“Keeping the First Things First”

Scripture: Matthew 9:35-10:23

Keeping the first thing first is never easy. We get distracted; we are convinced by others that our “first things” aren’t important; we forget; life gets in the way. The truth is that our “first things” can change without our ever realizing it! And it’s hard to get them back.

In an article by retired Presbyterian Pastor Joanna Adams, she wrote:
“I'm thinking of a family in a church I once served. Their second child was a beautiful baby girl with more congenital problems than you could count. The first year of her life was an unending series of surgeries and weeks in ICU. But I'm telling you, that baby was golden wheat. When her Mama said to me, "She is the greatest blessing of our lives," I knew it was nothing but the truth.

"Just leave the weeds alone," Jesus said. God knows what's good and what isn't.
Considered to be weeds - the needy, the afflicted, the outcasts, the alien, the other. What do you think? … Could it be that turning weeds into wheat is exactly the reason Christ came into the world?”

--Joanna Adams, "Why can't we pull up the weeds?," Day1.Org. Retrieved February 1, 2017.

That family knew how to keep the first things first by seeing all of the blessings that God had given them, while never being distracted by the weeds of the world.

Read Matthew 9:35-10:4

Jesus knew how to keep his mission to earth first. And we all know how often the distractions came against him! Between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, the Romans, the poor, constant demands for healing, and trying to teach his followers the ways of God, it’s a wonder that he had any time and energy to teach and preach to the people! But with all the worldly woes that stood before him, with the pain and struggle, the heartache and sin that the people were experiencing, he still made time for all who came seeking him.

Compassion was Jesus’ watchword. Compassion is a Godly trait, not a human one. Our self-centeredness gets in the way of compassion – it is a false “first thing”. And our text offers us two concepts to help us to reexamine our lives – shepherding and harvesting. Shepherding occurs when we put the needs of others ahead of our own, while harvesting, an event that will occur when Jesus returns, needs workers in the here and now to prepare humanity for the coming of that glorious day. Jesus’ compassion was focused on the people of earth, while we tend to be more concerned with them in second place.

Notice that Jesus asks for workers to be sent out, in his way, into the world. He isn’t looking for volunteers who will want to do things in their own way, but rather for workers who are chosen, authorized, and sent by God, for God, and in God’s way. Christian service is not about how gifted, how smart, how able we may be – it is about how faithful we are to the Lord’s call on our life.

And he called and enabled the 12 to work within his authority, not within their own. Remember Peter in the storm (Matthew 14:22-32)? When he saw Jesus coming toward the boat, he asked the Lord to call him out, and he went in the Lord’s call. But after he took those first couple of steps, he got distracted by the storm, and began to sink. He walked on the water by Jesus’ authority, but when he allowed the wind and waves to take control, he failed.
And when the 12 accepted Jesus’ authority, there was nothing that they couldn’t do, but on their own, there would only be failure. Disease, illness, injury, evil spirits – nothing could stand against them when they allowed Christ’s Spirit to work through them. And nothing can stand against us when we, too, allow the Lord’s authority to claim us.

Keep the first things first!

Read Matthew 10:5-16

Jesus’ mission was to Israel, not to the entire world. This may seem strange, but in Genesis, God tells Abraham that his offspring will be blessed, so that they can be a blessing to all the earth. (Genesis 22:17-18) The original plan for God’s workers would be Israel, but because they failed to follow the Lord’s bidding, others would be welcomed into the ranks of God’s servants. (Luke 20:9-16) But it wasn’t time yet for the gentiles to be ministered to, except for a few isolated instances. Israel was still the choice to spread the message of glory throughout the world, and that is where the Disciples were to concentrate.

And the Lord gives them specific instructions as to what they are to do. The message is that “The kingdom of heaven is near.” The rest of the call is, I believe, to convince the people that these men are truly working within the authority of God. And the gifts and abilities that are listed are given without cost to them, so they are to give them to others without obligation on their part. (“Freely, Freely”) Take nothing with you – just carry the love of Christ and the glory of salvation, and that will sustain you. That’s the call on missionaries and all who have been given the authority to proclaim Jesus Christ to the world – don’t let thoughts of your worldly needs get you off track.

Ministry and mission has never been, and never will be, about earning a living. The people who have received the ministry will, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, be led to provide for the messenger’s needs. But Jesus also warns these early missionaries that there will be those who will not assist or provide for them. And are the Disciples supposed to condemn them? To punish them? To get even with them? Not at all. Just “shake the dust from your feet”, and move on. The implication here is that they are not to take anything from that home or that community - not the hatred, not the opposition, not their ways, and not even the dirt from their street.

Keep the first thing first, and don’t worry that some have refused to hear the good news – don’t think that it is your fault, don’t worry about revenge, don’t worry about taking extreme measures to convince the people, don’t even fear the possibility of persecution – just do what you have been sent to do, and that will be enough. Anything more, and you are no longer serving under the authority of God – you have gone off on your own, spreading selfishness and hopelessness, instead of life and love. We don’t have to deal with those who deny the Lord – Jesus will do that at the Judgment!

Read Matthew 10:17-23

In Luke’s gospel (Luke 6:22-23), Jesus tells his followers that the very fact that others will persecute them isn’t a reason to fear – instead, it’s a reason for rejoicing! And in John 7:7, we read that the hatred isn’t actually being directed toward them, but rather against the Lord. It is Christ’s message, that the ways of earth are evil, that they object to, not to the one who proclaims it. Actually, the world’s hatred for the word of God is a reason for great sadness, for they are shutting themselves off from divine grace, as well as Jesus’ great sacrifice, made on their behalf, at Calvary!

And the persecution is defined. There will be arrests and floggings and all sorts of hateful expression, but they aren’t to be swayed from the task. Even when they are accused and questioned by the Jewish authorities, don’t try to justify why you are doing what you are doing – just let the Spirit speak for you. And from personal experience, if the Spirit gives you nothing to say, then that is exactly what should come from your mouth. Nothing more.

Always, keep the call that Christ has placed on you the first thing in your life and ministry.

And how extensive will the world’s hatred be toward you? It will be greater than anything you have ever encountered. Family, friends, and strangers will oppose you. The very people who you believe will support you won’t. But the Lord says that we are never to give up, never give in, never change the message, never surrender to the world’s animosity. Titus 3:9-11 tells us that we aren’t to argue with those who oppress and oppose us – just warn them twice with the Lord’s truth, then “shake the dust” off, and move on.

And never keep a record, never keep a count of those who you lead to the Lord – they aren’t your victories anyway – they are Christ’s! Just continue to do as the Lord tells you, and as the Spirit leads you, and you will never go wrong. The Spirit will keep us on track, and will continue to remind us of what must truly be first in our lives. And that will be enough.