The Great Commission
Sermon Notes
Wrapping up
We wrapped up our Citizens series with a conversation about the Holy Spirit because it is the Spirit who enables us to live the Kingdom life, the life of a citizen.
The Holy Spirit makes us citizens: No one confesses Jesus as Lord without the power of the Spirit (1 Corinthians)
The Holy Spirit teaches us the values of the Kingdom: Reminds us of what Jesus did and said (John)
The Holy Spirit enables us to live the citizen life: Teaches us to obey (John)
And, now we’re wrapping up our conversation about the Holy Spirit with a conversation about mission because Jesus makes it very clear that the reason He gives us the Spirit is to empower mission.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Acts 1:8
Starts in a house
Ends in the street
Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
John 20:21-22
How did the Father send Jesus?
In the power of the Spirit.
“No one may expect to be filled with the Spirit if he is not willing to be used for missions.”
In other words, when we ask for more of God, the “more” we are asking for is more of the missional Spirit of God.
So, if the Holy Spirit is the natural end of the Citizens series (or better, the natural beginning), and the mission is the natural end of the Holy Spirit series, we have to conclude that the life of a Citizen is a missional life
In other words, in this Kingdom, “citizen” is not simply an identity; it is also a vocation.
Every citizen is also an ambassador sent into enemy territory by the department of reconciliation with the Good News that the King has come (that Aslan is on the move) and that the Kingdom is available to them.
“The Church exists by mission as fire exists by burning. Where there is no mission, there is no church.” (Emil Brunner)
If then, the Citizen life is a missional life, we probably need to spend some time understanding the mission. Thus, Mission Week. This is the “mission briefing,” the what and how of this missional life. And to facilitate this briefing, we turn to Jesus and the Great Commission.
The Great Commission (Why another week in this? Because it’s the Great Commission)
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:16-20
“They worshiped him, but some doubted.” I love that we start with this statement because it is so inclusive.
Here’s the context:
11 disciples go for a hike up a mountain because Jesus told them to.
They had just been through tumultuous month and a half (really a tumultuous few years). Jesus dragged them out of their lives and took them on the craziest journey any of them had ever been on. They had seen and heard and felt things that they still couldn’t put into words. And then, things really got weird. They went to Jerusalem for Passover, which was supposed to be a celebration, but Jesus was somber, talking about betrayal and death and Him leaving them. Then, it all happened: this Jesus who they had all fallen in love with, had dedicated their lives to, was arrested, beaten, crucified, and buried in a borrowed tomb. Then, He rose from the dead and told them to meet Him on this mountain. How were they feeling in this moment?
Well, some were worshipful, and some doubted. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that both of those are understatements.
Worship: it literally means that they fell down on their faces.
Doubted: I don’t think they were standing back with their arms crossed. I think a better way to describe it, given the context, would be shocked, confused, skeptical, terrified.
Now, why do I say all of that? Because between the two groups, we have the entire range of possible reactions to Jesus. And, what I love about that is that Jesus doesn’t separate them out in what’s going to come next. He commissions both the worshippers and the doubters.
Isn’t that fantastic?! They don’t have to have it all figured out for Jesus to use them.
The reason I really love this is that I’m both of those groups of people at the same time.
Isn’t wonderful to know that the world was changed by doubters, by people who didn’t have it all figured out?!
How did they manage if they weren’t qualified for the task? Well, they were qualified.
Their weakness made them humble and reliant.
And, as we live in the posture, we are no longer limited by our capacity. We are now open to His.
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” This is not the intro to the Great Commission; this is the content of the mission.
I used to think, Jesus was giving His credentials so that the disciples would listen to Him. As if to say, “I’m in charge, so you have to do what I say.”
But, that’s just not the case. It’s actually way better than that.
What Jesus is saying is that there’s a new King in town, the war has been won, there’s no need to fear anymore.
What follows, then, is Him sending out the apostles (the messengers) to announce the message.
This is actually what Gospel means (Vespasian Gospel)
“Therefore, go.”
A participle not an imperative, imperative force with ongoing action: not “Go” but “Going,” or better “as you’re going.”
What does this mean? Simply that mission and life are not two separate things.
This is not a one-time or once-a-year venture.
It’s not something that happens away from home; our homes, in fact, are ground-zero. It flows out of home.
Mission is not something we do; it is something we are.
“Make disciples”
Here’s the imperative. This is actually the only real command in the whole passage. Everything else is just describing how we do this one thing. What is the Great Commission? What is it that Jesus wants from us? Make disciples.
Notice, now, that He does not say make converts.
Discipleship is not at its core about belief. Discipleship is first about following. Jesus doesn’t ask His disciples what they believe about Him until the end of their time together by which point they have been around Him so much that belief is as natural as breathing.
Denotes proximity
Long-term investment: PNG missionary – 9 years before first prayer of faith.
Requires our own authentic relationship with Jesus: “You cannot commend what you don’t cherish.”
Because all of that is hard, we tend to reduce the Great Commission down to getting someone to pray a prayer. How often do we think that our job is to get people to believe the right things about Jesus when, in actuality, our job is to just get the around Jesus? He’ll take care of the belief stuff.
“Of all nations.”
Not just for one group. Jesus is worthy in every tribe.
Requires us to cross boundaries (centrifugal model of mission).
It’s not just that Jesus tells us to make disciples as we’re going; sometimes He changes our going because He wants to reach across a previously closed border.
When you start following Jesus as you’re going, pretty soon you’ll find yourself going somewhere you never thought you’d be going because that’s where Jesus is going.
“Baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit”
Again, not simply a formula for water baptism.
“In the name of…” means “in the character of…” (Naming in Near Eastern culture was not simply about finding something that sounded good. It was instead a statement of identity, of character.)
To baptize someone, in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, therefore, is to immerse them in the character of God, which is to say to immerse them in overflowing love (community of selfless love).
If this is our strategy for disciple-making, that means that love comes before belief. In other words, we love them before they behave properly.
Not about washing, but about changing.
“Teaching them to obey.”
Not about control
About full life (Jesus as the smartest man who ever lived)