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Divine Authority and True Compassion in Luke 10
July 11, 2025 · 14 min
Explore Luke 10's account of the 70 disciples, the Good Samaritan, and the lesson of Mary and Martha.
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The Authority of the Disciples and the Parable of the Good Samaritan 0:09 Good morning. Welcome to Stand on the Word, a great chapter this morning as we look at Luke chapter 10 verse 19. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions,0:22 and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Now in this chapter, Luke provides an account of something we do not see in any of the other gospels. He tells the the story of the0:33 70 disciples who were sent out by Jesus, and we're gonna look at that in greater detail because it's the only time we're going to see it in the gospels. Now this chapter also includes the amazing parable of the Good0:45 Samaritan, that's in verses 25 through 37, and context adds power to this story. Remember in the previous chapter, chapter 9, the Samaritans did not really,0:57 receive Jesus into their village. They rejected him. And here, in telling this story, he elevates them in this illustration of biblical kindness and compassion above1:09 2 Jewish religious leaders, a priest and a Levite. The final 5 verses provide a very brief account of Jesus's visit to the house of Mary and Martha as he neared1:21 Jerusalem. Those were the 2 sisters of Lazarus. In fact, let's just go ahead and look at that. Verse 38, drop down to verse 38. Now it happened as they went, they entered a certain village, and a certain woman named1:32 Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard his word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she1:44 approached him and said, Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore, tell her to help me. Now depending on our perspective, we're gonna side with Mary or Martha,1:56 but just keep this in mind. Alright? That it was not just Jesus she was serving. Serving Jesus meant serving his disciples, which would include at least2:08 12 and probably a lot more. So it was a lot of work to host Jesus. Look at verse 41. And Jesus answered and said to her, Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.2:20 But 1 thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her. Okay. So what is Jesus saying here? Open for interpretation,2:32 but I think he's saying less is more. I think he's saying, Martha, we don't need a 5 course meal. Peanut butter and jelly be fine. Pizza is fine. There are more important things than2:43 food, and Mary is focused on it. Now what I believe Jesus is communicating here is that we must always evaluate where we are devoting our time2:55 and energy, ensuring that we're focused on those things that have eternal value. Jesus didn't say what Martha was doing was bad. What he said was what Mary was3:07 doing was better. So let let's make sure we're focused on that which has eternal value. Now, obviously, we have to have food. We have to take care of the basics, but they don't have3:19 to be elaborate. Alright. Let's go back to the beginning of this chapter to the account of the 70, which, as I said, is the is very it it's unique to Luke. It's the only time we're going to see it. This was probably the3:30 final push, to alert the nation that the Messiah was headed to the cross. This this occurred about 4 to 5 months before Jesus went to Jerusalem for the last time and3:42 was crucified. Let's begin verse 1. After these things, the lord appointed 70 others also. Right? He'd already had the 12 disciples. They had been with him for almost 3 years. He appoints 70,3:54 and he sent them 2 by 2 before his face into every city and place where he himself was about to go. Then he said to them, the harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few. Therefore,4:06 pray the lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Couple of observations on these first 2 verses. The 70 were being sent out before Jesus. Alright?4:18 They were to alert the people that Jesus was coming to their city. You know what? We too are to alert people that Jesus is coming, and and we we're going before him4:30 because he's coming back, and I believe very soon. Then notice Jesus says pray for laborers for the harvest. This is something we can and should be praying for4:42 with confident faith that god will answer our prayer because he stated this is his will. He wants to have laborers in the final harvest of souls. It's his harvest. And so as we join4:54 him praying his will, we can be confident that he will hear us and answer that prayer. Verse 3, go your way. Behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.5:07 Alright? Not necessarily encouraging or reassuring, but he says, look, I'm sending you out there. It's gonna be dangerous, but I'm sending you out there. Carry neither money bag, knapsack, or sandals, and5:18 greet no 1 along the road. Now that that that communicates a sense of urgency. But whatever house you enter, first say peace to this house. And if the son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon it. If not, it5:30 will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give you, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whatever city you enter and they receive you,5:42 eat such things as set before you. Now the instructions are similar to what we saw when Jesus sent the 12 disciples out in chapter 9. Verse5:54 9, and heal the sick there and say to them, the kingdom of god has come upon you or has come near you. But whatever city you enter and they do not receive you, go out into the streets6:06 and say, the very dust of your city which clings to us, we wipe off against you. Nevertheless, know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you. But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in the day6:18 for Sodom than for that city. Okay. So what was their mission? Their mission was to heal the sick and preach the gospel. When you you look at the ministry of Jesus and his6:30 disciples, it's very hard to separate physical healing from spiritual healing because they were often intertwined, not all the time, but many times. Now I know this doesn't fit in the theological6:42 box of many today, but let me ask you, what's changed? I mean, certainly not the state of fallen man. And in fact, as we've looked at before, we saw a lot of this activity, this, of6:54 of the kingdom of darkness, of Satan, in the introduction of the kingdom of god. And I believe that we're going to see an increase of that activity as the culmination of the kingdom of god comes about,7:06 and I believe we're in that time. And I think the the increase that we see in the physical and mental infirmities that are overwhelming our health care system have a strong7:17 spiritual connection today. I mean, it it it's there. Or we just have to look. We have to have kingdom eyes to see these things, and we need to, we need to just7:29 be praying. The Lord would help us understand and interpret what is happening around us through the lenses of scripture. Alright. Drop down to verse 17. Then the 707:41 returned with joy saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name. And he said to them, I saw Satan falling like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on7:53 serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the8:04 spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven. The authority to trample serpents and scorpions8:16 over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. How can that be? I mean, how how can it be? Well, it's not the first promise of its kind. Isaiah 54 17 says, no weapon formed8:28 against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from me, says the Lord.8:40 So, I mean, how can this be when we we we suffer setbacks in this life, we we see difficulties, we have opposition? Well, let's do this. Let let first, let's define the term8:51 authority, exosio, which means power and authority, the power of influence and right. But it has to be exercised. Okay? We have that authority and power, but we have to9:03 exercise it. But it begins with perspective. Right? In in Romans chapter 8 verse 31, Paul says this, what then shall we say to these things? If god is for us, who can be against9:15 us? Obviously, there are people who are against us, but, I mean, what does that mean in light of the fact that god is for us? He who did not spare his own son but delivered him up for us, how shall he, not with9:27 him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? Is it God who justifies? Verse 37, yet in all of these things, we are more than conquerors through him who9:39 loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing shall separate us from the9:51 love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our lord. Right? This is critical. We must have an eternal perspective. Right? You do not declare the winner of a baseball game based upon the score10:03 at the end of the third inning. Right? It's not over. We must live in light of our eternal future and our reward. The the things that that10:15 that we face in this life, the opposition, the difficulties, the challenges, those are temporal. Alright? We must live in a light of eternity. We must also exercise the power and the authority10:26 that we've been given according to the guidance that we've been given. In Matthew, we looked at what I call what Jesus is. Really, it's a commencement address to his disciples at10:38 Caesarea Philippi. It was before the cave of Pan, which the pagans believed was the gate to the underworld or hell. And and and with that backdrop10:50 literally sitting in front of that, Jesus said to Peter, or after Peter made his confession that Jesus was the son of God, the Messiah, he said this in verse, Matthew chapter11:02 16 verse 18, and I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock, that is the confession that Jesus was the Messiah, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall11:14 not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you lose on earth will be loosed in heaven. You see, we've been11:25 given the authority and the power to overcome the powers of Satan and his demons, but we must have an eternal perspective. Rejoicing not in the temporal victories as11:37 the seventies as the 70 did when they came back, but in the eternal. He said rejoice because your name is written in the lamb's book of life, the book of eternity. See, the final outcome, we we've got11:49 to keep our eyes focused on the final outcome. There may be setbacks today. Right? You may have some setbacks today, but victory is coming. It is assured. But remember, our power and authority, it comes from the Lord.12:01 We cannot we we cannot prevail in our own power, in our own authority. As Paul writes to the Ephesians in that final chapter, chapter 6, he said, be strong in the Lord and the power of his12:13 might. As we go before the lord, go with confidence that we've been given power and authority. But e even with that, we must keep everything in light of eternity.12:25 That's where we will rejoice in the eternal victory that comes through our relationship with Jesus Christ. Father, we thank you for your word. Thank you for the power and the12:37 authority that you've given us as your disciples, and may we operate in that power and in that thought in that authority with confidence. And, lord, may we live in light of eternity,12:49 choosing those things, lord, which have the greatest value. Give us the discernment, the spiritual discernment that we need each and every day, every moment of every day. And, lord, may we,13:01 may we go from victory on the victory with confidence, with joy. And, lord, we just thank you. Thank you for your word. Holy Spirit, continue to lead us on this journey. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.13:13 Alright. Thanks for joining me this morning. By the way, we'll be in Baton Rouge Saturday night for our monthly stand on the word bible study. So if you're in the Baton Rouge area, I invite you to join us. If you'd like13:24 more information, just email me tony at tony perkins dot com. But, also, you can join us on the Stand Firm app. So if you have the Stand Firm app at, 7 PM central, 8 o'clock eastern time, we will have our13:36 monthly Stand on the Word bible study. Until next time, keep standing on the Word.13:45 Today's study comes from the Stand on the Word Bible reading plan available for free at f r c dot o r g slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a day, you13:57 can read through the entire Bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at frc dot org slash bible.In this video 0:00 The Authority of the Disciples and the Parable of the Good Samaritan54:02
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