In his sermon 'Sending Preachers,' Jason Dohm delves into the passage of Luke 9:1-9 to highlight the supremacy of Jesus over nature, the spiritual realm, disease, and even death, establishing His divine identity. The sermon emphasizes the delegation of Jesus's authority to His disciples, enabling them to preach the kingdom of God and perform miracles, thus authenticating their message and illustrating spiritual truths through physical actions. The disciples' journey with minimal provisions underscores God's provision and sovereignty. Herod's troubled conscience upon hearing of Jesus's works illustrates the powerful, albeit non-saving, role of conscience in confronting sin. Overall, the sermon underscores the importance of preaching in spreading the gospel and calls for faithfulness and readiness for God's future plans.

The title of the message this morning is Sending Preachers. It's a text about sending preachers. Last week I completed what I called Jesus's Supremacy Over Tour. He's proving that he's supreme, that he has authority over nature, the physical created realm. There's a storm, they're about to drown.

Jesus commands the winds and the waves to be quiet and immediately they're still. He proves that he's supreme, that he has authority over the spiritual realm. There's a man with a legion of demons that are totally controlling him. He's in total bondage and Jesus sets this man free and the account ends with him totally liberated and sent back to his home and his hometown to tell people what God has done for him. Jesus proves that he is supreme over disease.

He has authority over disease. A woman who spent all her money on the doctors and was worse off, not better off after spending all that money. Over the period of 12 years, Jesus, in the time that it takes to snap your fingers, she touches just the edge of his garment, she's healed. Jesus proves that He's supreme even over death. When He gives orders to death, even death finds itself under His authority.

There's this 12 year old little girl, the only daughter of her parents and he just says little girl arise and immediately she arises. All this is about answering the disciples question from chapter 8 verse 25. In chapter 8 verse 25 they ask this question, Who can this be? For he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him. Now in our text this week, Herod is going to say, Who is this of whom I hear such things?

Then later on in the chapter, Jesus is going to say, but who do you say that I am? So really, this is a section about establishing the identity of the Lord Jesus Christ. I can't think of a more important thing to do than establishing who Jesus Christ is because if you're going to really believe what the Bible says about him you better have it fixed in your mind that you're on solid ground that he really is supreme over nature over the spiritual realm over disease even over death because He's saying He can save you. Can He? The gospel writers are establishing yes, He can.

He's supreme over all these things. He has authority over all these things. Let's pray. God, your Word is so sweet, sweeter than honey in the honeycomb. I pray that we would taste it today and just have the experience of its goodness today.

Help me as I preach. Help my friends as they hear. Come be among us. Let the Spirit be here working mightily in hearts in Jesus name. Amen.

Let's begin by rereading verses 1 through 6. We just have two subdivisions of the text. The first is 1 through 6. So hopefully your Bibles are still open to Luke chapter 9. Follow along as I reread Luke 9 1 through 6.

Then he called his twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases. He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. And he said to them, Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money, and do not have two tunics apiece. Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. And whoever will not receive you when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.

So they departed and went through the towns preaching the gospel and healing everywhere. Here in verses 1 through 6 we have the 12 sent ones. In verse 2, it says that Jesus sent the 12. The Greek word being translated there is from the same Greek word as apostolos, which is where we get the word apostle from. So we're calling them the disciples or the twelve now, and that's what the gospel does, so that's fine.

Later they'll be called the apostles because they are literally sent ones. What we have in our text is the exact same Greek word group. They were sent by Jesus and then later they'll be the sent ones to take the gospel to the world and they'll make it a long ways out before all is said and done. In Luke 6, 12 through 16, Jesus went to the mountain to pray all night. He prays all night, he comes back, and then he chooses these 12.

So In Luke chapter 6, we actually got all 12 names. They're just called the 12 disciples in our text. But we got the names in Luke chapter 6 verses 12 through 16. Now he sends these 12 men. These are the ones he's sending.

But Jesus sends them, having given them power and authority. How much power? How much authority? Enough that they have power and authority over all demons. No demons can withstand them.

When they are giving the orders, having been given that power and authority by Jesus, all the demons will have to do as they're told. And power and authority to cure diseases. The end of verse 6 says that they're healing everywhere. So they're exercising this power and authority to heal diseases very liberally and everywhere that they go. That is the key point.

We've been seeing Jesus acting as God in exercising supremacy and taking authority over the spiritual realm and the physical realm, and now he is acting as God in delegating the power of God over the spiritual realm and the physical realm. So the whole point here is that what we've been seeing Jesus do text by text by text by text, he has the power also to delegate so that the disciples can also take authority over the spiritual realm and over the physical realm. None of that is of themselves at all. It is all delegated power and authority from God Himself, Jesus is God. This is the whole point of the Gospels here.

And the specific mission for which they were being sent was to preach the kingdom of God. So They're going town to town to town to town preaching about the kingdom of God and to cure the sick. They're going to preach and they're going to heal. That's exactly what they do. Just look at that last verse again, verse 6, so they departed and went through the towns preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

Early in our text it says preaching the kingdom of God. Here in verse 6 it says preaching the gospel. You can treat those synonymously. Luke certainly is. And they're curing diseases.

They're healing everywhere they go. They preached the kingdom of God. Again, that's exactly what Jesus did. Flip back to chapter 8 verse 1. I want us to see that The disciples are doing exactly what Luke says that Jesus did from town to town to town.

Chapter 8 verse 1. Now it came to pass afterward that he, Jesus, went through every city and village preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God and the 12 were with him. So Jesus is sending the disciples to do exactly what they've been with him while he was doing it. He's going town to town to town to city to village and he's preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom. Again, it's these same words that we're encountering in our text, the kingdom of God, but also preaching the gospel or the glad tidings.

These are the exact same words that we saw associated with what Jesus is doing in chapter 8 verse 1. So these twelve have been with Jesus town to town to city to town to city to town and they've heard Jesus preaching about the kingdom of God over and over and over and over. I'm sure there were a lot of overlap on those sermons. It was different groups of people who needed to be hearing the same truths. So they're hearing Jesus preach many of the same things in these sermons from town to town.

And now it's their turn. Now Jesus sends them to teach what they've been hearing him preach to preach what they've been hearing him preach what are they preaching that God is a great King And so God has a great kingdom. And like all kingdoms, God's kingdom has citizens. And if you repent and believe the gospel, you become a citizen. In Mark 6, that's Mark's account of the same things that are happening in our text just in a different gospel.

It actually talks about them preaching that people should repent. So all this is interwoven together. This kingdom has a great King, and like all kingdoms it has citizens, and if you repent and believe the gospel, you become a citizen of this kingdom. And like all kingdoms, this kingdom has immigration laws. How do you cross the border over into this kingdom?

It has governing laws when you're in this kingdom. How must you live? It has structured in a certain way. It has authority and patterns and guiding principles and ideals. And it has enemies.

Kingdoms normally have enemies. And so Jesus was teaching about these things. They heard these things over and over again and now they're going from town to town and teaching these things as well. Now let's talk about the miracles. Jesus gives them power and authority over all demons.

And so they're going to be casting demons out of people, setting people free, and they're going to be curing diseases. They'll be healing everywhere that they go. This accomplishes three things. Number one, it authenticates the preaching. There's preaching especially of things that are new.

They were preaching different things than teachers and synagogues were teaching during that time. And then there's preaching accompanied by miracles. If it's new, which would you rather? You'd rather the preaching that is authenticated, that is proven by the power that is given to the preachers, supernatural power given to the preachers. Not one miracle, not one person controlled by the devil set completely a liberty, but many.

Not one disease healed, but many. Many blind are seeing, many deaf are hearing, many lame are leaping. And this is authenticating the preaching. New revelation from God stamped by God with spiritual power to do things that other preachers cannot do and are not doing. Number two, these miracles picture the power of what they were preaching to do spiritually.

Meaning, all of these miracles are a picture that there is a greater spiritual reality that is being preached. Like what? Like a blind man seeing there's a greater spiritual reality that the spiritually blind are going to have their eyes opened and it's going to be life to them. And the spiritually deaf are going to be given ears to hear. And the spiritually lame are going to be empowered and the spiritually, those who are in spiritual bondage can be set free.

These are the things that are being preached. So there are physical pictures but the preaching is about the greater spiritual realities that these miracles are picturing. Number three. I missed a line. I pretty much said it but let me say it anyway.

They are preaching spiritual liberty. So the oppressed, the possessed by the devil being set free is the picture of that. They are preaching spiritual healing. They are preaching spiritual sight. And these miracles are the picture of the power of what is being preached can do for you spiritually.

Number three, these miracles ensure that more people would hear the preaching. That's not said in the text, but do you buy it as a logical conclusion? Maybe in the first town they didn't have many people, but in the second town they had more. And in the third town they probably had more still because word gets out, doesn't it? We're already seeing this in the Gospels, but we don't really need the Gospels to tell us that.

When things like this are happening, people are gathering to see and experience the things that are happening when there are things like this. So these miracles ensure that more people would hear the preaching. They come, they might come for the miracles, but they hear the preaching about the kingdom of God and increase the chances of it being well received. Are you more likely or less likely to believe to receive well the preaching of someone who is also setting people free from their bondage and healing people? Matthew Henry says this, He authorized and appointed them likewise to cure disease and to heal the sick, which would make them welcome wherever they came.

And not only convince people's judgments, but gain their affections. You would want them to come to town. They would be gaining people's affections, at least the people who were healed and the people who were close to them for sure. So Jesus gave the twelve power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases and miracles accomplished these three things. Authenticating the preaching.

God's stamp on the preaching. This is truth from heaven because these men are exercising power that no other preachers have. Two, it pictures the power of what they were preaching. Can this preaching does for you spiritually? And then three, it ensures more people will hear the preaching.

This draws listeners and increases the chances of it being well received. Jesus also gave them special instructions for the journey. So he tells them exactly how to go about this journeying. They were to go with the bare minimum. When you see the list of things they're not supposed to take, you think, oh yeah, that is the bare minimum.

Basically, no extra anything. And no money with you to buy what you would need when you get there. Essentially, just the clothes on your backs, and no extra clothes, just what's on your back. They were being taught that God was with them, and God would give them everything that they needed. That God had gone ahead of them and had ensured their provision in the places that they were going.

Well we don't even know where we're going. That's okay, God knows where you're going. And He was the advance team to put the resources in place that you will need when you get there and you will find that to be true when you get there. Seeing these things through the lens of the sovereignty of God. That is the implications of these things.

Jesus isn't just saying, I hope you can find people who have stuff we will share with you when you get there. Jesus is sending them confident knowing that the resources have already been put there by God, and it's just for them to go and do their work, and they'll find that the things that they need were there all the time. I turn to Luke 22. Luke 22, this is actually probably the day before the crucifixion. So right at the end of Jesus' life and Jesus calls their attention back to this time.

Listen to Luke 22, follow along, Luke 22 verses 35 and 36. And he said to them, when I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything? So they said, nothing. Then he said to them, but now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack, and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one. So what we see in our text was actually not to be a permanent state of affairs, but it was the state of affairs for this journey from town to town to town to teach them that God was with them.

God was the advanced team putting what they needed in place before they got there so they could trust that in the future as they made these journeyings taking the gospel, preaching the gospel other places that they would have what they need. He asked them, remember that time? Did you lack anything? And they have to confess we didn't like a thing. So we actually know exactly how it turned out from Luke chapter 22.

Another special instruction. Whatever house they entered in a town, they were to stay there in that house until they departed. So one place, establish one place you're staying in that town as a headquarters for that town. That's my word not the text's word, but I think it's a faithful accounting of what the text is actually saying. You're actually going to have a base of operations in that town, and it's not going to shift from here to there to there while you're in that town.

You're staying in one place. You have a base of operations, a headquarters in that town. I listened to Matthew 10. So Matthew 10 is again different gospel but same events. It's a different gospel writer giving it to us.

Matthew 10 verses 11 through 13. Jesus says, now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy and stay there till you go out. And when you go into a household, greet it. If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.

In other words, in the extended instructions that we get in Matthew chapter 10, Jesus's instruction was when you go into a town and you're going to establish a base of operations, one base of operations in that town, ask around to identify a truly godly household. Okay, so there in Israel, Religious households will not be in short supply, but truly godly households probably will be. Ask around and find what is a truly godly household and go in there and then when you get there greet it. If you find it to be as advertised, your peace rests there on that household. I turn to Luke chapter 9.

Excuse me, we are in Luke chapter 9. Turn to Luke chapter 10. So Luke chapter 9 is the sending out of the 12. Luke chapter 10 is sending out of the 70. So there are more disciples than just the twelve, but the twelve are obviously the closest, but there are also more, and in Luke chapter 10 Jesus will be sending out 70, and here's what we read in Luke chapter 10 verses 4 through 8, Same topic.

Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals, and greet no one along the road. But whatever house you enter, first say peace to this house, and if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it. If not, it will return to you." So saying many of the same even even many of the same phrases that we encountered in Matthew 10. And remain in the same house eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house.

Whatever city you enter and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you." The implication of this, if you think about it, is that God has people in those towns in advance of his messengers coming, ready and with resources to provide. And so ask around, identify them, go and stay with them, and resist the impulse to go from house to house. Now what would make you go from house to house? Well if you've ever felt like you've overstayed or you were imposing, that's one impulse, Or if you've ever seen the greener grass on the other side of the fence and thought maybe that would be nicer accommodations after a few days. These are different impulses.

Whatever impulses that would send you to another house, resist those impulses, and establish one base of operations and stay there until you leave. They are starting to build a network. There will be people after this preaching and healing tour that they will know in different communities and they will have stayed in their house the whole time they were in that community. And In the future, when gospel work is to be done in Israel, they'll actually have a network of people who they've found to be godly, reliable help in the work of spreading the gospel. I'm not one of the twelve.

I'm not an apostle, but I actually have this kind of network. If I were to go do gospel work in Pensacola, I know exactly who I would stay with. It's who I've already stayed with. Montgomery, Alabama, I know who I would stay with. Denver, Colorado, I know who I would stay with.

A small town in Massachusetts, I don't remember where the Akersons are, but it's a little town in Massachusetts. Alexandria, Virginia. Livonia, Georgia. Fayetteville, North Carolina. I have people to stay with in all those towns and more.

And this is just me who doesn't travel to preach. These are men who are developing a network for gospel work, and I think this is one of the things in views here, although it's at best implied from the text. There's nothing that says that in the text, but I can see a network of gospel laborers developing. The final special instruction is verse five. Look again at verse five, and whoever will not receive you when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.

Hearing is not optional. They're being sent by the Son of God to preach about the Kingdom of God, to tell people to repent and the good news and hearing and listening and receiving is not optional and if you will not he gives them instructions of what to do in that community that will not receive the preaching. Jesus is preparing these twelve men for places where either no one would give them a place to stay, that's a possibility from the way this is phrased in our text, or where the people in that town would not receive the preaching. So they would go to a place and they would find all the doors closed. Seems strange to us.

Wipe the dust off of your feet. But this is what a devout Jew would do after departing a Gentile territory. So For instance, Samaria. Samaria wasn't pure Gentile, but it was a mixed blood of Jews, but the Assyrians had brought in Gentile peoples from their other conquests, and there had been all sorts of generations of intermarriages so that nobody even knew in Samaria how Jewish they were or weren't. So if you were in Galilee where Jesus was brought up and you were going to Jerusalem, if you had the time you would just walk around.

You wouldn't even pass through, because it's such a defiled place. Defiled and defiling. If you had the time, a devout Jew would just walk around Samaria to get to Jerusalem. If you didn't have the time and had to pass through, when you got to the border on your way out, you would wipe the dust, and it's symbolic of, I'm leaving this defilement behind. So the Twelve would have instantly recognized what Jesus was calling them to do, because this was a thing among Jews.

And the people in those communities, when they saw the disciples wiping the dust off of their feet, the message would have been loud and clear to them because they would have been very familiar with it too. The message is, I'm leaving your pollution behind. I'm leaving this polluted dust behind, and I'm leaving you to the judgment of God. You are on your own. I leave you to God.

I am not with you in your stubborn unbelief. Peace has been offered to you, but you wouldn't take it. Now you're alone with God." John Calvin says in his commentary on Matthew 10, Matthew's account of these events, No crime is more offensive to God than contempt of His word. And Calvin goes on to say, you don't find God saying, do this outward physical thing when you encounter adulterers or murderers. Nope, just when you show contempt of the Word.

So John Calvin says, God doesn't hate anything more than that. There's a very good case to be made for that. Here's Matthew 10, again this parallel account, Matthew 10 verses 14 and 15, And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, When you depart from that house or city, Shake off the dust from your feet, Assuredly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Day of Judgment than for that city. The Son of God sent his disciples there with power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases and to preach good news about the kingdom and you wouldn't receive them and it'll be better to have been a citizen of Sodom and Gomorrah when God judged it and wiped those cities off the face of the earth than to have been in one of these towns who showed contempt for the Word of God. So, will the twelve encounter universal success?

No, they will not. Some gospel laborers plant seeds. Other gospel laborers water those seeds, but God gives the increase or not. I'm adding to what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3, 7. Paul is talking about himself in 1st Corinthians 3 about Apollos and himself and how they should view themselves as fellow workers with God that one plants and other waters, but God gives the increase or not.

Sometimes he doesn't give the increase. Sometimes Gospel preaching is met with hostility and rejection. David Garland says this, they symbolically abandoned the place to its impending doom. It's what the wiping of the dust off the feet is. It's abandoning to its place of impending doom.

But even this performative gesture attempts to call them to repentance. I thought that was an excellent point. I didn't think of that at all. It's this outward demonstration that even itself is a call to repentance because the people seeing this happen would know exactly what it is and and it would be like cold water to the face. Wait, you're saying we're like Samaria.

You're doing what we do when we don't have time to walk around the land of that, the defiled land of the half-breeds. Jesus could have just told them to leave, but he tells them to do this demonstration. The demonstration itself actually is a call to repentance. I think that is true. In next week's text, so just a preview, They return and report to Jesus all that they had done and Jesus is going to take them off by themselves, but the crowds follow them.

So they won't be by themselves long. But the big point is that Jesus is discipling the 12 disciples for the future. You have to see our text through the lens of where this is all headed. And Jesus no longer being with them, but he's with them now and he's training them now for their future. He knows their future and he is taking them to it.

So he took them town to town to town to town to city to town to city to town to town to city to town and he was preaching and now he is sending them to preach the things that they've heard, but now they're going without Him and He's making them ready for the day when they will go without Him to preach these things about the Kingdom of God. But then it will be after the cross and after the resurrection and so the preaching will be new covenant preaching then But this is about making these men ready for that time Verses seven through nine Luke nine verses seven through now nine Now Herod the Tetrarch heard of all that was done by him, all that was done by Jesus, and he was perplexed because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again. Herod said, John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?" So he sought to see him. Again, this whole section is about who is Jesus.

Even Herod wants to know who is this that he's hearing the reports about. On the handout for these three verses I said the conscience of a king. And the other gospels he's called King Herod, although Luke is more technically precise in saying he's a Tetrarch. There are three Herods in the New Testament. Herod the Great, who was a ruling at the time of Jesus' birth.

He's the one that the wise men came to. And then when the wise men didn't come to bring in the report, he had all the babies killed in and around Bethlehem. That's Herod the Great. He actually restored the temple. There's Herod Antipas, that's the Herod in this text.

He was the second son of Herod the Great. So Herod the Great at the time of Jesus's birth had sons. Herod, the Herod that we're studying had, is the second son. And then there's Herod Agrippa, which is the nephew of the Herod that we're studying. He shows up in Acts chapter 26, and Paul defends himself before Herod Agrippa.

So they're all related. This is the middle one chronologically. In Luke we were introduced to Herod in chapter 3 verse 1. Herod being Tetrarch of Galilee. So Herod was actually the authority, the direct authority in Galilee where most of this preaching and teaching is happening.

Then in chapter 3 verse 19, but Herod the Tetrarch being rebuked by John the Baptist concerning Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which he had done also added this above all, that he shut John up in prison. So we've already encountered Herod. We know he's the Tetrarch in Galilee. We know that he had imprisoned John the Baptist for rebuking him publicly, for having his brother's wife taking her as his own wife, and for all the other evils that he had done. I'm sure there were many.

We learn here that Herod beheaded John the Baptist. The full account of that is in Mark chapter 6. You're familiar. So Herod has already killed a preacher of righteousness. He's already got that blood on his hands.

And now he's hearing reports about Jesus, another preacher of righteousness. Some people are saying, this is John the Baptist come back. Verse 7 says that he was perplexed. The Greek lexicon for that Greek word that's being translated perplexed in our translation literally means to be entirely at a loss. So this is Herod.

He's entirely at a loss. To be in perplexity. So the reports cause Herod a great deal of inner turmoil. He's hearing reports about what Jesus is doing in the place that he has direct authority over. Some people are saying this is John the Baptist who he beheaded come back.

Wouldn't that be alarming? In Matthew 14 verse 2 and Mark 6 verse 14, we learn that eventually Herod concludes of the options, that's it, It's John the Baptist come back. He actually declares that to his servants. We don't get that in our text, but we get it in Matthew 14 and Mark 6. Finally, he lands on which of the options that people are saying to Jesus is, like, it's John the Baptist come back.

Here's what J.C. Ryle says. The prison and the sword had silenced John the Baptist's tongue, but they could not silence the voice of Herod's inward man. So, with prison and the sword you can shut up John the Baptist, but you can't shut up your inward man. The quote finishes, God's truth can neither be silenced nor bound nor killed.

More from J.C. Ryle. Conscience is a most powerful part of our natural constitution. It cannot save our souls. It never leads a man to Christ.

It is often blind and ignorant and misdirected, yet conscience often raises a mighty testimony against sin in the sinner's heart. And makes him feel that it is an evil and a bitter thing to depart from God. So, Ryle was saying some very helpful things about the conscience there. It isn't the gospel, But it's a really powerful part of our natural constitution. God made it that way.

It won't lead you to Christ, but It will testify against your sin and bother you. And I think this is what we're seeing of Herod here. He is bothered by this inward testimony of the things that he's done. Instead of what I would have expected, which is Herod will want nothing to do with Jesus. That's what I would have anticipated would be next, but our text says that Herod actually sought to see Jesus.

Herod is nothing if not bold, even in his perplexity. We read this in Luke 23. Again this is the end of Jesus' life. Luke 23 verses 7 and 8. And as soon as Pontius Pilate knew that Jesus belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod who was also in Jerusalem at that time.

Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad For he had desired for a long time to see him because he had heard many things about him and he hoped to see some miracle done by him. So there may have been more than just this but at a minimum the reports have made Herod curious and he wants to see a miracle that these has been reported to him over and over again. He wants to see it himself. Applications I'll give you four. Application number one, How can people believe without hearing?

And how can they hear without preaching? This is the chain of logic that Paul gives us in Romans 10 verses 14 and 15. Listen to Paul in Romans 10 verses 14 and 15. How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will people call on Jesus if they haven't believed in Jesus?

And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace who bring glad tidings of good things." This is what Jesus did in the sending. This is what the disciples did in preaching so that people would hear so that they could believe so that they could be saved.

This is the chain. This is what the disciples of Jesus still do. They send and they are sent and they receive and supply the things that we see in our text are all still active. They're a part of what Jesus has commissioned not just the 12 to do, but all the succeeding generations of disciples to do. To send and to be sent and to receive and partner with and supply.

All for the spread of the gospel in the world. At Men's Bible study on Tuesday morning, James said this, this is the beginning of how the gospel got to me. And that's exactly right. How did the gospel get to you? The Internet?

No. Disciples who make disciples, who make disciples, who make disciples, who make disciples. It's usually somebody real and alive with blood pumping through their veins face to face. Not always this way, but it's usually that way. There are at least face to face interactions which are part of that chain which lead to you being born again.

This is the great commission. J.C. Ryle says this, the importance of preaching as a means of grace might easily be gathered from this passage even if it stood alone. He's saying, if you didn't have any other passages on preaching, you could get the importance of preaching just from this passage alone. But it is one of, but It is but one instance among many of the high value which the Bible everywhere sets upon preaching.

It is in fact God's chosen instrument for doing good to souls. By it sinners are converted, inquirers led on, and saints built up. What was Jesus? He was a miracle worker, yes. First he was a preacher.

What were the disciples? They had authority over all demons, yes, but first they were preachers. What are local church pastors? There are many things, but first they are preachers because what the people of God need what people who aren't the people of God need is the Word of God and What the people of God need is the Word of God and so God has established preaching number two The form of a question Has God taught you that He will give you what you need when you need it? There are times in the dome family history when God brought us through things that taught us that though it was scary, He would give us what we need when we needed.

There have been times in sovereign redeemers 15-year history when it was scary, especially around deployment to Turkey time, deploying missionaries to Turkey, that it was scary but he taught us that he would give us what we need when we need it. Have confidence in that. Have confidence in that. Number three. God is making you ready for the future.

Have you ever thought this? I'm such an underutilized, underappreciated asset. If only people recognized my genius. You might want to slow down. God is making you ready for the future.

You don't know it, can't see it, but it's already as if it's happened in his eyes. Okay, he's making you ready for it and according to perfect wisdom. So we should just be faithful in what God has us in and trusting that He can see what the future holds and He's actually leading you in it and giving all the right preparatory steps to take you there. We see this so clearly in the lives of fishermen. Fishermen and tax collectors and, and, and who are going to turn the world upside down.

We need some iterative steps there. You don't go just from fishing to that. You need some discipleship in between. Years of discipleship? No, it's usually decades.

They must have been quick studies. It only took years for them. I needed decades. I had 19 years, 20 of marriage, but 19 in a secular profession, electronics manufacturing, and in parallel doing different things in local church life. And that was seminary for me.

I just didn't know it. I did not plan for full-time ministry. That was not in my mind until I was 40 years old. That was not in my mind, but God was putting me through a seminary and I was looking back it was a good seminary. That's number three.

God is making you ready for the future. Be faithful where you are. Number four. Finally, does your conscience have you perplexed? Or as the Greek lexicon would have it, entirely at a loss?

We should listen to our conscience. Herod should have listened to his conscience it it seems like he never did he probably never did God has made us with this thing that disquiet us and that is such a mercy. When you are disquieted is actually a hopeful sign. So many people aren't disquieted nearly enough. They seem to be sailing through life without God.

Not disquieted at all. What's for lunch? If your conscience has you perplexed, if it has you entirely at a loss, You should have hope that God is doing something for you, but not presume that He's doing something that will end in your salvation. You should repent today. Let's pray.

God, I thank you for how you've made us. I just want to focus my prayers now on that last application. Thank you for making us with something that is disquieted when we're not living for you. We haven't repented and turned to trust your son. There are to trust your son.

If there are people today here who are very perplexed, who are in a state of a lot of inner turmoil, I pray that you would help them, give them insight into that. That this would be a hopeful thing for them, that you would use it to cause them to flee to your son for mercy. Thank you that we find mercy in your son. We pray in Jesus name, Amen.