Sermons - 2008 Week 30 - Jul Wk 4
The Great Commission
Matthew 28:18-20
There are many possible answers when asked for the purpose of the church. It could be for the purpose of worship, Bible teaching, fellowship, service, etc.
However, if it is just for worship, or any of these purposes, that God wants, why does He not just take us all to heaven, where everything is perfect?
Our priority is to be the same priority Jesus had when He was on this earth. We tend to lose this priority in our busy-ness.
When Jesus asked His disciples to meet Him in Galilee, they were willing to be available to meet Him on His terms. Willingness is the key to effectiveness.
Matthew 28:18-20 - And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore 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 observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. This passage contains the last word of Jesus. The significance of these last words lies in the following:
1 They represent what was closest to His heart.
2 They explained what Christ’s followers were to do before His return.
3 They were to apply without exception to all churches at all time, in all places, in all possible situations.
There are 3 key points from this passage:
A Great Claim
God gave all authority to Jesus by virtue of His victorious resurrection. This implies that Jesus had all the authority that God had, both in heaven and on earth. He had unlimited, universal authority.
A Great Commission
We are to make disciples of all nations - ie. We are to go and convert someone from being a bystander to an active follower. It is much more than evangelism. We are to be fishers of men. We should go out and make disciples and not wait for unbelievers to come to us. The church is not the primary place of evangelism, but it is the home, our workplace, schools, etc., where we are to carry out this mission. Our target is also to be ‘all nations’ - ie. across all ethnic groups, and we are to rid ourselves of all prejudices.
This act requires us to ‘go’ (evangelise), ‘baptise’ (assimilate), and ‘teach’ (instil discipleship).
The end result of all this is spiritual multiplication. A church of spiritual multipliers is 100% dedicated to fulfilling the Great Commission.
The Great Comfort / Promise
Christ’s last words also gave us comfort, as He said “I am with you always.”
His last words are therefore our First Command.
Mr and Mrs ET Chua
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