Sermon26-17 Mt10 Guide

Matthew ch. 10 theme verse Matthew 28:12

The praise and honor and glory be to our heavenly Father who seeks true worshipers who worship Him with the Spirit and truth.

In this twelfth Sunday of the year 2026, I pray that His grace of the application of all the benefits which Jesus earned for our salvation and the glorious ministry of the proclamation of His kingdom by the power of the Holy Spirit may be full in our life.  Last week, through Matthew 28, we meditated on the great commission to go and make disciples of all nations. Yet, this week, through Matthew 10, we would like to look at how our Lord trained His disciples in that mission and what He taught them together.

1)    Today’s text—Matthew Chapter 10—addresses the mission of the disciples and Jesus’s instructions to them for that mission, before His ordination of His disciples which is one of theme among two themes of Gospel of Matthew, I mean, the kingdom of God and His disciples in that kingdom. Especially in Chapters 8 and 9, between Jesus’ nine miracles, Matthew wrote how He called upon His disciples, saying, "Follow Me” and emphasized the urgency of the discipleship, and said the reality that while the harvest is plentiful, yet the laborers are few, so that He said we have to pray to God to send out the workers into His harvest.

Following these stories, in today’s text—Chapter 10—Matthew narrates the account of Jesus calling His twelve disciples and providing them the instruction for the mission which can be divided into three parts.

The first set of instructions is found in verses 1 through 15. As the Lord sent His twelve disciples to various regions of Israel, after empowering them with the authority to heal the sick, cleanse lepers, cast out demons, and even raise the dead, He then instructed them to go forth proclaiming that "the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand," while casting out demons, and curing every disease and infirmity. Furthermore, He directed that upon arriving at any specific village, they should seek out a worthy person there, stay at that home, and pronounce a blessing of peace upon that household.

The second teaching, found in verses 16 through 23, was a lesson directed not only to the twelve disciples commissioned by the Lord at that time but also to all disciples who would undertake the work of mission in the future. Jesus warned that those who carry out this mission would face persecution from religious authorities, governments, and even their own family members; yet, He urged them to endure to the very end. Furthermore, He assured them that when they are dragged before governors and kings, the Holy Spirit will provide the words they need to speak, and they should boldly proclaim the Gospel to those in high positions as well as to the Gentiles.

Finally, in verses 24 through 42, He instructed them not to fear such persecution. Because if we acknowledge the Lord before others, He will acknowledge us before our Father in heaven; those who take up their cross to follow the Lord—even to the point of losing their own lives—will, in fact, gain true life.

2)    Through today’s text, by reflecting few points, we would like to learn few lessons together.

First, I hope we can think about who the disciple is from today’s text. I mean, according to verses 40–42 of today’s text, a disciple seems to have a distinct identity, I mean, God’s righteous one and His messenger who was sent forth, with immense authority. Yet, in the eyes of the world, such a disciple appears as a "little one”, I mean, as the most insignificant and lowly groups within society. Indeed, the disciples whom Jesus sent out in the early first century lived lives of such poverty so that they were often in desperate need of even a single cup of cold water.

However paradoxically, these "little ones" served as the very conduits through which others come to experience God, I mean, the God of Immanuel as verse 40 says "Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the One who sent me [that is, God]” as well as the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats in Matthew 25:31–46 says.

In this sense, we come to understand that a disciple is not someone who must climb higher or accumulate greater wealth to demonstrate God’s living presence; rather, a disciple is one who reveals Jesus Christ through their humility, regardless of whether they possess much or little. This is precisely why the Lord declared in Matthew 11:29: "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart.”

Secondly, as it was said in verses 1 and 5 of today’s text,  a disciple is the one whom Jesus called, empowered, and sent forth. Thus, Jesus’s disciples are not those who sought Him out on their own; rather, they are those whom Jesus called, empowered with the "authority in heaven and on earth" that He had received from God and then sent back out into the world for God’s mission.

Thirdly, they are those who took up their cross, I mean, those who bear the specific mission of the Lord and live as witnesses, following in the footsteps of the Lord who walks ahead of them on that path.

Consequently, a disciple is, by essence and nature, a person of mission. This is because the work of salvation can be accomplished solely through Jesus Christ and the Lord indeed accomplished it single-handedly, yet God ordained the task of bearing witness to Jesus’s salvation throughout the world specailly to His people, I mean, those who have placed their faith in the Lord.

Therefore, as God said in Isaiah 6:8 "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" as He seek His ambassadors to convey His message, I believe we, as the Lord’s disciples, have to not only pray that God send His workers, but also offer ourselves up for His mission.

3)    However, the problem is that those who follow the Lord in this manner, living the life of His witnesses are destined to face persecution.

Specifically, as indicated in verses 17, 18, and 21 of today’s text, those who were called to serve as the Lord’s witnesses face persecution from religious authorities, government powers, and even from their own families.

Such persecution by religious forces is not a new phenomenon; it existed during the time of Jesus and, just as He foretold in this passage, has consistently targeted true believers throughout history—a reality amply attested to by the past two thousand years of church history.

Furthermore, verse 18 says that government authorities will also participate in this persecution. Particularly Revelation chapter 13 describes how, during a time of tribulation, the Antichrist will emerge to compel the people of the world to worship him and his image. And it is said that he will seize control of the world’s religions, economics, and governments to persecute those who remain faithful to the Lord.

Moreover, as love and familial bonds deteriorate in the end era, even the family—one of the three institutions established by God—will turn to persecuting Christians. As such all three divine institutions, who have to uphold the truth, will instead rise in opposition to it.

Nevertheless, this period of tribulation is a time of opportunity for His disciples. I mean, first, it serves as an opportunity to bear witness to the Gospel before the world’s rulers and all nations so that God will use their testimonies as means to bring salvation to others.

Second, this period of tribulation is also a time of responsibility; as those called to serve as ambassadors for the King, we have to "endure to the end" and faithfully carry out the Lord’s ministry, thereby embracing the privilege of sharing in His sufferings. Therefore, Revelation 7:1–8 said that 144,000 witnesses—the true Israel—will proclaim God's Word throughout the world during this tribulation, and as a result, a great multitude will come to Christ.

4)    However, today’s text says that Christians need not fear such suffering.

Because firstly Christian’s suffering was already expected as our Lord suffered and endured it(vv. 24–25); just as the Lord persevered and endured to the very end, ultimately took His seat at the right hand of God (Heb. 11:2), He enables us to endure it also and makes it as our privilege to suffer for Him and with Him, by granting us the strength to endure until the end.

Secondly, although Christ’s enemies may employ covert and deceptive means to oppose the Gospel, yet because God will inevitably bring all things to light and execute judgment upon them (vv. 26–27), while thirdly, Christ’s enemies possess the power only to kill the body, yet because God alone has the power to destroy both body and soul in hell; furthermore, should a believer face persecution and suffer martyrdom, God leads our souls into the presence of the Lord. Therefore, we who fear God alone need not fear any person or things (v. 28); indeed, we can hold fast since the fear of God is true fear which dispels all other fears.

Fourth, because God cares for His people (verses 29–31); as today’s text says, God who has counted every single hair on our heads which does not merely imply a literal tally of the total number of hairs, but rather signifies that He has individually numbered each and every strand and observes even when a single hair falls, thereby protects His people, while fifth, the Lord honors those who confess Him as their Savior (verses 32–33), I mean, those who not only confess faith in public and live out that confession, our Lord protects them from sinning; and even should they fall into sin, He forgives and restores them.

And finally, because we who are His true disciples, cannot, in reality, avoid this spiritual warfare; since in us, the elect, the truth was planted and is actively at work deep within our beings.

5)    In this sense, the Lord said that “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.”

This signifies, firstly, that while the Lord is indeed the Prince of Peace who came to bring peace to the world, being led into that life requires undergoing a process in which one’s “old self” dies and the one is born again as a “new self”, involving an internal struggle to even hate one’s own life, and to sever the desires of our flesh, using the “sword of the Word”.

Secondly, it signifies that the Kingdom of God, inaugurated by Christ, demands absolute commitment to God alone; thus, it compels us to make a clear choice between the world and the Kingdom of God.

Thirdly, it signifies that in order to follow the Lord faithfully in this manner, one has to prioritize loyalty to God even above the family.

Consequently, in verses 37 through 39, the Lord says that “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. And he who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”

6)    However, at this point, I think we need to consider how the Lord’s teachings should be connectorized for us who live in the modern world.

Specifically, for us who are living here in the United States—a nation that, despite its spiritual decline amidst the influx of diverse peoples and its transformation into a multi-ethnic, multi-religious society, still retains the Christian spirit deeply in various corners, I think we need to find a way to contextualize His commandment for the global mandate for missions and for the endurance of its suffering.

As we reflect deeply on the current status of European churches who in the past took His mission to send missionaries to whole world, yet now its ”wildfire” for the mission died out, so that other religions have encroached like weeds, swallowing up Christianity, now we Americans also witness that same divine wildfire, which once consumed us, now moving past us and spreading out toward the distant corners of the globe so that here in the States, we observe the weeds beginning to overrun the very places where that wildfire has passed, I ask and try to answer to the question “Now where have we been sent?” I mean, “Where is our war field?”

And our Lord gave me the mind that still our Lord not only send His missionaries to the designated mission field for the proclamation of His kingdom to the unreached people for which we have to support, but also equally the Lord send us here to the mission field in the States, to proclaim His kingdom to our new-rising generation who does not know His kingdom by exemplifying the very life of Gospel for God’s kingdom of peace. Furthermore, just as the Lord commanded us to love one another, by living out the Gospel of His kingdom of love, through our daily lives, particularly in this end era when love has grown cold. In this mission, even if we do not all possess great faith like great missionary Jim Elliot, yet by acting as much as we received His grace and power, we can participate in the suffering of those around us, I mean, little and insignificant people who endure the pain inflicted by worldly powers and evil and embrace and love them.

7)    In this perspective, I hope today we may take time to reflect deeply on where we have been sent, where our mission field truly is, and what specific grace we have received to fulfill His mission. Therefore, I pray that this year after recognizing God’s abundant grace, we may proclaim His kingdom of love and peace with the power and grace of God here where we have been sent.

Key Questions as Small Group Activity

Q1 Through today’s text, we became to know that His disciples are also those who have received great commission to go and make disciples of all nations. So after reflecting our life and checking where our mission field is, I hope we could share our thought and experience with our team members together to learn from each other.

Q2 And also, it is said that to those who are in charge of Great commission, His power to fulfill His mission and also strength to endure its suffering. So after reflecting our life and checking what kind of gifts and power and grace we received I hope we could share our thought and experience with our team members together to learn from each other.

Love you. Thank you. God bless you.

Prayer Note

Dear ( God’s attribute which you found Today ) God!

Thanks for ( something you received through the sermon or  even during the week )

Praise, gratitude and glory be to You, Lord!

Today, I realized my sin (pains) that ( the sin God reminded through the sermon ),

please forgive (or heal) me and help me not to repeat ( the sins you recognized   ).

I learned that ( something you learned through the sermon                                    )

Please help me to live in that (  learned way of life                                                )

I pray in ( Jesus’ attribute you find ) Jesus’ name. Amen.