Go, Go, Go
Church of God Seventh Day Meridian, ID
November 25, 2000
INTRODUCTION
Good Morning
Good Thanksgiving
Today, we will be concluding what we have been talking about throughout this last month: The Commission in Matthew 28:18-20. With it being Thanksgiving weekend, I also have a message of thanksgiving tied into this, for us to take home with us.
I want to briefly review what we have been talking about this month, we have a number of visitors here today, but also for those of you who may have missed a Sabbath or, for those of you who have been here, to bring it fresh in your head.
Matthew 28:18-20
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.
We have broken this verse down into three distinct, yet connected commands:
1. GO therefore, and make disciples. We have defined this as Mark does in Mark 16:15 “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”
In writing to the church in Ephesus about the gospel, Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:13 “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation”
We have a reponsibility to live up to this command and share the gospel of salvation.
In doing this, I urge you to earnestly pray and listen to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In looking at the Bible, and the message it contains, to know the verses, and to be able to effectively use them in sharing our greatest thanksgiving, that Jesus came in the flesh, died as a sacrifice for our sins, and was resurrected and ascended into heaven. Because of this, we are forgiven and have the hope of resurrection and eternal life.
2. Go therefore and baptize them, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The second distinct yet connected command is to baptize, as Mark writes in vs. 16 of Mark, chapter 16: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved;”
We used the analogy of a marriage, and baptism as the wedding. It is a ceremonial act that symbolizes the commitment we have made.
Baptism is also symbolic of the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord. We identify with that death, and we put our “old man of sin” to death.
Romans 6:3-6
The other aspect of baptism that we discussed, in looking at the Greek word for it, was that baptism was by immersion.
3. GO therefore, and teach them to obey all things that I have commanded you.
We covered a number of things in looking at this, the most important one I thought was that before we can teach, we need to learn. As I said before, we do not need to learn everything before we teach anything. Once you have learned something, and you are OBEDIENT to it, you are the best person to teach it.
If you keep the commandment of the Sabbath and you know why you keep it, there is no reason you can not teach the Sabbath. I presented the three sets of verses I use in teaching the Sabbath. They were the three sets of verses that taught me to obey the Sabbath, almost ten years ago. Since then, I have studied the Sabbath in great detail, I have studied the history of it, why people keep Sunday today, and most of the verses relating to it. In all of that study, those three sets of verses are the same ones I would use in teaching a new believer about the Sabbath.
*may have questions
*why do you believe what you believe – don’t take my word for it
In looking at our scripture reading in Matthew, I believe, as the commandment states, this is the responsibility of all believers. We are all to go out and make disciples, baptizing them, and teaching them.
As I was saying, if you have received the gospel of Jesus Christ, if you have accepted the gift of salvation, if you understand what Jesus has done for you, then you are the perfect person to show someone else that which you have received, forgiveness and peace through Jesus.
If you have been baptized, understanding its significance, seeing its relevance, than you are the perfect person to teach someone else what baptism is, and then, to baptize them. I believe that the act of baptism bridges the gap between bringing someone the Christ, and teaching them obedience. There may be reasons you do not want to baptize someone, or they may be more comfortable with a pastor, or an elder, and that is fine. But, do not leave it there, after the baptism, continue in this process of teaching obedience.
LO, I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS
That covers some of the main points we have been discussing. But, I wanted to mention the other aspect of these verses, and this will tie in with most of what we talk about the rest of today.
First, in vs. 18 of our scripture reading in Matthew “All power is given unto me in heaven and earth”
Jesus says here that all power is given to Him.
Second, in vs. 20 “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world”
Here, we have Jesus, with all power given to Him, saying that He will be with us, always.
I had said a couple of weeks ago, that with all of the opposition there is to the Word being spread, Satan and all of his schemes, we could not spread the gospel without Jesus at our side.
Sadly, Satan is not our only opposition to fulfilling this command. We can be our own enemy. We often times have made up “reasons” why we can not, or will not be involved in outreach
Many of us are very busy, myself included. Perhaps we just do not have the time. We forget in that statement, though, that ALL time is God’s time. But, putting that aside, looking at the fact that God knows we need to work and provide for the needs of our families, we still have the Sabbath- a day that is separated from the other six days. Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath? Yes. Jesus taught on the Sabbath, the apostles brought unbelievers to Jesus on the Sabbath. Do we do our work? No. Can we do God’s work? Most definitely. So we do have time.
We have the time, we have the Holy Spirit leading us, we have Jesus, with all power given to Him, with us as we complete this task, as He promised.
OUR OWN BACKYARD
Many believe that to be involved in this command you must “go on a mission” to another country, but what about the people here in Boise, or wherever your hometown is. We all have our own little world that we operate in from day to day. Our job, our friends, our family, those we fellowship with. Often times, we only associate with other Christians, our association with unbelievers is very limited, to say the least.
But, looking to the Bible for examples, did Jesus, or His disciples only associate with “Christians”
We are seldom going to find unbelievers at church. We have to go out to where they are. We have to be a light in darkness. We have to GO. That is what Jesus said, isn’t it? GO therefore and make disciples, baptizing and teaching them. In my research, I came across a quote I wanted to read:
“One of the major problems of the church is that it is so busy training itself to do the Great Commission that it does not do the Great Commission”(Hansen)
The point is, we need to Go. We have many people who are in need of the gospel here in Boise
ACTION
We are called to be a people of action, not to be stagnate
When Jesus divides the sheep from the goats in Matthew 25, He is dividing those who took action, and those who did not
Matthew 25:31-45
In speaking of being a light to the world in Matthew 5:14 Jesus says Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill can not be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
It is clear from the Bible that we are called to be a people of action, that as we are obedient to the Word, Jesus will be there, leading us and guiding us.
THANKSGIVING
I said I was going to tie this in with somewhat of a thanksgiving message, but before I do, I want say something that I want you to keep in mind. As you share the gospel, there will be those who will reject it. They are not rejecting us, they are rejecting Jesus. We are but the messengers, Jesus is the message.
We should be thankful that we live in a place, a country, where we are free to live up to this command. We recently celebrated Thanksgiving this last Thursday, we had a Thanksgiving program the Sabbath before that. I think it is really important to keep in mind, and be thankful for these freedoms.
Many people came to the New World for what we so many times take for granted. To be able to worship God in the way they see the Bible says to. For all of our lives, we have not in this country been forced to worship in a way that we thought was wrong. This was not the case for these settlers. For the thousand years before our country was settled, you worshipped God in the way the “Church” told you to. Those people, could at least call on the name of Jesus. The “Church” professed Christianity, if only by words.
When Jesus sent His disciples out into the world, to make disciples, to baptize, and to teach, His promise of always being there with them was often times all they had.
I want to paint you a picture of what those first few hundred years were like for Christians, for no other purpose, than that as you sit here, in this country, you may truly not only understand what a thanksgiving we have to be here, but also that our struggles to fulfill this commission pale in comparison.
PERSECUTIONS
We know that Christians were persecuted even in the time of Christ. We know that before Paul became an apostle, he was arresting and persecuting Christians. After his conversion, he himself became an object of persecution. Why? For no other reason than his Christianity. Did he hide? No, he continued, in the face of jail, even death, to bring the word of Jesus to the gentiles. He was often times jailed for his Christianity. Acts 16 brings us one of the accounts of Paul’s imprisonment:
22 And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them.
23 And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:
24 Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.
Rome throughout this time paid little attention to Christians. In 64 A.D. though, under the Emperor Nero, Christianity received one of its first persecutions after a fire in Rome was blamed on them. It was during this time that Peter and Paul are thought to have been martyred.
In 107 A.D., Rome made Christianity a “religio illicita,” or an illegal religion. Christians were continually persecuted on and off for the next couple of centuries. This was leading up to the time of Diocletian and Galerius, the senior and junior emperors of the west.
In the beginning of 303 A.D. Diocletian, the senior emperor of the Roman empire, under the urging of his junior emperor Galerius issued his first edict against Christianity.
They had already driven Christians out of institutions like the military by making the soldiers sacrifice to pagan gods, and dismissing them if they refused. But, in 303 A.D., it became much harsher.
In this first edict, church buildings were to be destroyed. Scripture and other books were to be burned. Church valuables were to be confiscated. The social status of those who were Christian were reduced. If you were a litigant in a court case, before the case was heard, you must offer sacrifice to pagan gods. Christian freedmen were re-enslaved.
A short time later, probably spring of the same year, a second edict was issued:
Christians became outlaws, the Romans arrested and imprisoned church leaders everywhere. The property of Christians was confiscated by the Roman government.
Towards the end of 303 A.D., Diocletian was coming upon a celebration of his rule, and “being nice,” offered to allow Christians out of prison, if they sacrificed to pagan gods.
In early 304, another edict was issued. The general population of Rome was to sacrifice, or risk capital punishment. This persecution continued throughout much of the Roman empire until the Edict of Milan legalized Christianity in 312 AD.
Throughout this time, Christians were tortured and killed. Maximus, the emperor in the area of Palestine, maimed Christians who refused to sacrifice. In other parts of the empire, they were fed to wild animals.
WHAT THIS MEANS TO US
In looking at this time, look at how different our lives are. And yet, during this time when being a Christian could mean your death, Christianity spread.
Would we be more or less inclined to spread the gospel if Christianity was made illegal, our church was seized and burned, myself and the elders were arrested, imprisoned, tortured, and put to death?
Imagine a time when you did not publicly announce your Christianity, in fear of death. Imagine meeting in secret tombs under the city, because no where else was safe to meet. Imagine having secret symbols to identify yourself to others as Christian (fish in dirt).
But, imagine how much comfort you would have in Jesus, who has said He has all power, telling you He would be with you always, as you stood in the middle of a Roman coliseum, refusing to offer sacrifice, about to be fed to a lion. Those words would have new meaning to you.
I certainly hope and pray that none of us would ever go through something like that, but it could happen. We do not know our future, just as a young girl did not know as she faced the barrel of a gun in a high school in Colorado.
Persecution is still around, throughout the world today. We do not have to go back to the times of Diocletian to see it, yet here we are, living in a country that was founded on Christian freedom. We have much to offer thanksgiving for.
CONCLUSION
We live in a country where we are free to worship God, not only worship Him, but worship him in the way we see the Bible commands us. We are no longer, in this country persecuted by the Jews, and seldom persecuted by any other entity. To be honest, the only persecution I have really received has been by some other Christians, and that was limited to telling me I was a legalist, or something to that effect, for keeping the Sabbath. But, I have never been beaten or whipped for my beliefs, nor have I been imprisoned for them. This does happen throughout the world, but generally not in this country. We have much to be thankful for in that regard. We are not only free to worship, but free to share His gospel. We are free to share the truth. We are free to witness to others.
We have had many miracles and thanksgivings in this church, many answered prayers. As I look out into this congregation today, I can not even begin to count all of the miracles and wonderful ways in which the Lord has impacted our lives. We have so much to be thankful for, but most of all, that Jesus died for our sins, paid the penalty for our wrongdoing, and He has offered us an eternal life with Him. In this land, where we are free to honor our God, let us live up to these last words spoken in Matthew, let us live up to this commission, that all may be thankful with us.
Thank you, and the Lord bless you, and bring you another year, full of his thanksgivings, and blessing
(quote was taken from the sermon "Go Make Disciples of All Nations" by Will Hansen)
