The 12 Apostles

Questions This Sermon Answers:

1. What is Matthew 10 about?

Matthew 10 records Jesus calling His twelve disciples, naming them as apostles, granting them authority, and sending them out with instructions for their mission. "And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease" (Matthew 10:1, NKJV). The chapter moves from commissioning to candid warning, preparing the apostles for hostility, persecution, and the cost of confessing Christ before a watching world.

2. What is the difference between a disciple and an apostle?

A disciple is a learner who follows a teacher; an apostle (from the Greek apostolos, "one sent") is a learner commissioned and sent out with delegated authority. In Matthew 10:2 the twelve are first named "apostles." Dr. Holt stresses that an apostle does not speak on his own authority but as one sent by the King. The apostolic office was unique and foundational, bearing Christ's authority to lay the doctrinal groundwork of the New Testament church.

3. Why did Jesus choose ordinary and flawed men as apostles?

Christ chose fishermen, a tax collector, and other unlikely men to display that the power of the gospel rests in God, not in human strength or status. This reflects the Reformed conviction of sovereign grace: God deliberately uses weak instruments so the glory is His alone. As Paul later wrote, "God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty" (1 Corinthians 1:27, NKJV).

4. Why is Judas Iscariot listed among the twelve apostles?

Matthew names him plainly: "Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him" (Matthew 10:4, NKJV). Judas was numbered among the twelve, sent on mission, yet he was never a true believer. His inclusion is a sober warning that outward position in the church is not the same as a regenerate heart. Privilege, proximity to Christ, and even ministry are no guarantee of salvation apart from genuine, persevering faith.

5. What does "I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves" mean?

Jesus warned the apostles they were entering a hostile world: "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves" (Matthew 10:16, NKJV). Sheep are defenseless, dependent on their shepherd. Christ does not promise safety but commands prudence and integrity. The image sets the expectation for all faithful witness: opposition is normal, and the church advances under the protection of its Shepherd, not by worldly power.

6. Does the New Testament teach that Christians will be persecuted?

Yes. Persecution is presented not as an exception but as the ordinary lot of faithful believers. Paul states it directly: "Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution" (2 Timothy 3:12, NKJV). In Matthew 10 Jesus prepares the apostles for floggings, betrayal, and hatred. Dr. Holt's sermon recounts R.C. Sproul's reflections on the cost of standing for Christ, underscoring that confessing His name has always carried a price.

7. What does "he who endures to the end will be saved" mean?

"And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved" (Matthew 10:22, NKJV). Endurance does not earn salvation; it evidences it. The Westminster Confession of Faith (17.1) teaches the perseverance of the saints: those whom God effectually calls can neither totally nor finally fall away. True faith perseveres through opposition, and that perseverance is the fruit and mark of saving grace, not its cause.

8. Are there apostles in the church today?

In the foundational sense, no. The apostolic office was unique and unrepeatable. Paul writes that the church is "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone" (Ephesians 2:20, NKJV). A foundation is laid once. The apostles bore eyewitness testimony to the risen Christ and delivered authoritative Scripture. Ordinary ministry today, pastors, elders, and teachers, builds upon that finished foundation rather than adding to it.

9. What authority did Jesus give the apostles?

He gave them genuine, delegated authority: "He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease" (Matthew 10:1, NKJV). These signs authenticated their message as from God. Their authority was derived, not inherent, exercised as men sent by the King. The same passage reminds them that what they received was a gift: "Freely you have received, freely give" (Matthew 10:8, NKJV).

10. Why should ordinary Christians care about the call of the twelve apostles?

The calling of unlikely men assures believers that God uses the weak and the flawed for His purposes. The same Lord who sent the twelve sends His church into a hostile world with the gospel. Christ's honesty about persecution and His promise to those who endure shape Christian discipleship in every age. We do not follow on the basis of our strength but rest in the sovereign Christ who builds His church and preserves His own to the end.