The Membership Commission

Josh Clink

Clarify, Unify, Glorify in Matthew • Sermon • Submitted a year ago • Presented a year ago

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ME: Intro - Pivot

If you are familiar with the TV show, Friends,

There is a relatively iconic scene,`

Where one of the friends,

Ross,

Buys a new couch.

But instead of paying the delivery fee,

He says he only lives a few blocks away,

So, he decides to carry it himself.

When he gets to his apartment building,

He struggles to get the large couch up a narrow winding set of stairs.

So, he draws a diagram and recruits another friend to help him get this large object up to his apartment.

The three of them start off promising,

Getting it up the first step,

Then getting it onto a landing.

As they do,

Ross is guiding them from the front.

But at the first landing,

The stairs begin to turn,

Slide

So, Ross begins shouting,

Pivot!

Repeatedly,

He tells his friends,

Pivot,

Pivot!

Unfortunately for them,

Their pivot is unsuccessful.

They get the couch stuck,

And one of them accidentally pulls the fire alarm on the wall next to them in the process.

Resulting in an entire NYC apartment building,

Stampeding down the stairs,

Destroying the couch in the process.

So, this morning,

Like the friends attempted with Ross’ couch,

Slide

We are going to pivot our Clarify to Unify to Glorify series,

Where we will to clarify biblical membership.

But instead of doing this by looking at specific topics,

As we have been thus far,

We are going to do this by specifically clarifying biblical membership to unify the body to glorify God,

In the Gospel of Matthew.

So, to start,

We are looking at The Member’s Commission Jesus gives in Matthew 28:18-20,

And then seeking to obey it,

Both today,

And as we continue to clarify biblical membership in the Gospel of Matthew.

Slide

So, the plan for this morning,

We are going to look at The Commission first.

Then introduce The Gospel of Matthew,

And summarize how Matthew teaches about biblical membership in The Kingdom.

So, the takeaway from this transitional introduction to Matthew is simply...

To prepare us to obey what the King teaches His members.

WE: The Commission (Matt. 28:18-20)

Slide

We refer to the commission in vs. 18-20 as the great commission.

First, because, as vs. 18 says,

The commission is given on Christ’s authority.

And since Christ has all authority in heaven and earth,

His authority is universal,

Meaning the authority of His commission extends to all His members,

Through all time and everywhere.

Therefore, His worldwide commission brings to a climax the theme in Matthew,

That God’s salvation spreads to the Gentiles.

This theme is presented as early as Jesus’ genealogy in the opening chapter.

Matthew includes four Gentiles in the genealogy of the King,

Looking at the commission itself,

We see three parts.

Slide

The first part is to make disciples of all nations.

This is the biblical basis for evangelism and missions.

And it reflects God Himself,

Who is the ultimate missionary.

Because He has revealed Himself in the Bible as the Creator,

And made us aware that we are sinners.

Without the revelation of His Word,

We would not have the sufficient knowledge we need to be saved.

So, the Bible teaches that Jesus is the only answer to our need for holiness and salvation.

Because we are naturally sinners,

We all must, therefore, repent,

And be spiritually born again.

Because our sin separates us from God,

And His holiness.

Despite what our culture assumes,

We are not spiritually neutral.

As sinners,

The Bible says,

We stand condemned.

Therefore, without Christ, we are hopeless.

But God,

The Alpha Missionary,

Gave us His Son and His Word.

So, that we might know Him.

And that is what missions is about,

Making God known by the grace of Jesus Christ.

God’s missional heart is clearly displayed in the Bible.

Going back to the very beginning,

After the first humans,

Adam and Eve,

Disobeyed God and brought sin into the world,

God came to them in the garden,

Then declared that One would come from the woman to destroy the evil one.

God’s heart is for the nations.

Slide

The Bible continues to show this,

With His promise to Abraham in Gen. 12:3,

Where God said,

Genesis 12:3 (ESV)

I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

This great promise from way back in the OT is fulfilled by the great commission,

As seen in the pages of the NT,

And throughout the history of the church.

Even still today, we are witnessing the fulfillment of it.

But the evidence of God’s heart for the nations in the OT is not done.

Several Psalms write about God’s desire for all nations to know and glorify Him.

Slide

Then, in Isaiah 49:6 God says about the Messiah,

Isaiah 49:6 (ESV)

I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

This is what is quoted by Simeon in Luke 2, when he held baby Jesus in his arms.

But one other OT example would be Jonah.

God sent Jonah to the pagan nation of Nineveh,

To call them to repent,

And they did.

In the NT,

The nations are portrayed even more clearly as the object of God’s love,

And the target of His outreach.

Jesus led people from many nations to follow Him and trust Him.

Slide

Jesus promised in Matt. 24:14,

Matthew 24:14 (ESV)

...[that] gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

As mentioned earlier,

Matthew’s Gospel especially includes many of Jesus’ encounters with Gentiles,

With the nations.

And this matters,

Because Matthew is written primarily for Jews familiar with the OT.

Then, we come to the end of the Bible,

The Book of Revelation.

We get this forward looking future,

Where some from all languages, tribes, and nations worship Jesus,

The Lamb of God, in heaven.

That day will be the consummation of God’s reign.

Because on that day,

All the nations of the world will walk by the light of God’s presence.

Slide

Rev. 22:2 says specifically,

Revelation 22:2 (ESV)

...The leaves of the tree of life were for the healing of the nations.

This means the gospel of Jesus Christ resolves every faction,

Even down to ethnic tension,

And racial division.

Healing the wounds that have been inflicted throughout human history.

So, Christ’s commission demands us to go to the nations,

To preach the gospel,

To make disciples,

To teach what Jesus taught,

And plant churches,

Like we see Jesus’ disciples do in Acts.

This is of the utmost importance.

Because the gospel is God’s power to save all who believe,

And Christ calls us all to participate in this mission to the nations.

Slide

Romans 10:13-15 says,

Romans 10:13–15 ESV

For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

The Bible is clear.

We all have a role when it comes to missions.

This is the first part of the commission,

To go and make disciples of all nations.

Slide

The second part of the commission is to baptize these disciples.

Baptism is the mark of a person’s entrance into the body of Christ.

So, when we become a member of Christ’s body,

We get baptized,

Specifically, Jesus says,

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Notice, Jesus does not say the names,

Plural.

No, it is one name we are baptized in.

One name,

One baptism,

Father, Son, and Spirit,

One God.

And we are baptized in His name,

Because we are His.

That is why we are not just called disciples,

But throughout the NT,

We are also called members of Christ’s body.

Just like a limb belongs to your body,

We belong to God.

Because we are brought into His new covenant according to His will.

Slide

The third and final part of the commission is in vs. 20,

To teach baptized disciples to observe all that He has commanded.

Notice, Jesus does not say to just teach head knowledge,

Or just the information that He taught,

Nor even teach just to believe what He commanded,

But He said to teach baptized disciples to observe all that He has commanded.

So His teaching is about obedience.

He teaches us practical holiness,

And He commissions us to teach practical holiness as well.

Which is the goal of our study through the Gospel of Matthew.

Look back at the commission in vs. 20.

If Jesus were to just end after giving the three parts of the commission,

Our brains would explode.

Because the thought alone of this commission is terrifyingly overwhelming in our own strength!

It is outright impossible for us to do!

Therefore, Jesus ends the commission with an extremely reassuring and needed truth for us to remember,

That He is with us always.

Slide

At the beginning of Matthew,

When Jesus was born,

He was given the name,

Immanuel,

Which means,

“God with us.”

Now, at the end of Matthew,

Jesus promises that He,

God,

Is with us,

Both now,

And to the end of the age.

Not just in some ambiguous way,

But He is with us specifically,

As we obey the commission.

Because His spiritual presence is needed for us to fulfill the commission He has given us.

GOD: The Gospel

The commission is why we are studying The Gospel of Matthew,

To learn how to observe everything Jesus has taught,

As His members.

Slide

So, I would like to spend the rest of our time this morning,

Introducing The Gospel of Matthew.

Last week,

We talked about how the members of Christ’s body must be saturated with His gospel,

That is,

The good news about Jesus Christ.

This is The Gospel.

The book of Matthew, however, is a Gospel.

Technically, there are four Gospels;

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Because they each give an account of the good news of Jesus Christ.

In this case,

Gospel, with a capital G,

Is the genre of these books.

They tell the message of Jesus Christ from four different perspectives.

So, because Matthew is a Gospel book,

The purpose is to give an account of the good news of Christ.

Therefore, Matthew tells us how Jesus came,

What Jesus did and said and taught,

Who Jesus is,

And what He accomplished,

Specifically in His life, death, and resurrection.

And Jesus says to teach these things,

Because these truths change not only our lives,

But all the nations of the world!

So, if we are going to learn from Matthew,

We must understand what it is and what it is not.

Unlike many of the smaller books in the NT,

Matthew is not a congregational letter.

Meaning, it is not written to a specific church or churches.

It is not addressing certain people in certain situations.

It is presenting the person and work of Jesus Christ to all people.

So, it is closer to a biography,

But it is not an exhaustive biography.

Matthew does not try to include every tiny detail of Jesus’ life.

Many things are left out.

But Matthew captures specific stories and teachings from Christ’s life for a specific purpose.

Matthew includes what it does because it is teaching us something specific about Jesus Christ.

And since it is not an exhaustive biography,

Matthew is not a chronological history, either.

Slide

In the most general sense,

It does begin with the birth of Jesus,

And it ends with His death and resurrection.

But within this broad chronology,

Matthew is organized around 5 specific teachings,

With different stories or narrative accounts between those specific teachings.

For example,

The first four chapters are primarily narrative,

Then in chs. 5-7,

We get the primary teaching known as the Sermon on the Mount.

As soon as this teaching ends,

Matthew 7:28 says,

Matthew 7:28 (ESV)

And when Jesus finished these sayings...

Statements like this one serve as a summary that concludes one teaching section,

And pivots toward the next teaching section.

The other four summary statements are:

Matthew 11:1 ESV

When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.

Matthew 13:53 ESV

And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there,

Matthew 19:1 ESV

Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.

And,

Matthew 26:1 ESV

When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples,

This structure is not coincidental,

This is intentional.

Each key section of teaching is helpfully wrapped up with one of these summary statements.

This organization gives us a beautiful portrait of Jesus’ words and works.

And this structure reinforces the purpose of the gospel:

To teach us about the life, lessons, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Slide

But as I already mentioned,

Matthew is not the only Gospel.

Mark, Luke, and John,

Like Matthew,

Give us an account of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.

Each of these Gospels understandably have similarities,

Because they share the same general purpose.

But each one has different stories at different times,

Or are told in different ways,

To emphasize different truths about Jesus.

If you think of the gospel of Jesus Christ as a multi-colored diamond,

You can look at it from a variety of angles and perspectives,

And each angle will give you a unique and equally magnificent view of Jesus Christ.

But at the end of the day,

Regardless of the angle or perspective,

It is the same diamond.

So, even though all four Gospels are written by different authors with different emphases,

As 2 Tim. 3:16 says,

2 Timothy 3:16 ESV

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

So, Matthew, Mark, and Luke are what we call the synoptic Gospels.

Think synoptic like synonym.

Because these three Gospels are more similar.

While John is the most unique of the four.

A helpful way to think of it,

Is to picture four people going to a parade,

Three of them are on one side of the street,

And the fourth one is on the opposite side of the street.

Then, afterward, they all write about what they saw at the parade.

They all saw the same parade but each one would be slightly unique because they are different people with different perspectives that noticed different things specifically.

But the one who is on the opposite side of the street is likely going to have the most differences,

Because he saw the parade from a completely different angle of the other three.

That is kinda the way we think about the differences in the four Gospels.

Slide

And while this is admittedly an oversimplification,

Each Gospel presents a different emphases,

Even from the way each one begins.

John emphasizes how Jesus is the Son of God.

It does not include a genealogy,

Instead, it begins by saying,

John 1:1 ESV

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John’s very first sentence shows that Jesus is God.

And near the end,

John gives a purpose statement.

John 20:31 ESV

but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Luke emphasizes how Jesus is the Son of Man.

The genealogy in Luke does not come until ch. 3,

Which traces Jesus’ physical lineage,

Beginning with Jesus and Joseph and working its way back.

But the first two chapters of Luke give an extended account of the birth of Christ,

And a brief childhood story.

Mark’s emphasis is on Jesus being the Suffering Servant.

Similar to John,

There is no genealogy in Mark.

But it is a shorter Gospel that emphasizes the key theme of Mark 10:45,

Mark 10:45 (ESV)

[that] the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

As the suffering servant prophecy in Isaiah says.

Mark also emphasizes the suffering that comes to Christ’s followers.

But our focus is on Matthew,

Which emphasizes that Jesus is the Sovereign King.

The genealogy of Matthew shows how Jesus came from the line of King David,

That He is the Messiah,

And the Promised One,

Who also came from the line of Abraham.

This is not Jesus’ physical lineage,

It is His legal lineage,

So, it is more than Jesus came from Adam,

It is the fact that Jesus came from the line of the kings of Israel.

So, He is the promised sovereign king.

There is a lot more that could be said about Jesus’ genealogy in Matthew.

Lord willing, we will look at it in greater detail in the coming weeks.

Slide

But for now,

Let me at least introduce a couple general things.

First, this is not an exhaustive genealogy.

It says in vs. 17,

That Matthew intentionally organizes this list in groups of 14:

From Abraham to David,

From David to the Babylonian exile,

And the Babylonian exile to the Messiah.

14 generations,

14 generations.

Matthew arranged the genealogy this way purposefully for specific cultural reasons.

The Hebrews had a system of assigning numerical values to certain words based on the corresponding letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

This was called gematria.

So, when you add up the numerical values of the Hebrew consonants in David’s name using this gematria,

You get 14.

So, from the start,

Matthew was arranging his genealogy to connect King David to King Jesus.

Pictures like this are why we are not just going to skip over Matthew’s genealogy.

It is so much more than hard name to pronounce fathered hard name to pronounce.

The genealogy clues us into the purpose of the Gospel of Matthew.

YOU: The Kingdom

And the purpose of the Gospel,

Is that it is about the Kingdom.

Slide

The OT is full of promises about God’s kingdom,

And from the opening words of the Gospel of Matthew,

We see that the Kingdom figures prominently.

So, I would like to introduce how we see several concepts fit within the kingdom framework.

First, the Gospel is the message of the kingdom.

The central message that comes from Jesus in Matthew is clear,

Matthew 4:17 (ESV)

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Second, disciples are the citizens of the Kingdom.

Jesus begins His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7,

By telling us what the citizens of the Kingdom are like.

Third, discipleship is the demands of the Kingdom.

Jesus is the Sovereign King.

And following this King is costly.

One example comes from Jesus Himself in Matthew 10:39,

Where He says,

Matthew 10:39 ESV

Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

That is the demand of the kingdom,

That is discipleship.

Next, the church is the outpost of the Kingdom.

Matthew is actually the only gospel that uses the word church.

Throughout the Gospel,

Jesus teaches how He designed His body,

Made up of His members,

To be a demonstration,

A living picture,

Of what the Kingdom of God looks like.

So, Matthew’s point is that if you want to see what it looks like to live under the rule and reign of King Jesus,

Then look to the outpost,

Look at the church.

Fifth, the mission is the advancement of the Kingdom.

The outpost,

The church,

Proclaims the message,

The gospel.

And Jesus says in Matthew 16:18,

That...

Matthew 16:18 (ESV)

the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Sixth, is the enemies of the kingdom,

Demons.

The Gospel of Matthew is clear,

The devil,

And his demonic minions,

Are completely and absolutely, 100% opposed to King Jesus,

And everyone,

And everything,

In His Kingdom.

This means the devil,

And his demons,

Are completely and absolutely, 100% opposed to you and me.

That is a terrifying reality,

But God,

Limits the Devil’s power,

And King Jesus assures the Devil is doomed for eternity.

Finally, we hope in the coming of the Kingdom.

Slide

Matthew presents a dual picture regarding the coming of the Kingdom.

It is called the already-not yet.

On one hand,

The kingdom has already come.

It is already a present reality.

Matthew announces that the King is Here!

King Jesus has already come!

He has broken into the darkness,

Intervened in this hurting world,

And has brought healing and forgiveness.

He already binds up the brokenhearted,

Gives rest to the weary,

Gives sight to the blind,

And gives life to the dead.

The Kingdom has already come.

But the Kingdom has also not yet come,

At least, not fully.

Matthew also shows how the Kingdom in its fullness,

Is a future realization.

Jesus died on the cross,

Rose from the dead,

Then departed to return to heaven.

But when He did,

He promised to the citizens of His Kingdom,

His disciples,

That He would return.

So, the King is coming back!

When Jesus first came,

He was born as a helpless baby,

Needed to be swaddled, fed, and cared for by His parents.

When the King comes back,

He is coming as the King with His crown,

To establish His perfect throne forever!

WE: Bottom Line Application

So, as we go through the book of Matthew,

We are going to meet a lot of people.

But in general,

Slide

There are three overarching groups of people.

First, we meet these religious leaders who deny Jesus.

Second, we meet crowds of people who casually follow Jesus.

Because He is giving them what they want,

He peaks their interest.

But they do not follow Him fully,

And in the end,

They are not citizens of His Kingdom.

And third, we meet the small group of disciples.

The chosen,

The members of His body.

They follow Jesus deliberately,

They learn from Jesus,

And history records how they eventually lose their lives for Jesus.

So, as we go through Matthew’s gospel,

Do not just passively read it.

Or study it just for informational head knowledge.

As we go through,

Prepare yourself to obey what the King teaches His members.

Consider these groups of people,

And ask yourself,

Which group am I a part of?

Am I more like the religious leaders?

Do I reject Jesus?

In Matthew,

These religious leaders lead the charge against Jesus.

They are first in line to attack His character,

They are the most vocal when it comes to also attacking His claims.

They pridefully deny that Jesus is King.

Are you like the religious leaders in that way?

Perhaps, you are more like the crowds.

Do you kinda casually observe Jesus?

My fear is that this is where many who call themselves Christians find themselves today.

They will attend church,

May even be a member of the church.

But they are merely adding Jesus as a part of their life.

They might do good things,

Likely doing good things even at the church,

Or with the church.

In some way, shape, or form,

They are associated with Jesus.

But they will be the ones Matthew warns about in Matthew 7:22-23.

The ones who will say to Jesus,

Matthew 7:22 (ESV)

‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’

And Jesus will say back to them,

Matthew 7:23 (ESV)

‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Are you a casual observer of Jesus,

Loosely following Him like the crowds in Matthew?

Or, are you like the disciples?

Members of Christ’s body,

Who deliberately and unconditionally follow Jesus.

In our day,

This idea of nominal Christianity,

And lazy discipleship,

Is plaguing our culture.

Can we rise up in the face of this,

And declare that...

Jesus is King!

And because He is King,

There are no conditions on our obedience to Him!

Can we say,

“Jesus, where You go,

I go.

Where You stay,

I stay.

I will follow You,

Wherever You lead me!

I will give You whatever You ask of me!

I will abandon all that I have and all that I am!

Because You are King,

And You are worthy of it all!”

This is what Jesus calls His disciples to in Matthew.

This declaration is at the heart of what it means to be a citizen of the Kingdom,

A disciple of Jesus Christ,

A member of His body.

Slide

And going back to the Great Commission,

This is what Jesus commands us to do as His disciples,

And as we make disciples.

Teaching obedience to everything He commands,

And making this declaration,

By baptizing disciples in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

This morning,

We are excited to celebrate with someone who has made this declaration,

And is obeying Jesus by being baptized.

Jazmine Albin has been a part of FBC Afton for almost a year now.

And she has expressed her trust in Jesus Christ,

As well as the desire to commit to being a member of our body.

Lord willing, next week,

Her, and another lady who has been a part of FBC Afton for awhile now,

Kelly Mallette,

Will share their testimonies during the morning service,

And we will have the opportunity to affirm our commitment to them as members.

But this morning,

We are excited to baptize Jazmine in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

As she gets ready,

I would like to make a quick mention about baptism,

That there is nothing magical about the baptism itself.

It is not holy water,

We filled it right out of the tap in the back.

But baptism is first,

A step of obedient commitment to Christ,

Since He Himself was baptized and calls us to be baptized.

But secondly,

Baptism is a symbol.

It represents Christ’s death and resurrection.

So, as we go under the water,

It represents dying to self,

And as we come out of the water,

We rise to new life in Christ.

The baptism itself does not save a person.

So, as we prepare to celebrate with Jazmine,

I would like to take a moment to pray as we prepare.

And if you are here,

And you trust in Christ as your Lord and Savior,

But have not yet been baptized,

I will be sitting up here,

If you would like to come and connect with me,

I would be happy to answer any questions you may have,

And maybe even have the opportunity to baptize you this morning.

Let’s pray.

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