Sermon Series: The Essential Expectations-Part 2 

What's So Great About the Great Commission? 

Matthew 28: 18-20

PSBC 7/22/01 AM

In a nutshell: I we are going to "little Christs" (Christians) then we had better pay attention to what the "bigger Christ" said was most important to Him. By understanding six ideas, we can cooperate more fully with what Christ has asked us to do.

I. Introduction

A. Alexander the Great

From history you know that Alexander the Great was one of the greatest military generals who ever lived. One night during a campaign, Alexander couldn't sleep. So, he left his tent and began to walk around the camp.

He came across a soldier who was asleep on guard duty-this was such a serious offense that the normal penalty for such conduct was instant death. Sometimes the commanding officer poured kerosene over the sleeping guard and lit a match to the soldier.

Well, this particular soldier began to wake up as Alexander the Great approached him. Recognizing who was standing in front of him, the young man feared for his life. "Do you know the penalty for falling asleep on guard duty?" asked the general. "Yes sir," responded the soldier, with his voice quivering.

"Soldier, what's your name?" demanded the general. "My name is Alexander, sir." The general repeated the question, "What's your name?" Again the reply, "Alexander, sir". Then a third time, the general demanded, "Soldier, what's your name?" And a third time, the soldier repeated, "My name is Alexander, sir."

Then Alexander the Great looked the young man straight in the eye and said, "Soldier, either change your name or change your conduct."

Friends, the Lord of the church is asking us a similar question this morning, "What do you call yourself?" And most of us reply, "I'm a Christian." (Did you know that Christian literally means "Little Christ"?) And with our reply the Lord of the church says, "Christian? Either change your name, or change your conduct".

B. Great Commission

If you have your Bibles, please turn to Matthew 28:18-20. What we are about to read is a very important point of conduct for a Christian. Just before Jesus left this earth and ascended into heaven, He gave these marching orders, a command…to all His disciples…

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

B. Core Value No. 6

This morning we come to our second to last sermon on the Core Values I believe are necessary for us to hold, if we are going to be a viable FORCE for Jesus Christ in the Coachella Valley and the world. I like to state it like this: "The Great Commission is at the core of everything we do."

Basically, what I'm saying is that those words from Jesus, must… …be at the heart of everything this church plans, …everything this church does, …it must be central to every class we teach, …it must be the major reason for the programs we offer, …it must be the topic of conversation when we gather together for fellowship, …it must be the reason we make changes in what we do, …and it must be our guide for why we choose not to make changes. Period.

Notice what I didn't include in that list? I didn't include my wants, your preferences, our comfort, tradition, or the seven last words of the church, "We've never done it that way before."

On the front of your WIG's this morning is a very true statement that's based on Jesus' Great Commission…

The Church is the only cooperative society in the world that exists for the benefit of its nonmembers. (William Temple, Leadership, Vol. 5, no. 4)

In other words we exist to bring people in, not to keep people out. The Great Commission-not you or me-must be at the core of everything we do. Otherwise we will slip into the very comfortable and useless existence of being a fortress, not a FORCE.

So, how do we go about making the Great Commission of Jesus Christ the central part of everything we do? The answer is simply, "Just Do It!" But let me give you six ideas that I think will help us all "do it" better than you have ever done it before.

II. Six Ways to Do It

A. The Great Commission is Sharing a Person, not a Plan

The first idea is to get it into our head is that the central message of the Great Commission is a person, not a plan.

As Christians, we follow a person. His name is Jesus. We don't follow a set of religious codes. When we talk about our faith, we are not talking about "religion". That's where Bill Edelen used to bait us all the time in his columns in the Desert Sun. He liked to write about religion. And too many of the Christians in this valley got defensive because they thought he was talking about their faith. But he wasn't. He was talking about religion, not about a relationship with a person-the person of Jesus Christ.

You see, friends, when we talk about our faith as a relationship, we are talking about someone we know, not about something you do.

In the very beginning of His ministry, Jesus chose a guy to follow him by the name of Philip. After Philip met Jesus, listen to what he did…

John 1:43&45 43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me." 45 …Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote-Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."

And the technique was very effective. Basically, Philip told Nathanael, "Come meet who I just met. Let me introduce you to this Jesus I know personally." And after Nathaniel met the Jesus Philip knew, this is what he said…

John 1:49 49 Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel."

And friends, that's the beginning point of the Great Commission. Introducing someone to the Jesus you know. Introducing them to a real person. Your goal is not give some memorized plan, our job is to introduce people to the person of Jesus.

B. Done in God's Power, not ours

Here's a second idea to get into our collective heads about the Great Commission… It is done in God's Power, not ours.

I'm terribly sorry to have to tell this to some of you, but you don't have the ability to change lives. None of us can convict people of their sin before a holy God. None of us can draw any human being to Jesus. That's not our job. That's God's job. Only He can do those things. Let me show you some of what God says…

Acts 1:8 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; (AND THEN AND ONLY THEN) …you will be MY witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Where did we ever get the idea that we have to accomplish the Great Commission in our own strength? If you try to do it under your own power, you should be afraid of failure and ridicule and disdain. But with the power of God, "…you will be MY witnesses…" Here's another one…

Romans 1:16 16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

When we operate in the power of God, we don't have to fear failure or ineffectiveness. The good news of Jesus paying the sacrifice for your sins and mine-what we call, "the gospel"-is the very power of God. Not the power of Tom or Darrin or Darrell or Greg, or anyone else for that matter.

Here's one more verse…

Galatians 2:20 20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

So, because of the fact that Jesus has taken up residence in you and is guiding your life, …you have His power working through you when you do something with such great importance to Him, as the Great Commission.

You see, friends, without God's power working through you, it is not just difficult to lead someone to faith in Jesus-it is downright impossible. But with God's power, nothing is impossible.

Illustration: Several years ago, a tornado ripped through Wichita Falls, Texas, leaving a path of total destruction and miles of debris. People saw the sheer power of the storm in the aftermath. Giant trees were totally uprooted from the ground, like weeds in a garden. Buildings were shredded like tin foil. But the thing that most fascinated the people of that town was a single piece of straw. You see, the wind was so powerful that it had driven a piece of straw into a telephone pole, just like a nail.

And this awesome power of nature is the same power that Jesus stood up to, while he was in a boat with His disciples, and said to the winds, "Quiet, be still." And the winds immediately stopped. When we trust in the power of God to take over in our life, when we do place the Great Commission at the core of what we do, there is no power on earth that can stand in the way of God accomplishing what He wants.

C. Not just what you say, but what you do

Now, let me give you a third idea to have in mind when we attempt to place The Great Commission at the core of everything we do… It's not just what you say, but it's also what you do.

Lee Stroebel was one of the teaching pastors at the largest Protestant church in the United States, Willow Creek Community Church. Last year he moved out here to join Rick Warren in the ministry of the church we are following as a model-Saddleback Community Church, in Orange County. Lee has written a number of excellent books about sharing the Christian faith in a relevant way with current culture.

Before becoming a Christian and a teaching pastor, Lee was an atheist, working as a reporter for the Chicago Tribune. He was very turned off by Christians who claimed to believe one thing, then lived lives totally in contradiction to what Jesus taught. He called these people, "cosmetic Christians". He said they were people who had skin-deep spirituality and looked good on the outside, but didn't let their faith penetrate deep enough to change their behavior and attitudes.

But what Stroebel couldn't degrade or criticize were people like Ron.

Illustration: Before he became a Christian, Ron had several run-ins with the law. It started when he was 8 and continued until he was 21. Then things got very serious. One of Ron's friends, in the gang he belonged to, was assaulted by a guy from a rival gang. Ron swore vengeance. He tracked down the rival gang member, and pulled out a gun and chased this guy down the street, shooting at him. Finally, one of the bullets struck the rival gang member in the back, and he went down. Ron came up to his body, rolled him over, stuck the gun to his head and pulled the trigger. But he was out of bullets. Just then he heard the police sirens, so he took off.

He wound up running away with his girl friend to Oregon. He got his first real job, working in a metal shop… that was owned by a Christian man. Through that man's influence, Ron asked Jesus Christ to be the forgiver of his sins, and started following Jesus as the leader of his life. He had become a Christian. With that decision, his values and his character changed. He and his girlfriend got married. She became a Christian through Ron's influence. They had a little girl, named Olivia. And Ron and his family joined a church, they got involved in ministry, and Ron was a model employee at work. But something gnawed at him. Even though he had reconciled with God, he still had not reconciled with society. There was still a warrant out for his arrest in Chicago. And even though the police had stopped looking for him, and he probably could have stayed in Oregon for the rest of his life, he felt that the only honest thing he could do was give himself up and face the possibility of prison for 20 years. Otherwise he'd be living a lie, and as a Christian he decided that that was not an option.

It was at this point in his life that Ron met Lee Stroebel, who was a reporter for the Tribune. Lee was present in the courtroom the day Ron's case came up. What amazed Stroebel was that Ron didn't try to cover things up like most defendants. Ron looked the judge in the eye and said, "I am guilty. I did it. I'm responsible. If I need to go to prison, that's O.K. But I've become a Christian, and the right thing to do is to admit what I've done and ask for forgiveness. What I did was wrong, plain and simple, and I'm sorry. I really am."

This blew Stroebel away. This wasn't "cosmetic Christianity". Stroebel had to know what kind of faith made a man take such a costly step. So Stroebel asked him about his faith. And Ron shared with Lee about his relationship with Jesus Christ.

The judge was so impressed by Ron's actions that he put him on probation and didn't give him any prison time. When Lee Stroebel asked Ron for his reaction to the judge's ruling, this is what Ron said, "What the judge did was show me grace-sort of like Jesus did. And Lee, if you let Him, God will show you grace, too. Don't forget that." And Stroebel writes, "Coming from a guy like Ron, that carried a lot of weight."

Folks, the Great Commission isn't just words. It's our actions as well.

D. There's more than one way to share THE way

Now, let me give you a fourth idea about the Great Commission. There is more than one way to share THE way. Listen to what the apostle Paul said…

1 Corinthians 9:19-22 19 Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.

Paul is saying that carrying out the Great Commission takes flexibility. The message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ has not changed over the years, but our methods must, if we are going to reach each new generation.

James White, wrote a book called Rethinking Evangelism. In it he tells the story of a time when he was leading a conference in Florida in which he touched on the issue of contemporary music in worship services. Afterwards an elderly woman came up to him, using a cane to walk. Jim braced himself for criticism. She said, "Young man, I want to have a word with you about what you said tonight. I want you to know that when it comes to music, Montovani is about as contemporary as I get unless it's a weekend and then loosen up and enjoy Lawrence Welk." Then she pointed her cane at him and continued, "…but if rock and roll is what it takes to get people back in church all I've got to say is…, Let's boogie."

Rick Warren recently wrote in his newsletter to pastors, "You'll never start reaching the lost culture around you until your members are willing to limit their own preferences and worship style, in order to reach lost people for Christ."

But it's not just what we do in our worship services that helps us carry out the Great Commission. The ability for our church to do it well, resides in the uniqueness of every one of us. Everyone of us has a different style of accomplishing Great Commission work. Don't expect everyone to be like you. If you've taken our 201 class, Becoming a Contagious Christian, you know there are different styles: Confrontational style; Intellectual style; Testimonial style; Interpersonal style; Invitational style; and the Serving style.

Find your style, and start using it. Because there are people in this community that will respond to the gospel because of your style and not to mine. There's more than one kind of person here in the Coachella Valley. So there's more than one way to share THE Way.

E. It is a real joy… not a religious job

Here's the fifth thing to keep in mind about the Great Commission. Doing it is a real joy, not a religious job.

I wish I could have taken each one of you with me that Sunday afternoon, to Cedar Creek Inn, when Marshall Bloom prayed to receive Christ. I simply asked him, "Marshall, is there anything stopping you from responding to God's love for you, right here and right now?" When he said no, I led him in a prayer to ask Jesus to be his Savior. And folks, I wish you could have seen the joy that came over his face after he raised his head from praying that prayer. The joy on his face was indescribable.

I wish you could have been with me at the BBQ for motorcyclists I was at two weeks ago in Riverside. A fellow named Joe, whom I had ridden with before came up to me and said, "You know, when I first saw you're 'JC' sign on the front of your bike at the last ride, I thought, 'Oh, no, there's a religious fanatic. Keep me away from him.' But you weren't a fanatic. We had a great time together. I could tell you had something special with God, but you didn't shove it down my throat. What makes you so different from all the other religious people out there?"

Friends, carrying out the Great Commission isn't work or a religious job that we have to do. That's a lie the devil wants you to believe. It is the most joyful thing I could ever think of doing.

F. The Good News meets Real Needs

And that brings me to the sixth thing to keep in mind about the Great Commission. If it is going to be at the heart of everything we do, then we have to know that the Good News of Jesus Christ meets REAL NEEDS.

If you listen to what people who don't have a relationship with Jesus Christ are saying, you'll find out that they have very deep needs. They have the need for meaning; the need for purpose; the need for forgiveness; the need for love. They want to know how to make right decisions, how to protect their family, how to handle suffering, and how to have hope in this world.

These are real needs, and we have to realize that a relationship with Jesus Christ provides the foundation for real answers to those needs.

III. Conclusion

I am indebted to Joe Yakima for sending me this poem this week from Decision Magazine, entitled, After Church…

Followers of Jesus gather round a restaurant table, In fellowship they laugh and talk and eat. Their waitress, just a servant, doesn't seem quite capable, And her demeanor, well, it isn't up to speed.

What a wonderful blessing they had just received! They'd sought the Lord in praise and prayer and song. The sermon was anointed, and the pastor strongly preached That the time of Christ's Return would not be long.

The Holy Spirit filled them and the Lord's presence drew them near, As they cried, "More, Lord! Have your way in me today." For the waitress, though, her morning was one of sickness and of fear; She is pregnant, not married and afraid.

She sruggles as she tries to meet each customer's demand, While her fear consumes her like a cancer. She longs for someone she can talk to; someone to understand; Is there anyone who can help find an answer?

"Can you take our order now?" "We need silverware." "Excuse me, this coffee cup's not clean." "Where are my fries?" "This burger is too rare!" "Hey, you forgot my iced tea!"

Filled to overflowing, they slosh right out the door; The name of Jesus never crossed their lips. A dying soul, so easily ignored, She fights off tears as she counts their paltry tips.

Fill us with passion for the lost, Lord! Let us see each one through Your eyes. Overwhelm us with longing that all people would be saved. Let salvation through Christ Jesus be our cry! (Cheri Henderson, Decision, February 2001)

Friends, the Great Commission must be at the very core of everything we do! If it's not, we should seriously consider changing our names.

Amen!