Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20130313.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Matthew: Jesus As Israel's Messiah And His Kingdom
Part XIV: Christ As Israel's Messiah By His Authority, Matthew 8:1-11:1
L. Christ As Israel's Messiah By His Ministry Unto God's Afflicted Flock, Matthew 10:1-11:1
3. Christ As Israel's Messiah By His Instruction To His Laborers On A Rejecting World
(Matthew 10:16-23)
  1. Introduction
    1. Matthew's Gospel reveals Jesus is the true Messiah from God though He did not establish the Messianic Kingdom in His first coming due to Israel's rejection of Him. (Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978, p. 1337, "Introduction to the Gospel According to Matthew"; Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 16)
    2. We should thus expect that when Christ sent out His disciples to minister as His representatives unto Israel, they would face the rejection their Lord faced, which fact is indeed revealed in Matthew 10:16-23.
    3. By way of application, as we Christians disciple men today, we also face a significant amount of rejection, so Christ's instruction to the disciples on this subject is applicable in principle for us today (as follows):
  2. Christ As Israel's Messiah By His Instruction To His Laborers On A Rejecting World, Mtt. 10:16-23.
    1. Jesus told His disciples to realize that He was sending them out like innately spiritually vulnerable sheep among spiritually ravenous wolves, Matthew 10:16a. In view of this situation, Christ's disciples were to be as wise as serpents but as harmless as doves, wisely trying to avoid needless conflict with spiritually evil foes but harmlessly "not forcibly" opposing them in human might, Ibid., p. 42. The Apostle Paul's 2 Timothy 2:24-26 teaching for disciplers in the Church era sheds further light on this matter (as follows):
      1. God's servant must not argue, but be kind to all, able to teach, not resentful, 2 Timothy 2:24 NIV.
      2. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct in hope that God will grant them repentance leading to their coming to their senses and acknowledging of the truth, 2 Timothy 2:25.
      3. The reason for this measured response is that the angelic conflict is involved: those who strongly, oppose God's servants are taken captive and blinded by Satan to do his will (2 Tim. 2:26), so God's servant must not resort to human effort to respond to such foes, but carefully, totally rely on the Lord!
    2. Jesus wanted His disciples to be wary (prosecho, Arndt & Gingrich, A Grk.-Eng. Lex. of the N. T., 1967, p. 721) of foes who would deliver them up to the local courts, flog them in houses of worship and bring them before civil rulers, Matthew 10:17b-18a; Ibid., Ryrie, ftn. to Matthew 10:17.
    3. However, Jesus' disciples were to realize such unavoidable public conflicts would be allowed in God's plan for His disciples to uphold His testimony against God's foes in His behalf, Matthew 10:18b.
    4. Thus, in such crisis conflicts, Christ's servants were not to fret, but to rely on the Holy Spirit to give them the words to say, for the Spirit of God would be the One Who spoke through them, Matt hew 10:19-20.
    5. [Christ's Matthew 10:21-23 predictions of family betrayals to execution (Matthew 10:21), of being hated of all men (Matthew 10:22a), of being saved if they endure to the end (Matthew 10:22b), of fleeing from city to city due to persecution (Matthew 10:23a) until Christ came to set up His Kingdom (Matthew 10:23b) relate to "the days of the Tribulation when the gospel will be carried throughout the entire world before Jesus Christ returns in power and glory to establish His kingdom on earth" (Ibid., Bible Know. Com., N. T.). The Church age is not here presented as it was a "parenthesis not taken into consideration in this prophecy," John F. Walvoord, Matthew: Thy Kingdom Come , 1974, p. 76; Ephesians 3:3-6.]
    6. [Thus, the phrase, "He that endureth to the end shall be saved" (Matt. 10:22b KJV) refers to believers in the Great Tribulation Period who will endure its trials by a life of faith (cf. Luke 18:1-8), for which Christ will reward them by physically delivering them at His return, Ibid., p. 184. This phrase does not teach salvation of the soul based on a believer's "enduring" in righteous living in the Christian life (Ibid.), for the soul's salvation is unconditionally established by God Himself, John 5:24; 2 Tim. 2:13; 1 Cor. 3:15.]
Lesson: Jesus' messengers are to know that they will face the rejection He faced in the world, so they must try to avoid conflicts with spiritually evil foes while not forcibly opposing them in human might due to the angelic conflict involved. Yet, unavoidable conflicts must be seen as God-allowed callings to testify of the truth, so Jesus' servants must rely on the Holy Spirit for the words to say in such times.

Application: May we apply these directives in ministry for Christ in a spiritually hostile world.