Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

There is a tendency for every great institution, organization, and movement to drift from the mission over time.

Very often, the more time that passes the more watered down the mission becomes.

I remember in college working at Winn Dixie in the meat market.

One day, I came to work, and there was a stack of 32” TV’s for sale behind the meat counter.

And, I remember thinking, “One of these things is not like the other.”

The mission of our store to be famous for quality meat that we sold and for that meat to be the draw had been watered down if not lost completely.

Now, we were hoping that we might use gimmicks and bait-n-switch tactics to manipulate people into either purchasing beef while buying a TV or buying a TV while shopping for beef.

Shortly thereafter, our company filed for bankruptcy.

The church today appears to have an identity crisis that has led the mission drift.

We’re trying to modernize Christianity for the post-modern, post-Christian age.

But, Christianity isn’t open for re-definition.

The teachings which define our faith aren’t open for re-interpretation.

In making disciples, we are to make a particular type of disciples, the type of disciples that Jesus made, in a particular way, in the way that Jesus made them.

This is the essence of the Christian mission that has been handed down to us over 2000 years.

This morning, I want to look at the nature of our mission and how we are to accomplish it so that we might avoid mission drift and correct where we find ourselves drifting.

God’s Word

Read

How Make Disciples, How to Be Disciples

v. 18 “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Therefore…make disciples.”

In our passage there are two simultaneous realities: how to make disciples and how to be disciples.

By seeing the type of disciples that we are supposed to make, we see the type of disciples that we are to be.

Jesus is defining the process of making disciples so that we might understand not only what we are supposed to do but also how we are to do it.

If you’ll remember back to last week, I pointed out briefly that there’s one command in Jesus’ commission, ‘make disciples’, and there’s three participles that are given that describe the nature of making disciples, ‘going’, ‘baptizing’, and ‘teaching’.

And, that’s what I really want us to focus on this morning -- the how.

Last week, we saw the what ‘make disciples’, and this week, I want us to see the how of making disciples (headline), ‘going’, ‘baptizing’, and ‘teaching.’

Jesus is defining the process of making disciples so that we might understand not only what we are supposed to do but also how we are to do it.

If you’ll remember back to last week, I pointed out briefly that there’s one command in Jesus’ commission, ‘make disciples’, and there’s three participles that are given that describe the nature of making disciples, ‘going’, ‘baptizing’, and ‘teaching’.

And, that’s what I really want us to focus on this morning -- the how.

Last week, we saw the what ‘make disciples’, and this week, I want us to see the how of making disciples (headline), ‘going’, ‘baptizing’, and ‘teaching.’

“Go” to All Nations.

v. 19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” The first how of disciple-making is to “go” to all nations.

Now, I’ve pointed out to you that ‘go’ could be translated as ‘going.’

So that leaves us the questions as to why did they translate it as ‘go’ then?

In Greek, by placing ‘go’ in the sentence before ‘make disciples’, Jesus is giving it greater force than the other two.

It is almost as strong as his command to ‘make disciples.’

‘Going’ is the most central part of how we make disciples.

I hope it’s obvious to you that this is far more than merely traveling to people or living among people or even meeting the needs of people.

“Going” always leads to “telling”.

Paul interpreted this the exact same way in .

He says, ‘13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

14 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?

15 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!”

So, follow Paul’s school of thought: Anyone who offers their life to Jesus will be saved.

But, they can’t call on him if they haven’t heard of him and what He’s done.

And, they have no chance of hearing of him if no one tells them.

So, we must go, and we must tell, and our going and telling is beautiful in the sight of God.

Going always leads to telling, and telling leads to the pleasure of God.

It’s beautiful to him.

There’s two different ways in view in the way that Jesus words it that we should consider because both ways are part of the Great Commission.

First of all, we should understand it: “As you go, make disciples.”

That is, as you live your life, as you go home, as you go to work, as you go to church, make disciples wherever you are and among whomever you’re with.