Today’s passage answers the source of true life and how we are able to find it. Christians are given new life through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This newness of life produces a transformation in the heart to love the Lord and others. In other words, having met life in Christ Jesus creates a new life in the power of Jesus’ resurrection.

Who is the real Jesus in whom there is life?

Jesus is the Son of Man. He suffered in many ways leading up to his death on the cross. This Son of Man is holy and without sin. And it is the Son of Man that demonstrates his selfless love. Therefore, those whom he saves and gives new life shall also suffer for his sake and be called to love in the same manner he did.

Jesus is humble. He voluntarily became man and laid aside his glory. As Jesus demonstrated his humility by becoming man and obedient to the point of death on the cross, Christians are to also show humility as they have been made new in the likeness of Christ. Moreover, as Christ suffered in his humility, Christians must embrace the suffering of Jesus by taking his steps. 

Jesus’ humility culminated in his death and resurrection as it was God’s master plan before the foundation of the world. This was the only way to conquer sin, death, and Satan. The Son of Man bore our sins on his body and the curse of death was placed on Jesus so that those who believe in him might have eternal life. And it is only through Jesus Christ we meet life and are given life. Upon finding this life, embracing it requires repentance and faith in Christ.

Do you have the life of Christ in your heart? Do you enjoy the Christian life?

Jesus rules as the risen Lord for those who treasure Christ in their hearts as Lord in order to enjoy him forever. Jesus was raised from death to life to demonstrate God’s power. Christians are to respond with faith in obedience. Therefore, let us have a faithful and loving relationship with him and live the life of Christ.

It’s been two and half years in Jesus’ earthly ministry. Soon His earthly work will come to a close as He fulfills the work of salvation as He dies on the cross and rises from the dead. So this portion of Scripture is very significant. It starts with Herod asking who Jesus is? Then Jesus feeds five thousand from nothing but a few fish and loaves showing everyone He is God the Creator and Provider. Then Jesus asks His disciples who others think He is and who they think He is. Through these questions, Jesus wants to reveal who He is so that they can fully trust in Him.

In Caesarea Philippi, there were some Greeks that had immigrated and settled there after Alexander the Great. It was a diverse city with many cultures and many gods. Was Jesus just one of those gods or was He a good teacher, was He a prophet or was He the true and only God? Answering this question genuinely is not just a verbal or mental acknowledgment but a trust in Jesus. Many cultural Christians claim Jesus is the Christ, but they do not obey. The true Christian constantly surrenders to Jesus in obedience because they truly know He is the Christ.

Through the posing of the two questions, Jesus is distinguishing between the crowd and the disciples. In a poll taken, 85% of people consider Jesus the most influential person in history. But the real question is, does He have power and influence over you? Do you trust Him? 

Jesus’ personal devotion

Jesus is the praying Messiah. One of the most dominating aspects of Jesus’ life is prayer. He is the God-man who prayed in all situations (Hebrews 5:7). We might think Jesus might not need to pray. In this passage, we find Jesus is praying alone. It is after praying, that He asks the disciples the question. Jesus didn’t ask because He was concerned with His public image. The question was not impromptu but born out of prayer like everything Jesus did (Luke 6:12). Jesus didn’t pray to get what He wanted but it was to gain the revelation and will of God. When Jesus prayed, God’s decree would follow (Luke 3:21-22).

Jesus’ prayers are 100% perfect obedience. Even Elijah, one of the greatest prophets, who called down fire from heaven and prayed for the dead to life, was not perfectly obedient. But Jesus is perfectly obedient and is now glorified above all names (Phi 2:9-11). He is glorified because He was obedient, He was obedient because He prayed. As confirmation that Jesus prayed obediently, God the Father anoints the Son (Mt 17:5). Therefore we can trust Him. 

Jesus is different from others

He is the unique Jesus. He is not a superhero. He is not just a great man. John the Baptist was the last and greatest prophet. As mentioned earlier, Elijah too was a supernatural prophet. Elijah also stood alone against the multitude and performed undeniable miracles. But he also feared for his life, ran away, and complained. Elijah cannot be the Christ. All the prophets, all the famous pastors and preachers, they are men like us, imperfect, born as sinners. Jesus is unique. He is the only begotten Son of God, the Word made flesh, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14). He is eternal (Col 1:17). He is sinless. He never changes. He alone has power over death and life. He alone fulfills the hundreds of prophecies of the Messiah. You can trust Him! Until we trust Him, our hearts will not be at rest (Augustin). Actually, there is no one else that we can trust because there is no one else like Jesus.

Jesus deals with people differently

In verse 20, Jesus narrows his scope and asks the disciples directly “Who do you say that I am?”. They respond with “The Christ of God”. Jesus is the one God sent to rescue us (John 3:69). Is Jesus really the Son of God? The angels and demons confirm He is (Luke 1:32,8:28). He is truly the Son of God, the Messiah and we can trust in Him. What happens if we do not trust in Jesus? Then you will be accursed and receive punishment (1 Corinthians 16:22; Hebrews 10:29). A half trust is still trusting in yourself. It will not pass judgment.

Jesus loves His disciples, so He asked them privately. The setting is intimate. It’s not a teaching for the crowd because they were beloved and chosen. Because they were chosen, their confession did not come from their own knowledge but by the grace of God (Matthew 16:17; John 6:44). Jesus reveals the truth to the elect so that they trust in Him. 

Conclusion

He will build His church upon those He chooses and loves. In other words, Jesus trusts in us to build His church, so we trust in Him to build the church upon us (Matthew 16:18). He even shares His authority with us (Matthew 16:19). Since we have been entrusted to continue His work on earth, we must trust and obey. Our obedience and faithfulness are not something we generate by ourselves, but by the grace of God which is received by trusting in Him.

Jesus spoke in parables often in order to expose our spiritual condition. When divine truth is revealed by Jesus, the hopeful response from the hearer was repentance and faith. It is no different today as the truth of the gospel is revealed through God’s word. Today’s text is in the thirteenth chapter of Matthew in which Jesus reveals what the kingdom of God is like through many parables. What is the kingdom of God in general? The kingdom of God is wherever God reigns, and since He reigns everywhere, the kingdom of God is everywhere. Although everyone on earth is under God’s rule, that does not mean that everyone is part of God’s kingdom. Those two are separate. The only way to enter God’s kingdom is to believe in Jesus Christ.

Kingdom is priceless. Jesus is conveying the kingdom of God and its worth in the parable of the hidden treasure (v 44). Jesus is stating that the kingdom is incomparable. The hidden treasure and pearl are salvation and the preciousness of being with God in His kingdom as heavenly citizens. The value of the kingdom is objectively precious. Those that value salvation the Lord provides truly understand the objective value of it. Moreover, does this value remain for the Christian post-conversion? What the Christian values in their hearts reveal whether or not God’s kingdom continues to be the most precious or if something in the world begins to compete.

Kingdom is not evident to everyone. The treasure and value of the kingdom and salvation are not obvious to most. The light of the gospel and the glory of Christ can only be revealed by the Spirit and the grace of God. God is the One that makes it evident to the sinner. In the same manner, the world cannot understand why Christians give their lives to the Lord Jesus and continue to live that way until death.

Kingdom is pure joy. The man that sells everything in order to buy the hidden treasure in the field implies that the discovery of the kingdom is a great joy. Jesus knows the need for man’s desire for happiness. Unfortunately, most men look everywhere other than the kingdom for their joy. It is Christ’s joy in our lives that makes our lives full of joy. Knowing Christ and being in His kingdom produces an everlasting joy that can withstand anything. Jesus provides the best joy that brings true satisfaction.

Kingdom is personal. The two parables show two distinct men that find the kingdom of God. It is not enough to just be under the influence of Christianity and the church. The kingdom must be personally appropriated. 

Kingdom is discovered through many circumstances. Scripture shows how sinners find the kingdom in various ways. This is a testament to God’s abundant grace that is available to many in whatever circumstance. 

Kingdom is costly. Both men sold and bought according to the parables. There is some sort of exchange. However, the text is not implying that the kingdom can be bought. The point of the matter is that there is a cost to obtaining the kingdom. The sinner must give up all of themselves in order to gain all of Christ. There are numerous examples in Scripture where so many people that heard Christ preach could not give up everything and follow Christ. There is always a cost in order to follow Christ as Lord and Savior. 

If you’re willing to give up what is near and dear to your heart because Christ and His kingdom are far more valuable than anything, that person will enter the kingdom. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it (Matt. 16:25). All that the Lord asks is to exchange our filthy rags for His robe of righteousness. Give up your life for Christ’s sake and you shall find eternal life.

In order to obtain Christ, you must forsake all. It is foolishness to hold onto sin and judgment that ultimately leads to hell. Self must not be a lord but Christ himself must become Lord. When Christ becomes Lord, His kingdom becomes ours forever. Is the Lord’s salvation and kingdom as valuable as the hidden treasure in the field or that one pearl of great value?

Every one of the four gospels recounts the feeding of the five thousand. Each of the four gospels has its own context and purpose for including the miracle. Luke wrote to Theophilus and is using Herod’s question of ‘Who is He?’ to explain who Jesus is through the feeding of five thousand. Who is He? He is the Providing Messiah. From this miracle, we see that Jesus is both the physical and spiritual Provider. We hear many stories of men and families in the past being provided exactly what they needed to live or serve. Jesus is the Messiah and always provides what we need. As we study God’s word, we learn more deeply about our needs, especially our spiritual needs, and how Jesus has provided.

Why can we trust in Jesus to provide for us? Because of His ability, His identity, and His abundance (Mark 9:23). Jesus claims He is able to do anything.

His ability. The background of this miracle is Jesus wanting to spend time alone with His disciples, but the crowd followed them. Instead of sending them away, Jesus welcomed them. So in verse 12, after a long day of unplanned ministry, there is a messy situation caused by Jesus welcoming the crowd. The disciples complained to Jesus and they demanded Jesus send them away because they were not able to feed them or lodge them. ‘They were in a desolate place’. The circumstances were very dire and instead of trusting in Jesus, they had forgotten what Jesus had done (Luke 22:35).

Jesus challenges them. ‘You give them something to eat’. This was financially impossible (John 6:5-7). They didn’t have the money and they relied on others for their support (Luke 8:3). Even if they did have 200 denarii they wouldn’t be able to feed them all. There was no way the disciples could feed them through human ability. But when the situation is dire and dark, when all seems impossible, this is when Jesus shines brighter. This situation reminds us of God providing endless flour for Elijah and the widow’s family during the time of famine. God supplies what we need. Spiritually speaking, in the darkness of our sin, Jesus, the author of our faith, has provided salvation. He is supernatural and has done supernatural work in you. He will continue to provide for you.

His identity. Jesus is God. He is the God-man. We know God will never leave us alone without provision. He has both the desire and ability to provide. So Jesus takes the five loaves and two fish and feeds all of them. As Creator, Jesus made more than enough food from what was lacking.

‘Looked up to heaven’: Jesus looked towards His Father in heaven. This shows He is truly the Son of God (Luke 10:22; John 8:36,59). As the Son of God, He knows what we need, He knows how to provide, and He is able to provide. This demonstrates His perfect wisdom (Colossians 2:3). Wisdom is found in Jesus and you must abide in Him and in His word if you desire His provision (John 15:5-7).

Sometimes we might be in danger of Gnosticism. The modern Christian assumes Jesus provides only spiritually. We think that God’s word only applies to matters of faith but not to everyday practical matters. God feeds every bird, so how much more will God feed you (Luke 12:24; Matthew 6:32; Psalms 37:25)? To paraphrase John Macarthur – true spiritual concern for a person will be concerned with their physical well-being first. God not only provides physically but spiritually as well. Jesus’ life is seen in the feeding of the crowd where He took the loaves and fish, looked to Heaven, blessed them, and broke them. This act was like how Jesus was sent from Heaven and took on flesh which was broken on the cross so that we might eat of Him. Jesus gave food to the disciples who distributed the food. In the same way, people are saved by believing in the teaching of the apostles given by Jesus. Jesus, who is the Bread of Life, saves us from death to life. So eat from Jesus every day, because He will never run out. You will not go hungry (Deuteronomy 8:3).

If you are fed, then the Lord desires to use you to feed others. Jesus gave the food to the disciples to give to the crowd. Jesus is the source, but the disciples are the distributors. Jesus provides, but we are the ones to reach out to the community. There are so many around us who need the food that we have.

His abundance. Jesus never gives miserly or meagerly. Jesus provides abundantly. They had 12 full baskets left over. They started with nothing and ended up with an abundance. Before, they couldn’t afford to feed them even a small meal, but by the end, they couldn’t eat anymore. Jesus came that we may have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10). His grace is lavished upon us (Ephesians 1:7-8). He did not spare His own Son and freely gives us all things (Romans 8:32). In Jesus we can be fully content (Philippians 4:12).

Application. During this whole meal, after they had complained, witnessing the power of Jesus, the disciples obeyed Jesus’ instructions. We too are called to willful submission to our good and providing Lord. We submit to Jesus because He loves us. We obey by loving God first and then loving others. When it comes to obedience, Jesus is our example to follow. He humbled himself and was obedient to the point of death on the cross (Philippians 2:8). For this obedience, God highly exalted Him. That Jesus is your Shepherd. He provides what we need and more. We obey Him.

Questions are very important? By asking good questions, men have pursued answers which have advanced humanity. Questions in science, questions in society, and questions about life have led to key discoveries. There is one question that is most significant to every man that determines whether they result in heaven or hell. In this passage, Herod asks that very question, “Who is Jesus?”

The Gospel of Luke was written to answer this very question. Luke desired Theophilus to know exactly who Jesus is (Luke 1:34). This question is asked not just once, but a few times (Luke 5:21, Luke 23:3). In today’s passage, based on what Herod had heard from others, he could have known who Jesus really is.

Jesus is the mighty God

God as in Yawheh and Elohim. We see that Herod was greatly perplexed by what he heard about Jesus (Luke 9:7). He heard that His disciples were preaching the gospel and healing everyone everywhere. Perplexed shows that Herod was confused, amazed, and worried. Jesus was demonstrating His divine power through miracles. The miracles were not hidden, but were in public, in front of crowds, with many diverse witnesses. There is no doubt that He is the mighty God.

Mighty God:

• Jesus is God because He is one with the Father. He has been God from the beginning and is eternally part of the Trinity. He is God Incarnate (John 1:3,10:30,12:44-45; Col 2:9).
• Jesus demonstrates His might in saving the sinner. The sinner hates God and wants nothing to do with Holy God and is completely dead (Col 1:21,2:13). We, the sinner, are hopeless. By God’s grace, in Jesus, through His mighty power, we are restored. Restoring the sinner is harder than restoring creation. But God does it in Jesus. It is through faith, the might of Jesus is available to us (Hebrews 4:2).

Jesus is the promised Messiah

The nation of Israel at that time was looking for a political and militant Messiah. Examples are found in Acts 5:36-37 of some men who tried to free Israel through force. In contrast to their assumptions, Jesus is the Messiah who came to save sinners from sin by dying on the cross (John 3:16-17,19:30). This is proven by the coming of John the Baptist who prepared the way for Jesus (Luke 1:76,3:3-4,15). Some proposed that Jesus was John the Baptist who came back. Herod confirms John died, but didn’t realize Jesus is the Messiah that John pointed to.

They also thought Jesus might be Elijah who was prophesied to return (Malachi 3:1,4:5). But Jesus was not Elijah. That was actually John the Baptist. John the Baptist carried the spirit of Elijah, with the message of repentance delivered with great passion (Luke 3:16). Elijah was a preview of John the Baptist, and John the Baptist paved the way for the true Messiah, Jesus.

The Messiah would be the prophet defined in Deuteronomy 18:15-19; a Jew, given the authority of God to speak and performs miracles like Moses. That prophet is Jesus, born of the virgin Mary, who always spoke God’s word, who is God’s truth, and demonstrated the power of God in miracles and His resurrection. He is the prophet Messiah.

Jesus is the Risen Lord

The people kept guessing that Jesus is either John the Baptist, Elijah, or some other prophet of old. One thing common about their guesses is that they thought someone had come back to life. Herod affirms that he murdered John the Baptist. While Jesus is not a prophet who resurrected, it does remind us that Jesus is risen now (Acts 2:29). Those other prophets are still dead, but death could not hold Jesus down (Acts 2:24). He is the living, risen Lord.

Because of Jesus’ resurrection, we are truly free from death. In fact, death is our gain (Philippians 1:21)! If you confess and believe God raised Jesus from the dead, then you will be saved (Romans 10:9). This is the power of our risen Lord.

Conclusion

Herod didn’t realize who Jesus is. He didn’t realize Jesus is the mighty God, the prophesied Messiah, and the risen Lord. Herod wanted to see Jesus, but he did not believe. We believe, but are we also excited and passionate to know Him? Do we want to share Jesus with everyone else? Do you love Him?

If you have never loved Jesus or your love has dwindled, there is still hope for you. God is full of compassion and mercy (Hosea 11:8). His desire and command is for you to return to Him.

There are many who profess to be evangelicals, but do they know Jesus Christ personally, intimately, and devotionally? According to Scripture, there are sure ways to fail to know Jesus intimately. One of many examples seen in the Bible, Herod the tetrarch from today’s text exemplifies those who had ample opportunity to know Jesus personally. But what caused Herod to only know Jesus Christ superficially? Pastor Paul will show that Herod had a different motive in knowing Christ, knowing Christ via secondhand knowledge, and possessed morbid curiosity about self-love more than anything.

After hearing about all that was happening, Herod, the tetrarch was greatly perplexed and kept trying to see him (v 7-9). Even though he was curious about this Jesus regarding what he was doing, he failed to focus on Jesus’ words and message. Herod’s mistake was to seek Jesus in a shallow manner. In order to know Jesus intimately and come to salvation, Herod needed to shift his attention to Jesus’ words rather than his signs and wonders.

Why wasn’t Herod interested in the words of Christ? The Word of God always demands some sort of response and obedience. Jesus had the same message that John the Baptist preached prior to his ministry; that is, “preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin” (Lk. 3:3). Herod had also heard the message of John the Baptist, but he did not respond to it in repentance and eventually took his life (v 9). Herod was not the only one that did not repent and walked away when obedience was required. There was a myriad of people that followed Jesus when he was performing signs and wonders, but the result was that “many of his disciples withdrew and were not walking with him anymore (Jn. 6:60, 66). Jesus’ miracles in and of themselves were not a bad thing. Rather, they were means to bring sinners to understand the gospel message. In other words, witnessing Jesus’ ability to perform miracles demonstrated his ability to save sinners, which is a greater miracle.

Only through the word of God can a sinner come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Therefore, those that are saved by the word are true Christians who have a personal and intimate relationship with Christ. “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh provides no benefit; the words that [Jesus] has spoken to you are spirit, and are life (Jn. 6:63). In the same manner, Christians can measure how near Christ is to them from their relation to the word of God.

Herod’s information on what was happening about Jesus was heard from secondhand witnesses, which caused him to be greatly perplexed.  The text describes his sources as all coming from others: “because it was said by some that John was risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen (7b-8). Firsthand knowledge of any person cannot be downplayed, especially when it comes to the Lord Jesus Christ. Even today, there are so many means to know who Jesus Christ is, but they are all secondhand knowledge. This sort of knowledge creates only a shallow understanding and relationship with Christ. Secondhand knowledge in and of itself is not a bad thing, but they must build on a firsthand saving knowledge of Christ through the word of God. Herod failed to do just that although he had an abundant opportunity.

Herod’s interest and passion were based on wrong motives and driven by self-interest to see whether Jesus was able to perform the miracles he had heard about (v. 9). Even following his meeting with Jesus, “Herod with his soldiers, after treating [Jesus] with contempt and mocking him, dressed him in a gorgeous robe and sent him back to Pilate (Lk. 23:8-9, 11). Ultimately, Herod loved only himself and thereby failed to know and love Jesus personally.

“Do we love Christ? That is the great question! Without this there is no vitality about our Christianity. We are no better than… painted wax figures, lifeless stuffed beasts in the museum, sounding brass and tinkling cymbals. There is no life where there is no love to Jesus. Knowledge, orthodoxy, correct views, regular use of forms, a respectable moral life; all these do not make up a true Christian” (J.C. Ryle).

May Herod’s example be a warning to all as he was hellbound and ended there by loving himself rather than loving Christ. Only through the word of God and the gospel sinners are able to know Jesus personally, intimately, and devotionally.

We are all called to proclaim the gospel in the world. Matthew 28 calls all of us to make disciples, not just the seventy who were there, not just the apostles, but all Christians everywhere. Just 25 years ago, the majority of Christians understood this. Now the majority think it’s not necessary to share the Gospel through God’s word and that we instead share the gospel through good works and exemplary lives instead. But the Holy Spirit and the Bible never change. We must proclaim the gospel message in order to lead the lost to salvation in Jesus Christ (Romans 10:14-15,17). Without the Holy Spirit working through the gospel message, no one will be saved.

With that being said, the great commission is not our business but God’s business. Jesus is the initiator and the one orchestrating everything in these verses. He calls them, He instructs them, He designs the strategy, and He sends them. Jesus does all this for His disciples because He wants them to succeed. He knows that the world is a tough place and the task He’s given is also difficult. So He provides what we need in order for us to fulfill His will.

So Jesus emphasizes two things in His instructions. The first is trust. Jesus said, “Take nothing”. This shows that this is not man’s work, but God’s work. What men need most when obeying the Great Commission is a heart that trusts in God completely. Trust is better than knowledge or talent. Jesus said “take nothing”, not even the essentials. The disciples were not allowed a staff, bag, food, money, or tunic. They were without help, protection, sustenance, or comfort. However, while they were without their things, they would not be alone. Jesus will be with them and He will provide for them. Nehemiah 9:21 and Luke 22:35 show that Jesus provides what we need. We can trust in Him.

We need trust and we also need the Holy Spirit to be successful in our evangelism. Without the Holy Spirit, we cannot change people’s hearts. Sometimes it takes just a short conversation, other times it takes years of teaching over and over again. Conversion depends on the Holy Spirit instead of our circumstances (John 16:8). Billy Graham’s crusades were famous for thousands of coming to Christ each night. Sadly time showed that only a few were truly saved. Those were the ones that truly received the Holy Spirit. So the hearer’s salvation does not depend on our talent but on the power of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 10:19-20, Acts 10:38). Therefore be filled with the Holy Spirit and trust in the Lord in order to fulfill the Great Commission.

To what extent should we trust in the Lord? We must trust in Jesus absolutely. The disciples were not allowed to take anything, not even a piece of bread. Jesus proved that life does not require bread but God’s word (Matthew 4:4). Jesus proved that He is trustworthy, and that He can even raise the dead (Luke 8:50). He directs us not to be afraid but to believe in Him. George Muller once said, “Faith rests on the naked word of God”. Simply trust in God and His word completely.

If we look at our own church, we are also called by God. We believe it is the will of God to be in Los Angeles and witness to the millions who are lost. This is our mission given to us by God. To pursue, it requires discipline and consistency. It requires working and giving blessings in the place where you are (Luke 9:4). Not everyone will listen to you but your labor is not in vain. As you give the blessings of Christ’s love and the gospel, you will receive the blessing back and your reward is in heaven (Matthew 5:10, Romans 14:17)

In Luke 8:5 Jesus gives instructions on how to respond to those who reject the gospel. He is showing them that it is not their responsibility to save them, but only to trust in Him and preach. Salvation is ultimately up to God. Our responsibility is to obey and tell them (Ezekiel 3:17-21 ). The disciples obeyed and went (Luke 9:6). We too must go.  If you look at yourself and your own ability, then you won’t be able to save anyone. Don’t look at your books or others for knowledge or strength. Look at Jesus. He is the one who sends you. Trust in Him and He will provide. For our church to grow, we must look to Jesus and obey Him. 

The faithful Lord calls those who will demonstrate their faithfulness to Him (1 Thess. 5:24). The called is commissioned by the Lord to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and live in obedience to His will. We are all spiritually dead, but God initiates by calling certain individuals to be made alive to Him and surrender to His will. During Jesus’ ministry, power and authority to heal diseases and cast out demons were only given to the twelve disciples exclusively. But the Lord equips today’s disciples with spiritual gifts to carry out His will and purpose. In addition, there is no apostolic authority or apostolic-quality gifts and miracle-working abilities (1 Cor. 13:8; 2 Cor. 12:12), but rather God works miracles through the power of prayer.

Jesus, in His earthly ministry, revealed the Father’s will in everything He did with the disciples. The end game and purpose of His ministry was leading up to the cross and His resurrection. Today, God works miracles in bringing salvation to souls by proclaiming the cross and the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel is the ultimate healing power. The disciples during Jesus’ ministry were limited to physical healing; however, the gospel has the power to heal both soul and body. It is no wonder C.H. Spurgeon stated that “the greatest of all miracles is the salvation of a soul”.

The Spirit inside you is better than Jesus beside you. Every believer possesses the Holy Spirit. This is the amazing reality of a Christian’s position in comparison to the twelve disciples. As the Holy Spirit dwells within the believer after their conversion, they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The gift of the Spirit is “continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer… praising God and having favor with all the people” (Acts 2:42).

Do you believe that Jesus calls and sends you to obey His Great Commission? Christians are to have confidence in who the sender is; that is, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

• The Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God who clearly and loudly claimed His deity.
• The Lord Jesus Christ has been given all authority in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18).
• The Lord Jesus Christ preached about the kingdom of God.

Given the truths of who Jesus Christ is and His submission to the Father’s will, Christians can confidently likewise obey God’s will as a way of imitating Christ. And knowing believers are kingdom people who are in submission to the King Jesus, they are to live and preach the things concerning the kingdom of God. Jesus sent the twelve disciples to essentially preach the kingdom of God (i.e., the gospel). It is no different today. The Lord Jesus sends His kingdom people today to preach the gospel (Rom. 5:8).

Another transforming reality for believers is possessing the power of the Spirit to resist going against God’s ways. Everyone is born a sinner and thereby rebellious in nature. That is why the gospel message calls all sinners to repentance. As believers personally experience the power of repentance and circumcision of their hearts, they have great confidence in the Sender and the gospel’s impact, and passionately share with others.

The essence of the gospel is Jesus’ death and resurrection. The gospel always brings God’s compassion. And the believer’s deeper understanding of the gospel allows them to be more aware of God’s compassion. Therefore, it all begins with His calling, as He equips, and sends those whom He calls that will be able to fulfill the Great Commission and works of God.

Every current believer has benefitted from another believer being obedient to the Great Commission. Because someone shared the gospel with you, you believed and are saved. The Great Commission charges all of us to share the gospel and to make disciples. Sadly, in America, this primary command has been forgotten. Less than 10% of people in the American church know what the Great Commission is. The church has lost its priority.

James 2:26 warns that those who fail to obey Jesus’ commission (Matthew 28:19-20) do not have true faith. Our Lord commands us to be fishers of men by going out into the world to make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Triune God, and teaching them His word.

In Luke 9:1-2 Jesus gives a similar commission directly to the twelve disciples. Their situation is both different and similar to ours. We must not take too much from these verses and understand the difference while also applying properly certain principles which are relevant to us.

Differences:

• We are not the twelve. Jesus specifically called these twelve for a specific purpose.
• Their purpose was specifically to deal with the apostasy that was happening in the nearby cities due to the false teaching of the Jewish religion.
• These apostles are the foundation of the New Testament church and this part of their training.
• Their signs and wonders were just like Jesus. Some so-called “miracle workers” try to replicate what the apostles did but they are nothing like what Jesus did. The miracles of the Bible were instant and completely effective. Also, as God’s word was continually being revealed in the New Testament age, the miracles were performed less and less.
• The disciples were the authors of the New Testament. So it was a special era of the church, where certain signs were given to prove that what the Apostles said and wrote was the truth of God

So in these ways, we cannot replicate what happened in Luke 9:1-6. But Luke does write about this so that we might know the truth and apply it to our lives. (Luke 1:3-4) So we look at the similarities and draw our application.

Similarities:

• The disciples were saved by faith through grace. They have the same salvation as we do (John 1:11-13)
• Their call to discipleship is the same (Matthew 16:24). We are called to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus
• We are messengers just like the Apostles. They were called to be fishers of men (Mark 1:17) We are called to preach the gospel (Romans 10:14). Everyone is called to be a messenger of God’s good news. Paul Snider labored tirelessly for 10 years in Korowai through countless hardships to preach the gospel and plant churches. May we all realize our calling as he did.

Obeying the Great Commission is not easy. When Jesus sent the disciples, it was a dangerous and unfavorable proposition. The people did not like Jesus or his message (Luke 4:29). It was a difficult time to send the disciples. Jesus was about to turn his attention from Galilee to Judea. He wanted the disciples to practice what He had been showing them for the past 18 months. Some of the disciples were married and had families and homes. Yet this was now the time for disciples to step out and experience ministry on their own.

The first thing we must note is that Jesus called them. Nothing will happen unless God first calls you. God does not call everyone. The unbeliever is never called. Also, God doesn’t call you based on your skills or powers (Deut 7:7-8). God calls according to His will. Without God’s call, no matter what you do, no one can be saved.

Another important point about being called is who does the calling. There are many who call us to obedience but none are Jesus. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God (Mt 16:15-16). He is God incarnate (Col 2:9). Jesus is perfect divinity in bodily form. He must be obeyed. Remember what happened in Luke 8:54-55 before Jesus called the disciples. He called Lazarus out of the tomb. Not even sin and death have the power to resist Jesus’ words. He has all authority in heaven and on earth (Mt 28:18, Dan 7:13-14).

Later on in Luke 10, Jesus will send 70 disciples. In Luke 9 Jesus only sends the twelve. From this, we can see that no one is exempt from the Great Commission. Jesus was the first to pursue and obey the Great Commission (Luke 4:43). Then the twelve, then the seventy. Finally, all Christians are called to proclaim the gospel. However, the modern church thinks that only the super Christians or those who have the title of Pastor or Missionary are called to make disciples. It is a gross misunderstanding that the average believer thinks that it is not their job. This is wrong. Everyone has been commissioned to make disciples wherever they are.

Another wrong understanding of the Great Commission is that it only applies to those who were alive and present during Jesus’ life. Some try to argue that Matthew 28:18 only applies to the people who were actually there. However, Apostle Paul was not part of the original twelve and was not a believer during Jesus’ earthly ministry. Yet he was filled with the Holy Spirit and began proclaiming the gospel to all parts of the known world ( Acts 9:11,19-20). Many, like Hudson Taylor, have understood the gospel and realized that he was called to go and share the very gospel by which he had been saved.

How do you know you are called by God? You have the Holy Spirit. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is better than being called by Jesus while he was on earth. Jesus could not physically be with all his disciples all over the world. Yet the Holy Spirit is with all of us in every place (John 14:18, 26). The Holy Spirit calls us (Acts 13:2) and leads up to Jesus Christ. So we must walk in the Holy Spirit and be filled with the Holy Spirit.

The church is called by Jesus to fulfill the Great Commission. Remember you are called. Our calling is the source and power of obedience. It is our guarantee if we are called, then God will fulfill His purpose without fail. Therefore, those who are called spread the gospel through all the earth (Romans 10:18). Listen to the voice of your Shepherd and follow Him (John 10:27). We are not called to be rich or famous but we are called to be fishers of men. It truly is the greater honor and blessing.

Today’s message concludes the 8-part series on The Man of God. The Apostle Paul gives two commands to Timothy – “Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called…” (1 Tim. 6:12). In other words, eternal life is the engine that moves the Christian’s life to fight the good fight of faith. It is not enough to know that Christians have eternal life but to hold onto that truth in managing their daily lives.

Why did the Apostle Paul command Timothy to “take hold of the eternal life…” when he was already saved? First, eternal life needs to be defined based on what the Bible says. Eternal life is often thought of as having no end or living forever. Everyone has eternal life as man’s soul will go to heaven or hell for eternity. But in today’s text, eternal life is best understood by focusing on the quality of God’s life. In addition, eternal life is to know the only true God (Jn. 17:3). Knowing what eternal life is, everyone must strive to know God personally and thereby seek His kingdom and righteousness.

Is eternal life a reality in the present only or does it apply to the future as well? Eternal life applies to both the present and future realities for the Christian. Concerning the believer’s present reality, eternal life is given the moment they believe in Jesus Christ (Jn. 5:24). Regarding the believer’s future reality, understanding eternal life gives the Christian hope and strength to continue in the present fight. Moreover, the believer is freed from sin and enslaved to God, their benefit is resulting in sanctification that results in eternal life both in the present and future (Rom. 6:22).

Who wants to take hold of eternal life? All Christians are called to take hold of the eternal life to which they are called. One of the marks of taking hold of eternal life is suffering as the Lord Jesus Christ also suffered. The believer also considers eternal life as the treasure choice in comparison to anything this world can offer. “Peter said, ‘I do not possess silver or gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—walk!’” (Acts 3:6).

The Apostle Paul does not fail to mention that all believers are called by God (v 12). The Lord calls his elect to fight the good fight of faith and to take hold of eternal life. Remember Christian, God does not owe anyone eternal life. But by his grace and mercy, the Lord sovereignly calls each believer and thereby enables them to appropriate the reality of possessing eternal life through Jesus Christ. And this calling is affirmed by the “good confession in the presence of many witnesses” in baptism and partaking in the Lord’s Supper through true saving faith.

God is always with those that possess eternal life as he dwells within their heart. Therefore, the Christian’s eternal life must be presented in all sufferings and joy. This is how the man of God is called to live.