Opening Illustration: The Missed Opportunity in Mongolian History:
A 13-year-old Mongolian inherited land from his father. Through great strategy and awesome fighting ability, he formed fighting bands that conquered village after village. Eventually he became known as Genghis Khan and ruled over 2 million people. His empire stretched from China to India and from Siberia to the edges of Western Europe. Meanwhile in Western Europe a great revival was occurring under the preaching of men like St. Francis of Assisi. At his death, the bulk of Khan’s empire went to his grandson, Kublai Khan in 1260.
He had 2 Italians in his court named Polo (the father and uncle of Marco) that told him of Christ. Kublai was very interested and he sent them back to Europe with a request to bring 100 missionaries saying, "When we learn about Christianity, there will be more Christians in my empire than in all Europe." The Polo’s returned to Europe to enlist men willing to share the gospel. They begged and pleaded but only 2 friars and Marco would follow them back to the Orient. So these 5 men began their long journey but the 2 friars turned back. When the 3 men arrived in Kublai’s realm, Kublai asked "Where are the missionaries?"
No one came. No one cared enough. Despite the great revival going on in Europe no one was willing to serve the Lord. Oh eventually, the church did send a small handful of missionaries but by then it was too late. Can you imagine what the largest communist nation today would be like if it were the largest Christian nation? [1]
This is but one example for what happens when the Great Commission goes unfulfilled. Today we will continue to explore the command of Jesus to every disciple.
Matthew 28:18–20
Prior to the death of Jesus, the disciple were limited to reach out to the Jews only
Matthew 10:5–6 These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: “Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; 6 but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
But Jesus did let them know that restriction was not to stay in place:
Matthew 24:14 This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.
Jesus has heart for the nations - He went to the foreigners that were in the land, to the Roman centurion and healed his servant (Matt 8:5ff), to the Samaritan woman by the well (John 4:7ff), and to the Canaanite woman and healed her daughter (Matt 15:22ff).
In the Old Testament it was foretold that the gospel would be for all the world.
Isaiah 49:6b I will also make You a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.
And so it is, with all power and authority, he commands the church:
Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
We elaborated on this last week. Jesus possesses all power and all authority and with that he commissions the church to do what was intended for them to do from the very beginning.
Matthew 28:19–20a Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you …
The central command in this passage, the main verb in the Greek is “make disciples” and is supported by three participles; to go; to baptize; and to teach.
We often take the “Go” as the command. In verse 19, the “go” in the Greek is in passive aorist tense – meaning it assumes an action that has taken place (having gone)
and as a participle, it can function as an imperative meaning a command. So it would seem Jesus already assumed that the disciples have left or are in the process of leaving. This leads me to believe the notion “to go” is an assumed given fact. To the disciples, there was no question about going. Jesus had already sent them out at least once before (Matt 10), so in this commissioning, the going is expected. It could be almost translated like this: “as you are going” or “when you have gone.”
My question, therefore, ought to be, “Why have I not already gone?” This also begs the question, “To go where?
We are to go – because the lost will not come to us.
We are to go – with purpose, determination and power.
We are to go to our neighbor next door and across the street.
We are to go to our place of work.
We are to go to the inner city.
We are to go to poverty areas like to an orphanage in Haiti (which ae are overdue to visit again).
We are to go out of our comfort zones.
We are to go to where we can build relations, so that we may introduce Jesus.
We are to go where ever the Good News, the gospels desperately needs to be heard.
Acts 1:8b … you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
We need to start with our own families and move out from there. But, some of you might say, I cannot physically go anywhere. In today’s world, we all can go and remain at home at the same time. We all have cell phones, we can make calls to people we know, people need to hear the gospel.
We can witness via electronic means, email, zoom, WhatsApp and so forth. Remember spreading a the gospel is a personal thing, not impersonal. Be careful about throwing out the gospel indiscriminately on social media and think you are filling the Great Commandment. Jesus says do not cast you pearls before swine (Matthew 7:6). A lot of swine out there in the internet world. But how do you touch someone personally with the gospel? The Gospel is spread through personal touches, not through bumper stickers and open posts on Facebook.
If we find we cannot physically go to where the gospel needs to be heard, are you supporting someone can go? Are you supporting them financially and with prayer?
The command is to go and “make disciples of all the nations.” The word for “nations” is the Greek word “ethnos” from which we get our word “ethnic” from – it means “people groups” or “ethnic groups.” scripture tells us there will be people from all people groups in heaven around the the throne:
Revelation 7:9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation [ethnos] and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands
There is coming a day when people from every ethnic group and every language will be found around the throne and around Jesus who is the Lamb.
In today’s world we can find people from all over our globe in our communities. We can do international evangelism in our own even in our own backyard. Read and watch the news, people from all over the globe are pouring into our country.
So how do we make these disciples? Jesus did not leave us without a plan: By "baptizing them" and "teaching them."
Baptizing signifies the completion of the evangelizing portion. Signifies an identification with the family of God. Is done in the name (singular) of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Something done “In the name of” in Biblical times meant “by the authority of.” we are to baptize them by the authority of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. But getting them baptized is only half a job.
Jesus also rightly commanded us to teach them. Teaching them is another word for "discipleship." This is where is get sticky. How can we teach others to be disciples when we’re not much of a disciple ourselves. For example: Jesus called for an active prayer life. Jesus, the Son of God , sought out God in long hours in prayer. How much more should we be doing also? If we are not praying, how can we expect to teach others to pray? Teaching is a lifelong process – because we are in a lifelong process of learning. As we ourselves are learning, we pass on what we learn to others.
Hebrews 5:12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
That does not mean everyone needs to be a Sunday School teacher. Who have you mentored? Who have you walked beside and given encouragement, to develop a new believer. We are learning as we are teaching. No one learns more than the teacher. We have been given spiritual gifts, to win the lost, to disciple new believers.
Ephesians 4:11–12 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;
God gave these gifted people to the church The problem often times, is God’s people are not using the gifts God gave them to use. These pastors and teachers are to equip to church, so that the individual members can “go and make disciples,” so that those they reach will believe and be baptized and so we as individual memebers of the church can teach them.
And what are we to teach them? “To observe all that I commanded you” What all did Jesus command them? It’s all right here in this book. How well do you know the commandments of Jesus? We are to be engaged in on-going learning as we are discipling others.
Finally, we are not left alone to do this great task, for we cannot possibly do this in our own power. To do this “going, baptizing, and teaching” as we make disciples, we need help.
Matthew 28:20b … and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
We can do this because we are not doing it in our own power.
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
Can we claim this promise of his presence if we are not going into all the world with the Gospel? Are we taking the good news right to our own family, and our neighbors, right where we live?
If you have received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, His command to go and make disciples also apply to you. You need to tell someone. Jesus gave this command to a brand new believer, and sent him out.
Luke 8:38–39 But the man from whom the demons had gone out was begging Him that he might accompany Him; but He sent him away, saying, 39 “Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.
I want us to take notice here. The next time Jesus returns to this area, everyone knew about Jesus. This man never went to Sunday School, never been to seminary, never had any witnessing training, but he knew what Jesus had done for him and he told others.
Maybe you cannot take the good news because you have not yet received it yourself. This Gospel is for all, have you become a believer, a disciple and follower of Jesus?
[1] Copied from Sermon Central from a sermon by Adam Cain, M’s of Evangelism, 12/4/2009. www.sermoncentral.com/sermon-illustrations/74598/evangelism-urgency-by-sermon-central
