The Great Commission Matthew 28:18-20

A preacher was in Atlanta, several years ago, and noticed in the restaurants section of the Yellow Pages, an entry for a place called Church of God Grill. The peculiar name aroused his curiosity and he dialed the number. A man answered with a cheery, “Hello! Church of God Grill!”

The preacher asked how that restaurant had been given such an unusual name, and the man said: “Well, we had a little mission down here, and we started selling chicken dinners after church on Sunday to help pay the bills. Well, people liked the chicken, and we did such a good business, that eventually we cut back on the church service. After a while we just closed down the church altogether and kept on serving chicken dinners. We kept the name we started with, and that’s Church of God Grill.”

-Jesus commissions His disciples to make disciples

The Great Commission Carries:

I. Authority v. 18

In this morning’s passage, Jesus is preparing to ascend to heaven and leave the disciples behind. He is going to give some final instructions to them that will inform how they operate in His absence.

He begins by giving a little insight into His own authority:

First, we see that He has authority, given to Him by the Father; He is the Son of God and all of the authority of the Father is given to the Son. When Jesus speaks, we are listening to the voice of God. What He says is binding over us!

Second, we see that His authority extends over Heaven and Earth; there is no portion of Creation that is not under His authority. There is nowhere that we can go where He is not Lord. He is neither tribal nor provincial

Third, we will share in that authority as we obey His commands

This is critical to the notion of a commission. When we do what Jesus says to do, our obedience carries His authority with it!

We see this with a Roman Centurion in Matthew

Matthew 8:8–10

[8] But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. [9] For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” [10] When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. (ESV)

5. We see that this has always been a part of God’s plan:

John 14:12

[12] “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. (ESV)

6. We hear Jesus’s instruction to His disciples:

John 20:21

[21] Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” (ESV)

II. Responsibility vv. 19-20a

We see that this Commission has 4 components:

Transportation:

We must be “going” if we are going to fulfill this commission

There is not an emphasis here on the where, but the what; we must be about the disciple-making mission of Jesus. We must be on-the-go

Invitation:

We must call people to follow Jesus as disciples

This is not a hit & run operation; we are going to bring people into an entirely new way of being, thinking, and living

Initiation:

This life of a disciple includes a defined ritual: baptism

It is important on several levels:

It is a public identification with Christ and His people

It is a symbolic participation in His death and resurrection

It is a proclamation of the work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in salvation

The Father’s intent to save

The Son’s work to redeem

The Spirit’s work to draw and empower

Transformation:

We teach disciples to obey what Jesus commands

How do we do this?

It is information

It is also application

When we begin to do the things that God intends, transformation takes place and we begin to share in the character and competencies of Christ

We need to get this right. The Christian life is not about eternal fire insurance, but is an invitation into a kind of eternal life that is present both here and hereafter. This is the life that flows from God!

When we are living on God’s mission and we are experiencing His presence and power here and now, we get a little preview of what lies ahead in Heaven. It seems like it’s a long way off yet, but gumbo season will be here before long. One of my favorite steps of that process takes place when I brown up the Conecuh sausage for my gumbo. It’s my favorite, because when it’s done, I always sneak a little bit of the sausage. It’s a small preview of what’s to come. Whenever we are living on God’s mission we get a little taste of what’s to come.

III. Promise v. 20b

Jesus closes His statement with a promise: He will be with us!

What does this mean?

He is available. I never have to wonder if He is with me

He is aware. I never have to wonder if He knows about my needs

He is active. I never have to wonder if He is working for me

However, there is an assumption that we must not miss. I will have more of His power and more of His presence when I share more of His mission

In fact, you will never have the life He intends for you to have until you are participating in His mission.

1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching Evangelism, Commitment To

When Henry Ford purchased a large insurance policy, the Detroit newspapers blazoned the fact, since the amount was so large and he was so prominent. The story was read by one of Ford’s old friends, who happened to be in the insurance business. The old friend went to confront Ford to see if the story was true. When Ford assured him that it was, the friend asked him why the policy was not purchased from him, since he was a personal friend and had been in insurance for many years. Ford’s reply was, “You never asked me.”

How many of our friends can say to us, “You never asked me,” as to our sharing Christ with them?412