Jesus Wants Us to Be Great Commission Christians
The Gospel of Matthew
Matthew 28:16-20
Sermon by Rick Crandall
(Prepared June 14, 2023 - Revised June 22, 2023)
MESSAGE:
*Today in Matthew 28 we will focus on the Lord's Great Commission to take the good news about Jesus Christ all over the world. As far as I can tell, no one seems to know who first called this "The Great Commission." But it was made popular by one of the great pioneer missionaries in the 1800s. His name was Hudson Taylor. He was a British Baptist missionary to China for 54 years.
*Hudson Taylor founded the China Inland Mission that brought over 800 other missionaries to the country. In those years they started 125 schools, saw over 20,000 people saved, enlisted about 500 locals for the work. And they opened over 300 mission stations that spanned all 18 provinces in China. (1)
*Hudson Taylor was totally devoted to carrying out the Great Commission. And it is a good name for Jesus' last command to His followers in this wonderful book of the Bible.
*But these verses are for us just as much as they were for the disciples 2,000 years ago. They apply to everyone who has ever received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. You see, the original word for "disciple" simply means "student," "learner," "follower," or "imitator." In that sense, Christians, we are all called to be the Lord's disciples.
*Thank God, we are citizens of Heaven, children of God, friends of God, and much, much more. But we are also called to be disciples of Jesus Christ. Down through the centuries, many generations of wonderful Christians helped us trust in the Lord. And now God wants us to do everything we can to help make more disciples for Jesus Christ. He wants all of us to be Great Commission Christians.
1. AND WE CAN BE FIRST OF ALL, BECAUSE JESUS WILL OVERCOME OUR DOUBTS.
*Verses 16-18 tells us that:
16. . . The eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them.
17. And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.
18. Then Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth."
*Those disciples worshiped Jesus Christ, and let me stress that Jesus is always worthy of our worship! He is worthy because of who He is: The Almighty Son of God, one with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. But Jesus is also worthy of our worship because of what He has done. He came to earth for us, suffered and died on the cross for us, took the guilt for all of our sin, and rose again in everlasting victory over sin and death. We should worship our Lord and Savior for countless other reasons too, and that will help us live a Great Commission life.
*But notice in vs. 17 that when they saw Jesus, "some doubted." Even seeing the Risen Lord face to face, some of His followers doubted. Is it any wonder, then that sometimes we have doubts? And I am glad in a way that those early followers had doubts, because it reminds us that they were human too. And the same Jesus who overcame their doubts can also overcome ours!
*How does the Lord do it? Well, He shows up in our lives. Jesus showed up on that mountain in Galilee, just as He said He would. He always keeps His Word. Then, after some doubted, in vs. 18, Jesus got even closer. And Christians: The same thing is true for us. Whenever we have doubts, somehow, some way, God will show up in our lives to reassure us.
*Most often, God will speak to us in a special way through His Word. God could also show up through a big answer to a prayer, or a big blessing that you didn't see coming. But He also shows up in countless little ways. It could be a text, a call, or a card from a friend that comes at just the right time.
*Years ago, I read about a mother named Sue Heil. Her only child, Steven, graduated from high school one June morning, only to be killed in a car wreck that night. Just a few hours before the wreck, Sue had given thanks for Steven's life. And she asked God to keep taking care of him. How could God let this happen?
*In the days after Steven's death, Sue was often angry with God. Her pastor assured her that this was normal, and he urged her to keep praying. Sue was disappointed with God, and she told Him, "You are supposed to be near the brokenhearted. Do you care?" Sue had lost her son, and she also felt like she had lost her relationship with God. But one day she got a card from a friend that said, "When God conceals His purposes, -- keep living on His promises." The Lord used those ten words of wisdom to give great comfort that grieving mother. And God will make a way to comfort us too. (2)
*Whenever we have doubts, God will show up in our lives to reassure us. It can even be through the beauties of His creation. After my wife Mary had surgery for thyroid cancer five years ago, I saw a huge rainbow right over the hospital. And on the day she came home, we saw another beautiful rainbow as we pulled into the parsonage driveway. What are the odds of that happening? There are no coincidences, and I am sure God sent those rainbows to reassure us.
*Whenever we have doubts, God will show up in our lives to reassure us. And we can all be Great Commission Christians, because Jesus will overcome our doubts.
2. BUT ALSO BECAUSE JESUS HAS ALL AUTHORITY.
*Who is more powerful than Jesus Christ? -- No one! As Jesus said in vs. 18, "All authority (or all power) has been given to Me in heaven and on earth."
*This is the same original word used in Matthew 7:28-29, when Jesus finished the Sermon on the Mount. There God's Word says, "And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes."
*Those people were astonished. They were shockingly amazed by what Jesus said. And it shouldn't surprise us because they were listening to the Almighty Son of God who humbled Himself to become a man. That's why Jesus was able to speak with divine authority.
*Jesus also worked countless miracles on earth to prove His divine authority. We know this because in John 21:25, the Apostle closed his Gospel by saying, "There are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen"
*The Holy Spirit led Matthew to report a small sample of the Lord's miracles in Matthew 8. For example, there Jesus cleansed a man with leprosy, then He healed the paralyzed servant of a Centurion. Then Jesus healed Peter's mother-in-law who was sick with fever. He also healed many more who were sick and oppressed.
*Then Jesus rebuked a storm on the Sea of Galilee, and it immediately became calm. Mark 4:39 says Jesus "arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, 'Peace, be still!' And the wind ceased and there was a great calm." Do you think it was hard for Jesus to calm the storm? Did He have to struggle or strain? -- No, of course not. It was just 3 words in English: "Peace, be still!" That's all it took to calm that raging sea.
*In the original language, it was just two words: The first word means "hush," like you would say to a whining child or a barking dog. It's been a long time, but I can remember lots of times I've said "hush" to a little child, without too much success. And our dog, "Freckles," used to start barking like crazy every time somebody came to the door. My "hush" didn't work on her either.
*But Christians, Jesus can calm the fiercest storm, with a little "hush." And just to make sure, that word for "be still" meant to put a muzzle on something. There is no storm too big for Jesus to muzzle! Nothing is too hard for the Lord!
*The Holy Spirit led Matthew to report these miracles and many more To help us know for sure that Jesus is the divine Messiah promised in the Old Testament, to help us know that Jesus is the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and only Savior of the world! Colossians 2:9 tells us that all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Jesus bodily, so Jesus surely has all power.
*Missionary Hudson Taylor certainly lived by this truth. The first time Hudson sailed to China, the ship came very close to some islands inhabited by cannibals. The wind died down, and the ship started drifting slowly toward the shore. There the cannibals were, eagerly waiting for a feast.
*The captain came to Hudson and pleaded for him to pray for God's help. Then Hudson Taylor replied, "I will, -- provided you set your sails to catch the breeze." The Captain refused to make himself look foolish by raising the sails in a dead calm. But Hudson Taylor said, "I will not undertake to pray for the vessel unless you will prepare the sails." And it was done.
*While Hudson was still praying in his cabin, the captain knocked on the door, and the captain asked, "Are you still praying for wind?" Hudson told him yes, and the captain replied, "Well, you better stop praying. We have more wind than we can manage." Church we can all be Great Commission Christians, because Jesus has all authority. (3)
3. BUT ALSO BECAUSE JESUS HAS MANY WAYS FOR US TO HELP.
*Think again about what Jesus said in vs. 18-20:
18. . . "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
19. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20. teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.'' Amen.
*How are we going to "make disciples of all the nations?" That's the idea behind the vs. 19 word "teach" in the KJV. But how are we going to do it? How are we going to help more people receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior? How are we going to help them witness their new faith in Christ by being baptized? How are we going to help them observe all things that Jesus has commanded us? From 2 Peter 3:18, how are we going to help them "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?"
*The great news is that there are many different ways for us to help. Remember that every true Christian is a part of the spiritual Body of Jesus Christ. Paul explained this truth in 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 and said:
12. "For as the body (that is, the human body) is one and has many (parts), but all the (parts) of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.
13. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body. . ."
*Church: This is not just symbolic language. This is a mysterious, literal, spiritual truth. When we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are spiritually moved into God. We become a part of the Body of Christ. We are baptized or totally submerged into the spiritual body of Jesus Christ. And the water baptism we go through is symbolic of this spiritual baptism that God performs on every believer. The Holy Spirit of God does this work of putting us into the spiritual body of Christ. And from the moment we believe, we are literally in Christ.
*This spiritual baptism is highly important, and we know this because the phrases "in Christ," "in Christ Jesus" or "in the Lord" are used almost 100 times in the New Testament. For example, Romans 8:1 says, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are IN CHRIST JESUS, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." Then in Romans 16:7 Paul said, "Greet Andronicus and Junia, my countrymen and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were IN CHRIST before me." 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." And Ephesians 2:13 says, "But now IN CHRIST JESUS you who once were far off have been made near by the blood of Christ."
*Being in Christ is an amazing, miraculous place to be. We have a spiritual oneness with God, and each other in the Body of Christ. And every part of the body is important. This is Paul's message for us in 1 Corinthians 12:14-19. Please listen to it today from the New Living Translation, where Paul said:
14. Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part.
15. If the foot says, "I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand," that does not make it any less a part of the body.
16. And if the ear says, "I am not part of the body because I am only an ear and not an eye," would that make it any less a part of the body?
17. Suppose the whole body were an eye -- then how would you hear? Or if your whole body were just one big ear, how could you smell anything?
18. But God made our bodies with many parts, and he has put each part just where he wants it.
19. What a strange thing a body would be if it had only one part!
*The point is that every part in the Body of Christ is valuable. God wants us to see our own value in His Body. He also wants us to see the value of others. That's why in 1 Corinthians 12:20-22 Paul said:
20. Yes, there are many parts, but only one body.
21. The eye can never say to the hand, 'I don't need you.' The head can't say to the feet, "I don't need you.'
22. In fact, some of the parts that seem weakest and least important are really the most necessary."
*Every part in the Body of Christ has great value, so we can all help carry out the Great Commission of Jesus Christ. Some of us could help in the Nursery, or the Children's or Youth programs. Some could teach adults in Sunday School. Others could use their musical gifts for the Lord. Some should answer God's call to preach here at home, if they are truly called by God. Others should answer God's call to serve in far-away countries. Some of us could go on short-term mission trips. And all of us should give our tithes and offerings help God's Church around the world.
*All of us should also invite people to church. Your simple invitation can change someone's life forever. You can also tell people something good that God is doing in your life. You can tell them how you came to know the Lord. You can tell them how God is helping you get through a tough time in your life. You can do acts of kindness for other people, and tell them that you are trying to show God's love. You can send cards with a Christian message of hope.
*The list goes on and on, but the thing God has put on my heart the most today is that we all need to pray more! Pray for lost people, and pray for everyone trying to reach them for Jesus. We need to pray like Jesus told His disciples to pray in Matthew 9:37-38. There the Lord said, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.''
*And God will surely answer our prayers! Here's how we know: In 1 John 5:14-15 God's Word says, "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him." Church, we know that it's God's will for us to pray for Him to send more laborers into His harvest, because that's what Jesus told us to do. So we can be 100% sure that He will answer those prayers. Let's start doing it! Pray for more laborers in Washington D.C. Pray for more laborers in New York City. Pray for more laborers right here in Caldwell Parish. Pray for more laborers anywhere and everywhere God puts on your heart.
*We also need to pray for lost people like Paul prayed for the lost Jews. We see Paul's passion for his lost countrymen in Romans 9:1-3. There Paul said, "I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh." Then in Romans 10:1 Paul said, "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved."
*We also need to pray for lost leaders like Paul told us to do in 1 Timothy 2:1-4. There he said,
1. I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,
2. for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
3. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
4. who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
*God wants all of us to pray with all our hearts for the Great Commission to be carried out around the world. And we can all be Great Commission Christians, because Jesus has many different ways for us to help.
4. WE CAN ALSO BE GREAT COMMISSION CHRISTIANS BECAUSE JESUS WILL ALWAYS BE WITH US.
*In vs. 20, the Holy Spirit led Matthew to close the Great Commission with this great assurance from Jesus: "Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.'' That little word "lo" simply means "behold," "see," "pay attention." Jesus wanted them to know for sure that He would always be with them. And by His Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ is surely with all Christians today.
*David Livingstone was a great pioneer missionary to Africa. And this assurance from Jesus was his favorite Scripture: "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." Livingstone walked over 29,000 miles in that giant continent trying to reach people for Jesus Christ. His wife died early in their ministry. He faced stiff opposition from his Christian brothers back home in Scotland. He also ministered half blind.
*And Paul Powell wrote, "For 32 years David Livingstone planted his life in that dark continent. At times, he was surrounded by hostile and infuriated natives. At times, his life was in great danger. At times, his body was so racked with pain he could hardly keep going. Disease and death, disappointment, and discouragement, were his constant companions.
*But again and again, Livingstone came back to the Lord's words on which he staked his life: 'Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.' He anchored his life to the promise of Jesus and so must we." (4)
CONCLUSION:
*Thank God for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Jesus humbled Himself to take on a mortal, human body for us. Jesus suffered infinitely more than anybody else ever could. He suffered and died on the cross for our sins.
*But three days later, Jesus rose again in everlasting victory over sin and death. Now He will surely save you, if you will open your heart to receive Him as your Lord and Savior. Call on our crucified and risen Savior to save you today. Then do everything you possible can to help more people start following Jesus Christ. Do everything you can to help fulfill the Great Commission, because that's exactly what God wants us to do. We can get started right now, as we go back to God in prayer.
(1) Sources:
-"What's So Great About the Great Commission?" by Lane Corley - March 11, 2021 - https://louisianabaptists.org/whats-so-great-about-the-great-commission
-Castleman, Robbie F. "The Last Word: The Great Commission: Ecclesiology" (PDF). Themelios. 32 (3): 68. - https://s3.amazonaws.com/tgc-documents/journal-issues/32.3_Castleman.pdf - Noted in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Commission
-Hudson Taylor - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson_Taylor
(2) THE UPPER ROOM, May/June 1997, p. 44 - Source: Dynamic Preaching sermon "Bound by a Promise" by King Duncan - Genesis 15:1-18 - Jan. Feb. Mar. 1998
(3) Paul Lee Tan - "Encyclopedia of 7,700 Illustrations" - Rockville, Maryland: Assurance Publishers, 1979 = # 1493 - Source: SermonCentral sermon "The Pathway of Faith" by John Hamby - Hebrews 11:1-7
(4) Sources:
-THROUGH THE FIRE by Joseph Stowell - Victor Books, 1988, p. 150 - Source: Sermonillustrations.com
-Adapted from Paul Powell "Jumpstarting Dead Churches" - Copyright 1995 - Annuity Board of the Southern Baptist Convention pp. 155-156
