Sent Out with Authority: The Apostles' Mission

Devotional

Day 1: Sheep Without a Shepherd Stirred His Heart

Jesus saw crowds as harassed and helpless, their spiritual hunger mirroring sheep scattered without care. His compassion wasn’t passive pity but a fire that ignited action. He called disciples to pray for laborers, then mobilized them as answers to that prayer. This urgency reveals a God who doesn’t merely feel but intervenes, turning conviction into kingdom work. His heart still burns for the lost, demanding we move beyond comfort to engage the harvest. [34:36]

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few." (Matthew 9:36–37, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you grown numb to the spiritual needs around you? How might Jesus’ compassion reframe your view of someone you’ve overlooked?

Day 2: Ordinary Hands Holding Heaven’s Authority

The disciples carried authority to heal and cast out demons—the same unstoppable power Jesus wielded. Yet these were fishermen, tax collectors, and political zealots, not spiritual elites. Christ entrusted flawed men with divine power to prove His kingdom transcends human qualifications. Their weakness highlighted God’s strength, a pattern still true for those who steward His Word today. [42:19]

And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. (Matthew 10:1, ESV)

Reflection: What insecurities make you doubt your usefulness to God? How does the disciples’ story challenge you to trust His power over your limitations?

Day 3: Unlikely Saints Chosen to Crack Open Darkness

Judas the betrayer, Simon the extremist, Matthew the collaborator—Jesus’ roster defied human logic. Their inclusion reveals grace that rewrites identities. These “jars of clay” carried the gospel’s treasure, their cracks showcasing divine light. God still chooses the unqualified, not to ignore sin but to display redemption’s transformative reach. [55:33]

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. (2 Corinthians 4:7, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you struggle to believe God can use your past failures? How might your weaknesses become platforms for His strength?

Day 4: Lost Sheep First, Then the World

Jesus restricted the disciples’ mission to Israel, not from exclusion but focus. The gospel would reach all nations, but priority mattered—God’s covenant people needed to hear first. This strategic restraint teaches us to steward kingdom resources wisely, investing where God directs rather than scattering efforts aimlessly. [01:03:31]

These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (Matthew 10:5–6, ESV)

Reflection: Where has distraction diluted your spiritual focus? What “lost sheep” might God be calling you to prioritize in this season?

Day 5: Citizens of a Kingdom That Outshines Empires

The disciples proclaimed a kingdom “at hand”—not political revolt but a subversive reign of mercy. This eternal citizenship reorders loyalties, freeing us from earthly anxieties. As ambassadors, we declare a King who transfers souls from darkness to light, a mission far weightier than temporary comforts. [01:13:36]

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:13–14, ESV)

Reflection: What earthly concerns most threaten to dim your kingdom focus? How would living as an ambassador of Christ reshape your choices this week?

Sermon Summary

Matthew sets a hinge in the story as Jesus moves from calling learners to commissioning messengers. Jesus has looked on harassed and helpless crowds as lost sheep and has already told his disciples to pray for laborers. Now Jesus answers that prayer by empowering and sending. Luke and Mark help with the chronology. Jesus chose the Twelve earlier after a night of prayer, then kept them close to teach and train. Matthew waits to list them until the commissioning, so the identity of the Twelve sits right next to the transfer of authority and the sending.

Jesus gives authority. The text says he grants power over unclean spirits to cast them out and to heal every disease and every affliction. Matthew has already shown Jesus’ unmatched authority over teaching, demons, disease, the sea, even sin and death. The surprise here is that Jesus can hand that authority to others. Only God can delegate that kind of dominion. The purpose is clear. Jesus multiplies laborers for an overwhelming harvest, and he validates the apostolic message with signs of a true apostle. The scope is comprehensive. No category resists them. This is not the normal equipment of later believers. The church today bears authority only as it rests on and relays the apostolic word.

Matthew names the Twelve. The list runs from fishermen to a tax collector to a zealot to a traitor. These men are ordinary, new to the work, often foolish, and truly sinful. Jesus stays with them as teacher and coach. He warns before sending, lets them taste the work, corrects and commends on return, and loves them to the end. They are jars of clay that carry a treasure, so the power is clearly God’s and not theirs. That identity emboldens newer believers to step in and grow as they serve, and it charges mature saints to coach the next generation of ordinary, sinful saints.

Jesus defines the mission. The first leg runs to Israel alone. Israel hears first, then the word runs through them to Samaria and the nations. The message remains the same as John and as Jesus. The heralds are to proclaim, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. The king has drawn near, and the king’s mercy and might prove it. The strategy multiplies and prepares. The Twelve go before, seven loci of ministry open up, and Jesus follows to teach crowds already stirred and readied by credible signs.

Key Takeaways

1. Christ shares authority to multiply mission Jesus does not hoard power. He grants real authority to cast out demons and heal all diseases so the harvest can be reached and prepared. Delegated power displays his divine prerogative and his compassion for lost sheep. Multiplication is his wisdom for overwhelming need. [44:05]
2. Apostolic signs authenticate apostolic Scripture The signs of a true apostle validate the messengers so the church can trust their message. The wonders are not a show; they are God’s seal on a canon-forming cohort. Confidence in their word frees believers from chasing new revelations and anchors them in what is sure. [45:42]
3. Ordinary sinners are coached into service The Twelve are new, fallible, and sometimes sinful, yet Jesus trains, corrects, and keeps them near. Formation happens in the work, not apart from it, as truth confronts pride and patience steadies zeal. Mature saints therefore carry responsibility to coach, not sideline, the next wave. [56:05]
4. The kingdom’s nearness reframes priorities If the kingdom is at hand, earthly calculations shrink and eternal loyalties sharpen. Citizens of that kingdom are marked by mercy, meekness, and trust in the Father who sees in secret. Urgency meets tenderness as proclamation seeks lost sheep the king loves. [64:59]
5. Israel first, then the nations Priority is not partiality. God honors his promises by bringing the word first to Israel, then through Israel to the ends of the earth. Focused obedience in one season makes broader mission possible in the next. Timing is part of faithfulness. [62:34]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[30:40] - Turn to Matthew 10:1-7
[33:17] - Comfort and conviction from Christ’s heart
[35:18] - Choosing vs commissioning in the Gospels
[39:13] - Three components of commissioning
[42:02] - Authority granted to the Twelve
[44:05] - Astonishing transfer of Christ’s authority
[47:45] - Authority over every disease and demon
[49:31] - Standing under apostolic Scripture
[50:32] - The identity of the Twelve
[56:05] - Coached, corrected, and still loved
[61:56] - Sent to Israel first
[64:59] - Proclaim the kingdom at hand
[67:07] - Strategy: division and multiplication
[74:54] - Prayer for compassion and focus

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Matthew 10:1-7 (ESV)
And [Jesus] called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus; Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”

Observation Questions

What specific authority did Jesus give the Twelve when He commissioned them, and what does this authority cover?
Why does Matthew include the list of the Twelve’s names alongside their commissioning?
What restriction did Jesus place on the disciples’ initial mission, and how does this contrast with later biblical examples of His ministry?

Interpretation Questions

Why might Jesus have granted the Twelve authority over every disease and demon instead of limiting their power to specific areas?
How does the inclusion of ordinary, flawed individuals like tax collectors and zealots among the Twelve shape our understanding of God’s purpose in choosing messengers?
Jesus prioritized sending the disciples to Israel first, even though He later ministered to Samaritans and Gentiles. How does this reflect God’s faithfulness to His promises while still advancing His global mission?

Application Questions

The apostles’ authority was tied to their role as messengers of Christ. How does this contrast with the way believers today rely on Scripture as our authority? What practical steps can we take to “stand under” the apostles’ teaching in daily decisions? [50:32]
The Twelve were ordinary, sinful people who needed coaching and correction. Who in your life might need patient guidance as they grow in faith, and how can you intentionally support them this week? [56:05]
Jesus’ command to proclaim “the kingdom of heaven is at hand” reframed priorities for the disciples. What earthly concerns or distractions most often compete with your focus on eternal priorities? How can you intentionally reorient your heart this month? [01:04:59]
The mission expanded from Israel to the nations. Are there people or groups in your life you’ve unintentionally overlooked or avoided sharing the gospel with? How can you prayerfully step toward them while respecting God’s timing? [01:02:34]
The apostles’ miracles validated their message. How does trusting the authority of Scripture free you from chasing new spiritual experiences or revelations? What habits can reinforce your confidence in God’s Word? [45:42]

Sermon Clips

73s

#ServeAndGrow

“``As we think about this point, and we need to move on, but as we think about this point, I think this should be really encouraging to those of you in the room who are maybe newer in the faith, who are not yet mature in the faith. I think this should encourage you that, yes, the scriptures call you to press on to maturity. We know that. The scriptures are consistent in this. They call you to press on to maturity. Don't be content with being immature. Don't be content with not knowing the scriptures well. The scriptures call you to press on and and grow in knowledge and grow into maturity, but they don't call you to wait until you get there before you start to serve and love and do these things. If that was the call, it wouldn't work. You would never serve, and you would never get there to maturity. Part of growing in maturity is learning how to serve and making mistakes and growing and letting the word correct you and convict you as you're led by other men and women in the church, you're meant to jump in and begin serving and loving and sharing the truth that you know.”

81s

#RespectApostolicAuthority

“Our level of authority is much different than the apostles. Would you agree? We only have scriptural authority to the extent that we rest in their authority. We only have scriptural authority to the extent that we rest in their authority. We have no ability for God in an authoritative way. They did. All we can do is point to the words of the apostles and prophets, the ones who did have this authority. That's our job. So the application here is not to try and get their kind of authority for ourselves. It's not to try and commune with God in such a special way that he's revealing truth to us. It's not to pretend that every Christian should have the power to do these signs of a true apostle. That's not the application here. The application for us is to simply point to their authority and let the authority be theirs stand behind his word. Learn what they have already communicated with authority, and then trumpet that forward. That's our application for this first part.”

63s

#TrainedThenSent

“Now if before, like we talked about, he chose the 12 and then kept them near, Now he's doing something very different. He's going to empower the 12 and then send them out. I think in between, they needed the content first. Right? They needed to be around Jesus, listen to him teach. I think they needed to hear the sermon on the mount. I think they needed to be around as Jesus did a miracle in every conceivable category that we read in Matthew eight and nine. I think they needed to witness this. They've seen his power now. They've seen how he, in spite of this power, is resisted and hated. They've seen how the pharisees have come and challenged him, and that Jesus every single time is able to prove them wrong again and show the truth. Well, after all of that schooling, now they're ready to be trusted, and Jesus is going to entrust them with a treasure.”

63s

#JesusAuthorityShared

“As we were studying, Matthew eight and nine, there's a word that stood out in all caps, bold and italicized and flashing, and that was the word authority. Jesus had this unparalleled authority, authority to teach, authority to do miracles, authority over demons, authority over death itself. In fact, it says in Matthew nine that after he healed the paralytic, and then he declared his authority to forgive sin, Matthew writes that when the crowd saw it, they were afraid and they glorified God who had given such authority to men. And we studied that well as we went through Matthew eight nine. We saw that authority, but after seeing all that authority over storms, over the demons, over death itself, I think we get the biggest surprise here in chapter 10 that then he gives that authority to the apostles.”

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Redeemer Baptist Church This sermon · AI assistant

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