Title - Mission Possible
Matthew 28:16-20(NIV)
Missions Sunday
Good Morning brothers and Sisters!
It is a joy to worship God and study His word together as a body of Christ.
This month is ‘Missions Month’ here at Makati Gospel Church and we have had several missions awareness activities in the past weeks. Today is our ‘Missions Sunday,’ so our topic for this morning is, “Mission Possible.” We will be looking at a familiar passage of scripture that contains the final words of our Lord Jesus Christ. Would you turn your Bibles with me to the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 28, verses 16-20.
Text: Matthew 28:16-20 (NIV)
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.
17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
These are the last words of our Lord Jesus Christ. We know that last words are very important. When someone dies, one of the questions people ask is, did he or she have any last words? Last words that people say; reveal what is closest to their heart. So, these last words of Jesus reveal to us what is closet to His heart. These final words are usually called the ‘Great Commission.’ “Commission” refers to an ‘authoritative command’ or a ‘directive.’ So, when Jesus spoke these final words, He was actually giving an authoritative command to His disciples. And today, He is giving that same command, the Great Commission, to all of us. Now, the question is…how are we going to fulfill that Great Commission?
This morning, we will learn about three things that we must do, in order to fulfill the Great Commission. Let us look at those three things one at a time. First, we must submit to the Great Authority of Jesus.
1. Submit to the Great Authority (16-18)
The eleven disciples were the closest friends Jesus had on earth who followed Him through thick and thin. They were only eleven because Judas hanged himself after betraying Jesus. Jesus wanted to gather His disciples together for one last time to speak to them. So they went up to the mountain in Galilee to meet Him. Mountains are significant locations in the Bible. Moses went up on Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments. The Jews went up to Mount Zion to worship God. Jesus went up to Mount Calvary to be crucified. And here, Jesus told His disciples to go up to the mountain in Galilee to meet Him.
This meeting in the mountain tells us about the significance of the moment. When the disciples saw Jesus, they worshiped Him. Their faith became even stronger and they responded to Him in worship. But, what is surprising here is that, some doubted. In the original language, it means hesitation or indecision rather than unbelief. They were most likely in a state of shock. The disciples did not have enough time to comprehend all that had taken place. But, Jesus didn’t condemn those who doubted Him. Instead, He spoke to them about His authority to draw them back to who He is. And their doubts were quickly dispelled, when He said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
This is one of the most crucial statements that Jesus ever made. He has ALL authority in heaven and on earth. The word authority carries a wide range of meaning, which includes power, right, freedom and ability. In this context, the best meaning of His authority is “to rule,” with emphasis on the scope of His rule. God gave that authority to Jesus Christ on the basis of His victorious resurrection from the dead. Paul declares in Philippians 2:9-11:
Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place, and gave Him the name above all names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Illustration: Marvin’s Life Transforming Story
Please, allow me to share with you about one of my disciples. Marvin was 14 years old when his mother died. That same year, his father moved to another city with a woman, leaving behind Marvin and his siblings. Those painful circumstances led Marvin to look for love and acceptance in life. But he couldn’t find it all by himself. So he turned into drugs, joined a gang and later became a gang leader. When he was 20 years old, he got into a gang fight, which resulted in homicide. He was caught by police and was given a life sentence in a maximum-security prison.
While in prison, someone shared the Gospel with Marvin and gave a Gospel tract. He found this Bible verse on it, “Look at the birds in the air; they do not sow or reap or gather into barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” Marvin realized that he is valuable in the sight of God. That night, he cried out to the Lord in prayer and submitted himself to the authority of Jesus. He finished Bachelors of Theology degree inside the prison. He applied for a parole and by God’s grace it was granted. So, after serving the minimum sentence of nine years in prison, Marvin was released in April 2013. Right after his release, he came to IGSL to study and prepare himself for ministry.
It has been a privilege for me to disciple him for the past 3 years, and witness how God is transforming his life. Today, Marvin is one of the top students of his batch at IGSL. He is a loving husband and a loving father. And he is very passionate about making disciples. He is discipling several cadets in the Philippine Military Academy in Baguio. He travels from Manila to Baguio every week to meet with his disciples. Marvin’s submission to the authority of Jesus in that prison cell 3 years ago has transformed his life and made him a disciple-maker. There is nothing impossible for God!
Application
Brothers and sisters, have you submitted to the authority of Jesus and made Him the Lord of your life? If not, NOW is the best time to do so. To be a disciple of Jesus is first and foremost to submit to His authority. He has authority over our life and everything we do. No matter where He leads, no matter what circumstances we face, He is in control. Since He has all authority, we can worship Him without fear and doubt. And based on that authority, we can make disciples. Brothers and sisters, we must submit to the Great Authority of Jesus in order to fulfill the Great Commission.
On the basis of His Great Authority, Jesus gives His Great Command, which is the second thing that we must do in order to fulfill the Great Commission…we must obey the Great Command of Jesus.
2. Obey the Great Command (19-20a)
Now, this is the heart of the Great Commission. In English, it seems like Jesus gave several commands: go, make disciples, baptize and teach. But, in the original language, there is only one main verb in the Great Commission, "make disciples." Three other verbs, ‘going,’ ‘baptizing,’ and ‘teaching’ are supporting verbs. So, in the original language, v. 19 begins like this, ‘Therefore, as you are going, make disciples’
A disciple is simply a committed follower of Jesus. And we can make disciples by sharing the Gospel and teaching them to follow Jesus. Making disciples is important, because it is the Lord’s method of spreading the Good News of salvation. During His public ministry, Jesus spent more than three years making disciples - His chosen twelve. When Jesus commanded His disciples to make disciples, He was basically asking them to reproduce themselves. And He is giving the same command to us today, Make Disciples. Now, you may be thinking, I want to make disciples, but I don't really know how to do it? Jesus has given 3 simple ways how you can make disciples: “Going,” “Baptizing,” and “Teaching.”
Going is a very important aspect of making disciples. But, going doesn’t always mean going to far away places. So, you don’t have to feel guilty if you are not being able to go to cross-cultural missions. Your mission field might be where God has placed you right now. For you, ‘Going’ might mean going to your school with a call to make disciples. It might mean going to your office with a call to make disciples. It might mean going to your business or company with a call to make disciples. But, if God has called you to go to cross-cultural missions, you should obey and go. Whether we go to far away places or stay in our own places, the command is to make disciples.
Baptism is another important aspect of making disciples. It is an outward demonstration of an inward change. Thru baptism, a person publicly identifies with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. It also symbolizes the new life a person has received in Christ. Teaching is an essential part of making disciples. Jesus obeyed the Father unto death, and He taught obedience, “If you love me, you will obey my commands.” And here Jesus is telling us… ‘teach them to obey everything I have commanded you.’ So, we can make disciples by teaching people how to obey God’s command.
Now, the scope of this Great Commission is, "All Nations." You may be thinking, this is impossible! How could those 11 men “disciple all nations,” especially when some of them still doubted? When Jesus commanded His disciples to "make disciples of all the nations," He was not referring to political nations such as Canada, Kenya, Russia, China, or India. The word that Jesus used for nations in the original language is "ethne" from which we get the English word "ethnic". "Ethne" simply means a group of individuals with a common identity based on common language, culture, ancestry, etc.) So, Jesus commanded His disciples to make disciples from every ethnic people group.
Illustration – People groups
Let us look at some numbers about ‘ethne’ (people groups) in the world:
1. There are 16,000 people groups (ethne) in the world, and over 6,000 of them are Unreached People Groups. (They are called Unreached People Groups because there are not enough believers in that group to evangelize their own people).
2. There are 7,000 different living languages, and over 5,000 of them still have no Bible or Scripture translations available in their own language.
3. There are 550 people groups in China, and over 300 people groups do not have even Bible portions available in their primary language.
4. There are 200 people groups in the Philippines, and over 30 of them are unreached people groups.
5. Over 80,000 unsaved people die every single day to face the judgment seat of Christ. (Approximately 3,333 people die every hour…55 people die every single minute without knowing Christ).
Application
Brothers and sisters, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” The command to make disciples is urgent, because many people are dying without Christ every single day.
Let us take some time to ponder and answer these questions:
1. Who are the people God has placed around me that I need to urgently share the gospel with? (You may want to write down the names of your family, relatives, friends, officemates, employees, helpers who are not believers yet.
2. Think of those Unreached People Groups that remain in darkness and do not know the Lord Jesus yet. From the ‘6 Ways To Reach God’s World’, what is one way that you can commit to do this week?
Learn? Pray? Go? Send? Welcome? Mobilize?
Brothers and sisters, Jesus has commanded us to “Make Disciples.” And, He did not just command us; He modeled it for us. He made twelve disciples and sent them out to multiply more disciples. Since we are His disciples, making disciples is not an option. Disciples must reproduce disciples. It is a command. That’s why Hudson Taylor, the great missionary to China says, The Great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed.” Brothers and sisters, we must obey the Great Command of Jesus in order to fulfill the Great Commission.
On the basis of His Great Authority and His Great Command, Jesus gives a “Great Promise,” it is the third thing we must do in order to fulfill the Great Commission…we must hold on to the Great Promise of Jesus.
3. Hold on to the Great Promise (20b)
In His last statement, Jesus comforted His disciples with a promise. Notice, Jesus says I “am” with you, not I “will be” with you. And that’s exactly who Christ is, He’s “Immanuel,” God with us. It is the same promise Jesus gives us today. He is always with us as we make disciples of all nations. As we fulfill the Great Commission, we can be assured that He is with us always. He is with us in our successes and failures, our fears and faith, our doubts and delights. He will never leave us nor forsake us no matter what the situation is.
This promise of His presence should comfort us and empower us to make disciples. But, we are mistaken if we think that Gospel message will always be received warmly. At this very moment, Christians around the world are being persecuted, beaten, and even put to death for their faith. While the opposition is real and intimidating, His final words in the Great Commission should give us courage: “I am with you always.”
Illustration – Christians Arrested in Nepal
Two weeks ago, 8 Christians were arrested in Nepal for sharing the Gospel. One of them was my close friend, pastor Shakti Pakhrin. They were arrested while sharing the Gospel in a private school. They were telling Bible stories to the students and giving out Gospel tracts. But, some neighbors reported to the police falsely accusing them of converting the Hindu students into Christianity. So, the police immediately arrested them and put them in custody. They went thru a lot of interrogation and mistreatment by the police while in custody. There were threats for their lives, their families and their ministries. But, they stood firm in their faith, holding on to the promise, ‘“I am with you always.” They knew that God is with them no matter what the situation is. After a week, they were released from police custody. As I was chatting with my friend Shakti the other day, and he was telling me how this incident has rekindled their faith in God and their passion for the lost. He said, ‘there will be challenges in ministry, but we will continue to do what God has called us to do.’
Application
Brothers and sisters, fulfilling the Great Commission is not easy. And Jesus knows that we have a lot of fears about it. That is why He has promised to be with us always. He enables, directs, protects, empowers, strengthens, and encourages us. So, fulfilling the Great Commission is our act of faith in God’s promise. He is faithful to keep His promise, we can hold on to His promise and R.E.A.C.H. out to people around us. This is a simple way how you can R.E.A.C.H - out to people around you…
Reveal that you are a Christian.
Extend an invitation to a church service/MGroup.
Ask if it’s OK to share your testimony/story.
Communicate how and why you became a Christian.
Help them know Christ personally.
Jesus is always with us as we R.E.A.C.H. out to people around us. He is faithful to keep His promise. Let us hold on to the Great Promise of Jesus in order to fulfill the Great Commission.
Conclusion
Brothers and sisters, the Great Commission is God’s Mission! Our God, Who loves the world so much, that He sent His only Son Jesus from heaven to earth. Our God is a missionary God, and Jesus Himself was the first missionary, sent by God to this world. And today, Jesus is calling all of us – the whole Church – to fulfill His Great Commission. “With people this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.” Therefore, our mission, which is the Great Commission, is Possible, because, it is God’s Mission.
The big question for us today is,
Will God find us faithful in fulfilling His Great Commission?
Three things we have learned today that we must do in order to fulfill the Great Commission:
1. Submit to the Great Authority of Jesus
2. Obey the Great Command of Jesus
3. Hold on to the Great Promise of Jesus
Let us pray!
