Everyone Going Series

EVERYONE Going

Matthew 28:16-20

Rev. Brian Bill

May 20-21, 2023

Now it came to pass that a group existed who called themselves fishers. And lo, there were many fish in the waters all around. In fact, the whole area was surrounded by streams and lakes filled with fish. And the fish were hungry. Week after week, month after month, and year after year those who called themselves fishers held meetings and talked about their call to fish, the abundance of fish, and how they might go about fishing. They carefully defined what fishing means, defended fishing as an occupation, and declared that fishing is always to be the primary task of fishers.

They continually searched for improved methods of fishing, and for new and better definitions of fishing. They loved slogans such as “Fishing is the task of every Fisher.” They sponsored special meetings called “Fisher’s Campaigns.” They held congresses to discuss fishing, to promote fishing and to hear about the new methods of fishing and whether any new bait had been discovered.

These fishers built large, beautiful buildings called “Fishing Headquarters.” The plea was that everyone should be a fisher and every fisher should fish. However, there was one thing they didn’t do...and that was fish.

In addition to meeting regularly, they organized a board to send out fishers to other places where there were many fish. The board was formed by those who had the great vision and courage to speak about fishing, to define fishing, and to promote the idea of fishing in faraway streams and lakes where many fish of different colors lived. But one thing they didn’t do was...fish.

Large, elaborate, and expensive training centers were built to teach people how to fish. Over the years courses were offered on the needs of fish, the nature of fish, where to find fish, the psychological reactions of fish, and how to approach and feed fish. Those who taught had doctorates in fishology. But no matter how well they taught, one thing the good Dr. Fishers forgot was to...fish.

Now it’s true that many of the fishers sacrificed and put up with all kinds of difficulties. Some lived near the water and bore the smell of dead fish every day. Some received the ridicule of people who made fun of their fishing clubs. So, imagine how hurt some of them were when, one day, someone suggested that those who didn’t catch fish were really not fishers – no matter how much they claimed to be. How can someone be a fisher if he isn’t fishing? (adapted from John Drescher).

We’re finishing up our EVERYONE series this weekend as we’ve been challenged to gather, grow, give, and go with the gospel, all for the glory of God. Here’s a summary of what we’ve learned.

• Gather: The church is God’s plan A. There is no plan B.

• Grow: Spiritual growth is intentional, not automatic.

• Give: No one can give everything, but everyone can give something.

Here’s our main idea for today: The last commission of Jesus must be the first mission of the church.

Our text today is Matthew 28:18-20 but before we get there, let’s set the context. After Jesus was raised from the dead, He appeared to several women and the disciples. Shortly after this, we read in verses 16-17: “Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw Him they worshiped Him, but some doubted.”

Even though the resurrection happened in Jerusalem, Jesus directed the disciples to meet Him on a mountain in Galilee, a journey of 90 miles to the north. This was predicted in Matthew 26:32: “But after I am raised up, I will go before you into Galilee.” Galilee is an appropriate setting for the Great Commission because it was also called, “Galilee of the Gentiles” in Matthew 4:15.

Don’t miss this. If the disciples wanted to see Jesus again, they had to go to Galilee. Because the disciples obeyed Jesus, they put themselves in position to hear Him make a monumental statement from the mountain. Listen. We’ll never know the person of Jesus and we won’t know His plans if we’re not obedient. If you want to maintain communion with Him, you must strive to obey His commands. Obedience is the key to fulfilling God’s plans for our lives.

The disciples had two different responses:

• Some worshiped. When the disciples saw Jesus, they hit the dirt in worship. The idea behind this word is they prostrated themselves in praise.

• Some waffled. The word for “doubt” means, “to be divided in half, uncertain, wavering in hesitation.” It was used of a person standing where two ways meet, resulting in hesitation or indecision.

I find it fascinating that Jesus didn’t rebuke them for their doubts, nor did He reject the worship of those who revered Him. While some found great delight in Him, others doubted Him. Most of them were focused and faithful but some were filled with fear. We’re a lot like that, aren’t we? Sometimes we’re devoted and other times we doubt. Write this down: Doubt doesn’t disqualify you from disciple-making. You don’t have to remove all doubt before Jesus will use you. One of my favorite verses in this regard is in Mark 9:24 when a father declared, “I believe; help my unbelief.”