A Commission to Complete
Matthew 28:16-20
February 27, 2005
Introduction
How is that Jesus make an impact on the world?
During the Second World War, a church in Strasbourg was destroyed. After the bombing, the members of this particular church went to see what was left and found that the entire roof had fallen in, leaving a heap of rubble and broken glass. Much to their surprise, however, a statue of Christ with outstretched hands that had been carved centuries before by a great artist was still standing erect. It was virtually unharmed except that both hands had been sheered off by a falling beam. The people hurried to a sculptor in town and asked if he could replace the hands of the statue. He was willing, and he even offered to do it for nothing. The church officials met to consider the sculptor’s proposition -- and decided not to accept his offer. Why? Because they felt that the statue without hands would be the greatest illusion possible that God’s work is done through His people.
How does Jesus impact this world? He uses those who are already following Him to attract more followers. The simple fact of the matter is that Jesus use disciples to make more disciples. He uses us in all of our frailty and faults to complete His divine plan on this earth.
God is looking for those through whom He can do the impossible, what a pity we settle for the things that we can do on our own. - AW Tozer
Jesus wants to use you to make a difference in His kingdom. Jesus wants to use you to impact all of eternity. Jesus wants to use you to accomplish the impossible.
This morning I want to refresh your memory about a familiar passage that I believe gives us some of the basic principles for discipleship. If you have your Bibles with you please open them to Matthew 28:16-20.
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:16-20
I. The Point of the Calling (16-17)
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.
We see here that Jesus had given some simple instruction to the disciples to meet Him at a specific mountain in Galilee. We do not know where Jesus met the disciples that day but it must have been a place that they would have been familiar with. It is likely that Jesus met them at the same location where He gave the sermon on the Mount. This would have been described as a mountain, would have been in Galilee and would have been a location that the disciples would have easily remembered.
There is a simple truth to discipleship and making disciples. Before we can go out and make disciples, we must first have our hearts on the right track with Christ. Jesus is looking for two things from those who follow Him.
• Availability
• Worship
Jesus is not so concerned with the abilities of those who will be His disciples but Jesus is concerned with the availability of those who would follow Him. The simple truth is that it is impossible for anyone to effectively follow Jesus if they will not make themselves available for His service. Jesus is not looking for the most able person, or the most successful person. I firmly believe that Jesus is searching for people who will open their hearts and make room for Him to be a real part of their lives.
Jesus is looking for people who will make themselves available to His leading. Jesus is looking for people who will make themselves available to receive His power. Jesus is looking for people who will make themselves available to His Work and obey His will. Jesus is looking for ordinary people through whom He can accomplish the extraordinary.
Jesus is looking for people who will surrender their own will to find His will. This is most powerfully displayed in our willingness to worship. When the disciples arrived in Galilee and saw Jesus there were some who doubted. They withheld their worship and praise of Jesus even when they saw Him in His resurrected body. It is impossible to be on the right track with God if withhold yourself from genuine worship.
• You withhold genuine worship when you come into worship focused on yourself
• You withhold genuine worship when you come into worship with a bad attitude
• You withhold genuine worship when you come into worship not expecting more from God
Jesus cannot fill your life with more of Himself until you empty yourself of you. Jesus is just waiting for people to give up themselves so He can give them more of His presence and more of His power.
Is your heart available for service in the Kingdom of Christ? Are you making room for Jesus to give you more of Himself?
II. The Person who is the Christ (18)
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
The name Jesus literally mean God is our salvation. I believe that name fits the character and the person for Jesus very well. He is the one who came to bring salvation to this world. Jesus came to do what no one else could do, redeem the broken relationship between humanity and God the Father. Jesus came to do for you what you could not do for yourself, pay the penalty of sin.
The words that Jesus says to the disciples in this verse are vitality important to understanding the reality of discipleship. Jesus lays the simple ground work that so many people forget today. He is the leader and we are the ones who do the following. The truth is that Jesus sets the standard that we are to live by and He is the one who sends the direction that we need to follow.
Jesus says that all authority has been given to Him. This means that He is the one who is in charge of all things. He is the one that is over everything. This authority is in both heaven ad on earth. Thus Jesus is over all things spiritual and physical which makes His authority absolute. Jesus has been given the position of leadership for the entire universe. This is the absolute level of authority and no one else comes close.
Our problem does not lie in our desire to follow, or our discipline to follow. Our problem lies in our understanding of the authority that Jesus has. Jesus is the one who is in control, not me, not the church board, not you. Jesus is in charge, nothing more and nothing less will do.
If Jesus has all authority, who are we to question it? If Jesus has all authority, who are we not to obey it? If Jesus has all authority, who are we not to follow?
III. The Purpose of the Commission (19-20)
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, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
The Search for More Disciples
Jesus is giving clear instructions for disciple making. Because Jesus has been given the supreme authority over all things spiritual and physical, he has the authority to say what comes next. The position of His authority gives Him the right and the responsibility to give direction for the life of the individual Christian and the corporate body of the church.
The word here for go is not a one time or occasional reference but rather is a continuous act. Jesus is literally saying go out, keep going out and never stop going out. Somewhere along the way we miss this point and think that discipleship is the job of the pastoral staff, the Sunday school teacher, the teen worker or the children’s church workers. The reality is that discipleship should not only be our chief passion but also our primary pursuit.
There should be two key goals for those who follow Jesus.
• Grow closer in your walk with Jesus each and every day
• Make more disciples
The Strength of Discipleship
The goal of making disciples means that we are making the commitment to build others up and to help them follow Christ. If we truly want to be a church that makes disciples we must start doing things that build people up. The church is not the building we have been blessed with. The church is the people God has sent us to be a part of this body of believers. I believe that there are times that we forget this simple but essential fact. Before we can focus on buildings and structures we must first focus on building people.
The Scope of Discipleship
When Jesus gives the scope of the commission it is not just a world wide vision but rather involves every people group. The word here for nation is ethnos, which refers not to countries but groups of people. For example: The United States has many different ethnic groupings within our country. (African, Hispanic, Asian, Native Indian, various European and so on) but we are all Americans. Jesus is not speaking of gaining an impact on every nation but rather Jesus wants to have an impact on every ethnic group in the world.
The Sacrament of Discipleship
Jesus calls for those who profess belief in Him to be baptized. Baptism is the outward sign that shows the reality of the inward grace of Christ in a person’s life. Baptism does not play a role in being saved because that work is done by Christ alone. It is the personal declaration of belief and identification with Christ’s resurrection.
The Source for Discipleship
Jesus calls the disciples to baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Why does Jesus do this? When you look at the life of the believer, every person of God plays a role in their spiritual life.
• Father: Creator, one to whom we need redemption
• Son: Jesus is the one who shed His blood for our redemption
• Holy Spirit: Brings conviction to the hearts of those who need to repent and sanctification to those who need to be cleansed
The Sharing of Discipleship
The method of sharing the knowledge of Christ to others is teaching. There is no way for others to come to know Christ if they are never given the Truth. The purpose of teaching is to help others more closely follow Jesus and to allow them to see their lives through the lens of God’s word. It is only when people see their lives through the Truth of Christ that they can be transformed.
Conclusion - How do we accomplish this commission?
Discipleship is about following Jesus as closely as we possibly can and helping others come to know Jesus.
Morale - Remember Jesus is with you
Means - Depend on Jesus
Motivation - Understand that there is an end
