****Matthew 28:18-20

Send the Light!

(Matthew 28:18–20

Matthew 28:18–20 (NRSV)

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Charles H. Gabriel wrote the words to “Send the Light” in 1890. He was inspired by the words of Acts 16:9: “And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us’.”

The Lord directed Paul’s path because the people in Macedonia needed spiritual help. They were blind, lost, wretched and miserable. The world we live in today is in the same shape. People are spiritually blind, lost, wretched, and miserable.

God has called us out of darkness, placed His Spirit within us, and has made us the light for the world. Matthew 5:14–16 declares, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

As this hymn states, we are to take the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.

There’s a call comes ringing o’er the restless wave,

“Send the light! Send the Light!”

There are souls to rescue, there are souls to save, Send the light! Send the Light!

We have heard the Macedonian call today,

“Send the light! Send the Light!”

And a golden offering at the cross we lay,

Send the light! Send the Light!

Send the light, the blessed gospel light,

Let it shine from shore to shore!

Send the light the blessed gospel light,

Let it shine forevermore!

Jesus revealed His mandate for all His followers. Sharing Jesus in this world is the responsibility of every Christian. My prayer is that every Christian would become Great Commission Christians.

These verses give some revelations about sending the Light. Matthew reveals:

I. The Commander of the Light. (vs. 18)

“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth’.”

Jesus appeared to His disciples after the resurrection, before the ascension, to give them the Great Commission. Here Jesus reveals more about Himself and His mission to those who had followed Him the closest.

Authority: (Exousia) refers to the freedom and right to speak and act as one pleases. The King James version uses the word power, which refers to authority or delegated power along with the right to use it. In verse 18, Jesus uses this word in the context of all the right of absolute authority and all the resources of absolute power.

Jesus is our Commander and Chief. He has received all authority from the Father, and He possesses total and complete power. Jesus so pleased God the Father that He gladly gave rule and dominion to God the Son.

Philippians 2:9–11 states, “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Warren Wiersbe wrote, “Since Jesus Christ today has all authority, we may obey Him without fear. No matter where He leads us, no matter what circumstances we face, He is in control.”

Jesus has all authority “in heaven and on earth.” Fred Howard wrote, “The phrase ‘in heaven and on earth’ stresses the fact that Jesus exercises universal authority.” He has ultimate power and unlimited reign in heaven and on earth.

Jesus won the battle and claimed victory over all the wars. He has legitimate power and authority to use as He sees fit. Jesus has authority over angels, demons, powers, principalities, Satan, world rulers, nations, the land, the sea, the stars and the planets. Our Lord is in control!

Great Bible Truth: The church is not limited in any shape, form, or fashion as long as we abide under the ultimate authority of Jesus Christ.

In verse 18, Matthew reveals the Commander of the Light. Next, he reveals:

II. The commission to the Light. (vs. 19–20a)

June 30th is the deadline for the USA to hand over power to Iraq. Iraq will receive sovereignty as a nation and will begin to rule for themselves. The United States and England have had rule over Iraq. The two countries invaded Iraq, conquered their military and gained control over that nation. The USA and Great Britain are now in the process of giving back the rule under a democratic government. This “new Iraq” will be ruled by a government for the people and by the people.

Jesus has all authority. He has conquered the kingdom of darkness and defeated the armies of the evil one. He has invaded the darkness with His indescribable power and has gained control of His people.

Jesus gives the greatest mission of all time. The church has a mandate and commission from our Lord.

In our Army and Navy there are many who wear the title of “non-commissioned officer.” They have an office, but no commission. In the Lord’s army, there is no such thing as a “non-commissioned officer.” All Christians are called by Jesus for salvation and commissioned by Jesus for service. Matthew reveals the commission to the light.

(A.) Our inspiration. (vs. 19a)

“Go therefore”

Our inspiration for going on mission with Jesus is because He has all authority.

Oswald Chambers wrote, “The basis of missionary appeals is the authority of Jesus Christ, not the needs of the heathen.”

We should have a conscious awareness of the authority of Jesus Christ in all that we do. Jesus tells His disciples that because He has all power in heaven and on earth, they should boldly go and do what He commands.

Go: In the Greek this is a present participle. It should read “Going” or “As you go.”

Our inspiration comes from knowing the Sovereign Lord of the universe. We are inspired to go because Jesus did that. Jesus left His throne in heaven to come to a sinful and dark world to seek and save those who were lost. We should not have to debate about going, pray about going, or think about going, but we should be going.

Many in the world today are lost without God and need to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. At a beach near Jacksonville, Florida there is a sign for the lifeguards that reads, “If in doubt, go!” There should be no doubt for the church of Jesus Christ! We are living in a dark world that needs the Light of the world.

John Phillips wrote, “We are commissioned to go, and go we must, for Satan holds the nations in darkness. Millions are blinded by communism, humanism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Islam, and false cults of apostate Christianity.”

Because Jesus said, “Go therefore,” that should inspire us to go. When we are saved and go for Jesus, we go in His name, with His authority, His protection, His provision and His direction.

Every mail carrier for the United States Postal Service has the legal right and authority to deliver the mail. That is their job. They are assigned a route, given the mail, and given the authority to deliver that mail. It is a federal offense to tamper with the mail or the mail carrier. The government has strict laws that protect mail carriers and postal workers, and prevent someone from hindering them in delivering the mail.

Likewise, every Christian has the legal right and authority to deliver the gospel message. Witnessing is our job. We have been assigned a route, given the message, and given the authority to deliver the message. We have the backing of the Father, the commission from the Son, and the presence of the Holy Spirit to guide us and protect us as we deliver the message. That fact should inspire all of us to go for Jesus.

When a ship had been commissioned by one government to make reprisals on the vessels of another government, it is said to carry a “letter of marque”—the mark of Royal authority.

Every ship or subject belonging to the kingdom of God carries such a letter, and ought to make reprisals upon the souls and interests of those who are still the enemies of God and serving in the kingdom of Satan. Our mission is to board them for God! We are commissioned by the Lord Jesus to go!

In verse 19 we’ve seen our inspiration. Next, we see:

(B.) Our intention. (vs. 19b)

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”

The inspiration of us should lead to the intention by us. Everything we do should seek to exalt the Savior, evangelize the sinner and edify the saints.

Make disciples: (matheteuo) means a learner or follower. This term refers to believing and learning. In the context, it refers to those who place their faith in Jesus Christ and follow Him. It refers to those who devote their lives to learning to be like Jesus and constantly obeying Jesus.

John MacArthur wrote, “A person who is not Christ’s true disciple does not belong to Him and is not saved. When a person genuinely confesses Christ as Lord and Savior, he is immediately saved, immediately made a disciple, and immediately filled with the Holy Spirit. Not to be Christ’s disciple is therefore not to be Christ’s at all.”

I’ve not seen multitudes flock to Jesus in my ministry. Not because I’m not preaching the gospel, but because I am preaching the gospel. I’ve chosen not to water it down, but to preach the truth and tell people what it means to be a true Christian.

What is our intention as a church? Are we seeking to make disciples? Jesus commissions us to make disciples of all the nations.

In a disastrous church fire, a beautiful painting of Jesus was endangered. Two men went inside and rescued it. People came and watched the fire, but stayed long after to look at the painting. The church leaders were amazed because people had never before been interested in the painting, which had hung for years in the church.

Finally, one man explained, “When the church caught fire and moved Christ into the streets where people could see Him, then they were interested.”

Let me say, parenthetically, that until the church catches fire and moves Jesus out into the neighborhoods and cities, no one will be drawn to Jesus.

Well-known radio commentator Paul Harvey said it well, “We’ve drifted away from being fishers of men to being keepers of the aquarium.”

After analyzing the church someone has said, “The church today is raising a whole generation of mules. They know how to sweat and to work hard but they don’t know how to reproduce themselves.”

It is not known who said this, but it is a statement of incredible insight. Mules are hard workers. They have carried supplies, plowed fields, pulled wagons and transported people. The only problem is that they are almost always sterile and thus cannot reproduce. They are hard workers, but they are the last of the line. They do not produce more like themselves.

The church is full of hard workers. They teach classes, serve the physical needs of others, clean up, mow the grass, cook meals, move tables, organize social activities, visit, write letters and cards and do a host of other things. There is just one problem. They do not “reproduce.” They do not share the gospel and challenge people to trust Jesus so that the lost can be saved. They are the last of the line.

The real job the Lord gave us is to go into the world and “reproduce ourselves” by making disciples of all the nations. It is a tough lesson to realize that although you have worked hard, yet you still haven’t completed the job. If we are not evangelizing, we are not doing the job completely. If we are nothing more than a generation of mules, we are on the road to extinction. We are to intentionally make disciples.

Louis Barberi, Jr., wrote, “They were to make disciples by proclaiming the truth concerning Jesus. Their hearers were to be evangelized and enlisted as Jesus ’followers.”

We are to evangelize and enlist folks for Jesus. We are to intentionally make disciples, and then we are to intentionally baptize them. After we bring people to Jesus, we are to baptize those who have been saved. Part of our commission and part of our intention is to baptize those who have believed.

Baptize: (baptizo) mean to immerse, dip, or plunge. Baptism does not save a person. There is no such thing as baptismal regeneration. A person is saved before they go into the baptistry or they are not saved when they come out.

John MacArthur wrote, “Baptism has no part in the work of salvation, but it is a God-ordained and God-commanded accompaniment of salvation.”

We are commanded to make disciples and then to baptize those disciples in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

James Strong wrote, “Baptizing them in the Name would indicate that the baptized person was closely bound to, or became the property of, the one into whose name he was baptized.”

The church’s intention is to make disciples and to baptize those disciples in order to identify them with the resurrected Lord.

(C.) Our instruction. (vs. 20a)

“Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you;”

We are to instruct the disciples in the word of God. We are to instruct them to be like Jesus by teaching them what Jesus said and what Jesus did. Disciples are to be taught and trained to obey the Lord’s commandments.

John 14:15 states, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”

If they don’t know the Lord’s commandments, it would be very hard for them to keep His commandments. We have to constantly be teaching God’s word to God’s people.

Many churches are cutting out Sunday School and Discipleship Training programs. No one seems to be interested in learning the word of God. We cannot know how to obey the Lord and please the Lord if we do not know His word.

Warren Wiersbe wrote, “It is not enough to win people to the Savior; we must also teach them the Word of God.”

We are teaching them by one way or the other. When we cut out or cut back on Bible study, preaching, Sunday School, Discipleship Training, and Bible memorization, we are teaching them that God’s word is not important. We are saying that we have better things to do than learning what God says. When we say, “I’ve read the Bible and I know what it says,” then we show that we really don’t know what the Bible says.

The story is told of a T.V. repairman who didn’t like to think about his job when he came home. As a result, he never bothered to properly install the T.V. antenna on the top of his house or fix it when one arm broke in a windstorm.

One day, a new family moved in next door, and the owner went up on his roof to install an antenna. Knowing that his neighbor was a T.V. repairman, he put his up exactly the same way and turned his antenna to face in the same direction as his neighbor’s. Then, after studying his neighbor’s antenna for a while, he reached up and broke one arm off his new antenna!

As disciples, we teach by example, whether we intend to or not! None of us will ever be to the point where we don’t need Bible study, fellowship with the saints and instruction in righteousness. We are to instruct new Christians to become strong Christians. We are to instruct immature Christians to become mature Christians.

What are we to instruct them? “Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded.” Does “all things” mean everything? Yes! We are to teach everything that the Lord commanded in His word.

Proverbs 28:9 declares, “One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.”

It is very, very important for us to be instructed in the word of God and to instruct others in the word of God. Salvation is not the end, but it is the beginning of a growth process. At salvation we begin the journey. It is through daily sanctification that we continue the journey.

Matthew reveals the Commander of the Light, the commission to the Light, and next we see:

III. The comfort for the Light. (vs. 20b)

“And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.”

Jesus gives us all great comfort in knowing that He is always with us. Jesus tells us to go and then He tells us that He is going with us.

Lo (idou) is an interjection used often in the New Testament to call attention to something of special importance.

I am (ego eimi) is an emphatic that could be rendered “I, Myself, am.” Jesus says, “I, Myself, am with you always.”

Jesus is a personal God with a personal interest in our lives and what we do. He commissions us to go and then He tells us He will be with us.

Great Bible Truth: His presence with us gives us boldness, confidence, power, protection, and direction.

If the fact that Jesus will be with us always doesn’t encourage us, then we really don’t know Him. Because Jesus is with us, we never go by ourselves, we never witness by ourselves, and we never face anyone at any time by ourselves. He is with us always! There is never a time that the Lord Jesus is not with us.

Dr. G. Campbell Morgan told about an experience in his life. Early in his Christian life, Morgan would visit several elderly ladies once a week and read the Bible to them. When he came to the end of the Gospel according to Matthew, Morgan read, “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age.” He added, “Isn’t that a wonderful promise?”

One of the ladies quickly replied, “Young man, that is not a promise—that is a fact!”

Amen! If you know Jesus as Lord and Savior today, that is a fact that He is always with you. He is with us even to the end of the age! He is with us through life, through death, and through all of eternity!

We have learned some great revelations about the light this morning. Matthew revealed the Commander of the light, the commission to the light, and the comfort for the light.

Do you live your life under the authority of Jesus Christ? Is He Lord of your life?

Are we inspired to go on mission with Jesus because of who He is?

Are we intentionally seeking to make disciples?

Are we instructing others and being instructed in the word of God?

Are we comforted to know that Jesus is always with us?

If we have received the commission and been comforted by His presence, we will be motivated to serve Jesus with all of our hearts!