Matt 28:16-20

Matthew 28:16-20 (ESV)
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.
17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.
18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
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."

INTRO:

The Big Idea: Make Disciples

How to make disciples:

1.       Go – literally: “As you are going”

2.       Baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

a.       Sharing the Gospel – Calling people to Christ

b.      Uniting them with the Church and with the Triune God

3.       Teaching them to observe [OBEY] all that I have commanded you

                                                   i.      What has Jesus commanded?

                                                 ii.      Not just the “red letters” but the entirety of Scripture.

                                                iii.      What did Jesus say that all of the Law and prophets depend on?

1.       Matthew 22:36-40 (ESV)
36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?"
37 And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
38 This is the great and first commandment.
39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."

Who:

Disciples

1.       Some worship some doubt

·         V.17 - “doubt” denotes not intellectual unbelief but the hesitation natural to those confronted by a unique and ‘impossible’ occurrence.

a.       They encountered the resurrected Jesus.

Jesus

2.       V.18 - "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

a.       Jesus has all authority; His authority is superior to all other authorities

b.      His resurrection proves His authority over any power that can be imagined.

c.       It is based on His authority they we are to make disciples

                                                   i.      V.19 “Therefore”

d.      Because Jesus has all authority disciple making is not an option or a suggestion.

e.      It is the calling of ALL believers.

f.        We are to point people to follow the King.

3.       V.20 – “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

a.       Note Jesus says I “am” with you, not I “will be” with you.

b.      As we are going and making disciples, Jesus is with us, it is not a future even that we are waiting for.

c.       But why is this important?

                                                   i.      We are weak

                                                 ii.      The world is fallen

                                                iii.      Dangerous

                                               iv.      Impossible

                                                 v.      We doubt

4.       How are we to evaluate our success in disciple making?

a.       When we have shared the gospel?

b.      When we see people converted?

c.       No, Jesus told us to teach them to obey all that He has commanded.

                                                   i.      Our success is measured by obedience, not knowledge.

                                                 ii.      In his book The Master Plan of Evangelism, Robert Coleman says:

"The test of any work of evangelism thus is not what is seen at the moment, or in the conference report, but in the effectiveness with which the work continues in the next generation…success is not how many new names are added to the role but how many Christians are actively winning souls and training them to win the multitudes"

                                                iii.      In other words how many are actually obeying the Great Commission.

                                               iv.      Our work doesn’t end when we evangelize someone.

                                                 v.      We must spend time with people showing them what it means to be a disciple. Simply proclaiming the gospel is not enough.

5.       Generally, how is the church doing?

6.       Specifically, how is THIS church doing

7.       More specifically, how are you doing?

If you are believer, if you have repented and placed your trust in Christ as your savior then you are called to make disciples. It’s not an option, it’s a command.

If you have never repented and trusted Christ as your savior then Christ offers you that opportunity today. You should consider your sin in light of God’s holiness. Things that we think are minor are really not. We may compare ourselves to other people and conclude that we are good people but when we compare ourselves to the holiness of God it is clear that we are not deserving of His love but His wrath. If you want to get a glimpse of God’s holiness just take a look at the 10 commandments. Contrary to popular opinion they are not simply a list of rules, they reflect the holiness of God. For us, the 10 commandments function like a mirror; they allow us to see our condition as it really is.

#9 – Have you ever lied? White lies or half-truth or whatever you want to call it. Rev 21:8 says that the fate of liars is the Lake of Fire.

#10 – Have you ever stolen something?

#7 – The seventh commandment tell us not to commit adultery. But Jesus said, in Matt 5:27-28, that looking with lust is adultery of the heart.

Unlike man’s law the Law of God judges the not only our actions but also the intent of our heart. When we compare ourselves to God’s it is like looking n a mirror and seeing what we really look like. When you left your house this morning you looked in the mirror to make sure that you looked good. Why would you do anything less with your spiritual condition?

 Because God is just and holy He must punish sinners. His justice requires that lawbreakers be punished. God is also loving; He looked upon this sinful world with love and sent Christ to die for our sins. Christ took the punishment we deserve for our sin. He satisfied the wrath and justice of God.

Today have an opportunity to repent and trust Christ as your savior. You may not get another chance.

NOTES:

·         “doubted”  - it denotes not intellectual unbelief but the hesitation natural to those confronted by a unique and ‘impossible’ occurrence

·         “in the name of” - In the name of denotes the one to whom allegiance is pledged in baptism

·         His presence means power, because as we fulfill this great command, we work in His name.

·         His presence means peace, because it always reminds us that the church belongs to Jesus. It is His church, and His work. How then can we worry?