COMPLETE SERMON NOTES
MATTHEW 10
16“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.17But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues.18You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.19But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak;20for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.21“Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a fatherhischild; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.22And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.
17Beware of men
Be on alert -be wise…use your words carefully, “A gentle word turns away wrath.”
“Be on alert” is not “be in fear-factor mode”
A Message of Love is Now a Message of Hate- darkness doesn’t like light. The gospel dethrones other gods and challenges destructive lifestyles.
“The Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you” (Jh. 16:13).
Sin wants to be validated and approved.
19But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak…20but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.21Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a fatherhischild; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death…
Very sad reality- devotion to a false god hurts the family; results in conflict.
Key: Spirit-filled life is how we get through adversity
Revisit 19…
Key: Spirit-filled life is how the Spirit speaks through us.
It was assumed that the disciples were filled with the Spirit
Allow the Holy Spirit to speak through you.But how?
what is planted in your heart will come out
what foundation has been built?
Water jugs- “out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth will speak”.
“Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.”ROMANS 8:4-6
“Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, befilledwith the Spirit.” EPHESIANS 5:18
pleroo (play-a-roll):To put into as much as can be held
“Most of God’s people are content to be saved from the hell that is without; they are not so anxious to be saved from the hell that is within.”Robert M. M’Cheyne
You either push the hell out by the filling of the Spirit, or the hell push the Spirit out by quenching and grieving Him.
To overcome darkness you simply turn on the light
REALITY CHECK:We have a form of microwave Christianity. Service times are cut to just over an hour, prayer is glanced over, and worship is designed to entertain the masses. “People are bored,” they say, “so our services need to be more appealing.”
Church is boring because the power of God has vanished from many congregations…there is a lack of desire to pursue Him in the pulpit as well as in the pew. LikeSamson, they “know not that the Spirit of the Lord has departed” (cf. Judge 16:20).
Discernment cannot come from apollutedmind.I Timothy 4:12 exhorts us to be examples of purity and decency.Philippians 4:8 says to fix our thoughts on what is true and honorable and right, and to think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable and worthy of praiseif they truly desire discernment.“As a man thinks, so is he.”
The unavoidable truth is that we are becoming desensitized. The Holy Spirit no longer fills our hearts with a passion for purity and holiness.
Carnality not only affects the pew, but the pulpit as well. A carnal pastor still offers motivating sermons, but he will lose unction, boldness, and spiritual insight. The world, and carnal Christians, will love him, but Spirit-filled believers will leave the service starving for more of God. Pastors, are we calling people out of the deceptive cultural mindset or are we encouraging it by our silence?
Eskimos in the barren North often kill wolves by taking a razor sharp knife and dipping it in blood.
The enemy desensitizes us until we are numb to the things of God…until conviction fades. For example, why do so many enjoy movies and programs that glorify illicit sex, witchcraft, the occult, extreme violence, vampires, and child sacrifice? Why do we continue to use and abuse? Why do we pursue wrong relationship? WHY…WHY…WHY?
KEY:”Do not be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap” (Galatians 6:7).
But there is hope. We can once again position ourselves to seek God – “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).
But be prepared . . .
22And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.
What foundation is your life built on?
Something genuine is often revealed in adversity.
Two options:the Spirit is quenched and not speaking through you, or, you have never built your life on the right foundation. The foundation is either cracked or has never been built.
“Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands”.Deuteronomy 8:2
