message, were receptive to the gospel, would receive God’s peace, shalom, the deep abiding sense of well-being and assurance because God is present and in control.

Their response to those who rejected the gospel was to be one of peace retrieving and dust shaking. Peace retrieving says since you don’t want to hear the Gospel, God’s peace will not be with you. This is done with genuine regret and sorrow, compassion, for the ones refusing because of what it means to live without the peace-giving Good News of Christ. When someone rejects the gospel they are not rejecting you but Jesus, and Jesus said this would happen. Dust shaking was a dramatic gesture of disfavour. The Jews hated even the smallest particles of Gentile dust, not because it carried disease, but because it was regarded as a symbol of death. The judgment on those who reject Jesus & God's word is worse than the judgment on pagan sins. The worst sin ever committed was murdering Jesus at the cross & rejecting Jesus is the worst sin a person can commit.

Jesus had told them He was sending them as sheep in a pack of wolves. They were to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. This is the animal motto of serving Jesus. A sort of coat of arms for believers with 4 sections and 4 creatures. Sheep, not tigers or lions, or other fierce and brave animal, a sheep, dumb, liable to stray or be led astray. Wolves. The presence of wolves all around was a fact then and now. Some of the sheep would turn out to be wolves and call for Christ’s death. Snakes were a symbol of wisdom and mental sharpness. Doves were a symbol of purity and simplicity. Either without the other is bad (they could easily become deceivers or be easily deceived). A combination of wariness and innocence was necessary for the protection of the sheep and keeping wolves at bay. Jesus lays down 2 seemingly contradictory expectations to show a balance, a creative tension, needs to be acknowledged. Be wary, but not so much that you disengage from those you are called to reach. Don't take caution to the extreme of isolation. Be accepting, but not so much you are more influenced than influencing. Don't take kindness to the extreme of full immersion. Be wise, be wary, and be trusting. Be engaged but not led astray.

How can we be Christ-centered people in a hostile world? By doing what His apostles did and then trusting God to display His character in and through us. When your allegiance to Jesus is greater than all others, Jesus Christ displays His character through you, and you are able, as His apostles were, to…

1. Go where God sends you. God is a sending God. He sent forth His Son, to redeem us from the curse of the law Gal. 4:4. Respond, as the majority of the apostles did, in simple obedience. Go. Without running from Him or it. Follow His instructions, found in His Word. Simple obedience leads to abundant blessing.

2. Do what God calls you to do. Surrender your will, ambitions, hopes & plans to God. Only in Christ are you free. How often are we like Jonah or Moses, wanting to run from our calling? We long for another assignment when the one He wants us to focus on is right in front of us. Don't miss the amazing opportunities God has put right in front of you because you are daydreaming about what might be next. You are surrounded every day by people who do not know Him. The place He has you now is where you can make the biggest impact for the kingdom. Preach Christ there.

3. Trust God to provide what you need. No worries about funds or other needed supplies. God is sovereign, He gives what is good. Phil. 4:19 He will supply all your need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. God takes care of us. We don't get everything we want, we get everything we need. What you don't have you don't need right now. You have everything you need right now to do everything calls you to do right now.

4. Appreciate hospitality when you experience it. Integrity and thankfulness. God is kind. Any true kindness you experience is from Him. Anyone working in full time ministry must live with gratitude to God for the privilege of being freed up to serve and not squander that freedom in frivolous pursuits. Every pastor or missionary must say I am not a hireling, I am a servant of the living God, who has most graciously provided salvation for me & will provide all I need through the generosity of those I am privileged to serve. I will by God's grace serve well; I will not squander the opportunity nor dwell on money, so that I may glorify God with a clear conscience.

5. Live and speak the truth of the gospel. You can supernaturally respond appropriately when the message is rejected. God is a God of truth. All His ways are truth and justice. Jesus is the means by which God's glory is displayed. The cross is the main story line. Jesus is the righteous one who pays for sin and it far eclipses the wrath against that sin. Is. 53:5. John 12:20-23. The world needs to see Jesus. They need to see Him in us; displaying godly character, God's character, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

The gospel is attractive when the one who carries it actually lives it out. Compelling, winsome, attracting others to Jesus. That they would see and savor the Lord Jesus Christ. Anyone who believes in Jesus Christ is set free from the power, penalty and one day the presence of sin. The gospel is like a magnet when believers live it.

It’s time for a road trip. Character will be revealed. The question is...whose?

Soli Deo Gloria