The Great Commission

OPENING ILLUSTRATION/STORY/OBJECT LESSON:

So I have recently gotten really into football.

Tell why coaches are so important

Pastor Josh was supposed to 21 points, but his coach decided to put his second string RB and got him 0 points

Merriam-Webster defines a coach as

“one who instructs or trains.”

However, it’s great coaches who inspire and challenge their players to go above and beyond what’s expected of them.

Great coaches just don't stop at the fundamentals of the game

great coaches give detailed “missions” for their players to accomplish.

Jesus gives us a clear mission on how to accomplish His will and desire for our life.

Not only does He provide us with the mission, but He also offers power through the Holy Spirit to help us with the task.

Let's look at a few takeaways from Matthew 28 and Acts 1.

Jesus Commissions Us to Take the Gospel Forward

Parting words are significant.

They come as a calculated impartation when someone knows the significance of a moment because often, the giver of these words knows they will be remembered.

Think of words given during a commencement speech, statements given by a parent sending their child off to college, or words from a coach going into a significant game.

Jesus’ words written in Matthew 28 are kind of like that.

We call this passage the Great Commission.

This is because Jesus gives a clear mission to the men and women He had spent three years of ministry with.

He also issued this mission to us as His followers thousands of years later.

Matthew 28:16–20 NIV

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

APPLICATION:

Probably the most significant application from this passage is Jesus’ command to take the gospel forward.

He said to make disciples of all nations.

Although Jesus was speaking directly to His disciples in this moment, this commission was not just for them.

There are still plenty of tribes, tongues, and nations who do not know the love and hope of Jesus today.

This is why Jesus has directed us to participate in His mission.

This means living like a disciple, following Jesus in our personal life, telling others about His love, and teaching them to obey His commands.

We must work hard to make disciples around us.

We must work hard to take the gospel to our school and community.

We must work hard to take the gospel beyond where we live since Jesus told us to take it to the nations.

Jesus commissioned us to take the gospel forward everywhere.

Jesus Left so the Holy Spirit Can Empower Us

Some of the greatest people of all time had incredible teams around them. Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, Cap America and Bucky

the list of dynamic teams could go on and on.

The point is, we as individuals can't do it all on our own. We have limitations.

While Jesus was fully God, He was also fully human.

And as a physical human, He was limited in what He could do to share His love with every human being in the world.

Jesus knew that He wanted the help of the disciples, then and now, to achieve this task.

For the disciples to be able to fulfill the mission, they needed the Holy Spirit.

But for the Holy Spirit to fully work the way they needed, Jesus had to leave this earth.

In Acts 1, we get a small glimpse of the beautiful relationship between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

In this passage of Scripture, we read how Jesus set up this transition between His dwelling on earth and the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 1:3–11 NIV

After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

APPLICATION:

Jesus said the Holy Spirit would come and give us power, and if we read further, we would see that this Scripture was fulfilled in Acts 2 through the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

And it’s still true today!

The Holy Spirit does come on believers and gives us the power to be bold witnesses.

Practically, this means

we dare to share the love of Jesus in difficult places.

It is not easy to take the gospel forward.

If it were easy, the Great Commission might already be accomplished by now.

That’s why we need the Holy Spirit’s help to share the gospel with others.

We must spend time growing in our relationship with the Holy Spirit in the same way that we spend time growing with Jesus.

As we do that, we will become bolder to share the gospel with our friends, our families, and even our enemies—everyone to the ends of the earth.

We Are Not Alone on the Mission

CALL UP ROS turn up pad

Most people would say that they don’t like to do things alone

shopping, going to a game, getting dinner.

So, the idea of taking the gospel to the ends of the earth alone is quite overwhelming.

But we see in both Matthew 28 and Acts 1 that Jesus never intended for us to do this on our own.

He wants to be with us in one of the most significant ways to fulfill His mission, and that’s through growing in intimacy with our Creator as we obey His commands.

This is the mission of the Church—to take the gospel and make disciples who make disciples.

We don’t do this on our own, but in the community of Jesus followers around us, and in community with our Creator.

CLOSING CHALLENGE/APPLICATION:

Are you ready for what Jesus has called you to do?

Will you accept the responsibility to do your part in making disciples of all nations?

Would you choose to pursue intimacy with the Holy Spirit?

Will you allow the Holy Spirit to empower you?

Will you give up this solo life for the community life that changes the world?

ALTAR RESPONSE:

Pray that we would take the HS to our schools and begin the great commission in our schools!