Good morning. Well, with last week being Easter, we finished up our series that looked at what Jesus had to tell us before He died on the cross. With being finished, I think it is important this morning to take a look at Jesus’ final command as well. After Jesus rose from the dead, He met with His disciples, and He gave them some final instruction. These instructions come to us in Matthew 28:16-20 if you want to go ahead and turn there with me this morning. These are words of encouragement, and words of growth. Listen to this command, Matthew 28:16-20 says, “1”
When he was the pastor of the Methodist church in Scarborough, William Sangster had an eccentric member who tried to be a zealous Christian. He was always trying to witness to others. I say trying because unfortunately, the man was unable to word things appropriately. While working as a barber the man lathered up a customer for a shave, came at him with the razor, and asked, “Are you prepared to meet your God?” The frightened man fled with the lather still on his face!
George Sweeting, in his book The No-Guilt Guide for Witnessing, tells of a man by the name of John Currier who in 1949 was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Later he was transferred and paroled to work on a farm near Nashville, Tennessee. In 1968, Currier’s sentence was terminated, and a letter bearing the good news was sent to him. But John never saw that letter, nor was he told anything about it.
Life on that farm was hard and without promise for the future. Yet John kept doing what he was told even after the farmer for whom he worked had died. 10 years went by. Then a state parole officer learned about Currier’s plight, found him, and told him that his sentence had been terminated. He was a free man.
Sweeting concluded that story by asking, “Would it matter to you if someone sent you an important message; the most important message in your life; and year after year the urgent message was never delivered?”
We who have heard the good news and experienced freedom through Christ are responsible to proclaim that message to all others that are still enslaved by sin. Are we doing all that we can to make sure that people get the message?
Before we move on this morning, let’s open with a word of prayer. Let’s Pray!
Let’s take this morning to take a good look at 6 things that this passage points out, and then we will decide what it means to us here at Fly Branch Church of Christ in 2007.
First, All Authority Is In Jesus.
D.L. Moody once spoke with a woman who didn’t like his method of evangelism. “I don’t really like mine all that much either.” he said. “What’s yours?” She replied that she didn’t have one. Moody then said, “Well, I like mine better than yours.”
But by whose authority do we carry out this mission? What right do we have to disrupt others lives? What makes our beliefs more important and unstoppable? Well, the answer is that Jesus gave us the authority and the ability to do this. Like Jesus, we can now make disciples, we can now baptize people, and teach them to obey God. It is by His authority that that we speak. “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in Heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
Second, Go!
So what is the first step in carrying out the Great Commission? “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations…”
“Where ever you go” should be the understanding of that “Go” for today. Our daily business takes us too many places and most of those places have people. There is where the "go" command is fulfilled.
A young man enlisted, and was sent to his regiment. The first night he was in the barracks with about fifteen other young men, who passed the time playing cards and gambling. Before retiring, he fell on his knees and prayed, and they began to curse him and jeer at him and throw boots at him. So it went on the next night and the next, and finally the young man went and told the chaplain what had taken place, and asked what he should do.
“Well,” said the chaplain, “you are not at home now, and the other men have just as much right to the barracks as you have. It makes them mad to hear you pray, and the Lord will hear you just as well if you say your prayers in bed and don’t provoke them.”
For weeks after the chaplain did not see the young man again, but one day he met him, and asked, “By the way, did you take my advice? How did it work?” “Well,” said the young man, “I felt like a whipped hound and the third night I got out of bed, knelt down and prayed.” “Well,” asked the chaplain, “How did that work?”
The young soldier answered: “We have a prayer meeting there now every night, and three have been converted, and we are praying for the rest.”
You see, you are already in YOUR MISSION FIELD. I want you to know a very simple secret this morning. Most of us will not be called to become a missionary in some foreign country. But God expects you to be a missionary where you are now.
In the world in which we live we are surrounded by both Christians and non-Christians every day. Some people know Jesus – some people don’t. In this sense America is no different then India, China, or Africa. In fact any place you go in the world you will find 2 types of people. Those who know Christ and those who don’t. Our mission is simple, it is to help people know Jesus.
Our mission field is right here, where we are. If God has you in Africa or India, then that is your mission field. If God has you in Alaska or Canada, then that is your mission field. If you are in Vanceburg, Quincy, Black Oak, Maysville, then that is your mission field. Wherever you go, that is your mission field. You see, God has a great plan for this world, “…that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Thirdly, We Have To Make Disciples.
The command from Jesus in this Great Commission is to “Make Disciples.” It is commanded. But just how do we make disciples? How do we begin? First, by being a disciple ourselves, by accepting and learning about Christ on our own first. We need to set the example by being a learner. Not one of us in this room knows it all. Even me, a minister that Graduated from a Bible College, I still attend our Bible studies and if I pay attention I will always learn something new or be reminded of an important truth that I have forgotten about.
So that is the key to making disciples. Being a disciple first is the only way. But then there is more to it than just being a disciple. You have to then teach them and lead them to the point of becoming a disciple.
Fourthly, This Passage Says To Be Baptizing Them.
So what does the “making a disciple” look like? The first step of a disciple is to be baptized. It is the public profession of faith in Christ. An old evangelist once said it is the “first” act of obedience.
As we look to last week and remember the death, burial, and resurrection that Jesus went though, we realize that baptism is a symbol of that same kind of death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.
You see, Jesus defeated death and rose again, and when we come up out of that water, we are coming out a new person. The old way of life is suppose to fade away, and a new way of life, one that follows God, is suppose to emerge. So we need to be “…baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit...”
Fifthly, We Must Teach Them To Obey.
A simple sign of being a disciple or being in Christ is that Jesus tells us, “If you love me...obey my commands.” The Lord wants and desires our obedience to His commands. But how can anyone obey God’s commands if they don’t know them. As Christians, we need to be making disciples, teaching them to obey what God has commanded them.
But how do we teach people to obey. I mean, we aren’t all ministers that speak from a pulpit. Well, that’s right, you are not all ministers that speak from a pulpit. But you are ministers that speak in the schools, in the garage, in other’s homes, in offices, and everyplace else that you find yourself. Speak to those people and teach them what God asks of us. Minister to those people you are already in contact with.
But a second way that we teach is by living by example. We need to teach those who don’t know God’s commands by showing them what to do. St. Francis of Assisi said “Always preach the Gospel, and when necessary, use words.” What was he talking about? He was telling us that the important thing is that we live out what we are telling people to live out. This isn’t a do as I say not as I do religion. In order to impress upon people the importance of being a Christian and obeying God’s commands is to live them out ourselves.
And Finally, Jesus Is Always With You.
Jesus said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” And “Lo, I am with you always.” And here in this Great Commission, He tells us, “…And surly I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” So what does Jesus mean by this?
Have you ever wanted to share your testimony with someone, but you were a bit afraid? Well with these passages, I get the understanding that when God is with us, we need not fear. When we go and witness to others, God is right there with us. We just need to rely on Him a little more when we try and share with others, and not worry about the fear that is inside of us.
So, there was a look at some of the important parts to this Great Commission. Now, let’s make a transition and see what that passage has that is of importance to us here at Fly Branch Church Of Christ in 2007.
As we do this, I can’t help but ask the question, “Which Part of “All” Don’t You Understand?” A pastor in a drought-stricken part of the south called his people to begin praying for rain. In fact he asked each member of the church to join in a prayer vigil that would continue day and night until God granted their request. Never had there been a greater sense of urgency in that church than was revealed over the next few days. At any hour one might pass that small rural church and find the lights on and someone at the altar praying.
Finally late Wednesday evening some dark clouds began to roll in. Soon rain began falling in sheets. Four straight days and nights it rained without ceasing. The creeks began overflowing their banks. It became necessary to evacuate people from their homes. Still the water kept rising. The entire community was now under water.
As rescue workers made their way in a boat through the floodwater evacuating the last reluctant stragglers, one of the boats passed that little country church now almost completely submerged. There on the roof of the church sat the pastor with a look of grand satisfaction on his face. As he surveyed the floodwaters he said to himself, “Not bad for a church our size. Not bad at all.”
Often small churches suffer from feelings of insecurities: “We’re too small to do that” or “We’re just a small church – we’ll leave that to bigger churches.” So, what does a small church in a small town like ours have to offer the world?
If you judge the value of things by how big they are, you will misjudge. That one screw doesn’t matter – don’t bother with putting it back in the engine of the car. That one toe is so small – it doesn’t matter if it’s ingrown. That one mosquito flying around isn’t very big – just let it be. You see, we can’t judge importance by its size. That includes this church. That includes your talents and abilities. That includes the value of others in the sight of God. Francis Schaeffer, a Christian theologian, said, “In God’s sight . . . there are no little places.” I might add, there are no little talents, nor are there little people.
As we look at this Great Commission, there’s one small word in verse 19 that carries a punch. It shows us that God can use small churches, even this one. It shows us that God has a plan for every talent He dishes out, even your small ones. And it shows that no person is too small or insignificant to matter to Him.
Let’s look at that one word, the same in virtually every translation of the Bible, from the classic older translations to the newer ones. It’s the word “ALL.” Jesus told His followers to go into all the world, or to make disciples of all the nations.
This group of disciples was a small group, yet they were told to “…go into all the world…” Now our church is a little bigger than Jesus’ little band of followers. So the command to “…go into all the world…” is the same for us. It means “ALL”
You are the first link in the chain that brings the good news to all the world. We are not all called to overseas work. We are not all called to be “missionaries” in that sense. But in the same sense, neither was Jesus. Once He got here, he never traveled more than 150 miles from his birthplace. You know who Jesus reached out to? The people around Him.
Bill Hybels, pastor of the largest church in America, once said, “We have never locked eyes with someone that did not matter to God.” Bible commentator William Barclay said, “More people have been brought into the church by the kindness of real Christian love than by all the theological arguments in the world.” I share these quotes with you for one reason. Christ has called us to go and help all people find Him. No matter how small you think you are, God still wants you.
There was a documentary about Wal-Mart. I found out something very interesting about Sam Walton the founder of Wal-Mart. He had one vision – one goal. You know what that vision was? To capture the consumer market of America. Let me ask you – how many of you have ever shopped at a Wal-Mart or Sam’s Club? I expect it to be 100 %.
Now, Sam’s vision did not just happen. He came up with a plan. He opened his first Wal-Mart in 1962 in Roger, Arkansas. By 1967 he had 24 stores in Arkansas. The sales that year had reached $12.6 million dollars. By 2005 sales had reached $312 billion dollars with 3,200 stores in America and just as many around the world.
It took hard work – it took effort – it took long hours – but just look at the results. Everyone in this room has shopped at Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart’s vision has now changed – they now want to capture the consumer market of the world.
God has a vision also. God intends His church to grow. He has a plan – He has a strategy for church growth. In case you missed it here it is again:
“Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you, and surly I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
How large will Fly Branch grow? How strong? Only God knows the answer to that. But our job is to tell people about the love of Jesus – to bring them into the family – to teach them about God’s love – to show them how to live a Christian life – and to send them out to tell others about the salvation we have in Jesus.
Jesus gave His all; now will you give yours?
Let’s Pray |
