The Person of Peace

Luke 10:1-12

Immanuel – 10/9/22

I want to lay a foundation for today’s message by considering our world and reviewing what we have learned in this series thus far.

Peace is impossible to find when there is no point to living. Our world, which desperately attempts to reject our Creator, is a humanity without meaning. Paul wrote to the Romans that God has subjected this world to futility (Romans 8:20). Everything is bound by futility. Futility, meaning no meaning, no purpose, no point.

King Solomon – who God gave unparalleled wisdom – wrote of this futility:

I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind. -Ecclesiastes 1:13-14

Futility, vanity, meaninglessness – these are the characteristics of a world that has tried to throw off our Creator. Even Friedrich Nietzsche understood this. He wrote:

What were we doing when we unchained this earth from its sun? Whither is it moving now? Whither are we moving? Away from all suns? Are we not plunging continually? Backward, sideward, forward, in all directions?

Is there still any up or down? Are we not straying, as through an infinite nothing? God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. -The Parable of the Madman (1882)

Nietzsche, Solomon, and Paul were all touching on the exact same truth. Life is pointless without God; and in a pointless world, anything goes.

But because God created us all in His image, with meaning built into the deepest parts of our being, we cannot tolerate a pointless existence. It breaks our souls.

So we make gods for ourselves; things that would give us meaning or numb the emptiness. But because these are all lies, they are just as meaningless. This is how, as Paul writes, God has subjected our world to futility – to a pointless existence apart from Him.

Yet despite the meaninglessness that humanity has plunged itself into, we cannot escape the knowledge of God. We looked at this a few weeks ago:

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. -Romans 1:19-20

What a shocking truth: everyone knows God as God truly is. Even still, this does not mean that people have a saving knowledge of God. Our natural knowledge of God is suppressed and corrupted through sin. We exchange the truth of God for meaningless lies.

But this is not God’s plan for the world, for us. He did not create all of this so that it would be lost in worthless lies and emptiness. No, God plans to reconcile this world to Himself, restoring it to His created intention.

In Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the ministry of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. -2 Corinthians 5:19-20

Christ has commissioned us as His ambassadors. For this job, Jesus has equipped us with the very thing that will reconcile the world to our Creator: the gospel. As we have seen, it is a message succinctly broken into 4 parts: God, Man, Christ, Response.

Hear those four parts in the gospel:

Your Creator is holy and righteous. Though He created you in His image, you are a rebellious sinner that has broken that image; and such rebellion earns His just and eternal condemnation. But God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to die for our sins and provide a path to forgiveness. Then He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. All you must do is receive the free gift of faith - turn away from your sins and trust Jesus with every aspect of your life - and you will be saved, reconciled unto God.

This is our message. This is what we are to proclaim. Last week we considered the power of weaving the gospel into our testimony. For your testimony is the clearest expression of gospel power in your life.

Purpose

1. The kingdom of God brings peace.

2. Think about how people respond to the Gospel.

3. What happens after you have shared the gospel with someone?

Read Luke 10:1-12

Kingdom Ambassadors

Jesus is employing some powerful strategy in this passage. Clearly, He has plans to visit specific places. But before He goes to those places, He sends His disciples ahead of Him. Even though the language is not used here, Christ is sending out these 72 disciples as His ambassadors.

It is critical to see that wherever these ambassadors go, it is exactly where Jesus wants them to be. He is aware of the type of reception they will face. Regardless, they are going to the place that Jesus wants them to go. Jesus is sending them to the people in that place. Similarly, wherever we are, God has put us here, sent us here, for a purpose.

This means that the people around us are not here for us. We are here for them. Jesus has sent us to them whether they are at work, school, neighborhood, or wherever else there might be interaction. Jesus has sent us to them with a message.

Ambassadors carry the message of Jesus to the places Jesus sends them on behalf of Jesus. And look at the message they carry.

Read vs 9

The 72 declare that the kingdom of God is near. How has it come near? It has come near because they, the ambassadors, have arrived. Their presence is the nearness of the kingdom. The implication is that later, when Christ arrives in those towns, it is the coming of the kingdom of God; for wherever the King goes, so goes His kingdom.

The ambassadors go ahead of Jesus so when He arrives, the people are ready to receive Him as King; thus entering into His kingdom.

But this dynamic alters slightly after the cross, resurrection, and ascension; because only then is the gospel of grace fully unfurled. Then, when the Holy Spirit is poured out upon men, Christ comes to dwell in human hearts. Therefore, we ambassadors, we disciples of Jesus, have become the kingdom of God.

To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood and made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. -Revelation 1:5-6

In Christ we are the kingdom of God. Revelation tells us that when we receive the gospel, we become the living kingdom of God. The church is the living kingdom of God.

How much more true it has become that, as we interact with the unbelieving world, the kingdom of God has come near; for we carry the kingdom of God with us. Additionally, the gospel is the message of the kingdom of God. It is the door through which people enter the kingdom.

But notice, it is not just the nearness of the kingdom that the 72 are to proclaim.

Read vs 5

We are to declare peace! Indeed, is not the kingdom of God the only thing that offers true and lasting peace in this world? We’ve already considered the senselessness of trying to reject God; and how the rejection of God ruins our world and strips us of all meaning. It is impossible to find peace apart from God.

Therefore, all of us can be confident that the message we carry is the only way the human soul can find true and lasting peace. No amount of self-help or success or indulgence works! Truly, peace only comes through the gospel of the kingdom of Christ. And as Christ’s ambassadors, we want everybody to know about this peace!

Ok, you have been a faithful ambassador. You have proclaimed peace. You have offered the gospel of the kingdom of God: God, Man, Christ, Response. You have spoken it. Now what?

You have asked someone, or perhaps multiple people, to respond. The next step should be obvious, right? Understand how they respond.

2 Fundamental Responses

In Luke 10, Jesus tells us that people will respond in two fundamental ways.

First, we see in verse 10 that some people will not receive your message. They don’t want the gospel. But look, it is not just your message they reject. They reject you also. You proclaim peace, and they reject you as a person. They don’t want you around. They may even persecute you.

Again and again, Jesus tried to prepare us for this response.

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you…Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know Him who sent me….Whoever hates me hates my Father also.” -John 15:18,20-21,23

When people reject us and persecute us, Jesus is saying we shouldn’t take it personally. It is Jesus they hate. And if they hate Jesus, then they hate God. This goes right back to what this world is trying to do: reject their Creator. Your message reminds them that they are incapable of doing this, and they will hate you for it.

So when you are rejected for the sake of the gospel, Jesus tells us what to do.

Read vs 10-12

The gospel you have shared was rejected. Jesus said three things should follow.

1. Wipe the dust from your feet. In other words, if they don’t want it, let them alone.

As Jesus said elsewhere: “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.” -Matthew 7:6

Don’t continue to offer the gospel to people that have rejected you. Jesus compares that to giving pearls to pigs. They don’t understand its value and are happy to treat the gospel as if it were mud. And if you continue to throw pearls at them – if you continue to preach the gospel to hard hearts – they may become so angry that they attack you. They will treat the gospel as mud and they will treat you like mud.

2. Therefore, if they don’t want Jesus, do not continue to offer. Turn and walk away. Spend your energy elsewhere.

Remember, Jesus said the harvest is plentiful. If you are rejected, fear not, there are plenty of people hungry for the gospel! Spend your energy looking for them and bring the Kingdom to those who want it.

Look closer at verse 11.

3. Jesus says that even as we wipe the dust from our sandals, remind them a final time of the nearness of the kingdom of God.

So, if someone is rejecting you and your message, fine, that’s on them. They will face God one day and you will not be responsible for their hardness of heart. But as you turn to find a person of peace, remind them once again that if they change their mind, they can still enter the kingdom of God, they can still be reconciled to God.

And this leads us to the second fundamental way people will respond to the gospel. Some will respond with peace.

Read vs 6-8

If you tell someone about Jesus, share your testimony, speak the gospel, and they respond with peace; then it is your peace – the peace of the kingdom of God – that is resting upon them. Do you know what that means? It means the Holy Spirit is working. If someone responds with peace to the message you are proclaiming, then something supernatural is happening. The Spirit is working.

Jesus said, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” -John 6:63

The person who responds in peace, let’s call them the “person of peace.” When you begin the ministry of reconciliation with them, and they respond with peace, then the Spirit of God is at work.

Jesus gives us ways we can tell if someone is a person of peace. They are hospitable, generous, they share their needs with you – enough that you might know what needs healing.

Let’s be very practical. What does it look like today, in our context, when someone is a person of peace?

I met a person of peace over the summer. I got to chatting with a friendly individual in my neighborhood and our conversation very quickly turned spiritual. I could sense the hunger in this person’s heart. I shared a testimony of something that God had done in my life. It was a very friendly conversation, they were receptive, and then we parted ways.

Since then, this same person randomly bought me a pizza. They invited me and my family over to swim in their pool. This person of peace has been nothing but generous, hospitable, and warm towards us.

That means I want to do everything Jesus has instructed me to do. I want to eat whatever they put before me. (Not very hard when it’s pizza!) If they invite me into their home, I want to take them up on it. If they express a hurt, I want to be praying for their healing.

In other words, a person of peace is the place we invest ourselves. Don’t spend your gospel energy on people who reject you. Spend it with those who warmly receive you and your message, because it is Christ they are receptive to; and if it is Christ they are receptive to, then they are receptive to reconciliation with God.

OK, in Luke 10 we have seen two fundamental ways that people will respond to you as you speak the gospel. I want to get just a little more nuanced than this and give you 4 categories of response. I think this will help you tremendously as you interact with people around you.

Traffic Light Slide

The first type of response is a red-light response. Red lights respond with a hard “no.” They might be polite or they might be rude, but the response is the same; they are not interested in you and they are not interested in Jesus.

As we have already seen, your response is then to move on. Keep looking for the person of peace. You are still responsible to speak the gospel.

I do want to mention that things are different with family members and neighbors – and by neighbors I mean people your home is located next to, not the Good Samaritan type of neighbor. We cannot just abandon family and it is ridiculous to up and move if the gospel is rejected.

Consider family and neighbors as long-term, even life-long, investments. If they reject the gospel, then don’t force it down their throats. Love them with good works, pray for them, serve them, and hopefully gospel opportunities will open. It’s a marathon.

The second type of response is a yellow light response. Yellow lights respond with a “maybe.” They might not be ready to accept Jesus, or believe in everything you are saying, but they are interested in learning more. They are curious. They are a person of peace.

Whatever they offer – hospitality, generosity, time – accept. This person is worth building a relationship with and investing in. It is your objective then to help them move from yellow light to green light.

The third type of response is a green light response. Green lights respond with “yes.” They repent of their sins and believe in Jesus. These people need intensive discipling. They need to learn what it means to follow Jesus. They need to learn how to read the Bible. They need to participate in church. And God has sent you, as an ambassador, to teach them all these things. If it is not obvious, green-lights are also persons of peace.

The fourth type of response is when someone says they are already a follower of Jesus. Praise the Lord! At this point, it is not a bad idea to see how you two can partner for the sake of the gospel.

You are discovering that Christ has stationed the two of you, both ambassadors, at the same embassy. Figure out a way to work together to find and minister to persons of peace.

Also, in that process, you might discover that the person you are talking to does not truly understand what it means to follow Jesus. At this point, look for opportunities to open the gospel to them; which might mean that you need to lovingly and gently confront them.

I think it should be fairly clear what we do when we encounter red-lights and other Christians. It might not be so obvious what needs to happen when we encounter yellow and green-lights. Really, both yellow and green lights need investment and discipleship, though the types of investment they need is quite different. Next week I want to spend some time on how we disciple these two categories of people.

Brothers and sisters, in an attempt to throw off God, this world has lost all sense of meaning. In such a world, there is nowhere to find peace. But Christ has come to reconcile us to God, returning meaning to humanity and peace to souls. Let us, as ambassadors of Christ, faithfully proclaim the gospel of grace!

And as we do, we need to know what to do as people respond to our message. If people do not want to hear about Jesus, then there is no need to force it. If someone says “maybe” or “yes,” then we engage further. If someone says they are already a Christian, then we look for ways to partner.

The harvest is plentiful. Wherever we find ourselves, Christ has sent us to that corner of the field. He has sent us to the people that surround us. He has given us the gospel and a testimony, the tools of harvest. Let us call all people everywhere to be reconciled to God!