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Sermon
The Gospel of Matthew

Jesus Prepares His People for His Purpose

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June 15, 2025
Matthew 10:1-4
Josh Bremerman
Pastor for Discipleship

Identity in Christ

Sanctification & Growth

Evangelism

Transcript

0:17Good morning everyone. My name is Josh Bremmer and I serve as the pastor for discipleship here at the North Church. And my hope and prayer for our texts this morning is that we see more in it for ourselves than you might have thought. At first glance, having heard it read a list of names in particular names that we know really well might not necessarily strike us at the heart level when we first hear it red. But in our text this morning, we get to see some shocking realities. We get to see answers to prayer. We get to see miracles in action, and we get to see above all the wisdom and glory of our great God.

0:56And those realities meet us right where we might be walking into the room this morning. This text reaches out to people who feel lost in life. This text reaches out to people who feel like they don't know what's going on to others who might be longing for more significance or meaning or purpose in their day-to-day roles at work or at home or in retirement. This text reaches out to those who struggle with a fear of missing out or a fear of better options out there Who feel like the great things in life are passing by or maybe have already passed by and you missed it. And what Jesus does in this text is a direct message to those who feel too sinful or too inadequate or too unqualified to do anything for him.

1:47And the message is this, the message of our text, Jesus prepares his people for his purpose. Jesus prepares his people for his purpose. Our text this morning is a small but significant window into a passing of the torch moment. It's a window into how Christ prepares his disciples to carry out his mission on this earth. We'll see how Jesus prepares his people for his mission. We're gonna consider who the people are that Jesus prepares for mission. In other words, what type of people Jesus calls into mission. So how, who? And finally, we'll reflect on the what. What is Jesus' mission? What is his purpose for his people that he is preparing them for?

2:37And this is all gonna be good news for us because the way Jesus prepares his disciples for mission at this point in his earthly ministry, it helps us, it gives us a glimpse into how he's preparing us for his mission today. So let's pray together as we go to God's word. Lord God, would you help us now as we look at your word, would you grant us focus on what you have for us in this passage? I pray, Lord, that you would open our eyes to see wonderful things even in this list of names. Would you give us years to hear? And even more than that, would you give us hearts that understand hearts, that worship hearts that are moved to love Christ more and to live out what he's calling us to do and be?

3:29I pray that you would fill us with true and lasting joy this morning. In Jesus' name, amen. So let's read verse one and the start of verse two again. And he called to him his 12 disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to cast them out and to heal every disease and every affliction. The names of the 12 apostles are these, and we'll read those names later, but for now, I want us to see that Jesus prepares his people for his purpose. This is the how of him doing that. Jesus calls his people around him and he prepares his people for pur for his purpose by giving them his authority. This idea stands out, this summoning together, this calling together because they were already with him.

4:24The Big 10 in our Bibles makes it feel like this is a new story or a new moment. But if we look back to the previous passage, they're already with him. They're already gathered. He's just taught them how to pray for more laborers to go into the harvest fields and now he's summoning them. The idea here is like a football team that's huddling up before a play, summoning together. This is what we're gonna do. Or more accurately, it's like the summoning together of soldiers before a battle to give them their marching orders. This is the battle plan. That's what Jesus is doing here. He gives them authority to carry out his mission.

5:08And that seems kind of simple, but it's actually simply amazing. Jesus gives his people authority. And so we should be asking what is authority? Authority means this the power or right to give orders, to make decisions, to enforce obedience. And Jesus has been demonstrating that kind of authority throughout the gospel of Matthew all the way up in the gospel of Matthew. He's been showing that he is the one with unique authority. At the end of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew seven, verse 29, the crowd's marvel for Jesus was teaching them as one who had authority and not as their scribes. And not only does Jesus have authority in teaching, Jesus in Matthew eight and nine has been demonstrating his authority over all things.

6:02Jesus has authority to cleanse the lepers. Jesus has authority to cure sickness. Jesus has authority to cast out demons, to calm the winds and the waves, to call sinners out of darkness and into marvelous light and to take the hand of a dead girl and bring her back to life. Jesus has authority over all things at all times in all places. And for the last two chapters, he's been showing them all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. And now he's giving that authority to his disciples. It's not the little kid version, it's not the Practice training wheels version. He's giving them that authority.

6:49Jesus prepares his people for his purpose by giving them his authority. And so I want us to notice the word used in verse two. Apostles, the disciples have not been called this word yet in the gospel of Matthew. They're not going to be referred to in this way again for the rest of the book. And so why here? Why now? The word apostle itself means a scent. One, an apostle is an ambassador. Uh, apostle is a representative for a higher power. And so Matthew's using this word here, Jesus is giving them this title because of that transferring of authority from Christ to them, Jesus authorizes his disciples to carry out his mission.

7:39So now they're his ambassadors. Now, when they go out, they represent him. They're responsible for carrying out his mission. They act with his power. He is giving them the authority to give orders, to make decisions, to enforce obedience in his kingdom. That's what Jesus is doing. Kids, you may have tasted this kind of authority, you did not have authority over your brother or sister 30 seconds ago, but your mom and dad said, call them in for dinner. You now have authority that you did not have. When I serve as the officiant for a wedding toward the end, I always say something like this. You've probably heard this as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ and by the power vested in me by the state of Minnesota, I now pronounce you husband and wife in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

8:34And don't worry, if you're dating this morning, you are not married. What am I doing at that moment? What am I doing? I'm showing my authority to everyone that's present. I've got the credentials to do this. I've been licensed by this church body to perform weddings. I've filed that licensure with the state of Minnesota. And so now I have heavenly and earthly authority to authorize this marriage between this man and this woman. It's authority. It's the same thing as when an FBI agent pulls out their badge. They say, I am with the FBI. You are now under arrest. I've got the authority to give orders, to make decisions, and to enforce obedience.

9:22It's crazy that Jesus is doing that here. Jesus, the king of heaven and earth prepares his people for his purpose by giving them his authority and this incredible truth, it grows even more amazing when we move past the how of Jesus' preparation and into the who Jesus calls his disciples in verses two through four. Let's read those names again in verses two through four.

9:54The names of the 12 apostles are these first Simon, who's called Peter and Andrew, his brother James, the son of Zebedee and John, his brother Philip and Bartholomew Thomas and Matthew, the tax collector James, the son of Alpheus and Thaddeus Simon the zealot, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him. Several elements of this text jump out at us when we consider the who of Jesus's preparation for mission, wisdom, qualifications, sins, betrayal even. And these verses show us in amazing and and truly comforting truth to us this morning. Jesus wisely prepares his unqualified sinful people for his purpose.

10:51That's the who that Jesus is preparing unqualified, sinful people, but he's doing it with wisdom. And we should consider His wisdom as we read these verses as we consider the names, we're gonna be astounded by who they are, but the wisdom of Jesus is seen in several ways. First, if if you're comparing this calling of the apostles with the other gospels, you'll see that in Mark and in Luke. Jesus then sends them out in pairs. And next week we're gonna see, it doesn't say that they're being sent out in pairs, but Matthew does record Jesus pairing the names of each disciple, Peter and Andrew, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew and so on and so forth.

11:34Jesus prepares his disciples in a wise way for the difficult mission ahead. But his wisdom is more than pragmatics. It's more than than practice for sending his disciples out. His wisdom is seen in the kind of people that Jesus is calling. The standard practice for kings was to choose the best and the brightest. So if we go back, we're in Genesis 41. Pharaoh is elevating Joseph to power because as the text says, he was a discerning and wise man in whom Pharaoh could evidently see the spirit of God. In Daniel chapter one, Nebuchadnezzar elevates Daniel and his friends to power because text says in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them 10 times better than everyone else in his kingdom.

12:27That's the standard practice, discernment, wisdom better than everyone else. If you're a business owner, you're the head of a company, or if you are a student or a child who wants to get there someday, when you have a job application going out and you get those applications in, you're gonna review those and find the most qualified best fit for the job that you need to fill. I don't think there's any business owner in here that says, I'm looking for the most unqualified worst fit for this job. Please only send me those applications. But in chapter four in Matthew, who does Jesus stop for? Jesus goes to the last people you would expect the uneducated fishermen, Peter and Andrew, he calls them to a new vocation, fishing for men.

13:19He doesn't stop there. He sees two more brothers, James and John, he calls them as well. And it's not only the unqualified, it's not only the fishermen. Jesus sees Simon the zealot. Simon is the one who embodies the exact opposite of what Jesus is trying to bring in his kingdom. The one who in self-righteousness would overcome Rome with the sword and by earthly power. And Jesus transforms him into a man who will one day die for the sake of the gospel going forth to those Romans, Jesus sees Matthew, the tax collector, the betrayer of his own people, the enemy of Israel and the ally of Rome. And he says, follow me. You are in the 12.

14:07He changes his life forever. Jesus is the friend of sinners. As Paul says in one Corinthians, Jesus is the wisdom of God, the one who chooses not those who are wise according to earthly standards, not those who are powerful, not those of noble birth. Jesus, the one who chooses what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, the one who chooses what is weak in the world to shame the strong, the one who chooses what is low and despised in the world. Jesus, the one who chooses you And me.

14:43Jesus prepares his unqualified, sinful people for his purpose. And I think that the reason he can do that, the reason that Jesus doesn't have to operate by the rules of those kings is because of this last name. In the list of the 12, Judas Iscariot who betrayed him, even Judas was here. Think about that. Jesus authorized Judas to go out and cast out unclean spirits. Jesus authorized Judas to heal every disease and every affliction. And Jesus did that not being surprised at the end. Jesus did that with the end in mind. Everything Jesus did in his earthly ministry had a reason including this. He called Judas.

15:45He authorized Judas knowing that in part it would lead to his own death. And yet Jesus embraces his betrayer with the end in mind and he remained faithful because Jesus knows that by faith in his death and resurrection, those sinful people become saints by faith in his death and resurrection and the pouring out of the gifts of his spirit, unqualified people grow into competence. Jesus is the one who prepares his unqualified sinful people for his purpose, even if he has to die to do it. What a joy this is. We all know the extent of our own sin as Pastor Nick parade. We are like sheep that have gone astray.

16:40We've chosen our own way. We've, you might even be caught up in a sin this morning. You might feel disqualified as a follower of Jesus. You might feel like you're too sinful to even come to him or even after professing faith. You know the struggle of ongoing sexual immorality or anger or bitterness or discontent or gossip or just plain wasting your days away for nothing. And yet, Christ remained faithful in order to turn his enemies into friends and make them into new creations. That is the hope of the gospel. He came for Peter, he came for Matthew. He comes for you and me. And by faith, in his death, by faith in his resurrection, he promises to forgive us.

17:32He promises to purify us from unrighteousness and he promises to bring us to completion at the end. That's our savior. There is power for mercy and power for healing in the name of Jesus. So I wanna encourage us to look at the names in this list and to come to him yet again this morning He's faithful. And as we receive mercy from sins, we might still face that barrier of inadequacy. We might still think I am not bringing enough to the table, but Jesus authorizes his people for his purpose as ambassadors. And Jesus never calls and then fails to equip what he's called to you to He will equip you for his spirit, gives gifts and words so that you can participate in his mission work.

18:27Today you have been empowered by the king to accomplish his mission. And that mission is what we're gonna consider further. Now we we've considered the how. He gives them his authority. We've considered the who. It's unqualified, sinful, people like us. And now let's consider what is this mission? What is it here in chapter 10? And what is it for us today? The apostles, they should serve as Christ representatives, but as we know, representatives don't act out of their own volition. Ambassadors of the United States and another country should act out the desires of the US government in that place.

19:09So Jesus authorizes his disciples to do specific things. And our question is, what is the manner? What is the nature of Jesus' mission here in chapter 10? Jesus prepares his people for his purpose. So what is that purpose? This starts with the manner of Jesus's mission, the way that he carries himself. In particular, he is authorizing his disciples. He's sending his apostles to go out and act the way that he has been acting. Jesus is basically saying this, my authority is your authority, therefore my mission is your mission. And we see that in our text. Verse one. He gave them authority over unclean spirits to cast them out and to heal every disease and affliction.

19:55I want us to compare that language to the language in Matthew chapter four and Matthew chapter nine, in Matthew chapter four, verse 23, Jesus is going throughout Galilee, the text says, healing every disease and every affliction. Then in chapter nine, he goes throughout all the cities and villages healing every disease and every affliction. So the emphasis here in giving his authority is not here. Guys, here's the magic power. What Jesus is saying is, I'm authorizing you to go and be and do like me. Authority isn't a power that you can wrap up, put in a box, open on your birthday or Father's day, say, lemme take this out for a spin.

20:37That's not how authority works. It's not superpowers that Jesus embeds us with so that we can go use them however we want, whenever we want. No, Jesus prepares his people with his authority for his purpose. They're to go out and do what he has been doing. And the reason is that as ambassadors, they should be working toward his goals, which is the first element for application this morning as we, as we think about our calling, our significance, our meaning in life, I think this text actually serves as a good guide. We don't receive a calling on its own apart from Jesus. We don't have to find our personal mission apart from Jesus.

21:24We don't have this mission that we then try to fit gospel things into, no, it's the other way around. We are called for Jesus's purposes. And then our wiring, our interests, our gifts, these are all the personal things that Jesus is working in us to fit into his broader whole. We actually asked the question, what would Jesus do when we're like, what would Jesus, what is Jesus doing right now? And how can I take part in that? We are disciples in his image and after his goals, and I wanna apply that authority giving more specifically, but I think we have to consider the broader nature of Jesus's mission first.

22:09And we see that broader nature in this text as well. The way that Jesus prepares his disciples for mission, then it gives us a glimpse into his preparation of us for mission now. And so his broader goal, even bigger than healing, even bigger than casting out, those demons can be seen in another element of this text. Every word of scripture is breathed out by God. It's profitable for us this morning, including this list. And so my question is, why does Matthew put this list of the 12 apostles in his gospel where he does and he does. So for a specific reason. If we were to compare him to Mark or to Luke, we'd see that they all put this calling of the 12 disciples, this naming of the 12 disciples at a different place in the story.

22:54They're making a theological point. Mark's point is about acceptance and rejection. Luke wants to show how Jesus is forming a new people of God out of the last people you would expect. But Matthew wants to emphasize something else. Matthew waits until much later than the other gospels for the naming of the apostles. You might be wondering, oh yeah, we've seen all these guys before and often throughout the gospel. Why here? Why name them here? And so let's play this quick Bible trivia game. Okay? If you're a kid or a teenager, you're gonna wanna lock in for this, all right? We're gonna play a Bible trivia game to see why Matthew puts his list here in the gospel of Matthew.

23:41And I also remember Jesus is preparing his people for his purpose. And so we're asking the question, why here? What does it tell us about his mission? Okay, so here's the challenge. I'm gonna give you some details. I want you to think, who am I talking about, right? There's a son of Abraham after this son is introduced, there's a guy named Joseph and he has a dream. Later on, there's a wicked ruler who wants to kill all of the babies in a specific region, but a deliverer is sent by God back to that region. This deliverer passes through waters. There's a temptation in the wilderness, and then the deliverer goes up on a mountain and he gives God's commands to God's people.

24:38Okay? So I want you to think about it. Just tell someone we were with. I think he's talking about this guy, Some very confident whispering happening. Okay? Raise your hand if you said Moses. Alright, we got a few moseses. Raise your hand if you're confused. You don't have to do that. Yeah, there we go. There's a couple. I'm with you, I'm with you. I was, I was with you earlier this week. Okay, so others of you might be catching on to what I'm doing. Some of you might feel like what in the world is he doing? But follow me here. Matthew puts this story at this place in his gospel because in his gospel he's trying to show us something specific that is this Jesus in his birth, in his life, all the way up to his death is reliving the story of Israel.

25:28If you heard Moses, you were right, but if you heard Jesus, you'd be right as well. In chapter one, Matthew introduces Jesus as the son of Abraham. Right after that, Joseph, Jesus's early earthly father has a dream in Matthew chapter one verses 18 through 25, and after the Joseph narrative in Jesus, in Genesis, Pharaoh wants to kill the Hebrew Israelites in Exodus chapter one and chapter two, which should remind us of how King Herod wanted to kill all of the infants in Bethlehem. In Matthew chapter two, Matthew showing us that Jesus is reliving the story of Israel, but it doesn't stop there. After escaping to Egypt, Jesus returns to Israel just like Moses, who escaped from Egypt had to return to Egypt.

26:20Moses delivers the people of Israel from Pharaoh. We remember this story. He passes through the waters of the Red Sea. Why does Matthew put Jesus' baptism through the waters? In Matthew chapter three, I think we're seeing the parallels here After the Red Sea deliverance, the Israelites are grumbling against the Lord as they must rely on bread from heaven for sustenance in the wilderness. But Jesus with joy after his baptism relies on the bread of life for sustenance as he faces temptations from the devil. In Matthew chapter four, Jesus is in only reliving the story of Israel. Matthew wants us to see that Jesus is improving upon it.

27:03Jesus is succeeding where Israel failed. And all of this leads up to Jesus's sermon on the Mount in Matthew five through seven, which parallels Moses on Mount Sinai, giving the law of God to God's people. And that leads us here. What's the payoff for this morning? What is this list of apostles doing at this point? In Matthew's gospel, Joshua Griever noted last week in Matthew 9 36, that Jesus with a heart of compassion notices that his people are like sheep without a shepherd. And that's the same as Moses in numbers chapter 27, verse 17. He looks out on the people of Israel and sees that they are like sheep without a shepherd.

27:49And what happens in numbers? It's a tough Bible trivia question. Numbers 27 verses 18 through 20, God tells Moses to do this. Take Joshua the son of none and lay your hand on him. You shall invest him with some of your authority that all the congregation of the people of Israel may obey. Jesus is at this stage in Israel's history and he's improving upon it. Jesus is the new Moses who's authorizing his new Joshuas to go and take the promised land. He's giving them his authority. He's explaining their marching orders. He's improving where Israel failed out. Jesus prepares his people for his purpose, his mission and the nature of their mission is to take the kingdom of Jesus into the promised land.

28:47And we'll hear more about this in verse six of chapter 10. But why does Jesus only send his disciples to the lost sheep of the house of Israel? This is part of it. They're reenacting the conquest of the promised land. Jesus is reliving the story of Israel. He succeeding where they failed. And that means it doesn't stop in Israel, the original readers of Matthew's gospel, they, they wouldn't have stopped there. They know a great truth. Matthew 28 is still on the way after the tragedy of the cross, the triumph of Jesus's resurrection. Jesus doesn't hold back on geography. He knows the promises of Habakkuk, that the glory of the Lord would cover the earth like the waters cover the sea.

29:36He knows the promise to Isaac in Genesis 22 that his seed would have the gates of the earth. The conquest of the promised land is just the first fruits of Jesus's greater mission. Jesus prepared them for a specific mission. He's preparing us for a much larger mission. So as we seek to apply this passage, this commission looks forward to the great commission of Matthew 28. We looked there last week. We looked there to, we're gonna look there today. We'll keep looking ahead. That's where it's all going. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

30:23And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age, brothers and sisters, that is what we are invited into. That is the mission that Jesus who has all authority in heaven on earth, is calling us to participate in. Matthew is showing us that Jesus is reliving the story of Israel. And that story keeps going to right now. Disciples have been made to the ends of the earth, and we keep taking that gospel message on and on and on. The amazing authority of Jesus is granted today to us by His spirit at work in us. He says, I will be with you always by his spirit at work in us, we have the authority to tell demons go in the name of Jesus.

31:20We have the authority to call out to broken and rebellious sinners. Repent and find life in the name of Jesus, calling them back from the dead. We have the authority to tell one another, obey his commands, and find joy in the name of Jesus. He's given us the authority and the emphasis of that authority is slightly different today, but the essence of that authority is the same. Jesus is going to send his disciples out with the emphasis on unclean spirits. He says in verse two, verse one, on healing diseases and afflictions. And that's as a means of authenticating his gospel message. But we're on this side of Jesus's most poignant demonstration of his power rising from the dead in victory.

32:09And so we are sent out with the same essence of authority, but our emphasis is not on authenticating Jesus's mission with power and signs, but it's on extending or spreading that kingdom message through baptism, through teaching them to obey what Jesus has commanded. And so if you're living with disease or affliction this morning and you read this text and you say, Ugh, but why not me? I wanna encourage you that the power of Jesus is not lacking. The power of Jesus is not lacking. And he has given us authority to heal every disease and every affliction. But that doesn't mean every time we are working for his mission and he is working all things together, even that for good.

33:04And also, as we consider our personal missions, our personal calling, I wanna encourage us to act out of faithfulness to Christ in the various roles that he has given us, whether it's father or mother or sibling, or a child or an employee or a friend. All of these areas of faithfulness, everyday faithfulness, they contribute to Jesus's broader mission of world domination through evangelism and discipleship, every single piece of it. Fathers, as we lead our families, we should seek by God's grace to master our own flesh, for the sake of leading our families to know and obey the Lord Jesus. Mothers, as you seek to nourish your children and knowledge and body, give them the bread of life as well.

33:54Employees and business owners master your field, expand your reach, but as an expression of love for neighbor, for the sake of Jesus's glory. And remember, all of us Christ himself overcomes our inadequacies in these things. You might not feel gifted in the role that God has given you, that God has called you to in this mission. You might not feel gifted at evangelism. You might not feel particularly skilled to share the gospel with a friend or neighbor. You might not feel qualified to disciple a brother or sister or to mentor a younger Christian to admonish, to encourage, to help. I don't know. I don't know what to say at the right times.

34:34You might not feel like you have much to offer. You might even be a dad here this morning that doesn't feel like your contributions at home are much worth celebrating. Or a mom who's overwhelmed with the responsibilities of every day or an older saint who feels like, I don't know what I can offer to the next generation. Or an employee feeling like you can never keep up or a friend with without the skills to help and lift others up. But Jesus prepares his people for his purposes. The focus of our text this morning is to look off of ourselves and onto the one who does the preparing. He is the one who calls us. He is the one who equips us.

35:16And his spirit gives gifts and words for the right things at the right time so that you can participate in this great work of God. You've been empowered by the king to accomplish his mission. And we do that by ministering to one another, side by side in small groups or in community. We do that through counseling the scriptures into one another's lives. We do that by praying for one another, by bearing one another's burdens, by forgiving one another and by being contented in the roles that God has given us and faithfully executing them every day. Jesus prepares his sinful, inadequate people for his purpose, his mission by giving them his authority.

36:01And that is the great privilege that we get to live into each and every day. Let's pray. Oh Lord God, I do pray that you would press home these truths into our hearts. I pray that as we look at diseases and afflictions in our world, we would see your power and we would find you as a rock and refuge to trust in your wisdom is seen in calling us. Your wisdom is seen in bringing us through all of these circumstances in life. I press, I pray that you would press home the glorious truth, that we have hope in the name of Jesus. We have hope for forgiveness. Lord, we have hope for equipping when we feel inadequate.

36:46I pray that you would press home the power by which we can live our lives because of Christ's spirit at work in us. And I pray that you would help us to feel the wonderful, privileged Lord that it is to partake in that mission today. You don't need us, but you want us, Lord. So I pray that you would do all these things in us for your glory and our joy In Christ's name, amen.

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Sermon Text

Matthew 10:1-4

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