The Power And Presence Of The Risen King

INTRODUCTION (SECURE ATTENTION) & BACKGROUND OF THE PASSAGE:

PRAY before starting the sermon.

Discouragement, disappointment, depression, and dismay are part and parcel of ministry.

All of us go through doubts and fears at some point of the time or the other.

Sometimes, we feel like giving up our ministry.

At other times, we can go into a pity-party and feel bad for ourselves.

We may think that we have sacrificed everything to follow the Lord and to serve Him.

QUOTE: The great missionary to Africa, David Livingstone corrects our notion when he says that, “If a commission by an earthly king is considered a honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?” – David Livingstone

Today’s text talks about this commission given by the risen King.

Would you take God’s Word and turn your Bibles with me to MATTHEW 28:18-20 (READ)?

I have entitled today’s sermon as: “THE POWER AND PRESENCE OF THE RISEN KING.”

After Jesus’ resurrection, He tells His eleven disciples to meet Him on a mountain in Galilee.

The mountain (v. Matthew 28:16) recalls the other sites of revelation in the Gospel (Matthew 5:1; Matthew 17:1—mount of transfiguration).

Jesus is the new Moses who gives new commandments.

On this mountain, Jesus gave few instructions to His disciples which is generally referred to as “The Great Commission.”

CENTRAL PROPOSITION OF THE TEXT: Today’s text tells us that the Risen King’s commission to His disciples to make disciples of all nations is based on His universal authority/power and fulfilled with His permanent presence.

THE PURPOSE BRIDGE: To encourage the graduating students and the CGLD Community to obey the Great Commission.

FALLEN CONDITION FOCUS: Already dealt with above.

CENTRAL PROPOSITION OF THE SERMON: We must obey the Great Commission of the Risen King on the basis of His power and His presence.

Our text can be divided into 3 parts.

I. THE RISEN KING COMMISSIONS US TO MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS.

Read verses 19-20a.

“‘All’ dominates Matthew 28:18-20 and ties these verses together: all authority, all nations, all things, all the days [ESV: always].” (Carson)

Make disciples of all nations, not just the Jewish people.

The theme of all nations (or all peoples) coming to Christ is brought to a climax; however, this theme runs throughout the gospel of Matthew (cf. Mt. 2:1-2 [Magi]; 8:5-13 [Centurion’s servant]; Mt. 15:22-28 [Canaanite woman’s daughter]).

With the words "all nations," Matthew's gospel returns to the theme introduced in the very first verse (refer 1:1)—that the blessings promised to Abraham and through him to all the peoples on earth (refer Ge 12:3) are now to be fulfilled in Jesus the Messiah.

Jesus’ universal Lordship (cf. v. 18) demands a universal mission.

Disciples of rabbis normally made disciples of their own when they became rabbis, but Jesus is more than a normal rabbi (Matthew 28:19) and summons us to make disciples for him alone and not for ourselves (Matthew 23:8-10).

The imperative (make disciples) is the central focus of the Great Commission and the Greek participles (go, baptizing, and teaching) describe how discipling is done.

A. Go.

Making disciples involves going.

We need to go across the street or to another village, city, state, or nation where Christ is not known.

And the Book of Acts shows that the disciples did go to the ends of the earth and preached the gospel.

B. Baptizing in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Jews used baptism while converting the Gentiles to Judaism.

Here, Jesus is commanding His disciples to make disciples of all nations by baptizing them.

We need to lead people to Christ in such a way that their salvation is genuine and they have the courage to affirm that they are disciples of Christ.

Making disciples involves baptizing them in the ‘name’ of the Father and of the Son and of the Spirit.

For the Jews, the Holy Spirit or God’s Spirit was divine, though they did not see God’s Spirit as a person.

By including Himself in the list of the Father and God’s Spirit, Jesus implies that He is divine.

C. Teaching them to observe all that He has commanded.

The focus is on Jesus' commands, not OT law.

Jesus' words, like the words of Scripture, are more enduring than heaven and earth (24:35); and the peculiar expression "everything I have commanded you" is reminiscent of the authority of Yahweh in the Old Testament (Ex 29:35; Dt 1:3, 41; 7:11; 12:11, 14).

Disciples are not developed by merely baptizing people.

They need to be taught all that Christ has commanded.

Every time, we stand on the pulpit or sit in a small group and teach God’s Word to people, we are fulfilling the mandate of Jesus described in these verses.