God's Twelve Messengers

And we will turn if you would in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 10. Matthew chapter 10. As I said, we're going through the book of Mark but the passage, the parallel passage in Matthew has a little more information in it than the passage in Mark. So, we're going to go there this morning and read through verses one through 16 in just a moment. So, Matthew chapter 10 and we'll read through verses through verse 16 here in just a moment.

Today, as I mentioned is commonly called Palm Sunday and it marks the day when Christ rode into Jerusalem on a donkey as prophesied in Zechariah. He rode into the chant Hosanna Hosanna, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord as foretold in the Psalms and on the very day prophesied in Daniel chapter nine. Calculating from the day that they were sent back to rebuild Jerusalem at the end of sixty nine sets of seven years or four hundred and eighty three years. Christ came into Jerusalem. To the cries, Hosanna, the son of the highest, the son of David.

These are terms that refer to the Messiah of Israel, the anointed one. God promised to send them. But Jesus had not come the first time to take his place on a throne. But on a cross. And unbeknownst to the crowd that day, he would be dying on a cross in just seven days.

He would then rise again from the dead. Amen. A risen Lord He'd also be going back to heaven to be with his father. Thus, leaving to others the work of the ministry on earth in his behest and in his power. So, in preparation for that day, when he would say to his disciples, as the father has sent me, so, send I you.

He chose and trained 12 men who would lead the church in its infancy. Spread the gospel throughout the then known world and record God's word for generations that would follow. We often call them the 12 disciples though they were not the only followers or disciples of Christ. There were many others. We also call them the 12 apostles which means sent ones.

A unique group along with the apostle Paul called and commissioned by Christ in person. In person. You say, well, how did Paul meet him in person? He met him in person on the road to Damascus. When God opened up the heavens and looked down upon Paul, blinded his eyes with his glory, and spoke in his ears audibly.

These were a a special group indeed The first thing we will see as we look here in Matthew chapter 10, is that even though they chosen faith to answer the call, that Jesus chose them first. For he is the one who called. Look if you would in Matthew chapter 10 and verse one. And when he had called unto him his 12 disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits to cast them out and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. Now, the names of the 12 apostles are these, the 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 publican. James, the son of Alphaeus, Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus. Simon, the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. These 12, Jesus sent forth and commanded them saying, go not into the way of the Gentiles and into any city of the Samaritans enter you not.

But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and as you go, preach saying, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils, freely you have received, freely give. Provide neither gold nor silver nor brass in your purses nor script for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves, for the workman is worthy of his meat. And into whatsoever city or town, you shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy and thereby till you go thence. And when you come into an house saluted, and if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you and whosoever shall not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.

Verily I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgement than for that city. Behold, I send you forth a sheep in the midst of wolves. Be therefore wise as serpents and harmless as do Let's go to the Lord once more. Lord, we thank you for this day with this passage of scripture Remind us Lord of these that you called for this specific purpose and mission Lord, I pray also we would be reminded of the mission to which you have called all of us. Who know you as Lord and savior today Lord, I I pray that we would be willing to say not my will but thy Lord.

Surrender our all in your service. Lord, to seek your will as to what place you have called us to in that service. To what ministry? Lord that we might shine our light brightly that is really your light. To a lost and dying world around us that they might see the truth, glorify our father which is in heaven.

Come to Christ. To be saved. Thank you Lord for the privilege of being the ambassadors of Jesus Christ. Lord, challenge us today in your service. Encourage us as to your power and grace and Lord, we pray if there be one here today that's never trusted you We pray that today would be their day of salvation In Jesus name, we do pray.

Amen. The first thing again, I'd like us to see from this passage is this, these men were chosen by the Lord. In Matthew 15 in verse 16, he said, you have not chosen me but I have chosen you and ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit and that your fruit should remain. That whatsoever you shall ask of the father in my name, he may give it you. Jesus said to these men, I, you have not chosen me but I have what?

But I have chosen you. Who was it that called them on the shores of the Sea Of Galilee and said, follow me and I will make you fishers of men. Well, that was that was Jesus and they answered the call and they followed him. Is these 12 specifically that it says, he called unto himself, his 12 disciples here in chapter 10 and verse one. It is important for us to remember that before we chose Christ, he also chose us and gave his life for us on Calvary.

It is he that by his grace calls us into his service. Calls us unto himself. To serve him. Also. We haven't been called to be the 12 apostles.

We have been called to be his children. A call that we answered when we followed God's instructions that say, whosoever shall call in the name of the Lord shall be what? As many as received him, to them they gave you power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on his name. And we who know him as savior have become his children but Christ saved us not just to take us to heaven but Christ saved us to give us a ministry here on earth. That we might be salt and light.

That others may see our good works and glorify our father in heaven. We look at these 12 men and we think, hey, these men were special. Well, they were special because they were called and chosen by God. But other than that, not really. God's calling on our life should humble us rather than make us proud in ourselves because we certainly do not deserve his love.

We do not deserve his grace and mercy. That's why it's called grace and mercy. And we do not deserve the opportunity to serve and represent him He is holy God He alone is worthy We are sinners. In need of a savior. Without him lost, and hopeless, and undone.

We do not deserve not only salvation but we do not deserve the right to serve the king of kings and Lord of lords. It is not a duty. It is an awesome privilege. That we have been granted. They like us were nothing special.

They weren't rulers, kings For the most part, they weren't wealthy or highly educated. They were just ordinary people from different walks of life. Like you and me. They were rotten sinners. Like us too.

Paul said, he was the one. Chief of sinners. But God saw them not for what they were but what he could make of them and do for them and through them. Which no one else could do but he. Philippians, it says, I can do all things through whom?

Through Christ who strengthens me. Romans eight twenty nine, predestinated us to be conformed to the image of his son. God is performing that very work as we sit here today. Not by our power, not through the works of the flesh, by the power of God and his grace alone. These men were frail in their faith and first, just like we are, when we first come to Christ.

They made many blunders along the way like we still do. From time to time. They allowed cowardice and doubt to plague them. But they were his chosen ones. Chosen by him to serve the king of kings and Lord of lords.

You turn to Romans chapter 12. I want to read verses one. They killed your place in Matthew. We'll definitely be back there. Turn to Romans chapter 12.

Paul the apostle, you say, well, these were apostles and we're not called to be apostles. You're right but we are we are called in to serve the king of kings and Lord of lords. We are called into his service same as they were. Not completely to the same function and in the end, all to bring glory to his name and witness of his grace and the apostle Paul wrote to the Roman saints, Romans chapter 12 and he says this, I beseech, I plead with you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living. He had already done that but he said, I want you friend your bodies a living sacrifice.

Holy acceptable unto God which is your what? Reasonable service. Reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world. But be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is a good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Does God have a will for our life? Certainly, he does. He desires to be glorified, to be magnified in us He wants us to be ambassadors, to bring others to him, to represent him. Verse three says, for I say though, through the grace given unto me to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly as a court according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. You see, it's not us, it's who.

Jesus. It's all Jesus. So, serving the king shouldn't make us proud, it should make us what? It should make us humble. Verse four, for as we have many members in one body and all members have not the same office, so we being many are one body in Christ and everyone members one.

Of another. Don't forget who you are and who he is nor underestimate his power to perform his perfect will and you as he did in them The 12 men he chose were not all alike They came from varying backgrounds education, and careers We we're not all alike here either, are we? We come from varying backgrounds, educations, careers, places, Why is that? Well, because not every member of the body has the same what? The same office or exactly the same function.

If everybody were preachers and pastors, then who would be sitting there? If everybody were teachers who would be being taught. If everybody were mechanics, then, who would be the teachers? If everybody were and we could go on and on. God has placed us in the body that we might take the gifts and talents that he has given us and use them by his grace to minister to one another to the glory of the Lord our God.

Some of these men were bold and brash. James and John were called the sons of, anybody know? Thunder. Because that was their, that was their way. Peter wasn't far behind.

It would seem. At least the brash part. But not all of them. Whereas bold, Some were more timid. Many were hardy fishermen.

One, was a tax collector. One, a previous rebel leader. The other Simon in the group. They were different. They had different backgrounds, professions, and all of that is on purpose.

So, that they would make a good team. We as part of God's body, local body, his entire body have been gifted and talented and given different backgrounds by him to be used in his service. Used in his service here. As we are one in Christ chosen by him to carry out his work. In Pinellas County, Florida.

What an awesome privilege. And as they, we all share the same Lord and master and so we serve him today though very different in many ways yet one in Christ, one in faith, and one in purpose. To bring glory to our Lord and to bring others to his side. The Lord chose them. The Lord has chosen you by his grace.

The Lord taught them. The Lord taught them. The Lord had already been teaching them for quite a while. He taught them in words. Matthew chapter five through seven, we have the sermon on the mount, we call it.

Well, who was the sermon on the mount being given to? Who who was the the primary audience for Matthew five to seven when Jesus spoke? What says in Matthew five one and two, matter of fact, I think I have this on the screen and seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain and when he was set, his disciples came unto him and he opened his mouth and taught them saying, now, what appeared that others came and listened to what he had to say that day but his message was directly for whom? For his disciples. That were following him.

And he taught them. And he instructed them in the way of the Lord that is very opposite of the way of the world in which we live. He instructed them in the good news of the gospel. He instructed them in the way they were to live for the Lord. He instructed them in the way they were to serve the Lord.

He taught them in word. Many of those words for us are recorded here in his word. So, he can be your teacher and my teacher too. He taught them by example and there are many examples. The woman at the Well Of Samaria.

All the other Jews had nothing to do with the Samaritans but Jesus, he went straight through Samaria because he had an appointment with a woman who had been married and divorced many times, was now living with a man. It wasn't her husband. But a woman who needed a what? Savior. Savior.

And needed the compassion and grace of Jesus Christ and the good news of the gospel. He's taught them by example. The man healed with palsy that we looked at a couple weeks ago. As his friends brought him to Jesus, Jesus first words were thy sins be what? Forgiven thee.

Because that was more important than his body. Though he healed that too. He taught them by example as he dealt with the woman caught in adultery in John chapter eight. As he told her, go and sin no more. He taught them by example When a possessed man who everyone else wrote off is just a dangerous nut, in the area of the Gadarenes, Jesus took time to cast out his demons and to give him new life.

The dangerous nut became a new creature. In Jesus Christ. He taught them as he welcomed the children to him. That if anyone is to receive them and is with childlike faith He taught them as he took time to take a detour as he went through Jericho one day to heed the cries of a couple blind men who everybody else was telling to hush and be quiet. They were making a disturbance The multitudes he fed he healed and he gave the gospel Even when he badly needed rest and quiet.

He taught them in word. But he also taught them. By example. He trained them It was a very important part of his ministry while he was here on Earth was to prepare these 12 men to be apostles. And through his word to train us to be witnesses for Jesus Christ and servants of the king today.

Why are these things recorded for us? But that we too can be taught by him. We too can see his examples of love and holiness, of mercy, and grace, humility, and compassion, submission, and honesty. It isn't the world's way, it is Christ's way. I'm afraid today, it seems that sometimes Christians have bought into, we have to minister the world's way.

We have to become like them. We have to blend in with them. We have to adopt their their entertainment. We have to adopt the way they act in order to reach them. When Jesus Christ says, we need to be different.

We need to be salt. We need to be light. We need to be not like the world. We need to be like who? We need to be like Jesus.

We need to be like Jesus. Jesus tells us here how we can be like him. It's his way. It's not the world's way and he will teach us too If we will simply listen to what he has to say today and every day. He chose them.

He taught them. He equipped them. The Lord gave them power and authority to do the job that he had called them to do. And God does not send us out in service to him unequipped For that service You ever seen a firetruck show up to a fire with no water That'd be kind of silly, wouldn't it? Or maybe it has water but no hoses.

Wouldn't do, wouldn't serve much purpose, wouldn't do much good. Have a firetruck without water, firetruck without hoses. It'd be silly. Also be silly for God to send out his children to do his purpose, his will. Without equipping us for the job that he's sending us out to do Now, I may not know what I'm doing all the time but he knows what he's doing and what God calls us to do he equips us to do if we'll trust him if we'll listen to him Second Peter one three says, according as he as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness through the knowledge of him that have called us unto glory and virtue.

According as his divine power hath given unto us what? All things. Does that mean? That means God equips us. God has given us the power, the means to carry out what he has asked us to do.

You say, but pastor, I can't do this and and I can't do that. You're right. You can't. I can't preach. Some of you maybe see it sitting there saying, yeah, you're right.

No. But I can't preach not in myself. I, as a kid, I would do anything to stay off of the platform and be in front of people. Finally, the Lord gave me a love for singing. So, I started singing in front of people but you don't dare ask my name.

I would stutter. Yeah. What's my name? I was scared to death. You know something?

In myself, I'm still scared to death. But you know, God is good and what God calls us to do, he equips us to do. He empowers us to do and he helps us to do. So, don't say I can't. Say he can.

To whatever he has called you to do. He may not have called you to be the preacher. But he has called you to be a witness. And he has called you to other areas of ministry and all of which are important to the functioning of the body. He has empowered us and equipped us by his spirit.

John sixteen seven through 13. If you turn back there with me, just you're in Romans. Just turn back a little ways to book of John chapter 16. And let's read verses 17 through 13. 16.

Seven through 13, sorry. Sixteen seven through 13. In chapter 14, chapter 15, and chapter 16, we don't have time to read all three chapters this morning but Jesus is telling his disciples, I'm going to leave. You need to prepare yourself. I've been with you.

I've taught you. I prepared you but I I'm not going to be here in person. I'm going to leave. I'm going to go to the cross. I'm going to rise from the dead but I'm going to send back to the father.

But I'm not going to leave you without help. I'm not going to leave you unequipped. I'm going to send you the what? The comforter, the holy spirit. Verse seven, nevertheless, I tell you the truth that it's expedient for you that I go away.

What's that word expedient mean? Means it's good. It's it's beneficial for you. That I go away. They're probably scratching their heads.

How can it be beneficial that you go away? You know, they're walking and talking with the son of God. How can it be beneficial that you go away? He says, nevertheless, I tell you the truth is expedient for you that I go away for if I go not away, the comforter will not come unto you but if I depart, I will send him unto you. When he has come, he will reprove the world of sin, of righteousness, of judgement, of sin because they believe not in me, of righteousness because I go to my father and you see me no more, of judgement because the prince of this world is judged.

I have yet many things to say unto you and you cannot bear them now. How be it when he, the spirit of truth has come, he will guide you into all truth. For he shall not speak of himself but whatsoever he he shall hear, that shall he speak and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me for he shall receive of mine and shall show it unto you. Jesus said, I, you aren't ready yet to receive everything I have for you but when I go back to heaven, I'll send the holy spirit and he is going to help to give you that, to reveal that to you, then, what you're not ready to receive now.

And he says, all things that the father remind therefore, let's see. No, we say it. Verse 13. Okay. Verse 13 again, how be it when he, the spirit of truth has come, he will guide you into all truth for he shall speak of himself.

Wherever she shall hear, that shall he speak and he shall show you all things. Christ said, I haven't left you unequipped. I'm going to send you a helper. Imma send you a person and John 14, he says, he won't just be with you, he will be what? He will be in you.

And he will empower you. He will teach you and he will lead you. Acts chapter one verse eight, Jesus said, but you shall receive power when? After that, the Holy Ghost has come upon you and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth. When Jesus was going back to heaven, he told his disciples, you go back to Jerusalem and you wait for the coming of the promise of the father.

What was the promise of the father? The Holy Spirit. He said, you go back and you wait and after he's come, he will empower you and then, you'll go forth to be wide witnesses. That very same Holy Spirit lives in the heart of every child of God today. And he empowers us too.

If we will listen, if we will trust, if we will step out in faith, and serve him. God has equipped us by his spirit. God has equipped us through his word. Second Timothy three sixteen and seventeen, all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction, and righteousness that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. This is Paul writing to Timothy.

Timothy is a young man. He's been sent to minister in Paul's behalf in a church. He's basically been sent to be that church's pastor and it's it's it's a it's a big responsibility Paul says to him, everything you need, you have in the scriptures, just follow. Follow the scriptures. God has equipped us through his word.

It is profitable, useful for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction, and righteousness. For our correction, and for also the correction of others. That the man of God may be through perfect means per completely, thoroughly. Equipped in the service of the king. To perform the good works that God has forwarding that we should walk in them.

He has given us his spirit. He's given us his word if that is we will read it and we will study it and we'll be doers of the word and not just hearers only. He has equipped us by his spirit. He has equipped us by his word. He has equipped us by teachers and preachers that he has given us to help apply the word of God.

You do not need a preacher to read God's word. You do not need a preacher, a teacher to apply God's word to your life. However, it helps. And God has ordained the church and has given us one another that we might encourage and help and teach each other. Because God knows we need each other.

In Ephesians four eleven to 13, he gave some apostles. That's for these 12 men and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers. For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the son of God unto a perfect or complete man unto the measure of the stature of the full of Christ. We're on a journey Praise God.

We're on a journey together We're on a journey with our Lord and we're on a journey with our fellow Christian brethren As we serve the Lord together as we learn from one another as God helps us to equip each other to the service that he has called us to. That we might become to the praise of his glory. He's given us his spirit. He's given us his word. He's given us one another, teachers and preachers to help us.

And learning, growing, serving The 12 disciples were a special group God called them to a special task that we'll look at in just a moment. He gave them specific powers given them to help them in performing this specific task. When we read in Matthew chapter 10, it says in verse one and he gave them power against unclean spirits to cast them out and to heal all manner of sicknesses. Gifts such as the ability to heal the sick and cast out demons or in a verse later, it says, to raise people even from the what? From the dead.

These are not necessarily gifts given to us today. It was gifts given to them for a specific time and for a specific purpose as we'll look at in the moment. But the God who gave them these powers still possesses these powers himself. God still answers prayer and heals the sick. God can even cast out devils and demons.

One day, God, not me, will raise us all from the dead who know him as Lord and savior but he has given us what we need to perform the task that we have before us The gospel the word the spirit and one another and number four, the Lord sent them The Lord chose them The Lord taught them and the Lord equipped them and then the Lord sent them. Look if you would in verse six. Talking about the task that he gave them. He said, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. That you go preach saying the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils, freely give, receive freely give. Provide neither gold nor silver nor brass in your purses nor script for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet stays, for the workman is worthy of his meat, and then to watch every city or town, you shall enter, inquire you in it, who in it is worthy, thereby till you go thence and when you come into an house salute it and if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it but if it be not worthy, let your peace return unto you. Look if just a few list here of things that Jesus told them there. First of all, go to the lost sheep of Israel. That was the task he gave them to do when?

At that specific time. Later, he would tell them to go to what? To all the world and preach the gospel but that wasn't this task at this moment. They were to go to Israel. They were go to Israel with the message like unto the prophets, the kingdom of heaven is what?

At hand. Which sadly, they would reject. They were given the purpose to proclaim the kingdom of heaven is at hand. They were to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Why?

One mess and what what mission is he given us today? To go into all the world and preach the gospel. Why were they to to heal the sick and cleanse the labor, lepers, and and raise the dead because those miracles authenticated the message of who? Messiah because that was what the Messiah was prophesied to do when he came and that's what he did. He healed the sick.

He he he healed the blind and he cleansed the lepers and he cast out devils and and they were an extension of his ministry to Israel. So, they were given these abilities and they were given this specific ministry for this time. He said, do not require any money for your services. Don't take your luggage with you. Live according to the daily provisions given you by God through the assistance of others.

Bless the homes and towns who welcome you and show your disdain for those who reject your message, God will deal with them. And in verse 16, he says, behold, I send you forth a sheep in the midst of wolves. Be you therefore wise as serpents and harmless as doves. They were sent forth as an extension of Jesus Christ, the lost sheep of Israel to proclaim the kingdom which sadly, they rejected. They were given the purpose of doing miracles like unto his in that day for that purpose that Israel would see that Jesus was the one.

So, likewise, as he commissioned them, he has also commissioned us but not to go just to the lost sheep of Israel merely to proclaim the kingdom of heaven is at hand but the king has died and is risen again. Not to heal the sick and cleanse the lepers and raise the dead but to proclaim the gospel by which we are saved by which he will raise us Matthew said, Mark sixteen fifteen, he says, go you into all the world and preach the gospel. To the Jews only, no, to what? To every creature. For every person needs who?

Every person needs Jesus. He says in Matthew two thousand eight hundred nineteen and twenty, go you therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, the son, and the holy ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. That is the mission of the church of which you are part. And I.

For he has sent us too. He has sent us a salt and light into a world that needs light. He has sent us with the gospel message. To tell others and proclaim the good news that there is a savior in heaven. Who is waiting for them to call upon him in faith.

That he might save them by his grace. This is our mission today to grow his church through the evangelism, the lost, to be the shining light of God's love and grace and holiness through the lives that we live. Are we fulfilling our mission today? Are you fulfilling yours? For as he sent them, he has also sent us.

He has chosen us. He is teaching us. He has equipped us and he has sent us and one day, he will follow-up on us to see how we have done. You see, in Mark chapter six and verse 30, it says, and the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus and told him all things but what they had done and what they had taught. You see, there was a day when Jesus gathered in the gathering, he said, okay, how'd it go?

How'd it go? And they told him. They gave an account for what they did, the time, this time he had given us, them for this particular mission. God is going to also hold us account. There'll be a day when we gather together to him to give an account of what we have done.

You have done. In fulfilling the mission that he has called you to. Second Corinthians five ten, for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that everyone may receive the things done in his body according that he hath done whether it be good or bad. Means what? That means you're going to give an account too.

So am I. You're not going to give an account for being the pastor of Missouri Avenue Baptist Church. I will give an account for that. I won't give an account for leading your family. You will give an account for how you train your children.

I won't give an account as to whether I was a witness to your neighbors and to your coworkers. You will give an account for that. I will give an account for my neighbors and my coworkers. We will give an account to God whether we were the salt in life that God called us to be. There is a reporting day coming.

And though we don't have to fear like the world does because we have a home secured in heaven for us through Jesus Christ. We should have a reverence and a fear, a proper fear of the day when we will give our report to him. I remember being a kid in class in elementary school and we had to do book reports. You ever did a book report? And some of them were oral book reports.

I hated oral book reports. Because I had to stand up in front of the class and I had to give a what? A report to what I read and to what I learned. And that scared me. Now, I wasn't afraid.

I was going to lose my life. Wasn't afraid I was going to die and go to hell but I was afraid. I was scary getting up in front of that class and in front of that teacher. I remember in college, I had pulpit speech class. Guess what I had to do?

I had to preach in class to the dean of the Bible department. Now, that was scary too. You know something? One day, we're going to have to stand up in class before the God of heaven And report to him what we've done here. Like they did.

What will we have to report? What have we done for Jesus? Must I go and empty him? I hope not. I hope not.

For God has called you, chose you. He has taught you, equipped you, sent you, and one day, he will ask you, what you've done? And maybe there's someone here today that's never trusted Christ to say, you're not even sure that you have a home in heaven. But what is the message that he has sent us with to give you today? For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.

That whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Would you put your faith and trust in him today? And be saved. He loves you. He's calling you.

Will you answer? Let's pray. Dear heavenly father, thank you Lord for your word. Thank you Lord for these 12 men. And others that became pillars, the church, authors of the scripture ure is led by you examples to us as you are even more Lord, I thank you for their faithfulness that we might be able to stand here and praise you as your children today because we've heard the gospel and have been saved.

Lord, it's our turn now. It's our turn. Lord, to be the light. It's our turn to be the witnesses. It's our turn to preach your word, proclaim your word, and live a life.

Brings glory to you and draws all others to you. Lord, help us to see that. Help us Lord to surrender to it. Help us to give our lives a living sacrifice, holy acceptable unto you which is your reasonable service and Lord, if we've been distracted by the things of life in this world, Lord, help us to get refocused. Lord, may we repent.

May Lord, we confess our failure before you and and get back to work and Lord, I pray if there's one here today that's never trusted Christ as savior, I pray Lord, they'd come as we sing this hymn of invitation. We can show them from God's word how they can be safe today and know it. How they can have a home in heaven too and have the privilege of serving the king of kings and Lord of lords. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.