The Great Commission
Scripture: Matthew 28:16-20
Sermon Purpose: to persuade the congregation to respond to the Great Commission
Central Idea: Living the Great Commission is the answer to all societal problems national, local and personal.
Purposely written in second person
This sermon moves from that bad news you hear daily to the good news of Jesus the Christ. First, the bad news: Today, many in America live with anxiety. I hear people saying, “In my life, I have never seen the world in such a mess—riots, thievery, wars—humanity seems to be totally wicked.” Scores of us are looking to next presidential election to make things right. Yet a recent survey indicated that the upcoming election would cause even more anxiety. Of 1,029 likely voters Rasmussen polestars asked, “How likely is it that the outcome of the 2024 presidential election will be affected by cheating?” 56 percent responded that it is likely with 31 percent answering, “very likely.” It seems that many depend on a president to be a way out of our dilemmas. Yet, fear of cheating could well undermine the credibility of any presidential winner. Sir Walter Scott had words for cheating scoundrels, “Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.”
Will a president help us out of our dilemma? Or, do we need divine help? Often in times of a dilemma in Israel, God would send a prophet to lead the people. God would say to the prophet, “I would like to send you. Will you go?” The prophet went.
For example, Moses said, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” and God said, ‘I will be with you.’” Moses went; freed the Israelites and formed a Nation unto God.
Hundreds of years later, Israel had backslid. God said to Isaiah, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? And I said, ‘Here am I, send me.’” Isaiah went and announced that the Messiah would come.
“That last night, just after celebrating Passover, Jesus went out to pray as was his custom. When He came to the place … He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, ‘Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.’ … And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” Jesus went and changed the world.
Yes, our world is in a mess. We have millions of people coming across our borders overwhelming some communities. Yes, there are carjacking, stores closing because of so much thief, and school shootings. These are our dilemmas. Will God send another prophet? No. Jesus was clear: John the Baptist was the last Prophet. Our answer: Christ gave us the Great Commission. Christ expects us disciples to fix the dilemmas, and the good news is that we can.
Christian, the minute you accepted Christ, you were called. Your job: respond to the Great Commission; rescue the perishing before it is too late. Yet, too often, you hear this kind of answer, “Oh, I am too old.” “Oh, I am too young.” “Oh, I am too busy!” Things will get worse as long as that is your response. I have heard more than one Christian say, “But, I am not a preacher. That is their job.” No. A preacher job is to remind you that your job is the Great Commission. “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’” I am going to explain some scriptures that may help you see you fulfill this wonderful task.
In Matthew 5:13a Jesus is instructing His disciples, "You are the salt of the earth.” Here, Jesus compared Christians with salt, a flavor enhancer. Just a little salt goes a long way. Did you ever have green beans without salt?
Jesus spoke these words to all disciples past and present for salt does more than make things taste better; it is a preservative. You disciples are to perform the antiseptic action of salt on American society; your job is to keep this society pure. You are the New Israel called to the prophetic work of preserving the earth from moral decay. Your saltiness is the gift of graces, blessings, high calling and lofty works. You are to communicate the divine truth and oppose spiritual corruption thus bringing about moral soundness and the power of life. In the last few years, you have seen people speak up against the non-Christian values that some of our schools and universities are teaching. Their work is paying off: that is the work of salt.
Further, salt is a mineral that is essential for human health, necessary for life. Distributed throughout your body, salt is especially plentiful in your body’s fluids: your blood, sweat, and tears. Without enough salt, all these fluids would lose their water, causing dehydration, low blood pressure and death. You Christians are the Body of Christ. The Body needs salt. You are the salt that is essential to the health of this Nation, essential to the Nation’s survival.
Reading the rest of Matthew 5:13, “but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men.” The salt commonly used by the Jews of old came from the Dead Sea. On the Dead Sea shores was also salt known as The Salt of Sodom. These lumps of rock salt had become nearly flavorless. Their only use was to be crushed and sprinkled on the steps of the Temple to prevent feet from slipping on the often-damp-slick rock floors.
If you are a salty Christians, at the very least, let it show put on a happy face. Greet everyone you meet with a welcoming smile and friendly words. Yes, there may be days when you are down but that is no excuse not to put on a smile showing that you are a child of God. Give the people you meet an uplifting verbal hug. This action, this salt, will lift you as much as it does them. Start today. Make a smiling happy face a habit. This simple habit is world-changing saying that you have a joy about you; others will want to know why you are so content.
A happy face is hard to ignore for it indicates strength in the face of adversity. One of the examples that I remember was a time when my wife and I were visiting in a hospital. As we walked down a hall, my wife’s big smile met a woman that had worried written all over her face. My wife, stopped the woman with a warm politeness asking, “You look so worried?” The woman whimpered, “Yes, I have a lot on me.” My wife, right there in the middle of that hallway, “May I pray for you?” The woman answered, “Yes.” My wife held the lady’s hand and delivered a simple heartwarming prayer not asking for a miracle but asking God to give the lady the kind of peace necessary for strength. A huge smile appeared on the lady’s face, and she said, “Thank you for caring. I needed that.” That is salt.
Essential to fulfilling the Great Commission and your saltiness is prayer. Some seminars divide prayer into five categories, others seven categories, others ten. I define prayer more simply: Prayer is thanking God for something or requesting something of God.
As for prayers thanking God, I personally begin each day by looking off my back porch at the surrounding mountains and thanking God that I am alive and able to see His beautiful world. I usually thank God throughout my day for even the smallest of joys and end each by thanking Him for the additional time on this earth. You probably have your own way; if not set aside a time to thank your Father for all that He has given you.
As for prayers of request, often without thinking about what you are asking, you ask God to perform some task that you are “just too busy” to do. You ask God to fill in, to do your work. Such flippant prayers are treating Almighty God like a subordinate, a servant. No! Almighty God is not a servant. The Almighty made the universe. He rules the universe. Almighty God make you in His image and put you here to work in His Garden. He believes in you. Unless you are completely helpless, be prepared to work to help fulfill your request of Him. That is working in His Garden.
Prayer is talking with your Father just as you would talk with your earthly father or your very best earthly friend. Sometimes you confront something that needs immediate prayer; then pray immediately. Sometimes you will find that it is best to pause and think about what it is that you need to talk to God about before you pray. At other times, the subject matter of your prayer is beyond words, a speechless call from your innermost self. Whatever you need to talk with God about, make it a completely honest thorough conversation.
I have found that my best prayers have been my most earnest. Earnest prayer is making yourself completely vulnerable to God, totally at His disposal, soul searching and crying out for help. One example is found in Luke 6:11-13, “But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus. … Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles.” Jesus was so distraught at the fury and hatred of the religious leaders He faced that He prayed all night to know His most for loyal followers. In the morning, He separated His apostles from His the rest of His disciples. They were to be His most trustworthy, the leaders to carry on His work. Such is the results of earnest prayer.
Jesus gave you steps that will help you fulfill the Great Commission in Mathew 7:7-8, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” Ask… seek… knock: you see a progressive intensity going from ask to seek to knock. This scripture tells you to have passion and persistence in prayer.
“Ask,” this obviously refers to prayer. In this context, God wants you to define your request and understand what you truly need; that provides for Christian growth. Once you have done that, His answer is often quick. However, He can be slow. Why? It may be that He knows that in time you will discover the answer to your request and learn from that discovery experience. Maybe you have the answer but are hesitant, maybe even frightened, to accept it. Time can heal hesitation and fright. Possibly, you are asking for the wrong thing, and He wants you to search deeper. It could be that you are asking Him to help a person in need that you should help. No matter the circumstances, ask.
“Seek, and you will find,” this obvious refers to action. God values persistence in prayer and work because those things bring you to sharing His heart. God also values passion in prayer and works for that expresses your dependence upon Him. Persistent and passion in prayer and works are not to overcome a stubborn reluctant God for He is not such; He always stands ready to help. Your persistence and passion give Him glory.
“Knock, and it will be opened to you.” God shall certainly be opened to you and open the door of mercy and salvation at which you knock. “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” If you have asked, sought, knocked and your request has still not been satisfied, your answer is likely in the Word.
Essential to fulfilling the Great Commission is Bible Study. 2 Peter 1:21, “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” Study God’s Word. There God will speak to you, answer your questions and instruct you.
The Bible presents the lives of people that have faced the same kind of problems you face. Their lives illustrate the dos and don’ts of living. The Bible also warns you about false teaching, increasing your level of discernment of right and wrong, and leads you to wisdom. Here are some examples: You want to help some a poor unfortunate person or family. Study what the Bibles says by reading Exodus 22:1, Leviticus 19:9-10, Deuteronomy 15:7 & 11 and 24:19-20, Luke 4:16-19 and 6:20-21, Matthew 25:34-36 and Mark 10:21-22. You are about to make a vow, an oath, swear to something, read Exodus 20:7, Leviticus 19:12, Numbers 30:2-17 and Deuteronomy 10:20 and 23:22 & 24, Mathew 4:33-37. You want to know more about forbidden sexual relations, read Genesis 19:1-13, Leviticus 20:13, 18:6-24, Deuteronomy 22:5, John 1:12, 3:16-18, Romans 1:26-27, I Corinthians 6:5, I Timothy 1:10, and Jude 1:7.
How do you find the scripture references for a particular subject? If you have access to the internet, simply enter the word “Bible” followed by your question. If you then have a question concerning that scripture, enter the word “commentary” and the scripture. I have an old well-worn Scofield Bible; it is heavily cross-referenced. Some other study Bibles are the same. A concordance will help you find a key word. Looking for a Godly answer or direction often requires study, but it is worthwhile work; it is growth in the Lord’s ways.
In summary, answering the Great Commission is about being the salt of the Nation; it is prayer and works. Prayer and Bible study change your behavior and lead to loving acts of kindness, and giving.
I read this somewhere years ago and I think it sums the Great Commission: Your time and possessions are not yours to keep. Rather, God has entrusted them to you. One of the conditions of that trust is that you should give to those in need of your sweat and resources. Your duty is to act towards others as God has acted toward you. You ask God for blessings, though He owes you nothing and is under no obligation, so you are bound in justice to give to those who ask you, even though you are in no way in their debt. You will be rewarded measure for measure. Because you give freely, God gives freely to you. Such an actions lead to a happier you and to a happier world.
As for your Nation, you know that America’s real need is for the Nation to move back to God’s teaching as found in the Bible, back to the lead of the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 says that, “The fruit of [that] Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things, there is no law.” Those things are the result of living the Great Commission.
American’s are living in a time of self-inflicted anxiety. If you dedicate yourself to living the Great Commission, you will be helping correct your Nation’s problems and perhaps repair some of your own. You have only one life to live and thus one chance to leave the world a better place. I beg of you to ask, seek and knock. Do it now!
