Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

(opening story, TBD)

Over the last couple of Sundays, we’ve focused on the events leading up to Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection.

Last week, we discussed some of the evidences confirming the resurrection and it’s implication.

Today, we’re going to look at the last several verses in the book of Matthew as we consider what’s next.

Now, I recognize that these verses - especially 18-20 are very familiar.

The Great Commission - ...

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

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 all that I have commanded you.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

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 all that I have commanded you.

… is a very familiar passage.

But for today, I want to focus on the last sentence in the book of Matthew…

“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

As I think through this sentence, I wonder what the disciples must have sensed, what they were feeling.

Most likely, several days or even a few weeks have passed since the resurrection.

If we look at John’s account - we can even assume that Jesus has been telling His disciples that he will be leaving, but that the Holy Spirit will be with them ().

And yet, Jesus clearly states that he is with them - to the completion of time.

What did this mean for the disciples?

What does this mean for us?

What does it look like for us to be with or remain or abide with Jesus?

Today, as we consider this verse, and several other verses, we’re going to reflect on the what and the why of dwelling or being with God.

Barry D.

Jones, a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, wrote a book entitled “Dwell: Life with God for the World.”

In his book, he relates being with God to breathing.

Inhale is being filled with the presence of God, exhale is being on mission for God.

Put another way, we could say that...

The mission of God is fueled by the presence of God in us.

One thing we have to realize is that there is...

Nothing New Under the Sun

For just a moment, let’s zoom out and consider the fact that that God has always worked this way.

Throughout the Old Testament, we can see instances where God’s presence and is mission worked together.

At Creation...

In the Garden of Eden, God formed Adam out of the dust of the earth and breathed life into him.

In both Hebrew and Greek - the word for breath is the same word for spirit (Jones, 41).

In some ways, God filling Adam’s lungs with breath is a foreshadow of God filling us with His Spirit.

Beyond just filling Adam with His Spirit - or life, He gave Adam a mandate -

And God blessed them.

And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

In addition to this, unlike all of the other creatures of the Earth, humans are the only ones created in the image of God.

Jones states:

“Adam and Eve are created to bear the image of God by representing his reign over creation and exercising dominion on his behalf.

They are commissioned as vice regents on behalf of the rightful king of creation.

Their task is to ensure that God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven.”

(Barry D.

Jones, 41).

At creation, we see that God’s presence gave fuel for his mission.

In the Exodus...

Years later, as Moses is leading the people of Israel out of Egypt and through the wilderness, God’s presence travelled with them - symbolized by the pillar of fire by night and the cloud by day.

In , God tells Moses that His presence will be with them and Moses replies, if your presence won’t go with us then we won’t leave this place.

Moses desperately wanted God’s presence so that the mission could be fulfilled.

God had Moses create a Tabernacle or a tent in which his presence would dwell.

This became synonymous with the presence of God.

As the people would wander in the wilderness, this tabernacle would be assembled and disassembled at each location, and the symbol of God’s presence would rest there.

In the Conquest of Canaan...

Just before the people of Israel cross over the Jordan river, an Angel of the Lord visits Joshua, symbolizing the God’s presence with them.

Time and again, Joshua seeks the Lord for wisdom and guidance.

In the opening battle - if you would like to call it that, God tells Joshua to have the people march around the city of Jericho for several days, and then multiple times on the last day.

God toppled the walls of Jericho by His hand and sent the people of Israel to complete the destruction.

We even see throughout the book of Joshua and other books, the presence of the Ark of the Covenant - a gold-plated box that contained the commandments of God and other artifacts.

Again, symbolizing the presence of God as the people of God fulfill the mission of God.

We can also see God’s presence...

In the life of David...

Finally, we can see the presence of God throughout the life of David as he sought the Lord’s direction before entering into battle.

David did not want to move without the blessing and direction of God.

So, in the great commission, Jesus is acting consistently with how He operated from the beginning of time.

So let’s consider how God’s presence and His mission work together in our lives.

Dr. Jones illustrates this simply with the metaphor of breathing - inhaling receives the presence of God, exhaling fulfills the mission of God.

He states:

“The breathing in is our participation in the divine life.

The breathing out, our participation in the divine mission.”

(p.

12)

Breathing in - Experiencing God’s Presence

I think for many Christians this is the fun part.

This is the part where we get to bask in the presence and in the blessing of God.

This is where we get to enjoy Him through His Word, through prayer, through times of worship, through listening to teaching, through retreats, and Bible studies.

This makes us feel good, except when we get convicted by the Spirit on something.

Just as breathing in is a regular part of life, so spiritually speaking, we need to breathe in.

We need to be filled before we can fulfill.

I think there is a “me” and a “we” aspect to our spiritual lives.

There is the breathing in that we do individually through our personal times of fellowship with God (quite times, Bible reading, meditation, fasting, prayer, etc.) and then there is the breathing in that we do corporately in worship, corporate prayer, Bible Study, etc.

I think this is why the writer of Hebrews states that we should not neglect meeting together ().

We are urged to live in community, not isolated from one another, but sharpening one another.

It is in this time of breathing in that we learn more about God, that we seek to understand His commands for us, that we seek to understand how he works.

In , we get a very detailed glimpse into the last instructions that Jesus left with His disciples.

It’s believed that these words were spoken by Him on the night that He was arrested.

Over the course of these four chapters, Jesus talks about the fact that he would send the Holy Spirit to be both a comforter and an instructor.

He talked about how his followers can remain or abide in him - through obeying his commandments - especially to love.

So how do we “breathe in” spiritually speaking?

Here are some thoughts that I’ve gleaned from scripture, from Jones’ book, and from Brother Lawrence’s The Practice of the Presence of God.

In , Jesus uses the word “abide” or “remain” as a means of challenging is disciples to stay in him.

He uses the metaphor of a vine and branches to illustrate this.

The Greek word for abide or remain can also be translated, “stay.”

Let’s consider how we practice the presence of God and breathe in as we S.T.A.Y. -

Slow Down

Tune In

Ask

Yield