12 Facts about Evangelism from Jesus – Part 2 Lk 10:1-16

Intro: Last week we started investigating this passage in which Luke tells us about the instruction Jesus gave to 72 disciples being sent on an evangelistic mission. Let’s look back to the verses we covered in Lk 10 to bring ourselves back up to speed.

Review: Luke 10:1-3 - 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. 2 And he said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.

We began looking at the facts regarding evangelism from Jesus’ instruction. He is telling these 72 untrained men what they need to know about evangelism as he is sending them out. We looked at 5 facts last week. They were:

Ev is for all Followers – “others” Ev is a Ripe Opportunity – “harvest” Ev needs more laborers – the problem Ev is a Matter for Prayer – the solution Ev is Risky – lambs in the midst of wolves

Let’s see if we can get through the other 7 right now!

Pray: Father we want to place our feet on the ground next to our teacher Jesus. We are the 600 “others” who need to hear what you have to say about evangelism. Emmanuel Baptist Church is filed with people who love the gospel. Help us be s convicted about it that we long to tell the lost people in our lives about this good news. Teach us and move us as we attune our ears to the instructing and powerful words of our master, Jesus. Jesus, we ask this in your name, amen.

VI. Entails dependency (4) Look now to v. 4. Where we see fact number 6. We have seen a similar instruction before in Ch 9.

Luke 10:4 - Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road.

What could this possibly tell us about evangelism? How does not having a money bag, food bag, or extra sandals, and greeting no one, tell us anything? It tells us much – three things, in fact.

Let’s look at the items Jesus forbids them to bring and figure out what hey mean.

Dependency Money bag and Knapsack = these are the bags in which you would carry provision. Money and food. Jesus is saying, when you go, I want you dependent upon me for your provisions. I will provide for you through those with whom you minister. Evangelism entails dependency….

You will never have everything you need, but go anyway. Never enough answers, money, confidence… go anyway.

Art and science Evangelism is a balance between art and science. There technical non non-negotiable that must never be left out. The Gospel message contains truths that we cannot miss in our telling. But at the same time that this “science” exists, there also exists an art. Evangelism is about the relationship and unique situation of that person with whom you are talking. This is the art. You are trying to bring the truth of the gospel to a person so that they will believe it. Your presentation will depend upon that person’s need and current understanding. (Dennis’ testimony – came to Jesus through a study of creationism).

The art and science both require dependency. You are dependent upon the bible for the gospel message and you are dependent upon the Holy Spirit to lead you ask you tell it. Remember Jesus’ words:

Mark 13:11 - And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.

VII. Evangelism entails sympathy (4) Back to that list of items Jesus forbids in v.4

Luke 10:4 - Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road.

Sandals – Jesus also tells the 72 not to bring sandals. He is basically referring to extra sandals. Most poor people were lucky to have one pair of sandals. Rarely did anyone have two. People either wore sandals or went barefoot. Jesus was saying to his evangelists, when you go, you are going to poor people. Do not wear something that will set you apart from them. Don’t have all your luxury items with you. It is not about your comfort, it is about identifying with that lost person, who may not have anything.

Evangelism entails sympathy…

The Order of the Mustard Seed founded by Count Zinzendorf had three guiding principles, namely: 1. Be kind to all people. 2. Seek their welfare. 3. Win them to Christ.

I will do what I must do so that I don’t get in the way of someone seeing the Good news of Jesus.

1 Cor 9:19-23 - For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.

VIII. Evangelism entails urgency (4) One more item from v.4 Luke 10:4 - Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road.

Greet no one on the road – Why is Jesus instructing his disciples to greet no one on their way to their appointed village? Because they have a mission to accomplish that cannot be interrupted. When people of a society like these people lived in met each other on the road, it could turn into a meal and an all-night event! Jesus is saying that evangelism entails dependency, sympathy, and urgency!

How often do we get distracted on our way to talk to a friend about the lord? Almost every time! The conversation moves in other directions, or something like that. We need to know that our message is urgent and that nothing can stand in our way!

IX. Spiritual Litmus Testing (5-6) Now let’s move on to v.5 where we need to dig just a little to get the gist of what Jesus is telling His disciples.

Luke 10:5 - Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace be to this house!' 6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you.

Why telling them what to say first? Now Jesus is telling them what to say when they get invited into a home. Why is he doing that? Because He knows that the disciples has to direct the conversation and that the words He is telling them to say will do that.

Peace to this house = an offer to receive God’s blessing What were the disciples to say? “peace to this house”. What does that mean?

“Peace to this house” is not merely a statement. It is an offer that must be received. It is an offer of goodwill from God. When the disciple said this he was asking whether or not the person at that house was interested in receiving God’s blessing. It’s not a mere “God bless you”. It is a real question “are you interested in spiritual things?”

The disciples are looking for people in whom God is already at work. Look at the rest of the verse. They are to wait for a response.

Received or not Lk 10:6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you.

Here we see Jesus tell His disciples to see what their request does. Either their peace will be received or it will not. The person is interested in God’s blessing or he is not. Period. If he is, stay. If he is not, leave.

Spiritual litmus testing What is going on here? Jesus is basically saying that evangelism is spiritual litmus testing. Evangelism is fishing for people interested in the things of God. If we believe that a person cannot come to Christ unless the father draws him (Jn 6:44), then the uninterested person cannot be convinced at that time. So we are looking for people who have some interest in spiritual things.

This is who Jesus calls a son of peace. Son of Peace = a person God connects with the evangelist to receive the good news and work with that person to bring others in the community to Christ. It is Cornelius, Lydia, the woman at the well, and the Philippian jailer.

How? – Build spiritual relationships How do you do this? How do you find so called “people of peace” or what we would call people who are prepped by God for the gospel? (it’s easy to lead these people to Jesus!!).

The umbrella answer to this is that we need to build spiritual relationships. We need to initiate relationships that contain spiritual aspects so that we can probe people around us as to whether or not they have interest. Here are some ways to do that:

1) Praying for you 2) Mention “religious” words in secular contexts: “Oh my pastor mentioned that in his sermon last week… oh my home group is studying that topic right now…. God answered a prayer for me in regard to that” 3) The personal testimony. I phrased it the way I did for this very reason. “How I received the gift of eternal life”. Those words are litmus words! As you build a relationship with someone you could ask them that, “would you like to know how I received the gift of eternal life?”. If they say yes, then you have an opportunity. If they say no, then move on.

Once you have this relationship, you are free to enter into more direct questions about where this person is in their understanding of God and Jesus.

Note: The disciple initiates this!!

X. Makes room for people (7-8)

Luke 10:7-8 - And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. 8 Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you.

All Jesus is saying here is that when doing evangelism, you have to make room in your life for people. It may be people that are different than you. There is some argument about this passage that Jesus may be telling these Jewish men to eat “Whatever” is put before you because evangelism and not offending your host is more important that dietary laws!

But whether that is Jesus’ intent or not, the issue is that evangelism will bring you into relationship with people, so make room for them and be polite! (like drinking milk at Muhhamad’s house!).

You are going to have to do things that you don’t normally and comfortably do. You are going to be with people that you are not normally with. The message is more important than your comfort!! Right?

XI. Has a specific message (9)

Luke 10:9 - Heal the sick in it and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'

What we are seeing here is that evangelism has a specific message. Here we see it summarized by Jesus. When you get there, he says, heal people and tell them that the kingdom of God has come.

Note: healing about what’s coming Acts of healing are signs of the kingdom. It is a tangible example of what is going to come for everyone. And upon that sign was to come a specific message of the kingdom of Jesus in which he will rule as a benevolent king over the lives of all who are his.

We have been saved by believing in a specific message about a real person who performed a historical event and exists today to really save us. Our message should be specifically about that!

There was a veteran medical missionary who had established a ministry in a region where progressive blindness was peculiar to that region – where thousands of people were born sighted but were doomed to blindness as they matured. In a marvelous ministry, this medical missionary – an ophthalmologist – developed a procedure to arrest the terrible disease that was ravaging the people of that region. The missionary later told of the response of the people.

As they would leave the clinic knowing that they would see, knowing that otherwise they would have become blind, they would not simply say “thank you” – these words were not in their dialect – Instead they would say, “I will tell of your name!”

Isn’t this a wonderful response to a gracious gift? Not merely thank you, but I will tell of your name! I will tell other exactly what you did for me! Not merely, “hey I really think this one guy is great”, not “I have my eye doctor and you have yours and we are both happy!”, no!! “I was blind and he helped me see!!”. – I will tell of His name!

…we find in non-Christian religions a restless sense of the hostility of the powers of the universe; an undefined feeling of guilt, and all sorts of merit- making techniques designed to get rid of it; a dread of death, and a consuming anxiety to feel that one has conquered it; forms of worship aimed at once to placate, bribe, and control the gods, and to make them keep their distance, except when wanted; an alarming readiness to call moral evil good, and good evil, in the name of religion; an ambivalent attitude of mind which seems both to seek God and to seek to evade him in the same act.

Therefore in our evangelistic dialogue with people of non-Christian religions, our task must be to present the biblical revelation of God in Christ -- not as supplementing them but as explaining their existence, exposing their errors, and judging their inadequacy.

James Packer, Your Father Loves You, Harold Shaw Publishers, 1986

XII. When rejected, warn (10-16) We come now to the final instruction Jesus gives. We see it in vv.10-16

Luke 10:10-16 - But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, 11 'Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.' 12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.

13 "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades.

16 "The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me."

Jesus pronounces judgment Now we talked about some of this before when Jesus gave instruction to his disciples. What is Jesus doing here?

Well, He is pronouncing judgment on the cities who have rejected the message. The most despicable city of the OT and symbol of unrighteousness will fare better than those who reject the kingdom message. That is to say that the city of Sodom suffered physical judgment, but rejecters suffer spiritual judgment

So we should warn Jesus is telling his disciples to warn those who reject the message. Look at v.16 again. 16 "The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me."

Those who reject you are rejecting Jesus and those who reject Jesus reject God. Now look at v.11 again. What are we do do about the people who reject our message, Jesus, God?

11 'Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.'

We are to warn them and try to make clear to them exactly what they are doing.

Ask – what kind of car are they driving Finding himself in an elevator with Lee Iacocca, an enthusiastic fan paid a compliment to the Chairman of Chrysler Corporation. See image. "Mr. Iacocca," the man said, "I want to tell you how much I enjoy your television commercials advertising Chrysler." Iacocca replied, "Sir, I could care less of what you think of my commercials. What I want to know is what kind of car do you drive?"

The bottom line to our ministry is not are people responding with positive regard to how we say things. It is are they turning to the Christ who summons them as we speak.

What kind of car are they driving? That should be your question of the people you are dealing with!

What awaits is clear and terrible 2 Thess 1:7-12 - and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10 when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. 11 To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Rev 20:12-15 - And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Conc: you have been given two challenges. Take them seriously.