The Church On Mission Is A Great Commission Church
Acts: The Church On Mission • Sermon • Submitted
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The Church on Mission is a Great Commission Church
The Church on Mission is a Great Commission Church
Introduction
-title of series
-title of today’s message
What is the Great Commission?
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.”
Read Acts 9:1-19
1 But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 4 And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8 Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” 13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” 17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; 19 and taking food, he was strengthened.
For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus.
PRAY
There’s so much we can take from this passage, but we will focus our attention today on 2 main points and the first is this:
The Church on Mission is a Great Commission Church because:
God desires EVERYONE to be saved
we can look at the conversion of Saul and actually see both of two of the biggest hurdles to becoming a Christian.
and for our part as Christians, they are the same two hurdles to why we don’t share the gospel message with people...
God’s plan is for Christians to be His agent in proclaiming the Gospel message
the first one is this… the person that says...
“I’m not good enough.”
and as Christians we might say, “he’s not good enough”… or “she’ll never change”
Consider first Saul’s state of mind at the time. Luke has already mentioned him three times, and each time as a bitter opponent of Christ and his church. He tells us that at Stephen’s martyrdom ‘the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul’ (7:58), that ‘Saul was there, giving approval to his death’ (8:1), and that then ‘Saul began to destroy the church’ (8:3), making a house-to-house search for Christians, dragging men and women off to prison. Now Luke resumes Saul’s story by saying that he was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples (9:1). He had not changed since Stephen’s death; he was still in the same mental condition of hatred and hostility.
the second one is this… the person that says...
“
“I’m already good enough.”
or as Christians we might say, “she must be a Christian, she does good things”
The Message of Acts 1. Saul Himself: His Pre-conversion State in Jerusalem (9:1–2)
Consider first Saul’s state of mind at the time. Luke has already mentioned him three times, and each time as a bitter opponent of Christ and his church. He tells us that at Stephen’s martyrdom ‘the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul’ (7:58), that ‘Saul was there, giving approval to his death’ (8:1), and that then ‘Saul began to destroy the church’ (8:3), making a house-to-house search for Christians, dragging men and women off to prison. Now Luke resumes Saul’s story by saying that he was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples (9:1). He had not changed since Stephen’s death; he was still in the same mental condition of hatred and hostility.
Let me be clear about this.... Saul was sincere about following God. The God of Israel… the one true God.
He followed the Law as well as anyone
He was probably aware of the coming Messiah.
He was probably aware of the coming Messiah. But in his mind
But there’s no way that the status, career and teaching of Jesus conformed in any way to Paul’s idea of the status, career and teaching of the coming Messiah
And in his mind, this man Jesus could not have been the Messiah because he was crucified. Saul must have thought, a crucified Messiah is no Messiah at all!
The death of Jesus would have come within the meaning of that says a hanged man is cursed by God
which of course Jesus was cursed… for our sake.... but Saul didn’t recognize that yet
23 his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance.
So in Saul’s mind, he was righteous. all of his good deeds and his zeal for the Law made it so!
even his current mission to arrest these “Jesus followers” he considered a righteous mission.
He had heard Stephen say that the “new had come so the old must go”
and Saul was saying “uh, no… the old must stay so the new must go”
1 But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 4 And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” 7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8 Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” 13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” 17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; 19 and taking food, he was strengthened.
For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus.
Acts 9:1-19
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!”
The Church on Mission is a Great Commission Church because:
God desires EVERYONE to be saved
God’s plan is for Christians to be His agent in proclaiming the Gospel message
1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching Great Commission
Great Commission
When Jesus ascended to heaven after his mission on earth, the angels asked him: “Did you accomplish your task?”
“Yes, all is finished,” the Lord replied.
“We have a second question,” said the angels. “Has the whole world heard of you?”
“No,” said Jesus.
The angels next asked, “Then what is your plan?”
Jesus said, “I have left twelve men and some other followers to carry the message to the whole world.”
The angels looked at him and asked: “What is your Plan B?”
Friends, there is no Plan B. Jesus desires to reach the world through men and women like you and me.615
15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.
but Saul didn’t understand this job of his to only be for him. as people responded to his gospel message, he then encouraged them to go out carrying the name of Jesus to those who hadn’t heard it yet!
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!”
12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
In Paul talks about putting on the “whole armor of God” … The shoes (part of the armor of God) should make the believers “ready to proclaim the gospel of peace”
Book - I’ve God A Job To Do by Dandi Mackall
Jesus loves the world, the Bible tells us so
Now he’s back in heaven and tells us, “Go!”
People need a savior, tell them, “God loves you!”
So I’ve got a job to do!
If I walk to school or I ride the bus
I can tell my friends, “Jesus died for us”
If the driver asks, I can tell her, too
I’ve got a job to do!
CLOSING
Gospel presentation followed by prayer
sincerity alone doesn’t save… Saul actually believed he was righteous, yet he couldn’t have been more wrong. All of his good deeds, all of his careful rule following amounted to nothing.
when people today say, “it doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you’re sincere”, we must object to that way of thinking!
Saul was sincerely wrong about Jesus and the way of salvation like many people today. You MUST put faith in Christ alone in order to receive salvation!
Just like Saul, no one is so bad they are beyond God’s grace to be saved
and just like Saul, no one is good enough that they can be saved on their own merit
just like Saul, we can and must:
-experience a personal encounter with Jesus Christ
-surrender to Him in repentance and faith
-and receive His call to service for His Kingdom