Sermon for Sunday, Oct 19th, 2025 at First Presbyterian Church at Unionville, NY (BPC)
Old Testament Reading:
[Ezekiel 34:11-16 ESV] 11 “For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. 13 And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD. 16 I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.
New Testament Reading:
[Acts 13:44-52 ESV] 44 The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. 46 And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. 47 For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'” 48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. 49 And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. 50 But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. 51 But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
Gospel Reading:
[Luke 9:1-6 ESV] 1 And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. 3 And he said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics. 4 And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. 5 And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them.” 6 And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.
Sermon Text:
[Matthew 10:1-15 ESV] 1 And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. 2 The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. 5 These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. 9 Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, 10 no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food. 11 And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. 12 As you enter the house, greet it. 13 And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. 15 Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.
Introduction
There comes a time in the life of every baby bird – every baby animal for that matter – when it grows up and goes out on its own.
While it is sad for a parent to see a child go, it is to their honor that the child is trained up and ready for the world.
So it is with the teacher and a disciple. The goal of the master is to make the student a master. What an honor that is, if the student can do as the master does.
In our text Jesus is the master teacher, and his disciples are sent out to do the same type of work that He does. All for the purpose of bringing in the people of God.
I. The Apostles Named (v. 1-4)
I’ve titled this sermon “The Apostles sent out.” Really, that is redundant, for an apostle is, in Greek, a sent-out one from the verb apostello, “to send out.”
But we now have the twelve Apostles sent out on a mission to “gather the lost sheep of Israel.”
In verse 1 they are called disciples.
In verse 2 they are called apostles.
Not all disciples are apostles, but all apostles are disciples.
Everyone who is a student and follower of Christ is a disciple. We are all disciples of Christ. But only a select group — these twelve, and later Paul — are considered apostles. In another place — Luke 10 — there is reference to 72 disciples being sent out two by two, but here we have just the 12 apostles.
There names are specified in the text.
Simon Peter
Andrew
James the son of Zebedee
John the son the Zebedee
Philip
Bartholomew
Thomas
Matthew (the tax collector), the author of the book, humbly calling himself the tax collector.
James the son of Alphaeus
Thaddeus
Simon the Zealot
and
Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Christ.
The names are given slightly differently in the Gospel of Luke, (see Luke 6:12-16) but the difference are easily understood as many in that time often took two names. In Luke the man we here have called Thaddeus is called Judas son of James.
But there are twelve. And each of these men could be discussed at length, some more than others. At times in church history there has been great interest in what happened to the Apostles. Sometimes it is said that all of them but John were martyred, killed for the faith. But we don’t know that exactly. At least the majority of them were martyred, but others it is not always what happened. They are often said to go off to various foreign lands preaching the Gospel, but we have in our text just the directive to “go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” In this journey they are not to go among the Gentiles or the Samaritans (those half-Jewish) neighbors of theirs.
There will be a time soon where the Gospel goes to the Gentiles, but first it is going to the Jews.
“the lost sheep of house of Israel” IS the Jews. Jesus says “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Paul says the same thing in Romans when he says that the Gospel is the Power of God unto salvation “to the Jews first, then to the Gentiles.”
This isn’t to imply that Jews are naturally better than Gentiles. God is not going to the Jews first because of anything IN them. Rather, the Gospel is going to the Jews because it was to them that the oracles of God were given (the Holy Scripture) and of them that Jesus himself was a member of that people. So God’s plan to gather in those sheep first, and then go to the Gentiles.
We had just seen in chapter 9 that the Jewish people are like “sheep without a shepherd.” So Jesus says to go to those lost sheep. The laborers are few, so he said “pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
And that prayer request is then immediately answered in the sending of the twelve apostles.
This is a fulfillment of that prophecy in Ezekiel:
“For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.
II. The Apostles given Miraculous abilities. (v. 5-8)
And the Lord is doing that work, even in Jesus’ own time among the Jews by way of the Apostles being sent out.
There is a notable pattern in the Scriptures that when (1) new information from God is revealed then (2) miracles testify to that revelation.
So these Apostles being sent out with a new message, saying “the kingdom of God is at hand” at not left without a witness. The miracles witness the truth of their message.
What are these miracles?
Jesus “gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.”
That same type of ministry that Jesus himself was doing, he has now given the power to his Apostles to do as well.
This is a special time or dispensation of miraculous abilities being given to the Apostles. Even in Paul’s time such miracles seem to have diminished, and by the next generation in the church they seem to have completely ceased. So we have to understand that this a special power given to the Apostles; if YOU are not casting out demons or healing diseases, don’t think that it is because you lack faith or are not a Christian. It was for the Apostles, not every Christian, even in that time.
Their mission is to “heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons.” Precisely what Christ has done in the Gospel of Matthew. And, as they go, they are to proclaim that “The Kingdom of heaven is at hand” – that same message John the Baptist and Jesus have preached already.
There can be no miracles without also proclaiming the Gospel. They must testify to the truth of God. And it is that truth that is more important than the miracle.
III. The Apostles to be Provided for. (v. 9-11)
So Jesus chooses 12 apostles, tells them to go to the lost sheep of Israel with the Gospel, and then gives them miraculous powers to testify to that truth. Then, we find a section in verse 9 through 11 where we learn that God will provide for those Apostle.
This is a bit tricky. The ESV says “acquire no gold or silver, etc.” as if this were speaking against earning money from the preaching.
But the KJV says “Provide neither gold, nor silver, etc.”
Likewise, another translation says essentially, “Don’t take any money with you.”
This makes it clear that the Apostles are not to spend their own money on these efforts, but as it says in verse 10 “the laborer deserves his food.”
They are to be paid for their work. Not extravagantly, but with food. As the Old Testament said, “do not muzzle the ox when it treads the gain.”
If you muzzle the ox, or don’t pay the laborer, they won’t be able to labor very long.
This is all, as Matthew Henry notes, “to depend on divine providence.” God will provide for the Apostles on their journeys. He will provide what is necessary. It doesn’t specify HOW they will be fed or provided for, but God will provide through various circumstances. Perhaps those who bring the apostles into their houses will provide food for them. That is one way at least in which they will be provided for.
There are “worthy” people they are to find in each place and stay with them. These might be god-fearing people to begin with; Jews who are waiting for the messiah. People who know the Scriptures, and live accordingly, making them “worthy”. They are not worthy because of wealth or status or being part of the religious establishment, but they are “worthy” because they are willing to hear the Word of God. They hear God’s work and Know it is from Him. Like Jesus says in John’s Gospel, “My sheep hear my voice., and I know them, and they follow me.”
The Apostles are to stay with these worthy people. And, being welcomed into the house, they are to give it their blessing. “Let your peace come upon it.”
This is a blessing from God. And if you say to a household “My the Lord bless you and give you peace” and they respond negatively, they have, as it were, failed the test. They are not receptive.
IV. The Apostles told when to Move on. (v. 12-15)
Then we have directions from Jesus to the Apostles as to what to do when people DO NOT receive them or listen to their words.
The Apostles are to shake the dust off of their feet when leaving the house or town.
Acts 13:51 is an example of this happening where Paul and Barnabas “shook off the dust from their feet against” when leaving one town that was unreceptive.
This is a symbol of “leaving something behind.” Leaving behind a situation that is not going well. So shaking the dust off is like cleansing oneself of the negative influences in a place.
And this is often overlooked or forgotten in our modern culture of evangelism. What is overlooked or forgotten is this advice to move on when not received.
Naturally, if you have enough rejection you’ll move on, but we often think of evangelists and evangelism as never tiring, called to continually pursue people with the message of the Gospel.
But there is practical advice here in being called to move on when not received. A good salesman might try additional approaches, but at some point he is better off talking to other potential customers.
This is not to say that evangelism is salesmanship, but to note that there are times when further efforts are unprofitable.
We’ve seen this before in Gospel of Matthew when Jesus said, “Do not throw pearls before swine, or give what is holy to the dogs.” The meaning of that phase is essentially “don’t preach the Gospel to those who mock and deride it.”
This doesn’t prohibit the general preaching of the Gospel. The Gospel is to be preached to each and every person of all nations. But, when they reject the Gospel and ridicule it and have hardened hearts, it is time to move on.
Conclusion:
So, what is the purpose of this passage?
For one, we see the prayer of Jesus being answered.
And then, we learn that there ARE these Apostles.
But, the ultimate goal, is the “bringing in of the sheep.”
The Lord uses various Apostles, missionaries, and other workers to bring the Gospel to His People, and so to bring His People to Him through that Gospel.
Perhaps you heard the word from your pastor as a child. Or from your parents.
Perhaps you got a Gideon’s Bible one day and starting reading.
Or a friend brought the Gospel to you.
We see that the work of God continues, though there are no Apostles today.
The Word continues to knock on doors.
But woe to Him who does not accept the message. That’s how Jesus concludes this part of the passage, noting that it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Sodom and Gomorrah than those towns that reject the Apostles.
Some applications:
Application 1. How to handle rejection.
When you face rejection, move on.
Don’t fight back, double down, or cause trouble with those who reject you. It never is to your benefit.
You are to move on, shaking the dust off your feet.
Application 2: Sending Out on Mission
There are no official apostles today. If you find a church calling someone an Apostle, run.
But though there are no apostles, there are still Christians sent out to do the work of the Lord. That is, on a specific level, missionaries, some of whom we support as a church.
And, no doubt, every Christian to an extent is sent out into the world to be a light to the world.
We are not to be of the world, but we are in the world, and sent out among the people to bring in the harvest, to gather the sheep, all for the plan and glory of God.
So we ought to consider that fact. To whom are we sent in our own small place in the world? And, in doing that work of evangelizing, we ought to trust in God, for He will provide.
And the message we take with us, is the same of John the Baptist, and of Jesus, and of the Apostles. The kingdom of heaven is at hand.