Text: Matthew 28:18-20
Introduction: "The church today is raising a whole generation of mules." At least this is the opinion of one person who has assessed the condition of the visible body of Christ. Now before we get too bent out of shape with this comment, you need to know that mules have many redeemable qualities, especially when compared to horses. (If you are a horse lover, please indulge me for a moment.) In my brief research I have discovered that...
• Mules can endure extreme temperatures better than horses.
• Mules are by most accounts noticeably more intelligent than horses.
• Mules eat less and rarely have hoof problems, unlike horses.
• Mules live longer (18 years vs. 15 years) than horses.
• Mules are generally more productive when it comes to work than horses. A mule can carry a 50-60 pound pack up to 50 miles in one day!
• As a matter of fact, about the only problem with mules is that they are almost always sterile and therefore incapable of reproduction. Durable--yes! Smart--yes! Inexpensive to maintain--yes! Hard workers--yes! But unfortunately most mules are the end of the family line. Perhaps this is what is meant by this individual who claims that we’re raising a whole generation of mules!
The church is full of hard workers. We teach classes, serve the physical needs of others, clean up and mow the grass, cook, move tables, organize social activities, visit and even write letters and cards, and do a host of other things, the vast majority of which are good and helpful ministries. There is just one problem. We’re not very good at reproducing. For some obvious reasons, we don’t share what it means to be a disciple of Christ with others so that they can know Him and enlist in His work. Many are the end of the line when it comes to spiritual reproduction. The mission of the church given to us by our Lord is to go into all the world and make disciples of others. It is entirely possible that we can work very hard at various activities and yet still fail to get the job done. Let me say it plainly. If we are not contributing to the Great Commission by making disciples, we are not doing the job completely. If we are nothing more than a generation of infertile mules, then at least from a human perspective, we are on the road to extinction.
Certainly this is not what Christ intended when he issued the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20. In His final words to His disciples recorded in the Gospels, Jesus charged them (and us) with "making disciples of all nations." A disciple is someone who studies rigorously under the authority of a teacher or rabbi. It is the task of the disciple to learn from his master what is true and to submit to his requirements because he makes them. Jesus did not issue a decree to make disciples who were soft in their commitments (i.e. Just come to church) and occasional in their obedience (i.e. only follow the teachings you agree with). In His own words, to be a disciple of Christ requires putting Him before any other (See Luke 14:26), before oneself (See Luke 14:27) and before anything (See Luke 14:33). To raise up followers with this kind of devotion must have seemed overwhelming to the twelve. That’s why we find helpful and hopeful words surrounding this command to make disciples. Jesus was not about to let them fail at this all-important task and thus we have the rest of the Great Commission. Let’s look at it together.
I. The Great Commission: Authorized by nothing less than the power of Christ. Authority is an important concept in any institution whether it is the family, government or the church. Jesus routinely exercised authority (The Greek word is exousia and means "authority or power." It speaks of one who has the freedom to do as he pleases) during His earthly ministry (See Matthew 7:28-29; 9:1-7; 10:1; 21:12-13, 23). By virtue of the resurrection He was not given greater authority (How much greater could he have exercised than to forgive sin, cast out demons and raise the dead?), but a larger kingdom in which to exercise it. With the empty tomb, all of heaven and earth were subjected to His rule by decree of His heavenly Father (See Philippians 2:9-11) so that He is now and forever will be the King of Kings and Lord or Lords (See Revelation 19:16). No one or anything is exempted from His rule. Application: If Jesus were going to give His disciples such an imposing task--"Make disciples of all nations"--it would be necessary to infuse them with great confidence knowing that He is in sovereign control of everything (See Romans 8:28). This confidence comes from knowing that His is an undisputed authority. Illustration: There once was a lion who wanted to make sure that all the other animals in the jungle knew he was the king. In order to save time and energy he bypassed the smaller animals and went right straight to the bear, "Who is the king of the jungle?" the lion asked. The bear replied, "Why you are, of course." The lion gave a mighty roar of approval. Next he asked the tiger, "Who is the king of the jungle?" The tiger quickly responded, "Everyone knows you are, mighty lion." Pleased, the lion went to the elephant and once more asked, "Who is the king of the jungle?" The elephant immediately grabbed the lion with his trunk, whirled him around in the air five or six times and slammed him into a tree. Then he pounded him onto the ground several times and dunked him in a lake for good measure. At last the elephant released the lion, now battered and bruised. The king of the jungle looked at the elephant through sad and bloody eyes and said, "LOOK, JUST BECAUSE YOU DON’T KNOW THE ANSWER IS NO REASON FOR YOU TO GET ALL MEAN ABOUT IT!" May I assure you that in the end there will be no elephants standing around waiting for the opportunity to dispute the authority of Christ. Every knee (and trunk for that matter) will bow to His lordship.
II. The Great Commission: Accomplished by nothing less than the plan of Christ.
A. The scope of the plan. In heaven there will be people from every tribe, language, people and nation (See Revelation 5:9). That’s why we are to makes disciples of all nations. Some of taken the words "all nations" here to refer only to the Gentiles. They argue that Israel has forfeited her place so that the Gospel must be kept from her (See Matthew 21:42-43). This position, however, is wrong. While it is true that the nation of Israel as a whole has rejected Christ (See John 1:11), God does not show favoritism when it comes to the opportunity to enter the kingdom of heaven (See Acts 10:30-35). He has room for any person who chooses to believe. Application: This is precisely why we have embraced a strategy to reach not only our surrounding communities with the Gospel, but also the whole world. At this moment we are represented in at least 10 countries around the world through the missionaries we support. By God’s grace we will grow this number every year.
B. The specifics of the plan. Christ’s plan is meant to be ongoing ("As you are going...) and is to be characterized by two things:
1. Baptism into the trinity. This language strongly suggests coming into a relationship with Christ. It was seen as an act of conversion--See Mark 1:8. It is a sign of entrance into the community of faith and a pledge to submit to His rule.
2. Teaching regarding the Christian life. If through baptism we become disciples of Christ, then through teaching we grow in maturity as disciples of Christ. That’s why instruction is so important.
a) We’re to teach Christ’s commands (See Matthew 22:37-40).
b) His commands will never be obsolete (i.e. the commission extends even to the end of the age and His words endure forever--See Matthew 24:35).
c) His commands are meant to be obeyed. They are not suggestions!
Application: W. C. Fields, a very talented comedian known for his excesses was found reading a Bible late in his life. Someone asked him "Are you looking for answers?" "No," he replied. "I’m looking for loopholes." There are no loopholes. Only those who through faith in Christ walk in obedience to His Word are truly His disciples (See John 14:21).
III. The Great Commission: Assured by nothing less than the presence of Christ. The One who was first introduced as Immanuel ("God with us"--See Matthew 1:23) by the angel Gabriel is still with us and will be to the end of the age! At that time the nations will have heard the good news (See Matthew 24:14) and been prepared for judgment should they have rejected it (See Matthew 25:32).
A. This is meant to comfort us. We never go alone. As we share the hope of the Gospel and attempt to make disciples of all nations, we can have the complete assurance that He is right there with us doing all that He needs to do in order that men and women will find Him (See Matthew 7:7).
B. This is meant to challenge us. We, as the church, must be careful not to drift from our mission. There is much riding on our faithfulness (See Romans 10:14). Application: If you’ve been a believer for very long it is likely that you have heard several sermons on this text. It would be easy to give ear-service to this one, and then to get on with the Christian life as you have experienced it up until now. I hope that I can persuade you, however, to stop for a moment and do a little bit of a spiritual assessment of your life. Can you say with confidence that you a born again believer in Jesus Christ? Have you embraced the Great Commission with the kind of enthusiasm that demonstrates that you really believe Jesus is the answer to mankind’s most profound questions? If not, why not?
Conclusion: In 1933 Dawson Trotman, founder of the Navigators, began teaching sailor Les Spencer how to grow in his relationship with Jesus Christ. They spent many hours together in Bible study, scripture memorization and prayer. Soon a shipmate of Les Spencer asked him about the reason for his changed life. Les brought him to Daws and said, "Teach him what you taught me." Dawson’s answer -- "You teach him" -- was the beginning of The Navigators. Les Spencer did help that sailor and the two in turn began to help others. Thus was born a simple model of discipleship or spiritual reproduction, a process whereby one person helps another, who in turn helps another, and on and on. Eventually the Navigators became a world-wide ministry organization committed to carrying out this multiplying process in over 100 countries. When Dawson Trotman passed away he left a legacy of discipleship on this earth, the likes of which is seldom seen. Oh, by the way, he died the same way he lived...laying down his life for others. In 1956 at a place called Schroon Lake in the state of New York, Dawson drowned while trying to save the lives of two young ladies, He jumped into the lake when he saw them struggling to stay afloat. He managed to lift one girl out of the water. He returned for the other and rescued her as well. By the will of God, however, it was the last time anyone ever saw Dawson Trotman alive. His body was not seen again until the dragnet found him a few hours later. A man named Larsen, who was on that boat when Trotman died, later said, "The entire United States Navy couldn’t have saved Trotman that day--it was God’s time." Time Magazine ran an article on his life the next week, and put a caption beneath his name that read, "Always Holding Somebody Up." This one sentence summed up Trotman’s life--invested in people, spent on helping many find life, then holding them up so that they might be able to do the same for still others. What will the caption beneath your name read when God calls you home?
