THE CHOOSING OF THE TWELVE

Intro: This is a unique section. Jesus' ministry is in full swing. Jesus is a common person in the area because he powerfully preaches the Word of God and performs miracles for God's glory. Jesus is despised by religious leaders because He exposes them for their hypocrisy and refuses to play by their rules. The ministry of Our Lord fills his days, and everything moves quickly.

Jesus takes a break from His frantic schedule in these verses. He takes the time to talk to His Father before selecting the twelve men who will serve as His ambassadors to Israel's lost sheep. I said that this passage was special because it reminds us that the Lord can use anyone who will follow Him. It gives us hope for the future when we consider the kind of men Jesus selected and employed in those days. If Jesus can use men like these in this way, surely He can also use you and me today. I want you to know that if you are saved, you can serve the Lord. As we consider the topic of The Choosing Of The Twelve, let's examine these verses and notice the blessings that are revealed there. I. v. 13 THE MASTER (Ill.) In this first verse of our text, the Lord Jesus Christ is the focus. He has taken a break from His public duties to spend some time alone. In order to call His followers, He has left the crowds. Let's examine the facts presented here.) A. A Time of Special Communion: Jesus "goeth up into a mountain," as Mark just mentioned. Luke gives a little more detail. According to Luke 6:12, he relates to us that "he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God." Twelve men who will serve as His spokespersons and representatives to the Israelites are about to be ordained by Jesus. Jesus wants to be certain that He knows the mind of the Father because this is a significant decision. As a result, He went to a private location and prayed the night away, seeking the will of His Father. (Ill. What a valuable lesson for us! Before making a major decision, Jesus—God the Son—felt the need to commune with God the Father. Jesus took some time out of His busy schedule to pray for a long time. Jesus realized that He needed to constantly appeal to the Father for assistance. Our own need to seek the Lord through prayer is highlighted by the fact that Jesus made prayer a priority in His life. We are not the real God. We are not humanity's Savior and Redeemer. We are merely a group of people who ought to have gone to Hell. But God reached out to us and saved us from our sins through His great grace and mercy. We were included in His family, and He granted us the right to pray. A brief look at prayer and the promises it holds is sufficient to demonstrate its significance in our lives. Jer: God has promised to answer our prayers. 33:3; Isa. 65:24. Matt. says that God has promised to answer our prayers. 7:7-8; John 16:23. According to James 5:16–18, God uses our prayers to carry out His will in the world. Before you ask anything, God already knows what you want. Some people have pondered the necessity of prayer given that that is accurate. After all, God will only act in accordance with His will. My prayers and yours have no effect! Why then pray? Have you ever considered the possibility that prayer itself might be the ultimate goal? Have you ever stopped to think about the fact that God tells us to pray because He wants to be with people who are like us? In order for us to spend time in His presence, He longs for us to pray. And spending time in His presence is worthwhile! Naturally, you begin to think more like Him the more time you spend with Him. You eventually limit your requests to those that you know will honor Him. As a result, God's primary desire for your life is for you to become more intimate with Him through communion with Him. Micah 6:8 says, "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good;" And what else does the LORD expect of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to serve your God with humility? I just want to encourage you to be a prayerful person! Keep looking for the Lord often. Prayer will grow your life more than anything else. B. A Time of Sovereign Choice – Throughout Jesus' ministry and travels, a large number of people followed Him. Now, He selects twelve individuals from those vast numbers to serve as His disciples. They had already been asked to follow Him by Him. Peter, Andrew, James, John, and Matthew demonstrated that. They are now invited to a special place of service by Him. According to Matthew 10:2, these men were put aside and referred to as "apostles." "One sent with orders" is a phrase used in this world. It refers to a "king's representative; one who speaks with the authority of the king; one who cannot be overlooked. These twelve men were chosen by Jesus and sent with His message. Why did He call these men, whereas other men did not? Why were these chosen to receive this prestigious award? Did they have something that other men lacked? Were they particularly religious and devoted to the Lord? Did He anticipate that they would excel as preachers? According to the Bible, "He called unto Him whom He would." These men lacked anything special. They were typical men with typical flaws and issues, as we will see in a moment. So, why called them? because He had the desire! It was His sole and sovereign decision, based on His Will. (Ill. May I just say that being chosen by Him is a privilege? You'll notice that they appeared when He called! This thing works in that way! To begin, He prompted me to seek His salvation. His request would not be ignored, and neither would it be denied. He did exactly that when I came to Him by faith and asked Him to save me. I praise His name because He entered my life, completely transformed it, and made me a new creature, Eph. 2:1-10; 2 Cor. 5:17. Even that was not what I deserved, but He gave me more! Then He came, requesting that I preach His Word. His call came once more and never left! Being called to handle God's Word is such an honor! Being one of His preachers is an honor! Despite the fact that you are not a preacher, He has also called you to serve Him! In fact, according to Ephesians, He calls every person He saves into His service. 2:10; James 2:18. You were given a gift and a place in the body of Christ when He saved you, 1 Cor. 12:7-26. You should look for His face, discover your talents, and get busy serving Jesus! Ill. Jesus could have chosen to carry out His mission on Earth in a thousand different ways. Angels could have helped him. He was capable of doing it. He could have done it by creating a special race of people. Wait! He did exactly that! He created us as a special race to carry out His will on earth and saved us from our sins. You were his choice! Serve Him and get busy. Rom, his call won't go away. 11:29. II. The Lord's expectations for these twelve men are outlined in verses 14–15 of THE MISSION (Ill.). A pattern of ministry is established in these two verses that continues to this day. Additionally, these verses reveal a ministry priority that we must not overlook.) A. Involved Discipleship: "that they should be with Him" highlights the top priority of every disciple: being alongside Jesus. These men were compelled to follow the Lord in a personal relationship. He wanted to show them His ways, which meant being close to them. To learn from Him, He needed to be close to them. He wanted to instruct them through personal example, which necessitated close proximity. Most importantly, He just wanted them to be with Him because He loved them and wanted to be with them! Each of our lives ought to place the most importance on spending time with Jesus. We must spend time with Him if we want to be like Him. We must spend time with Him if we are to serve Him as He desires. Spending time with Jesus is more important than anything else in your life! More valuable than all of the gold in the world is the time you spend praying alone with Him. It is worth more than all the diamonds in the world to spend time enjoying His Word's lush pastures. The time you spend with Him as you go about your day is worth more than all of the wealth in the universe. Being with Him is unlike anything else! (Ill. We're as close as we can get to Him! James 4:8 says that he has promised that we can get as close as we want. I want to be as close to John the Beloved as possible at the last meal, John 13. He was close enough to hear the Savior's heartbeat. to get a sense of His breath on His hair; to hear His still, low voice, and He told secrets about God. Those who desire it can have that level of intimacy. His promise to us is as follows: And when you search for me with all your heart, you will find me,” Jer said. 29:13. You are free to get as close to the Lord as you want! Get close to Jesus and stop being shy. B. Involved Statement: Jesus instructed these men to travel "forth to preach." The definition of "preach" is "to act as a herald; to communicate the King's message. These men were selected by Jesus himself, and He commissioned them to convey His message to Israel. What was the purpose of their preaching? The same message had been preached by Jesus himself. The "Gospel of the Kingdom" was it. The good news that God had sent His Son to save sinners was that He had done so. It was a message of blessing, peace, and hope. The people were to hear this message from the disciples and be invited to meet Jesus. They were given a great and high calling! (Ill.) We are all aware that preaching is not for everyone. In point of fact, some of those who claim to be preachers have never been called by God to do so. Some have self-described. Others have been called by parents, grandparents, or other relatives. The church has called on other people. When God calls a man, you can tell. Three things will be true when God calls a preacher: 1.) That man will serve God by providing opportunities for him to preach; 2.) The preacher will speak on behalf of God to feed His sheep; 3.) By saving souls through his preaching, God will bless the preacher. That's how you'll find out. whereas only a few people are chosen by God to preach; He invites all of His children to testify! He instilled His Spirit in you when He saved you. Acts 1:8 says that when the Spirit entered, He gave you a commission to share your testimony and a testimony share. Therefore, Mark 16:15 says that even if you never stand in front of a pulpit and deliver a sermon, you can still share the Good News with every living thing you come across. Jesus still wants His followers to spread the gospel! C. Involved Display These men's preaching ministry was to be accompanied by miracles. They were granted the ability to cure the ill and expel devils. These were called "sign gifts." They were given this authority to demonstrate to the people they preached to how valid their ministry was. The people were aware that Jesus was a healer and possessed authority over demons. The people were aware that the disciples were the true servants of the Lord Jesus Christ when they arrived preaching and demonstrating the same power. (Ill.) These signs no longer follow our ministries in our day and age. Oh, some people on TV and in other places say they can heal and other things, but they are liars and con artists! If they are able to heal, let them follow the example set by the New Testament and treat anyone who needs to be healed, just as Jesus and the disciples did (John 5:1–10). Acts 3:1-9. Our message is supported by the sign gifts on its own. Why? According to 1 Corinthians, the purpose of the sign gifts was to inform the Jewish people that their Messiah had arrived. 14:22. Our message today is supported by the lives that Jesus transforms through His grace. He is proving the truth of His message each time He redeems a person from their sins or saves a soul. He validates His message each time an alcoholic or drug addict is released. He validates His message each time a marriage is restored. God validates His message whenever a redeemed saint stands and testifies to the Lord Jesus Christ's life-changing and soul-saving power! I'm saying that the disciples weren't able to perform as many miracles as we are today! whenever these doors are opened; every day when we get up; Our lives are powerful displays of our God's power and presence each day! III. The names of the men Jesus chose to be His disciples are revealed in the final verses, verses 16 to 19. In fact, each of these men requires its own sermon, but time does not permit it at this time. We will only be able to gather the bare minimum of information about them today.) A. Their Names: As we move through this list, we will gain a basic understanding of each disciple. Simon – Simon is the Hebrew name for him. It means "a stone or rock." Peter becomes Jesus' new name. This name comes from Greece and also means "rock or stone." Peter was the group's leader. He had a family and was a fisherman. He spoke up and had a point of view. He bombed the Master in an extremely open way, however he lowered himself and was reestablished. In the early church, the Lord used him powerfully. James, for one, was a fisherman. He was a close associate of the Lord. Three times, James, Peter, and John were chosen for special ministry times: when Jairus' daughter was brought back to life; when Jesus was made new; and when Jesus prayed further out into Gethsemane. As the first pastor of the church, James was a great leader. He was the first Apostle to have his faith in the Lord put to death. John: He was James's brother and a member of that inner circle as well. John was referred to as the "Blessed Disciple." As the author of five New Testament books, he had a significant impact on the early church. Although John was persecuted, imprisoned, and exiled to a desert island, he was the only Apostle who was not executed for his faith. The Lord Jesus Christ gave these two brothers the nickname "Boanerges." The name "the sons of thunder" comes from this. They deserve this name because they had violent tempers and even wanted to shoot a village that didn't accept Jesus (Luke 9:52–56). According to Mark 10:35–40, they also had a little bit of egotism because they asked Jesus for a special position in the Kingdom. Andrew – Andrew was Peter's brother. Before coming to Christ, he worked as a fisherman, and every time he appears in the Gospels, he is bringing someone to Jesus. Andrew was a persuasive example of the Lord's saving power. Philip: Very little is known about Philip. In John 1:43, Jesus calls him. Philip immediately goes to Nathaniel (Bartholomew) to tell him about Jesus, John 1:44–45. Bartholomew – Nathaniel is another name for him. John 1:45–46 suggests that he was a man who had prejudice issues. John 1:17 describes him as a man of integrity and strong religious conviction. Matthew: Matthew was Jewish and went by the name Levi. He had worked for Rome as a tax collector. Mark 2:14 says that he was a controversial choice that many people detested. But when the Lord called him, he was saved, and his life changed. The Gospel of Matthew would be written by him. Thomas: This man is frequently criticized for being a doubter. According to John 11:16, he was devoted to Jesus to the point of willingly dying alongside Him. On the day that Jesus rose from the dead, John 20:25, he was the only disciple who did not hide in the upper room in fear. He was skeptical of the unseen, but when it was made clear to him, he was willing to accept it (John 20:28). James, Alphaeus's son—Nothing is known about this individual. According to John 19:25, his mother was present when Jesus was executed. Thaddaeus: This disciple's background is unknown. Simon the Canaanite: The word "canaanite" literally translates to "zealous." Simon was an innovator. He swore to overthrow the Roman government and was a Jew. He probably had ideals, was self-assured, was radical, was outspoken, fiery, and brave. Judas Iscariot was the only disciple to originate from Judea. John 12:5–6 says that although he was the group's treasurer, he was a thief and a miser. Matt. says that Judas, who was never truly saved, eventually betrayed Jesus and sold him to the Jews in exchange for thirty silver coins. 26:7-15. He went to Hell and died alone. Now, some people are puzzled as to why Jesus chose Judas. That question's response isn't entirely clear. Judas, on the other hand, was perfect in his role. His betrayal, hypocrisy, and sin were all part of God's plan to save him. We do learn a valuable lesson from Judas. He shows us that you can appear saved, act saved, and not be saved at all. In your salvation, it is possible to be deceived. For that reason you really want to notice the expressions of the Good book and "make your calling and political decision sure", 2 Pet. 1:10. B. Their Characters: As I stated at the outset, these men give us hope in the present day. I know that Jesus has the ability to use me because He was able to use these men despite their flaws and failures. These men had no spiritual insight. They lacked self-control. They didn't believe. They were not committed. They lacked authority. These men were frequently involved in trouble; ignoring the point or the teachings of Christ; attacking individuals who were different; doing something wrong; abandoning their adherence to Jesus; among other issues and failures. These men were used by the Lord to upend the world for His glory, despite their weaknesses. We must be able to use Him if He can use them! Today, that gives me hope! Jesus used these men in a way that shocked the world and filled them with His Spirit as He patiently led them along. If we give Him control of our lives and allow Him to use us for His glory, I am convinced that He can and will use us. Conc: Jesus took twelve ordinary men, saved eleven of them through His grace, and turned their lives into something extraordinary. He wants the same thing to happen to you and to me! You need to know that there is a place called Hell if you have never put your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior. You will end up there if you die without Jesus, but that need not be the case. Jesus will save you and prepare you for Heaven if you come to Him, confess your sins, and accept Him into your heart. You will become his disciple. If you are saved, wouldn't you like to be used more effectively by the Lord? I implore you to bring your life to Jesus, give it to Him, and ask Him to take you and make you a disciple for His glory. You can be used by Him if He can use men like these twelve. This altar is open if He spoke to your heart. You arrive when He calls.