CARRY THE MESSAGE
Matthew 28:19-20
January 16, 2011
Video: Jesus Is
Do you really believe everyone needs Jesus? Do you really believe this book? Are we willing to order our lives around Jesus’ words to us? I know we have a certain way of doing things: traditions, programs, sacred cows, programs, building, furniture, organization… Are we really willing to do anything Jesus said and take Him literally?
Blank piece of paper – Imagine it as a blank slate. We are God’s people. This building does not exist; it’s just the church, capital “C”. Imagine the billions in the world enslaved in false religions – the multitudes lost without hope in Jesus Christ. The billions who have never even heard of Jesus Christ, don’t have access to the gospel. The Bible doesn’t even exist in their language. Imagine right now your neighbors, co-workers all on a road that leads to an eternal burning hell.
But we know the gospel – we’re saved, we’re indwelt by the H.S.
And we, God’s people have been charged with getting this gospel to the ends of the earth. That’s why we’re here.
Question: “If we had a blank slate, all of us with the Spirit of God in us, and a world of massive need, and we have the gospel, charged to get the gospel to the ends of the earth, what would we be willing to do to carry out this charge? Where do we start? We haven’t been charged to get together; we’ve been charged to get out. Sure, we’re encouraged to come back together to get recharged, fired up, and equipped so that we can get back out there and do it all over again and be God’s hands and feet and mouth to the hopeless masses.
In case you haven’t figured it out yet, those without hope in Christ are not coming to us. We’ve got to go to them. God wants to use you and He wants to do it now! We don’t have to wait until we feel it.
Let’s ask Jesus what He wants us to do with that blank slate. (Matthew 28:19-20)
I. Go – (19a)
a. Go means go and that’s what go means
II. Make Disciples (19b)
a. In the original writing: ìáèçôåύóáôå When used transitively as here means “to make disciples of” Here the idea is not what we do, i.e., “teach”, but what we produce – disciples.
b. This is the main verb and central command of vv. 19-20
III. Baptize – (19c)
a. Christ is definitely teaching that baptism is to be the immediate sign and the identifying sign that a person is now stepping out of the ranks of those without Jesus and taking his stand with Christ.
IV. Teach – (20a)
a. The commands of Jesus
V. The Promise (20b)
a. I am with you always
We have the mandate. We must exhaust every means. Video: TrueLife.org
