“Famous Last Words”
Matthew 28:18-20
As we raise children and grandchildren everyone is interested in hearing what a baby’s first words will be. If you are the father you hope their first word will be daddy. If you’re a mama you hope their first word will be mommy. Parents often keep records of these things they write them down their child’s baby book. This week I looked at a website that listed the last words of some very famous people.
• It is recorded that the last words spoken by Thomas Edison were, “it is very beautiful out there.”
• Musician Bob Marley’s last words were “money can’t buy life.”
• James Brown, the singer-his last words were “I’m going away tonight.”
• Beethoven, who was deaf-his last words were “I will hear in heaven.”
There is some wisdom to be found in each of these statements. I hope one day that our last words will be worth mentioning. So we come to the end of the gospel of Matthew, there are 11 disciples now remaining and Jesus had directed them to a mountain where they saw him and where they worshiped him. It was at that moment that Jesus spoke the last words he would speak to them. This is what he said.
Matthew 28:18-20.
In this church started in June 2000 we wrote a vision statement that year so that all of us would know where we were headed. So that we would be on the same page. So that we could travel together to the same destination. This is the statement we wrote down:
Our vision is to enlarge the size of heaven by taking
as many people as possible with us.
This statement has served us well now for 16 years. As a result we have baptized 260 people since we began. But we all know that the ministry of the local church is much more than counting baptisms. Every baptism is important-we count them one at a time in this represents 260 souls. But God seems to use a different form of math and as a result it is time for us to use a new form of counting people as well. This is what I mean.
• We count baptisms one at a time. We use simple addition.
• When we count disciples we use multiplication.
• When we count baptisms we add to the church. We count disciples we multiply the church.
What if everyone who walked through these waters and is baptized, what if they became true disciples? What would happen if we began to do multiplication instead of addition? What if every person who walked through these waters began to disciple another person? This is the kind of math Jesus used. Not addition, multiplication. Jesus, instead of starting with one person, chose 12. He started with a group.
When the people were hungry he took five loaves of bread into fish and multiplied it and fed over 5000. He actually did this miracle twice. Jesus used the new math before the schools today got hold of it and here’s the real difference….. his math makes sense. Look at what he tells us to do.
He begins by reminding us of who He is. He is God himself. He speaks as the authority in heaven and earth. These words come from God himself. He says go and make disciples of all nations. This passage has prompted thousands of people to leave their homes and move to another location to share the gospel. To reach those who perhaps have not yet heard the good news. But Jesus was not only speaking to those who would take that bold step and move to an entirely different location; He was speaking to all of us. To all of you in fact.
The word in the New Testament here that is translated as “go” does not mean to move from one place to another. Now if God calls you to do that, then you should. If you sense God calling you to be a missionary and telling you to move from this place to another place far away-to South America, to Africa or China, to share the gospel, then you should. But again this word “go” as used here does not mean to move from one place to another. A better wording would be as you go. As you go along in this life, no matter where you are-do this-make disciples!
This passage has long been known as the great commission, one of the most well-known passages in the Bible and they are considered to be some of the very last words Jesus spoke to his disciples. And if you notice Jesus closes his ministry in the same way he started. He started by calling 12 men to be his disciples, then He discipled them, then they began to disciple others. Now as he closes his ministry He says to everyone here... Do this one thing... As you go about in this life; do this one thing-----make disciples.
So I have revised our vision statement. It now says this:
“Our vision is to enlarge the size of heaven by making as many disciples as possible.”
Instead of adding people, let’s start multiplying people. Here’s how this works.
Calendars
This is the plan of Jesus to multiply his disciples throughout the world. To take us from a few to a lot. To take one and turn it into millions. I don’t think we can seat that many here but what if we all would think of simply doing one person, one day’s worth of discipleship in the next six months, say by Easter-we could double the number we have today. And we could seat all of them.
This process of making disciples is not complicated and it seems that it involves doing several things.
[1} Baptizing them. As a believer in Christ we should never think that we have suddenly arrived because we’ve been baptized. Baptism is the initiation, not the graduation. Too many people walk out of these baptism waters, dry off and walk right back into life without any change. Right back into the same old lifestyle. Thinking that because they have walked through the water that they have just earned /bought/purchased/received a ticket to heaven and nothing could be further from the truth.
Baptism does not save you; baptism doesn’t wash away our sins, baptism doesn’t change us. Baptism is an outward reflection/symbol of our inner change that hopefully has already taken place. The water does not make the difference, the blood of Jesus is what makes the difference.
So why should we be baptized? Simple.
• Jesus commanded it. Right here in the Bible we are commanded/told to be baptized. Paul said repent and be baptized and you will be saved…that’s not two requirements. That is the sequence. The order. Repent and be baptized.
• Jesus modeled it. Baptism was so important that Jesus himself was baptized. God’s Son walked into the waters of baptism. You know why? As an example, for you and me. He walked into the water, was immersed to show us a picture of the death, burial and resurrection. Raised to walk in the newness of life. We are raised from the death of sin with Jesus Christ. When we are baptized we are then doing what Jesus told us to do. We are following in his footsteps.
• We become an example to others. Time after time in this church I have seen a child, an adult be baptized and then another family member says I want to do that. Your example, your influence with people you know is what makes the difference.
{2} Then look at another phrase here with me. He says teaching them to obey everything. All the things that I have commanded you. So how does this work? Again it goes back to discipleship groups. Groups where we meet together to study God’s Word and learn to apply it to our lives. Letting God’s word come alive and live inside us. Letting our minds be renewed. It means as Paul put it, letting the mind of Christ living you. Let this mind be in you, which is also in Christ Jesus.
So I ask you this morning. Will you help fulfill the Great Commission right here? I’m not asking you to move to another area. I’m asking you in fact to stay here and take the responsibility of reaching one person in the next 6 months, investing time in them…..getting them involved with you in a Bible study group? Helping them to become a disciple so that they can in turn do the same thing. This is how the church was meant to grow. This is why Jesus took 12 men and disciple them. I’m asking you to do the same.
Would you pray with me? Prayer. Father, we are grateful for the day that you called us to be your children. We are grateful for the day we walked into the baptism waters. And we are thankful for those who have invested their lives in us
to help us grow. People of served as mentors and teachers. You have always been faithful
Today Lord we realize that it is now up to us to move the church forward. We have to become like those who’ve invested in us, spent time with us and if we don’t Lord we believe the church which is standstill inevitable forward. Guy when I look at all that you’ve done this church look at the many times that we thought we might not even make it, you’ve always been faithful to lift us up. People in this place had been healed, lives been changed, doors have been opened. Today we want to step up and reach one person, disciple them so that they can in turn to the same. We counted as a privilege and we pray for your power to be with us as we do. Guide us. Fill us. Use us. In Christ name, Amen.
I heard a story of a young boy who went into a church one Sunday morning just to get out of the cold weather give been trying to sell newspapers but not a single customer had passed by. He entered the church hoping to be unnoticed and sat on the back row. The preacher preached a powerful message about Christ and his love for us and how he died for us. Then at the end of service they took up and offering. The ushers went from road to row until finally one of the ushers came close to the little boy. He stopped right in front will boy and held out the offering plate. The child stared at the offering plate after a long pause he has to usher to place the offering plate on the floor.
The little boy then did something very unusual. He slowly looked up and said Mr. I don’t have any money. I haven’t sold single newspaper today, but if Jesus did all that preacher said that he did for me. Today I want to give my life to him. He then stepped into the offering plate and said today “I give myself.”
