Sunday Morning, August 8, 2010
URGENT COMMAND: MAKE DISCIPLES
Matthew 28:16-20
This morning I want to share with you from a passage that many of you know well. Please turn to Matthew 28. While you are turning there, let me assure you that I do plan to get back to Philippians. The summer detour was not deliberate. However, I do believe the Lord has been guiding us. I also want to remind you to pray for Jake, as he will be sharing the Word with us next Sunday.
As you turn to Matthew 28, it is obvious that this is the last chapter in the Matthew’s account of the gospel. Since this is the end, it doesn’t surprise us that in this chapter Matthew is talking about Jesus being raised from the dead and the events that follow His resurrection. Actually, Matthew tells us very little of what happened between Jesus resurrection and His ascension back to heaven 40 days later (see Acts 1:1-3). We can find much more information in Luke and John. However, at the end of chapter 28 Matthew does give us this one scene, which took place shortly before Jesus went back to heaven. Let’s read it in Matt. 28:16-20…
Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. 17. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. 18. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Jesus had risen from the dead. These eleven (the twelve apostles minus Judas) had seen Him and talked to Him. On this occasion, they worshipped Him, but some doubted. For some, their heads were still spinning. Before long, they would witness something else they would never forget. Jesus would go up into a cloud and disappear, but two angels assured them that He would come again just as they had seen Him go (Acts 1:9-11). On this occasion, here in Matthew 28, Jesus had a very important message for His apostles. Before He was crucified, Jesus had told them, "And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. 28. But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee" (Mark 14:27-28). Earlier in this chapter, the women came to the empty tomb and an angel of the Lord spoke these words to them: "And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. 6. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you" (Matt. 28:5-7).
Now let’s come to what Jesus actually said to His apostles on this important occasion. “All power [literally, “authority”] is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” What a statement. No one else in the universe could ever say what Jesus said: “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me.” Who gave Jesus that authority? None other than God the Father. And why did He give Jesus that authority? Because Jesus came to this earth in obedience to the Father, lived a sinless life of obedience to the Father, took the wrath of God on Himself at the cross in obedience to the Father, and was raised from the dead by the power of the Father. We read in Rom. 1:4 that Jesus was declared to the be the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead. All authority is His. Since that is true, how those eleven apostles needed to listen to Jesus. And we need to listen to Him too.
Notice the progression. “All authority is given unto me, therefore you…” Jesus didn’t say, “All authority is given unto me, therefore I will…” No, it is, “All authority is given to me, therefore you…” Whatever it was those men were commissioned to do, it was based on the authority of Jesus, and their ability to carry it out would depend upon His authority.
I. The Command
This passage is often referred to as “The Great Commission.” It is a “commission” in that Jesus commits a task to His followers. It is “great” in that what He says is very, very important. Think of it. Jesus is getting ready to go back to heaven to be with His Father. He doesn’t have time to say many things to these eleven who will carry on His work in this world. So what He does say will be extremely critical for them to hear and hear well.
What is it that Jesus commands them to do? This is one of those cases where it will be helpful to read more than one translation. The King James and most others translate the command something like this: “Go and teach all nations.” Regardless of how this is translated, there is only one command in this passage. Although the participle translated “go” may be translated as a command if the context demands it, that is rare. The context here does not demand it, because there is a clear command. The KJV renders that command “teach.” Yes, this is the command, but the translation “teach” is not helpful. Why not? Because the word “teaching” in verse 20 is a completely different word. It is that word in verse 20 that speaks of teaching, instructing, as we know it. The word in verse 19 literally means “make disciples,” as most every other translation renders it. It is the verbal form of the noun “disciple,” which is found 272 (KJV) times in the New Testament. The command Jesus gives the eleven is simply this: “Make disciples.”
But what is a disciple? The word itself simply refers to “a willing learner.” In that day a disciple was one who learned diligently from his teacher. It was just classroom teaching, but more of an on-the-job training. We see this in the very example of the way Jesus trained the twelve. And how many disciples did Jesus have? You might say, “Twelve.” Or maybe you would say “eleven,” since Judas betrayed Jesus (not present at this time). You will notice in verse 16 that Jesus refers to these men as “the eleven disciples.” Since the word “the” is used, we might get the idea that these were Jesus’ only disciples, but that is not the case. We see the distinction between “apostle” and “disciple” most clearly in Luke 6:12-13, "And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. 13. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles." Then in the following verses Luke names those twelve apostles. Out of the larger group of disciples, Jesus chose twelve to be apostles. The principle is clear -- as Jesus walked the earth, He had many disciples, but twelve apostles.
Jesus commands these eleven to make other disciples. Of whom are they to make disciples? In other words, what pool to they have to choose from? This was a big issue. A Jew would tend to say that their pool did not extend beyond the Jewish people. After all, immediately after He chose those twelve apostles, Jesus said to them: "These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: 6. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matt. 10:5-6). Those of the words of Jesus. From what He says here in chapter 28, it is clear that the day of limiting the message to the Israelites has passed. Paul states the principle clearly in Rom. 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes -- to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” While the message was first delivered to the Jews, now Jesus is commissioning His apostles to make disciples of all nations.
Don’t think of “all nations” simply in terms of countries, such as The United States, Germany, Spain, and Argentina. This word refers to people groups rather than to countries. That is especially applicable for our day. We used to call the USA a “melting pot.” Yes, and it is more that way today than ever before, but today many nations have become melting pots. People are mobile and seem to migrate to most every place on earth. The actual Greek word that is translated “nations” is “ethnos.” We get our word “ethnic” from it. Jesus is talking about ethnic groups of people. We live in New Mexico, but in the sense which Jesus speaks, it is not made up of New Mexicans. Rather it is composed of Anglos, Hispanics, Apaches, etc. When Jesus told His apostles to make disciples of all peoples, He included every people group on earth. There are no ethnic boundaries to the reach of the gospel.
So that is the basic command, “Make disciples of all peoples.” But what about the “go”? If it is not a command, what do we do with it? I don’t want to be dogmatic about this, because people do differ on this point. You have probably heard me or others say it like this, “As you are going, make disciples of all peoples.” If that is what Jesus meant, then he assumes that we will be going. Everyone is going. So as you go about life, make disciples along the way. This is not something that can occupy a compartment of your life; this task of making disciples is life itself. On the other hand, if someone demands that it be translated, “Go and make disciples,” I’m not going to argue. But if you read it that way, you must understand that the “Go” is subordinate to the “Make disciples.” The text demands that understanding. The commission is not to go as much as it is to make disciples. A missionary can go to the end of the earth and still not truly make disciples.
Now let’s move from the command to something else…
II. What Is Involved in Making Disciples?
So what is involved in making disciples? Let’s not speculate, but let’s come back to the text. “Make disciples of all peoples, baptizing them…and teaching them…” I know I left out some words, but this is the bare bones structure of the sentence. The command is to make disciples, and the baptizing and teaching are a part of that. It would be possible to translated it, “Make disciples by baptizing them and teaching them.”
Baptism assumes conversion. When we go to the book of Acts, the biblical pattern is clear. A person believes and then he is baptized. Romans 6 gives us the picture. When a new believer is put down into the water and raised up, it is a picture of Jesus’ death and resurrection, but it is also a picture of that individual has died with Christ and been raised again to walk in newness of life, Jesus’ life. The very argument of Romans 6 assumes that every Christian has been baptized. The baptism didn’t save him, but it is a vital step in his obedience to Christ. That is why I say that baptism assumes conversion.
What we have here is the initial work of making a disciple. If those eleven apostles were going to make disciples, they would have to bring them to the point of baptism. That means they would have to be converted. And how would that come about? Rom. 10:13-15, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher [proclaimer]? 15. And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!" Verse 17, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” In order to bring them to the point of baptism, they would have to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ and invite them to repent and believe.
Did those eleven go out and proclaim the good news of Jesus? Yes, they did. Where and when did they start? In Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came and empowered them to proclaim the wonderful words of God in many different languages. Were people converted as a result? Indeed they were, about three thousand on that first day. Praise God for such a harvest. Did they baptize them? We read it in Acts 2:41, "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls."
So does that mean they had made three thousand disciples? Does it? Come back to our text in Matt. 28. “Make disciples of all peoples, baptizing them… and…” Don’t miss the “and.” Making disciples consists of bringing them to the point where they were baptized, but there is another component beyond the “and.” “Baptizing them and teaching them.” After they baptized them, then they were to teach them. These are two distinct activities. The baptizing is a once-for-all experience. This command is completed at the point the person is put in the water and raised out of the water. It is not repeated again; it’s done. On the other hand, teaching is something that can’t be completed in a moment. Teaching is a prolonged activity that continues and continues and continues. There is a sense in which this activity does not come to an end in this life.
But now comes the next obvious question: Teach them what? “Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.” Understand what He is saying. Jesus is speaking and He says to these eleven men, “After you have baptized them, then you will be teaching them to observe, to obey, all the things that I have commanded you to do.” Had Jesus commanded these eleven to do anything? Yes. What about His new commandment? “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another, as I have loved you, that ye also love one another” (Jn. 13:34). “Let not your heart be afraid” (John 14:1). “Abide in me, as I in you” (Jn. 15:4). Yes, Jesus had given them commands. Now they were to teach those whom they baptize to obey those very commands that Jesus had given them.
Notice two things about this teaching. First of all, it includes all the commands that Jesus had given them. The second thing is something that we are prone to miss. Jesus did not tell them to teach these new converts all the things He had commanded them. Did He? Is that what it says? No. He tells them to teach them to observe (to obey) all the things He had commanded them. There is a world of difference. This is not a matter of knowledge; this is a matter of doing, of obedience. Remember that the scripture commands us to be hearers of the Word, but doers of the Word (James 1:22). This is not classroom teaching alone; this must be loving but consistent training. This duty can only be accomplished by being vitally involved in the life of the new convert. Do you see it? Just as a child learns to trust his parents and do what they say, so the disciple is to learn to trust Jesus and do what He says. Their task was not to fill the head with knowledge, but to fill the heart with trust and an eagerness to obey.
Jesus commanded them to make disciples. So when could it be said that a disciple was made? The task certainly wasn’t completed at baptism, for this teaching/training must follow it. But when is the teaching part done? This is not a question that has a clear black-and-white answer. If we say that it is ongoing throughout life, then we might conclude that there are no true disciples until we complete this life. But that can’t be true, because Jesus referred to men, even these men, as His disciples. I think it is safe to say that a disciple has been made when he has been baptized and he is seriously and consistently involved in learning to obey all that Jesus commanded.
III. How Does This Apply to Us?
Down through the centuries it has been debated as to whether this great commission can be applied to us. There have been those who have said that this was a unique commission given to those eleven and it was fulfilled by them. Therefore it has no relevance for us except in a historical sense. Now before you get too eager to dismiss that idea, let me remind you that we must acknowledge that every command Jesus gave to His apostles is not applicable to us. Let me repeat that: Not every command Jesus gave can be applied to us. Allow me to give you one example. We read it earlier. Jesus told His apostles to go only to the lost sheep of Israel. That doesn’t apply to us today. You say, “We know that.” How do we know that? We know it from the context of the rest of scripture, from Matt. 28:19 and Rom. 1:16.
So what about this command to make disciples of all peoples? Is that command for us? We can look at it from different angles. We might think of it terms of God’s will, what He desires. He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (II Pet. 3:9). Surely the New Testament abounds with the truth that God is working to prepare a bride for His Son. Will that bride not be made up of disciples of Jesus? Surely so. Or we might look at it this issue in light of the epistles, which basically came from the apostles of Jesus (directly or indirectly). Paul certainly made disciples of Jesus. Of course, we could argue that he was an apostle, though not one of the twelve. But it is also clear that Paul told those with whom he worked to make disciples of others. We see that most clearly in that classic discipleship passage, 2 Tim. 2:2, "And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also." We see this principle of continuity clearly illustrated in Paul’s words to Timothy.
Now let’s look at it from one other angle. Let’s consider one of the apostles to whom Jesus spoke these words -- John. John shares the gospel with a friend named Bill and Bill comes to faith in Christ and is baptized. Now John wants to go about teaching him to observe all Jesus’ commands, just as Jesus has told him. Yes, those commands include “Love one another,” and “Abide in me,” (as we talked about earlier), but they also include another command. And what command is that? The command that Jesus gives them right here. He must teach Bill to make disciples, for that is part of Jesus’ commands. So in order to observe Jesus’ commands, what must Bill do? He must make disciples. So Bill shares the gospel with others and his brother Bob becomes a follower of Jesus and is baptized. Now Bill begins the process of teaching Bob to observe all things that Jesus commanded. And what do those commands include? Make disciples. So Bill helps Bob learn how to make disciples. Do you get it? This command perpetuates itself. Through Bill and Bob we have moved beyond the command being just for those disciples.
Surely that makes it clear that this command applies to us. It is very similar to what we say about John 17, when Jesus was praying for His apostles. John 17:20, "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word." So we rightly conclude that Jesus was praying for all of us who have come to believe on Him. In the same way, this command has been extended to us through the generations who have obeyed His command to make disciples and have made disciples of us. Perhaps you say, “No one ever made a disciple out of me.” Who shared the good news with you? Who has encouraged you to obey Jesus’ commands?
I am stating bluntly that this command has been given to us. Jesus says to us, “Make disciples of all peoples, 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.” We must take that personally, and we must apply it in the context of the church.
There is one other consideration at this point. Suppose someone says, “I’m not sure I want to be a disciple; I’m content with just being a Christian.” I remind you that the term “Christian” is used only three times in the New Testament (Acts 11:26; 26:28; I Pet. 4:16), and two of those occurrences find it on the lips of an unbeliever. In contrast, the term disciple is used 272 times in the New Testament. Being a disciple is not an option. When Jesus looked at the crowds, He talked to them about how they could become His disciples, not about how they could become Christians (for example, Luke 14:25-33). A disciple is not an advanced Christian; a disciple is a follower, a willing learner of Jesus.
IV. How Do We Practically Obey This Command?
So how do we practically apply to ourselves the command, “Make disciples”? When you think about it, this is extremely simple. Down through the years, it has been observed that this is the most effective evangelism of all for if it is properly executed, the growth of God’s kingdom will be exponential. Jesus started with a little band of men and look what has happened through the centuries. However, we must admit that the job is certainly not finished. A few years ago the U.S. Center for world Missions identified at least 24,000 distinct ethnic groups; these are the peoples from whom we are to make disciples. It was estimated that well over half of those people groups did not have a single New Testament church among them which was made up of people out of their own culture. Looking at individuals, there are billions of people who are not disciples of Jesus Christ. But we don’t have to go half way around the world to apply this command. There are people all around us who do not follow Jesus. We are to make disciples of them.
So how are we doing? We are making some progress, but the truth is that we haven’t done very well. A big part of our problem is that we tend to equate knowledge with growth. But remember that Jesus didn’t say the goal was to know what He commands, but to do what He commands. If we want to know how we are doing, then we must ask the question: Are we making disciples? Am I making disciples?
This brings us to a very key issue. When is the work of making a disciple done? As we talked about earlier, there is a sense in which it is never done. But then I made this statement: “I think it is safe to say that a disciple has been made when he has been baptized and he is seriously and consistently involved in learning to obey all that Jesus commanded.” Are you seriously and consistently involved in learning to obey all that Jesus commanded? The answer to that question will tell us much about how we are doing. If everyone of us can answer “Yes,” I would say we are doing well. How do you answer the question for yourself? How are you doing with all His commands, particularly with this command in Matt. 28:19-20. Are you making disciples? Are you sharing the gospel with others, praying that the Spirit will use that message to bring them to Jesus? Are you sharing His Word with believers, praying that the Spirit will use that Word in their lives? Do you understand what I am saying. We can’t really say we are making disciples until those converts are making disciples of others, because that is what Jesus commanded. This church ought to be a factory for turning out disciple makers.
So how we are doing? Again, we are making progress, but we are weak. I have take the major responsibility for that. I have been very slow to apply this principle. I have made the simple complex. I have asked God to forgive me and I am asking you to forgive me. Many of you are not disciple makers because of my failure. Please forgive me.
Part of our problem is that we substitute good things for God’s best. We meet here on Sunday morning to worship God, pray, and hear His Word. Praise God! But please hear me very carefully. If we have a choice between doing that or doing something different that will produce more true disciple makers, then we ought to scrap the Sunday morning service and do the other. Because this is the goal. Am I saying our Sunday morning meetings are bad? Not at all, unless they become the goal, the sum and substance of what we do. Everything we do must be aimed at making disciples of Jesus Christ. The problem with Sunday morning meetings is that they are much better at dealing out knowledge than training people to obey Jesus. The Sunday morning meeting can be greatly used of God, but not unless it is properly combined with other personal work. The great problem is that we have this tendency to think that if we have good Sunday morning services, then we are making progress. We must measure progress by Matthew 28:18-20, not by the quality of the Sunday morning service. Please understand that I am preaching first of all to me; you just get any scraps that are left over.
Here is what I am saying. We desperately need a shift in our thinking, and it must start with me, and Norman, and Alex. By God’s grace, we are making a start. This message is our starting point. You will be hearing a great deal about this shift, this emphasis, in the near future. Our goal is gospel growth -- more people coming to faith in Christ as we share the gospel coupled with the effective training of us to be disciple makers. That growth comes about through the Word of God, as we faithfully proclaim it to believers and non-believers, praying that the Spirit will take the Word we speak and use it in the hearts of men and women.
Those are enough details for now. This is an open-ended sermon. What I ask us to do is to make Matt. 28:18-20 our meditation in these days. I’m not talking about just memorizing it. No, I am asking us to think about it, pray over it, ask God to show us how we can live it out. Talk about it with your brothers and sisters. Jesus didn’t say a great deal to His apostles before He ascended back to heaven, but He said this. He left them with this. It must be vitally important, and we must treat it that way.
Conclusion
Finally, we come to the last words of the passage: “And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” “The end of the world” is probably better stated “the end of the age.” In other words, it is talking about time, not about geography. We like those words, don’t we. We definitely don’t limit them to the apostles; we like to claim them for ourselves.
I have to ask the question: “Is this a blanket promise that we can all claim?” Don’t forget the principle of context. To whom did Jesus speak these words? To the apostles. But wait a minute, did they automatically apply to those apostles? Could those apostles claim these words as a blanket promise? Was there a context? Did Jesus meet them there in Galilee and say, “Guys, I just wanted to meet with you this last time to tell you that I will be with you always, even to the end of the age”? No. We must understand that this promise was given in connection with the command, “Make disciples of all peoples.” “Make disciples of all peoples, baptizing them… and teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you, and I will be with you always, even until the end of the age.”
What did Jesus mean by “I will be with you”? Did He mean that He would be with them to protect them from any uncomfortable circumstances they might encounter? Did Jesus mean that He would be with them to help them be successful in the fishing business or whatever other business ventures they might make? No. Jesus was telling them that He would be with them in their work of making disciples. The context demands that interpretation. “I will be with you always, even until the end of the age” is not a new paragraph. Rather, it is the conclusion of this command to make disciples. These men had watched their Master die on the cross. Now He is telling them to go out and make “Jesus disciples” out of the peoples around them. That could be both difficult and dangerous. Read between the lines: “But don’t fear, guys, I will always be with you as you go about making disciples.”
Surely Jesus is saying the same to us. We might say, “But Lord, we are just pretty comfortable the way we are doing things right now. We’re not sure we are willing or able to make the kind of shift necessary to get serious about making disciples.” Here our Lord Jesus say, “Don’t be afraid. As you go about following me in this venture, I will always be with you.” Praise God! I need that word of reassurance from our Lord.
If we are going to make disciples, what is the message with which we begin? This is important because some of you are not disciples of Jesus. As a matter of fact, you are the enemies of God. Though you don’t like to admit it, you are rebels against God. In spite of everything you have tried to do, there is no good thing in you. You have gone astray and are still running your own life. Here’s the message we bring to you this morning. What you cannot do to fix yourself, God has done in His Son Jesus. He who knew no sin was made sin for you. “But God commended His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). Don’t turn away from Him who took on Himself the punishment of God that you deserved. Because of your sin, He cried out from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
I urge you to repent and believe. Admit that you have no other hope, that it is useless for you to try to get better. All your efforts have failed up to this point, and they will always fail. Understand that you have offended a holy God. Quickly come to the end of yourself and throw yourself upon Him who alone is worthy, the Lord Jesus Christ. He and He alone can save you from your sins.
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