All
Notes
Transcript
I was listening to some Christian worship music the other day and the song You are my all in all played. The song has been around for some time and I had not every really considered the words of it. The first first has these words:
You are my strength when I am weak
You are the treasure that I seek
You are my all in all
Seeking You as a precious jewel
Lord, to give up I'd be a fool
You are my all in all
That phrase “all in all” is one that we sometimes use. We might say about a vacation “It was all in all a great time at the beach even though it rained one day.” We are saying that in spite of one bad day the vacation was a great time.
The dictionary defines that phrase as “everything considered” or “the object of one's attention or interest.”
It is that second definition that is used in that song. The song writer is saying that Jesus is the object of their attention.
A lot of things can be the object of our attention. Someone might be so engrossed in their job that they might ignore their family because of their job.
I sometimes hear people talking about their children or grandchildren and they say that they are their “life.” I understand the sentiment, because I love my children very deeply. However they are not my life.
As a Christian my life is lost in my relationship with Jesus. Paul wrote
20 20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. And the life that I now live in my body, I live by faith, indeed, by the faithfulness of God’s Son, who loved me and gave himself for me.
I have given my all for the cause of Christ. That word all means everything. We see it used four times in our scripture text this morning.
This passage of scripture is very familiar to most Christians. The background for it is in the days following the Resurrection of Jesus. It had been a very emotionally challenging time for the disciples. They had watched Jesus be crucified and placed in that borrowed tomb. They had no idea of what they were going to do next. The women went to that tomb to complete the burial process and discover that the body of Jesus is no longer there. Within hours of that discovery Jesus appears to His disciple as positive proof that he indeed was resurrected.
At some point following the resurrection Jesus sent the disciples to Galilee, to a mountain there. Matthew tells us that Jesus came to them there and when they saw him, they worshipped Him. Don't you look forward to that day when we will see Jesus face to face and be able to bow at his feet and worship Him?
Listen to what John wrote in the Revelation:
11 All the angels stood in a circle around the throne, and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell facedown before the throne and worshipped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and always. Amen.” 13 Then one of the elders said to me, “Who are these people wearing white robes, and where did they come from?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” Then he said to me, “These people have come out of great hardship. They have washed their robes and made them white in the Lamb’s blood. 15 This is the reason they are before God’s throne. They worship him day and night in his temple, and the one seated on the throne will shelter them. 16 They won’t hunger or thirst anymore. No sun or scorching heat will beat down on them, 17 because the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them. He will lead them to the springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
One day we who are Christians, disciples of Jesus will be there, part of that great multitude that will be worshipping Jesus face to face! What an awesome day that will be.
In the mean time, we have work to do. Matthew says that they worshipped Jesus, but some doubted.
It certainly wasn't the first time that some doubted who Jesus really was and it won't be the last time either. Do you remember Thomas' response after he heard that Jesus was resurrected? He doubted, he had to see him and not only see him, but also touch him. He said that he wanted to put his finger in the nail wounds in his hands and put his hand in the spear wound in his side. Until he did that he couldn't believe that Jesus was indeed resurrected from the dead. What happened when Jesus appeared in the room with Thomas? Did he stick his finger and hand in the wounds? No, he simply acknowledges Jesus as "my Lord and my God!".
There are times in life when you may experience that very same doubt. I have experienced those times. Sometimes it's Satan trying to confuse and get me off track by making me question my faith in the risen Jesus. Sometimes it's when life gets overwhelming and it seems like God is so far away that doubt can arise. One thing that I've learned in those times is to cry out to God. Be like the father of the young boy who was possessed by a demon that Jesus healed. The father said "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"
When you don't know what to do, when you doubt and don't have the faith to carry on, ask God to help you overcome and He will. Remember His faithfulness in the past and then trust Him for the present. If He was able to see you through before isn't He great enough to see you through today?
All Authority
All Authority
Jesus tells the disciples: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." What does he mean by that. He's God after all, doesn't he already have authority?
Look at this passage from the book of Ephesians.
18 I pray that the eyes of your heart will have enough light to see what is the hope of God’s call, what is the richness of God’s glorious inheritance among believers, 19 and what is the overwhelming greatness of God’s power that is working among us believers. This power is conferred by the energy of God’s powerful strength. 20 God’s power was at work in Christ when God raised him from the dead and sat him at God’s right side in the heavens, 21 far above every ruler and authority and power and angelic power, any power that might be named not only now but in the future. 22 God put everything under Christ’s feet and made him head of everything in the church, 23 which is his body. His body, the church, is the fullness of Christ, who fills everything in every way.
When Jesus came to be born of the Virgin Mary, he laid aside that authority. Paul said: In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
He put that authority and glory aside to do the Fathers will. When Jesus says that all authority has been given to him it means that because of the resurrection that he has now assumed what he had laid aside.
Paul in that passage from Philippians wrote "Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Jesus now gives to the disciples 4 commands, 4 things that they are to do. Those commands however are not just for the disciples but they are for us today as well.
Jesus says there in verse 19 "Therefore". I know you get tired of hearing me say this, but when you see the word "therefore" you need to find out what it's there for. Jesus said "Therefore" or to help us understand, because all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
What I believe Jesus is saying to the disciples and to us is that our going and making disciples, baptizing and teaching them is not about us. We are not doing it based on our own authority or power. We're doing it based on Jesus authority.
Go back to what Paul wrote to the Philippians, he wrote: I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
It's His power that is at work within us through the Holy Spirit. Do you remember what Jesus said to the disciples over in the book of Acts just prior to Him ascending to Heaven? Jesus said: "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. The ability to Go, to make disciples, to baptize and to teach is based on the Authority of Jesus Christ. The power to actually accomplish those things is by the power of the Holy Spirit.
If you want to screw up your own Christian life or screw up the church, try doing something by your own power or your own authority. I guarantee that you will screw up and make a mess of it every time. I can say that because I've done it and I'm here to warn you that you will make a mess of it.
Jesus said you will receive Power. One thing that I've learned over the years is that when God has called me to do something that he has always supplied what was needed to accomplish His calling.
If the Holy Spirit prompts you to talk to someone and share Jesus with them, He is going to give you the power, the words to say.
If the Holy Spirit prompts you to give financially or food or other resources to help someone in need, He is going to bless you, maybe not monetarily, but He is going to bless beyond the amount that you gave.
If you tithe to the church God will bless your giving. Tithing is a principle of proving your faith and trust in God. I have learned over the years that when I tithe 10% of my income that God takes and stretches the remaining 90% to cover any needs that I have. If I fail in being faithful in tithing then that 100% that I keep to myself doesn't seem like it even begins to cover my needs.
Jesus said that you will receive Power. It's because all authority is His that we can have that Power, the power of the Holy Spirit at work within our lives.
Jesus said Go. That means we can't just sit back and hope that something is going to happen, we have to put feet to our prayers.
Jesus said Go and make disciples- another way of translating that is: "while going in the world, make disciples." It's about your everyday ordinary life, making disciples. You've heard me time and time again say that you are the only Jesus that people may ever see. Based on Jesus authority and the power of the Holy Spirit at work within you, live your life in such a way that people see Jesus in you. Take the message of the Gospel of Jesus out into the streets. People will be willing to listen to you if they first see that you are living the life that you're trying to talk about.
Jesus said, make disciples. That's a follower, a learner of Jesus. Our calling is to not make them Christian, that's the Holy Spirit's job. We call that prevenient grace - the grace of God that is at work in the life of the unsaved creating a desire for God within them. When you're praying for that person who's name you put in the treasure chest, you're praying for that prevenient grace of God, the work of the Holy Spirit to draw them to Jesus.
Making disciples involves coming along side that new Christian, that person who has put their faith in Jesus and teach them how to be a follower of Jesus. When Jesus called his first disciples Philip went to Nathanael and told him that they had found the Messiah and his response to Philip was: "Can anything good come from Nazareth?". Philip's response was: "Come and see."
Sometimes we just need to invite them to "come and see". Come and see, check it out, try Jesus and see if it's true. Come and learn from Him. Sometimes we put too much an emphasis on a person getting saved, getting them to an altar to pray a prayer of repentance. While it does begin there, there does need to be that moment of purposefully turning away from sin and turning to God there also needs to be the learning, the discipling of that new believer.
Those of you who teach a Sunday School class you are very active in making disciples. Whether you teach adults, teens or children you are discipling them. Everyone of you needs to be involved in a discipling relationship. You need to be involved in a Sunday School class, or a small group Bible study. It's to your benefit to get involved and to be discipled. It is extremely difficult to be discipled just by attending a worship service. If you want to be obedient to Jesus, and I hope you do, then you need to be active in a discipleship group of some sort. If Sunday morning doesn't work for your schedule, let me know, we can start a small group at some other time on a different day of the week.
All Nations
All Nations
That going and making disciples includes all people, in all nations. We work here but also support the work happening here in western Pennsylvania and around the world by contributing to the District Ministries Fund or the World Evangelism Fund. Those moneys go to help others make disciples in those places we can't go.
Jesus said: Go, make disciples, baptizing them. When we baptize someone, whether they are an infant or an adult we baptize them according to this formula that Jesus gave. We baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We baptize in the name of the Trinity because through baptism we are bringing persons into direct relation with God as we know Him: Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier.
We baptize infants because we believe that we proclaim the prevenient grace of God that covers this child from the time of birth, and even before. It is a symbol of the covenant that exists between God and the Church. In this rite we are indicating that we believe that God has incorporated this child into His Body by prevenient grace. But we are not determining for this child what his choices will be later in life. They will still need to make that choice to continue in the faith that we've started them off in.
When an older child, teen or adult is baptized they are testifying to the fact that they have placed their faith in God. If you've been baptized either as an infant or as an adult but have walked away from God at some point you need to repent and return to God. We don't practice rebaptism of people but rather we call you to remember your baptism, remember the pledges you made or were made for you when you were baptized.
Wasn’t it exciting to see four young people pledge their lives to Christ and be baptized last week?
All Things
All Things
Jesus said, Go, make disciples, baptize them, teach them. Teaching is tied in with the making disciples. Becoming a Christian is much more than just getting saved, praying a sinners prayer. It's about learning about Jesus, becoming a follower of Jesus and obeying what He taught. You and I have the mission to teach others to be obedient to what Jesus taught.
Jesus said to teach all things or everything “that I’ve commanded you.”
There are far too many Christians who are still babies, infants in the faith. They've been Christians for many years but they've never grown up. Many cases it's because we've not discipled them, we've not taught them. Shame on us for not doing that, we have to work harder on that point.
Many times they are still babies because they purposefully live in disobedience to Jesus teaching. I will say that if you are purposefully living in disobedience to Jesus then you are living in sin and sin will separate you from Jesus.
Jesus said to teach them everything that I’ve commanded you. What he taught those first disciples carries down to us. We do not get to change what we teach because Jesus commanded that we teach what he first taught.
Always
Always
The final thing that Jesus says to us is this: "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Remember Jesus words about the church?
18 I tell you that you are Peter. And I’ll build my church on this rock. The gates of the underworld won’t be able to stand against it. 19 I’ll give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Anything you fasten on earth will be fastened in heaven. Anything you loosen on earth will be loosened in heaven.”
Jesus is with us through the Holy Spirit. We don't do this disciple making on our own. Jesus is with us.
Jesus is building His church. We are his agents, his messengers, his witnesses.
When you get discouraged, remember Jesus is with you. He is with you always. He is not just with you in the good times, but he is with you in those tough times as well.
When that person you're praying for is not making any steps toward Christ, remember that Jesus is with you.
When life really sucks and you feel all alone, remember Jesus is with you, he is with you always.
When you walk through that valley of the shadow of death, remember Jesus is with you, he is with you always.
He said: "I am with you always, to the very end of the age."