The King who Sends, Matthew 28:16-20

Introduction…

We started this journey through the Gospel of Matthew on December 1, 2019 with a sermon entitled “The King Who Has Come from Matthew 1:1-17. That Christmas we kicked off the Matthew series with a set of sermons labeled “The Promise Keeper.”

As we have made our way through Matthew there have been various themes that have made their way throughout the entire book, and one of the primary themes is present at the very beginning and end of the gospel. That theme is the Kinship of Jesus. Matthew begins with the establishment of the Kingship of Jesus and ends with the declaration and exercise of His authority.

Matthew begins his gospel with the genealogical evidence that Jesus Christ is this promised King.

Matthew 1:1 (CSB)

“An account of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham”

Every year at Christmas we point out that the birth of Christ is the fulfillment of God’s prophecies. And, when we read through the gospel of Matthew we see that all of the prophecies God makes have a central character.

The central character in the OT prophecies is a great King whom God has promised will rule over His kingdom.

Some of the prophecies of the coming King in the OT…

2 Samuel 7:15–16 (CSB)

“15 But my faithful love will never leave him as it did when I removed it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 Your house and kingdom will endure before me forever, and your throne will be established forever.”

David’s house and kingdom will endure forever through a promised son. Jesus is the son of David.

Psalm 2:6–8 (CSB)

6 “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.” 7 I will declare the Lord’s decree. He said to me, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father. 8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance and the ends of the earth your possession.

For the ends of the earth to be a possession and the nations an inheritance we are looking for a significant king.. one on whom the Lord calls His son.

Psalm 24:8–10 (CSB)

8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, you gates! Rise up, ancient doors! Then the King of glory will come in. 10 Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord of Armies, he is the King of glory.

God promised a king of glory, one who is strong and mighty, the Lord of Armies…

Micah 5:2 (CSB)

2 Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; one will come from you to be ruler over Israel for me. His origin is from antiquity, from ancient times.

Bethlehem was small, and Judah as a region was small… and yet there is the promise that through Bethlehem in Judah a king would come… and yet this king would be from of old.

Isaiah 9:6–7 (CSB)

6 For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on his shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. 7 The dominion will be vast, and its prosperity will never end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever. The zeal of the Lord of Armies will accomplish this.

The promised King of Israel would reign with righteousness now and forever… this is the Lord of Armies. His name will be grand and wonderful than all other names… He will be named wonderful counselor, mighty God, eternal father, the prince of peace! This king will be like no other king who has ever been or ever will be.

This is the king that the people in exile were waiting for. This is the king they were longing for. The one who would reign on David’s throne, the one who would free the people of Israel from their bondage and exile and unity the two kingdoms under His rule. This is the king of glory, the king eternal, the promised Messiah of the people of Israel.

“Christ” is a title, not a name.

1. It means the anointed one, or King.

2. Jesus Christ means Jesus the anointed one.

“When we read or hear Jesus Christ “we should be thinking Jesus the Messiah, the one God anointed to bring about our redemption.” - DA Carson

According to Matthew Jesus is the king God promised, the Son of David and the Son of Abraham. Jesus is the King who will rule with all authority and be the promised blessing to all nations.

The designation, “Son of Abraham”, refers to the promised son of Abraham who would be a blessing to all nations.

Genesis 12:2–3 (CSB)

2 I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.,

Genesis 15:13–14 (CSB)

13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know this for certain: Your offspring will be resident aliens for four hundred years in a land that does not belong to them and will be enslaved and oppressed. 14 However, I will judge the nation they serve, and afterward they will go out with many possessions.

Genesis 17:1–6 (CSB)

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him, saying, “I am God Almighty. Live in my presence and be blameless. 2 I will set up my covenant between me and you, and I will multiply you greatly.” 3 Then Abram fell facedown and God spoke with him: 4 “As for me, here is my covenant with you: You will become the father of many nations. 5 Your name will no longer be Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I will make you the father of many nations. 6 I will make you extremely fruitful and will make nations and kings come from you.

Genesis 22:18 (CSB)

18 And all the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring because you have obeyed my command.”

Matthew ends his gospel with the King exercising His authority for the joy of all the nations.

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. 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.”

Matthew 28:16-18

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

Matthew’s Gospel highlights the power and authority of Jesus through His life and ministry.

Jesus taught with authority Jesus healed with authority Jesus forgave with authority Jesus exorcised demons with authority

The truth is that There is no limit to the authority of Jesus Christ.

Jesus declares full scope of His authority when He says “all authority” in “heaven and on earth.”

Given the truth of who Jesus is, the realization of what He has done grows even more significant.

4 Truths about King Jesus: (and His relationship with us)

1. Jesus is the King who came to save

Jesus is the promised Messiah who came to save the world through His death, burial, and resurrection.

2. Jesus is the King who sends us make disciples

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

Jesus sends us to share the good news of His redeeming work with all nations. For generations Christians have referred to these verses as the Great Commission.

Jesus, the King, commands those who belong to His Kingdom to take the good news to the world. Jesus is clear that we are to take the gospel to people from all nations.

Remember that Matthew began his gospel with the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David and the son of Abraham. Jesus is the King who sits on the throne forever, and He is the one who fulfills the promise that God made to Abraham.

God blesses all nations by redeeming them through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

This is the means by which God fulfills His promise to Abraham

The truth of our sent-ness shapes the purpose and nature of the church.

A disciple is…

A disciple, then, is one who has believed on Jesus Christ and expressed this faith by being baptized. He remains in the fellowship of the believers that he might be taught the truths of the faith (Acts 2:41–47). He is then able to go out and win others and teach them. This was the pattern of the New Testament church (2 Tim. 2:1–2).

Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 107.

Jesus’ disciples were to reproduce other disciples of all the nations (the word translated nations is the plural of ethnos, meaning “peoples, ethnic groups,” as in 24:14). He was hinting that their fulfillment of their commission would ultimately lead to his second coming. It is significant that Matthew ended his Gospel with one more reference to the Gentile mission, challenging the Jewish Christians to lose their prejudices and unify the church. This also challenges us to break down any artificial boundaries erected by our culture. We must minister impartially. Jesus was an equal-opportunity Savior.

Stuart K. Weber, Matthew, vol. 1, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 484.

However, the nature of our discipleship has been replaced by many churches with a different purpose and shape. The church with a mission has been replaced by the idea of a church with a…

But, the church on mission is a church committed to “going”, “baptizing”, and “teaching.”

One of the dilemmas many churches and Christians face is what to do when they realize they are not going, baptizing, and teaching? The dilemma is faced when the church experience is full and busy, but those three things are missing.

The thing is, too many churches resemble community organizations

3. Jesus is the King who promises His presence (Immanuel)

Matthew 1 begins with the coming of Christ to dwell with us. The fulfillment of the promises that are bound up in the tabernacle and the temple.

The coming of Christ is a sign that what was lost in the Garden of Eden, the presence of God with His people is now regained through the redemption of Jesus.

Jesus promises to be with us until the end of the age… His presence is no longer in a tent that moves where we go, His presence is no longer found behind the holy of Holies in the temple. The presence of Jesus Christ is with us through the indwelling power and presence of the Holy Spirit.

4. Jesus is the King who is coming again

The climax of the story has yet to come… until then we are called to be faithful citizens of our King and to carry out the mission He has given to us.

Jesus stressed His second coming in the last part of Matthew’s gospel. Beginning in Matthew 24 Jesus talks about the signs of the end of the age. In that section of Matthew’s gospel we see Jesus teaching about his coming death, resurrection, the destruction of the temple, and also the promise that He will be coming again.

Jesus came the first time, but He did not find the people of God ready to follow Him. Instead, He is the stone that the builders rejected, but is in fact the actual cornerstone of the kingdom of God.

Through His teaching Jesus stresses the importance of being faithful until His second coming. The truth is that He came the first time to save, but the second time He comes will a time of judgment. Because of that Jesus stresses to us the call to persevere and be faithful.

For Christians the return of the King provides hope in our distress and motivation in our peace. Jesus said in Matthew 24:44 that, “The Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” The second coming of Jesus helps to keep our minds and hearts focused on what are lives are all about. They remind us that we are citizens of His kingdom and that this world and whatever earthly citizenship we hold, is less important and valuable than the kingdom of God.

The reason I said whatever citizenship we hold is because the majority of people that belong to God’s kingdom are not from our country. We are the ends of the earth that Jesus speaks about to the disciples. We are one of the places Jesus was speaking about when He commissioned the disciples to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. We are 6,594 miles from the place where Jesus said these words. For perspective we are only 7,064 miles from Beijing, China.

To further illustrate the truth that America is the ends of the earth from Jerusalem, here the distance from Jerusalem to the following cities around the world.

Sydney Australia 8,774 miles

Moscow, Russia 2,366 miles

Nairobi, Kenya 3,358 miles

Lima, Peru 7,950 miles

London, England 3,031 miles

When we talk about our citizenship as Christians it is good for us to keep the scope of God’s kingdom in mind. What we are a part of is so much larger than our country. It is larger than our denomination. We are a part of God’s kingdom that has expanded from Jerusalem 3,000 miles to London England, and then from Europe the gospel traveled another 4,300 miles to Tupelo, MS in the United States of America.

Focusing our attention of the return of the King places the significance of our citizenship at the forefront of our identity.

In Matthew 28:16-20 Jesus intertwines His authority with our citizenship in the form of the Great Commission.

Jesus identifies those in His kingdom as disciples who are called to make disciples who make disciples.

Jesus saves us and sends us.

Citizenship in God’s Kingdom comes with a commission to multiply the kingdom.

Jesus calls us to live wherever we are as ambassadors or citizens of His kingdom. This is why He says that “as you are going…” that’s what the word “Go” means in Matthew 28:18. As you are going is the same idea as living as if you are sent.

Living sent means sharing the gospel and serving others where you live, work, shop, and play.

“As you are going” means everywhere you go… yes we are called to go to the ends of the earth, or you might say we are called to take the gospel from the ends of the earth to Jerusalem. Regardless of where you live God has called you to make disciples where you are. And, He has called you to take it to the furthest reaches of the world from your spot.

Living sent is sharing the gospel

There is no way to make a disciple without sharing the good news about Jesus. People won’t come to faith in Christ through our actions, we must tell them. Yes, your actions are a display of the gospel, but they are not the gospel.

Your actions are the fruit of the gospel, they are witness and testimony of the gospel, but they are not the good news of Jesus.

Making disciples is dependent on sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, and in particular it depends on the Word of God.

To teach others what He has commanded you must learn yourself what He has commanded. It requires that you grow in your understanding of the Word. (Rooted Journals, the plan for 2022)

Living sent is serving others in the name of Jesus.

Jesus told a parable toward the end of Matthew about a King who returned to tell his subjects that they had ministered to Him when He was in need. But, His subject didn’t remember ministering to the King or even seeing him in need. The king replied to them that when they had cared for the least of these, they had cared for Him.

Living sent requires surrendering to Jesus and growing in your walk with Christ.

You must love God

Citizenship in the kingdom of God requires Loving God with your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

And, according to Scripture we love God because He first loved us. Jesus came to us, Immanuel, God with us. He came to us to dwell with us and to save us so that we can dwell with Him forever.

Because of the love of God displayed through Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection we surrender to Him and love Him back with all that we are and all that we have.

You must grow together with other believers.

The Christian life is one of relationships with God and His people. God has saved us into His kingdom, the body of Christ, the church. And, we are all called to be pouring into others while also being poured into. This requires humility and intentionality. Making disciples is relational and our continued growth and ministry flows from our ever growing relationship with God and His people.

Living sent is dependent on the presence of Christ.

No matter how far you go, even if it is to the ends of the earth, he will be with you.

Jesus is Immanuel, God with us.

What was lost in the Garden is redeemed in Christ.

The separation that sin brought between us and God is undone.

There is no need for a tabernacle in the wilderness

There is no need for a temple in the city. The holy of holies has been torn down and replaced with living temples of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus is with you and one day you will be with Him.

So, until we are with Him in eternity we give ourselves to living sent by Him for the sake of His kingdom.

The presence of the Holy Spirit serves to seal us and remind us of the coming day of the Lord.

As you move from Christmas to the New Year know that Jesus is with you, and He will be with you in the new year.

If you don’t know Christ as your Savior then know that He has come to be with us, and he is coming again to take us to be with Him.

The baby we celebrated this past week is the Savior who died for the forgiveness of your sins. Believe in Him, Trust Him, Be Forgiven by Him, and Live for Him.