Forward From Here
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
The Authority
The Authority
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Christ’s authority has been questioned most of His life. I hate it when people do that to me, and I imagine He did not enjoy that either.
As a child who had been left in Jerusalem, Jesus had His authority questioned by the people He taught and by His parents after they found Him. Lk 2.41-49
His authority is questioned by Satan at His temptation (Also Mt 4, Lk 4)
As He forgave sins and healed people (like Mark 2.7).
Even when He taught at the hight if His ministry, His authority was questioned.
23 And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?”
Now He makes it clear that He has ALL authority.
All = Entire, total, singularly
There is no greater power, and non can override His Authority!
Not just earthly authority, but also in Heaven!
Since this level of authority has been placed on His shoulders, we can have confidence that anyone and anything standing against His will for our lives CANNOT prevail.
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The Actions
The Actions
Now Jesus Christ is leaving the physical ministry presence to His followers- this includes His disciples but is likely said to the over 500 people that He met with after His resurrection. He tells them, and us, what needs to happen next. He does not leave us wondering or clueless!
Disciple making
Disciple making
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,
I’m sure you have heard before sermons on the word “go” from verse 19. In Greek grammar this word is Future, Aorist, Passive. It is not the verb, but present participle. When translating from one language to another there are times when you add words to make things clear and times when you can use less words and make things clear. The other option in English is to add a prefix or sufex an ending - like here we could add an “ing”. The Command Jesus gives is not the Going. He expects that as a normal part of life. God expects His people to be all over the earth.
Warren Wiersbe is constantly saying, “Christianity is a missionary faith!”
Going is for the pastors, but this same command is given to people who will never be pastors or church planters. This great commission is for them yes, but remember, there are hundreds hearing this command that will never be pastors or church planters. ABWE has missionaries that are:
Accountants and book keepers
Doctors and medical officials
Teachers and professors
ESL people
Builders and mechanics
and so much more.
Our missionary hospitals see over 1000’s per year who come for treatment and have their lives changed forever as they accept Christ as Saviour. Our building teams often enable the church planters to do what God has gifted them to do. Our ESL people are often bring people to church that would otherwise have no connection at all.
To make a disciple takes being there. It also takes more than a one time act. It requires:
Knowing the teacher - in this case Christ
Knowing the teachings of the teacher - Salvation, Doctrine, and Way of life
Transforming thinking
Transforming behaviour
Transferring the same to others
A disciple is a believer who has had their life changed. This shows in visible ways.
Baptizing & Teaching
Baptizing & Teaching
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 all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The two main components of Christian disciples are baptizing and teaching.
Baptism is the identification with Christ. We practice baptism by emersion because it symbolises the death, burial and resurrection of our Saviour Jesus Christ. Notice in our passage here that this comes first. Often we want people to know what they are getting into so we delay baptism until after they have received a lot of teaching. This has not been the historical way of the church.
If you have never received believers baptism, lets talk about that. We believe it to be a basic step for all who are saved.
Teaching:
It is one thing to hear about something, and another thing altogether to feel you have been taught about a matter.
In this text we see specifically what God’s people, the church, is to be teaching.
“to observe all things I have commanded”
This takes a lifetime! It is one thing to have the numbers attending a service and quite another thing to have a solid group of taught disciples attending a service.
The Accompaniment
The Accompaniment
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
We are not alone!
Though Jesus bodily returned to heaven, we see in this passage that He promised to always be with us!
The movie Enola Holmes makes a big deal of the stars name being the word, Alone spelt backwards. Yet late in the first movie she comes to the realisation that she does not have to be alone, she can do life with others, but she has been prepared to stand even if she has to stand alone.
We have Christ. We know that since the Day of Pentecost every person who receives Jesus as their Saviour also receives the Holy Spirit. That means every believer is not alone. Every believer has 2 persons on the Triune Godhead with them in every one of life’s situations.
Conclusion: As Christians, we live our lives with the authority, activity and accompaniment of our Saviour. Yet each day we must choose to live this way. Each day we live with the assurance that Christ has all authority on earth and in heaven. Each day we live with the command to make disciples by helping others know and follow our Saviour. Each day we live with the awesome knowledge that we will never be abandoned by our Saviour Jesus Christ.