The Great Commission — Going to all People
The Great Commission • Sermon • Submitted
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· 27 viewsThe third great commission reveals that missions and evangelism is all about people who need Jesus.
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Text: Luke 24:45-49
Theme: The third great commission reveals that missions and evangelism is all about people who need Jesus.
This morning we sang the chorus to a contemporary hymn entitled, “People Need the Lord.” Written in 1983, the inspiration for the song came when two friends were sitting in a coffee shop in Nashville, TN. According to the composers, as Phill McHugh became aware of the pain in the eyes of their waitress, he said to Greg Nelson, “People need the Lord, don’t they?” Nelson responded, “Yes, people do need the Lord.” From that brief exchange came the idea for the song, which was sketched in outline during the remainder of the meal. The hymn is based on Mark 6:34: “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd”
While most hymnals only contain the chorus, the second stanza (sung in the first-person plural) reminds us that we have the “words of life” that lost sinners need to hear:
We are called to take His light
To a world where wrong seems right
What could be too great a cost for
Sharing life with one who's lost?
Through His love our hearts can feel
All the grief they bear
They must hear the words of life
Only we can share
This morning, I want to preach the third of five messages on becoming a Great Commission Church. Each sermon is based on one of the five passages where the Commission is found. So far we’ve looked at the Great Commission from Matthew and Mark’s Gospels. This morning we will examine the commission found in Luke’s Gospel.
“Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”” (Luke 24:45–49, ESV)
The Third Great Commission — Luke 24:45-49 — Reveals Our Third Priority : Going to People Everywhere
I. WE MUST GO TO ALL PEOPLE BECAUSE PEOPLE NEED THE LORD
I. WE MUST GO TO ALL PEOPLE BECAUSE PEOPLE NEED THE LORD
ILLUS. Most of you have probably heard of a religious group known as the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing. But that’s a mouth-full. You probably know them better as the Shakers. They were originally known as “shaking Quakers” because of their ecstatic behavior during worship services — particularly frenzied dancing. We know them today primarily for their beautiful furniture of simple design, featuring straight lines, and sturdiness. At their zenith in the mid-1800's they numbered about six thousand adherents. Their’s was a simple and uncluttered communal life-style. They were an evangelistic faith and ardently sought to win converts. Today, however, their numbers have declined dramatically to a mere two adherents — both of whom are very elderly women — who live in one small community at Sabbathday Lake, Maine. Barring a miracle or some unexpected resurgence of interest, (unlikely since their primary spiritual discipline is celibacy) we are witnessing the last generation of Shakers. When the last two believers are dead, no more Shakers will remain unless someone chooses to resurrect their beliefs. The death of this religious group has a reason. The reason is reflected in a statement made by one of the remaining Shakers a few years ago. In a documentary by Ken Burns Sister Francis said, “ ... no one asks to become a member. No one seems interested.” Her words are prophetic for churches today.
A. WE MUST GO TO ALL PEOPLE BECAUSE PEOPLE WILL NOT COME ON THEIR OWN
A. WE MUST GO TO ALL PEOPLE BECAUSE PEOPLE WILL NOT COME ON THEIR OWN
1. we cannot wait until people come to church to ask us about Jesus
a. we cannot wait for the unconverted to ask us about Jesus because the vast, vast majority of lost sinners do not seek after God and will not ask us about Him
“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14, ESV)
“as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” 13 “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” 14 “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 in their paths are ruin and misery, 17 and the way of peace they have not known.” 18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”” (Romans 3:10–18, ESV)
1) these are not flattering descriptions of the lost sinner, but they are accurate descriptions
b. according to the Scriptures, the typical lost sinner is not actively seeking after a relationship with God
1) whether it’s a Muslim raised under Islamic fundamentalism or a Baptist raised under the Christian gospel — without Jesus in their life, both love darkness rather than light, both are spiritually discerned, neither seeketh after God, both have become unprofitable, neither doeth good, neither are righteous, and neither seeks for God
2) both need a saving relationship with Jesus who is the Christ
3) both need to be told about a Savior who died for sinners
4) both need to repent and confess that “Jesus is Lord”
ILLUS. And here is the incredible good news ... 82% of Americans say they would attend a worship service if they were asked! BUT, only two percent of church members invite an unchurched person to church. — Dr Thom Rainer in The Unchurched Next Door, (former Lifeway president).
2. someone may ask, “Pastor, if the Bible is true, and no one seeks after God, then why are there so many religions in the world?”
a. men were created as spiritual beings who need a relationship with their Creator, but sin has distorted man’s understanding of God
1) ever since Adam, men have sought to satisfy their spiritual hunger with religious rites and personal righteousness rather than serving the true and living God
b. religion actually becomes a means of keeping people away from a knowledge of and relationship with God — and friends, that’s even true of Christianity
ILLUS. One of the great calamities of American culture is that vast majority of our nation’s citizens have been inoculated against the power of the Gospel. We have given them a little dose of Jesus — just enough to make them think that they have the real thing, but not enough to bring them to repentance and faith.
c. there is also another problem — preachers who refuse to preach the scandal of the cross
1) there are thousands of churches across America where congregants may occasionally hear the story of Jesus, but they never hear the Gospel of salvation
2) the very essence of biblical Christianity is the knowledge that the real human problem is sin — not sickness or psychosis — and that the only rescue is that which comes through faith in Christ’s atoning death on the cross
a) the “scandal” of the cross is that God dares to call people what they are ... sinners condemned unclean whose only method for cleansing is to be dipped in the blood of Christ
3) in 2 Corinthians 5:21 Paul writes, "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
ILLUS. The scandal of the cross is that while on the cross Jesus becomes the worst of the worst and we put on the righteousness of God. On the cross, Jesus becomes the worst sinner of all time. The sins of all believers in all times and in all places get imputed onto Jesus. Jesus becomes the adulterer. The liar. The thief. He becomes the gossip and the town drunk. He becomes the racist and the oppressor. The self-righteous Pharisee. The cheater. The fraud. Jesus gets all that, and in return we get his righteousness.
This is scandalous. Jesus, who knew no sin, gets beaten and bruised in order to make an unfair exchange — giving up his own righteousness to receive our unrighteousness.
a) the scandal of the cross has become too scandalous even for some churches, and certainly way to scandalous for the broader society
... We must Go to All People Because People Will Not Come on Their Own
II. WE MUST GO TO ALL PEOPLE BECAUSE GOD IS DRAWING MANY PEOPLE TO HIMSELF
II. WE MUST GO TO ALL PEOPLE BECAUSE GOD IS DRAWING MANY PEOPLE TO HIMSELF
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—” (John 6:44–45, ESV)
1. 1st, we must never forget that the Spirit of God is at work in the lives of sinners
a. His primary function — according to John 16:8 — is to convict the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment
b. God does not leave the salvation of sinners to our persuasive efforts alone but He does involve us!
2. 2nd, another means by which he accomplishes that conviction is the preaching of the gospel
“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!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:13–17, ESV)
3. 3rd, God uses the lives and the witness of Christians to illustrate what salvation does
““You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:13–16, ESV)
a. the Christians responsibility in this world is to both sting and shine
1) the sting comes when we challenge our friends and family and co-workers and school mates with the Gospel — that they are sinners who need redemption that only Jesus can provide
2) the shine comes when we live a life that backs up what we say and models a Christ-like life before them
b. they need both
1) the result is that they will glorify God in heaven
c. how will they glorify God in heaven?
1) by believing that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him (Heb. 11:6)
4. 4th, you must intercede with God that the Spirit will seek them, that the Gospel will be clear to them, and that our witness may be steadfast
ILLUS. R. A. Torrey—a Baptist preacher of an earlier generation—said, "Prayer is the key the unlocks all the storehouses of God's infinite grace and power. All that God is, and all that God has, is at the disposal of prayer.”
a. prayer has the power to not only change our own lives, but to change the lives of others
1) prayer can change the lives of those we don't know in far away places
2) prayer can change the lives of those we do know who live across the street
3) prayer can change events and move people to unknowingly do God's will
4) if we really believe that prayer makes a difference in our own lives ... if we really believe that prayer makes a difference in the lives of those we hardly know in far away places ... if we really believe that prayer can change events and move people to unknowingly do the God's will ... if we really believe that prayer makes a difference in the lives of those we do know who live across the street ...
b. then why don't we all pray more often, more consistently, more fervently, and with more energy and force?
ILLUS. George Mueller was one of the founders of the Plymouth Brethren movement, and also one of the great evangelists of the late 19th century.
He was also known as a great prayer warrior. In his memoirs, Mueller tells about five personal friends that he began to pray for very early in his life as a Christian.
After five years one of them came to faith in Christ. After ten years, two more of them came to the Savior. He prayed on for another twenty-five years, and the fourth friend was saved. While on his deathbed George Mueller prayed for that fifth unconverted friend, but died never seeing his friend won to Christ. Within a few months of Mueller's death, however, that friend, also, came to Christ. For this last friend, Mr. Mueller had prayed almost fifty-two years!
1) lesson? never stop persevering in prayer for the lost
... We must Go to All People Because the Spirit Is Drawing Many to the Father
III. WE MUST GO TO ALL PEOPLE BECAUSE GOD IS NO RESPECTER OF PERSONS
III. WE MUST GO TO ALL PEOPLE BECAUSE GOD IS NO RESPECTER OF PERSONS
1. in the Book of Revelation, the Apostle John reminds us that the blood of Jesus will ransom men from every tribe, and language, and people, and nation
a. as if to make his point, the Apostle tells us that three different times
“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,” (Revelation 7:9, ESV)
2. the Bible teaches that there is no respecting of persons with God
a. what does that mean? God is blind to all the characteristics and attributes humans use to differentiate each other — God does not use intersectionality to determine a person’s worth
1) the Apostle Paul wrote "For there is no respect of persons with God," (Rom. 2:11)
b. what this means is that, when it comes to salvation, God is blind to nationality, ethnicity, gender, class, race, or social standing
1) this is sometimes hard for us because frequently we are given to respect of persons
ILLUS. In Luke’s gospel Jesus tells the disciples that forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations. The word nation in that verse is the word ethnē from which we get our English words ethnic and ethnicity. The command is clear — evangelism and missions must be color-blind ... and class-blind ... and nationality-blind ... and ... well, you get the point.
2) we need to see humanity as God sees humanity — every person you meet is either lost or saved, either a child of God or a child of Satan, either a believer or a non-believer
a) everything ... everything is secondary to those classifications
3. what’s the implication?
a. we are to witness in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the farthest reaches of the earth because in every nation there are lost sinners whom the Spirit is drawing to the Father and they need to hear the Gospel and see a Christian witness
b. that means we begin in Linn, and then, as we are able, we go out in concentric circles of evangelistic influence from this place to other places as the Lord may lead us
ILLUS. We must, in the words of one of our hymns, “ ... bear the news to every land, climb the steeps and cross the waves; Onward, ‘tis our Lord’s command, Jesus Saves, Jesus Saves.”
c. do you understand this morning, that God is seeking to save people everywhere — even people not like you and even people you don’t like?
d. and if we can’t physically go, we are to financially enable those who can and will go and then support their going through our prayers and encouragements
... If We Wait for People to Ask, Then We Too Are in Danger of Extinction — We Are to Go to All People
IV. Our Third Priority Shift: WE NEED TO SHIFT OUR THINKING FROM SELF- ENTEREDNESS TO OTHER-CENTEREDNESS
IV. Our Third Priority Shift: WE NEED TO SHIFT OUR THINKING FROM SELF- ENTEREDNESS TO OTHER-CENTEREDNESS
ILLUS. Dr. James Stewart, professor of New Testament at the University of Edinburgh, described what he thought is the greatest threat to the church. He said, "It is not communism, atheism, or materialism; the greatest threat is Christians trying to sneak into heaven incognito without ever sharing their faith."
1. how do we shift from self-centeredness to other-centeredness?
2. you must perceive everyone you meet as one whom the Spirit seeks to bring to Christ
a. there are four ways we can fundamentally treat the people we meet in life
1) We Can Idolize Them
a) this is what we often do with entertainers, sports personalities and the rich and famous
b) we put them on a pedestal and admire them and lavish attention upon them
c) when we idolize people we don’t think they need the Lord
2) We Can Demonize Them
a) it’s so tempting — it’s so easy — to consider people different than us as inferior to us
b) when we demonize others, it is easy to use them as scapegoats and — at the worst — persecute them, and — at the least — ignore them
c) when we demonize people, we don’t care if they know the Lord
3) We Can Utilize Them
a) this is perhaps the great sin of the church today
b) we see people as resources to be used rather than as people to know
c) when we utilize people don’t bother to find out if they need the Lord
4) We Can Humanize Them
a) this is the very best way to treat people — as the unique individuals they are
b) when we humanize people we know they need the Lord — After humanizing them we must evangelize them
c) Jesus always personalized his treatment of people
ILLUS. The contrast between our Lord’s encounter with the woman at the well in the 4th chapter of John’s gospel and his conversation with Nicodemus in the 3rd chapter reveal how Jesus tailored his approach to people. The difference between these two individuals is striking. Nicodemus is a Jewish man, she is a Samaritan woman. Nicodemus is an individual of high moral character. Her reputation is dubious. The woman is one of society’s ‘down-n’-outs’ while Nicodemus is one of society’s ‘up-n’-ins’. Nicodemus is a teacher of Israel, she is an uneducated peasant.
d) Jesus loves them both and seeks to treat them as the individuals they are
May God grant us a spirit of repentance from our self-centeredness and may we truly become Christians who are intercessors for the lost. Brethren, let us pray.