Three Alls

Three All's

Matthew 28:18-20

Suppose we were to buy a new car. Very few do this, but suppose that we take the instruction manual and read it, paraphrase it, write a commentary on it, and make an outline of the material. We might even set it to poetry and put it to music and even sing about it. We may even sit in the car and admire the beautiful craftsmanship and relax in its reclining seat while listening to the Dolby surround sound radio. But now suppose we never take the car out. We never drive it or put it to use. What good would the car be? No matter how beautiful, or how comfortable, it would be useless to us and we would never be identified with the car. To get somewhere with the car we must get in it and drive it. A lot of people are that way when it comes to discipleship. They read about it from God's Word, they may even sing about it; but few truly put it into action. In 1994, the Barna Research Group found that among American adults who said that they were "born again," seventy-five percent couldn't even define the Great Commission. Sadly, 95% of all Christians have never won a soul to Christ let alone discipled anyone; more than 80% of all Christians do not regularly witness for Christ. Discipleship is summed up in the Great Commission as recorded in Matthew 28:18-20. Here Christ makes it clear that it is all our responsibility to make disciples of all people. In the Great Commission, Christ emphasized the small word "all" three times to convey important truths about the mission He has entrusted to us as His disciples - All Power, All Nations, All Things.

I ALL Power

A. Verse 18 - "“ALL POWER has been given to Me in heaven and on earth."

B. Two Greek words are used in the New Testament; dunamis from which we get words like dynamite, dynamic, and dynamo, and exousia which denotes permission or right, privilege, control: it is the right to command and enforce obedience.

C. Jesus Christ in declaring He had been given "All Power" declared that He possessed the divine attribute of Omnipotence (Latin for all power).

D. His Authority and Power is sufficient to prevail over ALL MY INIQUITIES.

1. Psalm 65:3 "When iniquities prevail against me, you atone for our transgression."

2. There is an intended contrast made by the Psalmist in these two clauses, which are more pointed and emphatic in the original than in our English Bible. They call attention to man’s impotence and God’s power in the face of the fact of sin. The first clause might be translated, with perhaps a little increase of vividness, ‘When my iniquities are too strong for me’; and the next clause ‘as for our transgressions which we cannot touch, ‘you shall purge them away.’

3. Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together," says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool."

4. Understand There is no sin so great that Christ can’t forgive it. There is no sin that has so chains so great that Christ cannot unshackle.

5. 1 John 1:9 " If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness.

6. In Mark's Gospel we have the account of a paralytic man who friends sought to bring to Christ for healing. In verse 4 of chapter 2, we pick up the narrative, "And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!” (Mark 2:4-12 ESV)