Weep not for me weep over the pestilence

"Weep not for me; weep over the pestilence and the general misery, and save the army. Farewell!” Marcus Aurelius, Pannonia, A. D. 180

Lk. 10: 1 -16 1 “pairs…, ” a divine pattern; strength in numbers… 2 “the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; beseech the Lord…to send laborers, ” – The problem wasn’t that nobody would listen, but that nobody would teach. – The first step in resolving the problem – pray!

Lk. 10: 1 -16 3 “Go…I send you, ” 1. The preachers weren’t imported. 2. The qualification was not so much their “comprehensive knowledge” as it was their concern. 3. They had to take the initiative. 4. God didn’t send the H. S. directly…

Lk. 10: 1 -16 4 “Carry no money belt…, ” – Complete dependence on God (Mt. 6: 11). Ø Zech. 4: 6 -7 – Ct. Lk. 22: 35 -36, neither are to be taken as absolutes.

Lk. 10: 1 -16 5 -6 “Whatever house you enter, first say…, ” – Not a superstitious ritual… – The audience’s reaction was out of the preacher’s control. – Appl. : The preacher does his job and the rest is in God’s hands: “Paul planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. ” (1 Co. 3: 6)

Lk. 10: 1 -16 7 ab “Stay in that house, eating and drinking…, ” – v. 3 indicated that they would get eaten… – God provided friends when they expected enemies. – The commission that caused fear also caused confidence. 7 ac “Stay in that house…do not keep moving…, ” – Make the most of the opportunity.

Lk. 10: 1 -16 8 -11 “The kingdom of God is near…” – Cf. Ac. 1: 6, every Jew longed for the kingdom! Why reject it? Ø Initial enthusiasm rejection. Ø It’s a free world (v. 10). Ø Truth is not subjective (v. 11).

Lk. 10: 1 -16 12 -15 “…woe to you…, ” the worst awaits everyone who rejects the message. – There is life after death, ct. Atheism. – Take life seriously!

Lk. 10: 1 -16 16 “The one who listens to you listens to Me…” – Don’t take rejection personally. – Don’t let any success go to your head. – Give God the glory.

1. Teach in spite of no teachers (v. 2): 1. No matter our maturity, we will always need teachers. 2. And while it is valid to be discouraged that no one stays to teach you, don’t you do the same thing and forsake teaching the people of Hungary.

2. Teach in spite of fear (v. 3): A. Fear of making mistakes should not stop us from talking about God, Mt. 25: 24 -28. B. Fear of the unknown should not stop us from talking about God. Moving, interview, marriage, etc. C. Fear of persecution should not stop us from talking about God, Ac. 5: 41.

3. Teach in spite of apparent weaknesses (v. 4): Often, because we think we are unprepared, we avoid doing God’s work. When this happens, we fail to trust God. A. Reminder: the only thing that guarantees success is trust in God. B. You cannot know your strengths if you never try. Illus. : Chemical factory. C. Their weaknesses caused them to build trust in God.

4. Teach what Jesus says to teach (vv. 5, 9 b): A. All they had to do was repeat His words; no guesswork! B. Jesus tells us what to teach, Mk. 16: 15. ü This obligates us to learn the Gospel.

5. Never change the message in order to please the audience (vv. 10 -11): Since the time of Marcus Aurelius, Hungary has been invaded by the Huns, the Germans, the Magyars, the Mongols, the Turks, the Muslims, the Nazi’s and the Russians. Each time has been devastating. But God has been fighting in Hungary even longer! And now the torch has been passed to you: save the church in Budapest!