Why Should We Go?
The Great Commission: Part 2
Matthew 28:16-20
I. Intro
A. Read Matthew 28:16-20.
1. I worked as a maintenance electrician before becoming a preacher.
2. In my experience, maintenance workers are always smarter than machine operators.
3. That’s what we used to tell them anyway!
B. They would have problems on their machines, but they didn’t want to stop long enough to fix it.
1. So we would just have to pass it on to the next crew coming on.
2. Sometimes we’d get back 12 hours later and the same problem would be passed back to us.
3. Nobody wanted to stop and fix it. They wanted to wait and let somebody else do the dirty work.
4. While the machine was destroying itself they kept acting like nothing was wrong.
5. We’d try to explain to them that if they didn’t shutdown now, there would be bigger problems down the road.
6. But they would turn a blind eye to the problem.
C. We have a big problem in the world today.
1. It’s one that most Christians don’t want to hear about.
2. When you bring it up, they want someone else to do it.
3. They don’t want to stop what they’re doing and address the problem.
4. So the problem grows worse and worse while Christians act like nothing is wrong.
D. What’s this massive problem?
1. People are leaving this life into a God-less eternity.
2. Thousands of people are dying everyday without Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
3. And the majority of Christians don’t want to think about it.
4. Most Christians are either sticking their heads in the sand or waiting on someone else to go.
E. Why should the “everyday Christian” be concerned about evangelism?
1. Why should everyone here today take the Great Commission seriously?
2. WHY SHOULD YOU GO?
II. You should GO because Jesus told you to.
A. This is called OBEDIENCE.
1. Matthew 28 is not a suggestion, it is a command.
2. As our Savior, Jesus has the right to call us to work.
3. God has a plan to reach the world with the Gospel.
4. His plan includes you obeying His commands.
B. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (2 Peter 3:9 ESV).
1. God wants all people to repent and turn to Jesus.
2. He doesn’t want one person to go to hell.
3. He wants every person to know the joy of forgiveness.
4. He wants every person to know the peace of eternal security.
5. He wants every person to have a personal, living, loving, real relationship with Him.
C. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide… (John 15:16 ESV).
1. God’s plan to bring everyone to repentance is us.
2. God’s plan to keep others out of hell involves us.
3. Jesus chose you.
4. He chose us individually and collectively as a church to bear fruit.
5. An apple tree bears apples. A banana tree bears bananas. They reproduce themselves.
6. Jesus has appointed us to reproduce ourselves.
7. Jesus appointed you, a disciple, to go and make more disciples.
8. Jesus has appointed you to make a difference in eternity.
D. If you love me, you will keep my commandments.(John 14:15 ESV).
1. Our degree of obedience is directly proportional to our love for Jesus.
2. How many of you like Jesus? How many of you love Jesus? How many of you really love Jesus?
3. Can you prove it by your obedience?
E. Let me give you an obedience test.
1. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another… (Hebrews 10:24-25 ESV).
a. Do you obey this command to attend church?
b. Are you here today? Do you talk about others that don’t obey?
2. Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise. (Proverbs 20:1 ESV).
a. Do you obey the command to not drink?
b. Do you talk about others that don’t obey?
3. Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you… (Jeremiah 1:5 ESV).
a. Do you believe that abortion is wrong in the eyes of God?
b. Do you make your views vocal?
4. Do you murder? Do you steal? Do you gamble?
5. Most of us are pretty obedient to the Word of God.
F. So why do we sit here and disobey Jesus’ command to GO?
1. Are we selective in the commands of God we obey?
2. Are you sitting here in church, pro-life, sober, anti-gaming, in the presence of the One who spoke these words, in disobedience?
3. Are you living in disobedience to the God of all creation?
4. Does this command count as much as the others?
G. You should GO because Jesus commanded you to go.
1. Just like He told you not to steal, He told you to GO.
2. Just like He tells you to attend church, He tells you to GO.
3. Just like you should oppose gambling, you should GO.
4. Anything less than GOING is disobeying the One who died on the cross to save you.
5. We should GO because Jesus wants us to GO.
III. You should GO because of what a lost world faces.
A. …to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me. (Acts 26:17-18 ESV).
1. According to this passage, everyone who is lost is in darkness.
2. They are under the power of evil.
3. Aware or not, they are under the power of the devil.
B. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Corinthians 4:3-4 ESV).
1. They are perishing, dying in their darkness.
2. Their minds are veiled from the light by the god of this age, Satan.
C. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (John 3:18 ESV).
1. They are living under a death sentence.
2. They are condemned to a life without God.
D. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:15 ESV).
1. Not only are they condemned in this life, but for all eternity.
E. You should go because of where the lost world is.
1. They’re under control of Satan.
2. Their minds are blinded to the truth.
3. They will spend forever in hell without knowing Jesus.
4. Jesus commands you to go because of a lost and dying world.
IV. You should GO because of what going will do for you.
A. If gives you the joy of knowing you’re obeying the Lord.
1. You can know that you’re right where God wants you to be.
B. It gives you the joy of seeing people come out of darkness and into the light.
1. There’s no greater joy than knowing God used you to change someone’s forever.
C. Jesus approves of you obeying Him.
1. Well done, good and faithful servant. (Matthew 25:21 ESV).
D. It enables you to change your community, country, and world.
1. We’ve all sit around complaining about our community, country, and world.
2. Jesus has enabled us to do something about it.
3. When we obey, our world will be changed.
V. Are you convicted about your disobedience?
A. Are you brokenhearted over the world you live in?
1. Then YOU SHOULD GO into all the world!
Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), ©2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
