where we're gonna start this morning.
I think that my coat is creating static
that's making that noise.
You guys hear that?
So I'm gonna take my coat off.
Is that cool?
All right.
I am not gonna take my shirt off
no matter what happens.
That might get a little awkward, amen.
I think there's some distractions
because I believe this is gonna be
a really important sermon.
In the life of our church,
this series is a series that I've waited
two years to teach you.
And I'm so excited about it.
We've talked a lot about the things,
the themes that I'm gonna talk about in today's message.
So that part of it's not new,
but exactly what I'm gonna tell you
over the next four weeks,
starting last week and going through July
are really, really critical.
And so if you're a guest with us here today,
you may feel a little bit like you're listening in on,
do not touch it.
Okay, I got it.
You may feel very much like,
are we getting a new one?
Testing one, two.
And he's walking away with the one that works, okay.
Blue mic, or am I on?
I'm not sure.
So am I on or am I on?
I'm on.
Hey, forget the blue mic.
I'll put it with my jacket.
This is fun.
All right.
Are you guys ready?
Let's do this.
Have you ever noticed a connection between owning a lot of
something and valuing it less?
You ever notice that connection?
I first remember noticing the connection when we got a
club membership.
Like Costco to us up here, right?
Where you got a lot of something and all of a sudden you
could just, you know, thousand cheese balls.
I could eat all the cheese balls I want.
I didn't value it the same way.
You know, the more you have the something, the less frugal you
are with what you have.
That could be a good thing.
Sometimes it can be a bad thing.
Sometimes the more access you have to something, the more you
take it for granted.
How many of you have ever felt that way?
Maybe you felt that way when you noticed when somebody moved
away, right?
You had the chance to, maybe it's a family member or a loved one,
and you had years of being able to see them all the time and
connect with them all the time.
Maybe you realized after they left, man, I missed them and I
didn't take advantage of the time that I had because you had
access to it, you valued it less, right?
Absence makes the heart grow, fonder.
From time to time on television or on the Internet, I have come
across a video capturing a crisis moment in somebody's life.
A lot of times it's close circuit video and they will see
somebody that gets mugged or gets hurt or they get hit by a
car or something like that.
And then these big cities are so many people that people will
see it happen and maybe they just walk by them and don't even
help.
And they don't even see it happen.
Anybody like that?
Anybody like seeing that?
Maybe even worse, you have seen people instead of helping the
guy they are taking video of it.
You have seen those kind of scenarios.
And in recent years you have seen that happening.
We have also probably been, if you have lived in a county like
we do, I know my grandparents lived in Brown County, Texas,
Brownwood, Texas, Lake Brownwood, we would go.
I lived there when I was little and I would go back as a
state peat Florida, the most populated county per square
mile in Florida.
But then I would go in the summers to Brown County, Texas,
where there is what separates the houses and what my
grandparents' neighborhood is miles.
Right?
And we would go down the Lake Road going into town because
that was an event when you go into town, live in there.
And almost every car that drove by, this is the Texas wave.
And I would go, I don't know who he is.
I would go, I don't know who he is.
When you pass by somebody, everybody waves at each other.
And I would be like, Paul Paul, you know that guy, I have seen
him before, I don't know who he is.
And I am from Florida where there is people everywhere and
everybody is so friendly, everybody waves at each other.
And I think in some ways that is because where there is less
people, people are valued more.
Where there is more people, people can be valued less.
And I think that is what we need to do, but it tends to be the
case.
In our culture, we have potential connection to other people.
More potential connection to other people than at any time in
history.
Do you see that?
If you want to get a hold of me, you can call me, you can text
me, you can Facebook messenger me, you can get me on several
social media things.
We have a fax machine still.
You could fax me, you could call the church office, you could
leave a voicemail.
Are you with me?
There is a lot of connection.
You guys have that too?
We have so much of it.
Whether we are in the middle of a metropolitan city or in the
most remote and rural part of our nation, we have more access to
more people than ever before.
And as a culture, I believe it means I believe that there is a
tendency to value people less and less and less.
And what I want you to know today before I start any proposition in
the sermon is to tell you this, people matter to God.
People matter to God.
You matter to God.
There are some that teach a horrible theology that God only
cares for some.
And I want to teach you that God cares for everybody.
God loves everybody.
People matter to God.
God made people in his image.
He is no respecter of persons.
The Bible says that man looks on the outward appearance, but God
looks on the heart, that he looks on the inside.
Big, little, old, young, fat, skinny, American, European, Asian,
African, put any human distinction you want on the table.
It doesn't matter, and it doesn't change this fact.
People matter to God.
And because people matter to God, those who are called by his name,
Christians, people should matter to us too.
Do you agree with that?
But that's not the only thing that matters to God.
Truth matters to God.
Truth should matter to us as well.
In John 1.14 it says this.
John 1.14 it says this.
And the word was made flesh.
The word here is talking about Jesus.
The word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his
glory.
The glory is of the only begotten of the Father.
This is John writing and he says, I'm going to tell you the story
of Jesus in the coming chapters.
What I want you to know is this word, this logos, this eternal
one, Jesus who became, God became flesh, he lived among us and we
saw his glory.
They were up on the amount of transfiguration.
And God's Jesus, his glory was pulled back.
And they saw him as a human, but also in his divinity.
He was of the only begotten of the Father.
And then it says this, full of grace and truth.
What was notable about Jesus according to this verse was that
Jesus was not only love and grace, he was truth.
It was the combination that was so powerful.
Do you get it?
He loved people, but he also was committed to the truth.
Holiness and love, justice and mercy.
He was the combination.
There are only two things that are going to get out of this time,
this world in eternity, only two things are going to make out
of it.
You say, what do you see?
Like the Bible, which predicted all kinds of prophecies that
have come true already, all kinds of, like you need, if you
haven't read your Bible, you need to understand that this book
has an incredible track record of saying these things are going
to happen in the future and they have.
Okay?
Like it hasn't ever missed, but there's more coming.
And what it says is coming is one day everything on this planet
is going to melt.
And God's going to bring on a new heaven and a new earth.
That's what this Bible says.
Are you with me?
It's got a great track record.
And the only two things, look around at everything.
This building is not going to make it.
The technology, everything is not going to make it.
Two things are going to make it.
The word of God and people.
That's it.
The word of God and the souls of men.
Everyone is going to live forever somewhere.
Everyone is going to spend eternity somewhere.
You get it.
And so, interestingly, interestingly, the target of the ministry
of the local church that was outlined by the Apostle Paul
in Ephesians chapter four is that the people of God be equipped
to do ministry the way Jesus did.
Speaking the truth in love.
Ephesians four teaches, I'm not going to teach it all today,
but Ephesians four says this is the goal of the church.
Leaders equip the saints for the work of the ministry.
And what that work of the ministry, as it matures, looks like,
is speaking the truth to each other and to the world with this
motivation, love.
You can't love people in light of them.
But you can hurt people with the truth.
Anybody ever seen that happen?
So, effective ministry looks like speaking the truth in love.
Do you get it?
Speaking the truth in love.
And so, here is a great description of the mission of our church.
It is my goal in this sermon, and with the coming sermons here
in the month of July, to describe the mission of our church.
And not only its mission, but what our strategy is.
How are we going to accomplish the mission?
Who agrees?
If God gave us a mission, we want to do it.
And if God gave us a mission, we want to do it faithfully,
obediently.
We want to do it successfully.
Let's just take a straw poll.
Who wants that?
Okay, almost everybody in here.
That's awesome.
Okay.
So, today I'm going to describe what the mission is, and then
in the coming weeks I'm going to say, here's our strategy to
accomplish it.
Okay?
Of course we exist to glorify God.
But what does our church exist to do?
How do we glorify God?
What are we supposed to do?
How do we do that as a part of this church?
Our church exists to glorify God by accomplishing the mission
that we've been given.
The mission that God gave us is called the Great Commission.
How many of you guys have ever heard that term, the Great
Commission?
Raise your hands.
Okay, that's awesome.
I'm going to help you understand it and define it today.
The mission is our Great Commission, and it is our
commission vision.
And today's message really is an argument for the theology and
philosophy of our mission.
And so, here's the big idea.
Ready?
We must accomplish the mission that God has given to us called
the Great Commission.
We got to do it.
There's no option.
I don't have an option as your pastor to say, hey, here's a
different mission, because this mission wasn't something that I
came up with.
This was something that was stewarded to any local church.
Jesus gave it to the disciples and the disciples gave it to us
as you will see.
This has been the mission of Brother Gene Milione and Dave
Schaefer and Mike Spann.
And this stewardship has been handed to me as your pastor.
But we're not the only people that do this mission.
If we are, we're in trouble.
Who agrees?
This is for everybody.
Who calls on the name of Christ and who knows Christ as
Savior.
So, we have to accomplish this mission.
How are we going to do that?
We're more likely to do that when we can answer these five
questions.
Here's question number one.
Really simply.
Ready?
Number one, what is the Great Commission?
What is the Great Commission?
Webster's Dictionary defines the noun commission this way.
It's a formal, written warrant granting the power to perform
various acts or duties.
It's a certificate confirming military rank or authority.
It's an authorization or command to act in a prescribed manner
or to perform prescribed acts.
It's authority to act for and behalf of or in place of another.
If then a commission is the authorization and a command for
a group of people or persons to perform some duty, what is the
Great Commission?
Here it is.
Hey, it's a mission statement for every local church.
The Great Commission is the mission statement of every local
New Testament assembly, New Testament church.
Jesus spent three years in his earthly ministry reaching people,
teaching people and ministering to people.
And while he did this ministry himself, Jesus was incredible at
ministry, by the way.
You guys know that.
Not only did he teach better knowledge, but he did teach
better than everybody else.
He ministered better than everybody else.
He always did it the right way.
And when he was doing this ministry, he had guys that he
called with him.
There were the 12 disciples.
He called them to do life with them.
And he poured his life into them.
While he was doing ministry, he had them with him.
And at the end of his earthly ministry, after Jesus did all the
ministry and he died on the cross and he rose from the dead after
his resurrection, he authorized these ministry to do life
with him.
He authorized these men and the other disciples that he had
trained to make disciples like he had.
Assemblies of Jesus Christ, what we call churches, were the
fruit of that ministry.
They assembled people who had been reached and were being
discipled in the context of that ministry.
This is the mission of the church today.
To make disciples of Jesus Christ of all nations.
That's the ministry that is given to every local church.
So what is the great commission is to make disciples of Jesus
Christ.
That's it.
You guys are not excited.
That's the great commission.
Okay.
What is the great commission?
It's a statement of orders from our supreme commander to the
officers in the field.
Who agrees Jesus is in charge?
God's in charge.
And this is like his, as he leaves, this is what he told them
to do.
The mission was God's mission.
He handed his mission to his son, Jesus.
And then Jesus at the end of his ministry handed that mission to
his disciples who handed it to others who handed it to others.
And that's how we got here.
Are you with me?
That's what he commanded us to do.
The Bible speaks about the spiritual battle that's waging.
We're in the battle for the souls of men and women, boys and
girls.
And the great commission is all about the great commission.
So our marching orders are summed up in the great commission.
What is the great commission?
It's also not just our mission statement, not just our orders
from Jesus, it's also a statement of principles.
A statement of principles.
I want you to listen to this.
I have two kind of long quotes from a pastor that I review a lot.
His name is Dr. Belmone Rowe.
This is what he says about the great commission being a statement
of principles.
Law or doctrine upon which others are based.
An essential element that produces a specific effect.
You're going to have to think with me on this.
That is why the Lord gave the commission, what did he do, to
produce a specific effect.
Jesus wants something to happen in our church.
He wants something to happen in this place.
God has a will for Trinity Baptist church.
He has a specific effect that he wants to have happen.
I sense many today may be thinking how could the commission be
relevant in today's ever changing high tech culture.
Isn't the great commission sort of a tired or fashion formula?
Allow me to answer that question with one I've already posed.
Would Jesus have given us a strategy that he knew would become
irrelevant and ineffective before the task was completed?
Would he have done that?
Of course not.
The answer is self evident.
The very nature of the Lord Jesus himself would not permit that.
So think of the great commission as a set of unchanging
principles universally applicable to local churches.
These principles are based upon truth for our Lord spoke them.
Principles which if we would but apply could still enable us to
consummate the great commission perhaps even in this generation.
Do you get it?
It's a statement of principles.
But here's a really clear thing.
It's also a process.
The great commission is a process.
Are you with me?
We're going to see in the scripture again that this is a process.
Again, Brother Monroe, Dr. Monroe says this.
A process is a series of events.
I'm going to say this again.
A series of events strategically arranged in order to
systematically reach a certain objective.
Do you get it?
That's what a process is.
The great commission is a process.
That is a series of events strategically arranged in order
to systematically reach a certain objective.
What's our objective?
Hope you're going to see it the rest of the sermon.
Let me give it to you.
Our objective is to reach every available person with the gospel
of Jesus Christ.
Do we want people to be saved?
Do we want people to hear the gospel?
We do.
But that's not where it ends.
We want to baptize them.
Everybody who receives them.
We want to equip them to become obedient, productive members of
our local church who will themselves join in the mission
to achieve this objective requires a definite process,
a series of events strategically arranged in order to
systematically reach a certain objective.
We will never effectively reach our objective with a calendar
full of random activities.
We cannot just meet together, preach, pray, and hope for results.
Effort and activity do not count no matter how sincerely given.
There must be a process, a series of events strategically arranged
to reach our objective.
The process must be carried out in a disciplined and consistent
manner.
Just as a general produces a war plan based upon a local
conditions, so must we develop a process and a strategy based
upon the local spiritual terrain.
It's far easier to have projects and programs than it is to have
a process.
A project is an evangelistic campaign, a rally, an event,
a special day of promotion.
A project has a start time and a finish date.
The Great Commission is not a project.
It is not a program.
The Great Commission is not a program.
It's a 365 day a year process.
The process involves a three phase cycle.
The first is to go and make disciples or evangelism.
The second is the churching phase where the comfort is baptized
and assimilated or connected to the church.
The third phase is the equipping stage where the believer is
trained to know and be obedient to the teachings of Jesus Christ
and to become involved in the mission themselves.
Only when that cycle has been completed can we really say that
we fulfilled the Great Commission.
So do you get it?
It's a process.
It's a statement of principles.
It's the orders from our Supreme Commander.
This is what the Great Commission is.
Here's the second question.
Are you ready?
Question number two.
Why is it stated in five different places in Scripture?
Why is the Great Commission given in five different places?
How many of you guys noticed that when we had the Scripture
that Dave Curtis was reading today,
that they had like five different images?
Who noticed that when we did that?
Okay.
If you go out into our hallway,
those images are the posters on our walls.
Okay.
We put those up a few months ago.
We didn't announce it.
We just put them up there.
They're the five Great Commission passages in the New Testament.
Okay.
Why do I put them up on the walls?
Because I want you to see them.
They're our purpose.
They're our values.
We don't reword them.
We just put them up.
This is what we're supposed to do.
Why are they in five different places?
Well, let me just tell you this.
Jesus didn't say it just one time.
Jesus said it multiple times.
It was repeated.
In fact, not only was it something he said,
it was something that he did.
It was his method.
Well, the commissioning phase of his ministry was at the end.
You know, Jesus discipled his guys.
He taught them.
He trained them.
He did ministry in front of them.
Then he gave them ministry.
Then they watched him do it.
He told them.
He sent them out before he ever finally sent them out.
He was sending them the whole time.
Are you with me?
And at the end, he commissioned them.
He didn't just wait in the end to tell them that's what he was doing.
He said it a bunch.
He would do ministry while they watched him.
Then he would do ministry with them.
Then he would watch them do ministry and coach them.
And finally he would send them out and cheer them on.
These expressions of commission solidified the principles and
methods and mission he had already been doing with them.
So why is it repeated so many times?
Because he didn't just say it one time.
He didn't want his followers to forget it or forsake it.
He wanted them to do it together.
Have you noticed the name of our series?
Our commission vision.
This isn't just for one person.
This is for, point to who it's for.
It's for everybody.
It's for a whole church.
Why is it stated in five different places?
Jesus did not just say it one way.
He said it many ways.
In fact, Jesus gave us a cohesive picture of our mission in these
five texts.
And here's really the guts of our message that I want to give to you
today.
Leads us to lesson number three.
What are the five different emphases in those five texts?
Jesus said multiple times.
And we recorded five times in Scripture.
When we put them all together, we will get a pretty cohesive
statement about it.
Are you ready?
What are the five places and how does it apply to us?
First, Matthew 18, 28, 18-20.
This commission shows us that the great commission is a process.
Look at what it says.
And Jesus came and spoke unto them saying, all power is given unto
me in heaven and in earth.
Now, before I read that, go back, I'm going to go to the passage
myself in my Bible.
Look at what it says.
Matthew 28, go to verse number 16.
It says, then the 11 disciples went away into Galilee into the
mountain where Jesus had appointed them.
Jesus had told, hey, go to Galilee, go to this mountain, I'm
going to meet you there.
And when they saw him, they worshiped him.
But some, what does it say?
Doubted.
Now, some have said, maybe even thought, what are they doubting
here?
Are they doubting?
Are they doubting that Jesus is God?
Is that what they're doubting?
I don't think that they doubted that at all.
We're going to see in just a few minutes that he had spent from
his resurrection until what's about to happen is ascension here.
He spent all that time doing basically a Bible, first of all,
he's appearing to them.
They had seen him die.
They saw the empty tomb.
They saw him alive.
And then he did this basically a Bible study going through all the
prophecies in the Old Testament showing that all the scriptures
pointed to him and how he fulfilled all of them.
So they knew that he was God.
That was not what was questioned.
What were they doubting?
What they also had experienced from Jesus is that he kept saying,
I'm going to go away.
I'm leaving.
And I think they were worried because the last time he died and was
gone for three days, they had all abandoned him.
Peter was probably the most notable leader.
He had denied Jesus.
Thomas even doubted that he had risen from the dead until Jesus
showed up and showed him, who's with me?
So they kept, Jesus kept saying, I'm going.
I'm leaving.
And I think they were doubting, what were they doubting?
They were doubting if Jesus was God.
They were doubting what are we going to do now that Jesus is gone.
Jesus had said, you're going to do greater things than I did.
And they're going, how are we going to do greater things than
Jesus did?
That makes no sense.
Well, I think these five passages will help you understand how
they're going to end up doing greater things.
He says they doubted.
And Jesus, when he knows what's going on in their hearts, this is
what he says to them.
Jesus came and spake of them saying, all power, all authority
is given to me in heaven and in earth.
Go ye therefore.
What's it therefore based on?
Go out under my authority.
You know what you're authorized to do?
By Jesus.
You're authorized by Jesus to make disciples.
If you know Jesus Christ is your Savior, God has authorized you
to make disciples.
Let me ask you a question.
Are you making disciples?
I'm going to show you over the next few weeks how we can do it
together.
He says here, go ye therefore and teach.
The word therefore teach there is mathatousate.
It literally means make disciples.
Make students of.
Make followers of.
Make disciples of.
Who are they supposed to make disciples of?
Dave Fawcett.
Who are they supposed to make disciples of?
All the nations, but who are they following?
Jesus.
Make disciples of Jesus among all the nations.
What does it say?
Baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost.
Teaching them two words.
What does it say?
To observe or to obey all things whatsoever have commanded you.
Here's the good news.
And lo, I'm with you.
Even unto the end of the world.
Do you see the process?
The process is help people believe in Jesus.
Help people profess Jesus once they believe in baptism.
Following that obedient stage.
Fallen that obedient act.
And then teach them to obey.
Don't just teach them to know.
Teach them to obey everything I taught you to obey.
Are you with me?
And by the way, even though I'm going, I'm still going to go
with you even to the end of the age.
Isn't that cool?
So it's not just winning people to Jesus and not just helping
them get baptized.
It's helping them learn how to be obedient to Christ.
How to follow all that Christ commanded us.
Has he given us a lot here?
He has.
So there's a process.
We reach them.
We teach them.
We send them out to minister.
That's what we do.
That's the great commission in Matthew 8, 2018.
It's a process.
The great commission in Mark 16, 15 carries a message.
It says in Mark 16, 15, and he said unto them,
Go ye into all the world and preach the, what's the word?
Gospel to every creature.
What does gospel mean?
Gospel means good news.
What is the good news that Jesus Christ died for our sins
according to the scriptures, that he was buried and that he
rose again the third day according to the scriptures.
The message must be given to every person in all of the
world.
First Corinthians, if you have your Bible, quickly go to
1 Corinthians, chapter 15.
Here's a definition of the gospel.
So clear, right?
More overbreeding.
I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you,
which also you have received and wearing you sand,
by which also you are saved.
What does the gospel do?
It helps us be saved.
If you keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless you
believed it in vain.
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also
received.
What is Paul saying?
This isn't new to me.
This isn't original to me.
This is what I received from Jesus and this is what all of
the other apostles are believing.
What is it?
How that Christ died.
Who's Christ?
Jesus, the only begotten.
The word Christ means Messiah.
That Jesus, that God became flesh and that he died.
Why did he die?
He died for our sins.
How do we know that it was for our sins?
Because he said it would be and that's exactly what the
Scripture said would happen.
According to the Scriptures it means God predicted it would
happen.
Jesus came, he died, when he died he died for his sins.
He died according to the Scriptures it was predicted.
Verse 4, and that he was buried and that he rose again the
third day according to the Scriptures.
After that he was seen of Cephas, Peter, and then of the
12th.
After that he was seen of 500 brothers at once of whom the
greater part remained as the present but some fallen asleep.
And after that he was seen of James, the brother of Jesus,
the half brother of Jesus.
Then of all the apostles and last of all he was seen of me as
one born out of due time.
The Bible itself defines what the Gospel is.
Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.
He was buried.
How do we know that God accepted Christ's sin, his
atonement for sin, his offering for sin on the cross because he
rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.
Are you guys excited about the Gospel?
Like this is our hope.
And so where the Great Commission is a process it's
all, it's energized.
It's not just some process like training like, you know,
we're like Amway or some corporation that's trying to
get people to do things.
This is a supernatural, life-giving, life-altering message
by which we are made alive in Christ and how we get to heaven
and have every spiritual blessing get placed into Christ.
This is our only hope.
And this Gospel has got to get to everybody.
To everybody.
Everyone is going to spend eternity somewhere.
Jesus said I'm the way to treat the life.
No man comes to the Father but by me.
So what's the command to get the Gospel to all nations?
And that's why it has to be our commission, vision because I
can't by myself get the Gospel to all nations.
Not by myself.
You can't do it by yourself.
It's as much your responsibility as it is mine.
Who's thankful for the Gospel?
Too much is given, much is required.
And so it's a message.
It's the good news.
The Great Commission carries a message.
The Great Commission is about the person of Jesus Christ,
Luke 22, 24 says this.
And he said unto them, these are the words which I spake into
you while it was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled
and the law of Jesus was written in the law of Moses
and in the prophets and in the Psalms concerning me.
This passage in Luke 26, again, is after Jesus' resurrection.
He's appearing to these disciples.
He's training, one last training before I go.
And he says, this is what I told you about.
How that Moses spoke about me and the law spoke about me.
And the Psalms spoke about me that I was coming.
Verse 45.
And he said unto them, open their understanding that they might
understand the Scriptures.
The Gospel is all about Jesus.
What did the Scriptures say?
Verse 46.
And he said unto them, thus it is written and thus it behoved
Christ to suffer and arise from the dead the third day.
And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in,
in whose name?
Who agrees this is about Jesus?
It's about Jesus.
The remission and repentance and sin should be given in his name,
preached in his name, where?
Among all nations beginning at Jerusalem.
And ye, he said to the disciples, you're witnesses of these things.
And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you.
What was that promise?
The indwelling Holy Spirit.
But you tear ye in the city of Jerusalem until you be in
duty with power from on high.
The message of the Gospel and the commission of Christ is to
make disciples not of ourselves.
I'm not trying to make disciples of Ben Jennings.
Jesus said follow me, Paul and us, what we say is follow me as I
follow Christ.
We're trying to make disciples of Jesus.
This great commission is about the person of Jesus Christ.
In John we see the great commission is delegated authority.
Is delegated authority.
Look at this.
Then said Jesus to them again, this is him showing up.
Peace be unto you as my Father hath sent me, what does he say?
So send I you.
The Father has a mission.
God the Father has a mission.
The great commission that we're on, it's a commission because
we're doing God's mission in the world.
You get it.
He's not willing that any should perish, but that all should
come to repentance.
For this reason, he sent Jesus.
Jesus constantly said that he came to do his Father's will.
In this commission he stated that he had come with the Father's
authority.
He was now handing over authority to the disciples to make
disciples of Jesus.
This is similar to what he said in Matthew 28, authority is
given to me in heaven and earth.
Go ye therefore and make disciples.
So here's the deal.
Ready?
The Father sent the Son, the Son sent the Spirit to us, and
he sent us into the world with that Spirit.
So you don't do this thing alone?
That's why he said, and I'll be with you even to the end of
the world.
He says, as the Father has sent me, so send I you.
Now, let me be clear about something that impacts our
church.
Every Sunday at the end, as we're about to leave, I say, you're
not dismissed.
You're set.
What I'm trying to say when I say that, I mean, you're really
clear.
I want you to get this.
What I'm trying to say is that the ministry has not just been
accomplished only to be done again in this building at the
next service or the next Lord's Day.
What I'm saying is that the point of this gathering is for
you to be further equipped to go out into the world to do
ministry all week long.
Do you get it?
The ministry is not over when the service is over, and it's
not only done by professionals.
The ministry is to be done outside of this building by
every Christ follower who's been given the authority to make
disciples of Jesus Christ.
And you're not going out under my authority.
I'm not saying I'm sending you.
No, I'm saying you are sent, not by Pastor Ben.
Point to who we're sent by.
That's it.
We are not dismissed.
This is not just, okay, now it's time to go get lunch.
Although we go get lunch.
It's great.
Right?
What are we?
We're sent by Jesus.
And by the way, I'm not saying you're sent by me.
You're not going out under my authority.
We're going out under the authority of the resurrected Jesus
who gave it to us as he received it from the Father and who has
empowered us with this Holy Spirit.
The Great Commission is a delegated authority.
Last thing in this part.
The Great Commission is to be done locally, regionally, and
globally.
In Acts 1, this is how Jesus said it.
But you shall receive power.
After that the Holy Ghost has come upon you.
And you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all
Judea and in Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Where should the Great Commission be done?
Of course it's done internationally.
We get to support some 130 missionaries all over the world.
Who thinks that's awesome?
And the missionaries we support, we try very diligently to make
sure that those missionaries are gospel preaching, church
planting, missionaries that support that effort.
In our church context, we emphasize the gospel getting to
the nations.
We're praying that the Lord would see fit that someone would be
sent from our church to a cross-cultural international
ministry somewhere in the world.
Jesus committed that the commission be done in the
uttermost.
Who agrees with that?
But he also said it's done in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria
and then to the uttermost part of the earth.
For the disciples, Jerusalem was where they were.
Judea was surrounding the surrounding area where there
were people who were culturally homogenous, who were the same.
Samaria was near them geographically, but it was
cross-cultural ministry.
They were nearby, but they were a different culture.
We have that happening too, don't we?
Of course, the uttermost part of the earth was the expansive
of in geography and completely cross-cultural in language and
religion and culture.
But notice something very important about that verse.
He says, you're going to receive power if the Holy Ghost has
come upon you and you'll be my witness, both in Jerusalem and
Judea and Samaria and to the uttermost part of the earth.
It's not.
You have an option.
You can either do it here or here or here or here.
What does he say?
Where is it supposed to happen?
Everywhere.
It's everywhere.
The great commission making disciples, evangelism,
discipleship, sending is not just for missionaries and for
lands and not just for churches here at home, nor is it just
for churches here at home with no effect to the nations.
So how can we do great commission in all those places at the
same time?
The truth of the matter is I can't and you can't, but we, we
can.
It's our commission vision.
So let's put it all together.
What did we just say?
We said that the great commission is a process, that it
includes that we reach people, we baptize them, we train them,
we send them out to do the ministry, which is to go reach
people, teach people, send them out to do ministry.
It's a process.
Who agrees it's a process?
That it contains, it's empowered by this message, the
message of the gospel, that it's about Jesus, that it's about
doing it locally, but it's also about doing it regionally and
globally.
How did, here's question number four, are you ready?
How did the disciples and the early church flesh out this
great commission?
How do they do it?
If you have your Bibles, go to Acts chapter 2.
Acts chapter 2.
I'm giving you a lot today.
In Acts chapter 2, at the very beginning, the disciples, there's
120 of them, 12.
Actually 11, and then they added a 12th because Judas had gone.
There's 120 of them in the upper room.
They get filled with the Holy Spirit that Jesus promised would
come and come down and filled into them and dwelt them.
Amazing things were happening.
It became pretty evident they got out of that upper room and
they were probably in the temple as they were being in
Dwelt and doing all these sign things.
They started speaking and as they were speaking, they were
speaking and everybody that was there internationally heard it
in their own language.
And as they were speaking, in fact, if you go and look at verse
number 9, it starts describing verse 8, how here we every man
in our own tongue, where we were born, part of theans and
Elamites and the dwellers of Mesopotamia.
Verse 10, they were all amazed and in doubt saying one another.
What mean is this?
So the disciples are endowed by the spirit, they are speaking and
as they are speaking, everybody is hearing in their own language.
This is a reversal of what happened at the tower of Babel.
Where God confused their languages because they were trying
to get to God in their own way.
God provided a way and now he's unifying the languages as a sign
to Israel to say, I'm doing something new.
But I'm doing something that I predicted.
What did they contribute?
What did they say?
Verse 12, they are all amazed and in doubt saying one to another,
what mean is this?
Others mocking said these men are full of new wine.
These guys are drunk.
The dumb.
Anybody ever get drunk and do something miraculous?
I probably didn't.
Don't raise your hand.
Okay.
We won't take volunteers on that.
Verse 14, but Peter standing up with the 11 lifted up his voice
and said unto them, ye men of Judea, and all that dwell in Jerusalem,
be known unto you and harken to my words, for these are not
drunken as you suppose, sing it be but the third hour of the day.
It's noon.
We're not drunk.
This isn't five o'clock somewhere kind of thing.
Right?
We're not drunk.
But this is which was spoken by the prophet Joel and it shall
come to pass in the last days and say, I will pour out my spirit
upon all flesh.
The prophet Joel is in the Old Testament.
He's quoting here.
And your sons and daughters shall prophesy and young men shall
see visions and old men shall dream dreams.
He goes on to verse 22 and this is what he says.
You men of Israel hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth, a man
approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs
which God did by him in the midst of you as you yourselves know.
Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge
of God ye have taken and by wicked hands crucified in slain
whom God hath raised up.
Now that's an interesting message.
We're not drunk.
You guys blew it.
This power that you're seeing exhibited in us isn't because
we're great.
This is exactly what God said would happen.
In the latter days God would pour out his spirit to declare a
message and this is the message, Jesus the one you crucified,
God raised from the dead.
He goes on and says, this is what David said in the Psalms.
He quotes a bunch of things and he preaches this incredible
sermon and by the way, this is crazy.
Just a few weeks later what was Jesus doing at the fire,
what was Peter doing at the fire?
He time.
Aren't you one of his disciples?
I don't even know him.
He denied him three times.
What was the difference?
Jesus rose again.
And he restored him.
And so his message now, Peter standing up and he says, this one
you crucified, God raised from the dead.
He declares unto them all these amazing things.
Verse 37, we heard this, they were pricked in their heart.
Verse 40, verse down, go down to verse 40.
And with many other words that he testified and exhorts saying,
save yourselves from this untoward generation.
They asked him back to verse 38, what did they ask him in verse
37, sorry, verse 37, said unto Peter, and the rest of the
apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do?
What do you think we should do?
Verse 38, then Peter said unto them, repent and bring
back the sins of the dead.
And the rest of the apostles, repent and be baptized every one
of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins
and ye shall receive the same spirit, the gift of the Holy
Ghost that we have received.
They asked him, what should we do?
He said, here's what he said, you need to believe and you need
to be baptized.
What was he saying?
Become a disciple of Jesus.
What was he saying?
He said, go make disciples of all nations.
The baptism didn't make them saved.
The repentance made them saved.
The baptism identified them publicly with Jesus.
Look at what happened.
Now this is what, so why am I telling you all this?
Look at verse 41.
Here's what it says.
Then they that gladly received his word, who were they?
Those who heard it, repented, believed, what does it say?
They were baptized and the same day they were added to them
about 3,000 souls.
What was that part?
Who agrees they were reached?
Were these people reached?
They got saved.
They got baptized and baptism is what added them to the local
church and then it was over.
What was it saying?
Is that what it says?
Look at the next verse.
It says, and they continued steadfastly in the Apostles'
doctrine.
Where did the apostles get their doctrine?
From Jesus.
They continued steadfastly in the Apostles' doctrine and in
fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers.
And fear came upon every soul and many of them were
done by the apostles and all that believed were together.
That's the church, right?
And all things in common, they sold the possessions and
parted them to all men, every man as they need.
And they continuing daily with one accord.
In the temple and breaking bread from house to house, large
groups, small groups.
They did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of
praise in God and having favor with all the people and the
Lord added to the church.
How often?
Daily.
Did it just happen on Sunday when they gathered?
It happened every day.
Daily such as should be saved.
Who wants people getting saved around here daily?
How did it happen?
Before they had programs.
Before they had buildings.
Before they had worship bands and choirs.
Before they had anything.
They had doctrine and fellowship, breaking of bread.
They had prayer.
They did evangelism.
They made disciples.
And here's how many people got saved.
It says, what did it say?
As many as received this word were baptized and the same day
was added to them, 3,000 souls.
I ask you this question.
If we had a move of the spirit here on a Sunday.
What would we do with those people?
Keep coming.
Would we need more services?
Yeah, we would.
I want to submit to you.
What would we want for those people?
What would we want to happen?
We want them to get baptized.
And we want to teach them to observe all things.
What's over commanding you.
Who agrees?
I can tell somebody, hey, you should be in your Bible every day.
You should do that.
Here, new convert.
Master this.
Ready?
Good luck.
Hope you enjoy it.
Read John.
John is a good one.
Is that what we should do?
How could 3,000 people, give my Bible back.
How could 3,000 people continue steadfastly in the Apostles
doctrine and fellowship and breaking up bread and in prayers.
It's because Jesus had equipped 120 in his ministry.
And he had poured his life into 12.
And he had poured his life into three.
And I believe the three helped the 12 who helped the 120 so that
when 3,000 people got saved, there were people there that could
help them.
And not just say you should read your Bible but say hey, let's do
this thing together.
Let me teach you to pray.
Let me teach you how to be in God's word.
Let me tell you, let me teach you that you got saved and you're
going to, but you're going to sin again and you're going to have
doubts.
Let me help you with those doubts.
Are you with me?
I don't want to have spiritual babies and then leave them and
hope that they can fend for themselves.
And although that might seem like a slow process, the
multiplication possibilities are unbelievable when we actually
help the people that get saved know how to follow God
themselves and then generationally learn how to help others do
the same thing.
And by the way, that's what the Great Commission tells us to do.
Not just walk an aisle, pray a prayer, get saved and you're
golden, keep coming, right?
But to help them come to know Christ, to baptize them and to
teach them to observe all things I've commanded you, which
ends up in you're not dismissed, you're sent.
What would a church look like that was prepared for that?
Maybe the reason we don't have 20 and 50 and 75 and 100 people
getting saved is because we're not ready for them.
But what if we could be?
What if we could be?
More on that next week.
What's our mission?
It's the Great Commission.
It's a process that carries a message.
It's about the person of Jesus.
It's to be done locally, regionally, nationally and
internationally and it can't be done just by one of us.
It's our co-mission vision.
Would you bow your heads and close your eyes with me?