Title: Go to the Lost Sheep
Contents
Matthew 10:5-15 Go to the lost sheep
The twelfth word of the command that Jesus gave to his disciples was, when sending out his disciples, do not go into the way of the Gentiles, nor into any Samaritan city, but rather, go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
1. God who fills
Jesus' purpose in coming into the world is as shown in the parable of Luke 15, as a shepherd who left 99 sheep and came to find the one lost. When God created the heavens and the earth, He filled the expanse of heaven with lights and birds, filled the earth with animals and plants, and filled the sea with fish and all living creatures that thrive in water according to their kind. And he blessed them and told them to be fruitful and multiply and fill the seas of the seas (Genesis 1:28).
2. The economy of redemption
Jesus was speaking in terms of the economy of redemption when he gave orders to do what he had to do first, while suspending evangelism for Gentiles and Samaritans for a while until all the lost sheep of the house of Israel were found. Paul, who was called to be an apostle to the Gentiles, also observed the missionary principle, “to the Jews first, and then to the Greeks” (Romans 1:16; 2:9).
The Apostle Paul, speaking of the mystery of God, prophesied that Israel would become dull and hardened until the full number of the Gentiles in the time of the Gentiles was fulfilled (Romans 11:25-32). He gives them ears that cannot hear and makes them stumble because they are jealous of the Gentiles (Romans 11:8-10). They will mourn for the sins that crucified him, repent, and turn to the Lord. 'When the time is fulfilled, God sent his Son, born of a woman'.. (Galatians 4:4) 'Before faith came, we being bound below, and imprisoned until the time of faith that will be revealed” (Galatians 3:23).
Judging from the plan of redemption, the time of the Gentiles is coming to an end. When the sun starts to rise, there is light on one side and shadows where the sun sets. The gospel of the kingdom of God started in Jerusalem, the center of the earth, turned clockwise, spread to the East, and reached Korea. Now, the revival movement of the Holy Spirit has begun in the East and is moving westward as far as Jerusalem. (Romans 13:11-12) “Therefore, be on the alert, for you do not know the day or the hour” (Matthew 25:13).
The 7 churches in the book of Revelation is a picture showing the church clocks of the wartime era.
The Church of Ephesus is the church of the apostles to be longed for. The Church of Laodicea is a secularized church that follows the opinions of the majority. Churches around the world are gradually being reduced to the churches of Laodicea, and the dark shadow of the time of the Antichrist is falling.
3. Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
It is a declaration of war and a proclamation of the imminent urgency of the coming of the kingdom of God and the judgment of Israel. What is a house? It means family, lineage, tribe. Family communities are numbered. Family of 3, family of 5, family of 12, etc... Family members do not increase or decrease. The command given to the apostles is to go to the house of Israel first. You have to fill in the number of your family so that they can enter the kingdom of God. On the night of the Passover, the Israelites who were leaving Egypt gathered lamb according to the number of families and sheep, and had them sit at the table to eat. That number is a sign that the family will be saved. Family salvation is a command from the Lord.