Commissioned

Recap

Mission creep- drift from original purpose / Jesus given all authority / challenged you to give your life fully over to him this year.

What is the mission of Jesus? What does he do with this authority which is his? What does this mean for you as a believer? How should this impact your teenage years?

Matthew 28:18

Jesus has authority.

Gives us a choice to follow, or not.

Set up passage- Jesus, fully God, sent to earth to live as fully man, died for our sins, raised from the grave, walked the earth for 40 days, gathers his disciples and about 489 other people on a mountain.

Matthew 28:18-20

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

The Mission of Christ: Just as God the father sent Jesus to the world, Jesus sends us.

1. Jesus sends us to the world.

a. vs. 19- Go, therefore, … as Jesus makes his authority known, his first command is for the disciples to “Go”. Its a sending action.

-Misinterpretations of the Great Commission-

a. Only for Missionaries-

Over emphasize going to the nations, think this is only for missionaries.

b. Only for the 12 disciples-

See this as only a call for the leaders of the church

Christ mobilizes the church as one would mobilize an army

The true interpretation is that the Great Commission is for every disciple, everyday, without excuse.

This shouldn’t surprise us, God has always been a sending God. (God sends Abraham, Moses, sends his people to the promised land, the Prophets, his word).

Then, he sends Jesus.

Now Jesus sends his church, its an established pattern!

John 20:21 (ESV)

John 20:21 ESV

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

Jesus came to rescue and reconcile us back to God, he sends us to do the very same thing through the power of the Gospel.

Bubba- I have bone in my leg- lame excuse that made no sense.

When it comes to the Great Commission we can do all sorts of mental jujitsu to try to get out off it.

1. I don’t know enough to tell someone about Jesus.

2. All of my friends are Christians.

3. Isn’t that the pastors job.

What kind of excuses do you find yourself making when it comes to obeying Jesus’ command to go?

2. Jesus sends us to make disciples.

But, what is a disciple?

A Disciple is someone who is committed to …being changed by Jesus ...following Jesus ...the mission of Jesus.

changed by Jesus- heart change, you give your life to him, acknowledge authority, he becomes your boss, forgives your sins, live life as a new person

a. This is symbolized by Baptism- first step a disciple should make, like a wedding ring, tells the world you are a follower of Jesus, in front of church for accountability.

Change is continued through the work of the Holy Spirit, and as you learn about God through scripture.

b. This is why Jesus says this...

…[teach] them to observe all that I have commanded you.

You can’t say you are a follower of Jesus if aren’t learning from him.

So, we make disciples by Baptizing and teaching. (Matthew 28:20a)

Jesus didn’t teach in a classroom, he taught as he lived life with his disciples.

If we are going to make disciples the way that Jesus did, our teaching must go beyond the walls of this church.

A disciple sought to live life with and emulate everything their Rabi did, this is how Jesus taught his disciples. RELATIONSHIP.

We are taught through a relationship with Christ. Taught through a relationship with other believers, can’t do it alone.

illustration- What is your favorite thing to do while on vacation? Me? nothing. I don’t want to do anything.

c. A lot of believers treat their faith like a vacation. It’s great, awesome, amazing, but it exists soley for the purpose of making themselves feel better. Just to relax.

d. I hope you find rest in God, but I also hope you find purpose in his mission.

You are called to be a disciple maker.

3. Jesus sends us outside of our comfort zones.

a. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations...”

Ac 1:6.

Acts 1:6 ESV

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”

b. Their minds were on Israel, Jesus’ mission was to the world, other nations, and it took them a while to understand that.

Ethnos- where we get our word ethnic.

c. Great Commandment took them to the ends of the earth, learn to overcome a lot of sinful attitudes about people to do that.

d. Jesus didn’t just save Jewish people, he saved all people. He wants his whole family back!

e. We see this accomplished in Revelation, look at this picture of heaven.

Revelation 7:9 (ESV)

Revelation 7:9 ESV

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,

Are you willing to be sent?

Are you willing to go to the ends of the earth with the message of Christ?

-What about the other end of the lunch table?

-What about that hurting friend?

-What about someone that’s homeless?

-What about the kid that everyone picks on, thats at the end of the social ladder?

-how about the neighbor at the end of the street?

-What about a mission trip to serve people you’ll never see again?

-Is God dealing with your heart about being a missionary in the future?

-Or maybe a missionary to the people on your street?