SERMON TITLE: God's Mission for His Church
TEXT: Matthew 28:16-20 Sermon (ESV)
SPEAKER: Robert Tansill
DATE: 12-27-20
You can find the sermon notes here.
Good morning, Gateway! I'm Robert Tansill. It is great to be worshiping with you this morning through the wonders of technology. I hope you had a great Christmas and are looking forward to the New Year. As Josh reminds us every week, God loves us. God's love is the foundation of the church and the foundation of the mission to which He calls us.
God calls us to gather to worship Him and then to go out into the world to share the good news of the gospel and the hope that we have in Jesus, and to make disciples. That's why when we say at the end of our service, "You are sent," we mean it. But so often, we lose sight of this mission, either because we don't fully understand it or because other things have taken priority in our lives. So, this morning I want to spend some time with you looking at God's mission for us, His church.
As I thought about the passage we will be reading this morning, I was reminded of the day when my wife and I left the hospital with our first child, carrying him in his brand new car seat. I have to say that he was the cutest baby I had ever seen. But as we stepped into the sunny, spring day and the automatic doors closed quietly behind us, I had a moment of panic. The thoughts of, "What made us think we could do this? What do we do now?" came rushing to my mind.
Have you ever had a moment like that? A time where life as you know it changes so radically that it throws you into a quandary, leaving you wondering what to do next? For me, taking our baby home was a moment like that. Life as I knew it was going to change radically. Though I wasn't sure exactly what that meant at the time, I did know that this baby had fundamentally altered my purpose in life. And with this altered purpose would come new responsibilities, adjustments in attitudes, and numerous sacrifices, all to fulfill my new mission as a father.
In our passage this morning, we see something similar happening. Yet, the impact of this event was felt not only by those immediately involved but also by the many generations that have followed. The event we will be looking at this morning is so far-reaching that each person listening to this sermon who claims Jesus as their Lord and Savior has been impacted by it in one way or another. And the results of this event answer for us an important question asked by the church throughout the ages: "What is God's mission for His Church?" Said another way, “What is the one thing God wants us, His church, to do? To what purpose are we called? What is it that God wants to accomplish through us?” To answer these questions, turn with me to Matthew 28:16-20. Though opinions abound regarding what God's mission for the church is, we'll get our answer as we look at our passage this morning.
In Matthew 28:16-20, Matthew writes:
'Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:16-20 ESV)
As we think about the church's mission in light of our passage, the first thing that I think Matthew wants us to see is that…
Point 1: God's Mission for His Church...is abundantly clear (vv. 16-17)
In the opening two verses, we are thrown right in the middle of a significant transition in the lives of Jesus' disciples. Up to this point, these men had experienced a lot. For three years, they followed a man that was unlike any person they had ever known. At times, the things He said and did made them question their perception of reality, and left them stunned by what they witnessed. People healed; demons cast out; teaching that was unlike any they had ever heard; all of these things made the three years following this man something they would never forget. But it wasn't all fun and games. Along the way, they encountered persecution; one of their own betrayed their leader; the betrayer then took his own life; another denied even knowing their leader; and in the end, they witnessed the lifeless body of their leader suspended on a cross like any other criminal for all to see.
In this morning's passage, we learn that the disciples had just journeyed to Galilee from Jerusalem. They went to Galilee because they were instructed to do so...twice. Before His death, Jesus told the disciples that "after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee" (Matt. 26:32). And after His resurrection, Jesus instructed the women who had come to the tomb to tell the disciples to go to Galilee because they would see Jesus there (Matt. 28:10). So the disciples journeyed to Galilee out of obedience, and with what I imagine was great excitement, uncertainty, and expectation. Little did they know that the encounter with Christ was the dawning of a new day and the unveiling of God's mission for them and for all who would follow after them. So, what would this mission entail? Look again at verses 16-17, 'Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.
What an unbelievable experience this must have been for the disciples as they reached their appointed destination at the top of the mountain. There, before their eyes, was their leader, the same one who had been nailed to a cross, whose body had been placed in a cave, and who they had witnessed in resurrected form. Their minds must have been racing. Maybe life as they knew it might not be over! Perhaps the ministry of Jesus would continue! But how do they respond to Him as He stands before them? Mathew tells us they responded by falling to their knees in worship, but some doubted.
As I studied the word for “doubt” in the original language, I found that Matthew uses it two times in his gospel. In this morning’s passage and in Matthew 14:31, where we find the account of Peter stepping out of the boat and walking on water towards Jesus. In Matthew 14:29, we read: “Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” English translations of these passages use the word “doubt” or “doubted”, which implies a lack of faith or confidence, but the definition of the Greek word is to waver, to vacillate, or to hesitate. It conveys uncertainty at a crossroad.
Throughout Jesus’ ministry, He told the disciples that He would die on a cross and be raised again from the dead. So even though they might have been stunned at the sight of their Master standing in their presence, they were not doubting His resurrection nor having a crisis of faith. Rather like me, standing outside of the hospital, holding my firstborn, the question that was pressing on their minds was, “What do we do now?” They had seen Jesus die, and they saw His lifeless body taken down from the cross. Now He was standing before them, but they know He’s not staying. What would happen to them? What would happen to their calling to follow Jesus? Though some may have felt uncertainty as to what the next step would be, Jesus’ words made their mission abundantly clear. So not only would this plan be clear, but verses 18-20 also show us...
Point 2: God's Mission for His Church...is very specific (vv. 18-20a)
If you do any reading on the state of the church today, especially in the U.S., what you realize is that it's not doing very well. For the average Christian, their knowledge of the Bible is weak, their lifestyle is more reflective of the world they live in rather than the God they say they serve, and their mentality reflects more the thought of "live for the day" rather than "live for Christ." And in many people's eyes, that is okay. But God has a mission for His church, His Redeemed, that He wants us to carry out. And not only is this mission clear, but very specific.
In verses 18-20, Matthew writes, "18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 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, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you."
As we consider these words, I want you to notice three things about this mission that God has called His church to accomplish. First, the success of the mission is guaranteed because of Christ's Lordship over all creation. In verse 18, Jesus states upfront that He is now in control of all things. All authority has been given to Him from God the Father, which means nothing is outside of His control! And for the disciples who first heard this, these words offered a lot of comfort as they moved forward in their mission.
A second thing we learn about this mission is that we are to live it out daily. Look at verse 19 again. Jesus begins with these two words, “Go therefore…” A more literal translation of this phrase from the original language would be, “Therefore after having gone…” English translations write this phrase as a command, but this was not a command in the original language. However, the words that follow are a command, “make disciples.” “Therefore, after having gone, make disciples.” You may be thinking, what difference does this make? Let me explain.
Jesus is telling the disciples that He is leaving them, and they will continue to live here on earth without His physical presence. He is telling them that as they go about their lives, they are to go with one purpose—to make disciples. What does this mean for us today, a couple of thousand years later? It means the same thing for us as it did for the original disciples. "Make disciples" does not mean we only set aside time once a year to go on a mission trip or once a month to volunteer in our church or community. Those are not bad things to do. In fact, they are excellent things, and we should look for opportunities to do them. But what Jesus is saying is, as His followers, our lives are not to be compartmentalized or segmented so that "making disciples" is only an occasional event. Instead, "making disciples" is to be an integral part of our daily living. As followers of Christ, we are to look for opportunities to make disciples as we interact with family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, and all those with whom we come into contact. And it also includes going on a mission trip and volunteering in the church and community.
As one author said so well, "Jesus of Nazareth always comes asking disciples to follow him--not merely "accept him," not merely "believe in him," not merely "worship him," but to follow him: one either follows Christ, or one does not. There is no compartmentalization of the faith, no realm, no sphere, no business, no politic in which the lordship of Christ will be excluded. We either make him Lord of all lords, or we deny him as Lord of any." (Lee Camp, Mere Discipleship: Radical Christianity in a Rebellious World) As we “therefore go,” our lives should consistently reflect the God we serve. Closely tied to the truth that Jesus is Lord over all, He tells us that, as we go into the world, we should do so in humble submission to our Lord as we point to Jesus with our lives.
Before we consider the command to teach others in verse 20, I want to briefly look at Christ's command to the original disciples regarding baptism. The context is really important here. After stating that He had been given all authority, Jesus gives a command: “Go make disciples of all nations and baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Now, I know, this immediately raises the question, "Are we, as individuals, supposed to baptize others then?" The answer is no. This instruction was directed to the original disciples who would be laying the foundation of the church as it moved out into the world. And, I believe, this same instruction applies to those who come after them in the roles of Pastor or Elder who are leading their individual church bodies.
However, in this instruction to baptize, we do find an instruction that applies to all of us. Before disciples can be baptized, there must be a call to repentance in the message we present. And along with that, we must clearly communicate that in Christ all our sins are forgiven, our old life has ceased, our new life in Christ has begun, and we live this new life in the power of the Holy Spirit which dwells in us. All of us are called to share this message, not just pastors and elders.
A third thing we learn about this mission is that making disciples involves teaching others the truths that we have learned. This is at the heart of God's mission for His church! Yet, much of the church today has stopped short of fulfilling this mission as focus is placed on only one aspect of it. In many churches, the focus has become to "reach the lost.” Now that is certainly a part of God's mission for the church, but that is not the complete mission. Like giving birth to a baby, as hard as it is at the time and as exhilarating as it might feel to see new life come into existence, that birth is just a small part of the whole process. Every parent knows that the real work comes after the baby is born! And it will take lots of time, patience, trust, and endurance as that baby grows to maturity. And this is true for the church, as well. We do not fulfill God's mission for the church if we only reach the lost by sharing with them the rudimentary gospel message and then leave them to live on spiritual milk.
So what does this work of "making disciples" look like in real life? What do we need to do to fulfill the mission that God has called us to? Jesus' command is clear. Making disciples must include teaching them. Even the definition of disciple emphasizes this. A disciple is "one who engages in learning through instruction from another; a student, or an apprentice." (A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd Edition by Walter Bauer and Frederick William Danker) Jesus wants us, His followers, to "go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life." (v. 20, The Message)
As I have shared with you before from my personal experience, that had I not had someone come into my life and do for me what Matthew mentions in verse 20, my faith would look very different today. Thirty-eight years ago, one of my high school teachers took an interest in my spiritual life. He invited me to come and see Jesus, but he didn't stop there. He took the time and patience to instruct and encourage me. And guess what? That relationship continues today. What began as making a disciple has evolved into a close friendship with a fellow sojourner.
But the best and clearest example of this process of "making disciples" is none other than Jesus Himself. Jesus' mission included seeking and saving the lost; something that only He has the power to do. But His mission also included making disciples. Throughout His ministry, Jesus took time to instruct those in the spheres of His life. As He went about daily living, He never lost sight of His purpose. Looking at Jesus' ministry, we see that teaching includes admonishing, equipping, serving, modeling, and correction to name a few. Jesus taught Nicodemus new truths in their late-night conversation, taking the time to answer Nicodemus' questions. Jesus also modeled for His disciples how to love others, how to connect with people who were marginalized, how to pray, and even how to persevere while suffering.
And Jesus did not limit His teaching to just speaking, instructing, and modeling actions or behavior; He also invited His disciples to actively participate in serving others. At the feeding of the five thousand, He had the disciples serve the people with Him. Jesus was creative in His teaching methods, never missing an opportunity to teach. I encourage you to study the life of Christ through the lens of making disciples. You will find He is the best example to follow.
So, to summarize, as we grow in our relationship with God, we are called to invite others to come and see Jesus, so that they too might experience His invitation to follow Him. And we are also called to instruct them so that they can be equipped to serve and invite still others to come and see Jesus as well. This is what the process of "making disciples" looks like. It is allowing yourself, as a follower of Jesus, to be used by God to carry out what was first established on a mountainside in Galilee by our Lord and Master. It will take time, patience, honesty, and even courage to carry out this task. But this is our mission as a church, and the task that we have been called to, which Gateway, in particular, sums up in our mission statement, "To connect people to Jesus Christ and to one another."
And yet, as we faithfully carry out this mission, we need to keep in mind one last thing which is found at the end of verse 20, and could be summed up this way...
Point 3: God's Mission for His Church...persists until His return (vv. 20b)
In the closing words of Jesus, according to Matthew, we read these words, "And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Listen to how the translation called "The Message", put it, "I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age." I'm sure as the eleven stood there hearing these words, they were feeling a lot of different things. Knowing what their mission was, what kind of thoughts do you think ran through their minds? My guess is that they were thinking, "We can't do this! How can our small group impact the world for God? Who is going to listen to us? And how will we ever be able to accomplish such a huge task?" But Jesus does not leave their questions unanswered. To all these questions Jesus responds. And in His response, we not only find the comfort we will need as we too carry out this mission, but also the encouragement to do so.
Before He departed, Jesus tells them one final thing to keep in mind as they move forward in their mission. Using a word, translated in the ESV as "Behold", this Greek word is actually a word used to get one's attention, and could be translated simply as, "Look!" Like a father trying to calm the nerves of his child who is about to do something they are afraid to do, Jesus grabs the disciples' attention one last time, and reminds them that they will not be accomplishing this task by themselves. Rather, Jesus will be with them. And this promise is for us as well. This should give us great encouragement and motivation as a church to carry out God's mission.
As I said a couple weeks ago when I preached about sharing our faith, and which also applies to making disciples, God is the one who causes the growth (1 Corinthians 3:6-7). For so many people who call themselves "Christians," very few of them have ever had someone disciple them. I know, because I often ask people if they were ever discipled. And more often than no, the answer is, "No." But then they add, "But I wish I had been." Folks, discipleship is an ongoing process. As Francis Chan has said, "The Christian life is a process of better understanding what Jesus taught, learning to apply that teaching in our everyday lives, and then teaching others - people directly around us and people on the other side of the globe - to do the same." (Francis Chan, Multiply: Disciples Making Disciples)
All of us who call ourselves "Christians" or "Followers of Christ" are by definition His disciples. The only question that must be answered is whether or not we are really following Jesus and learning from Him. If not, we are "Christians" in name only. God has called you to more than that. And the leadership at Gateway Church wants more for you than that.
So, once again, let me leave you with a challenge. If you are a new believer who wants to grow in your faith, let me know, and I will help you move in that direction. Or if you are a member of Gateway who is mature in your faith, and you are willing to meet one-on-one with someone to disciple them, let me know that as well, and I will connect them with you. But the bottom line is this: as followers of Jesus, we are all journeying together in this thing called, "the Christian life.” No one does it perfectly, and the only way we can grow in our faith individually is if we are connected to Jesus and to one another. Our role in the mission is simply to continue to humbly submit ourselves to the Lordship of Christ, to let this submission impact every area of our lives, and to go out making disciples for Jesus, knowing that He is with us and will bring about His intended results.
So, in spite of whatever 2021 may bring our way, let's decide together to take seriously the words of Jesus that, "As you go, make disciples!" We have nothing to fear because our success is guaranteed by the One who is in control of it all. And we know that as we go about this work, as Jesus' reminds us in verse 20, "I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age" (The Message). For to God, and to God alone, belongs all the glory.
Let's pray together.
Father, in giving your Son, Jesus, you not only give us eternal life as we trust Him alone for our salvation, but you also call us to take what we know to be true and to share it with others. This is what it means to "make disciples". For every follower of Jesus hearing my voice, I pray that you would give them an unquenchable desire to share with others what they have been given, teaching them to obey all the things that Jesus taught. And as we do this, may we not rely in our own strength, but in humble submission and reliance on the Holy Spirit that You have given to us. Thank You for allowing us the privilege to be a part of the work of Your kingdom. And in all that we do, may we do it for Your glory alone. For to You alone, Father, belongs all the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
"Now to him who is able to keepyou from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” - Jude 24-25; ESV
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