Matthew 28.18-20: The Great Instruction

This week, we focus on the fifth portion of our six-part series from some of Jesus’ final words before leaving the earth. His words were meant to teach, motivate, and encourage His disciples as He turned the work of saving the world over to them. As His followers today, we are responsible to these words of our Savior.

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Now we’ll notice Jesus’ clause, “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” After bringing people to Christ and baptizing them for the remission of their sins, we have the responsibility (and opportunity) to teach them more about the love of God and how to please Him. The disciples had been trained and taught about the new covenant God was issuing through Christ; it’s those things Christ had relayed to them that they were to relay to new disciples. Today, we are to teach what Christ taught; we are also to teach what those apostles and disciples relayed to first century Christians.

When we view this command to continually teach about Jesus and His commands, we must ask ourselves “how are we doing in our teaching?” As we pose that question together this morning, let’s ask and answer that question in two specific areas:

How is the teaching in our homes? The context of our passage shows that whoever “makes a disciple” is generally responsible for “teaching them.” This makes pretty common sense from the church perspective. However, do we ever read this portion of the passage and think about our homes? If parents have been responsible for bringing their children to Christ (or are preparing for and praying for that decision), wouldn’t it be in keeping with Christ’s command that they should be teaching them as well? That’s the idea that is emphasized continually in scripture. Back in Deuteronomy, Moses said, “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house…” (6:6-9). Paul echoes those words in Ephesians 6:4, “Fathers...bring [your children] up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” The main source for teaching children the ways of the Lord is the home. If we were to compare the amount of time spent in the home on schoolwork and studying the Bible, which would have greater emphasis? Are grades important? Absolutely. But so is learning the Bible throughout one’s childhood. May our homes not skirt that responsibility.

How is the teaching in our Bible classes? Many elders throughout the church have set aside periods of time for their congregations to meet for the specific purpose of studying the Bible. We should take this seriously as it is a response to our elders’ authority and because we are studying the holy words of God. Paul told Titus in Titus 2 that the older men and older women of the church were responsible for teaching and encouraging the younger men and younger women of the church. Doesn’t that sound a lot like the purpose of our Bible classes today? How seriously do we take our Bible classes, though?

We show how much we value Bible class by our simple attendance. We show how much we value Bible class by our timeliness. What does it say about our devotion if we’re consistently late? Adults, we show how much we value Bible class by our examples. It’s no wonder that some young people don’t respect their Bible class teachers and classmates (and God) when their parents either (1) don’t come to Bible class at all, or (2) are at the building but don’t actually attend a class. As adults, we are helping to form the current generation of young people’s perceptions of the Bible and Bible class. How are we doing?

Nothing is more important to the lives of those who come to know Christ than to continue to know and learn more about Him. May we never wilt under the pressure to teach them the Truth.

Matthew 28.18-20: The Great Remission

This week, we continue observing the words of our Savior as found in Matthew 28:18-20. Shortly before ascending back into heaven, Jesus gives His followers a mission statement of sorts.

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Over the past several weeks, we’ve noticed the importance of Jesus’ authority over heaven and earth and that we should carry the gospel into the world and offer the invitation to follow Him in response to that authority.

There are countless sources of discussion and controversy in the religious community. Among those who profess to follow Christ, there may not be a more sensitive—and important—issue than baptism. When we consider the evidence, we can’t help but see the seriousness of the matter as it involves the salvation of man’s soul.

We could spend hours discussing scripture that shows the necessity of baptism. We can use Biblical arguments from many different angles that show it’s essential. This morning, however, it would serve us well to remember one of the scriptural purposes of baptism: remission of sins. Understanding this purpose should help us see baptism’s necessity.

Baptism is for the remission of sins. Throughout God’s quest of allowing man to have a relationship with him (and man continuing to come up short), He has constantly pointed to the cross of Christ as the eternity-shattering climax (Gen. 3:15). The cross of Christ serves as the final and supreme sacrifice in a long line of imperfect and inferior sacrifices. Hebrews 9 makes it clear that, though important, the Old Testament sacrifices were incapable of forgiving man’s sin. Christ, while serving as the perfect High Priest, gave Himself as the perfect spotless sacrifice so that all who had obeyed and all who would obey could be forgiven of their sins. That amazing piece of scripture in Hebrews 9:11-22 closes with the following words: “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” Since perfect blood has been shed, forgiveness is possible. Thankfully, the Bible shows us how to contact that blood and be forgiven of our sins.

In Acts 2, a multitude of Jews were assembled when Peter and the other apostles began teaching them the truth about the man they knew as Jesus. When they were convicted by the truth that they had literally killed their Messiah, they asked, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Peter’s response was “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins…” They acknowledged a sin problem; Peter told them the solution: the blood of Christ that would forgive them. How great is the irony of their situation (and ours today also)! They had Jesus killed and it was that death that provided the opportunity for that very sin to be forgiven. Truly God enacted His amazing grace to save our souls. We can’t receive that grace any other way than through baptism.

When Paul stood before the Jews in Jerusalem in Acts 22, he gave the testimony of what happened that led him to Christ. At the climax of his conversion, he was told by Ananias, “And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.” Paul was instructed to be baptized to wash his sins away. While necessary, his new faith in Christ hadn’t saved him from sin. While essential, his repentance from his wicked deeds hadn’t secured his home in heaven. While convincing, his confession of Jesus as the Son of God on the road to Damascus didn’t cleanse his sins. His baptism washed away his sins. In order to experience that same washing and forgiveness, we must contact the blood of Christ through baptism as well.

There’s another interesting phrase in that passage as well. Romans 10:13 is often cited as proof that baptism is not essential for salvation, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” It’s interesting that Paul is citing Joel 2:32 and it uses the same wording as Ananias when he told Paul to be baptized (“calling on the name of the Lord”). From the New Testament’s perspective, being baptized for the forgiveness of sins is inseparable from “calling on the name of the Lord.”

Clearly, having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is the ticket to our heavenly home (Matt. 10:32-33; John 14:6). The Bible teaches us how to have that intimate relationship with Him. Among other things, baptism is required to accept the gift of salvation offered by the grace of God through Jesus Christ. May He bless us as we teach and practice this truth to a lost world.

Matthew 28.18-20: The Great Invitation

A couple of weeks ago, we began observing the words of our Savior as found in Matthew 28:18-20. Shortly before ascending back into heaven, Jesus gives His followers a mission statement of sorts.

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Thus far, we’ve noticed that Jesus makes it clear that He has all authority, both in heaven and on earth. Because of that authority, we should give Him our lives in complete submission. We’ve also noticed that we are commanded to “go” into all nations and teach them the good news of Christ and make disciples of them. We often try to skirt our responsibility to actually go into places that need the gospel, but Jesus reminds us of our task.

This morning, we are going to look at the phrase “make disciples” from a slightly different perspective. W e are only disciples ourselves because Jesus had given us the opportunity to be His followers. We should always be reminded of His love and graciousness in allowing us to be Christians through His blood. That we can be disciples and make disciples of Christ is one of the most profound blessings known to man. May we not spurn the greatest invitation; may we not keep it from other men and women that need Christ.

The invitation has a connection with authority. Although we could make a connection between the invitation to come to Christ and His authority in Matthew 28, there is another place where Jesus Himself connects the two ideas. Matthew 11:25-30 is one of the most comforting passages from Jesus’ life. Here we find our Savior telling all who would come to Him that He “will give [them] rest…[they] will find rest for [their] souls. For [His] yoke is easy, and [His] burden is light.” Prior to telling us these great words of encouragement, He says, “All things have been handed over to me by my Father…” Who better to “come” to than the one who has been given all things by God the Father? We have an incredible opportunity to come be a follower and disciple of Jesus Christ. One thing that makes that amazing is the authority, power, and faithfulness of our would-be Master and Lord.

Accepting the invitation comes at a cost. As lucrative as Christ’s invitation to come to Him is, we must all be reminded of the cost of being a disciple. In Luke 14, Jesus says, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple...so therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.” One of the things that makes Christianity unattractive to many in the world is the list of things that they would “have to give up.” From passages like Luke 14, we see that it’s not just about the things we give up, but it’s about being fully devoted to Christ and His cause. Being a disciple can’t be just in word only; it must be seen in our lives. Being a true disciple of Jesus Christ is one of the greatest opportunities we have been given on earth; may we accept it ourselves; may we convince others of the great opportunity that exists for them as well.

Have a great week in His service.

Matthew 28.18-20: The Great Commission

Last week, we began observing the words of our Savior as found in Matthew 28:18-20. As some of Jesus’ final words before leaving this earth, He told all followers to carry out His will by bringing others to Him.

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Last week, we noticed Jesus’ authority over heaven and earth and our responsibility to give our lives to Him in full submission. This morning, we will turn our attention to the most familiar portion of Jesus’ statement: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…”

Go with a purpose. Some have proposed in the past that the verb that is translated “Go” in this verse could just as easily mean “as you are going.” While that could be a possibility, it is unlikely that is what Jesus specifically meant to that audience. The verb used there is actually a type of participle that is predominantly used by Matthew that—for lack of an easier way to explain it—gets it’s “mood” from the following verb to which it is attached. “Make disciples” is in the imperative, therefore “go” is imperative as well. Jesus specifically commands us to go with the purpose of making disciples of His will. This idea also makes the most sense when you consider His original audience. If He told Jewish Christians to convert people “as they are going,” how long would it have taken before they branched out to reach Gentiles? He makes His mission clear from the beginning: the gospel of His resurrection is for all nations, therefore we should “go” into them to teach Jesus.

Today, we must be going—whether to places far away or down the road—with the purpose to leading souls to Christ.

Going and making disciples is a process. Although Jesus is firm regarding His mission of teaching the lost, He understands the hearts of men. He knows it is difficult to touch everyone with the good news of salvation. When He was in the beginning of His earthly ministry, He said, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven” (Matt. 5:16). This statement gives us a rallying cry for our everyday actions: no matter what you’re doing, let your light shine. Notice the desired response of those around us: “that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Jesus understands you might not baptize everyone you come in contact with, but He tells us everyone should see our good works enough to know to Whom we belong. Although evangelism can be discouraging, we need to remember that relationships, trust, patience, dedication, and prayer are all important to bringing souls to Christ. These things often are built up over time. Evangelism should be urgent to us, but not to a fault of being scared and unsuccessful.

Go in the present. As Jesus was leaving the earth, He gave these hallowed words to His followers. From that moment forward, this was their mission statement. There should have been no confusion over who needed to know about Jesus’ life: all nations. There should have been no question about what to do: create disciples through baptism and teaching. There should have been no fear: Jesus would be with them. When the imperative is used, it is used to show command and force. The time during which it is to be carried out refers back to verse 18 (because of the “therefore”). Because Jesus now has all authority in heaven and earth, we must go now! They were to go then; we are to go now. Although going for the purpose of teaching others can be difficult, we will be doing His will if we do something for Him.

May God bless us all as we “go” and bring others to Him—even this week.

Matt. 28.18-20: The Great Submission

One of the most familiar passages to Christians is located in Matthew 28:18-20. Most of the time we give those 3 verses the title of “The Great Commission.” As some of Jesus’ final words before leaving this earth, He commissioned all followers to carry out His will by bringing others to Him.

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

There is much for us to learn from our Master’s mission. We’ll begin this week a 6-part series studying the greatness of our Lord’s mission. This week, we’ll notice Jesus’ words in verse 18, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

Before telling the disciples present that day what to do, He tells them why to do it. Christ is given all authority in both heaven and earth. His disciples needed to be reminded that they weren’t following a young carpenter from Galilee any longer; they were following the Son of God and the Savior of the world. He was talking to them on the other side of His death, burial, and resurrection. If there ever was a time for them to obey His teachings, it was now.

The idea of “submission” is inseparable from “authority.” Most forms of authority in some way depend on those who submit to it (i.e. legal, parental). However, with Christ’s authority, it is absolute. It is our choice to submit to it or rebel against it. Let’s notice a couple of things about submission to Christ:

Submission isn’t a dirty word. It’s not a very popular thing to preach submission today. We have been trained to think that what we think and what we do is perfectly fine as long as it’s perfectly fine with us. For those of us who know Christ as our savior, submission is a beautiful thing. We submit to Christ’s authority because it’s absolute, complete, and universal. Come Judgment Day, there will not be those who are found faithful to the cause of Christ who weren’t also found fully submissive to Him. The New Testament is clear that we are to be in full service and submission to Him as our Lord and Redeemer (e.g. John 10:27; 14:15; Eph. 2:10).

Christ is the only one truly worthy of our submission. We also submit to Christ because He is committed to us. In Ephesians 5:22-33, we find an oft-controversial passage about the relationship between husbands and wives. True, Paul tells wives to submit to their husbands. However, he also tells husbands to be the man that is submit-able. Notice Paul’s words in verses 25-29, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her...in the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies...For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church.” Christ sets the example as being the ultimate master: he died for us and takes care of us.

The “Great Commission” won’t happen without the “Great Submission.” Where this hits us the hardest is when we try to carry out God’s will for our lives. Many of us struggle with God’s directives for evangelism, personal purity, clean speech, and so on. Have we stopped to ask ourselves if we’re fully submitted to Christ? He wants us fully committed. However, we can’t be committed until we’re submitted. To follow Paul’s illustration from Ephesians 5, the wife who’s not fully submitted to her husband won’t be fully committed to serving him. A child who’s not in full submission to his or her parents won’t be in full obedience to them. Citizens who aren’t fully submitted to the laws of the land are the ones who chronically disobey them.

When we think about our task to go and make disciples for Him, we must first remember that we must be in full submission to Him. It may lead us to places we didn’t expect; it may carry us through burdens we don’t feel like we can bear; it may alter our personal plans forever. Nevertheless, we will have peace, comfort, and success.

May God bless us as we submit fully to His will through Christ.