The Great Commission | A Sermon on Matthew 28:16-20

Introduction
If you could have any superpower, what would it be?  What would you do with it?  I asked people on Facebook and here’s what they said:

• Patience
• Time travel - so I could hit all my grandchildren’s ballgames and not have to choose!
• The ability to heal - both yourself and others
• Omniscience - to be all knowing
• The power/charisma to convince people
• Ultimate faithfulness to be able to turn all concerns to Jesus and accept his Will unconditionally with Praise and Glory to God.
• Teleportation
• Invisibility
• The ability to fly
• be to cure cancer
• be to instill love and compassion into every person’s heart
• to be able to duplicate themselves
• Ask powerful questions that helped people reflect on how much they are loved by God such that their character would manifest the fruit of the Spirit
• To ensure that no children go to bed hungry

In our passage today, Jesus says He has been given a super power:  all authority in heaven/earth; then He tells what He wants to do with it.

Matthew 28:16-20
¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 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.”

“…but some doubted”
Before we talk about Jesus' authority and what He wants to do with it, I want to point out the first thing that grabbed me in this passage because I think it’s really important.  It says they worshipped Jesus, but some doubted.  They are with the risen Jesus, in the flesh, but some still doubted.  

That amazes to me! Then I realize I have also personally seen Jesus do some amazing things. 
He has provided for me – out of a broken, impoverished home; and I'm still here when many of my friends didn't make it.  God granted me a beautiful wife.  He helped me raise three successful kids.  He saw me through 25 years of ministry - ordination, ministry struggles (staff changes, addictions, fires, floods, disaffiliation).  God has been with me through all of this, yet sometimes I still doubt.

So, if you sometimes doubt, don’t beat yourself up.  Jesus still loves you whether you are brimming with confidence or struggling or just hanging on trying to believe.  And Jesus still gives you a mission.  The mission is based on His authority, not our certainty.   Jesus says, “ I am with you always…”

Authority
Now let’s talk about Jesus’ authority.  What would you do if you had “all authority in heaven and on earth”?  Jesus had all authority.  He could have used it to make people bow down to Him, to serve Him, to build His throne.  He even could have used His power and authority to snap HIs fingers and fix the whole world all by Himself in an instant.  But he didn’t.

Jesus chose to use His authority to commission us.  Rather than doing something all by Himself, He gives us the honor of doing it with Him.  He must have done that for a very important reason, because we’re idiots!  So, there must be something about the God of Heaven and Earth inviting His children to get involved that’s really important.  I think it is part of the healing process for us to help God in His work to save our world.

How do you use your influence?  Do you use it to control?  Protect yourselves?  Elevate yourselves?  Do you use it selfishly or do you use it to empower others?  Jesus used His authority to empower us to do something.  What exactly did He empower us for?

Verses 19-20 tell us we are to make disciples, baptize, and teach.  Let’s look at each of these.  We are to make disciples.  This is the main command but do we know what it means?  It doesn’t just mean to win converts, gain new church members, or get people to attend church.  We’re called to make disciples.

We are called to make disciple.

A disciple is a follower of Jesus.  

A disciple is someone who learns from Jesus.  

A disciple is someone who begins to live like Jesus.  

And a disciple is someone who makes disciples

Jesus also told us to baptize.
Jesus also commissioned us to baptize people.  Baptism publicly identifies a person with Christ.  It says, they are a member of God’s family.  

Way back in the Old Testament, God called Abraham to leave his home and go to a promised land he would show him.  And God said He would make Abraham the father of a great nation that would be God's special chosen people.  And God told Abraham that every child should be circumcised at 8-days old.  Circumcision would be the sign that they were God's chosen people.  Them, in the New Testament, the Apostle Paul said baptism is the new circumcision--the sign that Christians are God's people.

It is our tradition in the Methodist Church to baptize our children to claim them for Christ—to say they are part of the family of God.  When they grow up, they choose Christ for themselves.  Ultimately, we baptize people because, someone who is baptized has a new identity in Christ.  People today identify themselves in all kinds of ways:  parent, American, a Georgia bulldog fan, introvert/extrovert, etc. You can be all those things, but Christ should be your primary identifier.  Baptism is the moment we say, ‘I belong to Jesus now.’

Jesus said: “Teach Them..”
Jesus commissioned us to teach people to obey everything He commanded.  We’re not just teaching them about Jesus, because knowing information about Jesus is not the same as following Jesus.  We’re to teach people to obey Jesus’ commands.

What Jesus commissioned His followers to do is like raising a child.  Think about it.  We’re called to bring people into God’s family and then teach them how to live.  Then, they go out and bring more people into God’s family and teach them how to live.

If we’re not helping people grow in Christ, then we’re not fully doing what Jesus called us to do. 

Holy Communion
So, here we are.  Some us worship.  Some of us doubt.  We do both at different times--and sometimes a the same time!  Jesus doesn’t wait for perfect faith.  He doesn’t hold back His mission.  He speaks with all the authority of  Heaven and Earth and He commissions us to make disciples, to baptize, to teach.

But before we go out into the world to serve, to try and live out this calling, Jesus invites us to come to Him.  Because it begins with what Jesus has already done for us.  

One of the most sacred ways He reminds us what He’s done is Holy Communion.  At this table:

• We remember His sacrifice
• We receive His grace
• We experience His presence

And I would remind you something we’ve learned today: 
this invitation isn’t just for people with strong faith. 
It’s also for those who still have questions and doubts.

So today, if you have confidence—come.
If you have doubts—come.
If you long to believe—come.
Because Jesus meets us right here in all of these.

The same Jesus who said, ‘Go and make disciples,’ also says,
‘Come to the table.  Taste and see.’

 

Follow Me | A Sermon on Matthew 4:19

Introduction
Last week, we looked at Jesus invitation “Come.”  We can see our world is broken.  The ways of the world don’t work. 

And we can look at our own lives and see we are broken too.  We’re part of the problem.  If we were alcoholics, we might as well start repeating the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous:

1.     We admit we are powerless over our problems—that our lives and our world have become unmanageable.

2.     We’ve come to realize it will take a Power greater than ourselves to restore us to sanity.

But now we come to the second part of Jesus’ invitation “follow me”.  And we must decide. 
Will we follow Him?

Matthew 4:19
¹⁹ Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”

Follow Me
Many people came out to see Jesus.  They were curious.  In a world full of mundane tasks and suffering, Jesus was a was a gifted speaker they could seek to distract them from their troubles and sometimes verbalize they own frustrations about the broken world.  And sometimes Jesus would do miracles:  healings, changing water into wine, and feed thousands of people.  So, many would answer the invitation to “Come and see” Jesus.

But standing on the sidelines watching doesn’t bring change.  So Jesus’ invitation—to those ready to hear—includes “follow me.

Jewish rabbis in Jesus’ day invited students to study under them, to leave everything behind and devote themselves fully to learning. Jesus was like other rabbis in some ways, but very different in others. He didn’t study under another rabbi—He wrote the book. He didn’t stay in one place—He was itinerant, moving from Galilee to Samaria to Jerusalem. His classroom was real life. His teaching came with authority. Mark 1:22 says: “The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.”

Jesus invited His disciples—and us—into real-life situations where they could watch Him work and learn to do the same.

So, what does it mean to follow Jesus?

What does it mean to follow? (Then & Now)

First, it means leaving everything to follow Him. Some, like Peter, James, and John, left their nets and careers. Others, like Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, followed from their homes. Either way, following Jesus meant total commitment.  Whether or not they actually left their homes and careers behind (like Peter), all Jesus' followers left them behind figuratively because Jesus took first place in their list of priorities.  And the same is true for his

followers today.  

I am a full-time pastors. I left my career to follow Jesus full-time. It's a blessing for me to be able to do it. I do not regretting that I've left those other things. I'm thankful that I'm able to do it. But not everybody can do that. I mean, if everybody's a preacher, who's teaching the kids at school? Who's who's serving at the hospital? There are lots of ways that we serve the Lord. But if you're a disciple, if you follow Jesus, whether you're a pastor or a missionary or a teacher or a doctor or a business person, there still is a commitment that you follow him with your whole heart.  He becomes first in your life.

Second, following means you travel and live alongside Him. Following means giving Him constant attention every day—not just on Sundays.  You can't just follow him for one hour on Sunday, and go your own way the rest of the week.  No.  You follow Him all week long, wherever you are.

Third, it means you listen to His teaching and ask questions. The disciples asked when they didn’t understand. We too must study God’s Word daily and wrestle with it in faith.  How do we listen?  We read His Word, the Bible.  It's not just people's opinions about Jesus.  It's His actual words in the Bible.  And we, like the Twelve Disciples, ask questions, because we often (like them) won't understand.  It's ok to have doubts or not understand.  But do so from a place of faith.  Let the assumption be that Christ's Word is true.  Believe in Him and trust Him and ask questions.  That's how you learn.

Fourth, witness His miracles and compassion. As we walk with Him, we see His hand at work—and we begin to imitate His compassion.  We believe Jesus is alive.  So look for His amazing, good work.  Note it.  Praise it.  Share it. Magnify His name and be His witness.

Fifth, learn from mistakes. The disciples failed often and we will too.  But mistakes become lessons.--some of the most unforgettable and valuable ones.  Following Jesus doesn’t mean perfection—it means growth.  So don't be afraid to make mistakes.  Just be sure to learn from them.

Last, following Jesus means we witness His death and resurrection. Discipleship isn’t all joy and miracles (sugar and spice and everything nice). The disciples saw the darkness of Jesus hanging on the cross before they saw the empty tomb. We too will face suffering and we will see some darkness, but we hold fast to the hope of resurrection.  Don't let fear of failure or evil or suffering scare you away from following Jesus.  Because those who follow Him will also see resurrection.

Closing
You’ve heard Jesus’ invitation: “Come, follow Me.” Coming is only the first step. Following means making a decision—today, right now—to put your life under His authority and truth.

The disciples had to make that decision. They left nets, tax booths, and old lives behind.  Some, like Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, followed from their homes, offering what they had.  No matter the form, following meant a wholehearted “yes.”

And that’s the invitation for us today. Not just to come and watch from the sidelines.  Not just to admire Jesus or be curious about Him. But to commit—maybe for the first time, or maybe as a renewal of faith you’ve let slip.

So let me ask you:  Will you follow Him? Will you trust His authority, His truth, and His way of life?

I invite you to bow your heads and pray. Maybe you’ve never truly made that commitment, or maybe you’ve drifted and today is the day to renew it.  In your heart, you can pray something like this:

“Jesus, I believe You are the Son of God. I believe You died and rose again for me. I’ve tried my way, and it hasn’t worked. Today I choose to follow You. Lead me, Lord, and help me walk in Your way. Amen.”

A Prayer of Commitment
Leader: Jesus calls us, saying, “Come, follow Me.”
People: Lord, we will follow You.

Leader: We confess that our ways are broken and cannot save us.
People: Lord, we will follow You.

Leader: You alone are the way, the truth, and the life.
People: Lord, we will follow You.

Leader: We lay down our anger, our fear, and our sin at Your feet.
People: Lord, we will follow You.

Leader: With our whole hearts, we say yes to Your authority and truth.
People: Lord, we will follow You.

Leader: Today, and every day, we choose to walk in Your steps.
People: Lord, we will follow You.