Why Are We Here?
Notes
Transcript
Matthew 28:16-20
Matthew 28:16-20
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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.”
Our Lord Has Spoken
Our Lord Has Given Us the Mission
Our Lord is With Us
1. Our Lord Has Spoken
1. Our Lord Has Spoken
Matthew 28:18 (ESV)
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
Daniel 7:13-14 ““I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”
Hebrews 1:3-4 “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.”
We don’t like authority
We don’t like authority
“I think it only makes sense to seek out and identify structures of authority, hierarchy, and domination in every aspect of life, and to challenge them; unless a justification for them can be given, they are illegitimate, and should be dismantled, to increase the scope of human freedom.” ~Noam Chomsky
Authority vs. Authoritarianism
Threw out the baby with the bath water
It is our sin which despises all authority
It is our sin which despises all authority
The essence of sin is rebellion against divine authority.
A. W. Tozer
Recall that it was the essence of sin and rebellion against God’s authority that led to Adam and Eve’s Fall in the Garden of Eden.
We are finite and sinful, and we need authority.
Augustus Hopkins Strong
2. Our Lord Has Given Us the Mission
2. Our Lord Has Given Us the Mission
Matthew 28:19–20a (ESV)
“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.”
(1) Go!
(1) Go!
While going
Assumption that we will be going
By nature, the church is a sent people; we are active, not passive
Church is often characterized in the NT in a metaphor as a body: a body is alive and does things
It isn’t lazy; it does not sit; it moves; when we sit, we turn focus upon ourselves and pleasures, we become self-absorbed
When we move, our focus is on others
(2) Make Disciples
(2) Make Disciples
Actually first imperative/command
Disciple = learner
Of all nations
Making disciples:
Jesus said, ‘Go and make disciples,’ not—make converts to your opinions.
Oswald Chambers; Charles Stanley
Make disciples reminds us that disciples are made. Disciples are not spontaneously created at conversion; they are the product of a process involving other believers. This making of disciples is the power of spreading Christianity.
David Guzik
Of all nations
We are made in the image of God
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
(3) Baptize Those Disciples
(3) Baptize Those Disciples
Baptizing and ‘teaching’ (v. 20) are participles dependent on the main verb, make disciples; they further specify what is involved in discipleship.
R. T. France
Baptize
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
The NT can scarcely conceive of a disciple who is not baptized or is not instructed. Indeed, the force of this command is to make Jesus’ disciples responsible for making disciples of others, a task characterized by baptism and instruction.
D. A. Carson
(4) Teach Them to Observe Jesus’ Commands
(4) Teach Them to Observe Jesus’ Commands
Teaching
To observe all he has commanded
“Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.”
Francis of Assisi did not say it
“It’s simply impossible to preach the Gospel without words. The Gospel is inherently verbal, and preaching the Gospel is inherently verbal behavior.” ~ Duane Litfin
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
What does this look like for us (LCC)?
We will go, go, go, go, go!
We will make disciples; we will go to every nation; we will baptize; we will teach
3. Our Lord is With Us
3. Our Lord is With Us
Matthew 28:20b (ESV)
“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
We may not know what to say
We may be nervous
We may not speak well
We may not have enough knowledge