From Comfort to Calling: Embracing God's Plan

Bible Passage: Matthew 28:18–20

Purpose: Jesus called His disciples to go out on a mission to evangelize the world. This mission did not stop with the eleven remaining disciples that were with Him when He rose, but it extended to the church.

Matthew 28:18–20 “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

Introduction:

Jesus death on the Christ completed the work that His Father gave Him to provide salvation to all men. Jesus blood covered the sins of every person who ever did live and for those who would come afterwards. However, the result of salvation is not dependent on merely the act of salvation but also requires the acceptance of the gift of salvation. Thus, Jesus gave a commission to his disciples to operate in His authority to evangelize the world. As a 21st century church, we must rise to the occasion of fulfilling that mandate.

1. Christ's Commanding Authority

Matthew 28:18 “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”

The text first provides the nature of Jesus’s authority in the earth. But it seems strange that the God of all creation would need authority in the first place. To understand why, we need to look back at Genesis. In the book of Genesis, the Bible describes the actions God took to create the earth and man. After creating man in His image, He said to Adam in

Genesis 1:28 “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

So after the creation, God gave Adam dominion and authority over the earth. Man was God’s imagebearer and His steward over the earth. However, man gave up that authority when he disobeyed God by eating the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in Genesis 3. Because of that act of rebellion, God cursed the ground making it hard for man to work and death became the result of his actions.

So when Jesus came, His earthly mission was to reverse everything sin brought into the world. He lived on the earth in the body of flesh and was tempted as men were but he did not sin. He was crucifed on a Roman cross after being presented by the high priests on the day of Passover. This action made Him a substitute for mankind’s sins just as the Passover lambs were given. He died on the cross and his blood covered up the sins of all people. He was buried in the grave and rose three days later to defeat hell and the grave so death would no longer be a curse to us but a reconciliation to the Father. Because of these actions, Jesus obedience reclaimed the authority that was taken from Adam because of his sin.

And because He has the authority, He also has the right to commission His people to fulfill the mission of the Kingdom of God.

2. Compelling Call to Disciple

Matthew 28:19 “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:”

In His commission, He first gives a command to His disciples to Go. It is a simple command. It is an active command. He empowered the disciples as His ambassadors in the earth. But not only did He empower them, He gave them direction for the Kingdom. The mandate was not simply to Go but to go to all nations. The gift of salvation is for all nations but they cannot receive it if they do not hear it.

Romans 10:14 “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?”

As disciples of Christ, we are called to the nations and not to the building. We are called to reach as many people as we can so that all men can have the opportunity to receive Christ. Our mission is not passive but active in nature. But notice also, Jesus told the disciples to teach all nations. The word for teach is matheteuo where we get the word for mathematics. The word means to instruct, to teach, or to disciple. The commission Jesus gave the church was to create more disciples that are unashamed to go into the world and present the kingdom of God.

It is not easy to fulfill the mandate of the kingdom. As a people of God, we need to make sacrifices. We need to be uncomfortable. We need to operate outside of the walls of the building so disciples can be created and instructed within the church. And after making disciples, we fulfill the mission which is to bring them into the kingdom. Baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Kingdom is not complete by church membership; it is complete by kingdom building. It is fulfilled by the mission to make disciples to baptize.

3. Constant Comforting Presence

Matthew 28:20 “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

The blessed assurance that we have from our Savior is that He will be with us. It is difficult to step outside our comfort zones because where we are keeps us safe. If people from the outside come in, they can change the atmosphere of the church. Positions can change. Leadership can change. The way we used to do things can change. That is scary, and it makes us uncomfortable. But Jesus gives us the assurance that no matter what we go through, He will be right there by our side. He promises that He will be by our side to empower us to complete the mission.

Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”

Deuteronomy 31:8 “And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.”

Joshua 1:5 “There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”

Genesis 28:15 “And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.”

Psalm 94:14 “For the Lord will not cast off his people, Neither will he forsake his inheritance.”

Isaiah 41:17 “When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, And their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.”

Hebrews 13:6 “So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”