2006-07-23 - The Great Commission - matt 28 16-20
Message: The Great Commission Scr: Matt 28:16-20
Date: 2006-07-23 Newport Baptist Church
Intro: Dreaming about Summer – all winter! Looking forward to the things we’ll do, the days we’ll enjoy, the weather we’ll like (or love to complain about J)
Explanation – Today we come to what I believe is the most essential ingredient needed if we are EVER to dream BIG for God. Simply put – the key to dreaming is found in what we will do with what Jesus has done! Remember that – what we do with what Jesus has done”.
· There is a story about a little girl who was viewing the Pieta statue located in Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome. This is a statue that depicts Mary holding the body of the crucified Lord. The little girl was bothered by what she saw, and turning to her mother said, “What have they done to Jesus?” In spite of her mother’s efforts to quiet her, the little girl repeated, “What in the world have they done to Jesus?”
· The Truth is that No-one did anything to Jesus – mankind may think that they tried, crucified, and hung Him on a cross, but the reality is that Jesus did it to Himself. (he chose to be there) And when Jesus rose from the dead, He revealed that He was greater than anything else. All of the plans, whether by man or by demon, were simply of no consequence to Him.
TS – Jesus Rose from the Dead, and before he returned to heaven he gave his followers the instructions that we have just read. The question today is where is our dream? What have we done with Jesus? If he arose from the dead as we believe, then anything is possible? What will we do with Jesus? Will we simply react to the world? Or will we dream great dreams for our Great Lord and saviour who conquered death itself and is Lord of all creation?
Instruction
1) DREAMERS ARE PEOPLE WITH PURPOSE, NOT PROBLEMS
a) We Need To Be More Than Reactors
i) Pharisees were REACTORS
ii) Sadducees were REACTORS
(1) Both groups were filed with thousands of “ought nots”
(2) Result was:
(a) Matthew 23:27 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean.
(b) Luke 11:44 "Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which men walk over without knowing it."
(c) Rev 3:15-16 – Church in Laodicea – “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”
b) Reactors look good on the outside, but are dead on the inside
i) Reactors have a way of infecting those they contact
ILL: In a letter dated January 31, 1829 Then New York Governor Martin Van Buren wrote –
Dear Mr. President (Jackson):
The canal system is being threatened by the spread of a new form of transportation known as railroads. The federal government must preserve the canal for the following reasons: If the canal boats are supplanted by railroads, serious unemployment will result. Captains, cooks, drivers, hostlers, repairmen, and lock tenders will be left without means of livelihood, not to mention the numerous farmers now employed growing hay for the horses.
Boat builders would suffer. Towline, whip, and harness makers would be left destitute. Canal boats are absolutely essential to the defense of the United States. In the event of the expected trouble with England, the Erie Canal would be the only means by which we could ever move the supplies so vital to modern war.
As you may well know, Mr. President, the “railroad carriages” are pulled at the enormous speed of fifteen miles per hour by “engines” which endanger the life and limb of passengers, roar and snort their way through the countryside, setting fire to crops, scaring the livestock and frightening women and children. The Almighty never intended that people shold travel at such breakneck speed.
Martin Van Buren, Governor of New York.
c) REACTORS are:
i) § Good at saying why an idea is wrong
ii) § Good at knowing why a dream will not work
iii) § Experts at knowing what is wrong
iv) ILL – Jesse Jackson – “never look down on anybody unless you’re helping him up.”
d) The Difference With Dreamers
i) Dreamers see the positive possibilities
ii) Dreamers are People in touch with Jesus – When we have really met the Lord, we are not satisfied with simply pursuing insignificant things – WHY? Because we have BIGGER FISH TO FRY!
(1) Unwilling to be satisfied with the status quo
(2) Ill – Henry Ford once said – Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the goal
iii) Looking in light of eternity – maintenance of where we are is unacceptable
(1) We need to be like the old riverboat captain, who when asked if he knew where all the rocks, sandbars and shallow spots in the river were, replied, “Nope, I just know where the deep water is.”
(2) We need to go where we can, and not be hindered by where we cannot go!
2) DREAMERS ARE PEOPLE WHO AFFECT THEIR WORLD
a) Dreamers affect by INFLUENCE
i) Matt 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
(1) Jesus called us salt – a little salt goes a long way (steak becomes savory, vegetables become flavourful (yuck J), even cakes taste better with a pinch of salt!)
ii) Jesus referred to heaven as yeast (leaven) – A little yeast goes a LONG way – changes things!
(1) Dreamers can change the community
(2) Dreamers can change the country
(3) Dreamers can change the world
(4) Dreamers can even change the church
b) Dreamers affect by reflection
(1) Back in 1993, the flight control center of Russia, near Moscow, attempted an incredible experiment – the deploying of a 25 foot aluminum disk in space. Though the test was not entirely successful due to mechanical problems, they were successful in producing an approx. 2 mile disk of daylight on a darkened area of the Siberian region.
ii) Understand that we are not Jesus
(1) 2 Cor 3:17-18 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
(2) We are reflectors of Jesus
(3) Focus on the person of Jesus increases our output
(a) Matthew 5:14 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
3) DREAMERS ARE PEOPLE WHO UNDERSTAND WHAT JESUS DID
a) When Jesus Rose from the dead he said:
i) Nothing man can do to me matters
ii) Nothing the devil can do matters
iii) Nothing is too difficult for me
b) 4 Possible reactions to what Jesus did
i) Faint – do nothing with what we know
ii) Fear – unable to do anything with what we know
iii) Faith – Act on what we know
iv) Falsehood – dismiss and deny what we know
c) When I exercise my faith daily in Christ it is seen in my dreams for Him
i) Faith moves mountains
ii) What mountains can we trust God to move?
(1) Financial ones – pray through them – trust God
(2) Relational ones – pray through them – trust God
(3) Occupational ones – pray through them – trust God
Challenge –
Robin Williams says a lot of things I think are crazy, pointless or just plain funny. - But in a movie he did a few years ago I think he stumbled upon a piece of real truth, wisdom from God. He said, “No matter what anybody tells you, words & ideas can change the world!”
· THE KEY TO DREAMING BIG FOR GOD IS WHAT YOU WILL DO WITH WHAT JESUS HAS DONE.
o If he has done all that He has, is anything too difficult for Him? No – Now what will you do with he has done?
· Two Final Choices
o Accept what Jesus has done for us, and dream big things – dream of doing the great commission!
o Reject what Jesus has done for us, and groan at our situation – there’s no-body left to reach, we can’t do it?
§ Faint, fear, faith, or falsehood. That’s the difference between dreamin’ and groanin’!
· How will you spend your life?
o Dreaming of our opportunities
o Groaning at our responsibilities.
· Jesus called us to change the world – do you dream of it – Dream big – go, make disciples, baptize them and teach them to obey – this was our Saviour’s dream, our saviour’s command… for us!
Prayer –