“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.
No comments:
Post a Comment