WHEN THE PARTY’S OVER
Matthew 28:18-20
INTRO.- ILL.- The spring fling was great! The food, the fun, the frivolity!
- Loved those cornbread and beans.
- Loved Gary and Marilyn singing and acting, especially when the table under them about collapsed.
- Loved Gary Edwards singing and dancing “Six Days on the Road,” but I was afraid he was going to collapse.
- Loved Al and Kay dancing and acting. We didn’t know Kay could dance so well and we could see that Al can’t act.
- Loved it when Mike Morton’s horse/dear fell apart.
- Loved those twin gals from the sticks: Priscilla and Mary. Loved them, but man, were they ugly!
We all loved the Spring Fling! But what happens after the party is over? WORK. CLEANUP.
There is always work to be done after the party is over. Or after the meal is cooked and eaten. AND EVERYTHING DIDN’T END WITH THE RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD EITHER! That’s when the work began!
After the resurrection that’s when the work was just getting started for the disciples. The party was over, so to speak, and it was time to go to work!
PROP.- Our text deals with some important issues that followed the resurrection of our Lord which we need to think about. We’re on this side of the resurrection. We’re the cleanup crew. We’re supposed to be working for the Lord.
We’ve all heard of the three R’s: readin, ritin, and rithmatic. There are 3 R’s that relate to the resurrection of our Lord and what happened afterward.
1- The recognition of Christ’s authority
2- The responsibility of Christ’s commission
3- The realization of Christ’s presence
I. THE RECOGNITION OF CHRIST’S AUTHORITY
ILL.- One day an army sergeant came into the barracks and asked his men if any of them knew shorthand. The recruits thought that taking shorthand would be easy duty so most of them raised their hands.
The sergeant said, “Good, they’re shorthanded in the mess hall!”
Generally speaking, an army sergeant has a pretty good amount of authority. Of course, there is always someone who has greater authority in life.
Matt. 28:18 Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
“All” authority was given to Christ, not man. And not even to the disciples.
III John 9-10 “I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us. So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church.”
Huh? What’s that? A man by the name of Diotrephes was putting people out of the church and refused to welcome certain others. Diotrephes put himself first. He was #1 in his life. He was his own “main man.” He liked to run things. He liked to throw his weight around. He liked to control things and people.
DO YOU KNOW DIOTREPHES? Probably, but by another name.
ILL.- Remember Jim Bakker of the famed PTL Club? How could we ever forget him? I’m not here to judge him, just to take note of him. He was a “noteworthy” guy. Perhaps more than he should have been.
One of the things that got Jim Bakker into trouble was the fact that he “ran the show.” He had practically “all authority” when it came to the PTL Club.
ILL.- The editor of “Servant” magazine wrote these words about Jim Bakker. “By the mid 80s, Jim Bakker had achieved the American dream and more. Leader of the multi-million dollar religious empire known as Heritage USA, PTL, and the Inspirational Network, Bakker enjoyed prestige, power, and the adulation of millions. A premiere proponent of the Prosperity Gospel, he preached an upbeat message of optimism, health, and wealth. But in 1987 Bakker’s world caved in when his one time sexual encounter with Jessica Hahn, a church secretary from New York, became national news. The loss of his reputation was only the beginning. Convicted in 1989 of mail and wire fraud for fundraising efforts at PTL, the former confidant of presidents was sentenced to 45 years in a federal prison. There, he would lose his freedom, his dignity, and eventually, his wife, Tammy Faye. Stripped of power and subjected to the daily humiliations of prison life, Bakker began to face the issues he had always been too busy to confront. As he studied the teachings of Jesus, the former preacher was shaken to his foundations. Released after five years, Jim Bakker lives today in rural North Carolina where he spoke to Servant about his new book I Was Wrong, and the changes in his life and thinking.”
Brethren, any time a person tries to take the power of Christ into his own hands, he or she is headed for big trouble! Such a person was Jim Bakker. And Diotrephes was no different.
Beware of the power trip! Beware of trying to “run the show.” Beware of “wanting it your way.” Beware of being a “know-it-all.”
There is only one person with all power and authority!
ILL.- Robert Shannon said it well in a sermon at the 1979 North American Christian Convention. He said, “Christ is above all human persons. He is above all princes, popes, potentates, bishops, superintendents, preachers, teachers, editors, and elders. He is above all persons. I can put Him above prophets, priests, kings, governments, wealth, the church, BUT CAN I PUT HIM ABOVE ME?”
II. THE RESPONSIBILITY OF CHRIST’S COMMISSION
ILL.- A draftee went in for his physical wearing a brace and with papers that were stamped “M. E.” for medically exempt. Afterward, a friend borrowed the brace to wear for his physical.
At the end of the examination the doctor stamped the letters “M. E.” on his papers. He asked the doctor, “Does this mean I’m Medically Exempt?”
“No,” replied the doctor. “M. E. stands for the Middle East. ANYONE WHO CAN WEAR A BRACE UPSIDE DOWN CAN RIDE A CAMEL.”
That young recruit was trying to get out of his commission. And many Christian people today try to escape their commission which has been given to them.
Matt. 28:19 “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.”
After Christ rose from the dead He commanded His disciples to evangelize the world! To preach the good news about Christ to the whole world! That’s our commission! That’s our work! That’s our responsibility!
The party’s over. It’s time to go to work!
Evangelism is still the number one priority of the church! It’s the great commission. It’s the main thing that we’re supposed to do.
The main emphasis of the church is not buildings and budgets. It is not maintenance and money. It’s not fun and games.
Of course, if we can use some of these things to win people to the Lord then praise Him! But sometimes these things are an end in themselves rather than a means to an end.
ILL.- It is said that the great Indian leader Ghandi was a Hindu, but in his early days was greatly impressed by the message of the gospel of Christ. He determined to find out more and for several Sundays attended a church in Pretoria. This turned out to be a sad experience because he found that his fellow worshippers weren’t serious believers at all. They were worldly-minded people going to church because it was the expected custom.
Ghandi concluded that there was nothing in Christianity which he didn’t already possess. Of course, he was wrong. He once said, "I’d seriously consider becoming a Christian - if it weren’t for Christians.” What a rebuke to the Christian world!
Christ gave us the responsibility of reaching the lost for Him! He did not give this responsibility to angels or aliens. HE GAVE IT TO US!
I’m suggesting that we must take the great commission seriously. And this must be evident in our lives and our speech. No telling how many Ghandis could be converted to Christ if only they could see that our faith is genuine.
ILL.- The Times-Reporter of New Philadelphia, Ohio, reported in September, 1985 a celebration of a New Orleans municipal pool. The party around the pool was held to celebrate the first summer in memory without a drowning at the New Orleans city pool. In honor of the occasion, 200 people gathered, including 100 certified lifeguards. As the party was breaking up and the four lifeguards on duty began to clear the pool, they found a fully dressed body in the deep end. They tried to revive Jerome Moody, 31, but it was too late. He had drowned surrounded by lifeguards celebrating their successful season.
Brethren, There are multitudes of people all around us who are drowning in their sins while we’re either playing, partying or celebrating. And partying and celebrating are not bad if we live our faith. We are lifeguards in the truest sense of the word. We must be alert to those around us who are drowning. We have the responsibility of carrying out Christ’s commission. SAVE THE DROWNING.
1- The recognition of Christ’s authority
2- The responsibility of Christ’s commission
III. THE REALIZATION OF CHRIST’S PRESENCE
ILL.- One time a young evangelist got carried away in his preaching. He was preaching about the second coming of Christ. With great enthusiasm, he became one with Jesus and started yelling, “I’m coming! I’m coming! I’m coming!”
Suddenly, the young evangelist feel from the platform and landed in a woman’s lap. He exclaimed, “Oh, I’m so sorry! Please forgive me.”
The woman answered, “Son, you don’t owe me an apology. You warned me three times you were coming and I didn’t have sense enough to get out of your way.”
Brethren, while it is true that Christ has promised that He is going to come back some day, the important thing for us to remember is that He is already with us, here and now! HE IS ALWAYS WITH US, HERE AND NOW!
Matt. 28:20 Jesus said, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Wow! What a promise! After Jesus ascended into heaven, He didn’t sit down in His Lazy Boy Recliner, put his feet up, get a soda, and turn on an interesting TV program like we sometimes do!
There was work to be done! And Jesus is still at work. And He is not blind to our needs and hurts in life.
Heb. 4:15 “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses; but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin.”
ILL.- The songwriter put it this way:
Does Jesus care when my heart is pained too deeply for mirth and song?
As the burdens press, and the cares distress, and the way grows weary and long?
O yes, He cares, I know He cares, His heart is touched with my grief. When the days are weary, the long night dreary, I know my Savior cares.
Some people will care at certain times, but Jesus always cares.
ILL.- The story “Footprints” says it best. One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one belonging to him, and the other to the Lord.
When the last scene of his life flashed before him he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life.
This really bothered him and he questioned the Lord about it. "Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you, you’d walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why when I needed you most you would leave me."
The Lord replied, "My precious, precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."
All of us go through some difficult times in life. If we haven’t, we will. Bad things or negative things do happen to Christian people. We are not exempt, but we are exceptional. We are exceptional people because we have a Savior who is with us always. He is with us even when we are blind to Him.
CONCLUSION---------------------------
Acts 1:9-11 “After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘WHY DO YOU STAND THERE LOOKING INTO THE SKY?’”
Essentially, those two angels were saying to the disciples, “What are you doing standing there? Get with the program! Get busy! The time for staring is over. It’s time to go to work.”
And I feel similarly when it comes to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. The resurrection is a fact of history. Praise God! He is risen! He’s alive! But now it’s time to go to work.
We must:
1- Recognize Christ’s authority in our lives
2- Be responsible about fulfilling Christ’s commission
3- Realize that He will be with us to the end
