Sermon Tone Analysis

October 12, 2014

*Intro* – Steve Jobs, founder of Apple Computer, was trying to recruit John Sculley, 38-year-old president of Pepsi-Cola to become president of Apple.

After a lot of discussion, Sculley was still reluctant until Jobs put it this way: “John, do you really want to spend the rest of your life selling sugar water, or do you want a chance to change the world?”

Sculley came on board.

That’s a critical question, isn’t it?

What are we living for?

What gives meaning to our lives?

Has God really left us here just to collect enough for a comfortable 5-year-retirement?

Is that what life is about?

Nothing wrong with preparing for retirement, but that’s sugar water compared to what our Lord suggests – representing Christ – preparing the way for Him in the lives of others.

Listen!

God’s left you here to change somebody’s world.

That’s what this passage is all about.

As Jesus embarks on His journey to die in Jerusalem, He commissions 72 followers to prepare the way for Him at various stops.

They are doing what believers are made for – representing Christ.

That’s what the text is about – representing Christ to best advantage.

Our outline – The Commission, The Challenge, The Commandments, The Conditions, The Communication, The Conclusion and The Consequences.

*I.

The Commission*

V. 1: “After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go.”

This is an introductory verse; it gives the big picture for what gives meaning to us as believers.

This is our commission.

So let’s unpack it.

*A.

The Master of the Commission*

Who does the appointing?

“The Lord.”

Interesting choice of titles.

Jesus is commissioning as Lord, as master, as boss, as the one in charge.

Because when we come to faith in Christ, that is exactly who He becomes to us.

This title emphasizes authority, majesty, ownership.

It is as Lord He sends these to represent Him; as Lord that He sends us to represent Him -- representing Him to a world that has no other answers.”

Turn to Matt 28:18-20, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.”

Here is Jesus’ last commission to His followers.

But notice how He starts it.

He doesn’t say, “Look guys, I want you to go out and make disciples.”

He doesn’t start there.

He first reminds them that He is the source of all authority, both in heaven and on earth, and that means in their lives as well.

He’s saying, “I’m making this command as your Lord and Master.

Fail to deliver and you show one of two things – either you are in rebellion against me, or I am not your Lord and Master at all in which case you have a far greater problem.”

God gifts us all in different ways.

Thus we all have different careers, different home lives, different ways of doing things.

But we have a single commission.

We are all sent out to represent Him – just in different ways.

He issues the command as our Master.

He means business because He loves those who do not know Him.

To represent Him is not a duty; it’s our greatest privilege.

How much would you pay to get written into a famous novel?

Rhett Butler’s sidekick in Gone With the Wind?

Well a few years ago a non-profit offered that opportunity to the highest bidder.

The winner paid $25,100 to be written into a Stephen King novel, receiving literary immortality by being named in a book -- before being killed off – in the story, of course!

We all want to be part of a story that is bigger than we are – one that is bigger than life.

And that is exactly what our Lord and Master if offering us by commissioning us to represent Him.

It’s a fantastic privilege to serve the Lord in this way.

Charles Spurgeon had a wealthy woman claim faith in Christ at his church.

But she would not make public confession for fear her socialite friends would abandon her, leave her off committees and such.

He responded, “She is a traitor to the Master who sent her if she is so beguiled by the beauties of taste and art as to forget that to ‘preach Christ . . .

and Him crucified’ is the only object for which she exists among the sons of men.

The business of the Church is salvation of souls.”

We’ve been commissioned by the Master.

*B.

The Ministers of the Commission*

V. 1, “After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others.”

Ancient texts are almost equally divided as to whether the actual number was 70 or 72 others.

So are English translations with ESV and NIV using 72 and NASB and NKJV and Holman using 70.

The bigger issue is what does the number signify?

And the answer is it’s a number that signifies universal participation.

The number 70 was symbolic to Jesus’ Jewish audience.

70 elders helped Moses in the wilderness.

There were 70 members of the Sanhedrin, the supreme council of the Jewish nation.

70 was held to be the number of nations in the world in Luke’s time.

Here it represents the universal nature of the gospel – and the fact that all believers are to be involved in the task of taking it to the world.

In the very next verse, Jesus urges these to pray for other such workers.

These are ordinary men being appointed to do an extraordinary task.

The ministers of the commission are all of us.

We are not all evangelists.

We need not and should not put that burden of guilt on ourselves.

That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t know how to lead someone to Christ.

Could you do that?

Do you know a few key verses – like Rom 3:23 to show that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God – like Rom 6:23 that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life thru Jesus Christ our Lord – like Rom 10:9, that if you confess with our mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

That’s the gospel in 3 verses.

Come on, we can all learn that, Beloved.

Or how about 1 verse, John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

If we don’t have the time or inclination to learn 4 verses to help a friend or neighbor or fellow-worker come to faith in Christ, we’re either not trying very hard or we don’t care.

We can and must prepare as ministers of the commission.

We’re not all evangelists, but we are all ministers.

Look at Eph 4:11-12, “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, [those are pastors] 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.”

This is how a church is supposed to work.

There are leaders – Why?

To do the work?

So we think.

But that’s not what the Bible teaches.

Look – those leaders are to v. 12, “to equip the saints for the work of ministry.”

Leaders equip the saints for the work of ministry.

Who are the saints?

All believers.

So the ministers aren’t the pastors, the ministers are all of us.

We share equally in the responsibility of being ministers of the commission to represent Christ.

We just do it in different ways.