The truths which we can glean from Matthew 28:16-20 and apply through a heart of devoted obedience are vital to our walk of faith with the Lord Jesus, as well as our efforts to fervently and effectively share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Again, I want to emphasize that it is we who are saved who must move forward in obedience to the Lordship of Jesus with the truth and the beauty of the Gospel…
personally and intentionally, sharing the message of the Gospel in the power of prayer and the Holy Spirit, and motivated by the Lord’s agape love;
by investing our lives in the lives of those who are caught in the grip of unbelief, and enslaved by their spiritual lostness, for the sake of becoming, and making, “friends for eternity!” To purpose before the Lord Jesus to live out this life of faith as “disciple winners” as we seek to reach and grow people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ;
and finally, in a manner that is continuous, contagious, and compelling! (cf. 2 Corinthians 2:14 – 17).
Beloved, in obedience to the Lord’s mandate of the Great Commission, we must demonstrate the connection between the Gospel which we proclaim and the life which the Gospel enables us to live. The Great Commission— along with the Great Commandment— is at the very heart of who we are, and what our purpose is, as the family of God. We are called by our Master to be, and to make, “Friends for Eternity.”
In the first segment of this message, we examined the mandate of the Great Commission (vv.18 – 20). The focus of this opening portion of the message was to assist us in understanding the foundation upon which we can actually carry out our Lord’s mandate to evangelize and make disciples of all the nations of the world. How can we fulfill the Lord’s Great Commission in obedience to Him? We can do so…
By the statement of Jesus’ authority (vv.16 – 18). Remember, all authority has been given to the Lord Jesus both in heaven and on earth. He has been given the name which is above every name. The name of Jesus is the One to whom, ultimately, every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that He is the sovereign Lord over everything in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. There is no authority equal to the authority of Jesus. He truly is Lord of all! Cf. Colossians 1:15 – 18 & 2:13 – 15 \ Philippians 2:9 – 11 \ Revelation 1:17b – 18.
According to the scope of Jesus’ assignment (vv.19 – 20a). Jesus declared that our assignment is to focus upon making disciples as we live out the routines and responsibilities of our lives. We have been redeemed to give ourselves to this divine assignment of making and multiplying disciples. Jesus also made clear that the scope of this assignment entails the entire world population, because He alone is the Savior of the world!
With the satisfaction of Jesus’ assurance (v.20b). As Christians, we desperately need to remember these words of Jesus—the One who is our Savior, our Redeemer, our Lord, our Life—“and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.” The term, “always,” conveys the literal meaning of, “all the days; moment by moment.”
You and I can continue with confidence this mandate from Jesus which was given over twenty-one centuries ago to those first disciples. God has made every provision for those who belong to Him to be…
Ø unafraid of, and in, this work, because we are His ambassadors, entrusted with His message;
Ø urgent in this work, because we realize that it is an eternal matter; there really is more to this life than this life; and
Ø unhindered in this work, because we are empowered with the Holy Spirit to declare God’s message of reconciliation.
Now, as we move into the second portion of this message, I want us to address some motives for fulfilling the Great Commission. Why should we personally seek to be obedient to this mandate? What reasons are there to compel us to fulfill the Lord’s command? Beyond the basic reason and motivation of, well, “the Lord said for us to do so!,” I want to share with you three specific motivations the Lord has instilled within my own heart. I trust these motives will speak to your heart as they have mine.
First, this divine summons demands that every believer fervently render the consciousness of personal surrender. Establishing everlasting friendships in Jesus’ name calls for nothing less than whole-hearted surrender and devotion to Jesus Himself!
In Luke 9:23 we read, Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” To deny ourselves speaks to this thought— that I exchange my will in life in submission to the Lord’s will for my life. I am convinced that this is precisely what the Apostle Paul meant in 1 Corinthians 15:31 when he declared, “I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.” Each day, Paul intentionally sought to submit his will to the Lord Jesus. He sought to deny himself by giving preeminence to the will of our God and Savior each day. And we must do the same as followers of Jesus even today.
The only way we can effectively carry out the Great Commission is by following Jesus on His terms and His terms alone! There must be the exchanging of my old way of life— characterized by self-dependency, emptiness, hopelessness, brokenness, unrighteousness— for the newness of life in Jesus. This life is characterized as an abundant life, one which overflows with the lasting realities of His hope, wholeness, righteousness, peace, joy, and love.
We are called by our Master to be, and to make, “Friends for Eternity.” Therefore, may we purpose within our hearts to do whatever it takes to demonstrate the connection between the Gospel we proclaim, and the life which the Gospel enables us to live, through the consciousness of a personal surrender to the Lordship of Jesus.
Second, this divine summons also demands that each of us fervently reveal the compassion of a redeeming Savior. In Matthew 9:36 we read, “But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.” As Jesus and His disciples moved through the various villages and townships and regions where they ministered, the Lord saw the people He encountered as being “weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.” That is, He recognized them as being overwhelmed and downtrodden in life. He saw their weaknesses and vulnerabilities. He saw them in their hopelessness and lostness. He saw them gripped by their sin of unbelief and its condemnation.
A second aspect of counting the cost in continuing the Great Commission calls for the willingness to see the lost as Jesus sees them; to feel for the lost what Jesus feels for them; and to love the lost as Jesus loves them.
Why should we care for those lost in their sin of unbelief and condemnation? Because…
God cares— He is still asking, “Where art thou?” (Genesis 3:9).
Jesus cares— enough to have endured the sufferings of the cross in order to pay the fulness of a sin debt that no human being could ever redeem.
the Holy Spirit cares— He is still working His conviction of sin within the consciences and hearts of people, seeking to draw them to Jesus and His offer of redeeming grace and mercy, His forgiveness of sin, and cleansing from the guilt of all sin.
those in heaven care— all of heaven still rejoices when even one soul is saved! (cf. Luke 15:1 – 32).
those in hell care— cf. Luke 16:19 – 31 (“…lest they also come to this place of torment”— v.28).
The piercing question which must be settled within the depths of your heart and soul is this: “Do you care for those who are lost in their sin of unbelief and condemnation?” Are you and I willing to demonstrate and extend the compassion of a redeeming Savior to those who are enslaved to the darkness and depravity of sin? Do we genuinely love the unsaved?
Take a moment to read the passage of 2 Corinthians 2:14 – 17. May our prayer unto the Lord be…
“Oh, Lord, fill me with Your grace and mercy, and Your wisdom and love, as I seek to share the truth and beauty of Your Gospel with others. Fill my heart and mind not only with the right words to share, but enable me to express those truths in such a manner that the fragrance of Christ would become real to those with whom I share the story of Your salvation. Amen.”
We are called by our Master to be, and to make, “Friends for Eternity.” Therefore, may we purpose within our hearts to do whatever it takes to demonstrate the connection between the Gospel we proclaim, and the life which the Gospel enables us to live, with the compassion of a redeeming Savior.
Lastly, this divine mandate demands as well that every believer fervently remember the consequences of man’s sin. Addressing the eternal consequences of man’s sin is not a popular aspect of the Gospel message which we have been given to proclaim. However, any reluctance, or even outright denial, on man’s part concerning this part of the Gospel message does not diminish the eternal truth of it. Consequently, we must be faithful to share this truth with grace, in love, and out of the Lord’s wisdom.
There are at least two aspects related to this truth which we must ever keep in the forefront of our hearts, minds, and souls in relation to this task of making and multiplying disciples. To begin with, there is the consequence for lost souls. Let’s allow the Bible to speak to this truth through the following passages.
In John 3:36, Jesus said, “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
The Apostle John affirmed Jesus’ declaration in 1 John 5:12, where he wrote, “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”
In Romans 6:23 the Apostle Paul wrote, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
In Revelation 20:11 – 15, in conjunction with the future Great White Throne Judgment, the Bible says, “Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” (vv.14 – 15).
Let us also consider Luke 16:19–31. The rich man is described as “being in torments in Hades.” This word is in the plural, not the singular. It indicates to us that such suffering is multi-dimensional. This passage reveals that the rich man’s suffering included…
Ø a spiritual aspect of separation from God (v.23);
Ø a physical aspect of enduring pain (v.24);
Ø a mental aspect of remembering lost opportunities (vv.25 – 26);
Ø and an emotional aspect of desiring that none of his brothers would experience the suffering of Hades hell (vv.27 – 31).
The wages of sin are devastating upon any and every soul that rejects the mercy, love, and offer of forgiveness from sin by the grace of God in Christ forever.
Then, we must also consider the consequence of lost opportunities. If the truths of God’s Word and the redemptive story of Jesus Christ are not imparted to those around us, our “Jerusalems” are in danger of becoming nothing less than a pagan society. We are only one generation away from becoming such a nation— a nation that does not know God at all. And if we are really honest about this issue, even now we can recognize that our own society parallels what is described for us in Judges 21:25— “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
I am sure that each one of us can reflect upon certain moments in life when we sensed the Holy Spirit nudging us to speak up and testify to someone about the truth and beauty of God’s redeeming grace, and for whatever reason, we failed to do so in that moment of opportunity. May we earnestly ask the Lord to forgive us for our disobedience regarding those lost opportunities in this life. May we also purpose within our hearts with a renewed fervency to do whatever it takes to demonstrate the connection between the Gospel we proclaim, and the life which the Gospel enables us to live, with a never-wavering awareness of the consequences of man’s sin. Because the Master has redeemed us to be, and to make, “Friends for Eternity.”
Dr. Allen Roberts