He is with us - Matthew 28:19-20

Introduction

As we talked about last Sunday in Luke 5 how Simon in the boat beheld His Lord Master

And from this moment in time this outcome for Simon, James and John were this, they were called to become followers of Jesus.

That they now would no longer be finding their life fishing upon the seas for fish, but they would now be fishers of men

This morning as I have had time with You my flock, so most of us in here are followers of disciples of Jesus (and praise God)

Last Sunday Noah we who became a follower of Christ being baptized He now identifying with Christ in His Death, burial and resurrection

He now called as a follower to the great commisson

This beautiful Sunday morning we will be turning our bibles to the Gospel of Matt. 28:19-20

This text was preached on at the SBTC Annual Meeting in Corpus that I was able to attend at the beginning of this week

I felt strongly as Matt Boswell told us what text we would be in, so in that moment I felt the Holy Spirits tug On my heart for this Sunday we are sitting at right now

Not to mention when Matt started his sermon, I opened my Bible right to the passage (which I always find to be a miracle)

And as if that is not enough confirmation from our Good Good Father, so I wake on Wednesday morning and the devotional brother Henry sent me was from, you guessed it? Matthew 28:19-20

So this morning let us rise and stand for the reading of the Word of God\\ and my prayer into today, the unction of today is a strong pull towards us being evangelistic and mission minded at FBCBW.

Read - Matthew 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.””

Pray

“Go therefore….”

So what is the Jesus telling them in saying “go therefore?”

As my college pastor said when you see therefore, then go back and re-read the previous verses.

Because before he told the eleven to “go” as some doubted and we read in V. 18

So what he told them before he told them to go was…

“All Authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

And from this powerful statement of Jesus, He in this statement leaving nothing untouched “from heaven to earth”

Authoirty - power over persons and things, dominion, and rule - (power of unclean Spirits)

So now the elven followers of Jesus were to “go therefore…” why? (Because Jesus just told them “all authority…” not some is His.

In a sense since all authority in heaven and on earth is the Lord’s then they should have no fear or problem going

“go” - meaning you can not stay in the same place and look up into the clouds until I return

“go” meaning to precede and travel

This morning do we see this clearly? The eleven were called to “go”

These eleven being followers and disciples of Jesus.

Us being dicplies and followers of Jesus are to “go” (there wasn’t another option)

Now I know not all of us can “go” in a sense to travel from continent to continent or even state to state:

But we do go places, and when we do “go” so what is our mindset?

I would encourage you, as I am trying to practice the same thing that when we do “go” we would ask people how we can pray for them (start small, it doesn’t have to be sharing them all of the Gospel of Matthew in 3 mins)

This past week in Corpus after our Annual meeting we were encouraged to pray and we sat in the presence of God and waited and from this time my missional focused was increased.

And then my good brother in Christ who deeply encourages me in the faith, he is over here handing out tracks to the whatburger employee, and our seafood host.

It requires boldness, it requires words, but “all authority in heaven and on earth is whos? Jesus)

I was thinking about our prayer for revival in our city and state, yes God can do it, but here in “go therefor…” this requires us as his followers to not remain in a building but to be led by the Holy Spirt to and and preach and teach, and pray and share the Good News with those MANY dying and lost in sin around us.

Yes we can pray all we want, and we should and never cease too. But we need to go too.

A big question I asked myself in this time in Corpus glorying in the presence of Majesty, So what are we doing in our Church to be the hands and feet to our community?

Clothing Closet…(If the Lord is laying upon your heart in this message you are to go, well you don’t have to go far because we need 6 volunteers who can serve in this ministry

And I do believe we should be praying more for the Lord’s direction in these other ways we can serve His kingdom and mission here at FBCBW.

And so we go…but do what?

“Go therefore…and make disciples of all nations…”

So what is the outcome of going?

People can hear about Jesus and therefore become what? “Disciples”

This is important, for how does one become a disciple and follower of Jesus?

We learned from our text last Sunday as Simon 1. Realized He was a sinner 2. And that Jesus was his Lord and Savior

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

And after they are called by Jesus to follow now they are “to make disciples of all nations…”

Make disciples of… in the greek meaning instruct

So once we become a disciple of Jesus (of all nations, china, Korea, Brazil, England, Africa)

So once we become a disciple of Jesus, is that it? is that all Jesus calls for us to be? (No)

Well Jesus is going to save who is wants so why do I need to do any thing? Because if He is in control and has authioty over heaven and earth He’s going to do what He wants any way.

Brother Chris Hensley told me this, this week in my sermon prep “The ends of God are never apart from the appointed means to those ends.”

So speaking about us becoming disciples and that being it, well if that were the case we have baptized Noah last week, and thats it?

“baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you…”

So we see that when one trusts in Jesus, the disciples are to what with this person?

“Baptizing them in the Trinity…

Baptism being a symbol and testimony to others that you are not your own, but belong to Jesus and now are a follower of Jesus

In the Baptist Church, here at FBCBW you being baptized is you becoming a member of the Baptist Church

“…teaching to observe all that I have commanded you...”

John 17:17 “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”

The disciples who were making disciples by proclaiming the Good News of Christ were to now “teach them…”

Teaching - in the greek meaning to learn, educate and be trained

See if you have trusted in Christ, been baptized then now you are growing and learning.

You are a member here at FBCBW their are many opreturnees to be taught and grow in the knowledge of the Word.

Just as we do when we come together on Sundays, and Wednesday nights to learn, be educated and trained in the Word through the power of the Holy Spirit revealing to us the Truth

“teaching them to…observe all that I have commanded you…”

The Word observe here is not the deffintion we are thinking of, to see something happen

While observing is absolutely important to be instructed and trained

So this word in the greek means - to guard, keep or obey (but to guard and keep what?

“Teach them to guard, keep and obey, all that I have commanded you.” (HIS WORD)

These were the eleven being talked to by Christ, and what had Christ taught them with His life? And commanded from them?

HIS WORD

Jesus is the Word and Jesus lived the Word and what He told or commanded the eleven to do, as His followers now needed to be done.

Because He Jesus has commanded it, and It’s His will for us as He has stated.

But Pastor Shaun I don’t know how to go? Or where to go? I’m not that great of teacher and really it seems quite defeating when being on mission in this great commison.

Let us then continue to read at the end of V.20 as we have a deep, soul needing encouragment.

“And behold, I am with you until the end of the age.”

See Church family the presence of the Lord is with us

Not only with us but in us In the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit

Why? Because those who have trusted in the Good News of Jesus have been delivered from the bad news of Sin

And By grace through faith in Christ Jesus, as we believe so then we are filled with His presence.

And as we have talked today about how we who have trusted in Jesus and are His followers or dispels, So I pray this next point can give us hope and confidence in the one who is sending us out into this world for the great commission.

Because if we can be real with the weight of the mission of being a disciple of Jesus and following through with what He commands from us at times can be difficult, and times make us anxious and question well how?

What if they reject me? (But on the flip side of that what if they decided to trust in Jesus?)

I want us to see this core truth from this text, that we can see gives us hope in this mission to make disciples.

The point is simply, but powerfully this. All authority on heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus, the one who is sending us out (and we are not alone!)

“I am with you!”

If anything someone needed to hear that today becuase this past week has been difficult

As the holiday season approaches for some it can be joyous for many it can bring memories and pain (that God is using all to make us look more like His Son Jesus)

But Church Jesus is with us, His presence is In us!

Applying this to our text:

As we go therefore. I am with You!

As you Baptize those who trust in Jesus - I am with you!

As you seek to make disciples, and teach them to observe - I am with you!

Oh Church what a promise to the disciples (11) before Jesus ascends, what a promise to His followers and disciples who are to make more disciples.

So as we here are disciples of Jesus and followers of His at FBC Ben Wheeler, as we go forward and seek how we can be on mission for the Kingdom, we can know as we do this and approach being a disciple who makes disciples that we know our mission and He is within us to accomplish His will through us for His glory.

And not only is He within us; but don’t just skip over the “therefore statment”

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus

and where are we called to make disciples Church? Mars? No On earth, where Jesus has full Authority and who lives in us.

And Jesus doesn’t leave us, even for a min. “I am with you…until the end of the age.”

God the Father sent Jesus the Son that if we believe in Him we will have eternal life and He will carry out His promise and mission through us as we are filled with the Holy Spirit, that others may know Him just as we do As we tell them about Him.

As I end this message so what has been heavily laid upon my heart as the shephred of this Church is how are we being on mission here at FBCBW?

Matthew 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.””