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Matthew 10 – Sermon Video

 

Matthew 10 New International Version (NIV)

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

10 Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.

2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy,[a] drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.

9 “Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts— 10 no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep. 11 Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. 12 As you enter the home, give it your greeting. 13 If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. 15 Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

16 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. 17 Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. 18 On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 22 You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 23 When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

24 “The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!

26 “So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.[b] 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.

34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn

“‘a man against his father,
    a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
36     a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’[c]

37 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

40 “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41 Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”

Footnotes:

  1. Matthew 10:8 The Greek word traditionally translated leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
  2. Matthew 10:29 Or will; or knowledge
  3. Matthew 10:36 Micah 7:6

New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

BULLETIN – July 30, 2017

Prayer is still happening! Plan to join in before the service at 9:30 a.m. at the front of the sanctuary.

Our summer office hours are Monday-Thursday, 9:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. The office will be closed on Fridays. To reach a pastor on those days, please use the Pastoral Care Line 519-379-1752

Because of this shift in office hours, if you require anything to be included in the weekly bulletin, this information must be submitted to the church office no later than Wednesday at noon. Thank you for your understanding.

HMC EVENTS

All committee head leaders are asked to attend a meeting today following the service in the upper room. A light lunch will be provided.

Summer Slam VBS ‘Love Your Neighbour’ will be August 21-25 from 9 a.m. to noon for children in SK-grade 6. Forms are available in the foyer. We also now offer online registration through our website! Follow the U18 links below the MINISTRIES button in the main menu.

OPPORTUNITIES

There’s still time! If you’re thinking about being a volunteer on the Summer Slam VBS team this year, let Pastor Amos or Marie know and mark your calendar for a leaders meeting on Sunday, August 13 after the service in Auditorium A/B. Lunch will be provided.

—Please save your old newspapers for Summer Slam crafts. These can be dropped off at the office during office hours.—

Summer Slam Snacks! Once again, we’re asking for your help to fill up the snack coffers for the week of Summer Slam VBS. See the list on the table in the foyer and sign up to donate an item.

We are looking for volunteers to join our tech crew! If you’d be willing to sit in the sound booth once a month and run the computer (song, announcement, and sermon slides) please let the church office know.

PRAYER REQUESTS

Please continue to remember the Pastoral Search Team in your prayers. Pray for wisdom and discernment as they make important decisions regarding the future of HMC.

There is a booklet of prayer requests specific to the needs of HMC available in the foyer, or by speaking with Karen Schmalz or Brian Austin. Alternatively, if you’d like to receive daily prayer reminders delivered to your email, you can sign up at eepurl.com/cM9ZVj

Daily Prayer Request – Friday, July 28, 2017

Pray for our Children & Youth, that the little ones remain humble examples of what we need to become in the kingdom. Let their conduct always be pure and right with reputations that show that they remember their Creator God. Teach them to declare God’s marvelous deeds. Pray that they flee evil desires and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace.

Daily Prayer Request – Thursday, July 27, 2017

Pray for our youth and young adults in college and university. Pray that the things they have learned would come to mind when the many voices of the world would pull them away from their trust in God. Pray that they would remain true. Pray that if they begin to drift, God’s Spirit would draw them back.

BULLETIN – July 16, 2017

We continue to raise money to pay for our roof repair. As of Friday, July 14, we have raised a total of $51,900.62 towards our ultimate goal of $115,000. Thank you for your ongoing generosity towards this need.

Prayer is still happening! Plan to join in before the service at 9:30 a.m. at the front of the sanctuary.

Our summer office hours are Monday-Thursday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. The office will be closed on Fridays. To reach a pastor on those days, please use the Pastoral Care Line 519-379-1752

Because of this shift in office hours, if you require anything to be included in the weekly bulletin, this information must be submitted to the church office no later than Wednesday at noon. Thank you for your understanding.

HMC EVENTS

Today is Building Connections Sunday! Plan to stick around after the service to enjoy our Strawberry Social!

All committee head leaders are asked to attend a meeting on Sunday, July 30 following the service in the upper room. A light lunch will be provided.

Summer Slam VBS ‘Love Your Neighbour’ will be August 21-25 from 9 a.m. to noon for children in SK-grade 6. Forms are available in the foyer. We also now offer online registration through our website! Follow the U18 links below the MINISTRIES button in the main menu.

OPPORTUNITIES

Marcia Burt is hosting a new G2G Bible Study group on Wednesday mornings at 9:30 beginning on July 19. The group will be working through ‘The Life You’ve Always Wanted’ by John Ortberg. Please connect with her if you’re interested or have questions.

We have a need for cookies and squares. If you’re able to donate a couple dozen, please drop them off at the church by Thursday, July 20.

There’s still time! If you’re thinking about being a volunteer on the Summer Slam VBS team this year, let Pastor Amos or Marie know and mark your calendar for a leaders meeting on Sunday, August 13 after the service in Auditorium A/B. Lunch will be provided.

—Please save your old newspapers for Summer Slam crafts. These can be dropped off at the office during office hours.—

Summer Slam Snacks! Once again, we’re asking for your help to fill up the snack coffers for the week of Summer Slam VBS. See the list on the table in the foyer and sign up to donate an item.

We are looking for volunteers to join our tech crew! If you’d be willing to sit in the sound booth once a month and run the computer (song, announcement, and sermon slides) please let the church office know.

Congratulations

Congratulations to Graham Burt and Robyn Ikert who were married yesterday in Waterloo! May God bless you as you being your journey together.

Congratulations to Pastor Connie who became a grandmother on July 5 when her daughter Rebecca and husband Joshua welcomed little Rhea Constance!

PRAYER REQUESTS

Please continue to remember the Pastoral Search Team in your prayers. Pray for wisdom and discernment as they make important decisions regarding the future of HMC.

There is a booklet of prayer requests specific to the needs of HMC available in the foyer, or by speaking with Karen Schmalz or Brian Austin. Alternatively, if you’d like to receive daily prayer reminders delivered to your email, you can sign up at eepurl.com/cM9ZVj

Twelve Step: Are You Ready For Change?

Shared by Heather on Sunday, September 15, 2013:

I love Deuteronomy chapter 30.  If time permitted, I’d read you the entire chapter, but here are two verses:  “I place before you Life and Death, Blessing and Curse. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him”.   Deut 30:19-20

I work with teens on a daily basis and I have for several decades.  I love working with teenagers but there is an ever increasing level of openness about dysfunction which makes even a seasoned veteran like me…cringe. It becomes challenging to understand why people get stuck, why they can’t get past things they’ve experienced…sometimes far in the past.

My son once shared that when he was attending a small group, he asked for prayer.  Someone in the group piped up, “What could you possibly need prayer for…you come from a secure home, you’ve had many advantages – everything in your life looks good.” He felt shut down. He wanted to bring his needs to God, but he was supposed to be OK.

Sometimes the things that we need prayer for are not the things that anyone would assume.

Personally, I like to manage people’s impressions of me.  Success in the workplace can mask the unmanageability of life at times.  I really struggle with being joyful and feeling free in my spirit.  I am nervous about the fallout of disclosure.  Friendships that I have invested in haven’t always been what I hoped for.  Life hasn’t always been as stable as I thought it should be. So, facing the possibility that there might be some unresolved dysfunction in my own life, I joined Twelve Step two years ago.

Twelve Step is the kind of group – where the assumption is “we all have stuff that we are dealing with”.

There were 60 people in Twelve Step when I joined. However, almost every night we broke into small groups to work through the material and pray. My small group was an amazingly honest, resilient group of people, all humble enough to admit areas of dysfunction and desiring to set the past behind with God’s help and move ahead.  There wasn’t one person around the table that struggled with the same issue, but we all wanted help to get unstuck.

I needed help to see how some of my “justifiable” feelings are actually sin.  Through a multi week process I learned that some of my defects are deep character traits on which I have depended for survival.  To release them means to let go of a way of life.

I learned that I needed to change the way I pray.  For example, I have often prayed for God to heal broken relationships – but I learned that when I do that, I am really demanding an outcome from God.  That is a lot different than saying to God “I have failed in my relationships” because it is that kind of humility that allows us to understand how God sees us.  It is letting go of pride and asking God to act on our behalf.

Two years ago, when I began Twelve Step,  I wrote in my workbook that there were three things I feared.  They all had to do with abandonment. One was my son moving away and one was the death of a parent.

Well, here I am two years later. God knew what I needed to surrender before I did.  I find that God is like that!

For much of my adult life, I had difficulty to just throw my arms around my dad and give him a big hug even though he was one of my very favourite people in the world.  As I worked through some of my stuff – I found myself able to embrace my father and hold on to him in what turned out to be the last year of his life.

In Twelve Step I primarily felt growth from my own process of working through the material to help direct me to God. There is homework and it is important to do it.  But I learned a lot from my group too.  I learned how they had coped with issues in their lives and that taught me some things.  I especially learned a lot by listening to the men in my group – because they shared some perspectives that I needed to hear. I felt some of the edge of my anger and fear dissipate.  Most importantly and unexpectedly, I felt my capacity to love and understand others increase.

So for those of you who are under the impression that Twelve Step is for the Russell Brands of this world – alcoholics, drug, sex or video game addicts…you are correct.  However, if you would like recovery from addiction to resentment, fear, repressed or inappropriate anger, approval seeking, controlling behaviour, fear of abandonment.  If you’d like recovery from frozen feelings, low self-esteem, an over developed sense of responsibility or irresponsibility, or inappropriately expressed  sexuality…. Twelve Step might just be a tool that can help point YOU to the ultimate source of our help.

Twelve Step is NOT easy.  It is a not superficial social time.  There is no obligation to share your intimate details with others.  Your comfort zone might be pushed by some of the dysfunctions that others disclose –  but the stuff that we all deal with is just sin in many different forms.  And the negative impact of sin is shockingly similar for all of us. No one singles you out…..unless Connie asks you to do an announcement two years later!

Twelve step is a spiritual journey…I’m still on it. So, I’d like to encourage you that if this is a journey you are being compelled to take….sign up! 

The Twelve Step kicked off with it’s first meeting last night.  If you weren’t able to attend, please consider joining in next Tuesday night, September 24.  This will be the last open meeting, following that it will become a closed group to protect the confidentiality of the people taking this life-changing journey.

You can learn a little bit more by visiting the Twelve Step page on our website.

Proposed Facility Changes

Here is another look at the proposed changes that Pastor Jason presented on September 4, 2011

There will be a suggestion box in the church foyer for the next few weeks.  We welcome all your questions and concerns.

Simplicity and Stuff

According to Richard Foster, “Simplicity is freedom.”

It’s freedom from a spirit of greed and control. It’s freedom from the diabolical lust for more. In his book, The Freedom of Simplicity, he writes,
“But the wonderful thing about simplicity is its ability to give us contentment. Do you understand what a freedom this is? To live in contentment means we can opt out of the status race and the maddening pace that is its necessary partner. We can shout ‘No!’ to the insanity which chants, ‘More, more, more!’ We can rest contented in the gracious provision of God.” Foster, Freedom of Simplicity, 110.
It seems like Foster isn’t alone in his perspective on consumerism and our obsession with stuff.
Check out this great video from www.storyofstuff.com:

Is it time to stop Fasting from Fasting?


Fasting. It’s an ancient discipline that is rarely practiced today. At least in the part of the world where I live.

Most people don’t question the importance of prayer and Bible study in spiritual formation. But fasting–that’s for the Medieval weirdos.
Or, maybe not.
Take pastor, theologian, and founder of Methodism, John Wesley (1703-1791) for example. He wrote, “the man that never fasts is no more in the way to heaven than the man that never prays.”
Dallas Willard–a modern day theologian, professor, and spiritual formation guru–says, “We of course tend to think of ascetic practices perhaps as oddities of human history, prominent only in ‘pagan India,’ perhaps, or in the spiritually degraded ‘Dark Ages’ of Western Europe. But such thinking is far from the truth. It’s an illusion created in part by our own conviction that our unrestrained natural impulse is in itself a good thing and that we have an unquestionable right to fulfill our natural impulses so long as ‘no ones gets hurt.'” (Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines, 99)
In our obsession with ‘the easy life’ we’ve tossed aside uncomfortable spiritual practices and buried ourselves under the pillows of cushy Christianity. The kind of religion that promises genuine growth but instead swallows us in a hollow ‘form’ of Christian spirituality.
If we want to act like Jesus we are going to have to get comfortable with discomfort. Not pain for pain’s sake; but self-imposed discomfort. Like an athlete’s painful workout that leads to greater effectiveness on game day.

Jesus and the O.T. Law


The Old Testament Law. It’s the subject of this week’s sermon (taken from Matt. 5:17-20).

It’s not a simple subject. Actually, there are massive rabbinical commentaries written about even the most subtle of commands.
And one of the Law’s greatest commander-zealot, before he met Jesus, was the apostle Paul–aka Saul the Pharisee.
However, once he was changed by Jesus, Paul changed his mind about his radical devotion to obeying the law. He didn’t throw it out; instead he followed it by seeing it through a Christian lens.
Put simply: he stopped inviting people to “do” or “obey” the law. Instead, he called people to “fulfill” it by following Jesus.
Here are some of the texts he wrote in reference to the O.T. Law:
“Doing” the Law (Gal. 3:10, 12; 5:3; Rom 10:5)
“Fulfilling” the Law (Gal. 5:14; Rom. 8:4; 13:8, 10)
So, how about you? Are you more of a “doer” or a “fulfiller” of the law?