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A Great Commission PassionPalm Springs Baptist Church June 13, 1999 Matthew 28:18-20 I. Introduction A. My First Shots I’ll never forget the last week I had with my mom. I flew out from Scottsdale and spent the week with her, just a month before she died from Lou Gehrig’s disease. We talked and communicated and reminisced as long as she had strength. Because we knew it would be the last chance we’d have on this side of life to be together. But towards the end of that week, my mom got very serious with me, because there was something she saw in the way I was raising Jori, that she was very concerned about. So, in the last extended conversation we had together, she gave me her advice on what was most important in raising the next generation. Well, I want to start our life together, here at Palm Springs Baptist Church with some good "final advice" in raising the next generations of this church. But not only is it good final advice, it’s also good beginning advice as we begin our life together as church and pastor. So, I want to share with you what I think is the most important thing we can be teaching the next generation that will come from the people of this church... B. Leith Anderson–Pastor of Wooddale Church in Minneapolis In the People's Republic of China, the largest nation in the world and a billion people strong, is what is called the Three-Self Church. That is the state-approved church. Several of us from Wooddale, a couple of years ago, were in Beijing, and we went to one of the services of one of the Three-Self Churches. It was an old building, built around the turn of the last century. We had a translator there. There were hymns sung, some of them were to western tunes which we knew. They read the Bible. They had prayers. There was a sermon, a Bible teaching, that I thought was fine. But they're not allowed to evangelize. That's part of the deal with the state. "You can do your thing as long as your thing doesn't include sharing with somebody else." There are about 50 million Christians in the People's Republic of China who have chosen not to be part of the Three-Self Church, and meet in house churches, because they're convinced you can't be a Christian unless you evangelize. They say that the two go together; and if you don't evangelize, you're not a Christian. They would say that those who are in the Three-Self church are really not Christians, as far as the New Testament definition is concerned. (Leith Anderson, "Making More Disciples," Preaching Today, Tape No. 165.) How would you stack up to that definition of being a Christian? I’ve heard one Christian leader say very cynically, "The typical church in the United States today is raising a whole generation of mules. They know how to sweat and work hard, but they don't know how to reproduce themselves." B. What I Want to Do Well, this morning, as my first chance to share with you, I want to impress upon you the passion we all need to have, and the passion we all need to be instilling into the children of this church as they grow to maturity in their Christian faith.
II. The Great Commission and those who follow it As we examine the Great Commission today, I want to look focus on two things. What do the words of the Great Commission mean, and what are the characteristics of people who follow it. A. What Does It Mean The Great Commission is found in Matthew 28: 18-20... Matt 28:18-20 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."" After Jesus had resurrected from the dead, He met the eleven disciples (minus Judas Iscariot) on top of a hill in Galilee, and He gave them this authorization to act--this commission. To understand these three verses, you have to pay attention to the little word ALL! 1. All authority
First of all, Jesus says, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." Illustration: A friend of mine who lives in Philadelphia tells the story of a young first grader who had instructions from his mother to come directly home from school each day. But each day he arrived home late. Some days it was as much as 20 minutes. His mother asked him, "You get out of school the same time every day. Why can't you get home at the same time?" He said, "It depends on the cars." "What do cars have to do with it?" The youngster explained, "The patrol boy who takes us across the street makes us wait until some cars come along so he can stop them." That patrol boy had authority when it came to crossing the street. But Jesus was given ALL authority in all situations. That means that if someone asks you the question, "Where do you get off telling me about your religion? Or what do you think you are doing telling me about your God?" The answer is simply, "I get my authority from Jesus. He was given ALL authority on heaven and on earth." 2. All nations The next ALL statement using the words, "All nations." The phrase in verse 19 reads like this in the Greek... "Therefore (because Jesus has the authority to tell you what to do) make disciples of everyone (imperative verb) as you go (wherever you are)." Simply put, "Where you are, there you are, make disciples." So, if you are working at an office, there you are, make disciples. If you are in a history class at in High School, there you are, make disciples. If you are eating lunch at Carrows, there you are, make disciples. If you work at home and care for your children, there you are, make disciples. If God calls you to the mission field of Rwanda, then there you are, make disciples. I think you get the idea. Wherever a Christian is, anywhere on the face of the earth--all nations--there you are, make disciples. 3. All things The next logical question is, "How do I make disciples?" Well, the Great Commission tells us two things–baptize them, and teach them ALL things that Jesus has commanded you to do. Let me explain what Jesus is talking about. a. First of all, baptizing them isn't merely talking about the physical act of baptism–even though that is very important. But in the context of what Jesus is saying, he is talking about what baptism symbolizes. It symbolizes--an identification with the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross. In other words, baptism is a symbol that you have taken the introductory steps toward a maturing faith in Christ. Therefore when Jesus is talking about baptism here, He is talking about dunking someone in this baptistery. The first thing Jesus is saying to us about making disciples is we need to introduce people to Jesus. Also notice, it does not say we have to coerce them, or persuade them, or argue with them. We introduce them to Jesus. b. The second thing involved in making disciples is teaching them to obey all the things that you know about your Christian faith. No one expects you to earn a Bible school or seminary degree, so you can know all the theology and Bible content you can before you are ready to fulfill this Great Commission. What this is saying is that as you learn things from the Word of God, either from the Pastor's message, or from Adult Bible classes, or from Sunday School or from Christian radio or TV, that you don't keep these things secret, but you start talking about them, especially to those who have been recently introduced to faith in Christ, or to people in your circle of influence who show an interest. Illustration: One of the greatest experiences I ever had as a believer was when one of the men from my church in Upland who owned a dent repair business, asked me to have lunch with him and the other guys who did paint touch up or interior repair, or detailing for the dealers at the Claremont Auto Center in Montclair. I never prepared for these times, but I did what every Christian should be doing in preparation to accomplish the Great Commission–I regularly studied my Bible. And it was amazing, as God showed me something new in my devotions or my study of the Word for a message, I would tell this group of vendors about it, and explain how it affects me. And what happened is they started thinking on what I said, they asked questions about it, and they "tried it on for size" in their lives. All I was doing during those times was "teaching ALL that I Jesus had commanded me. The point is, you don't keep what you are learning about God, to yourself. The reason you learn is so you can share it naturally with your family, or your grandchildren, or your spouse, or your neighbors, or your co-workers, or anyone who is interested in hearing. This kind of sharing is a natural flow to a relationship with God. 4. Always The final ALL word is found in the last sentence of the Great Commission, "And surely I am with you Always, to the very end of the age. To me, this is the most exciting part of this entire passage. It is basically saying that... ...no matter where you find yourself, ...no matter what the circumstance, ...no matter who you or I are talking to, whether I am talking about an introduction to my faith, or whether I am talking about something I have just learned from reading my Bible or listening to a sermon... ....THE GOD WHO SIMPLY SPOKE AND EVERYTHING THAT EXISTS CAME INTO BEING, is with me! He promises to guide my speech. He promises to guide my thoughts. He promises to guide the conversation. Because He is God, He can do this, and he promises He will. It reminds me of the story about David and Goliath. Saul's soldiers thought Goliath was too big to kill. David thought he was too big to miss. When God says He will be with you always, He will be with you ALWAYS--count on it!! B. 10 distinctives of Great Commission Keepers - from Luis Palau Luis Palau, the Argentinean born evangelist, who has spoken before more people in the past 35 years for Jesus Christ than even Billy Graham, spoke to us at the great gathering of past and future Christian leaders, Leadership '88 in Washington D.C.. In his message he outlined for us the top ten characteristics or distinctives of Great Commission leaders during the past two hundred years. These are important things to use as measuring sticks if we are serious about keeping the Great Commission. Here they are... 1. Passion for those apart from Christ 2. Christ-centered message (not diluted with social issues, or hung up on political agendas or political correctness.) 3. Holiness in every area of life (no games played with God. Confess and admit sin and get on with it, making a commitment not to do it anymore.) 4. Boldness to try new methods (So what if we fail every so often? The important thing is that we are making an attempt.) 5. Willingness to endure criticism. 6. Commitment to a local church. This is the group that knows you, loves you, and seeks to help you. 7. Love for the whole Body of Christ–we seek the unity that is found through Jesus Christ. We don't care who gets the credit. 8. Sacrificial financial giving. This is a basic realization that life does not consist of accumulating more and more toys and things. It is a realization that everything we have belongs to God. 9. Serious about private prayer. Personal devotions are not just reading the Bible, but they are talking and listening to the still small voice of God. 10. Faithfulness to the end. TRANSITION: How do you measure up to these ten? If not so well, let me suggest starting at the beginning. Start developing a passion for the lost. I think if we all need help with any of these ten distinctives, it is in this area. Including me... III. Developing a passion for the lost So, how do we develop a passion in ourselves for people who don't know Jesus Christ as their Savior. Let me offer four brief heart changes that can lead to a stronger passion for the lost... A. Make a decision that you are willing to help. Illustration: I recently completed a two year woodworking project. I made an entire suite of bedroom furniture for our bedroom. As I look at those finished pieces, I know every place where I made a mistake and I know every place that turned out very well. You can look at it and admire it, or you can look at it and consider it pretty amateurish, but in reality, you don't know that project as well as I do, because I made it. That's the way God is with us. The Psalmist says, "It is He that has made us, not we ourselves." God knows us even better than we know us. So, when we make ourselves available to Him, to accomplish the Great Commission, we can rest in the fact that He won't ask us to do anything that is not in the realm of our capabilities or capacities. All He wants is our willingness. B. Take pride in the Good News of Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul writes in...
How do you feel when you know the right answer on a test? You feel pretty confident or pleased with yourself, don’t you. Listen to me friends. By being a Christian... ...you have the right answer to the drug problem in the United States. ...you have the right answer to the gang problems in St. Louis. ...you have the right answer to the communication problems that exist in your workplace. ...you have the solution to the violence that has permeated our society. ...you have the answer to the problems that are caused by racial tensions. ...you have the answer in your Christian faith to every single problem, predicament, difficulty and argument that modern man and woman came think up. As Christian men and women, we must wake up to the fact that our hope doesn’t lie in the philosophy of Rush Limbaugh or Bill or Hillary Clinton or congress, or social programs. It is only through the power of lives being transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is a power that I am not ashamed of having. Every man, woman and child on the face of the earth is looking for it, too! C. Gain an understanding of those outside of Christ. According to the latest Gallup poll, 8 out of every 10 Americans claim to be a Christian. But when asked to define what they meant, the following reasons were given... 1. being born in America 2. thinking positively 3. living a good life 4. attending church 5. giving to others 6. receiving a sacrament 7. believing in God 8. talking about Jesus 9. praying 10. reading the Bible Now, these are all good things, but they don't make you a Christian. If that's what people believe makes them a Christian, they are deluded. They are believing lies. Or they are putting their faith in outward behaviors, rather than an inward belief. Illustration: A few years ago, a young lady and her fiancé came to my office for wedding counseling. Before they came, I saw on their application for marriage that she had put that she was a Christian. The reason she gave was that she believed that Jesus was her "higher power." As I questioned her about this, it became apparent that she had mixed some Hindu rituals, new age verbiage and the name of Jesus all into one. And by trying to live out this mixture of religious things, she thought she was a Christian. Until I pointed out the simple verse in Romans...
She said she had never known that before. So when I shared that verse and John 3:16 with her, the Holy Spirit took over, and she said she wanted to ask Jesus to be her Savior. And she did. Friends, so many people today are taking the outward trappings of the Christian faith, and making that the faith. And they are being duped into believing a system of doing, instead of faith through believing. D. The gospel isn't just for "nice" people C. S. Lewis wrote the quote on the front of your bulletin..."There is even, when you come to think it over, a reason why nasty people might be expected to turn to Christ in greater numbers than nice ones. That was what people objected to about Christ during his life on earth: he seemed to attract such awful people." People like Zaccheus and Levi, the cheating tax collectors, Mary Magdelene, the prostitute; Simon Peter, the big mouthed liar, and many others all were attracted to Jesus, because of their sins. Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." (from: Luke 5:29-32). We need to pray and ask God to save the "Not-so-nice" people in our schools, or our businesses, or in our neighborhoods. III. Conclusion The United States today is very similar to what 18th century England was like. Morals were all but gone on the part of the common man. The slave trade was at its height. A godless prison system entertained the people with public hangings. Gambling was a national obsession--one historian said that England was a vast casino. Drinking dominated the pastime of men and boys. False rumors were regularly used to manipulate the financial markets. Also, the Anglican church was in decay. Zeal for Christ was considered professionally dangerous. 20% of the clergy had been removed or dismissed because of moral and ethical failures. Bishop George Berkeley wrote at the time, "It is to be feared that the age of monsters is not far off." Onto that scene came some young men known as the Holy Club of Oxford. John and Charles Wesley, George Whitefield, and others made a mission statement together. It said, "We want to reform the nation, particularly the church, and to spread scriptural holiness over the land." From that small group of college students, the face of England was completely changed. Even to the point where most historians agree that the revival that happened under those young men in England saved the English people from the bloody revolution that France went through. I really don't know what is going to happen to America in the future. But I do know that the only answer to the spirit of despondency, the spirit of separatism, the spirit of impurity, the spirit of guilt... is the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The United States of America needs the message that God loves people. And offers them the chance to start over, have their sins forgiven, and experience reconciliation. If you can live this out, and teach it to the children of this church, PSBC can make a difference in Palm Springs. Are you willing to be passionate about the Great Commission? I pray you will be. Amen |
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This page was last updated on Sunday, October 31, 2004 03:38 PM
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