Sermon Tone Analysis

Context

The text before us today needs no introduction.

We’ve heard it many times over and will return many times again, to explore the profound depths of what we know as “The Great Commission.”

The Great Commission is where we as the Church of Jesus Christ, receive our marching orders.

It is our mission from Jesus as His people, His Church in the world.

If someone were to ask us, “What are we supposed to do as Christ’s Church?”

This Great Commission is our response.

If someone were to ask us, “Why do we support missionaries, send missionaries, and go on missions?”

This Great Commission is our response.

If someone were to ask us, “Why do we make such a big deal about this word discipleship?

What is discipleship and why does that matter?”

This Great Commission is our response.

Some have even proposed changing the name of “Southern Baptists” to “Great Commission Baptists” — This text is that much of a fixture of our faith in action.

But did you know, that this Great Commission does not stand on its own?

As it is with every text of Holy Scripture, this Great Commission is not given to us without a context.

In context, not only is The Great Commission the summation and conclusion of Matthew’s Gospel, but it is also the climax of the Easter story!

(Luz).

Now that’s an odd statement to make.

What do I mean that “The Great Commission is the climax of the Easter story?”

Isn’t the resurrection event the climax of the Easter story?

The angel...the stone rolled away...the empty tomb...? Isn’t that all there is to Easter?

Easter was last Sunday, and Easter is now done.

But Easter is not done.

Jesus’ resurrection means something for us as we sit here today.

“Because he lives

I can face tomorrow

Because he lives

All fear is gone

Because I know

He holds the future

And life is worth the living

Just because he lives.”

(Gaithers)

This is Easter Sunday — Part 2! And if we learned anything at all from Jesus’ teaching in The Sermon on the Mount, He is not going to leave us without a call to action.

Faith is not merely hearing what has been spoken.

Faith is doing based on what has been heard.

The Great Commission is the fulfillment of the promises of Easter.

If you are returning today as our guest from Easter Sunday, I want you to hear what moves us as Christ’s Church.

Why we speak about a Membership Movement.

What we are moving towards.

Why we care so much about missions, evangelism and discipleship.

I want you to see the basis for our faith in action.

And for all of us, no matter how young or old or capable we are, may we all be re-focused and re-energized to participate with Jesus in His work in the world, because Jesus is working, and Jesus is moving, because Jesus is alive!

May God give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to obey His Word.

Prepare to hear a reading from God’s Word, Matthew 28:16-20.

Be reminded that preceeding this Great Commission event, the angel of the Lord, seated upon the tomb stone, gave this word of instruction and promise to the women at the empty tomb —

And having departed quickly, the women then encounter and behold the Risen Lord on the way, who also gives them this word of instruction and promise —

Twice it is promised that the disciples will see Jesus.

Matthew then interjects a short report of what happened to the guards who were watching over the sealed tomb, who fell as dead men at the sight of the angel, in verses 11-15.

They’ve lost Jesus!

Or so they thought.

Except Jesus was never lost.

They were!

The guards are paid off by the religious elites, the chief priests and elders, to promulgate a lie that Jesus’ disciples stole his body at night while they were sleeping.

We see that from that very first Easter Sunday, people, even religious people, have tried to explain away the resurrection of Jesus, and the only means they have to do that is a bribe and a lie.

The enemy was so defeated at the tomb that he doesn’t want others to know it yet!

The presence of lies shows the active opposition to the Gospel message.

And then Matthew changes the scene away from the angel, the women, chief priests and guards, now to the disciples.

The closest followers of Jesus.

I. Reading of Scripture

This is God’s Word, Amen.

III.

Exposition

A. 28:16-17 | Introduction

Matthew ends his gospel not with his own words, but with the words of the Risen Christ.

But before Jesus speaks, Matthew sets the scene for us.

Notice the text does not generically say “the disciples went to Galilee” but more specifically says “the eleven disciples went to Galilee.”

Why the specifics?

Why say “the eleven”?

Because these were the closest followers of Jesus and there used to be twelve, but one is no more.

The text highlights a glaring absence and reminds us as hearers of a wicked act of betrayal by Judas for thirty pieces of silver.

“The love of money is the root of all kinds of evils.”

(1 Tim 6:10).

Jesus knows what it is like to be betrayed, even by one of those closest to him.

Jesus lost one of his disciples, who turned out not to be a disciple at all.

Discipleship is ultimately validated not in following, but in arriving.

Do you want to know if you are a true follower of Christ and not a fraud?

You’ll know when you arrive.

You’ll know when you reach the end of the way, whether it is life or destruction.

That is why so many walk the walk and talk the talk but they are deceived.

I grieve at the thought of losing someone from our church membership and fellowship.

I grieve at the thought that someone would leave the Church.

But we are going to lose people, no matter what we do.

We are not going to please everyone and that is not our aim.

The more we faithfully proclaim the truth of God in His Holy Word, and the more we act in faith, obeying what we hear, the harder it will be for those who are frauds to blend in.

The harder it will be to hide sin.

The more light illuminates a space, the fewer places there are for shadows to be found to hide in.

The light of the Gospel exposes the darkness for what it is.

Not everyone who assumes the title of “disciple” or “member” is following the Lord or moving with His Church.

We have people right now who are technically members of this Church who have abandoned this fellowship, who do not attend and they are able to do so, who do not give, who do not pray, and yet we go to meet Jesus as eleven and not twelve.

We continue to move by faith.

It is better to be eleven who are faithful, than to be twelve with a betrayer.

This is the reaction of the disciples when they saw Jesus.

They worshiped him.

They prostrated themselves before him.

“But some doubted.”

Some were uncertain.

Have you ever heard someone say: “I trust Jesus beyond a shadow of a doubt.”

Have you ever heard someone say: “To be saved, you must know for certain without any doubt that Jesus is Lord.”

I’m not so sure that is an honest expectation.