Great Commission

Intro

This morning you have seen the impact of your giving and the impact of God’s call to go and spread the good news of Jesus.

I think we would miss the mark if we didn’t hit the high points of that call one more time this morning.

Look with me at 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.”

Break this down with me this morning. Jesus gives some pretty amazing commands here, some that we must follow.

He gives these commands with the authority and power of the Father, given to Him to execute His will on earth.

Go (send)

First, Jesus simply tells us to go.

Now, this is usually the part that we get hung up on immediately. What do you mean go? Go where? I am comfortable where I am.

Jesus calls for total surrender and obedience from His people, so when He calls us to go, we must simply, as Isaiah did, cry out “here I am, send me.”

This is the call on all of our lives, to obey God to the point that, no matter what He asks, we step out, as Abraham did, in complete faith, and trust that God will show us where to go and take care of us as we do.

Go.

Go to the world, preach the Gospel.

You may think though, pastor I do not feel the call to go oversees! That is ok! Don’t use that as an excuse to be a lazy Christian.

You are still called to go.

The books of Acts is clear that gospel ministry starts where you are and is guided by the Spirit who leads you where He wants you! Where you are, there are plenty of opportunities to spread the gospel. Go. Do it.

But also, we must be a people who assist others in going. We must send.

When we are not called to go to Bulgaria, we do the best we can to ensure that those who are called are able to go. We send.

We send with our finances, with our prayers, and with any support that we can.

Go. Send.

Teach

As we go, Jesus tells us that we are to teach.

Mission work is not a vacation! It is the hard, labor intensive work of teaching the gospel to people who have not heard it or who reject it.

Teaching means knowing.

Know the Word so that you can teach the Word!

Going is pointless if you do not have an understanding of God’s Word which leads to an ability to teach it.

Go. Teach.

Spread the gospel!

Teaching is about more than your knowledge and ability to teach.

It is about how you live your life.

Scripture is clear that we should live our lives in a way that sparks the attention of others.

“Why does he live like that?”

What does she have that I don’t”

And here is the final piece to this puzzle

I Am With You

The key to it all is: The spirit of God is with us always.

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.”

We can go. We can send. We can teach and try to model Christ. But all of it us fruitless without the Holy Spirit living within us, leading us in the paths of righteousness.

Without being a born again follower of Jesus, none of this matters.

Leading people to Christ starts with being led to Christ.

It is then continued day by day as you trust the Spirit of God for your daily sustenance and guidance to do what He wills for your life.

Go. Teach the Gospel. Trust that God is with you through it all!

Pray with me.