THE MISSION
Matthew 28:16-20
Introduction
We come to the end of Matthew’s Gospel. At the end of the account of Jesus’ life is the urgent message of the Messiah’s Mission to save the world. Everything Jesus did led to this crucial moment. We should pray to be on fire with the mission of Christ.
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Six Callings of the Mission of Jesus
Called by Authority - our mission comes from one with ALL authority - Jesus Christ.
Called to Action - “Go” - “The strength of a church is not revealed by how many it seats, but by how many it sends.” - S. G. Mooneyham
Called to All Nations - It leaves no one out. “Every person on earth is either a missionary or a mission field.”
Called to Make Disciples - proclaim the good news, encourage people to become learners, serve and love people to show them the light of Christ.
Called to Baptize - a declaration of faith and submission, not a declaration of perfection. The beginning of a new life in Christ.
Called to Teach - ongoing mission requires a teachable spirit of the disciple, and it requires a teacher.
Six Ways Jesus Empowers the Mission
The Power of a Ready Harvest! (Matthew 9:36-38 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.37 He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. 38 So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”)
The Power of Love (Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”)
The Power of Example (Hebrews 12:2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates nd perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.) “Missionaries are not made by crossing the sea, but by seeing the cross.” Otis Keener
The Power of Being Equipped (Romans 12:4-6a Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well.) “Those of us who cannot reach the mission field on our feet can reach it on our knees.”
The Power of Expectation (Luke 18:8 But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?”)
The Power of Invitation (Revelation 3:20 “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.)
Conclusion: the story of Jesus ends with a mission. It is a mission with a calling and power to meet that calling. Jesus remains the reason for our mission and empowers us to accomplish our mission. He asks us to GO.
Go seems like such a big word.
It implies something about us - it asks us how Jesus has changed us and how can we love people as He did…enough to GO.
It contains a big purpose - we should be consumed with getting the gospel out into the lost world.
GO is a big word because it is an open-ended instruction. We are never through ‘going’.e are a million ways to ‘go’.
Are we praying to be set on fire by God’s desire to reach the world?
GO is a big word because of what we are asking of others.
Go seems such a big word because it is.
As we have spent this year studying the life and teachings of Jesus, let us now study His calling and His mission.
Have you accepted his calling to come to Him? Have you accepted his calling to Go?
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LifeGroup Questions
1. When you hear the word “Evangelism”, what is the first image that comes to your mind:
2. What are some evangelistic methods of the past that you believe are no longer effective? Do you think that the church as a whole excels in evangelism? Why or why not?
3. In the video we watched this morning called “Strangers”, we saw how the gospel spreads in ways we do not know. How does this help us redefine evangelism?
4. In Matthew 28:17 there were some disciples who saw Jesus after his resurrection and still had a hard time believing it (“but some of them doubted”). What does this say to you about feeling inadequate to share the gospel with others?
5. In verse 18, Jesus claims to have “all authority” and in the next verse commands the disciples to go make disciples. Do you think this is regarded as an optional duty of Christians today? Why or why not?
6. Verse 19-20 is the biography of every Christian. We are taught (Make Disciples), baptized, and taught further. What can we do to “make disciples” today? Brainstorm some practical and ideas.
7. Jesus hasn’t sent us out to make disciples alone - He is with us always. What do you think that means?
8. Is there anything else in this text that you wanted to talk about?
