Sermon Tone Analysis

Text: Matthew 28:19-20

Theme: The followers of Jesus are to share the Gospel with whomever, whenever, and wherever.

The Scriptures teach that we are to go in power, we are to go with a priority, we are to go to all people, we are to go at a price, and we are to go with a plan.

Date: 05/13/18 File name: Post_Resurrection_04.wpd ID Number

Jesus has risen from the dead.

He has appeared to the disciples and many others over a period of 40 days, and — according to Acts 1:3 — offered many convincing proofs that it was really him and not a hallucinogenic figment of the disciple’s imagination.

He is continuing to teach them things concerning the Kingdom of God.

He promises them that in a few days they are going to be baptized by the Holy Spirit — the third person of the Trinity.

That spiritual baptism will embolden them and empower them to be witnesses of the gospel.

That same spirit will compel this infant church to take the good news of God’s redemptive act into all the world.

It is a story of courage and success without parallel in the annals of world history.

It is a commission that the church is to heed in every generation until Jesus comes.

Dr. L. R. Scarborough, second president of Southwestern Baptist theological seminary, once said, “… To refuse to witness the saving Gospel to a lost world ... is nothing short of high treason, spiritual rebellion, and inexcusable disobedience to his holy commands.”

(Gosh, Dr. Scarborough, tell us what you really think)!

If you have been an evangelical Christian — especially a Baptist Christian — for any length of time, you are familiar with what we refer to as the “great commission.”

What you may not know is that there are five versions of the great commission given in the Scriptures.

All four Gospels and the Book of Acts have a version of it.

All of them are similar, yet each has just enough difference to reveal five specific priorities:

The 1st Great Commission—Matthew 28:18-20—teaches that we are to go in power, (of the Holy Spirit).

The 2nd Great Commission—Mark 16:15—teaches that we are to go with a priority, (of preaching the Gospel).

The 3rd Great Commission—Luke 24:45-49—teaches that we are to go to all people, (no one is to be excluded).

The 4th Great Commission—John 20:20-21—teaches that we are to go at a price, (obedience to God).

The 5th Great Commission—Acts 1:7-8—teaches that we are to go with a plan, (we begin locally, but must think globally).

Each of these could be a sermon in and of itself, but let me take some time this morning just to give you the highlights of each version.

I.

The 1st Great Commission: WE ARE TO GO IN POWER

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 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.” (Matthew 28:19–20, KJV)

1. Jesus told His disciples that all authority had been given to Him (v.

18)

2. Jesus reminds us that we do not evangelize in our own power and ability

a. it is not the authority of a church or an individual Christian who can change a sinner's life, but the power of the Son of God

3. when Jesus uses the word "lo" preceding the promise of His eternal presence, He is saying "Look, ... give me your undivided attention ... I'm going to say something extremely important!"

a. he calls us to be aware of the magnitude of a great biblical truth

b.

God is with us all the time, wherever we go

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth.

The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him.

But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”

(John 14:16–17, NIV84)

A. THE SPIRIT EMPOWERS US WITH A HOLY UNCTION

1. when we walk in the Spirit, one of the fruits of that relationship will be the desire to share our faith

2. on the evening of our Lord’s arrest, the Apostle Peter thrice denied that he ever new this man named Jesus

a. after Jesus is buried, we find him cowering in the Upper Room with most of the other disciples

b. forty days later, we find him preaching to the crowds and telling them: "This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses.

33 “Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear ... Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”

(Acts 2:32-33; 36)

c. what made the difference in his and the lives of the other disciples?

1) it was the empowering of the Holy Spirit that came upon the Church on the Day of Pentecost

B. THE SPIRIT EMPOWERS US WITH A HOLY BOLDNESS

Matthew 10:17-20 "But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues; 18 and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.

19 “But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say.

20 “For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you."

1. the same Holy Spirit that gives the believer in China boldness to testify of Jesus when he is being persecuted, is the same Holy Spirit that will give you boldness to witness to the waitress who takes your order at Applebees

2. We Are to Go in the in Power of the Holy Spirit

II.

The Second Great Commission: WE ARE TO GO WITH A PRIORITY

"And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation."

(Mark 16:15, NIV)

A. OUR PRIORITY AUDIENCE IS A WORLD OF LOST PEOPLE

“Go ... to all creation.“

ILLUS.“When

we gave our life to Jesus Christ, we gave up our right of choosing who we will love.”

1. if God so loved the world, what right do we have to pick and choose who we will or will not redemptively love by sharing the good news of God’s mercy with?

a. perhaps this is why the version of the Great Commission found in Mark’s Gospel, instructs us to preach the gospel to all creation

2. the word go in this sentence quite literally means as you go or as you are going

a. now, what’s that point?

1) it implies that evangelism is not a special effort, but a normal occurrence of the Christian life

b.

as we go, wherever we go—because we are always going—we are to live our faith and share our faith with those people whom we come in contact with in the everyday course of life

3. for some of you, your world of contact and influence will primarily be Osage county

a. folks, can I clue you in on something?

1) there are enough lost folks within a 45-minute drive of this church to keep you busy witnessing for Jesus until Jesus comes

2) of the 13,324 people in our county, only 2,119 are Evangelicals which means that it’s a good bet that most of the remaining 11,205 are very likely lost

3) 27% of the county’s residents claim no church affiliation at all

b.

Jesus said, “As you go about your business in Osage County, tell others about Me as you have opportunity.”

4. some of you have a much larger world

a. your job, or your interests take you far beyond the boarders of the 606 square miles of our county

b.

Jesus said, “As you go about your business in mid-Missouri, tell others about Me as you have opportunity.”

5. some of you may find yourself moving because of a job or vocation change, and some of you young people will go off to college to far-flung parts of America

a. Jesus said, “As you go about your business wherever you find yourself, tell others about Me as you have opportunity.”

6. and yes, some of you may find that God has called you into full-time vocational ministry

7. our priority audience is everyone we meet

B. OUR PRIORITY MESSAGE IS THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST

“ ... and preach the gospel to all creation.”

1. there are lots of important things the church can do, and lots of important ministries you can be involved in ...

a. Christian social ministries are important

b.

Rescue Missions are important

c.

Children’s ministries and Senior Adult ministries, and Youth ministries are important

d.

Church supported benevolent and educational and health institutions are important

2. but they all pale by comparison to the Church’s greatest—and 1st—priority

a. Job #1 is to proclaim the good news that Christ died for sinners

“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, ” (1 Corinthians 15:1–4, ESV)

3. friends, let me clue you in on something else—once you’ve told others the Gospel—that’s all your responsible for

ILLUS.