The Wise and Innocent

Matthew 10:16-33

In the movie: Carman, The Champion - the hero, an ex-fighter now preacher played, of course by Carman - is in a set up. He's befriended a young boy named Caesar. The boy was caught up in "slinging" drugs on the streets of Los Angeles. Basically he was a runner - a delivery boy for the drug dealers. The dealers wanted to get back at "the preacher" so they told Caesar to lead Carman into an ambush.

It's always the part of movies that I hate the most - you know it's a trap - but the hero doesn't - and so he or she blindly walks into it - having the best of intentions but about to suffer a terrible fate.

Although not many of us might find ourselves fighting drug lords on the streets of LA - there are ambushes waiting for us out there as well - traps set by the enemy to try and keep us from serving the Lord and seeing the lost stolen from the enemy's camp.

There is a risk when we become visible to the world, and the enemy, that we are for the Lord. Carman became visible when he reached out to little Caesar - to help him turn his life over to God - and so he became a target. And so we become targets when we decide to actually live a Christ-like life.

Jesus understood what it was like to be a target - and so He prepared His disciples for taking the good news out to the world - and prepares us for the battles we will face - the ambushes we will encounter.

We've just come from the calling portion of Matthew 10 - Jesus identified ordinary people - even misfits in some cases - and called them to be witnesses for Him of a new kind of kingdom. He calls us too - ordinary, sometimes misfits - to carry the same message as we live our lives for Him - being available whenever the call comes.

But before we step out there are some things we need to realize and some tools we need to take with us. Let's begin in verse 16:

16 I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.

This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible - and if you've been around Living Waters very long you may have heard me mention it.

I like it because Jesus gives us a very clear image in our minds - and a very clear and practical way of living a redeemed life in a fallen world.

#1 Jesus says - "I am sending you out as sheep among wolves." Jesus knows that us ordinary misfits are going to encounter extraordinary enemies. Jesus doesn't call us into action without realizing the consequences - so don't move out in ministry with the notion that it's always going to be smooth sailing.

"Sheep among wolves" - it's a turned around picture, isn't it? You see a bunch of wolves gathered together and here come the sheep. It's supposed to be the other way around - a gathering of sheep in a wolf pack coming to attack and cause panic and death and destruction. The truth is we are like sheep going out into a large grouping of wolves - so we need something extra to keep from being eaten alive.

Let's look for a moment at the behavior of wolves to get some idea of what Jesus perhaps has in mind:

1. Wolves like to attack what runs from them.

I know that sounds silly, but researchers in Yellowstone National Park have found that wolves kill cattle, but not many. One of the reasons is that cattle don't move very fast or very often unless in a stampede. They just sit there and look at you as they block the road. But young calves run around a lot more and are spooked more easily - so wolves are attracted to it.

In the same way if we go around acting like we are afraid of life, the world, Satan, the pre-Christians that live around us - we are more likely to get eaten alive. So what do we do? More on that in a moment.

2. Wolves rely on packs to hunt

Wolves prey on large mammals - elk, deer, moose, and sheep. But they must collaborate in order to bring down these creatures, which are larger than they are. 1 on 1 a wolf would only be able to kill a creature the same size or smaller than itself.

There is a lesson here for us as well. In the New Testament we find several instances where when the mob ruled, Christians got hurt. It happened to Steven, to Paul, to Peter - and certainly to Christ.

When you are in a situation with a larger group of people who are growing more and more antagonistic to the message your life sends - watch out. Dealing one on one is much more effective and much safer.

3. I want to quote the following found on Wolf.org
"A wolf pack will pick up the scent of the prey. This is done either by following tracks on the ground, or by picking up the airborne scent. After picking up the scent, the wolves move as a unit towards their quarry. This must be done quietly, so as not to alert their prey. Once the quarry is found, the wolves will surround the animal, biting it around the backside, sides, neck and head. Once the wolves have successfully attacked, death comes very quickly.

However, in most cases, the hunt is not successful. Either the intended prey will pick up the scent of the wolves and run, or in the case of the much larger prey such as the moose, the prey will try to fight the wolves off. If the prey is fleet of foot, or if the prey fights well, the wolves will leave in search of easier game. The wolves seem to know when to give up and search for something new."

What we see here is awareness before and behavior in the fight. To talk about that, let's look at the second half of that verse:

Be as shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves.

In reality - Jesus doesn't want us to be like sheep or wolves - but a balance between them - and that can be found in the second image of shrewd snakes and innocent doves.

1. Be shrewd - we need to be prepared for what may be coming at us. We do that by keeping in the Word, teaching, prayer, worship, and fellowship with other believers. We do it by keeping our lives accountable to God - to regularly examine ourselves and let God change us and challenge us.

We also are shrewd by knowing the enemy's ways and whereabouts. That's where being like a snake comes in handy. A snake uses its tongue to taste the air around it. Taking in this information the snake determines whether what it smells is food or enemy - and from what direction the smell is coming from. The snake also has a special organ, called a "pit" located by the eye - this is an infrared device so sensitive it can sense the heat of a mouse from several meters away in total darkness.

The point here is that snakes use special abilities to sense things in the environment around them that they cannot see. We too have special abilities - called "discernment" as a gift from the Holy Spirit.

How does it work? Well, I can't explain it exactly - but the Bible tells us that part of the armor given to us by the Holy Spirit is the ability to discern spirits - whether they are from God or from Satan.

I encourage us all to tap into the Holy Spirit - ask Him in your everyday life - smell the air around you - do you catch the scent of the enemy? Use your "spiritual" pit organ to sense the enemy's presence even though you can't see him.

The more we press into the Lord and are serious about our relationship and accountability to Him - the more this discernment will help us avoid spiritual traps or attacks.

2. Be innocent

But shrewdness is nothing but cunning unless it is coupled with innocence. To be innocent means to be unmixed. We need to know what the enemy is up to but steer well clear of getting mixed up in it. That means that we keep ourselves clean from sin - and sincere in motive.

Know when to avoid a fight - and how to behave in one. When the enemy wolf attacks - if you are blameless then there is nothing to latch on to - no mouth hold. I know that none of us is perfect - and so that's why we must also do what sheep do - not totally clueless and unprepared - but reliant on the Shepherd to lead and guide them.

We need to rely on Jesus as our Shepherd - that we are fully invested in Him - not just on the outskirts of the flock, where we can get picked off by a wolf pack - but right there, following His every move - cleansed by His blood, led by His Spirit.

But if we become mixed up in the world around us, taking in its message, buying into its philosophy, even partaking of it - we cannot expect to fair well in a fight. Wolves look for the weak and injured to attack. Has sin or apathy made you a weak Christian? My advice is to get right with God - repent, and let Him forgive and cleanse you - and make you strong.

When we walk through this life we are not looking for a fight, but prepared if one comes - and the fights will come as Jesus outlines next.

We're not going to go through each verse here - but I want to show the types of battles and more strategies for handling them.

17 "Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their 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.

Jesus warned His disciples that authorities would try to come against this new way - and He was right. Today in the U.S. we don't suffer much of this kind of persecution - but there are two things we can pull out of this.

1. Jesus said "Be on your guard." You know, Christians aren't supposed to be naïve, or stupid. That's why we are to be shrewd. We need to know people, situations, and traps when they are about to occur. Don't walk into trouble out of ignorance.

2. The second thing is "at that time you will be given what to say." Although preparing our hearts and minds by immersing ourselves in God's Word is very important - we don't have to shrink back from speaking for God contemporaneously. Don't let lack of preparation hold you back from sharing the gospel.

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 All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 23 When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

Jesus doesn't mince words - families will be torn apart by the gospel. And its true - I remember once of my sisters making some very disparaging remarks about me when I gave my heart to the Lord - about this "fad" that I was in. When my mother also gave her heart to the Lord she was even worse.

The point is - who is your real family? Who is really there for you - if even your parents disown you because of your faith in Jesus? Who demands first priority in your life? Who can mend families torn apart?

Jesus says: "he who stands firm to the end will be saved." This doesn't mean that if you falter you go to hell, it also doesn't mean that you will necessarily be delivered from physical suffering if you endure - but it shows that enduring, having patience, standing firm in Jesus no matter what's going on around you - is a byproduct of your relationship with Him.

And don't give up if you get put down because of your faith. Jesus says - just go somewhere else - maybe it means associating with different friends. It might mean moving to a different town - but don't stop being who God is making you to be just because someone doesn't like it.

24 "A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!

"Hey," Jesus says - they said I was from the devil - so who cares if they tell you you are from the devil too - all that matters is that you serve Me - you are not defined by the labels other people create for you.

26 "So do not be afraid of them. 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 apart from the will of your Father. 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.

This is an important series of verses. First Jesus says: "don't be afraid." It's a passive verb - to be put to fright by something else. People's accusations against you as a Christian, their threats even - can seem frightening.

Jesus wants us to know three things here:

1. The truth will out

Even if people claim you are a fool for believing in Jesus - one day all the truth of the gospel will be known - and all those that mock you for being a Christian will be ashamed - and perhaps very afraid - and with reason.

2. Real fear comes from not knowing God.

I know people will make fun of you for living your life for God and giving your heart to Jesus. But most people live for only what they can see. And you must be convinced that one day the veil that separates this world from the next will be lifted. That's real fear - eternal punishment, eternal destruction, eternal pain and loneliness. What's the worst that can happen to you - you die, like the young woman in the cafeteria at Columbine High School? To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord - so who cares, you just get to graduate early.

3. You are worth a lot to God - and that's all that matters

Despite how awful trials and persecution can seem - you must know that absolutely nothing can happen to you until God allows it to happen. Now that doesn't mean we purposefully put ourselves in harms way - that would be testing God. But as we go about our lives we need not fear man nor anything else because we don't fall till God says fall.

The key is - where do you stand with Jesus Christ?

Conclusion

We often fear what we do not know. So the bottom line for us is twofold:

1. Know God - not just know about Him, but have a relationship, an ongoing, deep, relationship with Him. Not giving your life to Jesus Christ is the single biggest mistake you can ever make. We should fear God - because there is a punishment for sin - but that fear is tempered by love - such strong love that God sent His only Son to die in our place and take that punishment so we wouldn't have to. But we must know Him.

2. Know the enemy - not anything in the same way as God - DON'T have a relationship with the enemy or his ways - but know of them to be prepared to face fear with God's power. We get it all mixed up - we have a relationship with the enemy and know of God - instead we need to have a relationship with the Father and know of the enemy.

I want to close with this verse - turn to Romans, chapter 8, verse 37.

When it all comes down and the trap is laid and the battle begins we must know in our hearts the truth of these words:

Rom 8:37 ? in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.