The Great Commission

Introduction

Good morning Church!

I want to say, “Thank You” to each and every person who has come out to join us on this New Year’s Eve Lord’s Day.

Also, “Thank You” to all those who may be joining online who weren’t able to make it out today.

I hope each of you have had a wonderful week and are as excited about 2024 as I am.

I don’t know what it is but I just can’t help to feel that God has something big in store for 2024!

Ever since I had the flu a few months ago there’s just been something in my spirit that is excited about this upcoming year.

Like there’s just going to be some breakthrough’s of some kind.

In our Church. In our personal lives. In our spiritual lives.

And the thought that God placed on my heart as our theme for 2024 is this...

“Bursting out the door in 2024!”

Now, I know to some of you that may sound cliche but that’s what God placed on my heart and if I’m being honest, we’re not far from that phrase becoming a reality!

When everyone is here that normally comes, we don’t have but a handful of pews without someone in them.

And listen, that is a blessing, Amen!

God has been moving in this place in the last few years and we’ve added families and kiddos and it’s just good to see what God is doing!

But if we’re going to make this theme a reality, then today’s message is going to have to be our focus in the New Year.

We’re going to have get out of our comfort zones.

We’re going to have to go places maybe we’ve never gone before.

We’re going to have to do things that maybe we’ve never done before.

And if we’re willing to do what God leads us to do and we’re willing to be obedient to His leading...then there’s no doubt in my mind that by this time next year we’re going to need to make some physical changes and by that, I mean structural changes.

And listen, I know that is scary for some of you. And I know that change isn’t always the easiest thing to deal with.

But the reality is, God is trying to do something in this Church and we’ve got to be willing to let Him if we want to see the success that He wants us to have.

I want you to think back to the Children of Israel when they came out of bondage from Egypt. God was trying to lead them to the promised land. Remember that?

And they got to the edge of the promised land and sent some spies over into the land to see what God had in store for them.

What they found was that the fruit of the land was gigantic and luscious and literally it was as the land was overflowing with milk and honey!

But…there were also some giants in the land.

And all of the spies except Joshua and Caleb said they couldn’t go up and take the land but Joshua and Caleb said the Lord is with us let us go up and take it!

But because of the fear of the other spies the Israelites decided not to go and take what God had already given them!

And therefore, because of their fear, all those who doubted died in the wilderness never tasting of the goodness of God that He had in store for them.

And this morning, I want to say to the members of New Home if we want to taste of the goodness of what God has in store for us we can’t be afraid of change.

We can’t be afraid of what God has in store for us or we’ll be just like the Israelites and we’ll die in the wilderness and I’m just being frank with you this morning…I don’t plan to die in the wilderness when I know that God’s got bigger and better things in store for us if we’ll just be obedient and follow His lead.

But the reality is all of this starts with this message today. Because the first step in being obedient to the Lord’s calling is being obedient to His commission.

Now, before we get into the scripture, I think it would be good for us to know just exactly what this word “commission” means.

When you look it up in Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary this is what you will find.

A formal written warrant granting the power to perform various acts or duties.

An authorization or command to act in a prescribed manner or to perform prescribed acts.

Authority to act for, in behalf of, or in place of another.

A group of persons directed to perform some duty.

An act of entrusting or giving authority.

This passage we are about to read is one of the most important passages in all of scripture and these definitions tell us why!

We have been granted power!

We have been authorized and given a command to follow.

We have been given authority to act for, and on behalf of Jesus!

We have been given direction to perform a duty!

And lastly, we have been entrusted with the greatest job that man has been given!

Down throughout the ages men have been commissioned with great, mighty, and wonderful feats including the aqueducts and Colosseum of Rome, the Pyramids of Giza, the great wall of China, and the list goes on and on but the greatest job that has ever been given and continues to be passed down throughout the ages is the Great Commission of God!

The commission of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with a lost and dying world!

It’s a commission from on high that has been passed down for over 2,000 years now and if the world continues to stand, it will continue to be passed down until Christ’s return!

It’s a command given to every Christian that we must take with the utmost sincerity.

It is great in it’s request, rewarding in it’s obedience, and of the highest order when it comes to importance for without it, men, women, boys and girls will die lost and spend eternity in a place called hell, separated from God for all eternity.

I don’t think a single person here wants that for another soul, do we?

If not, then we have a job to do this morning Church!

We have a lost and dying world who needs to hear of our loving Savior and His desire to see them saved!

And if we won’t tell them…who will?

I want to share with you a little story that Chuck Swindoll tells about a discussion between Christ and the arch angel Gabriel upon Jesus return to heaven and then we’ll get into the message.

And the reason I want to share this with you is to help drive home the importance this morning of the Great Commission we’ve been tasked with.

It goes like this here...

As Jesus ascended back into heaven, His body bearing the marks and scars of His beating and sacrifice...before He took His seat by His Father’s throne...the angel Gabriel came near and said, “Master, you must have suffered terribly,” to which Jesus responded with gentleness and grace...“yes, yes I did.”

“So” continued the arch angel, “Do all of the earthlings now know how much you love them? Do all of them now understand that you accomplished their salvation by dying on the cross for them?”

“Oh no. Not yet” replied Jesus. “Right now, only a very few know. Only my most loyal followers who are in Galilee, some of them in Judaea. They know” He said with a heavy sigh.

Gabriel stared at Him perplexed, troubled, and then he asked, “What have you done Lord to spread your message around? How will all others find out that you died and rose again for their salvation? How will they know of your love and forgiveness, your grace and your plan for their lives?

For the first time Jesus smiled, please with that insightful question.

He answered, “I have issued a command to Peter, James and John and the rest of my most faithful followers. I have commissioned them to stay engaged in a great plan.”

“They are to make disciples of all the nations...going and baptizing and teaching. Others will hear the message and they will believe it and in turn they will go and tell others who will believe and will in turn will go to others who will broadcast the message and it will be believed by more and on and on my message will travel around the world to all the nations.”

“If they will do it, my plan will work beautifully.”

Jesus then sat down for the first time since He had left heaven 33 years earlier. He sat down at the right hand of God the Father having completed the mission He had been sent to accomplish.

But Gabriel was still troubled. Turning over in his mind was one of those what if questions.

So, he stayed a bit longer and then leaned over a bit closer to the Savior and asked, “What if Peter, James, and John and those others grow weary? Or what if the people they tell believe but then later start to drift into other pursuits? Or what if way down into the 19th, 20th, and even 21st century on planet earth many just aren’t committed to your great commission? They lose heart and drift off into things that occupy their interest and spend their money on things that are selfish and self absorbed and their witness becomes silenced?”

“Have you made other plans, Lord?”

A vacuous silence filled the throne room. The Lamb of God looked up deeply into the eyes of the winged celestial servant, shook His head and said, “No, I have no other plan. The one I set in motion when I left this earth below is still the only one I will honor and bless. It is the only plan I left for them to follow.”

The legend ends there but the timeless and true lesson as you can see lives on.

The plan Jesus set in motion before He ascended back into heaven is the only plan that will work. The only one He will honor and bless because it is the inspired plan. That is why it is called “The Great Commission.”

And as we get ready to see this Great Commission in scripture, what I want to say to you this morning is this…if we will do it, it still works today just as Jesus intended on it to some 2,000 years ago.

We must simply be willing to submit to His plan.

With no further ado, if you have your Bible’s turned to Matthew 28:16 would you say, Amen.

The Directions to the Disciples — (Vs. 16)

The first thing I want us to look at this morning is the directions to the disciples.

If you will remember, last week we left off with the women leaving the tomb and as they were heading back to tell the disciples about Jesus resurrection, they actually ran into Jesus and He told them to tell the disciples to go into Galilee and that He would meet them there, right?

Now, as I began to ponder on why Galilee, there’s a few things that came to mind and a few others I came across.

This is where the majority of the disciples of Jesus were from. Jesus ministry started in Galilee and it was there that He called His first disciples. So it is only fitting, now that His job in Jerusalem is complete, to bring them back to the place where it all started.

The second reason I thought of actually builds off of the first one. Not only was this the place where it all started, the springboard for the ministry of Christ but this was also the place where Jesus preached His famous Sermon on the Mount.

Now, look back at Verse 16. It says that the eleven disciples went away into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.

I can’t be absolutely dogmatic about this and it wouldn’t change anything one way or another but don’t you think it would be neat if Jesus took them back to the same mountain where He preached His famous Sermon on the Mount?

If you will remember, there were great multitudes of people present when He delivered that riveting sermon. Multitudes from all over…Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judaea and from beyond Jordan.

What better way to bring it all full circle than to bring them all back to the place where it all began.

Now, before I move on, I want to say really quickly…maybe you’re here this morning and 2023 was a rough year for you. Or maybe your here and the past few years have a been rough years for you. Maybe you feel distanced from God or that your relationship with Him or lack thereof needs some help.

I have found from experience, that we all sometimes need to get back to where it all first started.

For most of us, it’s this altar right here. And listen to me, there’s no shame in coming to this altar and getting things right with God, Amen!

If you are here this morning and you need to get back to where it all first started and get your life back on track with God, then don’t let my preaching stop you, Amen!

This altar is always open. You just come and do what you need to do and if you need someone to pray with you, then you just grab Douglas right here on this front pew and he’ll be more than happy to pray with you.

So, there’s the fact that this was home. There’s the fact that this is where it all began. And then there was a third thing that came to mind.

There’s a good possibility that this was a bit of a test for the disciple’s of Christ.

You have to understand that this was about a 70+ mile hike from where they were in Jerusalem to Galilee. It would take the disciples roughly a week to get there by foot.

I believe a bit of this request was to see who would actually show up. Those were the one’s that Christ really wanted to deliver this final commission to because it showed that they were truly dedicated.

They were willing to go the extra mile for the one who went all the way to the cross for them!

Let me ask you something this morning Church, how far are you willing to go for Christ?

Is 70 miles to far?

Is 700 miles to far?

Is 7,000 miles to far?

Now, think of the blessing you would’ve missed had you not went where He called you to go!

Can you imagine sitting there in your cozy home 30, 40, 50 years later when the New Testament was collaborated and you’re reading this verse and all you can think is this…I had an opportunity to go but I didn’t because I was selfish. I could have been there as my Savior delivered this message but because I was only worried about me, myself & I, I missed out!

What a sad thought to think of all the blessings God had in store for you if you’d only been obedient.

Maybe you’re sitting her this morning and God has placed a calling upon your heart.

Maybe it’s to be a missionary. Maybe it’s to be a Preacher. Maybe it’s to be a Sunday School Teacher. Maybe He’s blessed you with a talent of singing or playing an instrument and you know deep down inside He’s calling you to use it but you’re too scared or too caught up with the things of life to follow His calling!

Just imagine all the blessings you’re missing out on this morning by not being obedient.

I think the reason for the directions to the disciples was probably a combination of all the above mentioned if I’m being honest but most importantly, it was about obedience.

This morning, are you following Christ’s directions for your life?

If not, I want you to ask yourself why?

I know what God is calling me to do and that I’m not doing it but why?

What is holding me back from being obedient?

John MacArthur writes — As someone astutely observed many years ago, as far as a believer’s service to God is concerned, the greatest ability is availability.

The most talented and gifted Christian is useless to God if he is not available to be used, just as God’s greatest blessings are not available to those who are not present to receive them.

Faithful discipleship does not begin with knowing where you will be serving the Lord or in what capacity. It does not start with having a clear call to a certain ministry, or occupation, or place of service.

It always begins with simply being available to God, putting all reservations and preconceptions aside.

Won’t you do that this morning?

As we come to a close in 2023, won’t you set aside all reservations for Christ and commit to being obedient to calling, His plan, His direction for your life?

That’s all He wants of each of us. And when we are obedient, we will be used in a mighty way and bask in the blessings He has for each and every one of us!

So, we see the Directions to the Disciples. Next, I want us to look a the Doubting of the Disciples.

The Doubting of the Disciples — (Vs. 17)

Wherever it was that Jesus had told the disciples to meet Him, the Bible says when they saw Him, “they worshipped Him” and we can only wish that it stopped there but then it goes on to say, “but some doubted.”

Now, I want to cover both of these actions because I’d dare say we have all been just as guilty as the disciples about the doubting portion at times.

But first, the Bible says, “when they saw Him they worshipped Him.”

Do you know what the word worship means?

Yes, it can mean to fall down face first prostrate and give honor and glory to someone but it’s meaning is much deeper than that!

To worship is a whole way of living; it’s how we express who or what we find valuable. To worship something is to give worth to that thing. — Gospel Shaped Worship — The Gospel Coalition

The disciples who had made the trek some 70 miles to see Jesus; the first thing they did when they seen Him was they worshipped Him!

They gave Him reverence yes, but more importantly they were saying with their actions…Jesus, you and you alone are worthy!

They were showing Jesus just what He meant to them, Amen!

They were saying with their actions, “Jesus, you are the most valuable thing in our lives! You above all other things mean the most to me!”

Now, I don’t want you to raise your hands but whose life sitting here this morning says the same thing?

Jesus, you are the most important thing in my life! You and you alone are worthy!

Are we worshipping Jesus the way we ought to be?

Are we giving Him the position of priority He deserves in our lives?

How are we showing Him each day how much He’s “worth” to us?

For the disciples, their actions of obedience and reverence said He was everything. Can the same be said of us?

They worshipped Him but the Bible goes on to say… “but some doubted.”

Now, we would like to give these disciples a hard time this morning but the reality is, I’d dare say at some point or another every single person here has doubted God’s direction for their life.

Some of you are doubting right now!

You know what God is calling you to do but you’re doubting it.

How is it going to work?

How am I going to make ends meet?

How am I going to do this or that?

The reality is, we all deal with doubt at some point. Now, we don’t know what the disciples were doubting but apparently some of them were struggling in the confidence dept.

Anyone else here have that problem?

And be honest.

I’ve had so many people come up to me throughout my years of ministry and tell me they’ve doubted their salvation at times and they wonder if they’re lost.

Listen, here were men and women who had followed Jesus in the flesh for 3 1/2 years, seen Him crucified and buried and were now looking at His glorified body with their own two eyes and we’re told they doubted!

Listen, if they doubted, having walked with Jesus in the flesh who are we to think we’re above it?

But here’s the thing…we must not get lost in the doubting!

We can’t let the doubt overcome us!

Instead, when those dreads of doubt set in we must go back to the first part of the first and simply worship!

Remember who it is that’s in control!

And this leads us right in to the Verse 18 and the Deity of the Savior! Look what Jesus says to the disciples.

The Deity of the Savior — (Vs. 18)

Matthew 28:18 KJV 1900

18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

Listen friend, when those doubts and fears set in take them back to this verse right here and say, “My God is in control!”

Praise Jesus, He has been given all power in heaven and in earth!

That word power is translated “authority!”

Colossians 1:16 KJV 1900

16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

Listen Church, I don’t know about you but when the winds of doubt assail me and when the waves of fear o'er-flow me, I’m glad I can know that my Savior is in control, amen!

No one or nothing in heaven above, earth below or hell beneath can come at me or come upon me unless they first get approval from the Savior, Amen!

All authority has been given Him!

And so the next time He’s calling you to do something, or He’s calling you to go somewhere, or you begin to doubt your salvation, praise God you take those doubts and you open up your Bible and you turn to Matthew 28:18 and you say...“Not today Satan! My God is in control and I’m not doubting today! I’m going to be obedient; I’m going to be stedfast; I’m going to stand firm on that solid rock because my Jesus is in control,” amen!

All authority has been given Him in heaven and in earth and because of that, let’s move on down to the Demands of the Savior.

This is the crux of the great commission. This is where you and I come in.

The Demands of the Savior — (19-20a)

Jesus gives us three demands in the great commission. The first being...

Go

Now, don’t miss this here. I feel like so many miss this all important part and because they miss it they never fulfill His commission.

Jesus said, “Go ye therefore.”

I’ve told you in the past when you see a “therefore” stop and make sure you understand what it’s “there for.”

When Jesus says, “therefore” here, He’s referring back to the previous verse.

Because I have been given all power, all authority in heaven and earth, go!

I feel like so many don’t go because they don’t realize that when they go they are going with the power, the rule, the authority of Christ on their side!

Listen friend, God is calling all of us to go. Now, where He’s calling us may be different for each person but rest assured He’s calling every single born again believer sitting here this morning to go!

For some He’s calling you to go to your neighbor.

For other’s He’s calling you to go to your best friend.

For some it may be to a coworker.

For other’s it may be to a lost family member.

And for some sitting here this morning, God may be calling you to go further! He may be calling you to go into another country for Him!

Whatever the case may be, rest assured He’s calling us all to go somewhere but wherever it is that He’s calling us to go we must understand we are not going it alone!

Wherever it is we are called to go we are going with and in the power and authority of God on our side!

That is why we can/should go and the reason I believe so many don’t is because they don’t understand with what capacity it is that they are being called to go!

Listen friend, the Bible says in the Book of Romans in Chapter 8 starting in Verse 28...

Romans 8:28–39 KJV 1900

28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. 31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. 34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

John Phillips — Note the word "therefore." It links our authority—our authority to invade the nations of mankind with the saving gospel of Christ—to His authority as Lord of Heaven and earth.

Our authority could not come from a higher source. The unbelieving may challenge our right to take the gospel to other lands, but we have every right.

We have a mandate that transcends that of any human political, religious, or economic power. We are commissioned to go, and go we must, for Satan holds the nations in darkness.

The first demand in the great commission is to “Go” and GO we must!

We have all been commanded to Go somewhere.

We may not all be able to go everywhere but we can all go somewhere and share the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Which leads us to the second command.

Not only must we go but we must also teach! Look at what it says here.

Teach

We are to go and we are to teach.

What are we to teach?

Whatsoever Jesus has commanded us.

“Well Bro. Bobby, what has Jesus commanded us?”

Dear friend we just spent two years looking at what Jesus has commanded us to do. If you missed any part of it just go back on Facebook or YouTube and listen to those sermons and you’ll find out what Jesus has commanded us to do.

“Well Bro. Bobby I don’t know my Bible enough to teach anyone else.”

Well, dear friend do you come on Wednesday nights and Sunday nights when we do Bible studies to learn and dive deeper into the word of God?

Do you come to Sunday School on Sunday mornings in order that you might learn more the Word of God?

Someone who comes to Doug’s Sunday School class raise your hand.

Do you learn anything from Doug’s teaching?

Someone who comes to our Wednesday night and Sunday night Bible studies raise your hand.

Do you learn anything from my teaching on Wednesday nights and Sunday nights?

There ya go.

If you need to learn the Word of God better then you need to come to these extra services so you can learn!

Rest assured we’re doing everything within our power to teach but you have to be willing to come if your want to learn!

Now, some places are only worried about how many decisions they have a year and do not put an emphasis on the teaching and if I’m being honest I feel that is one of the worst problems in our churches today.

We hold these big events and try to get as many people to come to Christ as possible but then, when they make that decision to follow Christ we don’t have a discipleship plan in place and they spend next weeks, months, years wondering what exactly it is they’re supposed to be doing as a newborn Christian.

Getting people saved is just half the battle! Once they have trusted in Christ we have to do a better job of discipling!

John G Butler — The saved people need to be taught. Winning people to Christ is only part of the commission. Teaching is a big part. Untaught believers do not serve well and do not honor God well. Our churches today are filled with church members woefully ignorant of spiritual truths because they are untaught in the Scripture.

But here’s the other part, it’s not just the Pastor’s job to disciple. If you have been born again, you ought to strive to learn the Word of God so that you too can teach others about Jesus.

Warren Wiersbe — In most churches, the congregation pays the pastor to preach, win the lost, and build up the saved—while the church members function as cheerleaders or spectators.

The "converts" are won, baptized, and given the right hand of fellowship, then they join the other spectators. It is not enough to win people to the Saviour; we must also teach them the Word of God.

How much faster our churches would grow, and how much stronger and happier our church members would be, if each one were discipling another believer.

The only way a local church can "be fruitful and multiply" (instead of growing by "additions") is with a systematic discipleship program. This is the responsibility of every believer, and not just a small group who have been "called to go."

We are called to go but we are also called to teach and when we go and when we teach and they respond by believing, we are also called to baptize. Which is the third demand.

Baptize

Go, Teach, Baptize.

Now, this one is pretty simple although we’ve somehow found a way of making it complicated.

When we go and we teach and they believe, we are to baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.

The word baptize comes from the Greek word “baptizo” and it means to “dip.”

When you get baptized you are to be fully immersed in the water.

This represents a washing away of your sins; a dying of the old person you once were and the new person you now are.

Paul said in Romans 6:4

Romans 6:4 KJV 1900

4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Colossians 2:12 KJV 1900

12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

The old man/woman is gone and behold you are now a new creature in Christ Jesus.

Now, don’t get it twisted and think the baptism is what does this.

No, the baptizing does not, cannot save.

Your belief in the Lord Jesus Christ is what saves.

Your baptizing is simply the way of letting the world know that you have believed.

It’s an outward profession of your inward faith.

And when we lead others to Christ, it’s our job to help them understand that by being baptized they are simply letting the world know that they now identify themselves with Christ.

They are letting the world know they have have now been born again from above!

We are to Go.

We are to Teach.

We are to Baptize.

But as we are going to see in this final section…we don’t ever have to feel as though we are doing any of it alone!

The Declaration of the Savior — (Vs. 20b)

“And lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

I was curious so I looked up that word “lo” and do you know what it means?

It has two different meanings…first is “look or see.”

Secondly it can mean “indeed.”

Can you imagine the disciple’s thought process up to this point?

Up until now, they’ve followed Jesus every where He’s went.

They’ve witnessed Him perform miracles, they’ve heard Him preach sermons, they’ve went out on their own to tell people of Him but only for short periods of time.

But now, it’s time that the Master turn the baton over to the apprentice.

It’s now time for the follower to step up and lead.

Has anyone ever ascended the ranks at your job and took on like the role of a supervisor or manager and took on lots more responsibility?

Do you know that feeling you get when you get ready to take that on?

There’s some excitement but there’s probably also some doubt…can I do it? Am I going to be good at it? What will people think of me? What if I fail?

I’m sure these same thoughts were running through the minds of the disciples here.

“But we’ve never did this without you Lord? We’ve watched you do it but I don’t know if I can? What if we fail?”

Knowing their thoughts, I believe that’s why Jesus added in this comforting promise here at the end.

“Don’t worry! I’m not going to leave you alone! I will be with you every step of the way…all the way to the very end!”

What an assuring promise.

A promise that is still as current today as it’s ever been for all those who put their trust in Him.

“I am with you always, even unto the end of the world!”

Dr. G. Campbell Morgan told about an experience in his life that involved this statement. Early in his Christian life, Morgan used to visit several ladies once a week to read the Bible to them. When he came to the end of Matthew’s Gospel, Morgan read, “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of this age.” He added, “Isn’t that a wonderful promise?” One of the ladies quickly replied, “Young man, that is not a promise—it is a fact!” — Warren Wiersbe Be Commentary

The fact this morning is that for those of us who have been born again, we have been called to perform a duty.

And that duty is to evangelize the world.

Not only to evangelize but to disciple.

And when done correctly, as the Lord has laid out for us here, it will ensure the legacy of our Lord will be carried on for ages to come until His return.

But we must be willing to be obedient to the call He places on our lives and we must determine to learn of Him in order that we might lead others to Him!

Conclusion

I want to end this morning by reading you a passage written by John MacArthur about this Great Commission Christ has given to us.

John MacArthur -- If a Christian understands all the rest of the gospel of Matthew but fails to understand this closing passage, he has missed the point of the entire book. This passage is the climax and major focal point not only of this gospel but of the entire New Testament. It is not an exaggeration to say that, in its broadest sense, it is the focal point of all Scripture, Old Testament as well as New.

This central message of Scripture pertains to the central mission of the people of God, a mission that, tragically, many Christians do not understand or are unwilling to fulfill.

It seems obvious that some Christians think little about their mission in this world, except in regard to their own personal needs. They attend services and meetings when it is convenient, take what they feel like taking, and have little concern for anything else. They are involved in the church only to the extent that it serves their own desires. It escapes both their understanding and their concern that the Lord has given His church a supreme mission and that He calls every believer to be an instrument in fulfilling that mission.

Therefore the believer who desires to glorify God, who wants to honor God’s supreme will and purpose, must share God’s love for the lost world and share in His mission to redeem the lost to Himself. Christ came into the world that He loved and sought to win sinners to Himself for the Father’s glory.

As Christ’s representatives, we are likewise sent into the world that He loves to bring the lost to Him and thereby bring glory and honor to God. Our mission is the same mission as that of the Father and of the Son.

In His great high priestly prayer, Christ prayed, "This is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent. I glorified Thee on the earth, having accomplished the work which Thou hast given Me to do" (John 17:3–4).

In His incarnation, Jesus glorified the Father by accomplishing His mission of providing eternal life to those who trust in Him, by reconciling lost men to the God they had forsaken. Jesus’ supreme purpose on earth was "to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). That is therefore also the supreme mission of Christ’s church. The work of the church is an extension of the work of her Lord. "As Thou didst send Me into the world," Jesus said to His Father, "I also have sent them into the world" (John 17:18).

If God’s primary purpose for the saved were loving fellowship, He would take believers immediately to heaven, where spiritual fellowship is perfect, unhindered by sin, disharmony, or loneliness.

If His primary purpose for the saved were the learning of His Word, He would also take believers immediately to heaven, where His Word is perfectly known and understood.

And if God’s primary purpose for the saved were to give Him praise, He would, again, take believers immediately to heaven, where praise is perfect and unending.

There is only one reason the Lord allows His church to remain on earth: to seek and to save the lost, just as Christ’s only reason for coming to earth was to seek and to save the lost. "As the Father has sent Me," He declared, "I also send you" (John 20:21).

Therefore, a believer who is not committed to winning the lost for Jesus Christ should reexamine his relationship to the Lord and certainly his divine reason for existence.

Fellowship, teaching, and praise are not the mission of the church but are rather the preparation of the church to fulfill its mission of winning the lost. And just as in athletics, training should never be confused with or substituted for actually competing in the game, which is the reason for all the training.

As we come to a close, I want to leave you with one thought upon your heart…have you ever thought about the fact that the God we serve is a Missionary God?

I want you to think about that for a second and let it seep deep down in your soul.

He left the splendors of heaven to come to country that was not His own, to rescue a people perishing at the hands of their own doing.

He ultimately gave His life for the lives of those He came to save.

I don’t know if there’s a greater illustration of a Missionary in all the Bible than that of our Lord Jesus Christ.

He fulfilled His own Commission!

Do you see that?

He did the very thing He asks us to do!

What an amazing, gracious, merciful, and loving God we serve this morning!

If we are going to be successful in our mission of bursting out the doors here in 2024 we are going to have to be obedient to the Great Commission of our Lord.

And I truly believe if we will be obedient, He will bless and will go with us all the way to the end, amen!

Let us pray.