THE RESURRETED CHRIST'S MANDATE FOR THE CHURCH

MATTHEW 28:16-20

          But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him, but some were doubtful. And Jesus came up 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 the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (NASB).

INTRODUCTION

          William Kelly was an outstanding student of the Bible whose scholarship and spirituality made him a real power for God in Great Britain at the close of the century. Kelly had once helped a young relative prepare for Trinity College in Dublin and in this way came to the attention of the professors there. They urged him to take up work at the college and thus distinguish himself. When Kelly showed a complete lack of enthusiasm for the suggestion, they were completely perplexed. One of them asked in exasperation, "But Mr. Kelly, aren't you interested in making a name for yourself in the world?" To which Kelly replied, "Which world, gentlemen?"

          Kelly went on to become the "father of Modern Missions." It all depends on which world you want to make a name for yourself. I would like to share with you on the topic, "The Resurrected Christ's Mandate for the Church."

BACKGROUND

          If you recall, when the women went to the empty tomb and saw the angel of God, he told them that Jesus was risen. He then added that they should go and tell the disciples to go to Galilee and meet Jesus. The women on their way met the resurrected Jesus Himself. He repeated the message of the angel that they should go and tell "His brothers" to go and meet Him in Galilee. However, when the women broke the news to the disciples, Peter and John ran to the tomb to verify the claim of the women. They returned to confirmed that the tomb was empty but they tarried in Jerusalem for the fear of the Sanhedrin. Jesus therefore appeared to them in Jerusalem to confirm the message of the women. At some point, the disciples mustered courage and left Jerusalem to meet the risen Christ on a mountain in Galilee, which He had designated (v. 16). Notice that this is the first time in the Gospel of Matthew where he uses the word "eleven" disciples. The disciples are eleven now because Judas Iscariot the traitor has gone to his place. All along he was not a genuine disciple. Not everyone who attends a church service is a Christian. Not everyone who even professes to be a Christian is one. Only those who have been saved by the cleansing blood of Jesus are Christians.

          In verse 17, when the disciples saw the risen Christ, they worshiped Him, but some doubted. Like the women, the disciples worshiped the resurrected Christ. When you have an encounter with the risen Christ, worship becomes your natural response. When a person attends a worship service and he/she is not involved in the worship, please do not be surprised because the person may not have experienced the resurrected Christ. The Bible says that they worshiped Him but "some doubted." The word that is translated "doubted" is the Greek verb distazç, which does not denote settled unbelief, but a state of uncertainty and hesitation (cf. 14:31 the only other use in the NT). Matthew's honesty is remarkable. Some of the disciples struggled with doubt. No Christian grows in faith without some doubts. The five-year-olds who took in every Bible story will become the fifteen-year-olds who want to know "how, what, why, when, and where." And they will grow too, and press for deeper answers along the way.

          When you doubt, do not become discouraged. It is not a sin or failure to doubt. It is a normal part of spiritual growth. Keep talking with thoughtful Christian friends and teachers, keep studying and praying, keep serving the Lord, and keep asking questions and looking for answers. God gave you a mind to discover His truth. Do not let anyone tell you that discovery is wrong. This text shows that Thomas was not the only one who doubted the resurrection of Jesus. However, they would all eventually be fully convinced and believe in the resurrected Christ.

          I. THE GREAT CLAIM V. 18

          Maybe some of them doubted because Jesus was a little far removed from them, but when He came closer (v. 18) they recognized Him. Jesus said to them, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth." Notice that Jesus did not say some authority has been given to Me. Jesus did not say an authority has been given to Me; neither did He say, All authority has been given to Me on earth alone. On the contrary, He said, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth." This is a sweeping concept that implies divine status. He has "all authority"--that is, nothing is outside His sovereign control. Do you recall Jesus' temptation in the wilderness in Matthew 4:8-9, where Satan offered him the kingdoms of the world and all its glory, if Jesus would worship him and become disobedient to His Father? Now by way of obedient suffering, Jesus has received far more than Satan could offer--all authority in heaven and on earth. This means that when you are tempted to worship an angel, remember that all authority in heaven belongs to Jesus Christ. Therefore, He is the only one that deserves your worship. When you are tempted to worship people and things on earth, realize that all authority on earth belongs to Jesus Christ. Therefore you are not to worship anybody or anything. Jesus Christ is the sovereign and the universal Lord. This means that when you are afraid run to Jesus. When you are hurting run to Jesus; when you are feeling the blues in life run to Jesus. Whatever situation you are going through present it to Jesus because He has all authority in heaven and on earth. That is why I tell you not to be afraid or become preoccupied with demons, witches, wizards, and evil people. When you are perplexed, go to Jesus in prayer because He has your situation under control. Nobody else can make such a claim besides Jesus.

          II. THE GREAT COMMISSION V. 19

          On the basis of His authority both in heaven and on earth, Jesus tells His disciples and every believer to go and make disciples as they preach, baptize, and teach His Word. Let me ask you a question. Are you a born again Christian? Are you saved? Have you given your life over to Christ? Are you a disciple of Jesus Christ? If the answers to these questions  are in the affirmative (yes) then, you are under obligation to carry out the Great Commission. Making disciples is a command from the risen Christ to His church. It is not an option; neither is it a suggestion. Rather, it is an imperative to be obeyed. There is something interesting in verse 19 that I want you to see. In Matthew 10, Jesus sent the disciples to "the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (v. 6), but here Jesus is saying that His disciples are to go and make disciples of "all the nations." This means that now the gospel is not limited to the Jews but the Gentiles as well. Jesus' universal Lordship now demands universal mission. The mission that Christ has given to us has universal thrust and implications. Many Christians have gotten the Christian life wrong. They think that the purpose for which Christ saved them is so that they can go to heaven. Yes, heaven is part of His reward for you and me. Jesus did not save you so that you will become rich materially as some of the preachers in the United States wrongly proclaim and want us to believe. Jesus did not save you so that you will live comfortably here on earth. Jesus' number one purpose for saving you is that you would make disciples. Jesus wants to use you as a catalyst for the salvation of others. Jesus has saved you to reproduce other believers into His kingdom. The question is, are you being obedient to Jesus' command to win others and disciple them? In verses 19 and 20, the only imperative is "make disciples," "baptizing and teaching" are participles, which are subordinate to "make disciples." "Make disciples" is a brisk command, an order from the risen Christ. What does it mean to "make disciples?" It means the mind, as well as the heart, and the will of people must be won for Christ. A disciple is a pupil, a learner. Therefore, those of us who are bought with the precious blood of Christ and have been born again from above must share or proclaim the truth and the will of God to the people of the world, who are not yet Christians. This is the main purpose for which Jesus Christ saved you. Jesus said, "As the Father has sent Me so I send you."  Why is it that every Christian wants to go to heaven; every Christians wants to inherit the blessings of God, but only a few are obedient to "The Great Commission?" To put it plainly, only a few believers are sharing the gospel (the good news) with the lost people around us. In this text, Jesus is passing the gospel baton to His disciples. He is passing the gospel torch to us. The Great Commission implies that many Christians are to leave their respective countries and go to other nations of the world, where people have not heard of Jesus Christ and win them to Christ and disciple them. The rest are to become local and national missionaries to our people. Not every Christian has the gift of an evangelist, but every Christian is commanded to make disciples of all the nations.

          Some people think that churches pay the pastors to make disciples while the congregations just sit to warm pews. The Great Commission is Jesus' number priority for the church. It is an inclusive mandate; it is a universal appeal. Jesus did not save you to keep His truth to yourself. He saved you to share His truth with others who are still groping in the darkness. Jesus did not save you to sit down and soak it all in; He saved you to go and make disciples. Many Christians are loaded with biblical knowledge but they do not share them with anybody. How sad it is! The good news must be shared. The truth that you have learned must be practiced. It is necessary that sinners learn about their own lost condition, God, His plan of redemption, and His unconditional love.

          This verse (v.19) teaches that those who are to be baptized are old enough to understand the content of the message. In addition, to be ready for baptism requires repentance (Acts 2:38, 41). It requires "receiving the word" (Acts 2:41). This shows that a certain amount of teaching must precede being baptized. The baptizing must be in the "name"--note the singular name: hence one God--"of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." This suggests both unity and plurality in the Godhead. A "name" represents the person who bears it. "Being baptized into the name of," therefore means being brought into vital relationship with the Triune God. Baptism, therefore is very important. The one who submits to baptism, if sincere is proclaiming that he/she has broken with the world and has been brought into union with the Triune God, to whom he/she intends to devote his/her life.

          III. THE GREAT COMFORT V. 20

          Jesus says that as we lead others to Him, disciple them, and baptize them, we are also to teach them. This means that the Christian life is a continuous learning of the things of Christ. This is important because if we do not teach them the truth, false teachers would lead them astray. Jesus then goes to offer to His disciples the promise of His presence: "And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." There are timeless truths in this statement. First, no one less than the risen Christ is with us. Second, He is not just "with us forever but all the days." "Always" implies that Jesus is not with you a quarter or half of the day. It means that Jesus is with you twenty-four seven (24/7). Jesus is with you day in and day out. Jesus does not save you to leave you alone to fend for yourself. He is with you in the person of the Holy Spirit everyday. What Jesus is saying is very encouraging because in the trials, troubles, and difficulties of each day, the resurrected Christ is with you. When the Apostle Paul was going through his painful thorn in the flesh, he cried to Jesus three times and Jesus gave him a comforting assurance. He said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). He says, "I will never leave you or forsake you." This is not some shallow promise from someone else. It is the reassuring promise from the risen Christ and it will continue until the close or the consummation of the age. In other words, the presence of Jesus is with His redeemed people until the end of history; and even then there is nothing to fear (Matt. 25:31-40). In what way is Jesus with His disciples? He is with His disciples in the person of the Holy Spirit. When the disciples were sorrowful because Jesus told them of His departure, He reassured them that He will not leave them orphans but would come to them. By that statement, Jesus meant that He is coming to them in the person of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the indwelling person of the Holy Spirit in the life of every believer presupposes the presence of the risen Christ. My question to you is that if Jesus indwells you, why should you be afraid? Lack of understanding of the Trinity, the Person and power of Jesus Christ in the life of the believer is the culprit of fear, uncertainty, and insecurity in the life on many Christians today.

          In the Gospel of Matthew at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end, Jesus Christ assures the church of His constant and comforting presence: "Behold, the Virgin shall be with a child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which translated means, God with us" (Matt. 1:23). "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst" (Matt. 18:20). And in the present passage, Jesus says, "I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:20). Do you believe that Jesus is with you always as a believer? Either this statement from Jesus is a timeless truth or Jesus is a liar. Now, since Jesus is with you, why are afraid to tell others about Him? You are afraid to witness and disciple others because you think you will fail or be rejected. However, you can trust the promise of Jesus to do what He says He would do. Therefore, since you have heard this message, you have no excuse to keep your mouth shut. You should spread the good news to those you come into contact. If you refuse to serve the risen Lord and King faithfully and carry out His mandate, then, you are a disloyal subject. Every believer is under obligation to carry out the demands of the Great Commission in the light of the cross, the empty tomb, the triumphant vindication and exaltation of the risen Lord. Our world is in turmoil because many Christians are afraid to share the good news.