This week’s sermon series The Gospel of Luke, Part III: A Journey through Galilee, The 70 Sent Out, provides yet another opportunity for us to hear from God directly through the Scriptures. (The Scriptures are the most important words we ever hear.) Today’s message helps us to see the heart of God, the message of God, and our participation with God in His story of Redemption. In Luke 10:1-24, Tyler preaches on the 70 sent out and reveals four essential things that every person needs to know. Not only are we the recipients of God’s gracious lovingkindness through the gospel, we also, like the 70, have the privilege and joy of being gospel bearers and messengers in this fallen world.

Tyler’s Main Points

• There is a great need for gospel workers.

• Gospel work is eternally significant.

• Beware the pitfall of pride in your own work for the gospel.

• The joy of gospel labor is God’s gracious work in the salvation of souls.

Key Takeaways

• Disciples declare the Savior has come. (Jesus is the Savior for all people of all times.)

• We, like the 70 sent out, are to plead (pray) to God to meet the demand of the harvest. (The workers are few.)

• There is a promise in this passage: God will bring forth salvation for many.

• This passage helps us to reset our thinking and perspective. It is a set of corrective lenses (gospel lenses) to help us see the world as it really is and what people need most (Jesus) above all other things.

• God gives us an invitation to participate in His great work of redemption (to be workers – instruments of righteousness).

• The invitation is to not only hear the message, but to receive and bear it. Jesus provides us with salvation and peace with God (total redemption and full restoration).

• Hospitality is often a sign of those receiving the message. (Notice those taking in the 70 and providing for their needs.)

• In this passage, healing was also a sign of those receiving the invitation towards the coming Kingdom of God through Jesus Christ.

• We are responsible for rejecting the gospel message.

• What God says will come to pass will always happen. (God knows the end from the beginning. He is sovereign and His providence will not be withheld.)

• Heaven and hell are very real places. Eternal judgment for those who reject Jesus will happen, as will all the promises in Jesus for those who accept Him.

• God does not delight in the death of the wicked. (If you are far from Him, today is the day for your salvation. Come to Him as you are right now. Call out to Him and ask Him to save you. Romans 10:8-13)

• The attitude of our hearts towards Jesus matters greatly. (He is not just a better option. He is life, everything… This is eternal life, to know God.)

• The gospel work is dangerous, requires full dependence on God, and is eternally significant.

• Jesus warns us of the danger of pride and directs us to rejoice in the grace of God in all things, particularly with our own salvation and participation with Him in the gospel ministry.

• The source of our true joy in our life: we are recipients of God’s grace through Jesus Christ. God chooses to work through us to deliver the gospel message to others.

• It is God’s work in us that brings forth ALL the fruit of salvation. 

Discussion Questions/Application

Personal application:

• Do I know the gospel message? Do I ever share the gospel message with others? In my heart of hearts, what does God see about me? (Psalm 139)

• Does my life reflect that I belong to Jesus Christ? How or why not?

• How can I become more like Christ? What means are available to me that I can pursue? (The Scriptures, Prayer, the Sacraments [Believer’s Baptism and Lord’s Supper], Church Attendance, Community Involvement, Ministry Participation, etc.)

Discuss with your community group:

• In what ways are we participating in the gospel message with ourselves and individual families, within the church, and within our workplaces and communities? Do we need to reset our priorities and restructure our efforts in any ways?

• What is the full value of the gospel message? Does our community group reflect it? How can we better show that value to one another, our families, other believers, co-workers, friends, and strangers? Are there ways we can participate in ministry together?

Passages Referenced

Luke 10:1-24; Genesis 10; Genesis (Sodom like Vegas in our day); Matthew 11:20-30; Hebrews; Psalm 115:1; Jude 1:17-25.

Worship Set List

Who is Like the Lord, Faithful, Lamb of God, The Lord is My Salvation, Yet Not I But Through Christ in Me.