Matthew 10: Kingdom Ambassadors

The concept of Kingdom Ambassadors perfectly captures the heart of Matthew 10, where Jesus transforms his disciples into apostles—sent ones—commissioned to represent heaven's reality on earth. Pastor Brandon unpacks this pivotal moment when Jesus grants his twelve followers supernatural authority while simultaneously preparing them for the inevitable opposition they'll face.

Walking verse by verse through this challenging chapter, we discover how Jesus never sugarcoats the reality of kingdom representation. His striking words, "I am sending you as sheep among wolves," and his statement about bringing "not peace, but a sword" reveal the inherent conflict that comes when light enters darkness. The gospel, by its very nature, challenges our way with God's way.

What emerges is a profound encouragement for modern believers facing resistance in their own witness. When sharing your faith feels difficult, when living for God seems to create tension rather than harmony, it might not indicate failure but faithfulness. As Pastor Brandon powerfully observes, "Sometimes when we face difficulty and challenges, it might be a very good indicator that we're doing something very right." The life-changing commission hasn't changed—we're still called to announce "the kingdom of heaven is near" through both word and deed.

Whether you're feeling weary in your witness or seeking clarity on your calling as Christ's representative, this episode provides a compass for navigating opposition while maintaining both wisdom and innocence. Remember, as kingdom ambassadors, we're not called to flex spiritual superiority but to extend an invitation: "I'm not any better than you, I'm just better than I would be without Jesus... come, join me."

Hear this transformative message and discover your place in Christ's continuing mission. How might your perspective shift if you embraced your identity as heaven's ambassador today?

Contact us-

Ask a Question
Send Encouragement

Take a Next Step-

SOAP Bible Study Method.
Bible Reading Plan.
Free Weekly Newsletter.

Socials-

Facebook.
Instagram.
X.
YouTube.

The More We Dig. The More We Find.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Kingdom Ambassadors
• 4:19 Jesus Selects the Twelve Apostles
• 5:34 Instructions for Kingdom Ambassadors
• 6:59 Persecution and Opposition Warnings
• 9:09 Fear God, Not Man
• 13:04 Finding Strength When Facing Resistance
• 15:54 Encouragement and Closing Prayer

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:24

Well, hello everybody. Welcome back to the Bible Breakdown Podcast with your host, pastor Brandon. Today, matthew chapter 10, and today's title is Kingdom Ambassadors, kingdom Ambassadors. I don't know if you are aware of this I'm sure you are, but in most countries they have these people called ambassadors who will represent them in other countries all over the world. And when we think about the kingdom of God, especially in this chapter, one of the most interesting ways to think about us as Christ followers is God's ambassadors sent from heaven to earth in order to display the kingdom of God. And we're're gonna get into all that today and really challenge ourselves with when Jesus sent out the Apostles. It wasn't the only time he did this, but it was a pattern, as we see how he is continually sending us out today. So, if you have your Bibles when, open up with me to Matthew chapter 10 while you're doing that, as always, if you're new around here and we'll take just a moment like share and subscribe to the YouTube channel and the podcast, make sure you're sharing the YouTube channel and the podcast with everybody you can. We just want to continue to just spread this community to as many people as possible. Leave us a five-star review on the podcast. It really does help and make sure you're going to the Bible Breakdown Discussion on Facebook. There's an amazing group of people doing a wonderful job and, as always, the more we dig the more we find.

Speaker 1: 1:53

Well, as you are getting ready to join us in this if you've been with us over the past several days, if you remember, the overall idea of the Gospel of Matthew is talking about Jesus as simply, but not simplistically, as the king. Now, what I mean by that is is he starts off right out of the gate in chapter 1, telling the Jewish nation that Jesus is the rightful king of Israel, and that's what those you know father of this and son of this and all this kind of stuff is what it was all about was saying. At the very least, jesus has a claim to the earthly throne of Israel. But then he spends chapter 2 through 28 saying, however, jesus is so much more than just an earthly king. And that's a pretty big deal, because the nation of Israel at the time, they knew the prophecies of the coming Messiah, but they thought the coming Messiah was going to be an earthly king, and what Matthew is telling them is oh man, jesus is so much more than a earthly king. He's the king of kings and the Lord of lords, and throughout the chapters he's talking about what that looks like. And we saw in Matthew 5, 6, and 7, jesus just lays out the manifesto of the kingdom and he's taking this upside down world and turning it right side up again. And then in eight and nine we see how Jesus then shows what the kingdom of heaven looks like. And now, as we get into chapter 10, we see Jesus answering the question, because at the end of chapter nine he says you know, when I look around me it's like looking at a harvest field. There's people all around who are ready to hear about the gospel, but I need someone to help me who is going to spread the good news. Well, in chapter 10, he tells who it's going to be, and it's going to be these 12 disciples. And eventually we find out in Matthew 28 how he is saying I am sending all of you into all the world. So this is a precursor of what he's eventually going to do to all of us. So let's read this and let's see what the marching orders of Jesus is to his disciples. So here we go.

Speaker 1: 3:58

Matthew, chapter 10, verse 1 says this Jesus called his 12 disciples together and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits. And Now, by the way, the difference between a disciple and apostle? These are used interchangeably. A disciple is a learner, an apostle is a sent one. That's what apostle means a sent one. So he is saying he's taking 12 of his disciples and he is sending them. That's why they change names from disciple to apostle. So here are the 12 sent ones. First, simon, also called peter, andrew, peter's brother. James, the son of zebedee. John, his brother, philip bartholomew. Thomas, matthew the tax we read about him recently James, son of Alphaeus. Thaddeus, simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who would later betray him. Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions Don't go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans, only the people of Israel, god's lost sheep.

Speaker 1: 5:11

Go and announce to them the kingdom of heaven is near. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, cast out demons. Give freely as you have received. Don't take any money in your money belts, no gold, silver or even copper coins. Don't carry a traveler's bag with a change of clothes and sandals or even a walking stick. Don't hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve to be fed Whenever you enter a city or village, search for a worthy person to stay in their home until you leave town. When you enter the home, give it your blessing. If it turns out to be a worthy home, let the blessing stand. If it is not, take back the blessing. If any household or town refuses to welcome you or listen to your message, shake its dust from your feet as you leave.

Speaker 1: 6:02

I tell you the truth the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah will be better off than such a town. On the Judgment Day, look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be shrewd as snakes and as harmless as doves. But beware you will be handed over to the courts and will be flogged with whips in the synagogues. You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers, but this will be your opportunity to tell the rulers and other unbelievers about me.

Speaker 1: 6:34

When you are arrested, don't worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time, for it is not you who will be speaking, but it is the spirit of your father who's speaking through you. A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed. All nations will hate you because you are my followers, but everyone who endures to the end will be saved. When you are persecuted in one town, flee to the next.

Speaker 1: 7:09

I tell you the truth the Son of man will return before you have reached all the towns of Israel. Students are not greater than their teacher and slaves are not greater than their master. Students are to be like their teacher and slaves are to be like their master. And since I, the master of the household, have been called the prince of demons, then the members of my household will be called even worse names. But don't be afraid of those who threaten you, for the members of my household will be called even worse names. But don't be afraid of those who threaten you, for the time is coming when everything that is covered will be revealed and all that is secret will be made known to all.

Speaker 1: 7:45

What I tell you now in the darkness, shout abroad. When daylight comes, daybreak comes. What I whisper in your ear, shout from the housetops for all to hear. Don't be afraid of those who want to kill your body. They cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. What is the price of two sparrows? One copper coin, but not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your father knowing it, and the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid, you are more valuable to God than the whole flock of sparrows.

Speaker 1: 8:26

Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will acknowledge also before my father in heaven. But everyone who denies me here on earth, acknowledge also before my father in heaven. But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my father in heaven. Don't imagine that I came to bring peace on earth. I came not to bring peace, but a sword. I have come to set man against his father, daughter against his mother and daughter-in-law against his mother-in-law, her mother-in-law. You are not worthy of being mine. If you cling to your life, you will lose it, but if you give up your life for me, you will find it. Everyone who receives you receives me, and everyone who receives me receives the Father who sent me. If you receive a prophet as one who speaks for God, you are given the same reward as the prophet. If you receive a righteous person, because they are righteous, because of their righteousness, you will be given a reward like theirs, and if you give even a cup, wow.

Speaker 1: 9:46

Well, I read that whole thing in just kind of without interruption, because I wanted us to get the overall idea of what Jesus is saying. The bottom line of what Jesus is saying is is I am sending you as a representative of the kingdom of heaven into a world that doesn't know me. And notice how he was saying that. He said I'm sending you as lambs among wolves. In other words, it would be foolish for us to expect that we're going to go into our world and not face opposition. As a matter of fact, jesus even says I want to tell you that I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. Now, by that he is not saying that I've come to bring violence upon the world. What he is using is remember a couple of chapters ago, how he used hyperbole. He's using that again to say that when you go and you represent me before the world, it's going to cause conflict.

Speaker 1: 10:43

That's one of the things that I think is unfortunate, but at the same time, it's part of the world we live in, and that is that we say that as Christians, we are supposed to only be the bringers of peace, and of course that's the goal. But at the same time, the gospel is offensive. Because the gospel says this is the right way, not your way. And while that is not saying that we should be getting in physical altercations with people, it's to say that when we proclaim that the good news of the gospel is that we are sinners and we are destined for hell without Jesus, but with Jesus we have hope and eternal life, that's offensive. Not everyone's going to agree with us.

Speaker 1: 11:23

Now, the response of this is not that we fight back and are violent with people none of that but it is that we endure, understanding that they're not fighting against us. They're fighting against this sinful desire in them that wants to rebel against God. And so we just stand in the gap there and say, hey, listen, I'm telling you, god's not mad at you, but you're going to hell without Jesus. That's a hard message and that's why Jesus is warning them. He's saying I'm giving you the keys to life, I'm giving you the gospel that changes people's life. It changes their, their eternal destination, and there's so many great things, but not everyone's going to accept it. And so he's telling us, before you go, it's going to be hard.

Speaker 1: 12:06

It would be like if I were to tell you all of the wonderful things about running a marathon I had an opportunity years ago to do that and I were to tell you all about crossing that finish line and how wonderful it was and how accomplished it felt. And if I just told you about that and then you set out to go run a marathon, wouldn't you be really upset with me If I forgot to tell you that? Oh, by the way, it's 26.2 miles and it took me, you know, three years basically to train for it and it was one of the hardest things I ever did. Dude, shouldn't you have told me that? All you did was tell me about crossing the finish line. You didn't tell me how hard it was along the way, and all I would be able to say is oh yeah, I forgot.

Speaker 1: 12:48

Well, what Jesus does is he tells us. He tells us the joy of sharing the gospel with someone else. He tells us the joy of sharing the gospel with someone else, the joy of being somebody else's miracle, because you're able to tell them about the life, giving good news, that you don't have to live in sin and destruction and brokenness, but you can find life in Jesus, but at the same time, there's a cost that you're going to have to walk through difficulty, you're going to have to walk through people not understanding, you're going to have to walk through spiritual warfare, and you're going to have to stay the course and to realize that not everybody's going to agree with you. Thank goodness for Jesus, thank goodness that he reminds us that way. When we have people who don't agree with us, when we have folks who don't understand, and when it gets difficult, we're not surprised, but rather we go. Thank you, jesus, because you are reminding me that this is all part of what it is, this is part of the Christ life, and I'm not doing anything wrong.

Speaker 1: 13:51

As a matter of fact, sometimes, when we face difficulty and challenges, it might be a very good indicator that we're doing something very right, and so I want to encourage you today that if you're living for God to the best of your ability and you're serving him the best you can and you're trying to share the hope of the gospel with your coworkers and your family and it seems like things are going wrong, that doesn't necessarily mean you're doing it wrong. It might simply be you're doing it right and that there's a spiritual enemy that's fighting against you. And so what you do is you double down, you don't get mad at people, you get mad at the devil. You don't rebuke people, you rebuke the devil and you continue to be that light in the dark place. You ever been in a place where it's been dark for a while and then someone turns on the light all of a sudden. You're thankful for the light, but it hurts at first. Right, it hurts your eyes. You go oh my goodness, did you not warn me? And then your eyes adjust and you're good.

Speaker 1: 14:44

Well, many times that's what happens when a Christ follower goes into a dark place. Now we're not preaching at people, we're not browbeating people, as they would say. We're not talking down to anybody, we're just living for God in front of people. Sometimes it hurts because it's reminding people of the goodness of God, and so what we do is we don't apologize for it, but at the same time we say hey, listen, I'm not any better than you, I'm just better than I would be without Jesus, and I'm not here to flex in front of you, I'm here to say come, join me. And when you do that that's what an ambassador does is somebody who is sent from one place to another to proclaim the goodness of where they're from. That's what we get to do in the kingdom of God.

Speaker 1: 15:30

Let's pray together right now. God, thank you so much for today. Thank you for the honor that you have given us to be your hands and feet in the kingdom of God. Let's pray together right now. God, thank you so much for today. Thank you for the honor that you have given us to be your hands and feet in the world around us.

Speaker 1: 15:40

My prayer today, god, is that you will encourage some of us today who we are weary. We've been through a lot, we've seen a lot, a lot has happened and for some of us, we're so tired, we're tired of fighting. We're tired of fighting, we're tired of being in, maybe, some of these environments. And the enemy wants to tell us that you're doing it wrong, that if you were really serving God, life would be easy. Well, god, there may be some things that we're doing that is making life more difficult. It's got nothing to do with you. But for some of us, maybe it's not that we're doing something wrong. Maybe it's not that we're doing something wrong, maybe it's because we're doing something right. I pray you'll open our eyes. Holy Spirit, encourage us and help us to stay the course. Today, in Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. Anyway, what God's word says in Matthew 28, verse 19,. I wonder, do you have it memorized with me yet? Let's say it together All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth, and I said that. Backwards Go, therefore, and