The Royal Commission

We are commissioned by the King of all authority to make disciples, empowered and sustained by His constant presence.

Good morning, church.

Today we are beginning a new series called "Ambassadors." The title comes from a statement the Apostle Paul makes in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, where he says, "We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us."

An ambassador. What comes to mind when you hear that word? You probably picture a dignified person in a foreign country, someone who lives and works out of an embassy. An ambassador isn't a tourist. They're not there on vacation. They are an official, appointed representative of a sovereign government. Their job is not to give their own opinions or pursue their own agenda. Their job is to faithfully represent the character, the policies, and the message of the king or president who sent them. When an ambassador speaks, they speak with the full authority of their home country behind them.

Paul takes this powerful, political concept and applies it directly to the Christian life. He says that if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you are an ambassador. Your citizenship, as Philippians tells us, is in heaven. You are living in a foreign land—a world that operates on different principles and serves a different king. And you have been left here with a specific, official mission: to represent the King of heaven, Jesus Christ, and to deliver His message of reconciliation to the world.

This is a breathtaking identity. It's not just a nice metaphor; it is our fundamental job description. It reframes everything. It means your life has a purpose that transcends your job, your hobbies, or your family roles. You are a diplomat of the highest King, stationed on earth for a divine purpose.

But if we’re going to be effective ambassadors, we need to be crystal clear on our mission. An ambassador who doesn't understand their commission is useless, or even dangerous. They need to know: Who sent me? On what authority do I operate? What, exactly, am I supposed to be doing? And what resources do I have?

This morning, we are going back to the foundational document of our mission. We’re going to the moment the commission was given. If you have your Bible, please turn to the very end of the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 28. We’re going to be looking at verses 16 through 20.

These are some of the final words Jesus spoke on earth before ascending into heaven. They are His parting instructions, His royal decree, His marching orders for the church for all time. This is the Great Commission. And in these five short verses, Jesus gives us everything we need to understand our role as His ambassadors. We find the basis for our mission, the specifics of our mission, and the power for our mission. And it all begins by understanding that we are commissioned by the King of all authority to make disciples, empowered and sustained by His constant presence.

The Posture of the Commissioned (v. 16-17)

Before we get to the command itself, Matthew gives us the setting. And the context is incredibly important, because it’s a context we can all relate to. Look at verse 16:

Matthew 28:16 KJV 1900

Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.

The eleven. Not the twelve. Judas is gone. This is already a picture of brokenness, failure, and imperfection. This isn't a team of superheroes; it's a group of men who, just a few weeks prior, had abandoned and denied Jesus in His moment of greatest need. And Jesus tells them to meet him on a mountain in Galilee. Mountains in the Bible are significant. They are places of divine revelation. Moses met God on a mountain. Elijah met God on a mountain. It was on a mountain that Jesus was transfigured. This is a place of holy encounter.

And what happens when they get there? Verse 17:

Matthew 28:17 KJV 1900

And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.

Let that sink in. They are looking at the physically resurrected Jesus Christ. This isn't a ghost; it's the man they ate with and walked with, now alive from the dead. And their response is twofold. They worshiped... and they doubted.

This is one of the most encouraging and pastorally sensitive details in all of Scripture. Matthew, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, includes this detail to show us the raw reality of the first ambassadors. They were a mixture of faith and fear, of adoration and uncertainty. "Some doubted" can also be translated "they hesitated." It’s this feeling of, "I believe... but is this really real? Can this be happening?"

And it's to this group—this imperfect, broken, worshipping-yet-doubting group—that Jesus gives the most important command in history. He doesn't wait for them to get their theology perfect. He doesn't wait for them to be fearless. He commissions them right in the middle of their messy, relatable humanity.

This should be a profound encouragement to every one of us. If you have ever felt unworthy to serve God because of your past failures, the Great Commission is for you. If you have ever felt like your faith is weak, a mixture of worship and nagging doubts, the Great Commission is for you. Jesus does not build His church with perfect people. He builds it with forgiven, redeemed, and often-hesitant people who simply trust in His authority and not their own. The prerequisite for this mission is not our perfection, but our presence before the King.

The commission is given to imperfect people who are a mixture of worship and doubt. (v17)

[ILLUSTRATION PROMPT: Share a time when you felt inadequate or full of doubt, yet God still used you. It could be sharing your faith when you felt nervous, leading a ministry when you felt unqualified, or simply obeying God in a small step when you weren't sure of the outcome. The point is to connect with the "worshipped but doubted" experience of the disciples and show that God's commission is not dependent on our personal sense of readiness.]

The Authority for the Commission (v. 18)

The disciples are there, a mix of worship and doubt. And Jesus doesn't start with a rebuke for their doubt. He starts by rewiring their entire understanding of reality. He gives them the foundation upon which their mission, and our mission, is built. Look at verse 18:

Matthew 28:18 KJV 1900

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

This is the single most important statement for any Christian ambassador. Before Jesus tells us what to do, He tells us who He is. This is the theological bedrock of our mission. The word for "authority" here is exousia. It means all power, all right, all jurisdiction. Jesus is making an absolute, cosmic claim. He is saying that every ounce of power that exists in the universe belongs to Him.

Notice the scope. "In heaven..." That means all spiritual authority. All angels, all demons, all spiritual powers are subject to Him. Satan is a defeated foe on a leash. The spiritual battles we face are real, but they are fought against an enemy who has already been conquered and disarmed by our King.

"...and on earth." That means all earthly authority. Every king, every president, every government, every CEO, every institution, every army, every molecule. All of it is under His sovereign rule. Political powers may rage, cultures may shift, but they do so only under the permissive authority of the enthroned King Jesus. Dr. Ironside would beautifully point out that this is the fulfillment of the vision Daniel saw—the Son of Man being presented before the Ancient of Days and given an everlasting dominion. This is that moment.

And notice the source. This authority has been "given to me." By whom? By God the Father. This is the Father's validation of the Son's finished work on the cross and in the resurrection. Jesus isn't seizing power; He is being officially enthroned as the rightful King of all creation.

Why does this matter? Because if we miss this, we miss everything. Our confidence as ambassadors is not in our own eloquence, our own cleverness, or our own strength. Our confidence is in the absolute, total authority of the King who sends us. We don't go into the world hoping to carve out a little territory for Jesus. We go into a world that already belongs to Him, and we call it to acknowledge its rightful King. We are not insecure petitioners; we are heralds of a reigning monarch. This changes our entire posture from one of timid apology to one of humble, confident proclamation.

Before Jesus tells us what to do, He tells us who He is.

Jesus has All authority in heaven and on earth.

The Mandate of the Commission (v. 19-20a)

Because Jesus has all authority, He now gives the great imperative, the central command of the entire commission. Verse 19:

Matthew 28:19–20 KJV 1900

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.

The main verb, the central task, is to "make disciples." The words "go," "baptizing," and "teaching" are participles that describe how we are to make disciples. Let's break down this four-part job description.

Go: The Initiative of the Ambassador

The mission starts with movement. "Go." It implies that we are not to be passive. We are not to build a holy fortress and wait for the world to come to us. We are sent. It means crossing streets, crossing cubicles, crossing cultures, and crossing continents. It means taking the initiative to move into the lives of people who do not know the King. It’s a proactive, outward-focused posture.

Make Disciples: The Core of the Ambassador's Task

This is the heart of it all. What is a disciple? A disciple is more than just a convert. A convert is someone who makes a decision. A disciple is someone who has committed to a lifelong journey of following, learning from, and becoming more like Jesus. Making disciples is not just about getting people to pray a prayer or sign a card. It is the messy, long-term, relational process of helping someone reorient their entire life around the authority of King Jesus. It’s about seeing people saved, and then seeing them grow. Our commission is not complete when someone raises a hand; it’s only just beginning.

Baptizing: The Identity of the Ambassador's Convert

How do we begin this process? By "baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Baptism is the public sign of allegiance to the new King. It’s the official ceremony where a person renounces their old citizenship in the kingdom of darkness and publicly identifies with the triune God of the kingdom of light. In the first century, this was a radical, costly act. It was drawing a line in the sand. It was the moment you put on the uniform of the new kingdom, declaring to the world whose side you are on.

Teaching to Obey: The Process of the Ambassador's Work

Making disciples is a lifelong process of "teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." This is the ongoing, patient work of discipleship. It’s not just about transferring information, but about transforming lives. It's about walking with people through God’s Word and helping them apply its truth to their marriage, their finances, their ethics, their relationships—to everything. Notice the comprehensiveness: "everything I have commanded." We don't get to pick and choose the convenient parts of Jesus' teaching. Our mission is to call people to a life of full, joyful submission to the authority of King Jesus in every area of their lives.

This is our mandate. Go, make disciples, baptize them into the family, and teach them how to live as loyal citizens of the kingdom. This is the mission of every single Christian.

The central command is to make disciples.

This involves four actions: Going, making disciples, baptizing, and teaching them to obey.

The Presence that Empowers the Commission (v. 20b)

Now, if Jesus had ended the commission there, it would be the most overwhelming, impossible task imaginable. Go into a hostile world, confront spiritual darkness, call people to renounce their old loyalties, and teach them to obey everything... on our own? It would be a recipe for burnout and despair.

But Jesus doesn't end there. He closes with one of the most powerful and comforting promises in all of Scripture. He gives us the fuel for the mission. Verse 20:

Matthew 28:20 KJV 1900

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 King doesn't just send us out on a mission; He goes with us. The Greek here is emphatic. It’s a promise of His personal, abiding, and constant presence. He is not a distant commander watching from a heavenly bunker. He is our captain on the field, with us in the trenches.

"With you always"—literally, "all the days." On the good days and the bad days. On the days you feel bold and the days you feel full of doubt. On the days of fruitful ministry and the days that feel like a failure. In every conversation, in every crisis, in every step of obedience, the resurrected, authoritative King of the universe is with you by His Spirit.

"To the end of the age." This promise has no expiration date. It will hold true until the mission is complete, until the King returns and the age of exile is over.

This is the power that makes the commission possible. We go in His authority, and we go in His presence. The authority gives us confidence. The presence gives us courage and comfort. We are never alone in our ambassadorship.

The King doesn't just send us; He goes with us.

"I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

[ILLUSTRATION PROMPT: Share a story about a time when you felt God's presence in a tangible way while you were on mission for Him. It could be a moment of sharing the gospel, serving someone in need, or facing a difficult situation. The goal is to move the promise of His presence from a theological concept to a lived reality and to encourage the congregation that this same presence is available to them.]

Application

So where does this leave us today? We are ambassadors. We live in a world that, like Galilee for the first disciples, is full of beauty and opportunity, but also brokenness and doubt. And our King comes to us, not demanding our perfection, but pointing to His authority.

He says, "All authority in heaven and on earth belongs to me. Therefore... go." Go across the street to your neighbor. Go across the office to your coworker. Go into your family, into your friend group, and be my representative. Make disciples. Invite people to switch their allegiance to the one true King. Baptize them into the community of faith. Teach them the life-giving words I have commanded.

And as you go, know this: I am with you. Always. Every single day. Until the very end.

This is our royal commission. It is not an suggestion; it is a command from the King. And it is not a burden; it is an incredible privilege, empowered by His authority and sustained by His presence. Let's be the faithful ambassadors He has called us to be.

How does knowing that Jesus commissions "doubting worshippers" encourage you to step out in faith this week?

In what specific area of your life do you need to more consciously live under the "authority" of King Jesus?

Who is one person in your sphere of influence that God is calling you to "go" to as His ambassador?

Let's pray.