SPB Sermons | Sunday 21 June 2026
Freely You Have Received, Freely Give
Jesus calls twelve ordinary, unremarkable people to himself, equips them, and sends them out with his authority to proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is near. In Matthew 10:1–8, we see what it means to abide before we go — and why the work of God always begins in the presence of God.
The Most Ordinary List of Names You Will Ever Read
There is no academic qualification here. No outline of heritage or bloodline. Just twelve plain, ordinary, sinful people, plucked out of the everyday and called to himself. Fishermen with no formal education. Matthew the tax collector, a sympathiser with Roman occupation. Simon the Zealot, who stood for the violent overthrow of that same occupation — two men on opposing sides of the deepest political divide of their day, standing together in Christ. It was never about where they were. It was about whether they would hear, and respond, and abide.
The Work of God Begins in the Presence of God
"He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority."
Last week ended with a prayer — pray to the Lord of the harvest, that he might send workers into his fields. And this week we see what happens next: the Lord of the harvest calls the disciples to himself first. We cannot go for him unless we first stand with him. Our working out of the faith does not happen and then earn his reception — we are received by name, equipped, and only then sent. "Come to me, all who are weary, and I will give you rest" comes before "go therefore."
We abide before we go: fruitfulness begins by remaining in his presence, not by human strength or scheme.
There are no qualifiers to the offer of grace — and no qualifiers to the call that follows it either.
The Sending
Go to What You Know First
"Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel." This is not exclusion of others from the mission of God — it is a focus of priority. The twelve begin among their own neighbours, their own culture, the language and people they know. Mission starts somewhere real, not somewhere abstract. It starts with the people already around you.
The Message
Word and Deed Together
"The kingdom of heaven is near" is not a vague message. It is accompanied by action — healing the sick, raising the dead, cleansing the leprous, driving out demons. The word of God is always accompanied by the act of God. We are sent the same way: a message of hope that confronts sin and demands a response, embodied in how we care for one another and serve our community.
The Heart of the Sermon
Freely You Have Received — Now Freely Give
It is human nature to huddle, to amass, to keep — we are afraid of losing things, so we build up treasures and trust in earthly things. But this hope, says Jesus, is not of this world. And if it is not of this world, it cannot be controlled by this world. You have received it freely. Now freely give it. The church's message has not changed: the King has come, and the kingdom is near. Repent and return to him.
And as we proclaim it, his kingdom confronts every lesser thing in our lives — tribalism, fear, ethnicity, classism, grievance, bitterness, the boundaries we so often build before the King of kings. The grace of God confronts it all, because the grace of God can heal it all, as he makes for himself one people under the cross.
True Peace for a City That Needs It
In these past few weeks, as our city has shaken and old wounds have been torn open again, the Lord of the harvest calls us to the same work — not simply to make peace by the stopping of trouble, but to make known true peace by proclaiming his love. To go, even when it is difficult, in the simplest of ways: loving our neighbours, serving family and friends, praying for those we are not sure about, building his kingdom in word and deed.
There is nothing that will fix what is broken in our world, our culture, our lives, except the grace of Christ. True peace is not the absence of trouble on our streets. It is a reconciled people before the God who loves them — sent as one, no matter where they have come from, because of what he has done.
Listen to the Sermon
The full sermon is available to listen to now. We hope it reminds you that the harvest is still plentiful, the shepherd is still moving — and that he calls ordinary people, just like you, to abide in him and go in his name.
Join Us
You Would Be Very Welcome
St Paul's & St Barnabas is an Anglican evangelical parish in the heart of North Belfast, seeking to make Christ known and to love our city in his name. We are a people of grace who stand on grace — called not to vagueness, but to proclaim that the King has come and his kingdom is near.
Join us in person on Sundays at 208 York Street, Belfast.
Give This Kingdom Away
The sheep are still lost. The field is still ripe. The Shepherd is still moving. We are not superior — we are simply servants of the grace we have received. This is our home, and this is our call to go: as Christ went into the ordinary and proclaimed the extraordinary power of grace, so we go too — freely we have received, freely we give.
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