We've A Story To Tell To The Nations

We’ve a Story to Tell to the Nations

Matthew 28:9-20

A few years ago it was estimated to require one thousand laypersons and six ministers one year to lead one person to Christ. It was also estimated that 95 percent of the Christians today never lead a soul to Christ. This is the reversal of Jesus’ strategy of New Testament evangelism. These trends must change if our world is to be reached, and evidences are that they are changing.

It is encouraging to read what George Barna’s research has shown. “Interpersonal evangelism is alive and evident. During 1997, from which this statistic was taken, more than 60 million adults (one-third of the adult population) claim to have shared their religious beliefs in hope that the recipient might accept Jesus Christ as personal Savior. The people who share their faith with nonbelievers do so often. On average, lay evangelists share with one person every month.”

The hope of reaching our world with the gospel is to harness the tremendous resources available to the church. Every church has an army of laypeople with a potential witnessing power to penetrate its community.

Darrell W. Robinson, Total Church Life, (Broadman & Holman Publishers, Nashville; 1997), pp. 174-175

Think back to when something really exciting happened in your life. Maybe you got engaged or maybe you found out you would be having a child. Remember how you couldn’t wait to tell people. You wanted them to share in your joy. Well, what greater message of joy do we have than the fact that we serve and are saved by a risen Lord?

I. WE HAVE A REASON TO REJOICE! (28:9-10)

A. Jesus told the women to “rejoice!” Joy should result from knowing that Jesus lives!!!

B. Fear not for God is on our side.

C. Fellowship with other believers—Go and tell your brethren.

II. WE HAVE AN ENEMY TO FACE (28:11-15).

A. Satan would love to discredit the resurrection of Christ. He has attempted this since the resurrection without much success. But even those who he has convinced will one day know the truth. Phil 2:9-11

B. Satan would love to discredit our testimony by tempting us to a sinful life that will immobilize us in sharing our witness. As a schoolboy, I worked with my father during the summer months. Each morning we stopped to pick up the early edition of the newspaper at a small grocery store. One morning when we got to work, my father found that by mistake he had taken two newspapers instead of one. He first thought of paying the man the extra price the next morning, but then after a moment’s consideration he said, “I had better go back with this paper. I don’t want the man at the store to think I’m dishonest.” He got in his car, drove back to the store, and returned the paper. About a week later, someone stole money from the grocery store. When police pinpointed the time it occurred, the grocer remembered only two people being in the store at the time—and one was my father. The grocer immediately dismissed my father as a suspect, saying, “That man is really honest. He came all the way back here just to return a newspaper he took by mistake.” The police then focused their investigation on the other man, who soon made a full confession. My father’s honesty made a big impression on that non-Christian storeowner, and on me.

III. WE HAVE A JOB TO DO (28:16-20).

A. We need to return to the place where we met Jesus.

B. We must overcome our doubts in our ability, his call, etc.…

C. We are to Go, Evangelize, Baptize, Disciple…

HE IS ALIVE. Now, if we serve a risen Savior that has given us clear instruction, shouldn’t we be obedient in following that instruction?