Stand Alone 5.16.21 Sermon

Justin Ashurst

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Intro/Welcome

One man can change the world

in 1792 it was a part-time pastor and shoemaker that rocked the church and changed untold thousands of lives in the many decades that followed.

His name was William Carey. All he did was take Jesus’ last words seriously

The last recorded words of the Gospel of Matthew are known as the Great Commission where Jesus gave his standing orders to the Church:

Go and make disciples of the nations.

One of the greatest obstacles William Carey faced in motivating the church toward her obligation was the popular theological opinion that the great commission was binding only on the apostles.

When he had the opportunity to address a group of ministers, he challenged them to give a reason why the great commission did not apply to them. They are rebuked him, saying, “when God chooses to win the heathen, he will do it without your help or ours.“

Carey responded by writing a short pamphlet refuting this claim and the modern missionary movement was born.

The influence that Carey had on succeeding generations is immeasurable.

Welcome

We are taking one week here to look at the Great Commission before we begin our summer series next week

on Ecclesiastes

Today as we look at these few verses I want to squeeze them and get as much juice out of them because

they have the power to define the rest of your life.

The Great Commission has the power to define the rest of your life.

It is the greatest cause on earth

Two Goals

I have two goals for you today.

To stir a passion for disciple-making

To show you that you can be disciple-makers

Bible

We are going to be in Matthew 28:16-20 today

My name is Justin one of the Pastors here

Good to be with you and open up God’s Word

The ultimate source of truth

Let’s Pray

Pray

praying for the nations.

The Great Commission

Matthew 28:16–20 CSB 16 The eleven disciples traveled to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them.

17 When they saw him, they worshiped, but some doubted.

Notice, some worshipped, but some doubted — the better word there is ‘wavered’ — we’ll come back to that.

18 Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 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 everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Other Versions

Acts 1:8 CSB

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Mark 16:15 CSB

15 Then he said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.

John 20:21 CSB

21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I also send you.”

The Main Verb — Make Disciples

Let’s break down this verse for a minute.

There are 4 verbs here:

Go, make disciples, baptize and teach.

Matthew 28:19–20 CSB 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 everything I have commanded you.

But only one of them is the main verb:

make disciples lit. disciple the nations

What that means is:

making disciples is the main thing

It is the main thing the church is do be doing.

The three other things are the ‘how’ we make disciples

namely by:

Going, baptizing, teaching

What is a disciple?

But what do we mean by disciple?

Matthew 4:19 ESV And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Three things in this verse:

Follow me — a disciple is someone who follows Jesus

the word basically means: follower, student or apprentice

I will make you — a disciple is someone who is being changed by Jesus

becoming more like Jesus

fishers of men — a disciple is someone who is committed to the mission of God

From this

A disciple of Jesus is someone who is following Jesus, being changed by Jesus and committed to the mission of Jesus.

The other 3 verbs tell us how to go about making disciples.

Go

The 1st thing he says is to “go”the idea here is intentionality

To make disciples we have to be intentional about making disciples.

Which, btw, is true of anything in life.

If you want a ham sandwich you have to be intentional about making one.

for my kids, if they want allowance, the have to be intentional about doing their chores

If you want to be better at _______ you have to be intentional about it.

Two sense:

Literally to Go

that is to go somewhere with the explicit intention of making new disciples

This is intentionally going somewhere with the explicit goal of making disciples.

Example:

Short Term or Long Term Mission Trips

Walking around your neighborhood with the intention of sharing the gospel

KIDS!

Outreach Events like Welcome Week at UCF

Walking Jay Blanchard talking with people.

maybe that’s a community group or discipleship group

Some of you will be called to Cross Cultural Missions

some even to unreached people groups

meaning they have no means to even hear to gospel.

STATS:

Over 3 billion people in over 7,000 people groups are currently unreached by the gospel and on a road that leads to an eternal hell without ever even hearing how they can go to heaven.

Churches are spending approximately 99% of our missions resources in places that are already reached with the gospel.

Churches are spending approximately 1% of our missions resources among the 3 billion people in 7,000 people groups who haven’t heard the gospel.

Some of you may be called to reach the unreached.

Everyone has a responsibility to ask God

And everyone has the call to make disciples ‘as you are going’

‘As you are going’

that is as you are going through your life you have a mind to make disciples along the way.

Understand ‘as you go’

This is not adding something to your life, it is reorienting the way you do life.

as you are being an engineer, a student, a teacher, a mom or dad

having a missional mindset

It’s having a missional mindset as always being ready to ‘give a reason for the hope that you have’

1 Peter 3:15 NIV 15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect

Reorienting what you are already doing through the lens of disciple making.

How can whatever you are doing be about making disciples of Jesus?

Examples:

Parenting is probably the best

Family Church on Saturdays

Sports teams

Workplace

Students you are in school with

Going to the grocery store, getting your haircut

It is both in how we live, work and play

and sharing God’s love with others.

Objection/Misconception #1 — We don’t have time

We don’t have enough time

We are all so busy

Solution

Read ruthless elimination of hurry and learn how to slow down.

What things in your life do you need to stop doing b/c they are not fruitful for your life?

What things do you need to start doing?

Example: Last 4 weeks have been brutal.

Each time we add a kid, there is less and less time ‘for me’ and really for ‘elise’

This means, some things have needed to shift.

On of them for me, means less ‘free time’

go to bed earlier (easy b/c i’m pretty tired)

and it means getting up earlier (5am) to spend some time in the Lord in one of the few quiet times in the day.

Why? b/c something magical happens when I read my bible and pray? no

But it is a reorientation of my day

It is a shift in perspective in my day.

Not about adding anything but Reorienting what you are already doing through the lens of disciple making.

To Whom

To the ‘nations’

Go and make disciples of all the nations

grk: the ethne

that is the peoples

to all the peoples:

every tribe, nation, people and tongue.

Your neighbors, coworkers, kids, fellow students.

This is a worldwide call.

And here in Orlando, the nations have come to us.

so even more so it is ‘going’ across the street

Partner with International Student Ministries

Conclusion

This means some of you will be called to ‘go places cross culturally and globally’ to make disciples, plant churches, etc.

We have families that have and are currently answering that call.

Albania!

Some of you will be called to plant churches, to domestic mission trips right here in the US

Everyone is called to make disciples as you go about your life.

Everyone needs to be ready to answer the call TO GO!

So what are we to Go and do? What is the first step in disciple making?

Baptizing

Matt 28:19-20 “…baptizing”

What does Baptism imply?

Conversion (Repent and be baptized)

Evangelize

This means to make disciples means we have to:

Care and share the gospel with people.

It means we have know the gospel, and be comfortable sharing the gospel.

Sharing God’s Story and Sharing your Story

Personal Testimony is one of the most powerful witnesses to the power of the Gospel

In fact in the early church it is all there was

the personal testimony of the early set of believers about 120 people in the early church (Acts 1)

Do you know how to share the gospel with others?

Sharing God’s Story,

Sharing how God has worked in your life

Sharing the gospel.

As leaders we want to equip you to do this.

Groups share their testimony.

Baptize

Once a person makes a profession of faith then they should be baptized.

Symbolic: and that it is an outward witness to an inward decision to trust and follow Christ.

Baptism signifies our union with Christ in his death (going into the water) and resurrection (coming out of the water) as well as cleansing by the blood of Christ (water washing us). - Romans 6:4

We believe in Baptism by immersion

This is to Evangelize and Baptize

One more aspect of baptism:

Integration into the local Church.

into a local church

In the early church — baptism was entrance into a local body for membership.

They become ‘members’ is the biblical language.

This is involves worshipping together, taking communion together, doing life together, studying God’s Word together, praying together etc. Acts 2:42-47 is a great early picture of this)

This can be formally or informally in our day.

Formally: Partnership — just had 14 people go through our New Partners Class

Into the Name

Trinity: Notice we are baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit

Why is this important?

It is a picture of who God really is: An Eternal Community at harmony.

We are then ‘immersed’ (that’s what baptism means) into the Trinitarian Life of God

It is a picture of Union with Christ

Conclusion

This then is the

first half of the Great Commission: to make ‘new’ disciples by evangelizing, baptizing and integrating them into the church.

Once someone becomes a disciple then we move onto the second part of the Great Commission:

maturing disciples

How do we do that?

Teach them

Now the task is to teach new disciples

Teach them what?

“to observe (or obey, lit. guard, keep) everything that I have commanded

What is it that Jesus commanded his disciples to do?

John 15:12–13 CSB 12 “This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.

simply this: to love.

To love God and love one another.

Also known as the Great Commandment

Matthew 22:35–40 CSB 35 And one of them, an expert in the law, asked a question to test him: 36 “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?” 37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the greatest and most important command. 39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. 40 All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”

All Jesus commanded could be summed up in that Great Commandment

To love God and love others.

Galatians 5:14 CSB

14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself.

And they are connected.

1 John 4:21 CSB

21 And we have this command from him: The one who loves God must also love his brother and sister.

What is this ‘love’ supposed to look like?

Jesus-like love

This is important. The world has a definition of love that is not the same as Jesus’.

It’s not loving the way the world loves

but loving the way Jesus loves

it is a Jesus-Like Love

John 15:12–13 CSB 12 “This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.

We are to love God and others with a Jesus Like Love

The World says “love yourself” , Jesus says ‘love others’

The World says ‘put yourself first’ Jesus says ‘put yourself last’

The World says ‘love your life now’ Jesus says ‘lose your life now and gain it’

The world says ‘fight for your life’ Jesus says ‘lay down your lives for others.’

Jesus’ way of love is not the world’s way of love

How do we ‘teach others to love?’

We look to Jesus.

The Gospels — eyewitness accounts of the life of Jesus.

We learn to love like Jesus by learning about the life of Jesus.

We walk with Jesus just as the Disciples did, this is what the gospels are for us.

Not just an example

But of course, Jesus was not just an example to follow, he is the savior of our souls.

We follow him as BOTH Lord and Savior.

The truth is, we learn to love b/c he has given us the power to love as he loves through the cross.

It’s not on our own power.

1 John 4:7–11 CSB

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10 Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another.

We love only becuase he first loved us.

We love God, becuase he loved us, and then we can love others.

It means we have to stay centered on the gospel.

That Jesus died in our place for our sins and rose to give us new life.

This is the love of God

and with this new life we have a new ability — to truly love others.

to love them the way Jesus did.

Becoming Like Him

The more we fix our eyes on Jesus and spend time with him, then the more we become like him.

It means that we become like Jesus, as we follow him and are changed by him — as we saw

a disciple follows Jesus, is being changed by him, and is committed to his mission.

we are transformed 2 Cor 3:18 says.

2 Corinthians 3:18 CSB

18 We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.

The goal of discipleship is that we would become more like Jesus.

Romans 8:29 CSB

29 For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

Luke 6:40 CSB

40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.

So as we teach others to love as Jesus did this will mean that we all are becoming more like Him in how we live our lives and how we love others.

Multiply: One Result of loving others

One of the most important ways we love others is

by telling them about God’s love for them

and to go back to the beginning we do this by:

Going to make disciples.

The Great Commission circles back on itself

this means that mature disciples are disciple makers

this is the multiply aspect of the great commission.

committed to the mission of Jesus

we are not just making new disciples (1st half)

but we are maturing disciples (2nd half)

that will multiply disciples.

Conclusion

so the great commission is about making, maturing and multiplying disciples.

A disciple is someone who is:

following Jesus as both Lord and Savior

is being changed by Jesus through the love of Christ and the life of Christ.

is committed to the mission of Jesus mature disciples are disciple-makers.

Are you ready to make disciples?

God’s Authority & Presence

Let’s deal with one last objection:

I don’t feel adequate.

And you would be right, none of us are.

This is not something we can do in our own power.

This is where we need to remember the book ends of the Great Commission

We’ve been talking about the meat

But this is a sandwich

and you don’t have a sandwich without the bread.

What is the bread? Jesus of course.

Authority & Presence

Matthew 28:18–20 CSB 18 Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go, therefore...And remember (Lo!), I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

We go because Jesus is Lord

He has all authority (Eph 1:20?)

On Heaven and on Earth

The Lord’s Prayer

He has all power

He is in control

He will make it happen.

How are we going to do this?

Jesus is with us.

This is the only way this is happening

He is with us through the Holy Spirit.

I love this verse.

He will not abandon us. (Josh 1:8)

Conclusion

He has all power and authority and he will be with us…therefore Go and make disciples!

After all it is a “Co- Mission” he is with us.

Jesus is with us by his Spirit

and in the Gospel Accounts — we walk with Jesus as they did.

Are you ready?

Worshipping and Wavering

The best way to make disciples is to first be a true disciple.

Are you following Him as Lord and Savior

Are you being changed by his love? to become more like Him?

Are you committed to the great commission?

Maybe you respond as the disciples did: you worship Jesus!

you are fired up! you are ready to go! To reach the ends of the earth!

But some of you maybe you waver.

Matthew 28:17 CSB 17 When they saw him, they worshiped, but some doubted (wavered).

this word is only used here and one other place

Matthew 14:27–30 CSB

27 Immediately Jesus spoke to them. “Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter answered him, “command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” And climbing out of the boat, Peter started walking on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me!”

Matthew 14:31 CSB Immediately Jesus reached out his hand, caught hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Matthew 14:32–33 CSB

32 When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 Then those in the boat worshiped him and said, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Are some of you wavering? doubting?

You need a little Worship of Jesus!

It’s why we gather weekly

Hebrews 10:24 CSB

24 And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works,

Worship is the fuel for the great commission

John Piper famously said

“Mission is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exist because Worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man.

When this age is over and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more.

It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever. Worship, therefore, is the fuel and goal of missions…You can’t commend what you don’t cherish…Where passion for God is weak, zeal for [the great commission] missions will be weak.

The best way to make disciples is to first be a true disciple.

following Jesus as Lord and savior

Being changed by Him to become Like Him

Committed to the mission of Jesus

being fishers of men & women for the Kingdom of God.

Application

The greatest cause on earth, the only one with eternal impact.

So what does this look like for you?

Be a disciple of Jesus: Put Jesus first in your life

Before you spouse, before your kids

before your family

before your work

before your leisure and entertainment.

Make Disciples where you are. ‘as you go’

Realize this is a an every area of life thing

Parents are making disciples of their kids

Make disciples of your co-workers, friends, students, neighbors.

It is a process, it is not just by sharing the gospel though of course it is that,

but it is in a life demonstrated of love and sacrifice, a life like Jesus.

how you manage people, what kind of boss you are

what you prioritize, how you work

how you handle adversity, stress

Ask (pray) and Answer the call to GO!

Some of you are called to global missions

don’t be afraid of this

Say yes and get trained.

Make disciple making disciples

The gospel replicates itself in disciples

this is the multiplication of ministry

one of the greatest barriers to disciple making is that we get comfortable — in reality we settle for less

there is nothing more joyful than leading others to Christ and loving them in Christ.

We never exist just for ourselves, but for others.

The gospel isn’t just for you, but it goes through you to others.

Opportunity:

Albania 2021

July 9-19th, awesome opportunity.

Closing

Will you answer the call?

make disciple-making disciples

Let’s Pray

Other Stuff

Commissioned

The great commission is to make these kinds of disciples

follow Jesus, being changed by Him and committed to His mission.

Why is it called the Commission?

What does this mean?

I was in the Military and I was ‘commissioned’ as an officer in the USN

I was given a position, authority and swore allegiance to the mission, my commanding officers and the constitution of the US

I had been empowered to carry out the mission.

This is what Jesus is doing with the disciples, as we will see

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