New Life On Purpose: Walk
Text: Matthew 28:18-20
Introduction
1. Read Matthew 28:18-20
2. Illustration: At the close of life, the question will not be,
"How much have you gotten?" but "How much have you given?"
Not "How much have you won?" but "How much have you done?"
Not "How much have you saved?" but "How much have you sacrificed?"
It will be "How much have you loved and served," not "How much were you honored?"
3. Today we are going to talk about walk or discipleship. The Great Commission tells us three things about discipleship:
a. We are to make disciples; not converts.
b. We are to teach them commitment.
c. We are to teach them obedience.
Proposition: Christ has called us to make disciples of all nations.
Transition: Jesus told us to...
I. Make Disciples, Not Converts (18-19a)
A. Make Disciples
1. Jesus said "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations..."
a. Make Disciples: to cause someone to become a disciple or follower of —Louw & Nida: NT Greek-English Lexicon
b. What we are to teach the nations is to be a follower of Christ.
2. As I pointed out when we talked about witness, the imperative or command in this verse is not the going but the "making disciples."
a. Jesus' instructions include an imperative (a command) surrounded by three participial clauses: one should make disciples for Jesus by going, baptizing and teaching (Keener, IVPNT: Matthew, 400).
b. Making disciples involves more than getting people to an altar; it involves training them as thoroughly as Jewish teachers instructed their own students.
3. What does our Lord mean by "make disciples"?
a. Does it not mean that we are to do what He did: make disciples and do things with them as He did.
b. When Christ found a person who was willing to commit his life, Christ attached Himself to that person.
c. Christ began to mold, and make that person into His image.
d. He began to show them the way that they were supposed to live.
4. "Making disciples" means instructing new believers on how to follow Jesus, to submit to Jesus' lordship, and to take up his mission of compassionate service.
a. We need to teach them to be faithful in their devotional life.
b. We need to teach them to be faithful in church attendance.
c. We need to teach them to be faithful in their giving.
d. We need to teach them to be faithful in their serving.
e. We need to teach them spiritual discipline.
5. Colossians 1:28 (NLT)
28 So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ.
a. The word "perfect" that Paul uses here means "whole, complete, mature."
b. The warning and teaching always had one goal in mind: we want to present the believers to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ.
c. Believers are not to remain like babies in the faith, easily led away by something new.
d. Instead, they are to grow up into spiritual maturity so that they cannot be enticed by false teachings.
B. More Than Converts
1. Illustration: Daniel Webster offered excellent advice, saying, "If we work on marble it will perish. If we work on brass, time will efface it. If we rear temples, they will crumble to dust. But if we work on men's immortal minds, if we imbue them with high principles, with just fear of God and love of their fellow-men, we engrave on those tablets something which time cannot efface, and which will brighten and brighten to all eternity.
2. Making disciples is more than making converts.
a. It's more than telling them about Jesus.
b. It's more than inviting them to church.
c. It's more than quoting the Bible to them
d. It's more than praying the sinner’s prayer with them.
3. Leading someone to Christ is only the first step.
a. It's an important and vital step, but it's not the end of the journey.
b. Our job does not end there.
4. We must teach them to:
a. Follow Christ daily
b. Pray without ceasing
c. Trust in the Lord with all their heart
d. Stand on the Word of God
5. Making disciples is more than seeing them become Christians, but seeing them become mature believers.
Transition: One of the things that Jesus told us to do is to...
II. Teach Them Commitment (19b)
A. Baptism
1. One of the things that Christ commands us to do as we are discipling people is "baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
2. Baptism is important because it unites a believer with Jesus Christ in his or her death to sin and resurrection to new life.
a. Baptism changes your decision to follow Christ to a commitment to follow Christ.
b. Acts 2:36-38 (NLT)
36 “So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!”
37 Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”
38 Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins, turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ to show that you have received forgiveness for your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
c. Just as applying for a loan to buy a new car shows a decision to buy a new car, but signing the paper show a financial commitment to buy the car.
d. It marks the line of no return in your life with Christ.
3. Baptism symbolizes submission to Christ, a willingness to live God's way, and identification with God's covenant people.
4. Baptism indicates that we are going from following Jesus as Savior, to following Jesus as Lord.
a. Some people come to Christ simply because they want to get their fire insurance paid up.
b. However, when push comes to shove, and the Holy Spirit begins to demand that give up and change areas of their life, they walk away because it is too difficult.
c. When a person is baptized in water, they make a serious commitment. They give the Lord every area of their life.
d. Water baptism says, “I’m not turning back!”
5. Baptism "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" means more than just saying a formula as one is baptized, much more. It means...
a. A statement of faith: of belief in God as the true Father of Jesus Christ; of belief in Christ as the true Son of God, the Savior of the world; of belief in the Holy Spirit as the Comforter and empowerer of the believer.
b. A commitment to follow God: to follow Him as revealed in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
B. Commitment
1. Illustration: A college man walked into a photography studio with a framed picture of his girlfriend. He wanted the picture duplicated. This involved removing it from the frame. In doing this, the studio owner noticed the inscription on the back of the photograph: 'My dearest Tom, I love you with all my heart. I love you more and more each day. I will love you forever and ever. I am yours for all eternity.' It was signed 'Diane,' and it contained a P.S.: 'If we ever break up, I want this picture back.' We who have been baptized have professed our love for God and for others. We belong to Christ. There can be no P.S. in our life given to God. We can never break up with Him. We are His. We belong to Him--forever. Charles Krieg
2. One of the great problems with the church at large today is a lack of commitment.
a. Commitment to Christ and his church has become more of a past time.
b. We come to church not out of commitment, but out of convenience.
c. We give of our finances, abilities, and time to the church not out of commitment, but out of convenience.
3. Luke 9:23-25 (NLT)
23 Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me.
24 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.
25 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?
4. We see people who are not living in the truth of the gospel who are committed.
a. Jehovah’s Witnesses are committed.
b. Muslim's are committed.
c. Those of the radical homosexual agenda are committed.
d. These are all lost and going to hell, but at least they are committed to something.
5. Yet we who have the truth of the gospel show a lack of commitment.
a. It is high time we start teaching commitment in the church again.
b. It is high time that our commitment to Christ and his church become a priority and not a past time in our lives.
c. It is high time that Jesus Christ is first in our lives.
Transition: Jesus also tells us to...
III. Teach Them Obedience (20)
A. Teaching Them to Observe
1. Another aspect of making disciples is “Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.”
2. Teaching is just as essential as making disciples and baptizing.
a. One is not to be emphasized over the other. All are part of the commission of our Lord.
b. Note what is to be taught "everything I have commanded you."
3. The content of this instruction is everything Jesus commanded the first disciples.
4. The focus is on Jesus' commands, not OT law.
a. Jesus' words, like the words of Scripture, are more enduring than heaven and earth (24:35).
b. The expression "everything that I have commanded you" is reminiscent of the authority of Yahweh. - Expositor's Bible Commentary, The, Pradis CD-ROM
5. What the disciples teach is not opinion and man made regulations, but content to be obeyed.
6. The pronoun “these” indicates that everyone who has become a disciple of Jesus is to be involved in the process of discipleship.
a. Access to education by an esteemed rabbi was normally reserved for privileged men in rabbinic Judaism.
b. Some rabbis denied young girls even the basics of Torah instruction.
c. But Jesus once again breaks down all barriers to indicate that all of his disciples — women and men, Gentile and Jew, poor or rich — must be taught to obey everything he has commanded (Wilkins, NIV Application Commentary, New Testament: Matthew, 956).
B. Obedience
1. Illustration: Instant obedience is the only kind of obedience there is; delayed obedience is disobedience. Whoever strives to withdraw from obedience, withdraws from Grace. Thomas a Kampis.
2. 1 Samuel 15:22-23 (NLT)
22 But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.
23 Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols. So because you have rejected the command of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”
3. Christ has commissioned us to teach believers to obey all that he has commanded us.
4. We are not to teach them to obey their own:
a. Law, but God's Law.
b. Word, but God's Word.
c. Will, but God's Will.
5. Those whom we disciple don't need our opinions or ideas, but they need to know the teachings of Jesus.
Transition: If we are going to obey the Great Commission, we have to teach believers to obey all that Christ has commanded.
Conclusion
1. Christ has commanded us to make disciples and not just converts.
2. He has commanded us to teach them commitment and obedience.
3. Our purpose is to make disciples who will follow us as we follow Christ
