Be Fruitful and Multiply

This week we come to the end of our First Things series and we will be in Matthew 28 beginning in verse 18

We have covered the Bible and it’s authority in our lives, we then addressed our desperate need for a Savior and the hope found in the gospel of Jesus Christ

Then we ventured into worship as the body of Christ and along the same lines - our need for community.

Today, we are going to look at a command God has given mankind since creation - Be Fruitful and Multiply

Matthew 28:18–20 CSB

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

These are the last words Jesus is saying to His disciples. He just spent the last 40 days teaching them as much as He could but not it is time to go.

When my dad was in his last days with cancer, I got to spend a lot of time just hanging out at the hospital with him

We talked a lot and one evening we just looked at each other and said, “Well if there is anything you ever wanted to say or ask I guess now is the time.”

There wasn’t any earth shattering news but we made sure we knew we loved each other - I repeat a lot of things my dad said in life but the most precious were those last words

Jesus’ last words were no different to the disciples - they were words of encouragement and direction

As believers we are…

Authorized, deputized and mobilized.

Because of WHO Jesus is and because of WHAT Jesus has done - He has full authority over everything in the heavens and the earth

Jesus doesn’t have to ask permission - He is declaring ownership - if He owns it, He can do what He wants with it

John 20:21 “21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I also send you.”” - we are deputized

Just like a police officer carries a badge that represents the state, we carry the name of Jesus

We are not acting on our own authority - we are acting on His

Authority without action is useless.

We are mobilized for action

Being mobilized means we are gathered, equipped and deployed by God for a specific mission… or as we at FBC Fairlea say it - we gather, grow and go

We are mobilized in several ways:

Mobilized by His Spirit - We don't mobilize ourselves; the Holy Spirit stirs us. Before we can act, something has to move inside of us.

Mobilized by our position: God uses geography and relationships. He places us in specific spots to reach specific people.

Mobilized by our gifts: God equips us with specific spiritual gifts and talents to be used for the mission. He doesn't mobilize everyone the same way.

Mobilized by the urgency of the harvest (this is the big picture): Jesus looked at the crowds and had compassion. When we see the lostness of the world, it should move us to action. Time is short and the urgency of the harvest is a call to action. (Matthew 9:37–38 “37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. 38 Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.”)

Be fruitful and multiply

From the very beginning, God’s design for humanity was multiplication.

God didn’t just want us to exist - He wanted us to fill the earth and that command has never been rescinded FYI

We still have families, we still raise children - we still multiply physically

But here in Matthew Jesus takes that original command and gives it a new application

He is telling us to make spiritual offspring - make disciples

We often think our mission is to GO but the command is MAKE DISCIPLES - we are to make disciples as we go

That means in every aspect of our lives our life, words and action are to be such that we can make disciples

Not disciples of us — disciples of Jesus. That means we have to be following Him, because if we are not, we risk making the wrong kind of disciples

Making disciples requires intentionality - you don’t accidentally make a disciples

Making disciples isn’t limited to certain people - Jesus said, “all nations”, that means everybody no matter race, color, or creed

Making disciples requires relationship - you make disciples by walking through life together

I firmly believe that making disciples is a process that begins prior to someone coming to Christ - BUT salvation is the cornerstone of becoming a disciple.

Even though salvation is the cornerstone it is also not the end - disciple making continues as we grow to be more like Jesus

We model the image of Christ in our lives and help others to do the same - we are to look and act more and more like Jesus as we grow

(Show pics of my adopted family - then show pic of my biological father)

Jesus promises us His presence

I love military movies, especially true ones and one of my favorites is We Were Soldiers

On the day of the units departure for Vietnam Lt. Colonel Hall Moore addressed his troops and their families…

“I can't promise you that I will bring you all home alive. But this I swear, before you and before Almighty God, that when we go into battle, I will be the first to set foot on the field, and I will be the last to step off, and I will leave no one behind. Dead or alive, we will all come home together. So help me, God."

He held to his word - those in charge tried to order him off the field of battle for a debriefing worried about how it would appear if a high ranking officer got killed in battle - Col. Moore flat out refused the order and true to his word - he left no one behind, dead or alive, and he was the last one to step onto the helicopter and leave the battle field.

On several occasions Jesus basically gave the same speech to his disciples and to us

John 15:20 “20 Remember the word I spoke to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.”

John 16:33 “33 I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.””

Matthew 10:22 “22 You will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

John 10:27–29 “27 My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”

Jesus is honest with us - it will not be easy, we will not all make it out alive but we will never be left behind and most importantly…

We never have to go it alone - Jesus is with us every step of the way.

As Moses told Joshua: Deuteronomy 31:8 “8 The Lord is the one who will go before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or abandon you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.””

As we wrap up our First Things series, let me leave you with this… The risen King, the One who holds all authority in heaven and on earth, looks at a this room full of ordinary people and says, "Go." Not because we are qualified. Not because we have it all figured out. But because He commands us to do so. Then He does something no earthly commander can ever fully do. He promises to go with us. Not just on the battlefield, not just in the easy moments, but always. To the very end of the age.

See, that is the beauty of His mission. We are not sent out alone. We are not left to figure it out on our own. He has given us HIs church to be on mission alongside. We at First Baptist Fairlea are herr together to equip all generations, near and far, to know and follow Jesus. Jesus is with us as well. The same Jesus who has the authority to command us also has the power to sustain us. And honestly, if you think about it, that is what makes this different from every other mission in the history of the world. We serve a Commander who does not just point us toward the fight, He walks into it with us. He walks through it with us. And He brings us home. Not because we are strong enough to make it, but because He is faithful enough to keep His promise.

So the question is not whether He is with us. The question is whether we will go. Church, we have been authorized. We have been mobilized. And we have been promised His presence. Now, let’s go be fruitful and multiply. Let's go make disciples.