Jesus Said, “GO…”

 

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Jesus Said, “GO…” Matthew 28:18-20 Matthew 28:18-20 (NASB)—16 But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. 18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” •

This is the culmination of Jesus’ earthly ministry o Jesus came to bring SALVATION to mankind. • He came to defeat sin, conquer death, and subdue the devil. • Jesus came to die sacrificially

Did not get tied up in civilian affairs 2 Timothy 2:4 Did not become distracted or ensnared by the world and its pleasures. His ministry had granted Him all authority in heaven and on earth! Jesus had conquered sin, death and Satan! • THEREFORE, Go and make disciples!! • All the Nations • Baptizing them & Teaching them ALL JESUS COMMANDED • I am with you o How are we to do this? WITH JESUS!! o Disciples didn’t even believe Jesus…but He sends them out. First Church’s Burden for Discipleship… “The earliest converts were converted by a single historical fact (the Resurrection) and a single historical doctrine (the Redemption) operating on a sense of sin which they [were given to understand]…” C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters, Letter XXIII.

James 1:22—Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Luke 6:46—46 “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 1. You’re a Christian and you love Jesus and you want to make disciples! You want to pray more and grow and learn and se people saved! a. I am one of you!! b. You guys stoke me out because the Lord loves when we pray for more of Him. c. He loves it when we pray for more to be saved! d. These are prayers He longs to answer!! 2. You’re a Christian, but there are weeds in the garden! a. Saved & sorta following, but choosing to be drawn to lesser things rather than Christ. “Jesus  Said,  GO…”—Matthew  28  

 

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Billy  Hunter  

 

2   b. Many in the Church & people in category 1 fall into this by losing focused call to Christ. c. This is a scary, stressful place to be… fruitless and tiresome to follow Christ. d. 168 hrs in a week, God wants HOW MANY of those?? e. We come to the Bible looking for ideas to consider & not commands to obey. 3. You’re not a Christian, so discipleship is irrelevant. a. There is a chance that a large number of people who think they are Christian may actually not be saved.

Jesus sent His disciples into the world to make disciples. He speaks to what His disciples’ lives are to look like in Matthew 16: Matthew 16:24—Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.” Jesus said “Go and make disciples…” Organized approach to Jesus’ discipleship model: Robert E. Coleman, The Master Plan of Evangelism, 1963. DISCIPLESHIP is the plan!! 1. People + the Spirit—That’s it! Snapshot of the Ministry of Christ: -Jesus came to save the world—He came to die… -While living He invested His time/life into a few men -These men were taught to do the same. -Through reproduction the Gospel was to be carried to ends of the earth. Who were these Disciples?—Fallible People were his method Let’s start by comparing them to the Marys… Matthew 28:-10—7"Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you." 8And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples. 9And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him. 10Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me." The Marys were FAITHFUL, OBEDIENT, WORSHIPFUL. Jesus met them FIRST!! Here’s how the disciples responded… Matthew 28:16-20 (NASB)16But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. 17When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. 18And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me “Jesus  Said,  GO…”—Matthew  28  

 

                                                                     4.7.2013    

 

Billy  Hunter  

  3   in heaven and on earth.19"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in Matthew 28:16-17 (NASB)16But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. 17When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful… Men were… doubtful and timid and lacked faith. Jesus meets them in their doubt and uses them. It all started with Jesus calling a few men to follow him. 1. NOT concerned with programs, but with men whom the multitudes would follow. 1. Jesus came to be glorified through the redemption of humans 2. NOT through slick systems or programs 2. The objective was to enlist people who’d bear witness to his life and carry on his work after he returned to the Father. 1. The disciples had little immediate effect on the religious life of the day 2. Their lives would have an impact throughout eternity. 1. None of the men Jesus chose seemed to be key people. 1. They weren't prominent in the synagogues 2. NOT educated, or wealthy. 3. They were "unlearned and ignorant" (Acts 4:13), 2. Jesus saw in them the potential to be leaders in His Kingdom. 1. Not the men you would expect to win the world for Jesus, 2. BUT they were teachable!! 1. They had a yearning for God and the realities of His life. 2. Jesus can use anyone who submits to be used. •

We, as disciple-makers need to meditate on the principles governing Jesus’ life o So our own labors might be conformed to a similar pattern. o Form follows function—we need to study & understand principles that determined his methods.

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Great wisdom in Jesus' only concentrating on a few men. o The world is transformed as individuals in the world are transformed. o Individuals are transformed by Jesus. o As the company of followers around Jesus increased, He narrowed the select company to a more manageable number – Jesus chose twelve apostles. • The smaller the group, the greater effectiveness • Jesus staked his whole ministry on the apostles!

“I have just passed from believing in God to definitely believing in Christ—in Christianity. I will try to explain this another time. My long night talks with Dyson and Tolkien had a good deal to do with it.” C.S. Lewis, Letter to Arthur Greeves, 1 October 1931. The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Harper, San Francisco, 2005. “Jesus  Said,  GO…”—Matthew  28  

 

                                                                     4.7.2013    

 

Billy  Hunter  

 

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“Dyson and Tolkien were the immediate human causes of my conversion. Is any pleasure on earth as great as a circle of Christian friends by a good fire?” C.S. Lewis, Letter to Arthur Greeves, 21 December 1941. The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Harper, San Francisco, 2005.

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Jesus focused on a few men o This stands in contrast to modern emphasis on the numbers! o Emphasis on building the foundation for continuing discipleship!

Jesus’ as Disciple-Maker: Our Model What is the plan of your life? –Everyone lives by a plan. o We all regard Jesus' Kingdom as true, but are His plans relevant? TESTIMONY—do you know yours? i. Life before Jesus ii. How Jesus rescued you iii. How Jesus has changed you Be prepared to share the Good News of Jesus!!

• People must be our priority. Robert Coleman’s encouragement to pastors: “Better to give a year to one or two people who learn what it means to conquer for Christ than to spend a lifetime with a congregation just keeping the program going.” Robert E. Coleman, The Master Plan of Evangelism, 1963.

o It is not enough just to involve persons in some kind of group association § They must be given some way to express the things that they have learned § We need to expect something from them. • Church attendance and serving • Praying for others’ salvation… etc… o All of this is going to require a lot of supervision § Watch over the personal development of these people § Watch over their work with others. HELP THEM! § MOST IMPORTANT to keep them growing in peace and in knowledge. • Help them carry their burdens • let them carry on with the work of making disciples. •

Your worship and walk is priority! o Jesus is NOTHING to you if He is not enjoyable! § Discipleship is a burden if it is YOUR ministry… § Discipleship is JESUS’ MINISTRY, and we follow Him in it! § Where is the Holy Spirit at work around you?—PRAY TO SEE IT!! § Who is God calling to Himself at your job/school/bank/grocery store?—PRAY!! o Are you LESS in love with Jesus today than you were before? § All you need to do is REPENT!!

“Jesus  Said,  GO…”—Matthew  28  

 

                                                                     4.7.2013    

 

Billy  Hunter  

  Acts 3:19 (NASB)—“Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord…” • •

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When we repent it restores us to a place of intimacy I want to be in that place today!!

I want to get up and follow Jesus out onto the Coastlands to make disciples this week! C.S. Lewis captures my tendencies well: Sonnet 4 (excerpt) That long way round which Dante trod was meant For mighty saints and mystics not for me,' So Nature cries. Yet if we once assent To Nature's voice, we shall be like the bee That booms against the window-pane for hours Thinking that way to reach the laden flowers. Poems, “5 Sonnets” (#4), C.S. Lewis, 1964. Written, I believe, after his wife died. They are in the vein of his book A Grief Observed.

DISCIPLINE!! Hebrews 12:1-3 (NLT)—Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. 3 Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. Witnesses—men & women who have gone before us. o ENCOURAGEMENT! o They did it, so I should be able to do it too. *The power of influence: who are you listening to? Power of focusing on high-achievers vs standing in the way of scoffers With all your being you want to do well—BUT HOW?? Hebrews 12 answers “how” eloquently—DISCIPLINE—RUN!! 1. Discipline Yourself TO RUN Heb 12:1—   What keeps you from running?? Distractions and sin. Is there an encumbrance leading you into sin? 2. Shed Every Encumbrance! • • •

Pray for DISCIPLINE! Pray for the LOST! GO and make disciples!

“Jesus  Said,  GO…”—Matthew  28  

 

                                                                     4.7.2013    

 

Billy  Hunter