Our CO-Mission

INTRODUCTION

What is the main thing in life?

What is the main focus of the church supposed to be?

What is the most critical mission of the church and for all Christians?

Where do many churches and individual Christians focus their attention?

What is the purpose of the church?

Why are we here?

Have you ever thought about those questions?

What should be the primary focus of the church?

Evangelism? Fellowship? Youth? Music? Worship?

Keeping the core happy?

Is there an answer to those questions?

At the beginning of this Bottom Line series, I noted that a person like Matthew, as a tax collector, functioned in a world of bottom lines.

The passage we are looking at today is one I have preached on a few times in my ministry, but I think I have missed a key component.

I have touched on it but have not focused enough on the concept.

The concept in our focus today is the Great Commission.

After the resurrection, Jesus appeared to many folks over a 40 day period.

In Matthew 28:18-20, often referred to as the Great Commission, the audience consists of the eleven disciples.

This event occurs after Jesus' resurrection and before His ascension into heaven.

Here, Jesus appears to His disciples on a mountain in Galilee and gives them the command to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey everything He has commanded.

This passage highlights the authority of Jesus and His directive to His followers to continue His work on earth by spreading His teachings and making disciples across the world.

Let's dive into our passage together.

We will begin with verse 18.

Matthew 28:18 (NET 2nd ed.)

18 Then Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

SERMON

I. The authority.

Jesus has the eleven together, and He is about to give them their commission.

Before He gives them the commission, He begins by giving them the authority by which they are to carry out the work.

When one reads verses 18-20, it is easy to skip past verse 18 and get to what we see as the meat of the passage.

However, verses 19-20 have no power and would be difficult to carry out without when we read in verse 18.

In the past, I have glossed over verse 18. I mean, verse 18 was a given for me, so I did not give it much thought.

Jesus begins with the basis from which He will say what He is going to say.

When Jesus appears to the group, He gets right down to business.

He does not address any doubts. He does not give out high fives; He gets right to it.

Jesus begins by saying, "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth."

In the past, Jesus was mocked, beaten, humiliated, doubted, and slandered.

You name it, and it was done to Him.

Jesus has defeated death!

Jesus secured our opportunity for salvation!

This brings power and truth to this verse!

Philippians 2:9–11 (NET 2nd ed.)

9 As a result God highly exalted him and gave him the name, that is above every name,

10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow —in heaven and on earth and under the earth—

11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth!

Throughout the Gospels, before the resurrection, Jesus spoke on the subject of His authority; however, NOW He makes it crystal clear who is in power.

There will be no more beatings, humiliation, or mocking; Jesus has all authority!

Jesus is the one through whom all God's authority was exercised.

Without the authority of Jesus, what he would say afterward would be empty words.

It follows that Jesus' teachings and commands are invested with divine authority and therefore must take precedence in discerning the will of God. (College Press NIV Commentary: Matthew)

Since Jesus has all authority, we are not alone; God will equip us to fulfill the calling and work behind the scenes to help us succeed.

We can boldly seek to fulfill the calling we have all received from Jesus!

We do not have to be afraid or timid; we can KNOW that our God is with us and that the Holy Spirit is working to help us.

We must realize that our calling from Jesus has the full authority and backing of Jesus and the Kingdom of God behind it!

The basis of the call, ALL AUTHORITY, is crucial for us to know because when given an assignment, the assignment means nothing if we have no authority to do it.

2 Corinthians 5:20 (NET 2nd ed.)

20 Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making his plea through us. We plead with you on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God!”

When we seek to reach others for Christ, we do it under the authority of Jesus as an ambassador of Jesus!

Let's look at the task we are given.

Matthew 28:19–20 (NET 2nd ed.)

19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

20 teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

II. The command.

Verse 19 begins with THEREFORE, so SINCE all authority has been given to Jesus, the following is the command!

First, we are called to GO!

Mark Moore points out something vital for us to understand, and when we do, it takes a lot of the pressure we will off of us.

Global evangelism is not our mission; it's God's mission.

It's merely our co-mission. Hence, we call it the Great Commission.

We're not trying to evangelize the world on our own; we're merely trying to partner with God in what he's already doing in our midst to rescue the world he loves.

Moore, Mark E. Core 52: A Fifteen-Minute Daily Guide to Build Your Bible IQ in a Year (p. 173). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

He concludes the thought this way:

This is a crucial concept for Christians.

The world is not our responsibility but God's.

Ours is merely to be available to go where God needs us to go and to be who we already are, influencing those whom we already have a relationship with.

Moore, Mark E. Core 52: A Fifteen-Minute Daily Guide to Build Your Bible IQ in a Year (p. 173). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

As we go about living life, we are called to make disciples of all nations!

The call of verses 19-20 is to MAKE DISCIPLES.

This is important for us to consider.

Jesus does not say GO THEREFORE and build BIGGER CHURCH BUILDING, although if we are doing what we are called to do, God's church will grow.

Jesus did not call us to be SOCIAL JUSTICE WARRIORS, although if we follow the calling, we will deal with social issues and social justice.

Jesus did not call us to gather together and judge other people or make up our own little sects to keep ourselves away from the world.

Jesus did not call us to be a social club, although if we are doing what He invited us to do, we will have a great social connection.

There are many things that the church and individual Christians focus on that Jesus did not call us to place priority upon.

Our focus is to make disciples!

What is a disciple?

A disciple is a follower, specifically a follower of Jesus.

The DISCIPLE also means a "learner."

A disciple continually learns and grows in their understanding of Jesus' teachings.

There is an Adherence to His Teachings aspect: A disciple not only learns Jesus' teachings but also obeys and lives by them.

There is transformation: Being a disciple involves a transformative process, where one's life is changed to reflect the values and principles taught by Jesus.

A disciple is Mission-Oriented: Disciples are also called to make more disciples, spreading Jesus' message and inviting others to follow Him.

This is emphasized in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).

We are to help people to commit their way of life to Jesus!

We also see in verses 19-20 the WAY we are to make disciples.

We are to make disciples from all nations by baptizing them and teaching them to observe all He commanded them.

Baptism is when we clothe ourselves with Jesus; it is the time when our sins are forgiven and we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 3:27 (NET 2nd ed.)

27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

Then, we take those new creations in Christ and teach them about Him!

The teaching part intimidates us, but let's keep it simple.

Let's teach people the two greatest commandments!

Matthew 22:37–40 (NET 2nd ed.)

37 Jesus said to him, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’

38 This is the first and greatest commandment.

39 The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

40 All the law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

Sometimes, we try to take people so deep into the water when we have not even taught them how to swim!

Let's start by simply teaching folks how to love Jesus and others and then go into deeper water.

We teach by example and words!

Let's look at a final thought.

Matthew 28:18–20 (NET 2nd ed.)

18 Then Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

20 teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

III. The promise.

This is an observation I have overlooked or not given much thought in the past.

And remember, I am with you always until the end of the age.

I always took this as Jesus saying He is with me, but I never gave much thought to the implications within the context.

Ok, Jesus, you are with me.

I am not waking alone.

However, the context of this statement means much more.

Sure, we are not alone, but Jesus is not just some tag-along; he is working through us as we carry out the GREAT CO-MISSION!

With you means you are not alone.

Here is a passage from Matthew 10.

The context of Matthew 10:19-20 is part of Jesus' instructions to His disciples as He sends them out to preach.

This section of the Gospel of Matthew deals with the challenges and persecutions that the disciples will face as they spread the message of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Specifically, verses 19-20 are about the promise of divine assistance during times of persecution:

This promise is meant to comfort the disciples, emphasizing that they will not be left to their own devices but will have divine support.

The broader context includes warnings about various forms of persecution they will face from religious councils, governors, kings, and even from their own families.

Jesus advises them to be wise and innocent, to flee persecution when necessary, and to remain steadfast despite opposition.

Matthew 10:19–20 (NET 2nd ed.)

19 Whenever they hand you over for trial, do not worry about how to speak or what to say, for what you should say will be given to you at that time.

20 For it is not you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

We are not alone!

John 14:25–26 (NET 2nd ed.)

25 “I have spoken these things while staying with you.

26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and will cause you to remember everything I said to you.

Jesus is not simply observing us as He is with us; he is working with us as we strive to fulfill the Great CO-Mission!

CONCLUSION

Nothing can be more frustrating than starting a new job that you have never done before, only to be handed the reigns with no training, no help, and no one to ask for help.

The great part of the Great Commission is the fact that we are not called to make disciples on our own, Jesus is working along side of us.

I bet we all know folks who need Jesus; start by praying for God to open the door and pray that you will be bold enough to walk through the door.

After all, someone did it for you!